That night, news of D.A’s car accident swept through the headlines of major websites.
Countless fans couldn’t believe it when they clicked on the trending topics. They had seen these people just hours ago, finishing their show and bidding everyone goodbye. Fans who had gone to the scene sent videos back, showing Xia Yan and Xu Cong standing together, both wearing matching gray down jackets, signing autographs for fans.
Ye Zhaoyang and Lin Qixu were making heart signs for the fans.
Xiao Ning, the funniest, had two fans pinching his face.
Everything seemed peaceful, and with the new year approaching, everyone was sharing videos, drawing fan art, or editing clips.
But before the happiness could even last an hour, the car accident news dominated the trending list.
And all five of them were in the hospital.
The fan groups, which had almost settled into a quiet holiday mood, exploded. D.A’s official Weibo was completely overwhelmed, and when opened, fans weren’t just criticizing the company’s lack of safety measures; they were asking how the five were doing.
Paparazzi crowded at the hospital entrance, but by now, the company’s security had arrived and blocked everyone from getting in.
Bai Yu was managing the public relations crisis, contacting various media outlets, having assistants calm the fans, and arranging people to handle paperwork. He himself was waiting outside the surgery room.
Although his injuries weren’t serious, he was covered in dirt, looking exhausted.
In the car accident, Xiao Ning had only minor injuries, Lin Qixu had a dislocated right arm, and Ye Zhaoyang had cuts from the glass shards on his face, covered in blood, with uncertainty whether there would be scars.
The most serious injury was to Xia Yan.
His entire right hand had been pierced by a steel pipe halfway through. He was rushed into surgery as soon as they arrived at the hospital.
It wasn’t supposed to be this bad.
He had been sitting in the back row, but when the car flipped, a steel pipe, half buried in the dirt, stabbed through the window and directly pierced into the car.
This steel pipe was originally meant to hit Xu Cong’s face, aimed at his temple.
But somehow, Xia Yan reacted quickly and threw himself forward from the back seat, so the pipe ended up stabbing through his hand instead.
Warm blood splattered all over Xu Cong, and Xia Yan’s head also hit something, knocking him unconscious.
That moment was something Bai Yu would never forget.
Bai Yu gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage.
He swore that he would sue those paparazzi until they went bankrupt.
At this thought, he went to report to the higher-ups at the company.
By the time Bai Yu finished his call, the other members, except for Xia Yan, had their injuries treated and made their way over, all looking somewhat disheveled and their faces were pale.
Xu Cong silently looked at the ongoing surgery, his face so grim it was as if he were the one gravely injured.
He had no mind to speak to anyone. His sweatshirt was still stained with Xia Yan’s blood, and the lingering metallic scent pricked at his nerves.
Xia Yan had shielded him from a fatal blow. After being examined at the hospital, Xu Cong had only suffered minor injuries—just some bruising on his ribs that would heal with rest.
As for the two shallow scratches on his face, they were nothing more than superficial wounds that would fade in three or four days.
But the price was Xia Yan lying in the operating room. Though his life was not in danger, the nerves in his hand had been injured.
That was Xia Yan’s hand.
The pair of hands praised as the most beautiful in the entertainment industry, called a work of art by fans.
Yet tonight, because he had taken the hit in Xu Cong’s place, that hand had nearly been pierced through by a steel pipe.
Xu Cong closed his eyes. The shards of glass that hadn’t cut him earlier now seemed to stab straight into his heart.
He had just called home, mobilizing every specialist he could find to come to the hospital for a consultation. No matter the cost, he was determined to ensure Xia Yan’s hand could fully recover.
Yet he remained silent, standing against the wall, looking like a condemned man awaiting judgment.
Bai Yu sighed as he observed Xu Cong. He felt terrible as well.
