The Collapse

Yi Chen took a slow, deliberate step toward her.

Xin Yi instinctively stepped back.

Another step then another until her back pressed against the cold window pane. The chill from the glass seeped through the thin fabric of her hospital gown, but she didn't move. Her eyes were fixed on him wide, guarded, uncertain. Her breath grew shallow, chest rising and falling quickly, trying to stay composed.Yi Chen stopped in front of her, his expression unreadable, his voice laced with warning.

"You think staying quiet will make it harder for us to find out the truth?" he said sharply. "Fine. Let's make it easier."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone, scrolling with practiced fingers.

"Let's call your boss. I'm sure Lei Xian would love to know where you are."

Just as his thumb hovered over the screen...."Did she send you?"

Her voice cut through the silence, fragile yet accusing.Yi Chen froze. His eyes rose slowly, locking on hers.Her voice trembled, but her gaze was fierce. "I said… did she send you? Or… are you working for her too?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So now you're talking."

He stepped closer.She didn't retreat this time, but her shoulders were visibly trembling. Her fists clenched at her sides as if she was forcing herself not to crumble.

"There's something between you and Lei Xian," Yi Chen said darkly, voice low. Xin Yi swallowed hard. Her throat tightened. She shook her head faintly, silently willing him to stop.

But he didn't.....Suddenly, he grabbed her by the shoulders not to hurt her, but to stop her from avoiding him.

"From the very start, I knew you were connected to Lei Xian," he said. "So tell me....what happened at that shareholder meeting?"She flinched. Her lips trembled, but she said nothing.

"I know about her pharmaceutical company," Yi Chen continued. "I know she's not running it clean. So tell me—what is she hiding? What are they creating?"

Xin Yi's mind raced. Her heart pounded violently inside her chest.

"The Alpha Human Project… If I tell him, will he help?"

"Or will he turn into another monster and sell me back to them?"

"I can't trust him… I can't trust anyone…"

"No…" she whispered hoarsely. "No…"She twisted, trying to pull herself free from his grip. "Let me go!"

"Not until you talk."

"I said let go of me!" she shouted, tears spilling from her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about!"Her voice cracked from the pressure. Her hands pushed against his chest shaky, desperate.Yi Chen looked at her at the way her eyes shimmered with fear, her hands trembling, her lips quivering with panic. And just for a moment… something in him softened.

He released her.....Xin Yi stumbled back, gasping as if the room had suddenly become too small to breathe in. Then she turned, rushing toward the door.

Her fingers curled around the handle and She opened the door heart pounding, breath shallow.But the moment she looked out…She froze.

Her chest heaved, her mind spinning.

 I can't… I can't escape...no

Hao Yang stood just a few feet away with both bodyguards flanking the doorway, their faces unreadable, their postures stiff and alert.She took one shaky step back into the room, eyes darting nervously between the men outside and Yi Chen standing inside.Yi Chen, calm as ever, was watching her. His eyes followed her every movement, his phone still in his hand.

And then ...he slowly raised it to his ear.

"What are you doing?" Xin Yi whispered.

He didn't answer.His thumb hovered over the call icon. His eyes were cold.

"I'm calling Lei Xian," he said quietly.....

"No!" Xin Yi shouted, her voice cracking.She stumbled back toward him, panic fully consuming her now."Please....please don't call her!" she cried, her hands trembling as they reached out, almost clutching at the air between them.

Yi Chen stared, confused by the desperation in her tone.

She stepped closer, knees wobbling."I'll do anything.....,,,just please,.... please don't send me back to her… please!"Tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks now. Her chest heaved. Her words came out in choked sobs.Don't send me to her… she'll kill me.....she'll kill me this time I swear I didn't mean to run....please.....please…"

Yi Chen's hand lowered slowly.....His brows furrowed.

He had interrogated people before witnesses, criminals, insiders. He had seen liars fake fear. He had seen real fear, too...But this… this wasn't just fear.

Her legs finally gave in."Ahh—!" Xin Yi cried out, a sharp gasp ripping from her throat as a sudden surge of pain lanced through her skull. It felt like a knife slicing from the inside out.Her hand shot up to her head, clutching at the bandaged wound as her vision swam dangerously. The edges of the room blurred, lights bending and shifting, her knees weakening beneath her like wet paper.The floor no longer felt stable it tilted. Her breathing turned erratic, shallow, fast...borderline hyperventilation.

She took one shaky step backward, then another, reaching blindly for the wall or anything to hold onto but there was nothing behind her. Only air.

Her fingers clawed at her temple, trying to anchor herself, but her legs gave in.Her body crumpled.But before she could hit the ground.....Yi Chen lunged forward.His arm wrapped tightly around her waist in one motion, and the other caught the back of her shoulders just before her head could whip backward and slam against the tiles. The force of her collapse pushed him a step back, but he steadied them both, pulling her closer to his chest.Her breathing was ragged against him hot, quick puffs of panic that hit the base of his throat. She was shaking. Her body, light and trembling, was limp in his arms, like a broken bird that no longer had the strength to resist.

he called, shaking her gently. "Hey...hey, look at me."But she couldn't. Her head dropped against his shoulder, her body limp and shaking in his arms.One arm slid under her knees, the other cradled her back. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms,,,"Call Dr. Wei! Right now!" Yi Chen shouted over his shoulder.

The bodyguards rushed into action, and Hao Yang was already pulling out his phone.

Yi Chen lowered her slowly onto the bed, trying to keep her upright as her body twitched with every panicked breath. Her hands clutched the fabric of his coat tightly, as if he was the last thing tethering her to safety."Please…" she whimpered, even in her dazed state. "…don't let her take me…"Those words so broken, so terrified and punched through his chest like a knife.Her words weren't calculated. They weren't manipulative.They were the cries of someone who had survived something monstrous.He looked down at her face pale, tear-streaked, broken.