Archive of Our Own

Zhao Yunlan turned towards the window. The soft afternoon light of a warm October day illuminated his face in a way that made Shen Wei’s chest fill with nostalgia. So much so that he almost forgot to answer. 

“Chief Zhao, I’m very sorry to hear about professor Luo but I'm afraid I don’t have anything relevant to add to your investigation. I don't think I've ever spoken with him.”

Professor Luo from the faculty of philosophy had been murdered two nights ago, his mangled body was found in his office by an unfortunate janitor the very next morning. There were no witnesses and the particulars of how he was found rather strongly suggested that it couldn’t have been done by a Haixingren. A student, who’d been seen conversing with Professor Luo earlier that day, had also disappeared, apparently. Shen Wei knew neither of them and, as much as he’d like to contribute, he was far removed from the matter.

Zhao Yunlan, who up until now had been lounging on the chair in a way that Shen Wei absolutely couldn’t imagine being comfortable or healthy for his lower back, sat up.

“And why is that?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Could it be that Professor Shen, being the brilliant scientist that he is, scorns the humanities? Tsk, tsk. Not very open minded of you…” he tutted disapprovingly. 

Shen Wei had grown to enjoy Zhao Yunlan’s relentless teasing immensely.

“Chief Zhao, I don’t know how you arrived at this conclusion. Art, history, philosophy, it’s what connects us all as humans, isn’t it? Studying it is a noble pursuit. But I simply had no opportunity to get to know Professor Luo beyond attending one of his open lectures. And that could be said about almost anyone on campus. Those lectures were exceedingly popular. So, other than the fact that he is an above average lecturer, I can't tell you anything of relevance.” 

Zhao Yunlan nodded thoughtfully. He retrieved a lollipop from one of the multiple pockets of his jean jacket and unwrapped it absentmindedly.

“So there was no…” he waved his hand around, searching for the appropriate word, “interdisciplinary research?” 

“Sadly, there's not much cooperation between the department of bioengineering and the department of philosophy. Both departments have joint projects with the anthropology department, but I’m not involved in any of them.”

Zhao Yunlan popped the lollipop in his mouth. Shen Wei’s eyes involuntarily followed the motion so familiar that for a second he was certain that if he only closed his eyes he would be able to feel the sweetness on his own tongue. 

“No late night talks at the cafeteria?” Zhao Yunlan asked, the offending piece of candy still in his mouth.

“I don't really frequent the cafeteria, Chief Zhao.”

“Really, why is that? Is the cafeteria food not up to your standards? Or does Professor Shen prefer to cook his own food?”

“That is my preference, yes.”

“Ah, an interesting piece of information!”

“For a given definition of interesting, I'm sure. Is there anything else I can assist you with, chief Zhao?” 

He grabbed a few pieces of loose paper from his desk and began organizing them, perhaps ostentatiously, to signal that he is rather busy. But such signals only work on those inclined to read them. For someone as perceptive as him, Zhao Yunlan was surprisingly proficient in willful obliviousness. 

“Not really, but perhaps I could assist you.”

Shen Wei put down the papers he was holding and looked up at Zhao Yunlan, confused.

“I'm afraid I'm not quite following you.” 

“This is, what, the third murder case we’ve had on campus in as many months. It’s a pretty dangerous place. And this time one could even argue you have a lot in common with the victim.”

“I can’t say I see that.” 

“A young professor, uncommonly accomplished for his age, remarkably handsome. Exceptionally charismatic, too.” Zhao Yunlan shifted in his seat and propped his elbows on Shen Wei’s desk.

Shen Wei raised his eyebrows at the shameless flattery.

“I don’t believe that I share Professor Luo’s particular brand of charisma.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that, Professor Shen?” Zhao Yunlan narrowed his eyes. 

“Only that I’m not as … gregarious as Professor Luo was. But in any case, you mentioned that this murder didn’t seem premeditated. If the crime was committed in the heat of passion, I don't think I need to be too worried.” 

“Ah, well, you never know,” Zhao Yunlan said, entirely unself-conscious. “Professor Shen is such a pillar of the community. A case could be made that it’s my duty to make sure that you feel safe.” 

“I’m fairly certain that your duty does not pertain to mine, or anyone else’s perceived feeling of safety. Thank you for your concern, but I feel very safe, Chief Zhao.”

Surely, Shen Wei couldn't be considered a person of interest in this investigation, so why such insistence? And how exactly did Zhao Yunlan want to make Shen Wei feel safe? Did he mean to sit in Shen Wei’s office the whole day? Follow him to his lectures and eat lunch with him? 

A certain part of Shen Wei, one buried deep inside, felt pleased at that prospect. 

“I’m sure, I will feel much safer once you direct all of your efforts to catch the criminal and bring him to justice swiftly.” 

The facts remained, Shen Wei didn’t really need protection but there were others on campus who did. If there was a murderer at large, then Zhao Yunlan had better uses of his time. And Shen Wei too should probably conduct an independent investigation into this matter.

“Ah, Shen Wei, I come here in good faith to make sure you're safe and you accuse me of  slacking off and not doing my job properly.”

“I did no such thing,” Shen Wei protested. 

“Let me drive you home.” 

“I live in the faculty dorms.”

“That’s fine, we can walk. Don’t you think the weather is ideal for a stroll?” Zhao Yunlan pointed at the window.

Shen Wei looked out the window. The scant few clouds on the otherwise clear, blue sky were moving at a visible pace with the cool October wind. The days still carried the summer warmth, but the evening air could grow nippy. It could be a pleasant day for a walk, indeed.

He'd like to walk with Zhao Yunlan through the campus illuminated by the golden evening light, breeze rustling through the ruddying foliage. Maybe point out to him the more interesting pieces of architectural decor. Continue their frustrating, yet stimulating, discussions without context of suspicion. 

“I finish classes quite early today. I'm sure nothing will happen to me in broad daylight on a crowded campus.”