Looking back at the other worried faces, he forced himself to stay strong and reassured them, “Alright, don’t all look so grim.” He himself wasn’t entirely convinced, but he still tried to sound steady. “Xia Yan’s hand injury is severe, but fortunately, the steel pipe didn’t completely pierce through. Xu Cong and the company have done everything they can to find the top specialists. The doctors say that although the nerves were affected, with today’s advanced medical technology, there’s a good chance there won’t be any lasting effects.”
Bai Yu rubbed his forehead wearily. “Maybe this is too optimistic, but honestly, I’m just relieved none of you lost your lives. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to face your families.”
The lingering fear was still there. He had watched over these boys since their debut. If anything had truly happened to them, he might as well have thrown himself off a building.
Ye Zhaoyang, seeing Bai Yu like this, patted their manager on the shoulder and said softly, “It’s not your fault.”
No one spoke much after that. They just waited outside the operating room for Xia Yan to come out.
Lin Qixu, looking disheveled, leaned against Ye Zhaoyang’s shoulder. Everything that had happened had been too much for him.
He thought back to his so-called fortune-telling from a few days ago—bad luck, bloodshed, a life-changing event affecting them all.
The realization hit him hard.
With a heavy heart, he muttered, “You were right. I really jinxed it. Of all things, why did I have to predict bad luck for the captain? I should just tell my grandma I have no talent for this and quit.”
Ye Zhaoyang sighed. He was speechless.
But seeing Lin Qixu looking so devastated, almost in tears, he softened.
“Don’t say that,” he said gently. “If you start blaming yourself, the captain will definitely get mad.”
More than half an hour later, Xia Yan’s surgery finally ended, and he was transferred to a hospital room to rest.
Though he had only received local anesthesia, he was utterly exhausted from the day’s ordeal. He barely managed to say a few words to Bai Yu and the others before the anesthesia’s lingering effects took hold, and he fell asleep.
Xu Cong stayed by his bedside all night.
The others, since their injuries were minor, were sent home.
Only Xu Cong insisted on staying, seizing the one available spot for an overnight guardian.
The hospital room was so quiet that even whispers seemed too loud.
Xu Cong sat there, gazing at Xia Yan’s pale, sleeping face, and didn’t sleep for a single moment.
His eyes lingered on Xia Yan, and he wanted to reach out, but seeing how fragile he looked, he hesitated.
He could still remember the moment of impact.
Everything had gone black.
Then, as his dizziness subsided, the first thing he noticed was the smell of blood.
A strong, overwhelming scent.
Dripping onto his face, his clothes.
But it wasn’t his.
At first, he didn’t even think of Xia Yan.
Then, as his vision cleared, he looked up—
And saw that hand, bloody and mangled, pierced by the steel pipe.
Following the hand upward, he saw Xia Yan’s pale face.
His mind went blank.
The sheer impact of that moment still hadn’t faded from his heart.
Xu Cong realized—he didn’t understand Xia Yan at all.
Just days ago, they had been fighting, caught in a cold war over his unilateral decision to leave. Xia Yan had refused to speak to him for days.
Yet in that crucial moment, Xia Yan had shielded him with his own body without hesitation.
Xu Cong just couldn’t understand.
Who was he, really?
What made him worth such a sacrifice?
“…Idiot.”
He buried his face in Xia Yan’s uninjured hand, whispering in the silence of the night.
For a moment, he thought he could hear the steady thumping of Xia Yan’s heartbeat.
Thump, thump—thump—
……
The next day, Xia Yan’s family arrived.
It was New Year’s Eve—a time for families to reunite.
And now, their reunion was in a hospital room.
Bai Yu had made sure to notify them in advance, reassuring them that Xia Yan’s life wasn’t in danger and that his injury was to his right hand.
But throughout the journey, Xia Chujun remained silent, gripping Fu Hui’s hand tightly.
“A hand injury… I don’t know if it will affect his life in the future,” Xia Chujun murmured. “That boy has always had to be the best at everything. If something happens to his hand, he’ll be devastated.”
