Winner Takes All

The loud noise was accompanied by violent vibrations. At that moment, Li Shuo’s heart was beating fast and his head felt like it had exploded. The 4-ton SUV rocked like some big toy while his mobile phone was thrown off. He grabbed the back of the driving seat subconsciously, holding it for his dear life but only barely managed to stabilize his own body.

What happened?!

Li Shuo was frightened. He turned around following the sight of an explosion. It was about hundreds of meters behind them. The fire was soaring high and the smoke was rolling in the air. The sound of alarm from the cars all around was raging and the people on the street were running away from the fire in horror. He can hear many people screaming and chanting “bomb”!

“Sir!” Uncle Guang shouted over in horror.

Li Shuo turned his head sharply and saw that his dad was leaning over the driver’s seat, holding his chest with his hands. His face was pale and his eyes were ringing. His whole body was shaking.

Li Shuo was stunned: “Dad–!”

At the other end, Zhao Jinxin in the office of Ennan Group heard double loud noises from the window and the mobile phone at the same time. He was petrified.

The lawyer stood up suddenly. He ran to the window and yelled, “Gosh. It exploded. Seventh Avenue exploded!”

Zhao Jinxin stepped up from the sofa in one step and rushed towards the door. He ran to the elevator and shouted to the phone: “Li Shuo! Li Shuo!”

There was no voice coming on the other end of the phone except some noise full of car horns, sirens, and shouts. The one voice that he wanted to hear so desperately can’t be heard.

Zhao Jinxin’s face was blue and his heart felt so cold. He rushed to the elevator entrance. It will take took a long time for the three elevators to reach his level so he kicked open the safety exit door and flew downstairs from the 17th floor without second thoughts.

“Li Shuo! Li Shuo! Can you hear me?! Li Shuo!” Zhao Jinxin’s roar hit the wall in the empty corridor. “Motherfucker!!” He threw the phone out in a huff so suddenly. It smashed hard on the wall and broke apart.

“Medicine! Medicine!” Li Shuo shouted over while holding Uncle Guang’s sleeve.

Uncle Guang shivered and took out a bottle of medicine from the compartment. Li Shuo grabbed the medicine bottle and quickly popped out two pills. He put them in his dad’s mouth and then unscrewed the mineral water’s bottle. He wanted to take it to him, but the water spilled. The three of them were mostly in a mess.

Li Shuo got out of the car by opening the door of the co-pilot and he pulled his dad out. He lay him flat on the ground. He saw that his dad’s pupils dilated, and his body went stiff. He then fell unconscious. The situation is quite dangerous for him.

Li Shuo gasped violently. His brain buzzed and his eyes were burning. His legs were so soft that he could hardly support his body. He opened his mouth to bite hard on his lips. He used pain to force himself to calm down. Then he knelt down and gave his dad a CPR.

As he was pressing on his dad’s chest a few times, he was hit hard on the back. He nearly falls hard on his dad. He looked back and saw a panicked man fell beside him. He pushed the man away.

There is chaos on the street. Everyone wanted to stay away from danger and they all wanted to find people that are important to them. The flow of people is hitting them in both directions. They might be stepped on at any time.

Uncle Guang got out of the car and blocked Li Shuo with his thin body: “Hurry up. I’ll block them for you.” He took out his phone and dialed 911.

Li Shuo leaned down. While doing CPR on his dad, he sweats on his forehead and his eyes went blurred. Fear invaded his body like a plague. He had never felt that time was so long and severe in his life ever.

Dad, Dad, Please … wake up … wake up …

Li Shuo kept pressing on his dad’s chest until his arms were sore and finally, Mr. Li had a faint breath.

Uncle Guang was crying anxiously: “The emergency call don’t work!”

Li Shuo looked around desperately. All cars were jammed together. The streets were crowded. He could not drive away with his car. The nearest hospital is two streets away from here. And it is so close to the explosion site so the first aid resources must have been occupied at this time.