The look on Zhao Yunlan showed that he either didn't necessarily believe that, or that there was something more to his offer.

“Chief Zhao, the moment I feel unsafe, you’ll be the first to know,” Shen Wei promised solemnly.

That seemed to do the trick. Zhao Yunlan got up from the chair with a resigned sigh.

“Well, we’ll have to take that walk another time. Maybe we can talk about art. You know, to connect as humans, huh?” 

The echo of his own words sounded jarringly wrong in Zhao Yunlan’s mouth. Shen Wei bid him goodbye with a strained smile. 

It left him with more or less an hour for quiet work before his next lecture began.

Another soft knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

As the doors creaked softly, for a second or two Shen Wei thought that it was Zhao Yunlan yet again, returning for one contrived reason or another, but it wasn’t him who entered.

“Professor, I came to drop off the documents that you asked me to print for you,” Jiajia said, holding said documents in front of her. 

“Ah, thank you. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.” 

With a thin smile, she approached the desk. Her hand shook a little when she put the papers down. Shen Wei frowned. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine.”

“If you don't mind me saying that, you look a bit distracted.”

“Really, it’s nothing. It’s just that, um Professor Shen, have you heard about Professor Luo?”

With so many murders in such a short time, it was no wonder that students would feel on the edge. After all, most of them had grown up in this relatively peaceful age, completely unaccustomed to dealing with violence and death.

“Yes, I’ve heard. A very unfortunate incident. Were you taking any of his classes?” 

“Yes, I was taking one of them as my general education elective this semester.” She cast a glance at the clock on the wall. “The lecture would start in fifteen minutes, if he hadn’t…” she choked up a little.

Things being as they are, with some elusive third party directing this string of tragedies from the shadows, did he have any words of comfort that would not ring hollow? 

“I’m sure the perpetrator will be apprehended soon,” he said, gently. That was at least true.

Jiajia nodded, her eyes reddened. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it.

“What is it?”

“Professor, some people are saying that it was the student that disappeared that killed him. Do you think that’s likely?” She frowned, as if she had some doubts about the situation that she couldn’t quite figure out how to voice.

“It’s best not to speculate about such matters or pay mind to gossip,” he said almost automatically, but her expression gave him pause. “Jiajia, have you heard anything that could be considered pertinent to the investigation?”

After a few seconds of silence punctuated by the ticking of the clock Jiajia pulled out the chair opposite Shen Wei’s desk and sat down. 

What Jiajia told him sounded at first mostly like gossip, but there was always a point at which gossip became intel. By the time they finished their conversation, only twenty minutes remained until Shen Wei’s next lecture. He wasn’t going to do much work in twenty minutes anyway. The top drawer of his desk slid open, revealing the business card Zhao Yunlan left him with during their first meeting on campus. 

Perhaps Shen Wei did have something to contribute now.

The tones of the buttons pushed on the infrequently used landline phone of his desk rung out in the quiet of the office. 

“Hello, this is Shen Wei… Yes, I’m calling about Professor Luo’s case… No, I…  I believe I might have some relevant information after all. It might be known to you already, but…” 

“Thank you, Professor. This is a very useful piece of information… Yes…”

Zhao Yunlan leaned back even further in his chair with a satisfied smile. He’d been equally delighted and surprised to receive a call from Shen Wei, who, earlier in his office, had sworn up and down that he had no relevant information to the case. But apparently, the university gossip mill worked fast and although Professor Shen didn’t seem like someone who’d listen to rumours, he apparently paid attention enough to be able to glean something useful.

“Thank you again. I’ll be seeing you around, right?” 

Professor Shen hung up earlier than Zhao Yunlan would have liked.

“Done flirting on the clock?” Da Qing slid into Zhao Yunlan’s office through the ajar door, contorting his currently human shaped body in an unmistakably cat-like manner, instead of opening it slightly wider like a lesser person might. 

“That,” Zhao Yunlan pointed to the phone that was still in his hand, “was a work related conversation.” 

Da Qing looked at him dubiously, but didn’t argue. 

“It looks like our murder victim had a little club for a select few of his students that met up at his house to discuss philosophy, which, as Professor Shen advised me, is not technically against university policy, but certainly is unconventional.” 

Da Qing sat down on Zhao Yunlan’s desk and considered the words. 

“And none of the people we interviewed thought to mention it?” 

“That's the thing. Apparently it was unconventional enough that the students in the club were instructed to keep it hush hush.”

“Uh-huh, asking kids to keep secrets for him? Doesn't quite sound like the living saint everyone we've asked so far has described.”

“Right? But after Professor Luo’s murder, rumours started circulating. Apparently a gruesome death makes things that much more exciting and secret meetings are just the right spice." 

“And I don't suppose you got a list of the club members from Professor Shen?” 

“As a matter of fact, I did. And guess who’s apparently the newest member.” Zhao Yunlan didn't leave Da Qing enough time to actually try guessing. “That's right, our suspect. The student that pulled the disappearing act.”

“So the kid gets into the club, something weirds him out, he freaks and kills the prof?” 

“Well, we have no reason to suspect that anything sinister was going on. We’re just going to have to question the rest of the kids. Here’s the list of names.” Zhao Yunlan passed a hastily torn page from a notebook into Da Qing’s hands. Da Qing scanned the four names and left Zhao Yunlan’s office, either to arrange for the interviews or to pass the task to someone else. 

Zhao Yunlan didn’t much care which one it was.

Xu Mingke, twenty years old, a philosophy major. Clear and concise in her speech, eager to help and absolutely adamant that there was absolutely nothing inappropriate going on with their little club.

Zhao Yunlan sat back in his chair, watching the interview from behind the one way mirror. He’d recently reached the conclusion that his employees really needed some practice when it came to conducting interviews. A bunch of pretentious university students seemed to be a better choice than more advanced prey. 

