Stuck.

Drowning.

Helpless.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Instead, freezing water flooded in and Shancai choked, clutching at her neck and trying to push herself up to the surface. She kicked her legs up and down, side to side, trying wildly to somehow glide up, but the pressure underwater that deep was too much for her body to handle. Anxiety overcame her as she realized what would happen if she didn't get oxygen immediately.

Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and she tried desperately not to open her mouth for air. Shancai felt even colder than the ice cold water around her, when she suddenly felt the thick, bulbous surface of some kind of sea plant, which was what was presumably keeping her stuck.

In a last ditch attempt, she gave a fierce kick, and finally managed to free herself from whatever was holding her down. Everything started to seem blurry, and bright spots appeared in her line of vision as her chest burned and she tried not to inhale more water.

Shancai started to lose consciousness as she floated to the top. She felt something familiar and warm surrounding her, but couldn't tell what.

The last thought that raced through her mind before everything went blank was his name.

Daoming Si.


"Is she still out?"

"Yes," Ximen replied grimly.

Meizuo bit his lip, then burst out as if he couldn't bear to hold it in any longer. "It's goddamn scary! I just asked the doctor, and he told me she's been like that for the last few days, writhing and gasping all the time. It's like. . . like she can't breathe, even though she's connected to the oxygen tank through that tubing. . ."

They were quiet for a few moments, gazing morosely at the girl who was currently situated in the hospital bed in room 32B of Shanghai East International Medical Center.

A soft voice broke the silence. "Where is he?" Lei looked calm, but the other two had known him long enough to recognize his tells of panic: his usually serene voice had an unnatural tremor, and he was shaking.

Ximen's expression turned ominous. "Well, he. . ."

"What? Tell me, Ximen."

Ximen and Meizuo looked at each other. It was silent, again. Uncomfortably so. Lei could almost hear the frantic beating of his heart, as none of the three besides Shancai in the room moved a muscle.

Finally, Meizuo answered him, haltingly. ". . . he doesn't know."

Lei swore.

"Are you serious." It wasn't a question.

Meizuo nodded slowly, not meeting Lei's eyes. Ximen stared up at the ceiling.

Lei took a deep, calming breath to keep himself from blowing up. "And is there a reason for this?"

Meizuo nudged Ximen, who gave him a dirty look, but continued. "We. . . we were kind of hoping. . . you'd be the one to tell him his girlfriend got. . . captured. . . by a sub gang of the mafia that's in control of Daoming Feng's rival company." He said the last part extremely quickly.

"Captured—! You—!" Lei forced himself to breathe again, then turned to face them, looking dangerous.

". . . is that only what happened? Or. . . is there more? Which, for some reason that is beyond me, you only tell me now, days after this happened to her?"

"Lei, we just got the news a few hours ago," Ximen protested.

"That's long enough. Now tell me." Meizuo backed away a bit. He wasn't used to seeing this side of Lei.

". . . what did they do to her?"

Ximen answered him, massaging his forehead. "Fortunately, the police got to her before any serious damage was done. But. . . she's got a few broken ribs from where they kicked her, trying to get information out—which she wouldn't give them, by the way, bless her—and plenty of bruises and lacerations, all over."

Lei swore again. "And I assume he is not aware of this either?"

Meizuo gave him a painful smile, which was answer enough.

Lei raised his eyes to the ceiling. "You're lucky I was in Shanghai. I'd hate to think of how much worse his reaction would be if it came from one of you."

"So you'll tell him, then?" Ximen asked eagerly.

". . . did I say that?"

"Yes, you just did!" Meizuo said earnestly.

Lei sighed, shaking his head. ". . . fine. But I'm also telling him that you got news of it happening to her first!"

"Lei—!"

He gestured for them to be silent, as he dialed Si's number, and the hospital phone started ringing him.