Li Shuo endured tears. He clenched his teeth as he tried to carry his father up but his father is tall and heavy. He was at least 20-30 pounds heavier than him. As soon as he got up, he felt his calves tremble.

“Hey, freeze!” Three black youths stopped them suddenly. They pulled out a knife and hold it firmly in their hands. “Give us your wallet.”

Li Shuo’s eyes were blood red in anger. He hissed, “Go away!”

Uncle Guang also shouted at them: “Go away.”

These people obviously wanted to take advantage of the chaos as they look at the sickly man Li Shuo is carrying. “The old guy on your back will not be able to hold it for long. Hurry. Give us your wallet.”

“I’ll give it to you. Go away!” Uncle Guang yelled as he went to the car to turn in his wallet.

In the next second, Li Shuo saw a flash of something coming and one of the three men was kicked out like a broken sack.

Li Shuo took a closer look and saw… Zhao Jinxin?!

Zhao Jinxin pulled the shoulder of another one of them and punch him straight in the face. Li Shuo saw all this in a slow-motion kind of replay. He watched the man’s teeth flying out of his mouth.

The last robber who was still standing finally responded with enthusiasm, waving the knife and rushing towards their attacker. Zhao Jinxin skid to avoid it and a hand is clasped around the robber’s wrist. With that, he twisted the hand of the robber to his back hard. The robber let a howling like a pig is being slaughtered. Zhao Jinxin grabbed his hair and hit his head hard against the car window and his body slid down to the ground softly.

When Zhao Jinxin did all this, the expression on his face was as scary as it can get. His eyes were fierce-looking, and he looks nothing like how he normally looked like on normal days.

Li Shuo looked at him in shock. It left him speechless.

The two of them looked at each other in a distance of less than two meters apart. In that moment, there’s no explosion, chaos, or crowd seemed to exist. Time seemed to stand still. Only the two of them remained in the world.

Li Shuo looked at Zhao Jinxin. The smoke and chaos in his background set him as sharp, heroic and powerful.

Zhao Jinxin looked at Li Shuo. His shirt was messy and his eyes were flushed red in tears. Without the usual laid-back calmness of his, he only looked embarrassed and desperate.

This fleeting sight… It seems to hold something in both of their hearts.

Zhao Jinxin ran over and immediately took a hold of Li Shuo’s neck and kissed him hard. The kiss was heavy and brutal. It hurts Li Shuo’s gums. But it was the pain that gave him a strange sense of stability. His confused mind finally recovered some trace of calmness.

When he broke the kiss, Zhao Jinxin threw off his suit jacket and took the unconscious Mr. Li from his back. He quickly said: “Let’s go to the hospital.”

Li Shuo didn’t know what else to say at this time. He could only follow Zhao Jinxin to the hospital which was two streets away. He and Uncle Guang desperately pulled apart the crowd in front. He sweated all over his face as he sent out the strongest and most intense prayer in his life ever for the safety of his father deep in his heart.

Zhao Jinxin ran quite fast at first but as he ran halfway, he was already panting. His eyes looked tired. His chest was soaked. Sweat was running down his pointed chin.

Li Shuo shouted: “Change with me!”

Zhao Jinxin shivered: “No, I can do it.”

Li Shuo knew how heavy his dad was. When he had just carried the man up on his back before, his legs were shaking. At Zhao Jinxin’s speed, he was afraid that it would be a problem to run out in 100 meters.

Zhao Jinxin ran across two streets. Seeing that the hospital was at the end of the road, his feet had begun to sway. Li Shuo helped his dad to prevent him from falling. Uncle Guang ran to the hospital first and called for first aid.

Seeing that they were nearing their destination, two male nurses carried out a stretcher and ran out of a chaotic hospital. The moment Zhao Jinxin put Mr. Li on the stretcher, the sky was spinning in front of him and his butt slumped down on the ground.

“Jinxin …” Li Shuo looked at his father and then he looked at Zhao Jinxin again. His face was anxious as he torn between the two of them.

Zhao Jinxin breathed out a heavy breath: “Don’t worry about me … go with him.”

