Wang Xiaoliang swiped his finger across the screen and answered.
"Hello?"
"Xiaoliang?" The voice on the other end was slightly hoarse, as though she had just woken from a very long sleep, but clear underneath.
Tian Jiayi.
He gripped his phone, the stairwell's chill seeping into his bones. His heart hammered, each beat making his ears ring.
"Jiajia?" His throat tightened. "Why... why weren't you answering? I've been calling for days."
"I only just woke up." Tian Jiayi gave a very soft laugh. "I called you as soon as I had a little strength. Don't worry. It's all right now."
"You're really all right?" Wang Xiaoliang leaned against the stairwell wall. His legs were weak. He drew a deep breath. "Did you wake up on your own?"
"Not on my own," Tian Jiayi said. "They developed the antibody. It worked. My parents and I all received the medicine and woke up."
Wang Xiaoliang opened his mouth.
No sound came out.
The string in his head that had been taut for who knew how many days snapped. Not the pain of breaking. The lightness of coming loose.
"The antibody... worked?"
His first thought was of Zijin. He should be able to get through to Zijin now.
"It worked." Tian Jiayi's voice was steady. "They'll announce it today. It'll be delivered to all the hospitals over the next few days. Soon."
Wang Xiaoliang raised a hand and scrubbed his face hard.
He turned and headed back down the stairs, his steps a little unsteady. The basement's dim light rose to meet him. On the projection screen, Truman's face was still frozen at the moment he pushed open that door. Luo Bisheng was bent over putting away equipment. Liu Xinyu leaned on the sofa and looked up at him. Fan Qishan stood and