He just saw him a few days ago. They were working out, having a good time. Well, he was showing him a good time because, honestly, Gōng Míng had forgotten how to have fun and do something that wasn't work related. That's what he liked about Zhōu Chóng Guāng. Even though he was an irresponsible writer that almost never got his articles in on time or did what he wanted, Zhōu Chóng Guāng was his friend. Possibly, the only real friend Gōng Míng had in this world; they were way past the point of simply being step-brothers.
And then he got this call in the middle of night. He was working, as usual, with Kitty outside his office, preparing for their next event and his schedule for tomorrow. (She had never complained about her work in the time she's worked for him; he appreciated it.) He quietly looked over at his phone and picked it up, holding it to his ear. "Gōng Míng."
He didn't get an immediate reply and for a split second, he thought of hanging up. It might have been a misdial or maybe Chóng Guāng hadn't even noticed he called someone. But it was only for a split second because he heard the strangest sound come down the line. He paused in his work, furrowed his eyebrows, and trained his ears. "Zhōu Chóng Guāng?"
He heard a strangled cry and noise on the other end and that's all it took for him to rush out his office, Kitty shooting up from her seat like a rocket. (Always on her toes… though this wasn't the time to be admiring her.) "Something's wrong with Zhōu Chóng Guāng. We're going to his place right now. Make sure my car is ready downstairs and call an ambulance to meet us there. You're coming with me." He shot this all at her at breakneck speed, and she was right there with him.
The car barely pulled up outside the company building before Gōng Míng opened the backseat door. He rushed in, the door behind barely closing behind Kitty before Gōng Míng ordered the driver to go to his step-brother's place.
"I called for an ambulance and they said they would be there in less than ten minutes."
He just nodded.
The ride over was slower than usual and he nearly cursed out his driver because of it. This was not the time to mess with his nerves.
When they finally did get there, the ambulance was already outside Zhōu Chóng Guāng's apartment building. They were quickly hauling him out of the building and into the back of the truck. Gōng Míng jumped out the car before it could even stop moving, rushing to his step-brother's side. He looked as pale as ghost, sickly and still. Blood was leaking out his mouth. "I'm his friend, the person who called for the ambulance. I'm going with you," is all he said to the EMTs. They were too busy with making sure he was okay and getting him to the hospital.
When they stabilized Zhōu Chóng Guāng and got him back to normal, Gōng Míng and Kitty were walking down the sanitized, bleach-reeking hospital hallway. He walked ahead of her in his usual brisk fashion, determined to walk away from this as though it wouldn't be real if he wasn't there.
"Prepare for a press conference tomorrow. We're going to go public about Zhōu Chóng Guāng's gastric cancer."
And for once, Kitty wasn't with him. She stopped right in her tracks, quiet as a mouse though a storm was surely raging in her pretty little head. After all the times he supposedly lied about cancer to not write his articles, and… well now, here they are. He wanted to say something to her, to comfort her because he was sure she was just as upset as he was, but… he had no words. Honestly, if he tried to speak right now, he would scream and break down into a sobbing mess in a designer suit. This wasn't the time for that, though. He had to go and prepare for tomorrow; he had work to do. He always had work to do.