Chapter 10. Survivors

Xie Kang knocked on the door downstairs, shouting Zhuang Yongyuan's name. When he got no response, he banged on it again. The iron door of the old house was so well made that Xie Kang felt a sharp pain in his shoulder from the impact, and the door only left a layer of cracked paint.

Unable to enter the main gate, Xie Kang looked up and saw that the second-floor balcony had a railing made of red bricks, but it was not solid. The middle was hollowed out and embedded with a row of dark green porcelain columns.

The floor is not very high. If I can find a rope to put on the porcelain pillar, maybe I can climb up along the rope.

Time waits for no one, and Zhuang Yongyuan's situation inside remains a mystery. Xie Kang has no extra time to think. He unbuckles the belt around his waist, grabs the security net on the side window, steps onto the windowsill, and climbs up along the security net. He reaches one hand into the hollow of the guardrail and clings to the cement floor of the second-floor balcony. With the other hand, he holds the belt and swings it towards the porcelain pillar, trying to buckle the belt around the porcelain pillar with one hand.

Xie Kang tried several times, but failed every time when he tried to use the belt buckle needle to pierce the belt hole. One time, the needle had already gone halfway in, but it inexplicably slipped out.

The security net was not a place for people to stand. It was difficult for Xie Kang to maintain his balance while standing on the iron wire as thick as his little finger. The palm of his left hand, which was pressed against the balcony floor, was rubbed raw. After holding on for a few minutes, he was almost out of strength and his arms were shaking constantly.

Xie Kang bit his lip, sweat dripping from his forehead and face as he repeated the belt buckle motion for who knows how many times in the moonlight. His left hand was becoming increasingly strained, and it slid down a little bit, but in his right hand, the belt buckle needle was already more than halfway through the eye.

But at this moment, Xie Kang's left arm had exhausted its last bit of strength. He watched helplessly as his left hand slipped outwards powerlessly, unable to control it.

He was about to successfully put the belt on, and he couldn't fail at this moment!

Xie Kang raised his fingertips and dug his nails into the cement floor. His nails immediately hurt like they were being pried apart. He couldn't care less about the pain now. A drop of sweat ran into Xie Kang's eyes, stinging them. He didn't dare blink, and tremblingly buckled his belt.

As soon as he buckled the belt, one of Xie Kang's nails broke. He couldn't help but scream, and his left hand dropped in pain. He then lost his balance and stepped on the anti-theft net. He was about to fall to the ground. Fortunately, Xie Kang reacted quickly enough and grabbed the belt with his right hand, and the whole person was suspended in the air.

For the first time in such a long time, Xie Kang was grateful for the school's "Young Teacher Program", which forced young teachers like them to not only improve their teaching level, but also to ensure adequate physical exercise and regular physical fitness tests. This forced Xie Kang to drag his tired body to the gym countless times after get off work to squeeze out the last bit of his physical strength.

Xie Kang, who was hanging in the air holding the belt, had just taken a few breaths when the porcelain pillar above his head, which was his only support, made a suspicious shattering sound, and the mud and mortar between the red bricks also fell on his head and face.

Xie Kang did not dare to delay. He grabbed the belt and climbed up. When he reached the top of the fence, he hooked his hands on a precarious red brick and used the force to lift his body up like doing pull-ups. He raised his legs and hooked them on the porcelain pillar. With a determined heart, he rolled directly to the balcony and fell heavily to the ground. The back of his head hit the ground, his eyes went black, and he was dizzy from the blow.

At the same time, the dilapidated fence was completely destroyed by Xie Kang and broke into pieces. Bricks fell scattered downstairs. After a dull roar, the lights of many houses on the street lit up, and the sharp alarm bells of electric vehicles echoed throughout the street.