“We just discussed certain topics in more depth than the classroom setting made possible.” Xu Mingke adjusted the obviously expensive sunglasses that were currently on top of her head, pushing back her glossy hair. “Professor Luo really cared about all of us. He would never do anything improper.”

Zhu Hong leaned forward, her eyebrows raised. The rhythmical drumming of her blood red nails on the table resounded through the small interrogation room. 

“If the club was purely academic, then why all the secrecy?” 

“There were only a handful of spots in the club,” Xu Mingke explained placidly, her fingers wrapped around the cup of coffee that Zhu Hong had pushed towards her earlier. She spoke, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “All the students would have wanted in, you can imagine what reaction it might have caused. Better to avoid that.”

Had she arrived at that rationale on her own, or was it provided by the deceased professor himself? Judging by Zhu Hong’s expression, she must have been asking herself the same question. 

“Then what did you discuss in depth during your last meeting, the day before Professor Luo was murdered?”

 Xu Mingke pressed her lips into a thin, wistful smile.

“We compared what it means to live a good life according to different schools of philosophy. It was one of Professor Luo’s favourite topics.” 

“And what can you tell me about Zhou Chengyu?” 

Zhu Hong changed the subject. Zhao Yunlan himself would have dug deeper into the meetings themselves.

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard the rumours. Do you really think he was the one who killed Professor Luo?”

“At this stage we haven’t ruled anything out.”

“He didn’t do it.”  Xu Mingke’s tone suggested she was absolutely certain of that.  “He didn’t have any reason to. He was new in town and had some trouble fitting in. Professor Luo took him under his wing, even invited him to the club. Zhou Chengyu really looked up to him.” 

New in town, trouble fitting in. It was by no means concrete proof that Zhou Chengyu was Dixingren, let alone their perpetrator. But it matched up neatly.

“Nevertheless, is there anything else you can tell me about Zhou Chengyu?”

Xu Mingke fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment. 

“He…” she hesitated a little. “I think he didn’t have much. He never mentioned his family or any friends. It’s like his whole life was at the campus.”

“Isn’t that quite common? Dragon City University is one of the universities in the area. Aren’t most students there completely focused on their studies?”

“That’s true, the pressure is immense. Even in our philosophy faculty, despite what some might say. But most of us are just powering through, but in his case it’s… different. It’s like he literally doesn’t have anything else.”

The next two students they interrogated only echoed Xu Mingke’s answers, but with none of her succinctness. Having listened to their rather long-winded explanations, Zhao Yunlan suddenly found himself glad that he hadn’t been part of Professor Luo’s little club. They both were excellent students and came from wealthy families, just like Xu Mingke. It truly seemed that Zhou Chengyu was the odd one out amongst their little group with his unsure background.  

The fourth member, however, while superficially similar to the other three had a completely different outlook on their suspect.

“Yeah, he definitely did it,” Wang Junxi said, crossing his arms on his chest. “I don’t know where he’s hiding. Can I go now?” 

Cocky. Zhao Yunlan immediately disliked that guy.

“Um, could you explain why you, uh, think he did it?” Guo Changcheng valiantly pushed through. 

Wang Junxi rolled his eyes. 

“There’s nothing to explain. He wasn’t… normal? The Professor took pity on him and now he’s dead.” 

There was something grating about that kid's manner. It was like he’d already passed judgement. It annoyed Zhao Yunlan and apparently threw Guo Changcheng off the track. 

“Why wasn’t he… You say he wasn’t normal? What do you mean by that?”

“He was a freak. He could quote passages from obscure philosophy treatises without missing a beat, but he was absolutely clueless about normal stuff. Couldn’t hail a taxi. Couldn’t even hold a normal conversation.”

“Your friends all said that he couldn’t have killed Professor Luo?” It was something between a question and a statement. 

But apparently it was enough to get Wang Junxi started. He waved his hand dismissively with a displeased expression. 

“That’s because they’re all so nice,” he said empathically. “It’s like they can’t physically think badly of other people. That guy is trouble and I’ve said that since the very beginning.”

The acceptance that other people in his circle showed Zhou Chengyu clearly bothered him more than it should have. He was tall, handsome, according to the background check, his parents were fairly well off, his grades were above average. What reason could he have to so vehemently dislike an outsider? Surely, he couldn’t have felt threatened by Zhou Chengyu, who by all accounts seemed to be uncommonly smart, but shy and soft spoken.

Was it just that he had a peculiar ability to zero in on the fact that the newcomer was somehow different and that was enough to spark such hostility?

“Oh, okay, could you-”

“I already told you, he doesn’t have family, friends or interests. I have no idea he could be hiding. Hopefully you’ll find him soon, before he kills another person. Can I go now?” 

Nothing more would come of this interview.

“Let him go,” Zhao Yunlan said to the microphone. Guo Changcheng seemed to have forgotten that this was an option and Zhao Yunlan’s voice nearly startled him into falling off the chair. After he gathered himself, he thanked Wang Yunxi and started to walk him to the door. 

 Zhao Yunlan in the meantime turned to the team.

“Any insights?”

“Well, from what they all said, it does seem like Zhou Chengyu s Dixingren,” Zhu Hong said.

“Or,” Da Qing interjected, “he’s just an innocent weirdo who’s really intense about philosophy.” 

“Or that,” Zhu Hong agreed reluctantly. “But we have no other suspects, at this point. The professor was universally beloved, so it seems. No wife, no partner, so that’s a dead end too. Unless it was some other academic jealous about the attendance at Professor Luo’s lectures, Zhou Chengyu is our best bet.”

 “The last kid seemed pretty keen to pin the blame on the disappeared student,” Lao Chu joined in. 

“We’ve checked the whereabouts of everyone in Professor Luo’s club at the time of his death, all of them have pretty solid alibi,” Zhao Yunlan said. 

