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Zhao Yunlan did not forget that Shen Wei lived across the hall from him - he couldn't, even if he wanted to. He had 'borrowed' the file the rental agency had on Shen Wei and found out the man had been renting the unit for only one month less than Zhao Yunlan had been renting his own.
And Zhao Yunlan had been renting it since he was 18.
How the hell had he never noticed Shen Wei's existence? It should be impossible to miss! It was Shen Wei! Clearly, Yunlan needed his eyes checked or something. He had thought that the apartment was abandoned, there had never even been lights on in it.
Had it been up to Yunlan, he would've obsessed over this factoid forever and even confronted Shen Wei about it. Alas, Yunlan had something Da Qing liked to call a "real job" that he was supposed to do. And it didn't include mooning over Shen Wei's amazing ass. He'd tried to argue that he was trying to prove that Shen Wei was Hei Pao Shi, but Da Qing had looked even more unimpressed. And as much as Yunlan loathed to admit it, he didn't actually enjoy pushing off all his work onto his department.
Though if anyone told them, he'd have to off himself in embarrassment.
Unfortunately, that meant his days were filled with only the most boring of white collar crimes - tax fraud and embezzlement. There hadn't even been a single forgery case in two whole weeks! Those tended to be at least a little bit more interesting. At this rate, Yunlan was going to be buried in rich people's tax returns, hunting down the missing money.
This wasn't even supposed to be his department! And yet, here he was because apparently it counted when they were using the whole tax infrastructure to clean dirty money. Which was a bit impressive, but also hellishly boring.
So Yunlan figured he deserved a bit of a treat. In the form of some breaking and entering. Which, yes, technically illegal but come on! He was trying to prove Shen Wei was Hei Pao Shi, surely that could be forgiven? (It wouldn't be if Yunlan's superiors found out, he'd probably have his badge stripped away for flagrant disregard of proper procedure or something.) But Yunlan wasn't planning on being caught.
He'd been keeping tabs on when Shen Wei was home now versus when he wasn't, and was reasonably sure he knew exactly when he could take a little peek around Shen Wei's place. Not that he thought Shen Wei would be hanging stolen artwork from the walls. He had been inside the main living area once, and there was definitely nothing in there that screamed internationally wanted art thief.
Unless the plain white porcelain that Shen Wei seemed to favor was hiding a much more nefarious secret than Yunlan thought.
But that was why he was taking a little peek! The door wasn’t even locked, so this was just him being a concerned neighbor. Totally nothing weird about it at all.
Okay, it was kind of weird that Shen Wei had forgotten to lock his door. They didn't live in the nicest part of town - but the apartments were dirt cheap, which was why Yunlan liked them. And they allowed pets which was great because Da Qing kept showing up with cats. For all that Yunlan theoretically shared an apartment with the man, it was more like Yunlan shared the apartment with Da Qing's cats.
The inside of Shen Wei's apartment was exactly like Yunlan remembered from that one time he'd taken Shen Wei up on his offer of a meal - depressingly plain. There was a simple kitchenette that somehow looked even sadder than Yunlan's own, a couple of couches, and a lot of bookcases. Like a lot. Most of them were full of books about art - which, no surprise there. There were also a couple of history books, but all of this seemed pretty standard to Yunlan. He even picked them up, feeling for secret compartments and there were none. Weirdly enough, there was also no dust.
Surely Shen Wei didn't reference his books so often that they never collected dust? Or maybe he dusted them daily? Which seemed like a huge time sink to Yunlan, but his own mother insisted on making the bed every morning when you were just going to sleep in it again later. There were some habits people had that Yunlan was just never going to understand.
Still nothing that screamed international criminal though. The art books couldn't exactly prove anything - there weren't even sticky notes on crimes Hei Pao Shi had committed.
So Yunlan moved on to the bathroom and found it singularly boring. There wasn't even any bathroom art. So onto the bedroom!
It was locked, which was promising, but it didn't take much to unlock it.
Yunlan tried not to feel too gleeful as the door swung open.
The first thing that drew Yunlan’s eyes were the massive amounts of bookshelves everywhere. His apartment was a mirror of Shen Wei’s - he knew exactly how big this room was supposed to look. But it felt so much smaller with all the bookshelves infringing on the space. The bed was almost an afterthought to the room, pushed wherever there was room and even the desk had built in bookshelves to maximize book space. Strangely, there wasn’t anything obvious for clothes - not even a hamper tucked into a corner. Which meant all of Shen Wei’s clothes actually fit in the shoebox sized closet.
It was tempting to grab something from Shen Wei's closet. For evidence, later. If he needed to run DNA comparisons. Not for anything else. Even if he could think of plenty of indecent things to do with the arm garters that he had grabbed.
