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Zhao Yunlan loved his motorcycle.
There were times like tonight when he just upped and left on it with no clear destination in mind and no reason other than wanting to feel the cool breeze on his face as he raced through the streets. As Chief of the SID, he really loved his job, but with the title came the responsibilities, and those brought along a non-negligible amount of stress, which meant that he needed an easy way to blow off steam. Sure, his Jeep was pretty comfortable and got him from point A to point B just fine, but it wasn’t the same. Even with the windows rolled down and the music cranked up, there wasn’t that freedom, that exhilarating feeling that came from balancing on a motorbike and riding into a headwind like a bird or negotiating tight curves, zipping down the road—
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Zhao Yunlan yelled at the car that had just grazed past him and almost thrown him off his two-wheeled vehicle. He heard the person retaliate, but the sound was muted and faraway, and he couldn’t make out the words. Zhao Yunlan had been minding his own business and not bothering anyone, following traffic rules and taking up as much space as he was allowed when a car had appeared out of nowhere and sped past him with a screech of tires. From the sound that had accompanied what had been a closely-avoided collision, Zhao Yunlan could tell that his precious bike had been scratched, not to mention that he could have died, judging by the speed at which they had almost smashed into each other. Thank god he hadn’t chosen this day to forego his helmet...
Managing to steady himself and reach the intersection in one piece, Zhao Yunlan stopped his bike at the red light and turned to face the person responsible for putting a damper on his leisurely ride. The driver-side window went down and, to Zhao Yunlan’s surprise, the face of a young woman who looked barely older than twenty appeared. She was rather good-looking, Zhao Yunlan noted, but she didn’t seem very happy. Well, neither was he.
No, Zhao Yunlan had a bone to pick with her.
“What were you thinking? That was really dangerous!” Zhao Yunlan exclaimed after lifting his visor to get a better look at the woman and make himself heard. Road rage wasn’t his thing and he usually avoided conflicts like these, but he had had a huge scare and he wasn’t in his right mind, his heart still thundering from the near-death experience.
But the woman wasn’t in the mood to discuss. “I said get lost! Why don’t you just get lost, already?”
Zhao Yunlan frowned at the rude comment and was about to retort something against his better judgment when the light turned green again and, not wasting a single instant, the woman slammed her foot on the gas pedal and drove off at top speed, disappearing from his sight in a flash. Clenching his teeth, Zhao Yunlan did the same, though at a much safer pace, considering what had just taken place—he wasn’t in a hurry to rush to his demise again tonight.
What the hell had that all been about?! She had clearly been at fault, but it was like she had blamed him instead!
Mulling over his dark thoughts and cursing this mystery madwoman who had clearly been after his life, Zhao Yunlan angrily steered his bike through the night, not paying much attention to where he was going. Even his favorite, sure-fire method of relaxation wasn’t working on him after that infuriating faceoff. So deeply lost in his musings was he that he didn’t even realize how unfamiliar his surroundings were until it was too late. This was a part of Dragon City that he had never ventured to—if he was even in Dragon City anymore.
There was no two ways about it: he had no idea where he was.
Holding back a string of curses, Zhao Yunlan stopped his bike on the curbside and reached for his jeans’ backpocket to retrieve his phone and check where he was, using the built-in navigation system, but he blanched when he realized that it wasn’t there. Since Zhao Yunlan remembered putting it there with utmost clarity, the only logical explanation was that it had fallen out at that time... Well, that was just great—yet another thing to worry about. What was he supposed to do without his phone? Tsking in annoyance, Zhao Yunlan made to rev up his bike’s engine and dart off into the night—regardless of where he was, there was no point in staying here—but then…
But then the engine suddenly sputtered and died.
Fuming, Zhao Yunlan took a deep breath and tried really hard to stay calm.
Honestly, at this point, Zhao Yunlan was starting to think that someone was having fun at his expense as misfortune after misfortune seemed to befall him. How he would have killed for a cigarette...
Reaching inside his jacket pocket, Zhao Yunlan retrieved a lollipop which he stuffed inside his mouth, quenching the bitterness he felt by savoring a sweet. After a few seconds of sucking angrily on the candy, he was feeling better already.
Right... Getting mad wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
Zhao Yunlan had to think of a way to get home.
This time, he’d have to rely on his instincts instead of technology. Truly, it was a good thing that the former often proved more reliable than the latter. Despite his earlier anger, Zhao Yunlan couldn’t hold back his smile as he got off his bike and started wheeling it down the road as he trudged along next to it. There was at least one person he could think of that would have agreed with him on that. “Shen Wei, ah... Now would be a great time for you to make your grand entrance.” Zhao Yunlan muttered to himself out loud after covering a bit of distance in the dark, playing with the half-eaten lollipop lodged between his teeth, and feeling like he wasn’t getting anywhere fast.
