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Bullet casings drop to the ground in an almost rhythmic manner. Yelan fiddles with the dice in her hand as gunfire echoes behind her, leaning up against the crates with ease. A bullet blows through the crate and past her head, sending some of her hair aloft. Shards of wood land on her shoulder and she brushes them off with annoyance. A simple business outing has turned into an assassination attempt, and all of this is far too much work.
She turns her head ever so slightly, watching Shenhe work.
White hair ripples as she rolls back towards cover, firing at the would-be assassins. There’s an agile strength to her, a hard focus between her eyebrows, and Yelan feels like she’s watching a performer, dancing on stage as she weaves in and out of the assailants’ range, shooting all the while.
Shenhe gives her a glance, motioning for her to duck.
And Yelan obeys without hesitation as an explosion happens behind her, and she watches Shenhe’s figure sprint out into open air. Smoke obscures her path forward, but soon after there’s five clean shots, ringing out into the night.
Not a moment later, Shenhe returns, offering a hand to help her up.
“My lady,” she says, “the offenders have been dealt with.”
“Thank you. You do such good work.” Yelan pats the side of Shenhe’s face, brushing off dirt.
“Are you hurt?”
“Never, not with you protecting me. I was never worried, not for a second.”
“You praise too highly,” Shenhe murmurs, leaning into the touch.
“I don't praise you enough.”
And every word of it is true. Ever since the day she hired Shenhe on recommendation from a good friend of hers, she’s never felt safer. The bodyguard is formidable at worst, and a terrifying threat at best. Yelan’s people are all exceptional, and Shenhe is the best of them.
Shenhe looks down, but doesn’t say anything.
“Come on,” Yelan beckons. “We have some rats to deal with.” She pulls out her phone, quickly dialing one of her workers. “There was an attempt on my life. Someone knew I would be here, and when. Find out who.” Bring them to me, is what she doesn’t say. All who work for Yelan know what she expects.
There’s quiet affirmation from over the phone, so she ends the call.
Soon after, they’re heading down the street once the clean up crew has arrived, but Shenhe doesn’t cease her work, constantly looking around for threats. Yelan takes the time to watch her with admiration. Such dedication and loyalty, all for her.
Her position as head of a series of smuggling rings is risky enough, even as rare as her outings as herself are. She knows how invaluable someone like Shenhe is. She could deal with hundreds of attempts on her life and know she would come out safe on the other side. Yelan wouldn’t trade her for anything.
It’s a hand on Shenhe’s arm that finally draws the taller’s attention back to her. “I appreciate your vigilance, Shenhe. But the car will be waiting for us here.”
They stand at the corner, both of them keenly aware of the way normal people live their mundane, normal lives around them.
A couple hold hands on the opposite curb and Yelan glances to where her hand rests on Shenhe’s arm.
It drops down as Shenhe steps forward when their ride pulls up. She reaches out the handle and opens the door for Yelan to get in before following herself. Yelan is occupied with her phone for most of the ride, dealing with the fallout of their failed meeting and the progress reports on the attempts to track down the culprit.
They arrive quickly to the front for her organization, the Yanshang Teahouse. It’s perfect. Fragrant enough that most don’t question anything amiss, constant shipments of ‘exotic’ herbs, and generally a classy establishment. Her clientele are all high ranking enough that the authorities would think twice about disturbing the patrons or accusing them of anything. As Yelan walks in, she waves to the workers out front. To them, she’s just the accountant who balances the finances for the elderly and sickly owner and so she walks to her office with little trouble, Shenhe sticking around out front as security for the tea house.
At her desk, there are a thousand papers to sort through, so she sets to work. It would be better to be done quickly to allow for more leisure and freedom. Being chained to a desk all day is, frankly, the least enjoyable day she could ever have. She runs a hand through her hair. This is why she leaves all the work to Ningguang, but the latter is off somewhere with her delinquent of a girlfriend.
Yelan supposes she counts as a delinquent as well, but she has some class at least.
The shadows stretch out against the wall as she works, getting more annoyed by the second. When her phone buzzes, she jumps at it, desperately needing a break. To her great pleasure, it’s one of her people, claiming to have found the orchestrator of the attack.
A reason to leave all this work behind and something to take her frustration out on. Lovely.
She dials Shenhe’s phone, wanting to hear her voice. “We’re leaving,” Yelan says, and Shenhe makes an affirmative sound. She doesn’t ask for details. She never does. Yelan thinks she should ask more.
“Are we taking a driver?”
“If you would do the honours, then no, we won’t be. I’ll send you the coordinates?”
“Of course.”