“All of them but Zhou Chengyu.” Zhu Hong sat down at her desk. “But we still have zero idea where to look for him.” 

“Um. Maybe…” Guo Changcheng had at some point returned from walking the last interviewee to the door. “I mean, uh, all of them said that he never did anything outside of the university campus? We don’t know for sure that he’s Dixingren, but we do know that he’s new to Dragon City, right? Maybe, uh, maybe he never left the campus?” 

“Xiao-Guo, there’s some hope for you yet,” Zhao Yunlan said, clapping Guo Changcheng on the back with entirely too much force. “That is exactly what I thought about. Which means that we should definitely keep a close eye on the campus.” 

“Yeah, that’s definitely the only reason why you want to keep a close eye on the Campus,” Da Qing grumbled under his breath. 

Zhao Yunlan graciously pretended that he hadn’t heard anything. Zhu Hong stood up abruptly and stalked out of the room, her high heels clicking loudly. 

It was already late evening when Shen Wei started packing his papers into his bag, getting ready to head back to the dorms. The familiar rhythm of Zhao Yunlan’s footsteps alerted Shen Wei to his presence well in advance. Shen Wei’s hearing was, after all, far more sensitive than average. Zhao Yunlan’s presence on campus was not entirely unexpected - he was investigating a case here. But he really had no reason to visit the Bioengineering building other than to see Shen Wei. 

Shen Wei shot a quick glance at his reflection in the window, darkened by the night outside, and smoothed down his collar. 

“Professor Shen!” Zhao Yunlan’s jovial greeting reached Shen Wei just as he was locking his office doors with a hollow click.

“Chief Zhao,” Shen Wei said, his best impression of polite surprise painted on his face. “Are you here to see me?” he asked, knowing the answer full well.   

Zhao Yunlan let out an awkward chuckle. 

“Well, I did promise you a stroll and a conversation about philosophy-”

“Art.” Shen Wei interjected and, seeing Zhao Yunlan’s puzzled expression, he clarified, “Yesterday you said art.”

“Ah well. Philosophy is currently on my mind.” 

“Because of Professor Luo’s case?” Shen Wei placed his office key in the designated compartment of his bag.

Zhao Yunlan nodded, placing his hands in his pocket.

“Well, I would hate to take up your time, Chief Zhao. I’m sure the investigation is keeping you very busy.” Shen Wei headed down through the now empty staircase. 

 “Well, the investigation is keeping me here, on campus, anyway, so I might as well take fifteen minutes for myself, don’t you think?” Zhao Yunlan followed him.

They seemed to be the only people in the building right now. Their footsteps and voices echoing in the empty corridors were the only sounds breaking the silence.

“Of course. Chief Zhao works diligently to keep all of us safe, he must take good care of himself to be able to continue that work.” 

“Well said! So you won’t begrudge me a quarter of your time, if it’s in the interest of me mentally recuperating from the strain of investigating?”

Shen Wei felt his lips quirk up at that. He ducked his head to the side. 

“I would hardly call it recuperating,” he protested, without any conviction. 

“Oh, I would say that a walk in the refreshing evening air paired with a fascinating conversation is definitely conducive to rest.”

The aforementioned fresh evening air hit them with a chilling gust as they exited the building. It was cold indeed. Shen Wei glanced at Zhao Yunlan and his leather jacket, which seemed entirely inadequate. Zhao Yunlan apparently had similar thoughts about Shen Wei’s suit jacket, because he asked,

“Aren’t you cold, Professor Shen?” 

“Not at all. Are you cold, Chief Zhao?”

“Not in the slightest. It’s very… refreshing.”

“Indeed.” 

Artificial lights of a pleasant hue but jarring intensity illuminated the campus. The fact that in Dragon City even the deepest nights were never truly dark was something he’d long since gotten used to. Even the starless sky stopped bothering him at some point. But tonight he found himself missing the starlight once more. The same moon still looked down on him from the same night sky, but without the stars it still felt like something was missing. 

Just like the man beside him. He was fundamentally the same, but something was still missing. 

“We questioned some of Professor Luo’s students today,” Zhao Yunlan said. 

“Is that so?” It would only be polite to show some interest, since Zhao Yunlan started the topic himself. “Did they share anything of interest?” 

“Many things, but one got me thinking.”

Shen Wei turned to look at Zhao Yunlan and waited for him to continue. 

“Apparently during the time they last saw Professor Luo, they were discussing what different schools of philosophy considered to be living a good life. I wonder, what do you think living a good life means to you, Professor Shen?”

Shen Wei slowed to a halt at that question. Only one answer came to mind. To live without regrets, that’s what he always strived to do. But these words so dear to his heart were impossible to utter here under the sky that was no longer the one he knew back then and to the man who was not yet the man he knew back then. 

“It’s too complicated of a question to have an easy answer, Chief Zhao,” Shen Wei said, before the silence that stretched between them became impossible to ignore. 

“But if you were to try?” 

“Then I would say, it’s to act true to oneself.”

“Ah, Professor Shen is a philosopher too, then?”

Shen Wei huffed out a stilted laugh. 

“Hardly.”

For a moment they stood face to face, looking at each other. 

“Would it be true to yourself to invite an acquaintance over for an evening tea?” Zhao Yunlan asked with a grin. 

Shen Wei blinked, taken aback by the brazenness of the question.This unexpected shift of tone back into that familiar cadence of teasing drained a little tension from his shoulders.

Zhao Yunlan opened his mouth, no doubt to double down, but before he could speak, a strange thudding sound coming from one of the faculty offices drew their attention. Shen Wei frowned. A quick look at his wristwatch confirmed that it was way past office hours. The building should have been empty. 

“Did you hear that?” Zhao Yunlan asked. 

Shen Wei nodded. Without exchanging any further words, they headed towards the building in question. 

“I guess we could break in,” Zhao Yunlan said, very casually, once they stood in front of the door. 