Though why the hell did Shen Wei need arm garters? His suits fit him like they’d been vacuum-sealed. Which Yunlan appreciated, as odd as it was. Most Professors didn't bother to spend that much on their suits - but Yunlan also knew that Shen Wei cooked all his own food, unlike Yunlan. Yunlan chose to spend his extra cash on takeout and Shen Wei preferred to spend his on tailoring. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
It could be money from fencing the items that he stole, Yunlan supposed, browsing the suit options. But none of them were that expensive a material - all things well within Shen Wei's salary. Especially if he was renting in a dump like this. Shen Wei really should move to a better part of the neighborhood. They could even split the rent, Xiao Wei~
Yunlan snorted at his own mental conversation. Like hell Shen Wei would say yes to someone like Yunlan, not counting the whole Shen Wei was an internationally wanted thief and Yunlan was supposed to arrest him.
Yunlan closed the door and then froze at the sound of a key in the lock. Was Shen Wei home early?
Fuck.
The last thing he needed was to be caught red-handed in Shen Wei's house.
Conveniently, there was a window in Shen Wei's bedroom and Yunlan was relieved to see it had a balcony on it, matching the one in his apartment. From where he was crouched outside, he saw the light turn on in Shen Wei's living room and dining room as he settled in.
Yunlan let out a breath of relief.
And then nearly jumped off the balcony as the door slid open next to him, revealing Shen Wei's long legs.
"Are you intending to freeze out here or are you going to come in for tea?" Shen Wei asked, smiling slightly like it was perfectly normal to find your next door neighbor on your balcony in the middle of the night when you didn't invite them over.
"I'm coming in for tea?" Yunlan meant to sound self-assured, but it came out as a question.
Shen Wei seemed pleased with his answer anyway, and stepped back from the door to the bedroom. Yunlan tried not to feel like he'd just been caught out after curfew by his mother as he slid past Shen Wei back into the warmth of Shen Wei's bedroom.
And he definitely wasn't going to think about the contraband in his pocket or the fact he was alone in Shen Wei's bedroom with Shen Wei.
International thief. He had to remember that Shen Wei was an internationally wanted thief.
Who had never hurt anyone, so better than a good swathe of Yunlan's exes.
Internationally. Wanted. Thief.
They didn't stay long in Shen Wei's bedroom, though the place would probably heavily feature in a good number of Yunlan's future fantasies of this night ending very differently. Shen Wei gently directed Yunlan to sit down on his couch and Yunlan did, nervously popping a lollipop into his mouth. Was Shen Wei going to verbally dress him down for breaking and entering? Because that would be hot and definitely not have the effect that Shen Wei was going for.
"Just wait there," Shen Wei said, fluffing the single throw pillow invitingly. "I will put the water on."
Yunlan nodded mutely and then swallowed around his lollipop the wrong way when Shen Wei turned around. Why did the hottest man Zhao Yunlan had ever met happen to be Hei Pao Shi?
Yunlan made the very mature decision to move the throw pillow from the cushions of the couch into his lap, to hide his growing erection. Apparently just Shen Wei turning around was enough to revert him to his horny teenager days. Good to know.
It was such a nice ass though!
Yunlan also wasn't going to say that he didn't particularly like tea. If Shen Wei was going to give him tea, he was going to be a good boy and happily accept it. He was also hoping that if they had to have a conversation, Yunlan could turn it from an interrogation of himself into an interrogation of Shen Wei. It was unlikely, but he could hope.
Shen Wei returned with an honest to god tea tray and a tea set that would make Yunlan's mother cry. She'd always despaired that Yunlan had never really gotten into tea, joking it was a personal failing of hers that her only child was a heathen who lived off coffee.
"I made your favorite," Shen Wei said as he poured the cups, offering one to Yunlan.
Yunlan blinked at the statement even as he automatically replied with thanks. His favorite kind of tea? He had a favorite kind of tea? He wrapped up his lollipop and stashed it in his pocket, before tentatively reaching out to take the tea.
He had to wonder if Shen Wei had perhaps mistaken him for someone else, and gently blew on the surface of the beverage. Warmth soaked into his still chilly fingers and teased his cold nose. Shen Wei had poured himself a cup too and was holding it, watching Yunlan in anticipation.
Well, if the tea was poisoned at least Yunlan had some eye candy before he died. He raised it to his lips tentatively and took a small sip, figuring he might be able to find a polite way out if it wasn't to his taste.
Except it was? It had a faint fruit flavor and wasn't too floral or bitter, which were issues Yunlan had always had with other teas he'd tried. Even ones his mother insisted weren't bitter. Yunlan took another sip just to make sure it wasn't a fluke - and it wasn't.
Clearly everything tasted better in pretty company. Or Shen Wei did somehow know Yunlan's preferences - preferences that Yunlan himself didn't even know.
