MSRBMH Ch 25
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Qin Zhiyan reached out cautiously, patting Tang Keyi's thigh—
only for his hand to be seized abruptly.
The grip was icy.
Tang Keyi’s hand.
In this overheated room, how could his skin be so cold?
Not just cold—trembling, clenching with desperate strength, as if clinging to a lifeline.
Before Qin Zhiyan could speak, his phone lit up with a message from Qin Yilin:
[President Qin, it’s Han Qiuqiu. Keyi has a phobia of darkness—trauma-related. Must be kept private. Please take care of him.]
Afraid of the dark?
Trauma?
Questions flooded Qin Zhiyan’s mind, but now wasn’t the time.
He replied with a single
[Understood.]
Tang Keyi’s grip tightened further,
fingers digging into Qin Zhiyan’s palm with near-painful intensity.
Qin Zhiyan let him hold on.
Raising his voice, he announced:
"Everyone, turn off your flashlights. Conserve power. We’re staying put for now."
His authority held.
Darkness swallowed the room again.
Moving closer, Qin Zhiyan found Tang Keyi rigid—
his entire body like ice.
This is worse than I thought.
Tang Keyi couldn’t stay here.
Decision made, Qin Zhiyan activated his flashlight,
aiming it at the floor as he tried to pull Tang Keyi up.
When Tang Keyi refused to budge, Qin Zhiyan gently pried his hand free—
only for Tang Keyi to lurch forward, refusing to let go.
Instinct had latched him onto this anchor.
No one questioned their exit.
In fact, the atmosphere lightened noticeably once Qin Zhiyan left—
ghost stories and laughter soon filled the void.
The private floor housed both the banquet suite and, at the far end, residential quarters.
Tang Keyi didn’t speak. Didn’t even breathe audibly.
Qin Zhiyan, who usually found Tang Keyi’s chatter excessive,
now ached to hear even his mental rambling.
But Tang Keyi was silent—inside and out.
A silence that unsettled Qin Zhiyan deeply.
What kind of trauma does this to someone?
Keypad beeped.
The door clicked open.
Tang Keyi’s phone rang in his frozen hand.
When he didn’t react, Qin Zhiyan retrieved it—Madam Tang flashed onscreen.
"Keyi! Keyi! Are you alright?"
Her voice was frantic.
"Madam Tang, it’s Qin Zhiyan. He’s with me—he’s safe."
A pause. Then, haltingly:
"Illegal fireworks damaged the power grid... blackouts across the city. Zhiyan, Keyi, he—"
Qin Zhiyan recalled Madam Tang’s comment months ago:
Keyi sleeps with the lights on.
Now he understood why.
"You needn’t explain,"
he said.
"Just tell me how to help."
"If you can reach an area with power... but most of the city is dark. Zhiyan, please—stay with him. He’ll be alright if someone’s there."
Her voice cracked.
"I won’t leave him."
"Thank you."
Throughout the call, Tang Keyi stood motionless, deaf to their conversation,
fingers locked around Qin Zhiyan’s.
Pocketing Tang Keyi’s phone, Qin Zhiyan guided him to the bedroom,
pressing him onto the edge of the bed.
"You can let go now. Your muscles will cramp if you keep gripping like this."
Soft. Reassuring.
No response.
"It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. Let go, alright?"
"Tang Keyi? Do you know who I am? It’s Qin Zhiyan. No one can hurt you while I’m here. So don’t be afraid."
Comforting wasn’t his forte.
Every word felt inadequate.
Tang Keyi remained catatonic.
With a sigh, Qin Zhiyan rubbed slow circles between Tang Keyi’s shoulder blades.
"Don’t be scared. I’m right here. Tell me what you need."
A violent shudder.
Then—
Arms wrapped around Qin Zhiyan’s waist, clinging with the same desperation.
Qin Zhiyan froze.
When was the last time someone held me like this?
[I’m... so scared...]
Finally.
A reaction.
Tang Keyi trembled against him.
Qin Zhiyan kept stroking his back.
[Need to be held.]
Qin Zhiyan’s hand stilled—then he sat,
drawing Tang Keyi fully into his arms.
This version of Tang Keyi...
I can’t refuse.
Don’t want to refuse.
(...His waist is so slim.)
Tang Keyi buried his face in Qin Zhiyan’s chest.
The dampness seeping through fabric made Qin Zhiyan’s breath catch.
Is he crying?
What happened to you?
One hand cradled Tang Keyi’s head; the other held him tighter.
"Don’t cry,"
Qin Zhiyan murmured.
Silent tears.
Hurts to watch.
Time blurred.
Gradually, wrapped in Qin Zhiyan’s warmth, Tang Keyi’s shaking subsided.
His grip loosened.
Qin Zhiyan exhaled in relief,
easing his own stiffened posture.
How long have we been sitting like this?
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