As he was saying these words, a portal suddenly materialized out of thin air and Shen Wei walked out of it, looking livid.
Seriously, why was everyone angry at him tonight?
Not saying anything, Shen Wei grabbed his arm and produced another portal, pulling both of them in.
Five seconds later, they were standing in Zhao Yunlan’s living room—with Zhao Yunlan’s motorcycle, and Zhao Yunlan himself trying really hard not to throw up. His stomach was really disagreeing with this portaling business... Well, at least Shen Wei hadn’t left his bike behind, because he’d had enough of losing his things for today. Even his lollipop had fallen out of his mouth at some point during the forced disapparition, possibly vanishing into the void.
What a waste of a perfectly good lollipop.
“Zhao Yunlan.” Shen Wei started in a reproachful tone, and Zhao Yunlan braced himself for the reprimand that he could hear coming from a mile away. He knew that Shen Wei had just been worried about him, and although he was tired and still a little bit angry, his relief at seeing Shen Wei surpassed even that. As the professor opened his mouth to scold him, Zhao Yunlan, seizing the opportunity, cupped Shen Wei’s face with both of his hands and kissed him square on the lips, effectively interrupting the flow of his words. Shen Wei froze in place before reciprocating the gesture a bit reluctantly.
“...Shen Wei.” Zhao Yunlan breathed out after pulling back slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see you... Thanks for coming after me. You really couldn’t have picked a better time.”
Shen Wei shot him a dirty look, if one could call it that, and blushed—well, probably did, though Zhao Yunlan couldn’t tell in this light or lack thereof, but it was obvious from the way he ducked his head in an impossibly adorable way. “...Yunlan.” Shen Wei said again in a more subdued way, what anger he had felt extinguished by the display of affection. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he gave him a quick once-over as if he expected him to be missing a limb or two. Zhao Yunlan held back his smile. “What were you doing fifty miles outside of Dragon City so late at night?”
Feeling a headache slowly creeping in, Zhao Yunlan sighed. “It’s a long story—...”
“Boss! Where have you been?”
Interrupted in the middle of their conversation, the two of them whirled around towards the source of the noise just as someone was turning on a lamp placed on a small end table nearby, revealing Da Qing’s skinny figure lounging on the couch and clutching his phone. Interestingly enough, his close-cropped hair was currently defying gravity and sticking up in all places, as if he had been disturbed in the middle of his sleep, most likely by their sudden appearance. “... Lao Zhao. I called you so many times, but you weren’t picking up... Minister Gao has been trying to reach you all evening.”
“Yeah... I lost my phone.” Zhao Yunlan mumbled, rubbing his face. “What’s all this about? Did something happen?”
There was a new case.
A few hours ago, during a nasty fight which had erupted in a bar, a woman had suddenly threatened a man, who had dropped dead shortly after. Naturally, the woman had made her escape, not waiting around for the police to come collect her, and she was still on the run, her whereabouts unknown.
“Not to sound heartless, but it’s just some stupid bar fight. It has nothing to do with the SID.” Zhao Yunlan declared, pointing out the obvious. They weren’t normally supposed to meddle in regular affairs...
“And that’s where the higher-ups seem to disagree.” Da Qing continued. “According to some witnesses, the two events happened almost simultaneously, so it would be surprising for them not to be linked.”
“It’s probably just a coincidence.” Zhao Yunlan replied, motioning for Da Qing to scoot over and make some space for him to sit down, then plumped down tiredly on his beloved leather sofa, bringing his feet up on the coffee table and crossing his arms behind his head, sighing contently. Only one thing was missing now, but that was easily solved as he reached inside his jacket pocket again and produced a second lollipop to replace the lost one, wedging it between his teeth and relishing in the delicious rush of endorphins that immediately began to wash over him along with the sweet taste of strawberry. Ah... perfect.
“Since when do you believe in coincidences?” Shen Wei asked him, putting a hand on his hip and looking down at Zhao Yunlan’s happily-wallowing self with a mix of tenderness and disapproval.
“And since when do you call me out on things?” Zhao Yunlan retorted, surprised yet amused at the rebuke, before conceding in good will. “Alright, alright… Let’s assume for a second that it’s not a coincidence. Could it be... someone from Dixing, then?” He proposed, sharing a knowing look with Shen Wei.
Shen Wei’s smile quickly vanished, making way for a slight frown. “Do we have a description of the lady? A name?”
Da Qing shook his head. “No name, but Lin Jing was able to get his hands on the security camera footage. Here.”
Zhao Yunlan straightened up in his seat to take the device that Da Qing was handing him as Shen Wei walked up behind them and leaned over the back of the couch to look at the screen. Zhao Yunlan’s face darkened at the recognition. “Hey, that’s the idiot that almost ran me over!” He cried out in outrage, peering at the scene unfolding before their eyes of a young woman storming out of a bar as a couple of bystanders rushed over to gather around the man who had just collapsed and now lied dead-stiff on the floor.