The three waited in agonizing quiet, the only sound being the sharp telephone rings. On the fifth one, Si picked up. Meizuo and Ximen leaned closer to Lei to hear, as he hadn't put the phone on speaker.

"Hello. . .?" Si's voice was groggy and disoriented. "Who is this?"

Lei grit his teeth. ". . . Lei."

He groaned. "Lei! It's 4:00 AM in London, what in the world could be important enough to wake me from my beauty sleep? I have to look good for Shancai, you know."

Ximen snickered and Meizuo shushed him, looking to Lei to see what he would say.

"Ah Si. . . listen to me, please. It's Shancai. She. . . she's hurt." Meizuo winced and Ximen shook his head.

There was dead silence.

". . . what did you say?"


Shancai woke up, finally. She felt the sun burning on her skin and the soothing sound of the waves in tide, going back and forth, to and fro.

The combination of the sun and water had a lulling effect, and she wanted to go right back to sleep, forever tucked in those arms. . . wait.

Those arms?!

Her eyes flew open. She took a deep inhale of the chest she was currently buried in, and instantly knew it was him.

Shancai's breathing quickened, and this reminded her of what had just happened, stuck deep down under the water.

She should be dead! What was happening?

Then again, the last thing you thought of was. . . him. Could it be that he, somehow—?

". . . why are you crying?" Si mumbled, not opening his eyes yet. His arms tightened around her as she sniffled in his embrace.

"You, you saved me, didn't you?"

She could feel his smile before she saw it.

". . . yeah. So what if I did?"

"You idiot boy."

"Excuse me?" Si had opened his eyes now, and was staring straight at Shancai in mock disbelief. "I just saved my woman's life, and that's what I get in thanks?"

She grinned, her eyes glistening with tears again.

"Ah Si, I—"

But she was cut off, as suddenly, they heard a huge rumbling.

"It's coming from the sky," Si exclaimed.

"Huh? Sky? What do you mean. . . "

All around them, the clouds up above suddenly started moving fast around, and the sun was setting, speedily turning the sky an inky black.

It was as if they were going slow motion in a time lapse!

"Ah Si. . . " Shancai started, gripping his hand tightly. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. . ."

The once immobile sand started swirling around them, like a tornado, as the sudden strong winds kept them from seeing anything.

"Shancai!" She heard Si shout. She blindly tried to reach in the direction of his voice, but only wildly grappled with sand. The wind steadily grew stronger, and it twirled her round and round, making her gasp frantically for air, until finally, as soon as it had come, it disappeared.

Shancai panted, looking at the beach.

It was just how it had been a few minutes ago, the sun was shining, and the tides continued their calming effect. . . but. . .

. . . where was Si?

Shancai felt her heart drop, as she realized she couldn't see him anywhere, not a single person was on the beach except her.

It was like he had disappeared.

No. No. This couldn't be happening.

"AH SI!" She wailed.


"I'll deal with you lot later," a glacial Si told his friends, not once looking at them, as he strode into the hospital entrance, where they had come to meet him.

"We agree!" Ximen said. "Of course your first priority should be her—"

"Shut up." Si broke into a run. And the others, exchanging glances, jogged after him.

11B. . . 26B. . .almost there, 30B. . . finally—!

He slammed open the door to the hospital room of 32B, and rushed in, just as he heard the worst sound he could ever have.

Shancai screaming. More specifically, screaming his name.

Si hastened towards her, careful not to remove the oxygen tubing as he took her anxiously in his lap, cradling her in his arms.

She stopped screaming, instantly.

His gentle hands roamed over her arms and legs, trying to detect injuries. His jaw clenched and his mouth grew dry as he felt, one after another, the bruises. With each one he found, he felt the pain of the wound or cut in his own body, as if the blows were being struck against him, like a reenactment.

"What did those bastards do to you, baby. . ." His voice broke and he shook as he tried his utmost to keep breathing. The others were slowly entering the room, but upon seeing him, Lei pushed them out, closing the door behind him.

