#wang shao

[killerandhealerqueen]

Hi~ Can you write something like this? i would totally appreciate it🥺🥺

Yutong is under Feng Jie's hypnosis, so he starts to ignore, dismiss and be blunt with ZZ, in one case the bad guys capture FJ and say something like "let's make a trade, this guy for the one next to you ( ZZ)" Yutong agrees and concentrates only on FJ until the bad guys start beating ZZ and BY manages to come out of hypnosis (because we all know that even if he's dying he wouldn't let anyone touch his kitty) and goes to save to his cat. (Later they find out or FJ tells them about the hypnosis and ZZ punches him in the face while Yutong is proud of him and sorry that he treated his kitty badly but Zhan Zhao forgives him)

Feng Jie bout to catch these hands on GOD

Zhan Yao knew that something was wrong the minute Bai Yutong walked into the S.C.I. office and made a beeline straight for his office instead of stopping by to talk to Zhan Yao like he did every morning.  And it’s not that Zhan Yao was disappointed (well, he was, just a little) but it was just…weird; they weren’t that busy with cases nor had Zhan Yao upset Bai Yutong recently so…why was he ignoring him?  He thought about getting up and going to see just what Bai Yutong’s problem was when Bai Chi came to the door of his office and knocked, making him look at the young man with a raised eyebrow.         “Yes, Bai Chi?” he asked.         “We got a new case.  Can you get Bai Sir?” Bai Chi replied.  Zhan Yao blinked before he nodded and pushed himself to his feet, heading around his desk and out of his office before he walked over to Bai Yutong’s office and opened the door, stepping inside.         “Why didn’t you knock?” Bai Yutong snapped, making Zhan Yao look at him in surprise; when had he ever knocked before entering Bai Yutong’s office?  He then shook his head as he looked at him.         “We’ve got a case.  Come on” he instructed.  Bai Yutong hummed before he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the door, none-to-politely shouldering past Zhan Yao, who looked at him with wide eyes.         ‘What the fuck was that?!’ he exclaimed, watching Bai Yutong step into the bullpen before he shook his head and followed after him.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ During the meeting, it was very evident, to not only Zhan Yao, but to the other S.C.I. members, that something was very off about Bai Yutong.  He hardly let Zhan Yao speak or let him give his opinions like he normally did and if Zhan Yao tried to speak or interject to offer some insight, Bai Yutong would cut him off with either a glare or a very sharp “Zhan Yao”.  Which was just…bizarre.  After the meeting, Bai Yutong headed back to his office while Zhan Yao remained in the bullpen with the other S.C.I. members, all of them looking at him in confusion.         “Dr. Zhan…what’s up with Bai Sir?” Jiang Ling inquired, Zhao Fu nodding in agreement.         “Yeah, what’s up his ass today?” he added.  Zhan Yao shook his head.         “I don’t…I don’t know” he replied.  Wang Shao frowned.         “You two didn’t have an argument or something, did you?” he asked.  Zhan Yao shook his head again.         “No.  Not that I know of” he answered.  Bai Chi frowned.         “Bai Sir’s never rude to you like this…maybe he’s just having a bad day?” he offered.  Ma Han scoffed.         “Even if Bai Sir was having a bad day, he’s not like this to Dr. Zhan” she reminded, the others nodding in agreement.         “Yeah, remember that case where they fought the entire time?  This isn’t like that” Zhao Fu stated.  Everyone fell silent before Jiang Ling huffed.         “I’m gonna say it: Bai Sir’s acting like an ass” she declared.           “Astute observation” Gongsun murmured from where he had stepped out of his lab to give Zhan Yao some files.  Everyone looked at him in shock before Bai Chi frowned.         “Gongsun, do you know what’s wrong with Bai Sir?” he asked.  Gongsun huffed.         “Why are you asking me?  I’m just the medical examiner.  You should ask our resident psychologist here what’s wrong with him” he replied, motioning to Zhan Yao, who just sat quietly in his chair, mulling things over.  Wang Shao shook his head.         “But even Dr. Zhan doesn’t know what’s wrong with Bai Sir!” he exclaimed.         “I’m perfectly fine” a voice snapped, making everyone look over to see Bai Yutong standing at the entrance of his office, his arms crossed in front of him.         “Now, are you all actually going to work on the case or are you just going to sit around and twiddle your thumbs?” he demanded.  All of the S.C.I. members fell silent before they turned back to their computers as Bai Yutong pointed to the files in Zhan Yao’s hand.         “I’ll take those.  You don’t need to look them over” he stated.  Zhan Yao and Gongsun looked at him with wide eyes.         “Hey, Bai Sir, Dr. Zhan specifically—” Gongsun started when Zhan Yao quietly stood up from his chair and walked over to Bai Yutong, handing him the files.         “Here” he murmured.  Bai Yutong nodded and took the files from him before turning and heading back inside his office, shutting the door behind him.  Everyone stared at the closed door before Zhan Yao sighed and turned to look at the others.         “I’m going to head to the university…if something comes up, let me know” he instructed.  The S.C.I. members nodded and watched as Zhao Yao headed into his office to grab his briefcase before he turned and headed out of the S.C.I. office, leaving everyone in a pensive silence before they all looked over at Bai Yutong’s closed door, narrowing their eyes.  Something was wrong with him…but they just didn’t know what.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ The next day, when Zhan Yao came into work, as soon as he stepped through the sliding glass doors, his eyes widened before he quickly reached out and grabbed Wang Shao, who had just walked in behind him.         “What the hell is Feng Jie doing here?” he hissed.  Wang Shao blinked before he looked over at Feng Jie and Bai Yutong, both of whom were standing too close for his liking, and shook his head.         “I don’t know…why don’t you ask him?” he asked, looking up at Zhan Yao, who just shook his head.         “Considering how Bai Yutong acted towards me yesterday, I don’t know if he’ll even answer me if I ask” he replied.  Wang Shao hummed; he had a point there.         “Bai Sir!” he suddenly called out, making Bai Yutong and Feng Jie look over at him with raised eyebrows.         “What is Feng Jie doing here?” Zhan Yao demanded before Wang Shao could get the question out.  Bai Yutong huffed.         “He’s helping with a case.  Since he’s, you know, an actual cop and not an academic” he replied.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened, as did everyone else’s, before Ma Han looked at him incredulously.         “Bai Sir!” she exclaimed.  Bai Yutong looked at her and frowned.         “What?” he replied, just as Gongsun grabbed him by the collar of his suit jacket, giving him a firm shake.         “Apologize” he growled.  Bai Yutong looked at him in confusion as Zhan Yao waved his hand.         “It’s fine.  It’s not like I haven’t heard that before” he murmured before he sighed.         “I think I’ll sit this meeting out; if Feng Jie’s here, then you won’t need me” he stated as he released Wang Shao’s arm and headed for his office, quietly shutting the door behind him.  As soon as he was in his office, Gongsun released the back of Bai Yutong’s suit jacket, only to slap him upside the head, making Bai Yutong look at him with wide eyes.         “Gongsun, what the hell—” he started.         “Don’t talk to me.  Don’t…don’t fucking talk to me” Gongsun growled before he turned on his heels and walked over to his office, slamming his door behind him as soon as he stepped inside.  Bai Yutong and the others flinched at the sound before Bai Yutong huffed.         “What’s his problem?” he grumbled.           “More like what’s your problem” Bai Chi muttered under his breath, making Bai Yutong look over at him and raise an eyebrow.         “What was that, Bai Chi?” he demanded.  Bai Chi’s eyes widened and he looked over at him, shaking his head.         “Nothing” he replied.  Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes before he huffed and clapped his hands.         “Alright, now about this case” he started.