“Run you—...? Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Shen Wei protested at the fact that Zhao Yunlan had deemed this particular piece of information not worth mentioning to him.
“I didn’t feel like talking about it. It pissed me the hell off...” Zhao Yunlan grumbled, dismissing the subject altogether with a wave of his hand, then caught Shen Wei’s wrist before the other could resume his previous medical examination. “...I’m alright, Shen Wei, I swear.” He assured him. Turning to face Da Qing, Zhao Yunlan pressed him for more information. “Do you have the address of the bar? We’ll go check it out… see if we can find out anything useful. I was near Carrefour on Bright Avenue when she cut me off, but she’s probably long gone by now. Maybe someone will know where she came from, or where she might have headed after this.”
After Da Qing had shared the details of the establishment with them, Zhao Yunlan grabbed his wallet and car keys and headed out with Shen Wei hot on his heels.
******
The bar in question occupied a ratty building which was located in a disreputable part of the city, where Zhao Yunlan himself had never set foot before—and Zhao Yunlan had been, well... pretty much everywhere. As the two of them slipped through the entrance, Zhao Yunlan silently apologized to Shen Wei, who must have been feeling extremely uncomfortable at the utter filthiness of the place. Even he was a little put off, and that was saying something.
Briefly scanning the dimly lit room, Zhao Yunlan noted that, despite its extremely dingy state, the place didn’t look like a crime scene at all. There were only a few tables to spare, but the seats around those were already filled with patrons who looked up curiously at their appearance, so Zhao Yunlan approached the bar with Shen Wei in tow and plopped down on a stool, which squeaked under his weight, then showed his business card to the barkeep who was wiping glasses with a blank expression on his face. The man straightened up his back a little and smiled nervously at them, asking what he could get these good brothers tonight—it was all on the house, of course.
“I’ll have a beer, thanks.” Zhao Yunlan replied, before nodding his head towards Shen Wei’s stoic figure standing warily to the side. “Uh… just water for him.” As the bartender busied himself with their drinks, Zhao Yunlan began to explain why they were here. “We heard there was some kind of a squabble between a man and a woman earlier this evening. What can you tell us about the people involved? Is it another case of a blind date gone wrong?” He asked innocently, as if he were making small talk instead of inquiring about a possible murder.
“Fights aren’t a rare thing around here, but it’s the first time someone dies.” The barkeep revealed honestly without beating around the bush, handing Zhao Yunlan his beer before pushing a glass of water towards Shen Wei, who nodded at him politely but didn’t pick it up, leaving it untouched on the countertop. Zhao Yunlan laughed to himself on the inside, knowing fully well that Shen Wei wasn’t going to take one sip out of that glass. As for him, he had much lower standards, and besides, he was thirsty as hell and wasn’t about to say no to free booze.
Not appearing to be fazed by the subtle show of disdain, the barkeep rambled on, as if he couldn’t stop talking now that he had opened his mouth. “The man who died was a regular client here, but I’ve never seen him with that girl. According to what he said, she had run away from her parents’ to be with him, but I heard another patron claim that he had picked her up right outside by the dumpsters, shuffling for food. I guess she must have been really desperate to follow him into this hellhole. Anyway, you can probably guess what happened after. He tried to make a move on her, so she stood up for herself and basically told him he should die... Well, the little lady got her wish.”
Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help but feel a rush of sympathy for the young woman; he even felt a little guilty for getting angry at her. No wonder she had lashed out at him after the way she had been treated...
As if he had read his mind, the bartender approached him and cupped his hand over his mouth as if to let Zhao Yunlan in on a secret. Zhao Yunlan felt Shen Wei freeze at the sudden proximity, ready to jump at the man’s throat if he so much as touched a hair on Zhao Yunlan’s head. Even the air around them seemed to get progressively colder... Zhao Yunlan grasped Shen Wei’s hand under the table, squeezing it gently in an attempt to soothe him, which seemed to work. Meanwhile, the man went on, totally unaware of what was going on in front of him. “I probably shouldn’t say this but, he kind of got what he deserved… He was a complete asshole.”
“You do realize I could have you arrested for this.” Zhao Yunlan deadpanned, putting on his best poker face.
The barkeep stopped mid-gesture, not sure whether he should laugh or start running.
Zhao Yunlan burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder, betraying his real intention. “...I’m just kidding, brother! Relax, relax… Alright, what else do you know?”
