There was the clear clicking of heels down the silent hallway. The room door opened with a swish, and Yixing came face to face with a woman who had a face far too exhausted for her age. It was evident that her wrinkles didn't come with the natural passage of time, but rather stress and concern. There were premature white hairs mixed into her bun, and her eyes were full of sadness. 

            "Thank you for always coming to visit her, Xing-er." She walked to the other side of the hospital bed, took a seat next to her daughter, and held her hand. "When she was but a child, I would always hold her hand and smooth her hair, to make her feel better after a nightmare." While saying this, she reached for her daughter's hair, smoothing it down and combing her fingers through the slight tangles.

              "I just - oh my god. It just hurts so much! My poor child, lying on a hospital bed for the past 5 years, when she was always so lively and so kind and so-" her words turned into broken sobs, full of sorrow. Yixing dashed to her side, comforting her with his soft speech, and alternating between patting her back and simply hugging her, letting her have a shoulder to cry on. 

              After a long while, she finally calmed down, and said "I should get going now. I need to work for my beloved daughter." He nodded in acceptance, and said, "I love her more than anything or anyone in this whole world." As she exited the door, she looked back with a final glance, and thanked him for being so devoted to her.