She and Shenhe slip out a back entrance and take one of the cars waiting. As they drive, Yelan drums her heel on the floor, thinking. But seeing Shenhe has already eased some of her displeasure. Something about the woman is incredibly calming, whether it be her comforting presence or reliable demeanour.
The car ride is relatively long as Shenhe seems to understand what they’re doing, taking an alternate route to the warehouse to avoid the many street cameras waiting. In the meantime, Yelan sends a few messages, calling out some of her more specialized employees to join her. When they pull up to the warehouse, Shenhe gets out first, heading to the passenger side to help Yelan out.
“Chivalrous,” she purrs, but it doesn’t seem to faze Shenhe. It’s always been this way, Shenhe able to resist all of Yelan’s quips. She doesn’t mind, but longs for the day she makes that expression change.
Inside, there’s a man sitting on a chair, arms tied together as her own workers stand around, a gun trained on him. With a nod from her, they all file out, standing guard outside. One stays, keeping a hand on the gun at her waist.
Her heels click as she strolls across the warehouse. Initially, Yelan gives him a slap, then knocks the chair out from under him, taking it for herself. She lets him regain his bearings, kneeling now, tapping her foot impatiently.
Once he looks less like he’s about to topple over, she speaks.
“You know why we’re here, don’t you?”
“I had you.” The man spits on the ground. “If not for your stupid guard dog—“
Yelan kicks him across the face, unmoving from her seat. As he reels, she says, “You don’t seem to understand your position here.” Shifting forward, Yelan grabs his jaw and jerks it forward, forcing him to look at her. “I was debating whether or not I should kill you.”
She squeezes harder and he whimpers. “See, I admire your audacity. You’re a very brave man, going after the leader of the Yanshang Group in broad daylight. It’s almost admirable.” Pulling him forward, forcing his neck into an awkward position, she continues, “But an insult to Shenhe is an insult to me.”
With a fluid motion, Yelan throws him to the side, and he crashes to the ground, the ropes digging into his skin.
“And I don’t take lightly to insults.”
She grinds her heel into his back, forcing a groan of pain out of him.
“Apologize.”
“I— I’m sorry! Please!”
“Sorry to who?” Her voice drips with saccharine sweetness.
“To you— agh!“ He’s cut off by a shrill scream as she digs in harder.
“Wrong answer. Try again.”
“To Shen— to Shenhe! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” He blubbers, desperate.
With that, Yelan leans back. “Well done.” The interrogator has arrived, followed by their cleanup crew. “He’s all yours. Find out his sources and have some fun while you’re at it.”
She gets up to leave as the man, sobbing on the floor, looks up. “Wait! I did what you wanted! You said you wouldn’t kill me!”
“I was considering it. You should have watched your tongue.”
Shenhe offers her arm to her, and the two of them leave before the screaming begins. By the time they’re out of earshot, back in the car, Shenhe’s gaze flickers between her and the road ahead repeatedly.
“Go on, ask what you want.”
“You usually aren’t that brutal.”
It’s not a question, but Yelan knows what Shenhe means. With someone who broke so quickly after just being knocked around a bit, there would be no need to leave him to the interrogator when it would be just as easy to get the information from him herself.
“You heard me.” Yelan shrugs. “He insulted you.”
“My ego can take the insult.”
“I’m not going to stand by and let people slander you. Especially people like him, who are pathetic as they come.” She’s oddly defensive. There’s a part of Yelan that doesn’t want Shenhe to be disappointed in her. It’s strange, because ever since rising to the top, she hasn’t sought approval from anyone. Not even the law could tell her what to do. But one word from Shenhe could have her on her knees.
“I’m not that important.”
“Don’t say that.” You have no idea how important you are to me.
Shenhe stares at her while they’re stopped at a red light. “Defend me too much, and people will think you have a weakness, my lady.”
“I’m sure you can defend yourself just fine.” She waves a hand in the air as they begin to drive again. “And it’s not like you’re a weakness. There’s no one in the world that I trust more to take care of themself. I’d like to see someone try to leverage you against me.”
Shenhe is quiet for a moment, before saying, “I am only one woman.”
“You’re the only one that matters,” Yelan says, matter of fact.
Silence falls upon them once more. Yelan doesn’t miss the way Shenhe’s grip on the wheel is tighter. The car’s humming is the only thing audible as they drive back to her home.
There’s a discomfort she feels as the two of them go inside the house. Some part of her was laid bare in the car, and she has a need to cover it up. So Yelan turns back to Shenhe.
“Would you like some tea?”
“I should go.” Shenhe’s eyes are cast downwards. She has her own house, not far from here. It’s rare that she stays there, though, more often staying in the guest bedroom. Yelan’s home is huge and after spending so much time with Shenhe, it feels distinctly lonely without her.