~*~*~*~*~*~ A little while later, as Zhan Yao was sitting at his desk, working on some reports for another case, there was a knock at his door, making him look up from his computer.         “Come in” he called out.  The door then opened, and Ma Han poked her head in.         “Dr. Zhan” she replied.  Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow.         “What is it?” he asked.  Ma Han motioned with her head to the door.         “We’re heading out” she explained.  Zhan Yao nodded.         “Okay.  Be safe” he instructed.  Ma Han frowned.         “Bai Sir wants you to come along” she declared, making Zhan Yao frown.         “What?  He does?  Why?” he demanded.  Ma Han shook her head.         “Don’t know.  But he said to make sure you come along” she explained.  Zhan Yao frowned before he sighed.         “Alright, I’ll be right out” he replied.  Ma Han nodded and stepped away from the door as Zhao Yao shook his head; first Bai Yutong acts like he doesn’t fucking exist and now he wants him to come along on the case…         ‘What the hell is wrong with him?’ he wondered before he sighed heavily and stood to his feet, walking out of his office and over to Bai Yutong and Feng Jie.  Bai Yutong glanced at him before he looked at Feng Jie and the others.         “Alright, let’s go” he declared.  He then turned and headed out of the office, Feng Jie and Zhan Yao flanking him while the other S.C.I. members followed behind.         “Where exactly are we headed?” Zhan Yao asked, glancing over at Feng Jie and Bai Yutong.           “We’re heading to meet an informant of Feng Jie’s” Bai Yutong answered.  Zhan Yao hummed and didn’t ask or say anything else as they continued out of the police department. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When they arrived at the warehouse where the informant said they would meet, Zhan Yao immediately frowned.         “This seems like a trap” he murmured.  Bai Yutong huffed.         “What, is that your “psychologist intuition”?” he asked, glancing over at him.  Zhan Yao shot him a glare.         “Does this not seem like a trap to you?” he demanded.  Feng Jie shook his head.         “I’ve met informants in weird and sketchy warehouses before, Dr. Zhan.  I’m sure this is the same thing” he assured.  Zhan Yao frowned but followed him and Bai Yutong into the warehouse, the others following behind.  As they looked around, they noticed that it was eerily empty and incredibly dark, making it almost impossible to see anything inside save for the single overhead light that was shining down on them as the windows had been all blacked out.           “Bai Sir, are you sure this is where we’re supposed to meet the informant?” Bai Chi asked, looking over at Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong said nothing as he continued to look around before he frowned.         “You know, maybe…maybe this is a trap” he murmured, just as the warehouse doors suddenly slammed shut, making everyone whirl around in shock before the world began to spin and everything suddenly went black. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When Bai Yutong woke up a little while later, he found himself on his knees with his hands bound by ropes in front of him.         ‘What the hell?’ he thought to himself before he looked over to find the other members of S.C.I. also bound, but they were all tied together in one bundle, ropes wrapped around their torsos and wrists.         “Where’s Feng Jie?” he murmured, just as a low, dark chuckle echoed throughout the warehouse, making everyone turn to see a man dressed in all black step out of the shadows, holding Feng Jie and Zhan Yao at gun point.           “Dr. Zhan!” Bai Chi exclaimed, causing Zhan Yao to look at him with wide eyes and shake his head as the man dressed in all black looked at Bai Yutong.         “I have a proposition for you, Bai Sir” he stated, making Bai Yutong raise an eyebrow.         “What?” he snapped.  The man chuckled and motioned to Feng Jie and Zhan Yao.         “Only one can go free so…pick one” he stated.  Feng Jie and Zhan Yao both looked at Bai Yutong with wide eyes but Bai Yutong didn’t even spare Zhan Yao a second glance as he looked directly at Feng Jie.         “I pick him” he declared, making all of S.C.I. gasp.         “Bai Sir!  How could you?!” Zhao Fu shouted as the man shoved Feng Jie towards Bai Yutong before he wacked Zhan Yao on the back of the head with the gun, sending him to the ground with a cry.           “DR. ZHAN!” the S.C.I. members screamed.  Bai Yutong, however, didn’t even make a peep as he was too focused on Feng Jie, who had run over to him and began to undo the ropes around his wrist.         “Are you okay?” he asked, looking him in the eyes.  Bai Yutong nodded.         “I’m fine” he assured.  Feng Jie nodded as he undid the ropes before helping him to his feet, giving his wrist a tug.         “Come on, let’s go free the others” he suggested.  Bai Yutong nodded and they both ran over to the other S.C.I. members, quickly helping them out of their ropes and to their feet.  Once they were free, Feng Jie looked over at Bai Yutong and gave his wrist a tug.         “Come on, let’s go back” he insisted.  Bai Yutong nodded again as they both began to head towards the entrance of the warehouse, making the S.C.I. members look at them in shock.         “BAI SIR!” they shouted, making Bai Yutong stop and look over at them.         “What?” he snapped.           “What about Dr. Zhan?!” Wang Shao exclaimed.  Bai Yutong frowned before he turned to see Zhan Yao curled up on the floor of the warehouse, the man who had taken them hostage relentlessly kicking him in the stomach and face, which Zhan Yao was doing his best to cover with his arms.  As he watched Zhan Yao get the absolute shit kicked out of him, something stirred within him and he frowned, shaking his head before he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.         “Bai Sir?  Are you okay?” Ma Han asked, concern on her and the other S.C.I. members faces.  Feng Jie, however, just grabbed Bai Yutong by his arm, giving it a tug.         “Come on, Yutong” he ordered, only to have Bai Yutong yank his arm away and lower his palms from his eyes as he looked at Zhan Yao with wide eyes.         “Cat” he breathed before he took off running towards the kidnapper and Zhan Yao.         “Bai Yutong!” Feng Jie shouted but Bai Yutong ignored him as he ran over to the kidnapper and grabbed him by the arm, making him look over at him in surprise as he socked him in the face, sending him to the ground.         “Wang Shao!  Cuff him!” Bai Yutong barked.  Wang Shao nodded.         “Yes sir!” he replied, quickly running over to them as Bai Yutong knelt down beside Zhan Yao and reached out, gently touching his shoulder.         “Cat” he murmured, causing Zhan Yao to pull his arms away from his face and look up at him with a slight frown.         “Yutong?” he whispered.  Bai Yutong smiled slightly before he gently grasped his arm.         “Come on, kitten.  Up you go” he murmured, carefully helping Zhan Yao to his feet, making sure to hold him tightly so that he didn’t buckle or collapse.         “Are you okay?” he asked.  Zhan Yao winced and let out a soft twinge before he huffed.         “I will be in a moment” he replied.  Bai Yutong raised an eyebrow in confusion as Zhan Yao carefully shrugged off his arm and made his way over to Feng Jie and the others, the S.C.I. members looking at him in confusion as well as he punched Feng Jie in the face, watching as he crumpled to the ground like a limp ragdoll.         “Cat!” Bai Yutong exclaimed, quickly running over to him before looking at him in confusion.         “What did you…why…” he started.         “He hypnotized you” Zhan Yao growled, shaking out his hand.  Bai Yutong frowned.         “What?” he asked.  Zhan Yao huffed and looked over at him.         “When did you last hang out with Feng Jie?” he demanded.  Bai Yutong frowned again, thinking, before he looked at him.         “A few days or so ago…we went out for beers.  Why?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked him in the eyes.         “Did he say anything to you?  Make you look at anything?” he demanded.  Bai Yutong hummed before his eyes widened.         “He had me watch this weird video…after that, he never said anything” he replied.  Zhan Yao hummed as Bai Chi and the others looked at him.         “So, you’re saying that Bai Sir was hypnotized?” he asked.  Zhan Yao glanced over at them and nodded.         “Mm” he replied.  Zhao Fu huffed.         “That would explain why Bai Sir was acting like such an ass to you” he murmured, making Bai Yutong’s eyes widen.         “I what?” he demanded.  Ma Han huffed.         “You were acting like a real ass to Dr. Zhan for the past couple of days, Bai Sir.  You were really rude to him, never let him speak in any of the meetings…you even sneered at him that he wasn’t a “real cop” and just an academic” she explained.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened in shock and he looked over at Zhan Yao, about to say something when he noticed that Zhan Yao’s eyes were fluttering.         “Zhan Yao?” he called out, making the others look over at the man, just as he suddenly crumpled like a falling leaf, causing everyone to cry out in surprise.         “ZHAN YAO!” Bai Yutong exclaimed, quickly wrapping his arms around him before he hit the floor, pulling him close.           “Zhan Yao.  Zhan Yao!” he exclaimed, gently patting Zhan Yao’s cheek but the psychologist was out cold, causing him to hiss before he looked up at the S.C.I. members.         “I’m going to take him to the hospital to check to make sure he doesn’t have any internal bleeding” he stated before he looked over at Feng Jie and growled.         “You take care of him” he ordered, motioning to Feng Jie’s unconscious body.  The others looked over at Feng Jie’s unconscious body as well before they nodded.         “Yes sir!” they declared.  Bai Yutong smirked before he carefully scooped Zhan Yao into his arms and carried him out of the warehouse, over to his car.  He then carefully placed him into the passenger seat of the car before he walked over to the driver’s side and got in, quickly turning on the engine before he sped away, heading for the hospital. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When Zhao Yao woke up hours later, his entire body felt as if it had been constantly run over by semi-trucks and just…everything hurt.  As he tried to sit up, he let out a gasp of pain and clutched at his ribs, his face contorting in pain, just as a gentle hand appeared on his shoulder.         “Shh, don’t move Kitten.  Don’t move” a voice soothed, causing him to turn and look over with wide eyes to see Bai Yutong sitting beside him.         “B-Bai Yutong?” he whispered.  Bai Yutong smiled softly.         “Hey Kitten” he greeted.  Zhan Yao shook his head.         “What…where am I?” he croaked.  Bai Yutong sighed as he reached out and began to pet his hair, his touch ridiculously gentle.           “The hospital” he replied.  Zhan Yao hummed before he let out a soft sigh.         “I’m glad you’re back to normal” he murmured.  Bai Yutong frowned.         “Was I really that bad?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked over at him and nodded, making Bai Yutong groan and remove his hand from his hair as he ran it through his own.         “God, Cat, I…I don’t…I don’t even know what to say.  I don’t even remember doing or saying half the things I must have said to you” he murmured.  Zhan Yao chuckled softly.         “I wouldn’t expect you to…you’ve seen all the people we deal with whenever they’re hypnotized…it’s like they’re a completely different person” he reminded.  Bai Yutong huffed.         “That’s true” he agreed before he looked at him.         “I’m sorry, Zhan Yao.  For…whatever I said and whatever I did.  I’m sorry” he apologized.  Zhan Yao sighed.         “It…did hurt.  To have you dismiss me.  To have you treat as if I was beneath you…like I didn’t even exist” he murmured.  Bai Yutong shook his head.         “And I won’t do it again.  I promise.  I won’t…I won’t hurt you again” he promised.  Zhan Yao looked over at him and huffed.         “I know you didn’t do it on purpose…you were hypnotized” he stated.  Bai Yutong growled.         “Fucking Feng Jie…I’m gonna kill him” he growled.  Zhan Yao chuckled and reached out, gently patting his hand.         “Easy tiger” he soothed, making Bai Yutong look at him with wide eyes.         “But he…he made me say those things to you!  He made me mock you!  Zhan Yao, you know I would never intentionally mock you.  Ever.  Yes, I tease you, but I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t hurt you” he whispered.  Zhan Yao nodded.         “I know.  Bai Yutong, I know” he soothed.  Bai Yutong then let out a shuddering breath before he leaned forward and rested his forehead against his.         “I’m sorry, Cat.  I’m so sorry” he whispered.  Zhan Yao smiled weakly and reached out, gently pinching his ear.         “Stupid mouse.  Stop apologizing” he chided.  Bai Yutong winced at the pinch before he pulled away and looked at Zhan Yao, who was smiling at him softly, a fond look in his eyes.         “Forgive me” he whispered.  Zhan Yao huffed and reached out, gently pinching his nose this time.         “Stupid mouse.  I already have” he replied.  Bai Yutong winced again before he smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his forehead.         “Try and get some rest” he instructed.  Zhan Yao nodded as he let out a sigh and relaxed back into his pillow, shutting his eyes.  Bai Yutong smiled softly at him before he reached out and began running his fingers through his hair again, Zhan Yao letting out a hum of content.         “Yutong?” he murmured, causing Bai Yutong to look at him and raise an eyebrow.         “Yes Kitten?” he replied.         “Thank you.  For…saving me and protecting me” Zhan Yao whispered.  Bai Yutong blinked in surprise before he smiled and nodded slightly.         “Always” he replied.  Zhan Yao flashed him a small smile before he took a deep breath and exhaled, allowing the morphine in his IV to pull him under as he drifted off to sleep.  Bai Yutong watched him sleep before he took a deep breath and continued to run his fingers through Zhan Yao’s hair; tomorrow, he would deal with Feng Jie.  But for now, he would stay by Zhan Yao’s side.  For he never should have left it.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Hi could you add this to your prompts of SCI ?