But when they arrived at the hospital room—
They found Xia Yan, stubborn as ever, already using his left hand to grip a spoon and eat.
Although he had gone through a terrifying night and undergone several hours of surgery, his vitality was astonishing. Not only could he sit up on his own, but he also had the energy to complain about how ugly the hospital gown was.
He even made Xu Cong take pictures of him.
“Yes, just this angle. It should capture a sense of vulnerability, but not too much.”
Lying on the bed, Xia Yan carefully adjusted his posture, never forgetting his public image. He lifted his chin slightly, letting the sunlight hit his face just right to give him a bit of radiance.
When he saw his family walk in, he was momentarily dazed, but then his eyes lit up. He even raised a hand in greeting.
“Hi~”
“……………”
Hi, my ass.
Fu Changfeng, despite trying to hold back, still couldn’t resist smacking him on the head.
“You dare say hi? Do you know how badly you scared us?” Fu Changfeng scolded with a stern face, though his eyes anxiously scanned his son from head to toe, afraid that something might be missing. “You—aren’t you always bouncing around, with great reflexes? How come you couldn’t dodge this time?”
It was just an offhand remark.
But Xu Cong stiffened, and he immediately looked up, wanting to explain, “Uncle Fu, Xia Yan got hurt because—”
Before he could finish, Xia Yan pinched him with his uninjured hand.
Xia Yan clicked his tongue, cutting Xu Cong off. “Dad, that’s the most unscientific thing I’ve ever heard. How is this about my reflexes? This was a car accident! Do you think I could just choose which way to roll?”
He rolled his eyes at Fu Changfeng, then turned to complain to his other father.
“Look at him, Dad,” he protested. “He doesn’t even care about me, and he even hit me on the head just now!”
Xia Chujun, displeased, shot a cold glare at Fu Changfeng, a silent promise to settle the score later.
Although Xia Yan’s overly dramatic behavior just now was exaggerated, seeing the bandages and splints on his son’s hand, Xia Chujun still softened and sat down beside him, gently fussing over him.
Even Fu Hui couldn’t resist Xia Yan’s pitiful look and peeled an orange for him.
Xu Cong, however, found himself in an awkward position. This side of the bed was filled with Xia Yan’s family, so he figured he should step back and give them space.
But as soon as he moved, Xia Yan grabbed his sleeve.
“Where are you going?” Xia Yan looked up at him. As soon as the photo session ended, he reverted to his cold and distant demeanor from the past few days, eyeing Xu Cong sideways. “Sit down. I’m thirsty. Pass me my water cup.”
Xu Cong hesitated for a few seconds but eventually sat back down, handing over the water cup from the bedside table and even positioning the straw for him.
Xia Yan bit the straw without looking at him.
Fu Changfeng and Xia Chujun exchanged glances. Something about this interaction felt… off.
But before they could dwell on it, their attention shifted back to Xia Yan’s injury.
Xia Yan still had to undergo a few more procedures and surgeries.
The steel pipe had injured some of the nerves in his hand. While it hadn’t completely pierced through, part of it had embedded into the back of his hand. This hand would never be as flexible as the other one.
Still, it was better than the worst-case scenario they had feared.
Xia Chujun patted Xia Yan’s head in comfort. “Take it slow. You’ll have more treatments, and it’ll get better. A scar isn’t a big deal—it won’t look bad.”
Xia Yan hated hearing that. Someone as perfect as him couldn’t tolerate even the smallest flaw. He was heartbroken at the thought.
He sneakily rolled his eyes.
Tsk.
None of these people understood how important good looks were in the entertainment industry.
….
The family stayed in the hospital with Xia Yan for three days, practically spending the New Year there.
Ye Zhaoyang and the other teammates, however, were persuaded by Bai Yu to return to their homes.
Xu Cong was also supposed to travel abroad to reunite with his family, but after a long phone call, he somehow convinced them to let him stay.
