Price Of Passion (YiZhan) Ep3

In the early morning, Shennai General Hospital.

Xiao Zhan

Standing outside Room 214, still in his overnight scrubs.

Xiao Zhan

his hands are trembling slightly, holding a clipboard but not reading it. his eyes are red due to bloodshed, puffy n' sleepless.

Nurse: In soft voice, "Dr. Xiao... She passed away at 4:07 AM. No sudden distress. Just… stopped breathing." she continues, "reports said it was a mix of trauma-triggered parasympathetic shutdown and dissociation. Basically… she let go."

Xiao Zhan

"Loss of senses... her mind broke, then her body followed." his voice cracks quietly under his breath, the guilt cutting deep

Xiao Zhan

"I should’ve done more. I should’ve stayed with her longer." His finger clench around the clipboard.

sometimes later.

Wang Yibo

he steps out of elevator, eyes locked to a familiar figure, walking with purpose but unaware of what’s coming. "Dr. Xiao."

Xiao Zhan

He turns to him slowly, unable to speak. "Yes?"

Xiao Zhan

Zhan took in Yibo's simple dress. A white shirt with down hair. Decent.

Wang Yibo

"Where is she? I came early. Thought maybe she’d talk today.. Just needed one word. A tattoo, A name, Anything."

Xiao Zhan

His mouth opens, But no sound comes. He lowers his eyes, after a long pause "She’s gone."

Wang Yibo

Stares in dumbfounded, doesn’t blink. Doesn’t speak. A sharp inhale. "Gone? where?" soft, but it lands like thunder

Xiao Zhan

he nods, still doesn't looking at him. "Her vitals were fine last night. I thought she’d... hold on. But her brain stopped first."

Wang Yibo

he steps closer, jaw tense, almost angry "But you said she needed rest. That she’d talk."

Wang Yibo

"You said she'd make it." his voice rises, just slightly. About to yell… but then. his eyes fall on Zhan’s face. wet, exhausted, defeated.

Wang Yibo

he look away and swallowed his words. 'No point of scolding.'

...

Wang Yibo

"Did she show anything? Symptoms? Patterns before she... let go?"

Xiao Zhan

Finally looks at him "She stopped reacting to light. Then voices. Then... touch. Her pupils didn’t dilate when she cried."

Xiao Zhan

he continued, "It was like her soul shut the door quietly behind her."

Wang Yibo

Yibo whispers, more to himself, "She gave up before we could give her justice." long silence between them

it was a empty hallway bench where they both sat silently.

Xiao Zhan

he said softly, "You want to be angry. You want to blame me. I wouldn’t stop you."

Wang Yibo

he shakes head once. Looking into her postmortem report "I’m not angry at you,... I’m angry she was left alive just to die differently."

Xiao Zhan

"There was something carved into her scalp. Hidden under her hair. I didn’t notice it at first. I saw it last night."

Xiao Zhan

"It was a crescent. Cut with something sharp. Like a ritual"

Wang Yibo

his eyes narrow "A crescent? Same as the symbol carved into the last victim’s thigh."

Wang Yibo

"This isn’t random violence. This is a pattern."

Nurse walks up with a sealed bag.

Nurse: "This was with the girl’s belongings. It was in her coat lining. We didn’t see it until we were cataloguing." she hands it to Yibo

He opens it. A torn photograph. Half burnt. The other half shows a man’s silhouette beside a white van.

Wang Yibo

his voice hardens, "Finally… something real." he quickly stands up "I’ll have my team restore this. And trace the vehicle."

Xiao Zhan

"Do it fast. I can’t bury another one." he whispered but Yibo just happened to hear 'em.

Wang Yibo

He pauses before walking away, voice unexpectedly gentle "You stayed with her longer than anyone ever did.. I don’t think she died alone because of you, Doc Zhan."

He leaves. The sound of his boots fades.

Zhan sits alone, exhausted. Zhuo quietly appears beside him, his hands in his pockets.

Wang Zhuocheng

"You okay?"

Xiao Zhan

Not even pretending "No."

Wang Zhuocheng

he bumps his shoulder to cheer him up. "Then be not okay. Just don’t drown in it. We still have more to save."