Xinyu watched closely, filled with admiration. Stacy, on the other hand, had taken care of bandaging Maddy's hand, which was badly cut when she had gripped the glass. Once she was sure that Zayn was out of danger, she lay on a bed, exhausted, and let out a long sigh. Xinyu noticed and immediately went to check on her.
— What's wrong, Stacy ? Did you get hurt too ?
She slowly pulled up her skirt and removed her tights to avoid making the injury worse.
— What are you doing ! Ahh.
Xinyu turned away, embarrassed. She revealed her beautiful legs, marked with several cuts, and some blood had dried from the wounds.
— Why didn't you say anything ? Does it hurt too much ? he asked worriedly.
— Don't worry, it's just a few small cuts, I'm fine. We had to take care of those two first.
She tried to apply a bandage, but Minho interrupted her.
— There's no more blood flowing. You should disinfect first before bandaging them. You only bandage when trying to stop bleeding.
Stacy responded using sign language. Xinyu translated for her.
— You're very thoughtful. Thank you so much, sincerely.
Minho noticed her injured arm.
— Wait, I'll disinfect it for you. You should apply ice to your arm and avoid moving it as much as possible, you could make your injury worse.
When he was about to touch her legs, Xinyu quickly pushed him away.
— I'll take care of it. You should keep an eye on Zayn.
— Alright, I'll leave you to it.
He closed the curtain behind him to avoid making her uncomfortable, like a true gentleman.
Stacy looked at Xinyu, puzzled. He was blushing and seemed tense.
— What you did today was really stupid. This place is supposed to remain secret, and you exposed it to more than five people at once. Not to mention the huge risks you took. You went out without any plan. You should have talked to me first !
— Sorry, I had no choice. Today's Emilie's birthday, and I figured Maddy might lose it and try to kill herself on a whim. I wasn't ready yet, I panicked, and I rushed without thinking. I'm sorry.
Xinyu sighed.
— You managed to bring her back in the end. It was worth it. I would have liked to meet her under different circumstances. She must have been a really good friend for you to go through all that trouble.
Stacy's eyes lit up.
— You have no idea.
Xinyu disinfected Stacy's wounds, bandaged her legs, placed ice on her injured arm as Minho had suggested, and gave her a painkiller to drink.
— Rest now, I'll take care of Maddy as we planned.
— Thank you.
Meanwhile, Carina and Suzi were walking through the vast bunker, exploring every room one by one.
— This place is amazing ! There's a huge bathroom with a bathtub, a laundry room, a gigantic kitchen, a living room, a gym… It's nothing like what I imagined for a bunker ! exclaimed Suzi.
Carina had settled on a bed in one of the rooms.
— I'd really like to spend the rest of my days here, it's so peaceful and the bed is super comfortable.
Suddenly, Xinyu entered the room. Carina hid under the covers, while Suzi ducked behind the door. When Xinyu pushed the door open, he accidentally hit Suzi on the head, and Suzi let out a little "ouch", betraying her position.
— Seriously, how old are you ? What are you doing walking around like this ? Aren't you worried about your friend ?
— Why would we be worried ? The doctor's taking care of him.
— …Anyway, thanks for everything, but it's time for you to leave.
— No ! We want to stay here ! said Suzi.
— It's out of the question.
— But why ? There are plenty of rooms.
— First of all, this isn't a hotel, and I'm the one paying for the food. If you two add your mouths to the bill, I won't be able to afford it.
— What if we each paid a third of what you spend on food in total, huh ?
— I suppose that would cost me even less than usual… But…
— If you don't let us, we'll tell everyone there's a secret base here ! threatened Suzi.
— Suzi ! That's so not cool ! Carina exclaimed.
— Shh, I won't really do it, she whispered in her ear.
— You're a genius, Suzi, she whispered back.
Xinyu sighed.
— Fine, I guess I don't have much choice. And anyway, I kind of owe you after saving Maddy (and Zayn).
— Yay !! they cheered in unison.
— But you need to swear you'll never reveal the existence of this place to anyone.
— We swear !
Suzi elbowed Carina.
— Huh ? Oh, yes, I swear !
— That's not very convincing, Xinyu doubted.
— Don't worry, she doesn't talk to anyone anyway, haha.
Carina pinched her stomach.
— Ouch !
— That'll teach you to talk shit about me.
— I'm trying to help you, even though you don't realize it !
Xinyu cleared his throat.
— In that case, I'll leave you to it.
Xinyu turned to leave, but Suzi stopped him.
— Wait, is that crazy women going to stay here too ?
— You don't have to worry about Maddy.
— What do you mean by that ?
— You'll see for yourselves.
Xinyu led them to a room marked "Maddy." Carina and Suzi gasped. Maddy was completely tied up, arms, legs, hands. She couldn't move.
— This is horrible… But what are you going to do to her ? Carina asked, terrified.
Suzi instinctively grabbed Carina's hand and stood in front of her.
— Don't get me wrong. Maddy actually suffers from bipolar disorder and PTSD. That's what we're sure of, but she may have other psychological issues. Stacy cares a lot about her and plans to treat her little by little. It might not seem like it, but this is for her own good.
Suzi remained skeptical.
— He's right, Suzi, Carina confirmed. During our fight, she tried to kill herself, even though she could have attacked me instead.
— Are you sure ?
— Yes, there's no doubt about it.
— Alright, I trust you.
— Now that everything is settled, you handle your side of the arrangements and make sure to stay discreet.
— Yes, Chef ! Carina said, giving a military salute.
— Yes, Sir, Suzi added.
Xinyu sighed again before bursting out laughing.
— Honestly, you two are really something.