Chapter 53 – Rushed to the Hospital
The injured Shao Zhan was rushed to the hospital—after all, a professional esports player’s hand is their livelihood.
Even Uncle Zhou, the old man who watched over the front gate, couldn’t help but secretly wipe his eyes. A heavy, suffocating atmosphere hung in the corridor.
Fearing that the stress might trigger one of Du Changcheng’s old illnesses, the baby-faced Qin Chuan stepped up and showed why he was the team manager. He arranged for Jiang Ranan to escort Du Changcheng and Uncle Zhou back to the base, and had the now-calmer Tangyuan accompany Hei, Bai, and Lan—as well as a foreigner no one had seen before—to the police station to file a report.
“What about me?” asked the usually steady Zhuang Bai. One group was old, the other injured—he simply couldn’t sit still.
Qin Chuan tugged on his sleeve, subtly gesturing toward Yang Sa, who stood silently outside the emergency room. That normally calm and gentle young man… if he snapped, Qin Chuan wasn’t sure anyone could stop him.
“I’ve arranged for the second squad to meet them at the base entrance,” Qin Chuan said in a lowered voice.
“But I’m still not too sure about fatty. He’s never handled something like this before—and the people involved are all foreigners.”
Zhuang Bai gave him a look. “Go. I’ll handle things here.”
As Qin Chuan jogged off to catch up with Tangyuan’s group, Zhuang Bai wandered over to where Yang Sa stood and leaned against the half-open window in the corridor, closing his eyes to rest.
So much had happened in just half a day—he hadn’t even had time to process it all.
The early autumn night breeze carried a salty dampness. Mixed into it were ragged breaths, and grief so repressed it felt suffocating:
“It’s all… because of me…”
Zhuang Bai took two steps forward and placed a hand gently on Yang Sa’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. But he couldn’t bring himself to say a single word.
…
A fractured right arm, combined with a mild concussion—this kind of injury was, without a doubt, devastating for a frontline pro athlete.
When Du Changcheng visited the next day, his eyes were brimming with tears. But Shao Zhan, carefree as ever, grinned and asked if he was crying for his own “backside” or for the team.
Du Changcheng cursed, “You little bast*rd, could you be a little more serious?” His heart ached just looking at him.
But Shao Zhan didn’t react much. His right arm was in a plaster cast, suspended in front of him, as he lounged lazily on the hospital bed.
“How are they doing?” he asked.
Du Changcheng lowered his gaze. “Better than you,” he replied tiredly. “Qin Chuan took them to file a police report last night. They were busy till after midnight. We didn’t think the villa was safe anymore, so we brought them all back to stay at the base.”
“And?” Shao Zhan pressed.
“And?” Du Changcheng thought for a moment. “That little foreigner with LAP—his injuries were treated. Just superficial wounds.”
“And?”
Du Changcheng racked his brain. “Uncle Zhou’s settled in. We were worried about his health, so he’s resting at the base too.”
“And?” Shao Zhan asked, resigned this time. “What about Yang Sa?”
Du Changcheng looked at his captain, realizing he wasn’t joking. “He’s not at the hospital?”
Just then, Zhuang Bai emerged from the doctor’s office, holding Shao Zhan’s X-rays and diagnosis. Faced with two pairs of questioning eyes, he asked, “Yang Sa?”
Zhuang Bai was at a loss for words.
From the emergency room to the transfer to a regular ward, he had been by Shao Zhan’s side the entire time. Later, when the nurse came to inform them that the anesthesia was wearing off—and the doctor wanted to discuss the treatment plan with the patient’s family—Zhuang Bai thought he’d give the two some privacy and stayed a little longer in the doctor’s office.
Who could have guessed that when Shao Zhan woke up, the first person he’d see would be Du Changcheng, who had come to visit?
Du Changcheng had assumed Yang Sa was still at the hospital. Shao Zhan thought Yang Sa had gone to the police station with the foreign friends. But when they all finally crossed paths, they realized something shocking—Yang Sa, who had been waiting anxiously outside the emergency room the entire time, was now nowhere to be found.
Upon hearing this, Shao Zhan threw off the blanket and jumped straight out of bed. Dizziness from low blood sugar made his steps unsteady.
Du Changcheng rushed to steady him. “For the love of god, take it slow! Are you trying to kill me here?”
Shao Zhan forced himself to focus and told Zhuang Bo to call the base and ask if Yang Sa was there.
Just then, a call came through from the team manager, Qin Chuan. Shao Zhan answered immediately:
“Answer me first—do you have Yang Sa with you?”
“Does anyone know where he is?”
“Are you sure?”
After the shocking incident where a pro team captain was assaulted, Qin Chuan had been running around all night, barely touching the ground. There was too much to investigate, too much to organize. He had trusted Zhuang Bo’s steadiness, which was why he left him at the hospital.
He—and the rest of the foreign visitors—had all assumed Yang Sa was at the hospital. When they couldn’t reach him, they hadn’t thought much of it.
“What about the villa?” Shao Zhan pressed.
“He’s not there either,” Qin Chuan replied. “There’s surveillance. Blue just checked it—no sign of him.”
As he spoke, he lowered his voice, skipping over the specifics of the investigation.
After a night of calling in every favor he had, Qin Chuan had finally discovered that the thugs who caused the trouble were loosely connected to an esports club in Jiangling.
“But,” he quickly added, “there’s no solid evidence yet—this is all just speculation.”
That was enough.
Shao Zhan ended the call. Considering the wave LAP had stirred up in Jiangling in such a short time, it wasn’t hard to guess what Yang Sa might be trying to do.
Thoughts racing, Shao Zhan immediately dialed the captain of the MicroLight team.
“Do me a favor—intercept someone. You’re closer than we are.”
Meanwhile, Du Changcheng, dragging around his post-surgery backside that really needed rest, found his movement very limited.
Shao Zhan originally didn’t want to bring him along, worried the situation might spiral out of control. In the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and let Zhuang Bai support him as they walked.
“Wait, Xiao Zhan—are you sure about this?” Du Changcheng’s face was pale from the pain. “Are you certain that kid’s there?”
“Eighty percent sure.” Shao Zhan raised his hand to flag down a taxi, got into the front passenger seat, and the cab sped off.
“What’s that supposed to mean…” Du Changcheng stared at the exhaust smoke trailing behind the taxi, still trembling from the pain.
“I think it means…” Zhuang Bai offered a reluctant explanation, “we’re supposed to follow him.”
“He just doesn’t want me around!” Du Changcheng practically jumped in frustration. “Look at me—injured this badly, still running around for that little brat, and he’s ditching me like I’m in the way?!”
“That’s not it,” Zhuang Bai gestured for another waiting cab to come closer. “Isn’t finding him the most important thing right now?”
Du Changcheng, clutching the door in pain, grumbled angrily, “So those people are more important than me? Those people—more important than his own coach?!”