Chapter Text
Zhao Yunlan drummed his fingers against the edge of his desk. The SID's first big case during his tenure was undoubtedly over. Li Qian's grandmother had been buried and Li Qian was hopefully recovering from her ordeal; the Envoy had left the Sundial with the SID, and additional protections were being installed; no other Dixingren activity had been reported in the last week. Whoever had been after the Sundial either didn't know where it was now, or couldn't get at it through the SID's shielding and knew better than to try.
Someone would come eventually, though. Zhao Yunlan was sure, and the Black-Cloaked Envoy had agreed.
The other open question was Shen Wei.
Professor Shen had nerves of steel - calm even when confronted with a shadowy figure attacking his student, undaunted by a fall from the university's roof (not to mention uninjured), and willing to flaunt his knowledge of and sympathy with Dixingren in front of the SID's chief. His interest in Zhao Yunlan had been palpable, and inexplicably personal, from that first, too-long handshake - .
What was the man's agenda? They definitely hadn't seen the last of Shen Wei either - wouldn't have even if Zhao Yunlan wasn't already planning to seek him out, and feel him out, at the first opportunity.
In both senses of feeling out - and so what? Professor Shen was undeniably suspicious, and undeniably intriguing - snagging Zhao Yunlan's attention on every level, to the point where his physical gorgeousness barely even mattered.
Which, of course, was suspicious as hell in itself.
A perfunctory knock on the open door frame interrupted Zhao Yunlan's thoughts, and Wang Zheng came in, frowning.
She handed him a print-out. "This hasn't happened before."
It was an email: Ambulance from Zhumen Quarter to Dragon City First Hospital. Yao Huang is Dixingren.
What the hell? No wonder Wang Zheng was looking so dubious.
"It's anonymous, via one of those websites that offer disposable temporary addresses," she added.
Wang Zheng was right; the SID hadn't received such messages before - not during Zhao Yunlan's tenure as chief, at least. So few people knew about Dixingren. And who even knew to find the SID's email, to send such messages?
Something about this didn't add up. If this Yao Huang, whoever he was, was suspected of being Dixingren, then whoever sent the email was just as suspect. Who would know to report Dixingren to the SID - and who, if they were going to, would choose to do so anonymously? Another Dixingren, whose presence in Haixing was equally illegal, eliminating a rival? The possibilities were ugly.
But Dixing's criminals could be ruthless; the Shadow Man's murder of Lu Ruomei and his pursuit of Li Qian had shown that, and so had the second attacker. They weren't all abusing their powers for theft, intimidation or the smuggling of prohibited goods like most of the Dixingren the SID had arrested over the last few years.
Either way, it was Zhao Yunlan's job to make sure they all got sent back to Dixing where they belonged. And he'd do just that - the sender of the message included, if he could track them down.
"Seems I'm paying a visit to the hospital again," he told Wang Zheng. There must be a hundred people named Yao Huang in the city, but likely only one had recently been taken to that particular hospital. "Check what you can find out about this Yao Huang, if he has an official identity. And tell Da Qing to join me over there when he's done helping Lin Jing install the new protections for the Sundial."
Wang Zheng nodded.
"Don't mention this to anyone else just yet," Zhao Yunlan added. Something about this email didn't sit right with him. If it wasn't the hospital they'd been pointed at - a busy place at all times - he'd think it might be some kind of trap. Even so, he'd rather not drag the newbie into it, or ask Chu Shuzhi to follow up on tips from anonymous informers. He wasn't going to arrest someone on nothing more than an email, and questioning people wasn't exactly Lao-Chu's strong suit.
Wang Zheng swept out of his office, her white dress flaring, and Zhao Yunlan picked up his keys, stuffed an extra lollipop into the pocket of his jeans jacket, and headed out himself.
He was on his bike half-way to the hospital, coming to a halt at a traffic light, when the question suddenly stood stark in his mind: What would - what should he do if someone sent the SID an email claiming a certain Professor Shen was Dixingren?
The unease in his gut congealed. He almost missed the lights turning green.
Zhao Yunlan shouldn't have stopped to talk to the paramedics - that was his first thought when he rounded the corner towards the hospital room the nurse in charge had pointed him at. The second, spoken aloud, was, "Professor Shen. Why is it you again?"
It was unquestionably him - Shen Wei, in the flesh and a blue suit that would have made him stand out anywhere, never mind the white-and-beige of the hospital. He'd just pulled the door to the suspect's hospital room shut and murmured something to the woman in the white doctor's coat beside him.
He should have seen this coming: somehow, Zhao Yunlan found Shen Wei again under circumstances even more suspicious than before.
At hearing Zhao Yunlan's voice, Professor Shen stilled instantly. It was nothing so notable as freezing in place, but there was a change in his movements - a careful containment, a slow deliberation as he turned to meet Zhao Yunlan's gaze across several metres of corridor. His expression was contained as well, the smile forming on his lips deliberate as his intense gaze fixed on Zhao Yunlan.
Zhao Yunlan crossed the distance in quick strides, even as Shen Wei took a step towards him as if in greeting, which also neatly put him between Zhao Yunlan and the doctor. Interesting.
"Chief Zhao," Professor Shen said, deceptively mildly. "I might say the same to you."