But that would leave traces and Shen Wei didn’t feel like being an accessory to breaking and entering. He placed his hand on the door handle and discreetly reached out with dark energy forcing the pins of the lock in place and then pushed. 

“It was open,” he said innocently.

“I was just kidding about breaking in.” Zhao Yunlan sounded a bit dejected. 

“Of course.”

The inside of the building was dark, which was no problem for Shen Wei, but Zhao Yunlan probably couldn’t see all that much. And he probably couldn’t hear the sound of another person there with them. A young man, of medium height and medium build, was pressed into the wall of the hall , right by a modern art installation that appeared in the building last summer, an unfortunately pointy looking monstrosity. Could it be their perpetrator? In these circumstances he could not tell if the young man was Dixingren or not, but judging by his posture and his breath, he was nervous, on the verge of panicking even. Now how could he indicate the presence of this mysterious third person to Zhao Yunlan without revealing his slightly more acute than human senses.  

Zhao Yunlan searched for something in his pocket for a moment and produced a little keychain flashlight. A flashlight that small would provide more confusion than light, in Shen Wei’s opinion. Which could be a little coloured by the fact that he himself could see reasonably well in current circumstances. Perhaps they could just turn on the lights instead, he thought, scanning the wall for a lightswitch.

But before he could find one Zhao Yunlan turned on the little flashlight. 

A startled cry came from the direction where Shen Wei had first spotted the young man. 

“No! I won’t go back!” 

Zhao Yunlan quickly pointed the flashlight at the man. Once the bright beam illuminated the student, Shen Wei managed to take a good look at him. He looked younger than Shen Wei initially thought, with unevenly cut bangs and dark shadows under his eyes. He could pass as a first or second year student, but if he was from Dixing it was also entirely possible he lied about his age and was even younger. 

“Woah, listen there friend,” Zhao Yunlan started, stepping between Shen Wei and the student. 

He didn’t reach for his gun, instead he put his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat. In Shen Wei’s experience cruel and dangerous people didn’t tend to look a certain way. Anyone could be capable of murder. But it was heartening to see that Zhao Yunlan was extending the benefit of doubt to this student. 

Of course acts of violence like the one perpetrated against Professor Luo could not go unanswered, but it didn’t mean that the perpetrator didn’t deserve fair treatment. 

“Are you Zhou Chengyu?” Zhao Yunlan asked. 

The student bristled.

“No! Don’t come any closer!” 

Zhao Yunlan still didn’t reach for his gun. His predecessor would have shot at least twice right by now. 

The student’s eyes darted between Zhao Yunlan and the door. Whatever calculations he was performing in his head at that moment, the result must have been encouraging enough. 

He bolted towards the exit, trying to bypass Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan moved to intercept him. 

The student curved around him, still attempting to avoid a direct confrontation, but Zhao Yunlan was faster and more experienced. With ease he blocked the student’s way.

Effectively, crowded between Zhao Yunlan and the wall, the student looked around helplessly.

Then dark energy surged. Zhao Yunlan flew backwards and slammed right into the unfortunate installation, which fell apart under his weight with a series of clanks and cracks. 

The student, wide eyed, as if surprised by his own action, for a second or two stood frozen in his place. The power that he used - he clearly didn’t have full control over it. A pained groan that Zhao Yunlan let out snapped him out of that state. He looked around and then stepped forward. 

If he had stepped towards the door, Shen Wei might have been inclined to let him go for now, find him later and share a calm conversation, learn his reasons. But he stepped towards Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei’s thoughts flew towards the description of Professor Luo’s mangled body. 

He was only a frightened student, but cornered and panicked anyone could be dangerous. Adding poorly controlled powers made the mix explosive.

Shen Wei didn’t need to use his powers to deal with an inexperienced teenager. But Zhao Yunlan was still conscious and for Professor Shen, a mild mannered academic, to be too proficient at hand to hand combat would also be quite suspicious. 

The nearest object he could conceivably pick up, was a folded chair propped against one of the walls. He swung it at the student before he could make another step in Zhao Yunlan’s direction. 

The plastic seat of the chair connected with the student’s skull and splintered in half resulting in a crack that made Shen Wei wince. The student dropped to the floor.

Shen Wei crouched down next to him. He deliberately avoided using excessive force for that strike, but hits to the head were tricky. The student was breathing, thankfully. Shen Wei discreetly checked for concussion and any other more serious damage before turning back to Zhao Yunlan.

Who, for whatever reason, was still on the ground. 

“Wow, Professor Shen is truly a master of improvised weapons,” Zhao Yunlan said with what seemed to be an attempt at his usual levity, but it was strained somehow.

“Are you alright Chief Zhao? Did you hit your head?”

“Professor Shen, I’m going to need you to not panic.” 

Shen Wei’s heart dropped at those words.

“But could maybe call an ambulance for me?” 

“An ambulance?” Shen Wei repeated, as he crossed the distance between them in quick strides. 

“Yeah, I think I may have fallen onto something pretty sharp. I’m pretty sure that that sculpture thing violates- uh, violated all kinds of safety regulations,” 

Zhao Yunlan’s voice was growing a little more strained with each sentence he spoke. From up close Shen Wei could see that he’d grown pale. 

Shen Wei’s knees hit the cold, hard tile next to where Zhao Yunlan was lying. A dark, wet stain was growing on Zhao Yunlan’s t-shirt on his left side. With a loud rip the material came apart in Shen Wei’s hands. 

“Professor Shen? I asked you not to panic,” Zhao Yunlan reminded, his breathing growing heavier. “If you’re trained in first aid then that’s grand, but call an ambulance first, okay. My phone is in my pocket.” 

“Stop talking,” Shen Wei hissed. 