Zhan Zhao was a famous assassin and no one knew his identity but he always marked the body of the victims with a 'Z' so that's hoe they recognize him. So in a case (idk how they got there but etv) a gang has the SCI team cuffed in a old building and they separate Zhan Zhao from the rest (put him in front of the others) and the leader keeps bragging about how easy it was to got them and ZZ with his head low says something like "you messed with the wrong people" and the idiot respond "b*tch please look at them they're helpless" but ZZ looks up, smirks and says "I wasn't talking about them" then he gets free, punch the one behind him, snatches the gun from him and shoots the one who was near the switch turning off the lights and the only thing that is heard are grunts. When the light comes back, Zhan Zhao has his hands with blood and a knife in one of them and the only one left alive is the leader. ZZ walks slowly to him and shows him a pendant that has a Z that is the one he used to mark to his victims later he kills him(mark him as well)and goes to free the others.

In resume in that moment or after that they argue a little cause they recognized the Z, the next days the ambient is tense in the office and no ones talks to zz cause they thinks that is a bit hypocrite kill people and then chase others that do the same (Although ZZ stoped when he came back from USA where there he just did rescue missions for mafias etc AND he just killed bad people criminals,p3d0philes,r4ppist,etc)

A few months later things where still tense and in a case the bad guys kidnap Zhan Zhao and transmit everything like on live to the team, they cut him a little,mark him with this things for cows(?,etc etc. Bao Sir (who always knew what zz did) notices that he is holding back and won't fight so he ask "the fuck did you tell him? why is he not fighting he would have break free by now" and Yutong says that he told zhan zhao that if he ever killed again he would distance himself from him for ever. Bao Sir starts screaming at ZZ to stop holding back and just fight or wtv, when he is in the floor and the leader tries to abuse of him he snaps out of it and ends up knocking everyone unconscious but didn't kill anyone.

That's all, honestly i had this idea a looooong time ago but i don't know how to write so if you could it would be awesome☺️☺️☺️🥺🥺🥺 (obviously you can change it and decide the final)

Also if i wrote something wrong or anything dm me ;3

Thank you for sending in this ask!  I love the idea of assassin!Zhan Yao and I hope I did this prompt justice!  I hope it’s everything you wanted!