Xie Kang couldn't care less. After a moment's rest, he climbed up, leaning against the wall, and went straight to bang on the wooden door to the balcony. The wooden door had been rotten for so many years, and Xie Kang only needed two bangs before the lock tongue broke through the door frame. Xie Kang fell to the ground inside the door again, but this time the fall was not severe. He immediately got up, fished out his phone with a completely shattered screen from his pocket, and turned on the flashlight to illuminate it.

Xie Kang spotted Zhuang Yongyuan in the bright light. He was lying motionless beside the dining table. Xie Kang's heart skipped a beat and he rushed to Zhuang Yongyuan, calling his name, but he didn't respond.

Xie Kang felt cold all over and shivered as he shone the flashlight on Zhuang Yongyuan.

There was no blood on the ground, and Xie Kang breathed a sigh of relief. However, as soon as he shone the light, Xie Kang knew what Zhuang Yongyuan had just planned to do.

One of the dining chairs had fallen to the ground, and Zhuang Yongyuan's neck was tied with a hemp rope, the other end of which was tied to a large ceiling fan beside him. The ceiling fan had fallen from the ceiling.

The loud noise Xie Kang heard should be the sound of Zhuang Yongyuan trying to hang himself on the ceiling fan but failed, and the ceiling fan and he fell to the ground together.

Xie Kang had bitten his tongue at some point, and a strong taste of blood filled his mouth. He took a deep breath and checked Zhuang Yongyuan's breath.

When Xie Kang felt the warm air exhaled by Zhuang Yongyuan with his fingers, his whole body relaxed. However, he was still worried, so he reached out to Zhuang Yongyuan's chest, trying to feel his heartbeat.

"I'm not dead, I may have a broken bone." Zhuang Yongyuan suddenly said in the darkness.

Xie Kang gasped for breath and lay down beside Zhuang Yongyuan. He used his remaining sanity to call the emergency number and briefly explained the situation to Ah Dian. The pain in his body revived at this moment. Xie Kang's vision went black and he felt pain everywhere.

But nothing happened to Zhuang Yongyuan.

Xie Kang didn't ask Zhuang Yongyuan why. He just endured the pain and turned around, put his face against Zhuang Yongyuan's shoulder, took a deep breath, and let himself be surrounded by the familiar smell of Zhuang Yongyuan.

A minute lost and regained is still lost and regained.

Xie Kang reached into his pocket again and pulled out the toffee he'd bought from the convenience store. He unwrapped it, took out a piece of candy, and placed it in Zhuang Yongyuan's palm, asking, "Want some?"

Without waiting for Zhuang Yongyuan to speak, Xie Kang unwrapped another candy and ate it himself. The sweet toffee melted into warm syrup in his mouth. He didn't want to talk anymore. Any words at this moment would be redundant and hateful. It was so quiet that he didn't hear Zhuang Yongyuan unwrapping the candy. In the darkness, besides the pounding of his own heartbeat, the only sound was the breathing of two people.

It was probably a neighbor who called the police. The police car arrived earlier than the ambulance. The flashing red and blue police lights shone through the window, breaking the darkness between the two of them. Xie Kang clearly heard Zhuang Yongyuan let out a hollow laugh, which was neither self-deprecating nor a wry smile.

The hospital emergency room was quieter than usual tonight. Xie Kang sat on a stainless steel chair in the waiting area, staring blankly at a pot of lifeless green ivy on the nurse's counter. He then looked down at the scrape on his palm, which had been cleaned by the nurse and disinfected with iodine.

There were a few people sitting sparsely in the waiting area. A middle-aged man seemed to be crying, and the sound of sniffing could be heard every once in a while.

"Xie Kang!" Adian's voice sounded behind him. Xie Kang quickly stood up and saw Adian and Zhongyou together, so he hurried over.

"Where is Zhuang Yongyuan?" Adian asked Xie Kang anxiously.

Xie Kang pointed to the closed door of the emergency room and said, "Get checked inside."

"How's it going?"

"His right wrist was broken and two ribs were broken. He was conscious, but he didn't speak the whole time."

After hearing that it was nothing serious, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Xie Kang took the opportunity to ask, "What exactly happened?"