A pointy, metal part of the sculpture was lodged into Zhao Yunlan’s side, thankfully in such a place that most likely avoided any major organs. But the skin around was torn badly and the bleeding was profuse. The closest hospital was a fifteen minute drive away. Zhao Yunlan would not bleed out in fifteen minutes. But what if they wouldn’t be able to dispatch an ambulance immediately? What if there were some delays on the way? What if the wound became infected? Despite the progress the medicine had made, people still died from infections.

Shen Wei’s whole body tensed. In the end, the choice between keeping his identity protected and keeping Zhao Yunlan safe wasn’t difficult.

He grasped the skewer-like metal part firmly and in one quick motion pulled it out. 

“Ow, Shen Wei, what the fuck?!” Zhao Yunlan cried out in pain.

The blood covered object hit the tiled floor with a resounding clank. 

“Are you trying to kill me? This is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do when someone gets stabbed!” Zhao Yunlan’s eyes darted between Shen Wei’s somber expression and the offending piece of metal on the floor. 

He opened his mouth to say something more, but then he closed it abruptly. The sensation of the foreign energy entering his body, trying to force tissue to repair, must have caught his attention. Slowly, he looked down. 

At the sight of the dark energy in Shen Wei’s hand he froze for a second and then, as if possessed, he started thrashing around, trying to move away. 

Shen Wei made no move to stop him. 

“Please,” he said quietly, his eyes downcast. “I can help you.” 

Zhao Yunlan’s eyes widened. He swallowed, then nodded. Shen Wei did his best to focus on the flow of energy rather than the expression he saw on Zhao Yunlan’s face. Was it fear? Distrust? Disgust? 

Shen Wei worked in silence, the energy dancing at his fingertips. It didn’t take long to bring the wound to the state where it was no longer any threat. The whole time Zhao Yunlan was looking at him, eyes narrowed. Whatever was he thinking? Shen Wei didn’t know - didn’t ask. As soon as he was finished, he moved away.

Once he was a few steps away, he saw Zhao Yunlan’s shoulders gradually lower, tension easing away. Something cold pooled in the bottom of Shen Wei’s stomach. 

Zhao Yunlan looked down, at his torn t-shirt, at the freshly healed tissue underneath, still pink, still tender. Then back at Shen Wei. No doubt recontextualizing their whole acquaintance in his head.

“Professor Shen-” Zhao Yunlan started, but was interrupted by the jostling sound that came up from the up until now unconscious student.  “Uh, I should probably take care of that first.”

But his eyes did not move away, right until Shen Wei nodded in assent. 

As soon as Zhao Yunlan's back was turned, Shen Wei took the opportunity to disappear. He needed a little time, to think, to strategize. 

Just to make sure there was no more danger, he stuck around unseen for a few minutes and from afar he watched as bewildered Zhao Yunlan looked around for him. 

But it was only putting away the inevitable. They would have to have this conversation eventually.

Zhao Yunlan knew where to look for him. 

So Shen Wei just fucking disappeared. 

He’d decked a kid over the head with a folded chair, dark-energy-healed a nasty wound and then without a word disappeared into the fucking night, leaving Zhao Yunlan reeling from the shock, with the barely conscious Zhou Chengyu. 

They were in the middle of an investigation here on campus, so before long the cavalry arrived and they managed to peacefully detain their suspect. Zhou Chengyu made no further attempts at resisting arrest, perhaps because he still hadn’t recovered from the masterful blow with a folded chair that Shen Wei had performed. 

“What happened to your t-shirt?” Lao Chu asked and out of habit a glib response of ‘you wouldn’t believe it, but a really hot guy ripped my clothes off’ was nearly on Zhao Yunlan’s tongue, but he abstained. He probably shouldn’t make Shen Wei’s involvement in this matter known, at least not until he’s had enough time to think it all through.

At some point, between getting hit on the head with a chair and the tense drive to the SID office with Lao Chu, who was capable of being quite scary, Zhou Chengyu completely lost the fighting spirit. 

In the SID interrogation room, he sat with his shoulders slumped down, head hung low. Guo Changcheng had made him tea, but he barely touched it. Zhao Yunlan watched him through the one way mirror for quite a while. Other than his initial, panicked reaction at the faculty office building, the kid seemed to live up to his reputation of being calm and polite. He didn’t seem like someone who would commit a violent murder.

But then again, he had indirectly stabbed Zhao Yunlan in the side and that had hurt like a son of a bitch. Zhao Yunlan slipped his fingers under the hem of his newly replaced t-shirt and rubbed at the place where not so long ago the wound had been. The skin there was still raw and tender, but completely mended. 

He still wasn't keen on facing the kid, even though the wound was a mere memory now, and they were inside SID’s dark energy shield. 

With a sigh he entered the interrogation room. 

Zhou Chengyu raised his head to look up at him. His eyes were red rimmed and puffy.

“I’m sorry that I pushed you, I didn’t mean to.” He looked genuinely sorry, too. 

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Zhao Yunlan answered curtly and it wasn’t meant to come out as sardonically as it did. 

Zhou Chengyu lowered his head back down. 

“And Professor Luo? Did you mean to kill him?” 

Zhou Chengyu’s eyes widened. 

“No, I-” he started, but words didn’t seem to come easy to him at that moment. 

“How did you even do it? What's your power?”

“I- I can make things heavier.” 

It was Zhao Yunlan's turn to widen his eyes. He supposed that Professor Luo's injuries could be consistent with that, provided that one would get very creative about what exactly became heavier. It made Zhao Yunlan very glad that all he'd ended up with was a stab wound. 

“Why did you kill him?”

“I was just tired of hiding.” His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

What was he tired of hiding? The fact that he was Dixingren? The obvious conclusion was that the Zhou Chengyu wanted to share his identity with Professor Luo who reacted badly. But there was another possibility that felt even more grim.

“Were you keeping some secrets for Professor Luo?” 

Zhou Chengyu looked up at him, confused. Zhao Yunlan definitely didn’t want to be having this conversation, but he very firmly thought that someone should.