For the past few days, he had barely left Xia Yan’s side.
Though he remained his usual quiet self, he took care of Xia Yan like a personal nurse, tending to his every need.
Peeling fruit, wiping his face, even trimming his nails.
His gentleness was beyond anything he had shown before.
Even Fu Changfeng couldn’t stand watching it. If Xia Yan weren’t injured, he would have scolded him on the spot.
But despite his complaints, the whole family was overly indulgent toward Xia Yan in those few days.
Once the anesthesia wore off, Xia Yan was in so much pain that his face turned pale. Yet, as always, he stubbornly pretended everything was fine. He even recorded a voice message for Weibo to reassure his fans.
Xia Chujun and Fu Changfeng saw through him, and though they said nothing, their hearts ached.
Unfortunately, by the fourth day of the new year, work forced Xia Chujun and Fu Changfeng to leave.
By the fifth day, Fu Hui and Li Song’an also had to return to work.
With no other options, they left Xia Yan in the care of Xu Cong and his manager, Bai Yu.
Since Bai Yu lived locally, he frequently visited the hospital. When he walked the family out, he swore to take good care of Xia Yan.
Fu Changfeng and Xia Chujun knew it wasn’t Bai Yu’s responsibility, so they sincerely thanked him before leaving.
But when Bai Yu returned to the hospital room, he found Xia Yan dozing off against Xu Cong’s shoulder.
Xia Yan was in a light sleep, his head bobbing slightly. His bandaged hand rested atop the blanket.
Seeing Bai Yu enter, Xu Cong raised a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet.
Bai Yu understood and stepped aside, waiting until the sun dipped below the horizon. Only when Xu Cong got up to fetch Xia Yan’s pre-ordered dinner did Bai Yu slowly approach the bed.
Seeing Xia Yan struggling to play games on his phone with just one hand, Bai Yu plopped down beside him and nudged his waist.
He teased, “So, you’re not giving Xu Cong the cold shoulder anymore? You’ve been bossing him around non-stop these past two days. Weren’t you two at each other’s throats just a few days ago? What happened—after facing life and death, did you suddenly realize that staying alive is more important than conflict?”
Xia Yan rolled his eyes at Bai Yu.
“Who’s giving him the cold shoulder?” Xia Yan refused to admit anything. “It was obviously him who decided to isolate me.”
He bit into the fruit slices Xu Cong had just prepared for him, crunching away like a rabbit.
“And besides, what’s wrong with ordering him around a bit?” Xia Yan said with a straight face. “I’m at least half his lifesaver, aren’t I? The guy’s about to fly off on vacation abroad, and who knows when he’ll be back. Before I get discharged, letting him take care of me for a couple of days isn’t too much to ask. Otherwise, I’d have suffered for nothing.”
He pouted.
Just thinking about Xu Cong’s leave request these past few days had been enough to put him in a bad mood.
Even though he let Xu Cong hover around him and accepted his care as if it were only natural, some cracks, once formed, were hard to ignore. Every time he looked at Xu Cong, there were countless words he wanted to say, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to say them.
Bai Yu thought, Wow, that’s the extent of your ambition?
After all this suffering, and all you want is for someone to serve you for two days?
Amused, Bai Yu reached over and stole a pear slice from Xia Yan’s fruit tray, biting into it leisurely.
Then, as if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head toward the door. It wasn’t fully closed—it had been left slightly open.
But he quickly shifted his gaze back to Xia Yan.
No matter how lively Xia Yan seemed, his injuries had still taken a toll on him. The hospital’s white patient gown made his already thin face look even more pale and bloodless.
A strange discomfort settled in Bai Yu’s chest.
These past few days, none of them had wanted to talk about Xia Yan’s hand.
No one knew how well it would heal in the end, or how much function he would regain.