Killing was either incredibly easy or incredibly difficult for people.  And for Zhan Yao, killing was as easy as breathing air.  Why, you may ask?  Well, you see, Zhan Yao was born into a family of assassins and learned from the time he was old enough to hold things in his tiny hands how to kill people, taking to it like a duck took to water.  And once he was old enough, his parents decided that it was time for him to choose his “signature” or his way to mark the body in case it was ever discovered.  Zhan Yao, of course, never had a flair for dramatics like either of his parents and just decided on a simple “Z” carved somewhere on the victim’s body.  His parents weren’t too fond of his signature, but they couldn’t stop him because it was his, and his alone, just like his assassination technique: sniping.  Out of all the members of his family, Zhan Yao was the best sharpshooter; like the rifle was an extension of his own arm.  And, like all good assassins, they had their own clients that they worked for.  Zhan Yao’s parents both worked for big name clients and triads but Zhan Yao…while he knew they paid well; they weren’t who he wanted to work for.  He wanted to help people, as crazy as that sounded, so Zhan Yao spent some time searching for clients until he was watching the news one day and saw that a rather wealthy pedophile hadn’t gotten jail time for assaulting a young girl.  After seeing the news, he was enraged and quickly went to find the victim’s family, introducing himself as someone who could “help” them get justice for their child.  The parents, of course, were a little skeptical how he could help them, but he just assured them that he would “take care” of the person who hurt their child and they would never have to worry about them again.  When they heard that, they were more than willing to accept his help, even offering to pay whatever his prices were.  Zhan Yao just waved his hand, assuring them that he didn’t want money and that he was doing this as a favor to them.  When the parents asked how they would know Zhan Yao kept his word, Zhan Yao just smiled.         “You’ll see” he declared before he turned and disappeared into the night.  The next day on the news, when the parents saw that the pedophile who assaulted their child was found dead, shot in the temple with a “Z” carved just below their ear, they knew that Zhan Yao kept his word.  Soon, Zhan Yao’s name began to spread from family to family of abused, molested, raped, or murdered children as someone who would “take care” of the person who hurt their child.  His name was never spoken, for he had never given his name to the first family he helped, but everyone knew that if a child was hurt, in anyway, he would somehow appear and offer his services.  Of course, his assassinations always took place at night, mainly because he didn’t want to attack during the daytime, especially when it could alert his neighbor and best friend, Bai Yutong.  You see, Bai Yutong was from a family of cops who definitely had no idea that his childhood best friend was a fucking assassin.  And Zhan Yao definitely wasn’t having that conversation with him, so he tried to keep his assassinations very…on the down low. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Of course, Zhan Yao didn’t want to do this line of work forever (I mean he could but after a while, it got boring) so he decided that he was going to study abroad and get his Ph.D. in criminal psychology.  Why?  Well why not?  Understanding a criminal’s psyche was very important, especially when trying to understand why people like pedophiles, child rapists, abusers, and murders did what they did.  The human brain had always fascinated him, both in how it worked and how it looked whenever a bullet went through it and splattered all over the pavement.  Bai Yutong, of course, wasn’t particularly happy with his decision to go abroad but Zhan Yao just assured him that it was for the best.         “Can you even speak English?” Bai Yutong demanded the night before Zhan Yao’s flight as he laid on Zhan Yao’s bed, his head on Zhan Yao’s lap as Zhan Yao ran his

fingers through his hair.  Zhan Yao scoffed.         “Mouse, I’ve been taking lessons for the past six years when I was in undergrad and in grad school…I think I’ll be okay” he assured.  Bai Yutong sighed.         “You know I’m just worried about you, right?  You’re kind of useless without me” he teased.  Zhan Yao tsked and pinched his cheek, causing him to squawk in pain as he sighed.  Bai Yutong wasn’t exactly wrong; Zhan Yao was excellent with a sniper rifle, but in all other aspects of his life…he was pretty shit.  Bai Yutong was really the only reason he had a reasonable eating schedule and sleep schedule…and he was the reason Zhan Yao didn’t kill himself from food poisoning because…Zhan Yao could not cook to save his life.         “I’ll be fine, Mouse.  Maybe I’ll finally learn how to cook when I’m over there” he mused.  Bai Yutong laughed.         “That’ll be the day” he agreed.  Both men then fell into a comfortable silence, neither of them saying anything, until Bai Yutong looked up at Zhan Yao.         “Cat” he started, making Zhan Yao look down at him.         “Hmm?” he hummed.  Bai Yutong then smiled weakly.         “I’m going to miss you” he whispered.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened and he felt his bottom lip tremble before he leaned down and wrapped his arms around Bai Yutong, hugging him tightly.         “I’m going to miss you too” he croaked.