“Look, I’m not gonna lie to you, one way or another you’re going back to Dixing, but if he was hurting you, then you should say so. It might help you out.” 

Or at least Zhao Yunlan hoped it would. They couldn’t be completely unreasonable in Dixing. They must have heard about extenuating circumstances.

Zhao Yunlan suddenly found himself woefully unsatisfied with his knowledge about what happened to the Dixingren criminals they handed over. Surely, they had some sort of a trial, right? What did it look like? 

“What? No! It wasn’t like that at all.” Zhou Chengyu gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. “Professor Luo wasn’t like that,” he said, shaking his head. 

“Then why did you do it?” 

Zhou Chengyu let out a long drawn out exhale. He slowly relaxed his fingers and placed his hands by his sides. He opened his mouth, then closed it and only after a few iterations of this, he finally felt prepared enough to speak up.

“We’ve been talking about living a good life and what it meant. And in none of the schools of philosophy that we covered could I find the answer on how to make it easier to keep so much of myself hidden.”

The way that he spoke reminded Zhao Yunlan of the long winded delivery the other students from Professor Luo club exhibited. Perhaps he fitted in with them better than Zhao Yunlan had suspected before. 

Zhou Chengyu finally took a sip of the, now probably lukewarm, tea that Guo Changcheng had made and continued. 

“I was happy at Dragon City University. Much happier than I’ve ever been in Dixing. The sharing of ideas, all the books I could read…” a certain bitterness could be heard in his voice. 

How old was that kid, Zhao Yunlan thought. Why did someone college aged sound so weary?

“You don't have libraries in Dixing?” 

Zhou Chengyu looked at him bewildered for a second, but then let out a humorless laugh and that was enough of an answer to Zhao Yunlan's question. 

“I thought that Professor Luo would understand, if I told him. I really didn’t mean to hurt him. But he wouldn’t stop shouting and…” 

Zhou Chengyu didn’t finish. He didn’t have to. Zhao Yunlan could imagine the rest.

Back in his office, Zhao Yunlan dropped down on his chair with a sigh. 

His hand once again moved unconsciously to the place where a piece of modern art had been embedded in his body not so long ago. He should be thanking professor Shen, something like this would have put him out of commission for several weeks probably. At the same time, he should be calling the Black Cloaked Envoy to take Shen Wei back to Dixing. But he couldn't bring himself to do either, so he just sat there putting off the decision, the image of Shen Wei’s eyes, opened wide, filled with something he couldn’t quite understand still in his mind. ‘I can help,’ Shen Wei had said. 

Of course, on some level Zhao Yunlan had already suspected that Shen Wei was far from an ordinary college professor. From the start he had been supremely suspicious. He was too well informed. Too eager to put himself in harm's way. Too… involved with the strange happenings.

But unspecified, nebulous suspicion is one thing and being faced with cold hard evidence is another. He could no longer claim plausible deniability. 

Shen Wei, despite being tangentially connected with so many of their cases lately, had never done anything that could have harmed anyone. On the contrary, he was so damn helpful each time. 

A healing power. Zhao Yunlan had never thought that Dixingren could have such benign powers. Well, in any case, then it made sense that he wouldn’t be too concerned about falling off the roof or getting choked by Wang Yike, who’d already killed three people with her power. 

It crossed Zhao Yunlan’s mind that being able to heal didn’t necessarily mean that those things didn’t hurt.

And, as a Dixingren, why the hell would he spend all this time hanging around the SID? Sure, more often than not it was Zhao Yunlan seeking him out, not the other way around, but Shen Wei made no effort to hide his reciprocal interest. What was wrong with Shen Wei’s survival instinct? Did he even have one? And did he realize how difficult of a position he was putting Zhao Yunlan in? 

No matter how long he would ruminate over this, he knew he wouldn’t be able to solve this problem.

No matter how he tried to occupy his mind, nothing would stick. With a groan, he got up and left his office.

First he passed by the holding cell from where an occasional quiet sob or a sniffle could be heard and then paced back and forth until a conversation caught his attention. 

“Chu-ge?” Guo Changcheng, swiveled around on his chair, to face Chu Shuzhi. 

“Mhm?” Chu Shuzhi, didn’t lift his eyes from his phone.

“What is Dixing like?” 

“Dark. Not very safe,” Chu Shuzhi answered in his typical brusque manner. “Warm. Not as windy as here.” He adjusted his scarf. “Why do you ask? Don’t tell me it’s because of this kid’s whining,” he gestured with his chin towards the holding cell.

Zhao Yunlan looked over his shoulder in that direction too. Judging by the conversation they’d shared in the interrogation room, Zhou Chengyu’s contrition wasn’t just a performance designed to get sympathy. But Zhao Yunlan’s thoughts were not with Zhou Chengyu. They were with Shen Wei. 

“But isn’t his story tragic Chu-ge?” 

Chu Shuzhi didn’t look very convinced. 

“He just wanted to be true to himself,” Guo Changcheng insisted. 

Chu Shuzhi patted him on the shoulder. They both returned to work and Zhao Yunlan returned to his thoughts. 

In the end the choice Zhao Yunlan faced wasn’t that difficult. 

The prospect of Shen Wei being sent to this apparently dark and dangerous place that didn’t even have libraries, let alone universities, was unacceptable. And if there were going to be repercussions for this, well, Zhao Yunlan would cross that bridge when he got to it. 

The Black Cloaked Envoy arrived in person to retrieve Zhou Chengyu from the SID offices. And he arrived with the usual pizzazz, the smoke and all. Zhao Yunlan was not in the mood to appreciate this dramatic entrance. 

In these circumstances the Black Cloaked Envoy was the last person Zhao Yunlan wanted to see. 

