So, I decided to use Asi from Si since it looks easier. Is anyone out there? I hope so! Have fun!

Chapter 6

Asi struggled to open his eyes, which felt as dry and scratchy as little balls of yarn. In fact, he struggled to do anything more than breathe, and he grew frustrated at his lethargy. That was new to him, and he pushed against the heavy quilts with weak arms.

"What the hell!" he said between his teeth. Freeing one arm, he rubbed his eyes and forced them open, but his eyes were too bleary to see anything clearly. A gentle hand patted the quilts.

"Don't struggle, Asi," a woman whispered. "They'll hear you. The blinds are drawn, but it's mid-morning."

"Yu Sao?"

She patted his hand, and he heard her sniffle away tears.

"Asi, I don't have much time before they come back, but you've been under sedation for three days. That's why you're weak. Here." She positioned herself and helped him drink a bitter tonic, holding his head like she did when he was young and chubby. "No, don't push it away. You need to regain your strength and quickly if we're to get you to Shancai." Asi drank the rest without complaint and pushed himself up with effort.

"She knows I didn't abandon her?" Yu Sao heard his anguish in his voice and smiled. What happy news she had to share!

"Yes, she does. I was able to call her and explain everything." Yu Sao gave his shoulder a firm squeeze and grandmotherly pat.

"She's not angry?" Asi asked, looking up with heartbreaking vulnerability. "She still wants me?"

"With all her heart. She said so directly. Asi, she's with Lei and his parents. She says that she wants you to fight. She said that they're waiting for you, that your family loves you and is waiting for you."

The old housekeeper knew at once when he grasped the meaning of her words because he gasped and sobbed into a pillow with great, gusty cries. Yu Sao rubbed his back with practiced strokes.

"Oh, my God," he said, choking on his tears. "What have I done? How scared she must have been. Tell me she's OK? That everything is OK?"

"She is, and it will be," Yu Sao said with confidence. "For better or worse, and I believe it to be for the better, Xiaozi's father had a heart attack yesterday, so your wedding has been postponed. Lei, his parents, and everyone who can help are planning to get you out of London, so you need to keep your wits about you and get ready to travel. This is our chance. Don't swallow any pills, and I will get advice from Dr. Huaze Lan on how to switch out whatever they're giving you. Can I get your permission for her to treat you? Once she's your doctor, she can help."

"Yes, get me something to sign. I don't want her getting into trouble on my account."

"Good. Now, we've already worked out how to communicate, and I'll be talking to them soon. Thankfully, your guards know nothing more than to keep you from leaving, so getting them away for cha and dessert while you're sleeping is getting easier." Yu Sao hesitated on what next to say. Lei was with Shancai in London and had taken her home with him. With Shancai in trouble and Lei caring for her as much as he did, there were only a few choices open that would keep Shancai safe and able to live with dignity.

"What aren't you telling me, Yu Sao?" Asi asked. He pushed himself farther up on the bed and fixed his clearing eyes on her. Yu Sao peered into his solemn and gaunt face and sighed. Better have done with it all at once.

"Asi, I need you to be quiet. Remember, you're supposed to be sedated. She's with Lei and his parents. Whatever you hear, you need to believe in Shancai and her love for you. You also need to believe in your friends and their loyalty."

"Tell me."

"I think it likely that Lei has her at his house because he planned to marry her once he found out she was pregnant." Asi's nostrils flared, and his expression turned murderous before he threw up his hands.

"I should thank him for stepping in when I didn't." Yu Sao ignored his bitterness

"And they may still announce an engagement to throw your mother off the track. Be prepared to hear anything but know, know, that they're doing everything they can to get you out, and you need to think hard about to make it happen." He nodded and ran his hands over his face and through his matted hair. His eyes cleared.

"Call my sister and tell her. She's here, so that's one more person on the ground. Tell them also to get Xiaozi involved. She'll be in Shanghai for her father, and she'll want to help if she can. Especially when she finds out Shancai is pregnant. If Xiaozi comes to London to spend more time with me under the guise of developing our relationship, they'll have to stop medicating me, and that will be our chance."

He became more animated.

"Then there's this restaurant in London. Call the owner and tell her I'm in trouble. I trust her. Tell her everything. I'll take care of them, I promise. Even if my mother finds out she's helping me, I'll make it right."

For the first time, Asi smiled with his old spark, and tears filled Yu Sao's eyes.

"That's my boy."

"And tell Shancai, my wife, my beautiful, beautiful wife that I'm coming. Nothing will stop me. Tell her that. Please."

"I will."

Heavy footsteps sounded from down the hall, and Asi laid himself out like a corpse on the bed. Yu Sao hurriedly arranged the quilts and grabbed fresh sheets.

"Yu Sao?" A gravelly voice asked. "What are you doing in here?" A flashlight beamed in her face, but she did not flinch. Instead, she straightened up primly under the man's disapproval and put on her most authoritative tone.

"Why to check and make sure that the bedding is clean. You don't want the heir to Dao Ming Group to sleep on soiled sheets, do you? Or perhaps you'd like to change them if need be? He hasn't been allowed to use the toilet for days now, you know."

The man blanched and stepped back.

"No, no, carry on."

"That I will, if you'll excuse me. I'll be out in a minute."

"No more than that."

"Of course. I know who my employer is."

The man turned back and shut the door. Yu Sao turned to Asi.

"And it's you, of course, dear boy."

"To your dying day, Yu Sao," Asi said, "to your dying day. Let's get to work."