The silence stretched on.
"A-Feng."
The pack leader's voice made him look up immediately.
There was no impatience in Hei Bao's tone, only quiet insistence.
"Look at me."
Gou Feng hesitated before slowly lifting his head, again.
Their eyes met.
"Tell me honestly." Hei Bao urged softly.
Gou Feng opened his mouth, but no words came out.
The words seemed trapped somewhere in his throat.
Hei Bao waited patiently for him to answer, his gaze never leaving the young man's face.
His eyes lingered on the damp strands of hair sticking to Gou Feng's forehead.
Without realizing it, he reached out.
His fingertips brushed aside a damp strand of hair before his hand came to rest lightly against Gou Feng's cheek.
The movement was so unexpected that Gou Feng went completely still.
Surprise flashed across his eyes.
Hei Bao himself seemed momentarily caught off guard by his actions.
Yet neither of them moved away.
The warmth of that hand slowly seeped through Gou Feng's chilled skin, grounding him.
The frantic pounding of his heart gradually slowed.
For some reason, the touch felt strangely familiar.
Like something he had been searching for without realizing it.
Without thinking, Gou Feng leaned slightly into the warmth.
His eyes slipped closed.
The tension locked within his shoulders eased little by little.
Neither of them spoke.
Hei Bao's brows furrowed faintly.
The situation felt awkward.
Yet as he looked at the exhaustion written across Gou Feng's face, he found himself unable to pull away.
For a brief moment, the nightmare seemed very far away.
Without warning, Gou Feng's body suddenly swayed.
His eyes fluttered open halfway before immediately losing focus.
Hei Bao's expression immediately changed.
Before Gou Feng could fall back onto the bed, Hei Bao reached forward and caught him.
One arm wrapped firmly around Gou Feng's shoulders, pulling him against his chest.
The young man's weight fell completely into him.
He had lost consciousness again.
Hei Bao looked down at him.
His hand that had been resting against Gou Feng's cheek moved to his forehead.
Still warm.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
"You're really determined to worry people, aren't you?"
The words were spoken softly enough that even he barely heard them.
There was no response.
Only the slow, steady sound of breathing.
Hei Bao lowered his gaze to the pale face resting against his shoulder again.
For someone who always insisted that he was fine, Gou Feng looked surprisingly fragile whenever he finally stopped pretending.
Hei Bao shook his head quietly.
With practiced care, he tightened his hold just enough to keep Gou Feng comfortable before helping him lie back down on the sofa bed.
He adjusted the blanket over the young man's body and ensured his head rested properly against the pillow.
His movements were careful and measured, a stark contrast to the cold and distant image he showed the outside world.
"...Troublesome child," he said quietly, though there was no real annoyance in his voice.
Only a helpless sort of resignation.
Hei Bao stood beside the sofa bed, his gaze settling on Gou Feng's sleeping face.
The young man looked peaceful now. His breathing had finally evened out, and the tension between his brows had lessened.
It was hard to believe that only moments ago, Gou Feng had been trembling in fear, and was crying unconsciously.
Hei Bao remained quiet. Then, as if reaching a decision, he turned and walked toward his desk.
He picked up his phone resting beside several unfinished documents and dialed a familiar number.
The call connected after several rings, and a sleepy voice answered from the other end.
"...You actually called me at this hour?" the man grumbled.
"And here I thought you only contacted me to make me work overtime."
For the first time that evening, surprise briefly crossed Hei Bao's face.
"You went home?" He asked, as the usual deafening music and noise from nightclubs were absent.
On the other end of the line, Cheung Qi yawned.
"What? I have decent days too," he replied lazily.
He shifted against his bed, dressed in loose night clothes, the collar hanging carelessly enough to expose part of his chest. His voice still carried traces of drowsiness.
"What is it? Why did you call?"
Hei Bao's gaze drifted back toward the sofa bed.
Toward Gou Feng, and said,
"He had another episode."
The sleepiness in Cheung Qi's eyes vanished instantly.
His expression sharpened.
"...How is he now?" he asked.
Hei Bao inhaled slowly before answering.
"He's asleep again."
He fell silent, as though carefully considering his next words.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, but the gravity behind it was unmistakable.
"I don't think we can wait until tomorrow. Let's bring him to the elders tonight."
For several seconds Cheung Qi went silent.
When he finally spoke, his tone had become serious.
"...All right."
He threw the blanket off himself and stood.
"I'll be there within forty minutes."
The call ended.
Hei Bao slipped the phone back into his pocket before walking toward the sofa bed again.
He stopped beside it.
For a long while, he simply stood there.
Observing the rise and fall of Gou Feng's breathing.
The strands of white hair spread across the pillow.
The faint bruises still visible on his face from the assault earlier that afternoon.
Unconsciously, Hei Bao's brows furrowed.
He remembered the small child who had once stubbornly trailed behind him despite being frightened of everything around him.