“Wait,” the words leave her before she can properly think things through, “don’t leave.” As a quick addendum, she adds, “Only if you want to. I have no orders for you.”
Shenhe stands still in the foyer, back straight and face stoic. “Tell me,” she says softly, “why you were so angry at that man.”
Yelan takes a sharp breath in, then nods.
“I was angry because he insulted you. Because he was wrong, in so many ways. Because while that man, and many others may think you’re my dog, my hellhound on a leash, they couldn’t be farther from the truth. Because you’ve owned me since the moment I laid eyes on you,” Yelan murmurs, gaze dark, stepping closer. “Having you near has been the privilege of my life. There is no greater honour than to have you by my side.”
And Yelan is used to people falling over at her whim. All her subordinates follow with loyalty she is grateful for. Her enemies cower before her presence. She answers to no one and would bow to nobody. But she would kneel before Shenhe if she so much as asked. Yelan is powerful like no other, and all of it belongs to the person standing before her.
She moves a little closer. Shenhe stares at her, unreadable.
“Say the word, and you can go. Your wish will forever be my command.”
The closer she gets, the more she realizes how much taller Shenhe is. Usually Yelan is in heels that let her tower over most, while Shenhe’s shoes are far more practical. They’re rarely so close when in the comfort of her home, and Shenhe’s height is far more pronounced here. Yelan looks up and sees the conflict in that gaze, the way there’s a hint of uncertainty in the knit of her brows and a slight tremor in her lips. She has never seen Shenhe less than perfectly calm, even after the most harrowing of gunfights. But that tremor— Yelan wants to press her lips to it and cause it to still.
“Shenhe.”
“Just… give me a moment.”
Yelan instantly steps back.
Shenhe gathers herself. “Are you sure about this?”
“Have you ever known me to be less than sure about anything?” she says as sincerely as she can. “I promise you with everything I have.”
There’s not a sound as Shenhe strides forward, a sudden confidence imbued in her steps. She places her hand under Yelan’s chin and tilts her head up, leaning in. Yelan catches a glimpse of a burning desire in her gaze before it’s swallowed up and her attention is focused on Shenhe.
Shenhe, Shenhe, Shenhe.
She’s obsessed, reaching out to curl her arms around Shenhe’s waist. The way the woman kisses is consuming, demanding, needing. She pulls Yelan close, flush against herself, and kisses like she’s stealing the air from her lungs.
When they finally break apart, Shenhe curls around her, dropping her head down and murmuring into her hair, “I don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
Yelan freezes at the embrace. She recovers quickly, though and mimics the motion, reaching up to brush a hand down Shenhe’s back, a shudder running through the taller at the touch. “Me too, love.”
There’s a moment where Shenhe’s grip tightens, almost imperceptibly. It draws a laugh out of Yelan. “Do you like that, love? It’s the same way I feel when you call me ‘my lady’.”
“But I call you that every day.”
“So you can understand how hard my life has been, watching you from afar. All those brief touches when you guide me through crowds, draw me away from potential threats… it drives me insane.”
She can feel the heat in Shenhe’s face. “You’re too much sometimes, my lady.“
“You did that on purpose,” she accuses.”
“Maybe.” And there’s the faintest hint of amusement in Shenhe’s voice and Yelan is smitten beyond belief. Oh, how her life turned out this way. The intimidating and mysterious leader of the Yanshang Group, struck down by one pretty woman and her unknowing charm.
“Two can play that game, love.”
Shenhe pulls back to frown at her, but there’s no heat to it. A tiny smile is on her lips and a more prominent flush on her cheeks. Yelan thinks she’s won.
From this position, she can lean her head on Shenhe’s shoulder, hand resting over her heart. The steady heartbeat quickens below her touch, and Yelan lets herself listen.
“Hey, love?”
“Mm?”
“Promise me you won’t leave me. You won’t die for me and leave me alone,” Yelan mumbles, feeling more vulnerable than she has in a long while. Shenhe is in control here, has been from the start, and it lets her finally lower some of her walls.
“You hired me to do that,” Shenhe points out, not unkindly.
“Then I’ll fire you. Just don’t go. I don’t want to be alone. It’s the only thing I’ll ever ask of you.”
“…okay.”
“Thank you, my love.”
“You’re unfair,” Shenhe says, a hint of petulance in her tone.
Yelan smiles. “Force of habit. Gambling is always a little bit unfair.”
There’s no world where the odds are ever stacked against her. But today, Yelan thinks, is one of the biggest gambles she’s ever taken.
As Shenhe sweeps her up off her feet, carrying her into the house, Yelan knows without a doubt that she’s won again.