“She drove a black Jeep… Not a very popular choice around Dragon City.” The man continued warily, and Zhao Yunlan nodded to confirm that fact. His very own modified Jeep was only one of a select few in the area. “She was also quite drunk when she left. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen to me, and after what she had just done to that man…” The barkeep trailed off, before realizing that he had said too much again, returning to his glasses which were in urgent need of polishing. “I mean… We don’t really know yet that she’s responsible for his death, of course…”
Thanking him, Zhao Yunlan downed the rest of his beer and slammed a few bills on the counter despite his earlier offer, noting as they left that he had been right about one thing: Shen Wei’s glass was still full to the brim.
“Did you see his face?” Zhao Yunlan snickered as they went out into the night. “His jaw literally dropped to the floor.”
“Not literally.” Shen Wei countered impassively, but his serious countenance quickly dropped and he broke into a smile.
“Shen Wei!” Zhao Yunlan complained, secretly thrilled that Shen Wei was loosening up around him, even if he was making fun of him. “Can you cut me some slack? I’m not a university professor, unlike someone.”
“...I teach bioengineering.”
“Still!” Zhao Yunlan insisted, and they both chuckled quietly as they got in the car, slamming the doors shut.
Before returning to his apartment for the night, Zhao Yunlan had one last thing left to do, and that was to ask Lin Jing to try to find that woman’s vehicle using the city’s surveillance cameras. Zhao Yunlan mused that Cong Bo might also come in handy, so he might as well call him in for this task, too. After all, Lin Jing and he made a really good team. Zhao Yunlan fished for his phone in his pocket, huffing in annoyance when he remembered the fate it had suffered earlier tonight. Guessing what was on his mind, Shen Wei handed him his own mobile device, so Zhao Yunlan thanked him gratefully. “See, I told you it would come in handy.” He joked, winking at Shen Wei and happily typing out orders for his team.
“If only you hadn’t lost yours…” Shen Wei scolded him affectionately, before averting his gaze.
“Not listening!”
******
Bzzzt-bzzzt. Bzzzt-bzzzt. Bzzzt—
Waking up in a start at the buzzing sound, Zhao Yunlan groped for Shen Wei’s vibrating phone in the dark, not wanting to disturb his lover nor Da Qing who was sleeping wedged in between them, curled up in a ball in cat form. Unfortunately, Shen Wei was a light sleeper and he shifted next to him at the disturbance, untangling their legs as he came to. Propping himself up on his forearm and struggling to open his eyes, Shen Wei blinked a few times, staring groggily at Zhao Yunlan whose face was now glowing in the blue light of the device which he had found at last, stashed away under the pillow. Da Qing, who had a cat’s talent for falling asleep anytime and anywhere, did not budge a whisker.
Zhao Yunlan glanced at the time on the screen, groaning. Five thirty—such an ungodly hour to interrupt his sleep...
As he picked up the call, he made an unintelligible grunting sound by means of a greeting. Fortunately, the person on the line was used to his inability to function so early in the morning.
[Boss.] Came Lin Jing’s voice from the other end. [Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, but we’ve found the car.]
Zhao Yunlan was wide awake now. “Where was it…?”
[Give me a sec. I’ll send the coordinates to Prof Shen’s phone. Hey, what happened to your phone, by the w—]
“Thanks.” Zhao Yunlan promptly hung up, not wanting to get into that topic anytime soon. Instead, he clambered out of bed and acknowledged Da Qing, who was now sitting in human form on the edge of the bed, scratching his head and making an even bigger mess of his already quite disheveled hair. Then he took in Shen Wei who, already half-dressed, was currently working on his tie. Slipping on a casual slightly oversized green hoodie himself and shimmying into a pair of black skinny jeans that weren't too crumpled and that smelled acceptable enough to be worn, Zhao Yunlan grabbed Shen Wei’s phone on the bed and motioned for Shen Wei to follow after him.
Da Qing waved at them with his eyes closed then dropped back onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep straight away.
“I’ll drive so you can sleep a bit.” Shen Wei told Zhao Yunlan as they walked towards the Jeep in the faint light of dawn, and Zhao Yunlan nodded weakly, handing him his keys.
They settled in their seats quietly, but as Shen Wei was buckling his seatbelt, he realized that Zhao Yunlan had dozed off already, so he leaned over his sleeping form in order to secure his seatbelt for him. Thanks to Zhao Yunlan’s immense patience and nurturing nature, Shen Wei could now use the most basic functions on his phone, so he keyed in the coordinates provided by Lin Jing, thanking him for his help and apologizing for Zhao Yunlan’s succinctness in the wee hours of the morning. When that was out of the way, he pulled out of the driveway and set out for their destination, which, according to the GPS, was located about twenty minutes from their current location.
About fifteen minutes later—traffic was pretty scarce at this time of day—Shen Wei parked Zhao Yunlan’s Jeep on the side of the road, gazing in the distance at the black vehicle smashed against a tree which he could make out from here, though its shape was barely recognizable now. The area of the wreckage was surrounded by yellow police tape which meant that they weren’t the first to arrive at the scene.