~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning was bittersweet as Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong said goodbye, both men hugging each other tightly before Zhan Yao pulled away, looking into Bai Yutong’s eyes.         “Call me, okay?” he whispered.  Bai Yutong smiled.         “All the time” he replied.  Zhan Yao nodded and Bai Yutong smiled weakly before he pulled Zhan Yao in for another hug.         “You be careful, you hear me?  I won’t be there to kick people’s asses” he murmured.  Zhan Yao chuckled and patted his back.         “I’ll be fine, Mouse” he assured.  And he wasn’t lying; he was going to be perfectly fine.  He was a fucking assassin for god’s sake, he was pretty damn sure he could take care of himself.  They then pulled away, Bai Yutong smiling fondly at Zhan Yao.         “’m proud of you, Cat” he declared.  Zhan Yao looked at him tearily before he smiled.         “Thank you, Mouse” he whispered.  Bai Yutong nodded before he fondly slapped Zhan Yao on the ass.         “Now go on, you gotta get through TSA or else you’re gonna miss your flight” he stated.  Zhan Yao smiled and nodded before he turned and headed towards the TSA lines, glancing back over his shoulder every now and then to see Bai Yutong still standing where he left him, a fond yet proud smile on his face.  He then waved, Bai Yutong returning his wave, before he turned and continued towards TSA, a small smile on his face.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ After getting through TSA and sitting through a ridiculously long flight, Zhan Yao soon arrived in America, looking around with wide eyes.  Since he was in a relatively new place, he followed the crowd from his plane to the baggage claim and waited with the rest of the plane for his luggage.  Once he finally saw his luggage, he quickly grabbed it and turned to head outside to flag down a taxi to take him to his dorms when he noticed a man standing off to the side with his name, written in Chinese, on a sign.  He frowned in confusion before he slowly made his way over to the man and stopped before him.         “You’re Zhan Yao, yes?” the man asked, in perfect fucking Chinese.  Zhan Yao blinked in surprise before he nodded.         “Yes.  And you are?” he replied.  The man laughed.         “Who I am isn’t important.  I was just told I was to pick you up from the airport and escort you back.  And please don’t make this difficult for me…it wouldn’t end well for you” he stated.  Zhan Yao hummed; he had a feeling that the man wasn’t lying about the “it not ending well for him” part.  He then frowned.         “But, I’m supposed to be heading to my school to move in—” he started when the man waved his hand.         “Don’t worry about that.  You can talk it over with the boss.  Now come on” he instructed, motioning for Zhan Yao to follow him.  Zhan Yao looked at him warily but followed him through the airport until they came upon a black car, which the man motioned to.         “Get in” he instructed.  Zhan Yao frowned but did as he was told, getting into the car as the man got in after him, after placing his luggage in the trunk.  Once the man was in the car, the driver started the car and drove away from the airport and through the city until they arrived at a rather fancy villa, making Zhan Yao blink.         “Where are we?” he murmured.  The man smiled.         “You’ll see in a minute” he replied as he got out of the car, motioning for Zhan Yao to get out as well.  Zhan Yao nodded and slipped out of the car after him, following him into the villa and up the stairs to a room where an older gentleman was sitting at his desk, a small smile on his face when he saw Zhan Yao.         “Ah, you must be Zhan Yao” he greeted.  Zhan Yao dipped his head to him before he frowned.         “I’m sorry, but what am I doing here?” he asked.  The older gentleman smiled.         “I’ve heard a lot about you, Zhan Yao.  One of China’s best snipers” he stated.  Zhan Yao blinked.         “You’ve…heard of me?” he asked.  The older gentleman laughed.         “Of course.  Which is why you’re here” he explained, motioning to the villa.  Zhan Yao frowned.         “I

don’t understand…what am I here for?” he asked.  The older gentleman smiled.         “We want you to work for us” he declared.  Zhan Yao frowned.         “Why me, specifically?” he demanded.  The older gentleman shrugged.         “You’re good at your job.  Simple as that” he replied.  Zhan Yao huffed.         “But I didn’t come here to be a sniper.  I came here to get my Ph.D.” he argued.  The older gentleman nodded.         “We know.  Which is fine with us.  You can still get your degree while working for us.  We won’t contact you all the time, only when we need a hit.  It’s like you won’t even know we’re here” he assured.  Zhan Yao frowned, making the older gentleman smile.         “Are you here on scholarship or a full-ride?” he asked.  Zhan Yao blinked.         “Um…scholarship” he answered.  The older gentleman hummed.         “Tell you what, how about we sweeten the deal a little?  What if I tell you I will pay your entire tuition for the entirety of your program if you work for us?” he stated.  Zhan Yao’s mouth fell open in shock.         “You—” he started when the older gentleman nodded.         “I meant what I said when I said I wanted you to work for us.  Money is no problem for us.  I’m willing to pay whatever” he declared.  Zhan Yao looked at him for a moment before he sighed.         “You’ll only call me whenever you want a hit?” he confirmed.  The older gentleman grinned before he nodded.         “Only when we want a hit” he assured.  Zhan Yao then took a deep breath before he sighed again.         “Fine.  I’ll work for you” he agreed.  The older gentleman smiled and clapped his hand before he raised an eyebrow.         “Are you staying on campus?” he asked.  Zhan Yao nodded.         “Yes sir” he answered.  The older gentleman shook his head.         “No.  You’ll stay here” he declared.   Zhan Yao’s eyes widened.         “What about my—” he started when the older gentleman waved his hand.         “I’ll take care of everything.  It’s much more convenient for you to stay here at the villa.  Besides, we have everything here and my men can drive you to school if you absolutely need to go” he assured.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he sighed and nodded.         “Alright” he agreed.  The older gentleman clapped his hands in delight before he motioned to Zhan Yao’s bags.         “Show him to his room” he instructed.  The man who escorted Zhan Yao to the villa nodded and motioned for Zhan Yao to follow him up the stairs, Zhan Yao doing as he was told.  They then headed upstairs and down the hall to a room at the end of the hall, the man pushing open the doors before stepping aside.         “Your room” he murmured.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened as he stepped inside and looked around before he turned to look at the man.         “This is my room?” he breathed.  The man nodded.         “Mm” he replied.  Zhan Yao blinked before he cleared his throat.         “Tell him thank you for me” he requested.  The man nodded and shut the doors behind him while Zhan Yao looked around the large and spacious room, which was equip with a king size bed, a large desk with multiple computer monitors, a bookshelf of his very own, and over in the corner of the room, a rifle box.  At the sight of the rifle, Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow before he placed his suitcase down and walked over to the rifle box, opening it to find the latest and newest sniper rifle on the market inside.  His eyes widened in surprise as he gently ran his fingers over the weapon, staring at the rifle in awe; the thing must have cost this mafia a fortune.           ‘They really weren’t kidding when they said they wanted me to work for them’ he mused as he closed the rifle box, his phone suddenly vibrating in his pocket.  He frowned and quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking to see who was calling him and once he realized who it was, he grinned and swiped the button to answer, placing his phone to his ear.         “Mouse” he greeted.         “Cat!  You fucker, you were supposed to call me when you landed you asshole!” Bai Yutong shouted on the other line.  Zhan