Li Shuo gritted his teeth but he still turned around and followed the stretcher.

The hospital was full of injured people. It was chaotic and crowded and it was hard to get through the crowd. Mr. Li was taken to the emergency room.

Li Shuo and Uncle Guang looked at the closed emergency room’s door.

Uncle Guang squatted on the ground. He cried in a low voice.

Li Shuo wiped off the sweat from his face. He also squatted down while stroking Uncle Guang’s back. He then spoke in a hush voice: “Uncle Guang, don’t be afraid. My dad will be fine.”

Uncle Guang choked with sobs, “Do you want … Do you want to inform Madam?”

“Not for the time being. An explosionhad just happened here. It’s dangerous and chaotic.”

As he just finished talking, Uncle Guang’s phone rang. It was from home.

Li Shuo took the phone. He made a “shush” gesture towards Uncle Guang then he walked to the relatively quiet staircase and took the call.

“Uncle Guang!” Mrs. Li shouted. “Where are you?! Seventh Avenue exploded!”

“Mom. It’s me.”

Mrs. Li shivered and said, “What about your phone? I haven’t been able to get through. Your father’s phone, I can’t get through either. You scared me!”

“We are fine. My dad and I just had a meeting.” Li Shuo’s voice was gentle and calm. “Mom, we are all fine. You are at home. Don’t run around. It’s unsafe outside.”

Mrs. Li was relieved: “You are all right. Frightened me to death.”

Li Shuo hung up the phone and leaned against the wall in a protruding manner. He closed his eyes hard.

He didn’t dare to think of what he would do if his dad … what else could he do? He can’t do anything now … if it’s not for Zhao Jinxi, he’s afraid he wouldn’t have been able to send his dad to the hospital now … he prayed to all of the gods that he could think of. He had never experienced such pain and despair.

When he had adjusted his emotions, Li Shuo returned to the emergency room. Uncle Guang stood against the wall. His face was sad and he looked very pitiful.

Li Shuo took a deep breath. He patted Uncle Guang’s shoulder: “Uncle Guang. You are here to stay. I’m going to find Jinxin.” He didn’t know what happened to Zhao Jinxin now. Maybe he was exhausted and can’t move.

Uncle Guang nodded: “Go ahead. Thanks to him. Thanks to him.”

Li Shuo ran out of the hospital. His eyes searched for the familiar figure.

Finally, in the hallway of the hospital full of chaos, noise, groans, and pain, he saw Zhao Jinxin sitting on the ground beside the public phone. He was making a call. The whole person looked exhausted.

Li Shuo’s heart throbbed and walked to him step by step.

Zhao Jinxin also saw him and he hung up the phone slowly. Li Shuo reached to where he is.

Li Shuo walked in front of him and squatted down: “Are you okay ?…”

Zhao Jinxin pulled him in his arms and held him hard. It was as if he was afraid of him disappearing. He said in a hush voice, “You scared me to death.”

Li Shuo’s eyes were hot. He also hugged him back: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Zhao Jinxin caressed his back: “You’ll be fine. Uncle will be fine. My dad transferred the authority of the cardiology department from the nearby private hospital. The helicopter will arrive within five minutes. If the uncle’s physical condition permits, we’ll just go ahead with the transfer to the private hospital. “

Li Shuo sobbed: “… Thank you.” At this moment, except for thanks, he doesn’t know what else to say. This man appeared when he was the most vulnerable, desperate and in most need of help in his life. He dragged him out of the abyss.

As for Zhao Jinxin, there has never been a person that can cause him to panic like Li Shuo did.

Zhao Jinxin wiped tears from the corner of Li Shuo’s eyes with his fingertips. He pressed down his own throbbing heart. He smiled a little: “Unexpectedly Uncle Li still has such a pitiful look. Really … with this look, if you want me to pick up the moon now, I might also agree. “

Li Shuo grinned reluctantly. The tears still flickered in the corner of his eyes but didn’t fall down.

Zhao Jinxin gently kissed his eyes. He said softly, “Don’t be afraid.”