“Zhao Yunlan.” Shen Wei called out softly, gently nudging him awake and pushing a coffee mug into his hands.
Yawning loudly, Zhao Yunlan opened his eyes and gazed at Shen Wei with surprise and adoration, before draping himself around Shen Wei and burying his face in the crook of his neck for a second, muttering a weak ‘I love you’ which Shen Wei savored in silence as Zhao Yunlan clung to him, trying to wake himself up.
The second of respite turned into ‘five more minutes’ of blissful peace.
Once Zhao Yunlan was in a more presentable state, the two of them got out of the car and were instantly greeted by name by a few policemen who were surveilling the area and keeping watch. “Chief Zhao. Professor Shen.” Suddenly, out of the small crowd of officers came out Chu Shuzhi who walked over to them in quick fast strides and a flurry of black flowing clothes, with Guo Changcheng following behind him like his very shadow. “Lao Zhao. Lord Black-Cloaked Envoy.” Chu Shuzhi greeted the two men, bowing deferentially to the latter.
Zhao Yunlan who was much too tired for this didn’t comment on the misplaced favoritism, merely clutching his coffee mug for dear life and asking the unlikely yet inseparable duo what they were doing there.
“D-Deputy Chief sent us here to help.” Guo Changcheng stuttered, wincing when Chu Shuzhi smacked him behind the head—in a light, almost affectionate way, Zhao Yunlan noted despite his drowsy state.
“He didn’t think we could handle this?” Shen Wei surmised.
Chu Shuzhi almost choked on air.
“No, my lord. He just thought you might need an extra pair of hands, so I volunteered, and then the kid tagged along…”
“Very well.” Shen Wei acquiesced, sharing a conspiratorial look with Zhao Yunlan over Guo Changcheng’s cowering head. “Would you be so kind as to update us about the situation, please?”
The vehicle had already been wrecked upon being found, but there was nobody inside nor in the vicinity of the accident, which suggested that its occupant had managed to escape by some stroke of luck. This was further supported by the discovery of blood stains leading outside. Unfortunately, the traces stopped after a short distance, and it was hard to know where the wounded had taken refuge after that. Before their arrival, Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng had scouted the area and stumbled upon a small convenience store where they had asked around and found out that their fugitive had stopped there on her way and helped herself to a number of items—food, for the most part, but also first-aid supplies. And although she had been alone, she had managed to take a fair amount with her.
“Wait, wait.” Zhao Yunlan lifted a hand to cut in. “So, they just let her have at it? Did she have a gun?”
Chu Shuzhi shook his head. “Not that I know. The owner said that he’s not sure why, but he just couldn’t refuse her.”
“If she really wanted to, she could have taken the money from the register.” Guo Changcheng managed to articulate in one go without stumbling over his words. “I… I t-think she didn’t mean any harm… She was just hurt and hungry…”
The men fell quiet, mulling over this particular piece of information.
Guo Changcheng had just said out loud what they were all thinking to themselves.
It was tough... Sometimes, in this line of work, they were faced with people who didn’t have bad intentions and were only trying to survive, but if a crime had been committed, someone had to take responsibility for it.
“Zhao Yunlan. I’m detecting traces of dark energy.” Shen Wei suddenly said, pulling everyone back to reality.
Zhao Yunlan looked at Shen Wei in surprise, then back at the other pair. “You guys stick around in case she comes back. Shen Wei and I will go and try to locate her. Call us if you find out anything.” Zhao Yunlan instructed his men decisively.
Then they all went their own separate ways.
******
The sun was gradually rising, along with the temperature. Zhao Yunlan wiped a few drops of sweat off his brow.
“Yunlan.” Shen Wei spoke at last, breaking the comfortable silence which had fallen between them as they walked, punctuated only by the occasional sounds of birds chirping or of dry twigs snapping underneath their feet.
Zhao Yunlan hummed slightly in response. “Yeah, what is it?”
“I think this is it.” Shen Wei announced solemnly. “The dark energy is stronger than anywhere else. She has to be here.” The couple exchanged a grave look and approached the rocky hill that they had stumbled upon, where a small opening in the stone had been carved by years of wind erosion. As they drew nearer to the odd hideout, Shen Wei placed a firm hand on Zhao Yunlan’s shoulder to keep him from getting too close, for from that distance, a vague silhouette could already be guessed, hidden away in the shade. Then, as if it had spotted them, it suddenly vanished from view.
Shen Wei continued. “We don’t know what to expect, so let’s tread very carefully. People are most dangerous when they feel cornered or trapped. Given her young age, she might not be able to control her powers yet.”
Zhao Yunlan nodded in agreement. “Agreed. And roger that.”
