1 AM, Shanqing District Third Hospital.
Gao Yang rushed into the emergency room lobby and immediately spotted his sister sitting on a blue plastic chair. Still in her pajamas and slippers, her hair was disheveled, her face streaked with tears.
The moment Gao Xinxin saw him, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
Gao Yang stroked her head. "Where's Dad now?"
"Second floor. I'll take you." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the elevator.
During the frantic drive over, Gao Yang had already pieced together what happened from their phone call.
His father had been entertaining clients late into the night and had drunk enough to call a designated driver. Unfortunately, the driver was exhausted and crashed into a small truck at an intersection.
The driver died instantly. His father, buckled in the backseat, survived but was severely injured. After being rescued, he was rushed straight to the ER. When nurses sorted through his belongings, they found his wallet and ID, then called Gao Yang's mother.
His mother nearly fainted on the spot. Without even changing out of her nightclothes, she grabbed Gao Xinxin and raced to the hospital. Their grandmother, frail and already asleep, was left undisturbed—there was no way they could tell her.
As Gao Yang and his sister burst out of the elevator, they saw their mother slumped in a chair outside the operating room. Also in pajamas and slippers, her hair was a mess, her face haggard, her eyes red and swollen. The moment she spotted her children, she stood and pulled them into a tight embrace.
"Mom, I'm scared..." Xinxin whimpered.
Their mother didn't speak, but her trembling hands betrayed her fear.
Gao Yang hugged them both. "It's okay. Dad's going to be fine."
The surgery dragged on deep into the night.
When the doctor finally emerged, his scrubs were bloodstained, his surgical mask hanging loose around his neck. He looked exhausted.
"Out of immediate danger, but his condition isn't optimistic. We've done all we can—the rest is up to him." He paused. "You should prepare yourselves. Even if he pulls through, he'll likely be wheelchair-bound for life."
"Thank you, Doctor! Just... just surviving is enough..." Their mother wept with gratitude.
"My duty." The doctor offered a polite nod and left.
They kept vigil outside the ICU until 5 AM, when another doctor confirmed his stable condition. Only then did their mother finally exhale.
Seeing how drained she and Xinxin looked, Gao Yang urged them to go home and rest. Both refused.
"None of us have slept. We'll need to take shifts watching Dad," he reasoned patiently. "You two go rest now so you can relieve me this afternoon. And honestly, you can't stay here in pajamas. Go change."
His mother finally relented. She looked up at him, her eyes softening. "Yangyang... you've grown up."
Gao Yang blinked. "Have I?"
"Mm. Especially lately. Even though you're out late a lot now... you just seem more responsible."
The observation left Gao Yang with mixed emotions. Since awakening, he hadn't so much "grown up" as become hyper-vigilant.
Soon, his mother and sister left. Gao Yang remained outside the ICU, too wired to sleep despite his exhaustion. His mind wandered to childhood memories.
Back then, they'd lived in a small county on the city outskirts. His grandfather was still alive, and the six of them crammed into a two-story concrete house with a front yard and a ginkgo tree that carpeted the ground in gold every autumn.
The family ran a tiny grocery store called "Happy Supermarket," scraping by on snacks and household goods—never starving, but never thriving either.
His father was sharp, always brimming with business ideas. Their home was stacked with self-help books. He'd constantly boast that once he saved enough, he'd start a factory with friends, make real money, move the family to the city—buy a home near good schools, a car, give them all a better life.
The year Gao Yang graduated elementary school, his father actually struck it modestly rich. They relocated closer to the city.
His father partnered with friends to open a food processing plant specializing in soy products. To promote their goods, he spent every day courting clients, his phone packed with contacts for grocery store owners. The better business got, the more he drank—returning home wasted half the nights each month.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps approached. Gao Yang snapped to attention.
He looked up to see the surgeon who'd operated on his father. Now out of scrubs and mask, the man wore casual clothes and carried two steaming cups of coffee.
"Want one?" The doctor sat beside him, offering a cup.
"Thanks." Gao Yang accepted, the warmth spreading through his hands as he took a sip.
He studied the man. Despite his composed, mature aura, the doctor looked surprisingly young—early thirties at most.
Tall and lean with sharp features, he had wavy hair, scholarly black-framed glasses, and wore a charcoal gray wool sweater, khakis, and brown Oxfords. A vintage wristwatch and a simple silver band on his ring finger completed the look.