The child who had grown into a young man without realizing how often he put other people before himself.
Hei Bao reached out and lightly adjusted the blanket that had slipped from Gou Feng's shoulder.
His hand paused briefly before withdrawing.
For the first time in a long while, Hei Bao found himself hoping that the elders would have answers, because, if the seers could not explain what was happening to Gou Feng...
Then whatever haunted the young man truly was far more serious than any of them had imagined.
Now on the road, city lights blurred past outside the car windows.
From the driver's seat, Cheung Qi glanced at the rearview mirror more than once.
His gaze inevitably settled on the back seat, where Hei Bao sat beside Gou Feng, who remained deeply asleep in his arms.
The sleeping young man leaned against the Pack Leader's side, his head resting securely on Hei Bao's shoulder.
One of Hei Bao's arms was wrapped firmly around Gou Feng's waist, keeping him steady whenever the car hit a bump in the road.
His other hand rested against the back of Gou Feng's head, silently supporting him.
Cheung Qi released a quiet sigh.
He still couldn't understand it.
Why had that strong child suddenly become like this?
Just a few months ago, Gou Feng had been healthy enough to celebrate his birthday with the clan elders, accepting blessings and gifts while enduring everyone's attention with his usual quiet patience.
Then, almost without warning, everything changed.
It was as though something invisible had slowly begun to consume him.
"Did you check if he has a fever again?" Cheung Qi asked, breaking the silence.
Hei Bao immediately lifted his hand and pressed the back of it against Gou Feng's forehead.
After a few seconds, he answered.
"No."
Cheung Qi frowned.
"Then why is he sweating so much?"
He glanced at the rearview mirror again, noticing the thin sheen of sweat covering Gou Feng's forehead despite the cool temperature inside the car.
"Is he having another nightmare?"
Hei Bao lowered his eyes.
Gou Feng's brows were faintly furrowed once more, and from time to time, his eyelashes trembled.
"...He must be," Hei Bao replied quietly.
Cheung Qi clicked his tongue.
The sound carried irritation, though none of it was directed at Gou Feng.
"What's gotten into that kid?" he muttered.
"Ever since that birthday celebration, it's been one thing after another."
His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
"Did you ask him anything when he woke up earlier?"
Hei Bao nodded.
"I tried."
His gaze remained fixed on Gou Feng.
"He hesitated."
A brief pause followed before he added,
"Then he lost consciousness again."
Cheung Qi released another sigh.
"What could he have encountered to end up like this?"
There was no immediate answer.
The only sounds inside the car were the steady hum of the engine and Gou Feng's quiet breathing.
Eventually, Hei Bao spoke.
"We'll only know after speaking with the elders."
Cheung Qi nodded grimly.
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
No one noticed the way Gou Feng's fingers occasionally curled weakly against Hei Bao's clothes.
Nor did they hear the nearly inaudible murmurs escaping his lips.
Fragments of words.
Broken and incomplete.
As though he were speaking to someone only he could see.
"...Don't go..."
"...Wait..."
"...Don't go..."
Hei Bao's expression darkened slightly.
His arm around Gou Feng tightened almost imperceptibly.
The car continued along the winding mountain roads leading toward the ancestral grounds of the Lycan Clans.
Nearly an hour later, the vehicle finally passed through the hidden entrance concealed deep within the forest.
Ancient stone pathways stretched ahead.
A minute later, traditional buildings illuminated by lantern light emerged beneath the moonlit sky.
The elders' residence.
Cheung Qi slowed the car to a stop.
They had finally arrived.
The moment he stepped out of the vehicle, however, his movements paused.
"...They're waiting for us?"
Hei Bao followed his line of sight.
Standing outside the main hall was the High Seer herself.
Despite the late hour, the elderly woman remained dressed in formal robes embroidered with silver thread.
Three young women stood quietly behind her.
None of them appeared surprised by the group's arrival.
It was as though they had already known they would come tonight.
The High Seer's clouded eyes immediately settled on Gou Feng, whom Hei Bao was now carrying in a bridal hold.
Without greeting anyone else, she stepped forward.
Her aged hand reached out and gently touched the sweat-dampened forehead of the sleeping young man.
The lingering warmth beneath his skin caused her expression to change.
Her gaze sharpened.
For the first time, genuine concern appeared within her wise old eyes.
"It's consuming his energy."
She lifted her head and looked directly at Hei Bao.
"Hurry. Bring him to my chamber."
The calmness in her voice only made the urgency beneath it all the more unsettling.
Cheung Qi's heart skipped a beat.
Even Hei Bao's expression grew solemn.
Without another word, Hei Bao carefully adjusted Gou Feng in his arms before following after the High Seer.
Behind them, Cheung Qi's expression turned uneasy.
For the High Seer to personally wait outside at this hour. To abandon formalities and immediately summon Gou Feng into her private chamber.
What kind of condition could that young man possibly be experiencing right now?