Wang Xiaoliang's lungs felt like torn bellows, every breath bringing a searing stab of pain.
He sprinted the whole way, countless terrifying thoughts flashing through his mind like a movie.
The empty stairwell held nothing but his pounding footsteps and his heavy, ox-like panting. He charged upstairs two steps at a time, not even stopping to take out his keys, and reached straight for the door handle with a trembling hand.
The door was unlocked.
He shoved hard, and it opened.
Someone stood inside. It was Wei Zijin.
She stood there perfectly rigid, like a sculpture without a soul.
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes when she saw Wang Xiaoliang rush in, drenched in sweat.
Wang Xiaoliang rushed up to her in a few strides and looked her over from head to toe, asking between gasps, "Are... are you okay? What happened?"
Wei Zijin looked at him, at his face contorted with desperate anxiety, at the panic in his eyes.
"Waaah-"
She walked numbly into Wang Xiaoliang's arms, then burst into sobs.
Her sudden outburst left Wang Xiaoliang a little stunned, but the heart that had been lodged in his throat finally settled back into place.
As long as she was okay.
As long as she was okay, it wouldn't matter if the sky fell.
He gently gathered Wei Zijin into his arms, patting her back with one hand without saying a word.
He remembered Liu Xinyu sobbing his heart out, and how Qishan had stopped them from trying to comfort him.
"Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better once you let it out."
Wei Zijin sobbed her heart out, without any concern for appearances. Her warm tears and snot soon soaked a large patch of Wang Xiaoliang's T-shirt, leaving it clinging stickily to his chest.
He simply stood