He was silent, staring at her motionless body. He slowly put a hand on her chest. She winced away from his touch, and with horror, he realized there were large bandages wrapped around her stomach.

Her ribs. . . they couldn't be—?

He closed his eyes. "I'll kill them." He said calmly.

"I'll kill the scum who did this to you, then I'll cut off all contact with my mother and the idiots I call friends, so something like. . . like this, will never happen again, and then I'll take you away with me where no one will ever find you."

"You better get better, so I can do all of that," he told Shancai's sleeping figure in his embrace, trying to be harsh.

"You can't—!" He couldn't say the word. "If you dare even think of it, letting. . . letting go, instead of getting better, I. . . I'll—!"

Si was broken.

I love you. Please don't leave me, not like this, not after everything.

Not before I even had a chance to. . .

He finally broke down, crying into her lap.


Shancai stopped yelling his name, as soon as she got the most peculiar feeling.

It was as if he was still there!

As in, she could still feel him, his presence. Just, she couldn't see him.

The sun beat down on her, and instead of feeling nice, it just felt oppressive. She headed to the tides, trying to get some water, but shook her head in disgust as she tried to drink some.

"God, I'm such an idiot! This is sea water, of course it'd be salty!"

She dropped to the sand, stretching out and groaning.

"Daoming Si. . . " She whispered. "What tricks are you playing on me now?"

All of a sudden, she heard that strange rumbling sound again.

She moaned pitifully. "Not again. . ."

She waited in tense silence for the sand storm to sweep her up in it again, but curiously, it didn't happen.

Instead, she felt wetness suddenly on her lap, even though she wasn't sitting near the tides anymore. What was happening? She could feel gentle, familiar hands running up and down and all over her arms and legs, but couldn't see anyone.

Finally, the sandstorm came, and she welcomed it, feeling as if she knew where it would take her.

To him.


"Ah Si. . .?"

He gasped in surprise, wiping furiously at his red rimmed eyes as he took her face tenderly in his hands.

"Shancai?"

Her eyes were fluttering open, and she stared up at him from inside his embrace, with her large, beautiful dark eyes.

He let out a sharp laugh that sounded like a cry. "God, baby, I thought you. . ."

She reached her hands up to him, holding his face as he held hers.

"You saved me, Ah Si. Were you the sand, all along?"

"What?"

"You. . ." Shancai looked up around her, and the weeks events came rushing back to her.

". . . never mind," she said, smiling, as she leant up to kiss him.

He pushed her away, ashamed for some reason. "I didn't save you. . . not this time."

"But you're here!" She exclaimed.

Shancai kissed him again, and he responded ardently, though stiff at first.

She thought of that sinking feeling of not being able to breathe anymore in the dark depths of the sea and the sand storm consuming her self up above on the beach.

She pulled away, then, still not letting go of his face in her hands.

"And you don't know it, Ah Si, but saving me. . ."

Shancai beamed up at him.

". . . you did, you really did."


I'M SO SORRY LMAO! I KNOW YOU GUYS READING THIS ARE PROBABLY LIKE 'UM. WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ 1!1!1!'

AND I AGRE Y, THIS WAS A MESS FROM START TO FINISH LOL D:

I. . . I really have no words. I don't know WHAT was going through my head writing this. Thus the title 'dream sequence'. Cause it made no sense whatsoever.

. . . Anyways. Hope you liked it. haha [secretly dies of shame for releasing this to the internet inside]

. . . 😅

Oh! I have one question before you go to peruse some other diyue/caisi fic, though.

Would you guys like me to end this series, or should I keep going? I've read a lot of absolutely breathtaking mutlichaps lately and was wondering if maybe I should push myself to write one, so I can try writing something with actual plot and meaning.

What do you guys think? Should I retitle this chapter 'the end'? Let me know! :D

Till we meet again,

- coexistantLilli :D