Without his white coat, he resembled a brooding artist more than a surgeon.
Cradling his coffee, the doctor took a slow sip and gazed down the hallway where dawn's first light spilled through a window, pure and serene as heaven's glow.
"My favorite time of day," he murmured, his voice low and gentle.
Gao Yang hesitated before offering, "Because... morning light brings hope?"
The doctor chuckled. "No. Because I finally get off work."
Gao Yang laughed weakly.
"How old are you?" the doctor asked.
"Eighteen."
"Ah, so college entrance exams soon."
"Yeah."
"Where are you applying?"
"Haven't decided."
"With your father's condition..." The doctor sighed. "You might consider local schools. Li City University is solid—a tier-one institution."
Gao Yang tensed. Why is this guy so chatty? He set his coffee down and subtly edged away.
The doctor noticed instantly. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked mildly.
Gao Yang's pulse spiked. He kept his tone light while scanning for exits. "Afraid? Why would I be?"
"Afraid I'm a beast."
Gao Yang nearly bolted—but the doctor caught his wrist in a firm but not unkind grip. When Gao Yang tried pulling free, he found the man's strength always stayed just a notch above his own.
The doctor smiled. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be gone."
The logic sank in. Gao Yang forced himself to relax. "Are you Awakened? Or a beast?"
"What do you think?" the doctor countered.
"I don't know." Gao Yang admitted honestly. The more he learned about beasts, the blurrier the line between them and humans became.
"[Red Eye], sequence number 131. I distinguish beasts by body temperature—theirs run slightly higher, with distinct distribution patterns." The doctor's brown eyes glowed faintly crimson as he studied Gao Yang. "So yes, I can confirm you're human."
Gao Yang exhaled in relief.
"I'm Bai Liyi." The doctor extended a hand.
"Gao Yang." He shook it, shoulders loosening.
"You awakened recently?" Bai Liyi asked.
"How could you tell?"
"You fear beasts more than fellow Awakened."
Gao Yang frowned. "Shouldn't I?"
Bai Liyi smiled cryptically. "Why fear beasts? As long as you play by the rules and act the oblivious lamb, they're harmless. Think of them as having dual human and beast personas. Unless you trigger the switch to their beast form, they're essentially our neighbors and colleagues."
The explanation reminded Gao Yang of Officer Huang's perspective.
Bai Liyi adjusted his posture, leaning forward as dawn's glow haloed his silhouette. "Humans, on the other hand... far more terrifying."
Gao Yang wasn't sure how to respond. He changed tack: "As a surgeon, you operate on beasts daily. Don't they get exposed?"
Bai Liyi shook his head. "In human form, their physiology is nearly identical—just slightly better metabolism, healing, immunity. Their reproductive systems are less convincing, though I've seen exceptions that nearly fooled me."
Gao Yang immediately thought of Officer Huang's "pregnant" wife—likely one such exception.
Sipping his coffee, Bai Liyi continued casually, "Beasts have lifespans like ours—vulnerable when young, strong in adulthood, frail with age. Since they tirelessly maintain human disguises 24/7, their beast abilities degrade over time. Elderly beasts reverted to true form might lose to a fit human."
Gao Yang recalled "Auntie He" from the love hotel. Huang had mentioned her deteriorated state too.
"Then my family... are they human or...?" Gao Yang's throat tightened. He both craved and dreaded the answer.
"Against the rules to say." Bai Liyi smiled apologetically. "Frankly, even this conversation breaches protocol. Please keep it confidential."
The irony wasn't lost on Gao Yang—he felt relieved by the non-answer. Another thought struck him. "Are you with the organization too?"
"Organization?" Bai Liyi rolled the word thoughtfully. "If you mean an organization, then yes."
"Bai Liyi, I'm new to this. I have so many questions." Gao Yang seized the chance to unload.
"I've heard beasts can't truly reproduce. So where do they come from? Where do we come from? Why do they live among us, playing this elaborate charade? Why do we only gain talents upon discovering the truth?
"Why do beasts try to kill us upon our awakening? How many types exist? Are they all evil? Can humans and beasts have children? Is this just happening around me, or is the whole world like this...?"
Bai Liyi chuckled. "Poor kid. You've been bottling this up, huh?"
Gao Yang could've cried. These questions had haunted him since awakening, festering like untreated wounds.
"Sorry—many answers I don't know. Those I do, I can't share." Bai Liyi pondered briefly. "But I'll leave you with this."