Nearer to the cave, the traces of blood began again and continued ceaselessly in an increasing amount right up to the edge of the rock and deeper into the cleft. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei stopped at the door, hesitating.
“This could be a trap...” Zhao Yunlan reasoned while peeking inside. “...Yep, definitely a trap.”
“Zhao Yunlan. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Shen Wei promised him, and Zhao Yunlan knew that was the truth.
He smiled softly in response. “Nor will I to you, Shen Wei.”
Huddling close due to the limited space, the two of them went in. Upon closer look, the hideaway was larger than it had seemed, but the hard stone still gave the place a stern, oppressive look that would have made anyone feel anxious. Yet, not everyone was fortunate enough to have a roof over their heads, and someone had taken shelter in this unique abode and made it their home. Even brittle flowers had managed to bloom their way through the cracks in the rock.
“Lord Black-Cloaked Envoy.” A young female voice suddenly rang out all around them, made stronger and more impressive by the echo. “And… you. What are you doing here? Wait, don’t come here! Don’t you dare come any closer!”
Knowing better than to feel offended from being singled out like this—honestly, given how bad of a start the two of them had gotten off to, he would have felt the same had he not known the young woman’s full story—Zhao Yunlan put his hands up to show that he meant no harm and tried taking a few more steps forward, but was inadvertently stopped in his tracks by some kind of invisible force. Puzzled, he whirled around to look at Shen Wei who had managed to get farther than him and was observing him strangely. Zhao Yunlan tried moving his legs again, but his feet weren’t responding, as if they had been glued to the ground or encased in concrete.
“Hey, that’s really unfair!” Zhao Yunlan exclaimed, pointing his finger accusingly at the familiar figure that had suddenly come limping out of the shadows, revealing the young woman that they had been searching for since the day before. “Look, we’re not here to hurt you. We just want to help.” He explained, which, in hindsight, was only half a lie. After all, no matter what they had done, no one deserved to be left out alone to die a miserable, painful death, and that gaping hole in her temple looked very painful and life-threatening. “Whatever you did to me, please just, uh... cancel it, okay? Let us come over to you, and then we can have a nice peaceful chat.”
Shen Wei rushed over to his side with deep concern etched all over his face. “...Zhao Yunlan. Are you alright?”
Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlan who was being unfairly forced to stay put had started connecting the dots. “Ugh, I can’t move.” He sighed, feeling helpless. “Remember how she told me to stay back? For some reason, it seems to have come true.” Thinking back on the previous day, he suddenly remembered something. “Wait a second. When I first met her, she told me to get lost... then I did. Do you know of a power that allows the user to make things happen through speech alone?”
Shen Wei pondered this for a second. “We call it ‘vocifery.’ One could make a person do their bidding by saying things out loud, sometimes even just by thinking them… but there are usually several limitations, though it varies according to the user’s power. It’s not a common talent. Obviously, it can be very powerful… Dangerous, even.”
Zhao Yunlan whistled at the prospect, impressed. “Wow… Tell me about it.”
“I could kill you in an instant.” The woman threatened, narrowing her eyes. “All I have to do is say the words.”
“Come on… You don’t mean that.”
According to Zhao Yunlan’s own experience, not a lot of people genuinely wanted to hurt others. They may make all the claims that they wanted, putting on airs and throwing their weight around, but when it really came down to it, most of them weren’t ready to deal with the consequences, nor to go on with their lives after having taken another person’s.
It seemed like Zhao Yunlan might have hit the nail on the head, because the woman turned her attention away from him and towards Shen Wei instead, meeting his calm gaze with a level stare, unflinching.
“Lord Black Cloak… Do you know how painful it was for me to be forced to stay down in Dixing all my life when my mother despises everything I am? That’s right… I’m half-Haixingese. My father…” She scoffed in disdain and derision. “...He left my mother when he found out who she really was, and now she has me to remind her of that everyday. My very existence is a bane to her soul. So, you see, because of you... I have never known the warmth of a parent’s love.”
“Hold up one moment.” Zhao Yunlan interrupted her, unable to stand by and let her insult Shen Wei, especially since she clearly had no idea what she was talking about. Most likely, she was just repeating the words she had been taught since a very young age without ever having given them any conscious thought. Zhao Yunlan had noticed over time that a lot of Dixingese seemed to hold a grudge against Shen Wei, which was unfair and made no sense. “You can’t blame him for that. The Black-Cloaked Envoy has dedicated his life to his people. Don’t you know how important you are to him?”
The young woman glared at him. “Shut your mouth. Don’t make me tell you again.”
“You—...” Zhao Yunlan’s eyes widened in realization as the words flowed out of his mouth unhindered. “Hey, I can talk! There’s a limit to your power after all. So… What’s the trick, huh? Do you have to say it more than once?”