Bai Yu asked, “Seriously, what were you thinking? Weren’t you scared? Sure, looking back now, it was lucky you took that hit for Xu Cong, or things could’ve been even worse. But do you have any idea how dangerous it was? When I turned around and saw all that blood on Xu Cong, I swear my heart nearly stopped. What if that steel pipe hadn’t stabbed your hand? What if the car had slid a little more, and it had gone through your neck, or your waist? Do you think you’d still be sitting here eating fruit?”
Xia Yan’s crunching paused for a second.
Yeah. Given how deep that steel pipe had gone, it was lucky it had hit his hand. If it had been anywhere else, he’d probably be in the ICU right now.
He still remembered the exact moment the pipe pierced him—the excruciating, bone-deep pain.
So intense that he wasn’t even sure if he’d blacked out from the impact or from the sheer agony.
But after a brief silence, he still said, “So what? Even if I’d known I’d be the one getting hurt, I couldn’t just let Xu Cong die in front of me.”
He smiled at Bai Yu, letting out a soft sigh. “One of us had to take the hit. It might as well be me. I’m his captain, after all—it’s what I should do.”
And that was the honest truth.
Even though the bastard had been utterly ungrateful, Xia Yan still couldn’t bear to see him get hurt.
Bai Yu was speechless.
Wow. What an earth-shattering display of brotherly love. Even actual brothers might not do this for each other.
He looked at Xia Yan, who was acting completely carefree, still picking at the fruit tray like it was nothing.
After a moment, Bai Yu suddenly said, “You know, back in high school, I had an accident during our graduation trip. We were on a bus, and it rear-ended another car. I was sitting next to a girl I had a huge crush on at the time. But in that split second, I didn’t think about her at all. I was just frozen with fear, my whole body went cold—I completely forgot I could’ve protected her. Luckily, nothing serious happened in the end, and everyone was fine.”
He finished his story and looked at Xia Yan, hoping he’d take something from it.
But Xia Yan just stared at him blankly, completely missing the point.
“Damn, you’re pretty tough,” Xia Yan said, sizing him up. “What are the odds? You’ve been in two accidents now and still came out fine—impressive. But hey, do you have some kind of curse or something? People seem to get into crashes just by being around you…”
“…”
Bai Yu nearly rolled his eyes out of his skull.
He regretted wasting his breath on Xia Yan.
Silly boy. No wonder he’s been single for so many years.
Setting his fork down, Bai Yu dusted off his clothes and got up, suddenly uninterested in staying any longer.
“I’m out of here. Can’t be bothered talking to you. Just wait for Xu Cong to come take care of you.”
With that, he turned to leave.
Xia Yan grabbed at him. “Don’t go… You’re my manager, and you won’t even keep me company? Hey, do you think if I use this as leverage and ask Xu Cong to stay in the group, he’d agree?”
Bai Yu snorted and yanked his sleeve out of Xia Yan’s grip.
“Not a chance.”
With that, he pulled open the door—the one that had been slightly open all this time.
And sure enough, standing right outside was Xu Cong.
He was holding a food container, and it was clear he’d been there for a while. Dressed entirely in black, his sharply defined features looked striking—on stage, he was brilliant and dazzling, but here, he was just a shadowy presence.
Bai Yu met his gaze and smirked slightly.
Then, without looking back, he nodded toward the room.
“Xia Yan, usually, when someone saves the other’s life, the next step is offering yourself to them. Maybe stop overthinking it.”
“Get lost.”
Xia Yan hurled a pack of tissues at his retreating back.
Bai Yu just chuckled, shaking his head as he walked away. As he passed Xu Cong, he patted him on the shoulder.
[mfn]
Author’s note:
Xia Yan: Sure, I remember all his preferences, go out of my way to surprise him, accept his kisses, and even risk my life to save him… but Xu Cong and I are just really, really good brothers!
Xu Cong: …Whatever makes you happy.
Bai Yu (writing in his diary): Our captain is an idiot.
[/mfn]