Zhao Yunlan recounted the tale of unfortunate Professor Luo as concisely as he could without making it obvious that he really wanted the Envoy gone. The Envoy barely reacted, as cold and impassive as always, and when Zhao Yunlan was done, he turned to Zhou Chengyu, who was maintaining admirable composure considering the circumstances.

“You lost control of your power in a moment of strong emotion. Your circumstance is unfortunate, but the fact remains that a life has been lost.” 

Zhou Chengyu nodded. 

Then, the Envoy turned his attention back to Zhao Yunlan. As if he expected Zhao Yunlan to say something. 

A sudden chill ran down Zhao Yunlan’s back. For a terrifying second he was absolutely certain that the Envoy knew about Shen Wei, that he knew what had happened and that he was just waiting for Zhao Yunlan to say something. But that would make no sense. If the Envoy knew something, he wouldn't be waiting for Zhao Yunlan to tattle, he would simply take action. 

Zhao Yunlan somehow quelled the panic that threatened to rise in him and met the Envoy’s gaze calmly. 

“I will be taking my leave, unless there's something else that requires my presence?” 

At the questioning rise of the Envoy’s voice, the dreadful feeling welled up again in Zhao Yunlan's chest, but again he managed to swallow it. 

“Nothing else, ah, have a nice day?” 

The Envoy inclined his head and raised his hand to open the portal but words burst from Zhao Yunlan before he could stop them. 

“Wait. Uh, what’s going to happen to the kid?” 

“He will first face a trial and then an appropriate punishment.” 

“And if he hadn’t committed a crime?” 

“The treaty is clear on that. Simply being here on Haixing soil is a crime for Dixingren.” The Envoy’s voice had a terrible finality to it. “However,”

Zhao Yunlan blinked. He didn't expect that sentence to have a follow up.

“If he hadn’t lost control of his power, it would have been highly unlikely for him to be detected. None of us can act on information we don’t know.” 

With that he disappeared, leaving Zhao Yunlan desperately trying to parse that last statement for a hidden meaning. Was it a simple acknowledgement of fact? Or a rebuke for hiding information from him? Or was it an implicit plea to not put him in a position where he would be obliged to act? To not put him in a position that Zhao Yunlan himself was in? 

Zhao Yunlan had never thought about it before, but the weight of a job like the one the Black Cloaked Envoy had must have been heavy.   

The sun had already set and Shen Wei was alone with his thoughts in his office.

He thought that time would grant him some clarity, but it was not so. 

Before going to the SID offices, Shen Wei had already weighed his options. He thought he had two. That he could either put on a show of taking Professor Shen to Dixing or reveal himself to Zhao Yunlan fully. 

Both prospects were… undesirable. 

His life here in Haixing, his students, his research, even his office were dear to him. He wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice it all in the line of duty but it didn’t mean he wanted to do it. 

And to let Zhao Yunlan know? It would have to happen eventually, anyway. Kunlun had known Shen Wei, which meant that Zhao Yunlan had to find out at some point. And in some sense Shen Wei longed for that. The secrecy weighed on him heavily. But was it really the time? And was it worth the danger it would inevitably bring to Zhao Yunlan? 

But after his visit to the SID offices, the situation stopped being so clear cut. 

Zhao Yunlan had not mentioned Shen Wei to the Black Cloaked Envoy. Instead, Zhao Yunlan had inquired about the fate that would await the unfortunate Zhou Chengyu. ‘And if he hadn’t committed a crime?’ he’d asked. In all likelihood he was thinking about Shen Wei, not Zhou Chengyu. 

The familiar sound of footsteps interrupted Shen Wei’s pondering on the meaning of the recent events.

 Zhao Yunlan was heading towards Shen Wei’s office. Alone.  

Which normally would have been welcome. But now? Did he mean to confront Shen Wei about what had happened? Right after seeing firsthand what someone cornered and desperate to keep a secret is capable of? Shen Wei shook his head. 

Of course, he would never hurt Zhao Yunlan. But Zhao Yunlan didn’t know that. Zhao Yunlan didn’t know Shen Wei, yet. He could be excused for thinking that a healing gift is not particularly dangerous - he hadn’t witnessed the less than pleasant applications of such powers, after all. But not a few days ago he’d seen Shen Wei break a chair over someone’s head. And Shen Wei’s office was abundant with chairs and other swingable objects. 

Shen Wei calmly packed his bag, put on his jacket and when Zhao Yunlan was just a few steps away from the door, he walked up to it as well. He opened it just in time to see Zhao Yunlan raising his hand intending to knock. 

“Chief Zhao,” he said, his tone carefully surprised. 

“Professor Shen,” Zhao Yunlan greeted him jovially. “Could I take a minute of your time?” He pointed towards the interior of the office.

“I was just leaving.”

“I won’t be long, I promise.” 

Shen Wei hesitated for a second and then let Zhao Yunlan in. Zhao Yunlan sauntered in without giving all the swingable objects in Shen Wei’s office a second glance. 

“We’ve wrapped up Professor Luo’s case. I thought you might be curious, so I wanted to swing by and give you an update.” He made himself comfortable in the chair, his body language languid. Completely unbothered. Shen Wei wasn’t sure whether he should be pleased by the amount of trust Zhao Yunlan had in him, or despair of Zhao Yunlan’s lacking survival instinct.

So that's how it was going to be. With both of them keenly aware of it, but neither willing to bring it up. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than the alternative. It was easier than laying all the cards on the table. And safer for everyone involved. There would come a time when they could divest of all the lies and secrets, but it wasn't quite yet. 

Shen Wei listened to Zhao Yunlan’s explanation once again, this time given in much more detail than he’d offered the Black Cloaked Envoy. 

“What an unfortunate situation,” Shen Wei said, adjusting his glasses. “It’s a shame Zhou Chengyu never had the opportunity to learn to control his powers adequately.” 

He watched Zhao Yunlan intently, awaiting his reaction. 

“It really is,” Zhao Yunlan said thoughtfully.

And that was a good start.