While Xie Kang was waiting for Zhuang Yongyuan's examination, Ah Dian briefly described the situation over the phone. While they were having a late-night snack, Lily Heart's other two musicians, Qi Ji and Zhong You, were out drinking with other band members while Qi Ji was alone in his hotel room watching a movie. Suddenly, a police officer knocked on the door, announcing a report of someone hiding illegal drugs.

Qi Ji was a little confused, but since this kind of thing was hard to explain, he cooperated with the police and let them check the suitcases and backpacks they brought.

Unexpectedly, the police actually found a bag of marijuana in Zhuang Yongyuan's backpack. Because the hotel room was booked under Qi Ji's name, Qi Ji was taken back to the detention center on the spot.

What's even more fatal is that someone filmed the video of Qi Ji being taken out of the hotel by the police and posted it on social media. Within half an hour, rumors were everywhere that members of the Lily Heart band were detained for drug use. Some people also made vague revelations in the comment section that it was Zhuang Yongyuan who was taking drugs, and Qi Ji was unlucky to be implicated. Zhuang Yongyuan had started playing drugs when he was in a band in college.

Lily's works already contain a lot of psychedelic and religious elements, and with Qi Ji being filmed in the video, almost no one doubted this rumor.

"That's complete nonsense!" Adian paced back and forth irritably. "Besides, if you really want to take a pill, you wouldn't be stupid enough to carry it in your backpack."

Xie Kang nodded. He didn't believe the rumor at all. Zhuang Yongyuan was not someone who needed drugs to create. He could fly even when he was in a good mood.

"I talked to Zhongyou on the way here. I don't remember seeing Zhuang Yongyuan accepting gifts from fans. The marijuana might have been secretly put in there to frame Lilyxin." Adian said.

Xie Kang asked, "If someone put it in there secretly, is this matter easy to handle?"

"Wait until Zhuang Yongyuan comes out, and then the three of us will go to the police station for a urine test. We didn't handle the stuff, so there won't be any fingerprints on it. The police shouldn't have any problem with it."

Ah Dian rubbed his forehead. "It's just that it's going to be difficult to clarify things later. A band like ours, once associated with drugs, is prone to stereotyping. And now that Zhuang Yongyuan has a fracture, we'll have to cancel all future commercial performances."

"And..." Ah Dian looked towards the emergency room: "Zhuang Yongyuan's condition is not good. We are very worried about him."

"Why do you say that?"

"In the past few months, I saw him taking medicine behind our backs several times. I picked up his medicine box and saw it was fluoxetine."

"Why didn't you tell me last night?" Xie Kang was a little impatient. Back in Kaiping Street, he had been so focused on saving Zhuang Yongyuan that he hadn't given it much thought. Sitting outside the emergency room, his emotions gradually calmed down, and he was still terrified.

The phone call that Zhuang Yongyuan received before closing the door was probably related to Baihexin's drug involvement. After he received the call, he had a mental breakdown and chose to hang himself.

If it weren't for his good luck, and the dilapidated ceiling fan couldn't bear his weight and fell from the ceiling, Zhuang Yongyuan might have committed suicide successfully.

Thinking of this, Xie Kang couldn't help but tremble.

Ah Dian's tone was filled with regret. "He usually seemed fine, and I didn't expect it to be this serious. I was thinking of having a good chat with him after I was done with this."

"I don't blame you." Xie Kang calmed down and rubbed his dizzy head. "I'm sorry, I was too harsh just now."

"You..." Adian sighed, "Can you talk to him?"

"I'll try my best." Xie Kang agreed, but he didn't have much confidence.

He had no idea what identity he had to have to care about Zhuang Yongyuan.

Just as I was daydreaming, Zhuang Yongyuan's voice suddenly rang out. I didn't know when he came over.

"I'm fine. Call a car and let's go to the police station." There was a sense of force in Zhuang Yongyuan's tone.