"Is there anything you can't do, Professor Shen?" Yunlan asked. "You teach, you cook, you make heavenly tea, you've mastered all the arts I can think of."
Shen Wei dipped his head, hiding a shy smile. "I have been told I'm not a great conversationalist, truly. I'm glad you enjoy the tea."
Yunlan couldn't resist smacking his lips as he took another sip. "You'll have to tell me where you get it."
"It's imported." Shen Wei answered immediately. "But if you want some, I will give it to you."
Yunlan waved him off. "No need to do that. I don't make tea. Besides, I could just impose on you whenever I want tea."
Shen Wei looked up from his cup and gave a brilliant smile. "I would like that."
Yunlan didn't know what to say - he couldn't say he'd just been teasing when Shen Wei looked that excited at the prospect of making tea for him. And Shen Wei had asked him over for a lot of meals. Yunlan guessed even internally wanted thieves could get lonely, but was he inviting Yunlan over as some sort of power play? Like look how close I am and there's nothing you can do it about it?
Yet something told Yunlan that wasn't the case.
"Professor Shen might be delighted to know the city's biggest library can be seen just outside his window," Yunlan said, trying to think of a topic that wasn't going to loop around to the fact he'd broken in and miserably failed. "Is that why you chose this apartment?" That seemed like something delightfully nerdy that Shen Wei just might do.
Shen Wei shook his head. "I had no idea. You will have to point it out later."
Later? Point it out? Was that an invitation to go back to Shen Wei's bedroom? With Shen Wei?
Would Yunlan have to turn it down because sleeping with internationally wanted thieves was kind of frowned on in his line of work? His traitorous cock unfortunately thought the idea was great.
"Sounds like a date," Yunlan replied, because his brain and his mouth apparently had different ideas of what would be appropriate in this situation. Shen Wei's lips twitched into a smile though, so at least there was that.
Maybe Yunlan should just flee before he said anything else. He was down to the dregs of his tea and he hadn't found out anything new.
"So, is Professor Shen married?" Yunlan asked, bemoaning the fact it hadn't been included in the little bit of information he’d gotten about the man prior to the interrogation that day at Dragon City University. "Because even if you are as bad at conversation as you pretend to be, I can't imagine you don't have a long line of people desperate to live with you." Besides, if Shen Wei and Hei Pao Shi were in different places at the same time, that meant there might be an accomplice. Plenty of married duos covered for each other's crimes.
Yunlan was not going to examine why he hoped that wasn't the case.
"I live alone. I am unmarried." Shen Wei stated, watching Yunlan as he said each word. Was Yunlan that obvious in his interest?
"How's that so?"
"I believe I have already stated that communication is not my strong suit."
"And yet a good professor is able to clearly communicate with his students, is he not?"
"I can teach them just fine, our conversations are restricted to the subject at hand," Shen Wei explained, loosening his tie.
Yunlan almost swallowed his tongue at the little bit of extra flesh exposed by that simple action. He clutched the throw pillow all the more desperately. "No one has asked you for coffee after a little one-on-one tutoring? Or maybe offered to do anything for a better grade, Professor~" Yunlan couldn't help but lean in and bat his eyes at that.
Shen Wei's eyes were unnaturally dark and intense, as though they could see through Yunlan. A shiver went up Yunlan's spine and he licked his lips.
"If a student wants to do anything for a better grade, they should try studying for once," Shen Wei said finally, breaking the spell. It was such a Shen Wei answer.
Yunlan gave an incline of his head, knowing he’d lost this round. “Professor Shen knows best.” He put his hands on his knees then remembered his lollipop and hastily dug that out. “Thank you for the tea, but I should be off.” It still wasn’t safe to stand, exactly, but maybe Shen Wei wouldn’t notice.
"Next time you want to drop by, just use the front door instead of my balcony." Shen Wei said, gathering up the dishes into a neat pile. Yunlan wasn't prone to embarrassment but he had to admit, getting caught was pretty bad.
"Sorry, thought I saw one of my roommate's cats out on your balcony and your door was unlocked," Yunlan lied, trying for his most charming smile. "Won't do it again, promise. But you should lock your doors."
Shen Wei nodded, "I will be sure to do that. I must have forgotten this morning." Then he stood up and walked back to his kitchenette, which meant Yunlan could now stand up without worrying about Shen Wei clocking his hard cock. He couldn't help but linger by the doorway though, and wait until Shen Wei turned around to give him a little wave.
"See you around, Xiao Wei!" Yunlan said cheerfully before closing the door and heading back across the hall to his room.
On the other side of the closed door, Shen Wei pulled a small amber pendant out from beneath his shirt and rolled it absently between his fingers, staring at the door Yunlan had just left through.