Who broke the glass 2 "Xun Yin!" Pei Qingyu struggled...

Song Ranran suddenly fell silent mid-sentence. Turning her head, she spotted Xun Yin standing in front of Pei Qingyu's desk. After a moment's hesitation, she slowly walked up and knocked on the door.

Xun Yin looked up at her in silence. He was tall, and standing in front of the desk, he blocked most of the window. The shadow he cast made the room before him seem even emptier.

"Brother Xun, we didn't find any criminal record for Zhuo Wumian in the DNA database just now," Song Ranran said quietly. "Brother Lin wants to ask the narcotics unit..."

"I'll go in a bit." Xun Yin nodded, bent down to send out the wanted notice on the computer, then turned to leave. Song Ranran turned with him, looking as though she wanted to say something behind him. Xun Yin reached the door to Pei Qingyu's office and pulled it open, then turned his head and asked calmly, "Did you need the captain for something?"

Song Ranran choked on her words. As she started walking out, she said hesitantly, "Something? Not really, it's just..." She stopped in the office doorway. Seeing how haggard Xun Yin looked, she finally deflated. Just as she was about to say it was nothing, Wang Yu suddenly poked his head out from the side and called, "Brother Xun, I need Captain Pei for something!"

Song Ranran and Xun Yin both turned to look. Wang Yu braced himself against his desk and stood up, asking earnestly, "Brother Xun, could you ask Captain Pei when he'll be able to come back?"

Xun Yin paused, his fingers slowly tightening. After a long moment, he said softly, "Okay. When he wakes up, I'll ask him for you."

Xun Yin had barely left when Song Ranran smacked Wang Yu hard enough to make him stagger. Holding his head, he turned around in confusion. "What did you hit me for?"

"You're exactly who I meant to hit!" Song Ranran looked at Wang Yu rubbing his head, exasperated with him. "If you're worried about the captain, can't you wait until he's a little better to ask? Asking Brother Xun like that will only make him more anxious."

"I'm worried about the captain. He had surgery the day before yesterday, so why hasn't he woken up yet?" Wang Yu ducked his head. He regretted it a little too, but still shot back at Song Ranran, "My mistake is my mistake, but weren't you going to ask too? How can you have the nerve to criticize me with your hindsight?"

"You!" Furious, Song Ranran reached out to hit him again, but Wang Yu jumped back and ran away. She sighed and muttered to herself, "The case only just closed, and now the captain's in the hospital. Who knows how his heart..."

Only when Xun Yin reached the narcotics unit did he learn that their leader had gone out. He hesitated, then nodded, standing somewhat at a loss outside the public security bureau. He had few hobbies; apart from working cases, he trained. Even his few outings had been because Pei Qingyu thought he was too withdrawn and dragged him out for some fun.

Xun Yin glanced at his phone. It was just past noon. During the days Pei Qingyu had been unconscious, he had practically lived at the hospital. Yet when Song Xuanmo said that morning that Pei Qingyu was showing signs of waking, he had slipped away instead, claiming he had work at the bureau. Xun Yin didn't know whether it was the fear that came with nearing something longed for, but he suddenly feared that when he returned, Pei Qingyu would still be just as unconscious and unaware.

His phone suddenly rang, the name "Song Xuanmo" flashing faintly on the screen. Xun Yin froze, then hurriedly answered.

"Do you have time to come to the hospital?" Song Xuanmo asked straight away as soon as the call connected.

Xun Yin blinked. Song Xuanmo sounded helpless; the usually gentle man's voice had turned slightly shrill with urgency. Worry rising in him, Xun Yin strode toward the parking lot and asked, "I'm coming now. What's wrong?"

"Your Captain Pei won't behave, so he got told off. Why don't you come play good cop? I can't talk him around anymore." Song Xuanmo sighed and held the phone a little farther away. A jumble of noise came through in the background before he brought it back and said, "Hurry up. Qingyu asked where you were as soon as he woke up. Come soothe him."

"He's my captain. How am I supposed to soothe him?" Xun Yin's face grew hot, but he still hurriedly murmured his agreement and hung up. He took a deep breath and quickly drove out.

Just as Xun Yin reached the ward door, he heard Pei Qingyu's somewhat weak voice. "Seriously, how long are you planning to stay here?"

"As long as I want. Want an apple?"

Xun Yin pushed the door open and saw Pei Qingyan holding an apple beside the hospital bed. Leaning by the window, Song Xuanmo quietly reminded him that Pei Qingyu could only have liquids for now. Pei Qingyan said, "Oh," then simply stuffed the apple into the helpless Song Xuanmo's hand and picked up another to peel.

Xun Yin closed the door, his gaze meeting Pei Qingyu's as the latter reclined against the bed, pale-faced. Pei Qingyu still wore an oxygen mask. His eyes instantly lit up at the sight of him, and he tilted his head, giving him a small, furtive smile.

Xun Yin couldn't help his lips curving too. He walked to the foot of the bed and silently studied Pei Qingyu. Pei Qingyu had lost quite a bit of weight. Having only just woken up, he was still low on energy, and even with the ventilator helping him breathe, his lips were pale, and he still seemed somewhat short of breath. But he seemed very happy, watching through half-lidded eyes as Xun Yin approached his side, then pursing his lips to signal for Xun Yin to help chase Pei Qingyan away.

"Oh, Little Xun's here." Pei Qingyan greeted Xun Yin and bit into his apple with a crunch. "Patients can't eat this stuff, but people keep sending it to their rooms anyway. What a waste."

"Even if I can't eat it, it's not for you. It's for me when I get better." Pei Qingyu coughed. "Now that A-Xun's here, I have company. Can you go home?"

"How could I?" Pei Qingyan wiped his mouth and shook his head. "Look, I didn't even know you needed a liquid diet right now. Of course I need to spend more time with you."

"Otherwise, how will I know when you'll next go behind my back and have Little Mo give you that drug again?"

Chapter 13: Who broke the glass 2 "Xun Yin!" Pei Qingyu struggled...

Xun Yin froze for a moment, then immediately understood-even with Song Xuanmo personally keeping watch last time, Pei Qingyu had still managed to pull something right under both their noses.

"So who exactly did you send that text to?" Still unable to work out how he had slipped up, Song Xuanmo rose from beside the windowsill and asked in frustration, "I clearly watched you send it, and the contact was labeled..."

As he spoke, Song Xuanmo's eyes suddenly widened. He instinctively went to rub between his brows, only to touch the frame of his glasses-medical students spent at least ten years with their heads buried in books, and glasses were practically standard equipment. Song Xuanmo disagreed, however, and wore contacts whenever conditions allowed. Only because his eyes had become inflamed a few days earlier had he finally put on glasses under Pei Qingyan's threats and inducements.