Whatever the reason for his presence, he couldn't be pleased to see Zhao Yunlan here. And yet he didn't look displeased, either.
Zhao Yunlan put on his best provocative grin. "Professor Shen, fancy meeting you at a location of interest again. What brings you here?" A quick step sideways, and Shen Wei was no longer half-way blocking Zhao Yunlan's view of the doctor. "And you, Doctor ...?"
"Cheng," she said. "Neurology. And you are?" The woman's eyes were narrowed, and she'd clearly taken in the interplay between them with keen interest. What did she know about the suspect Zhao Yunlan was looking for? How was she involved?
"Ah." As if in concession, Shen Wei shifted as well, no longer attempting to block Zhao Yunlan, then cleared his throat. "Chief Zhao, this is Dr Cheng Xinyan, the chief neurologist here. We've collaborated on a study on the neurological effects of certain gene mutations, and have been discussing a follow-up." As if he hadn't just come from a suspect's room; as if he were innocuously speaking to the doctor in an innocuous location. Did he know Zhao Yunlan had seen him close the door? Surely he must. "Dr Cheng, this is Chief Zhao of the Special Investigations Department."
Did she, too, know about Dixingren? Was Shen Wei warning her about Zhao Yunlan's identity? But her face showed no recognition; it didn't seem she'd heard of the SID before.
No doubt Zhao Yunlan would find the study Shen Wei had mentioned under both their names, too, if he bothered to look it up. All the facts Shen Wei had given him before had added up. It was everything else about him that didn't.
Shen Wei continued, "Chief Zhao and I met," an inexplicable pause as his eyelashes swept down for a long moment, "recently, during an investigation on campus."
Had they met before? No, not the time to contemplate that now.
Zhao Yunlan gave the man a toothy grin, and received a brief twitch of the mouth in return. Amusement? Tension? It was too fleeting to say, and he didn't know Shen Wei's tells well enough. Yet.
That was an exhilarating thought, getting to know Shen Wei better, figuring out what made him tick. All the more so because Shen Wei seemed to be inviting it.
"I heard we have the victim of a mugging here. Are you investigating the assault on our patient?" Dr Cheng asked politely - not pointedly, as Shen Wei might have, knowing what the SID's purpose was - and pushed a strand of hair from her face.
Victim. Assault. Right. The hospital was assuming this was a mugging. Zhao Yunlan had his doubts - and at any rate, that was what the regular police was for.
"Someone will come in about that later," he said, trying for a charming smile. Or so the Dragon City Police Department had told Wang Zheng, and she'd passed it on to him while he'd been with the paramedics. He'd thought he was lucky to catch the ones who'd brought in Yao Huang while they were on their break, so he could get witness reports - anything to actually go by - before confronting the suspect, but he might have been here ahead of Shen Wei if he hadn't. "My department's interest is more specialised. We've had a tip-off."
Shen Wei's eyes sharpened. No question he'd picked up on what kind of tip-off it had been.
A very quick tip-off, too: Yao Huang had arrived here less than an hour ago. Whoever had sent that email must have done so while the ambulance was still on the way.
Dr Cheng only looked at him dubiously, but then her phone rang, and she swiped away what looked like a scheduled alert. Her eyes flicked to Shen Wei, then back to Zhao Yunlan. "I'm sorry," she says. "I have an appointment. If you need to speak to me, you can find me in my office later."
"I will," Zhao Yunlan promised. Being seen with Professor Shen, of course she'd drawn his interest.
Shen Wei nodded to her, offering her a smile - a different expression from what Zhao Yunlan had seen on him before, unlike either the gentle reassurance offered to Li Qian or the targeted challenge rich with meaning aimed at Zhao Yunlan. Professor Shen and Dr Cheng knew each other, perhaps well, but it was a friendly rapport with no intensity, no heat behind.
Good.
Once the doctor had left, Zhao Yunlan pointed a finger at him. "By the way, you still owe me a meal."
The original invitation had been Zhao Yunlan's: I'll treat you to lunch once the case is solved. What he'd meant was, I'll keep an eye on you. You've caught my attention - don't think I'll forget.
Then, Shen Wei's answer had been, When that happens, it should be my treat: a clear It's mutual.
"Chief Zhao," Shen Wei said now, a pointed smile curving his lips, "you needn't go to such lengths if you want to interrogate me. You have me right here."
Zhao Yunlan rolled his eyes. Once again, whatever he asked now, Shen Wei had made clear he'd count it as an interrogation. So good at deflection, this professor. "After this case is over," he repeated his original promise, or warning. He'd meant it as both - he still did. "I won't let you forget this time!"
Shen Wei ducked his head, his smile growing warmer. "I'll look forward to it." And he actually looked as if he did, not that Zhao Yunlan understood why. "In the meantime, may I ask what Chief Zhao's interest is here at the hospital, today?"
Zhao Yunlan let his eyes flicker to the door. "Don't you know?"
A wide-eyed, innocent look, admitting to nothing. "How could I?"
How, indeed. No, it was extremely unlikely anyone other than the person who'd sent the anonymous email would know precisely why Zhao Yunlan was here, but when two men with an interest in Dixingren met under such circumstances, the implications were clear.
No, a reunion where Professor Shen wasn't being suspicious had never been in the cards.