The woman seemed shaken by this turn of events. Judging by the way she looked away, pressing her lips into a thin line and frowning, she hadn’t expected them to unveil her secrets so quickly. And because she hadn’t been able to conceal her feelings, Zhao Yunlan knew at once that his wild guess had been spot on. Ha! Bull’s eye. He thought to himself, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at Shen Wei who, on the same wavelength as him, gazed back at him warily.
The two of them shared a look in silence.
They needed to wrap this up quickly before she ran out of patience and everything went to hell.
“Listen, it’s not too late.” Zhao Yunlan ventured carefully, making eye contact with the woman to try to gain her trust. “Although you did kill someone, we know you were just protecting yourself and didn’t really mean for it to go that far... If you cooperate with us, we can pass this off as a case of self-defence and lessen your sentence.”
But the woman wasn’t fooled by this truce in disguise.
“No, it doesn’t work unless I mean it.” She snapped. “That’s supposed to prevent me from doing things unintentionally. So you can keep your help and your false pretenses, ‘cause I don’t need them. I don’t need anyone!”
Shen Wei took a careful step in her direction.
“Stay back!” The woman screeched as she started to grow frantic and panic. “Or I swear I’ll kill you! Why don’t you d—”
“No, don’t!”
Zhao Yunlan screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling his heart drop into the pit of his stomach at the words, and he pointlessly reached out for Shen Wei just a few feet away, hating that he couldn’t make his way to him and help him, but highly intent on trying everything in his power to prevent him from getting hurt. To his relief, however, nothing happened to Shen Wei. Possibly, the woman might have lost her focus due to Zhao Yunlan’s sudden utterance... Zhao Yunlan wasn’t sure if Shen Wei had paled at the prospect of his imminent death, or if that was just his imagination, but his expression remained implacable—firm, yet tinged with a deep sympathy—in the face of this adversary.
No, not adversary. After, all, she was a citizen of Dixing… one of her children.
Under other circumstances, she might have been a friend.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed his luck again. “I know you’re not a bad person; you’ve just been through a lot and—”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”
All of a sudden, Zhao Yunlan felt his vocal tract close up and, no matter what he did, his voice just wouldn’t come out, this throat raw and his tongue heavy like lead. Not only that, but he had trouble breathing too, as if someone was holding a pillow over his nose and mouth trying to suffocate him, or pushing his head down under a pool of tar. Choking, he clawed at his throat and dropped to the ground on one knee. Seeing this, Shen Wei’s face darkened and he clenched his fists, setting his jaw. Zhao Yunlan was trained enough in reading Shen Wei’s micro-expressions to know that he was beside himself with anger.
“I do not mean to harm you, but if you hurt him, I will have no mercy.” Shen Wei threatened in a steady, chilling voice, wisps of black smoke starting to form around his hands as he gathered his dark energy.
Xiao Wei, please. Zhao Yunlan thought desperately. Calm down, I’m okay. No matter what, we can’t provoke her.
Shen Wei paused and gazed at him mournfully, as if he had heard his plea. Then, his expression became serious again and he began walking towards the woman with renewed resolve.
“Don’t come any closer!” She shrieked, before doing a double take. “Huh, why isn’t it working…?”
I guess… now that we know her little secret, it doesn’t work on us anymore. Zhao Yunlan mused, relieved beyond belief.
“I understand how you feel.” Shen Wei declared as he stopped right in front of her, never once averting his gaze.
“You’re the great Black-Cloaked Envoy!” The woman snarled. “How can you possibly know how I feel?!”
“You said I couldn’t understand your feelings; that because I had power and fame, I couldn’t fathom the pain you must have gone through. Are still going through.” Shen Wei smiled sadly, as if remembering a distant and painful memory. “You feel like you don’t belong anywhere… like nobody wants you for who you really are. Perhaps you should know that, while people respect me, they don’t love me. Quite the contrary, actually... they are afraid of me. Also, I have no recollection of my parents. I had a little brother, it’s true... but even he is long gone.”
Shen Wei’s words seemed to get through to the woman, who hesitated, her eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty. “Then... then… what about that man? Who is he to you, and you to him?”
“He…” Shen Wei started, his face suddenly brightening up at the mention of that person, and he turned to look at Zhao Yunlan’s kneeling figure, the earlier gloominess on his features replaced by immeasurable affection. It wasn’t that the Black-Cloaked Envoy had made way for Professor Shen, for those two identities were all indivisible parts of him, but Shen Wei’s feelings remained the same no matter which of these roles he took on. Zhao Yunlan felt a lump form in his throat; only this time, it wasn’t because of the spell. Shen Wei continued. “Before I met him, I led a wretched life shrouded in shadows, void of hope and love. My days were filled with ceaseless battle, and my heart with despair. He… He is the sun that staunched that darkness. Young lady, I know that there is someone out there searching for you, and you will find them one day if you persevere. But if you continue to wreak havoc like this, you will never get the chance to find out.”
As realization suddenly dawned on her, the woman hung her head miserably as a tear rolled down her cheek.
She knew at once what she had almost done, which was to tear apart two souls that could not exist without the other.
“I’m sorry...” She offered pitifully, then visibly blanched when the blood loss that she had suffered caught up with her and she dropped to the stone floor without an ounce of strength left.
“You’re hurt... Let me heal you.” Shen Wei sympathized, covering the remaining distance between them and crouching down next to her, placing his hand over her face when she didn’t resist, and letting the dark energy flow out of him, healing her wounds and restoring her depleted reserves. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What’s your name?”
“It’s… Qing Shan.” She revealed, closing her eyes as Shen Wei’s soothing energy gently washed over her.
Shen Wei nodded in approval, then placed both hands on her delicate shoulders. “Very well. Qing Shan, I will let you remain here, but you must promise me never to use your powers to do harm. Be my eyes and help protect Haixing’s peace. If you forsake your promise, then I will have no choice but to send you back to Dixing for good, never to see the light of day again. And if you try to deceive me, I will know… I hope you will not disappoint me.”
Qing Shan nodded her head shamefully in agreement, all the fight gone out of her.
“I won’t, my lord.”
Now that the crisis had been averted, Shen Wei stood up and, giving Qing Shan some space to pull herself together, walked over to Zhao Yunlan who had regained the use of his limbs and was observing him, uncharacteristically quiet. Relieved to find him unharmed, Shen Wei opened his mouth, but he was pulled into a crushing embrace before he could say anything. Still Shen Wei tried to express himself, perplexed by Zhao Yunlan’s behavior, but Zhao Yunlan cut him off, pulling him closer and strengthening his hold on him.
Zhao Yunlan sniffled, then spoke in a shuddering voice.
“...Don’t talk to me right now.”
******
“Hey, any news from Qing Shan?” Zhao Yunlan asked Shen Wei as he closed the door behind him with his foot and beelined for the sofa, throwing himself down on his favorite piece of furniture within the apartment.
Although, the couch from the SID office was a close runner-up.
Shen Wei smiled at Zhao Yunlan tenderly, setting down the bags of groceries that he was carrying and walking over to stand next to the coffee table in front of him. “She’s doing quite well. Actually, she just joined my ‘Introduction to Physical Molecular and Cell Biology’ class, and I must say she’s a very bright and promising student. Since I highly recommended her to the school, they didn’t ask any questions, and gladly let her enroll in the course.”
“Look at you!” Zhao Yunlan crooned, grinning at him. “Hei Pao gege, you’re so powerful. I think I’m falling for you.”
“Yunlan.”
“Present!” He laughed, but couldn’t resist adding a ‘we should invite her someday so I can show her how to drive’.
“Yunlan!”
“Sorry, sorry.” Zhao Yunlan waved his hand to dismiss the topic, and Shen Wei knew that he was not sorry.
Changing the subject, Zhao Yunlan suddenly stood up from his seat and sauntered over to Shen Wei, clasping his hands around Shen Wei’s nape and cocking his head to look up at him seductively through his thick lashes. “Hey, so... I’m making Da Qing work overtime tonight, which means it’ll be just us. I thought we could, y’know... watch a movie or… maybe do something else…?” The implications behind Zhao Yunlan’s words couldn’t be mistaken, and Shen Wei felt a rush of desire spread through him like wildfire at the mere thought.
Especially since there was something he had been impatient to try out.
Shen Wei took a deep breath, bracing himself, and spoke his mind.
“Then...” He cleared his throat. “Zhao Yunlan—take off your clothes... and k-kneel.” Shen Wei commanded Zhao Yunlan, who goggled at him for a beat, dumbstruck, before bursting out laughing as if Shen Wei had just told a really funny joke.
“...What?” Zhao Yunlan sputtered, not believing what he had just heard.
Shen Wei flushed a light shade of red, then gathered his courage and repeated himself. “...I-I said... kneel.”
“Ha ha ha…” Zhao Yunlan laughed, then stopped abruptly as his hands started pulling his shirt over his head of their own accord, and he found himself stooping down to his knees against his will, no matter how hard he tried to resist. “Huh? What the hell?” Aghast, Zhao Yunlan stared up at Shen Wei, searching his eyes for an explanation.
Then, after a bit of thinking, he understood.
“Shen Wei, is that… Qing Shan’s ability?”
Shen Wei did not reply, but from the dark glint in his eyes as he stared down at Zhao Yunlan with unrestrained want and anticipation, slowly removing his glasses and shrugging off his jacket, the truth—like the possibilities—was plain to see.
Zhao Yunlan was in deep trouble.
“Wait. I don’t like this game… I don’t want to play anymore. Shen Wei!”