Yao chuckled.         “What, are you pacing around at home, wearing a path into your flooring?” he teased.  Bai Yutong huffed.         “Maybe.  But enough about me.  How are you?  Are you okay?  How’s America?  Do you like it?” he asked.  Zhan Yao hummed as he looked around his room before he smiled to himself.         “I think I’m going to like it” he agreed. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Over the next six years, while he worked on getting his Ph.D., Zhan Yao worked and lived with the American mafia, acting as their hitman whenever they needed him, which surprisingly wasn’t as often as he thought.  Considering the type of people he usually went after, he thought there would be more instances that he would be needed, but he was hardly disturbed.  Whenever he asked why he wasn’t needed for certain jobs, the boss just smiled and waved his hand, assuring him that they wouldn’t use his talents for anything other than the “big guns”, otherwise known as the really wealthy.  And while Zhan Yao appreciated that, sometimes spending all day locked in his room with his computer and just staring at screen after screen made him want to fucking shoot something so sometimes, he would beg the don to let him take on a “lesser” case, just to let off some steam.  The don always laughed at him whenever he asked to take on those cases, but he never said no and allowed Zhan Yao to do whatever he wanted.  And Zhan Yao was quite grateful for that because if he didn’t have those chances to “blow off steam”, he was sure he would have snapped a long time ago.   ~*~*~*~*~*~ After six long years, Zhan Yao finally received his Ph.D. and while he liked America and the friends he had made, he felt like it was time for him to return to China.  When he told the don, whose name he learned was Tony, his plan, Tony frowned.         “You sure you don’t wanna stay?  You’ve done a lot of good here, Yao” he stated.  Zhan Yao shook his head.         “I’ve enjoyed my time here, in America, and with you all…but I’m not going to lie, I am a bit homesick” he admitted.  Tony smirked.         “For that boyfriend of yours, I suppose” he mused.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened.         “Boyfriend?” he repeated.  Tony chuckled.         “Yutong, I think his name was?  You talk to him almost every day.  He must be the one you’re really missing” he stated.  Zhan Yao blushed; Bai Yutong was a bit part of his homesickness, but he really did miss Hong Kong too.  Tony then laughed and waved his hand.         “Say no more, say no more.  I’ll make sure you’re on the next flight out” he assured.  Zhan Yao dipped his head.         “Thank you” he thanked.  Tony laughed.         “We should be the ones thanking you.  You put a lot of families at ease, Yao” he stated.  Zhan Yao smiled and shrugged.         “Just doing my job” he replied. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When Zhan Yao returned to Hong Kong, the first thing he did was take a taxi to his apartment and then pass out on his bed, not even bothering to let Bai Yutong or even his parents know that he was home.  And when he woke up from his jet-lag fueled slumber the next day, he quickly changed out of his pajamas and into more professional looking clothes before he headed out of his apartment and took a taxi to the Hong Kong Police Department.  When he arrived, he paid the driver before getting out and heading inside, making a beeline for the information desk.         “I’m here to see Bao Sir” he stated.  The officer blinked before he quickly picked up the phone and dialed a number, placing the phone to his ear.         “Bao Sir.  Someone’s here in the lobby to see you” he stated.  He then hung up the phone before he looked at Zhan Yao.         “He should be right down” he assured.  Zhan Yao dipped his head and stepped away from the information desk, just in case someone needed to report something, waiting for the chief of the Hong Kong Police Department, Bao Heizei, to arrive.  He thankfully didn’t have to wait very long because soon a man of average height with light tan skin, brown eyes, and curly black hair walked through the automatic gates over to him, a

bright smile on his face.         “Dr. Zhan” he greeted.  Zhan Yao smiled as he shook Bao Heizei’s outstretched hand.         “Bao Sir” he replied.  Bao Heizei smiled.         “Thank you for coming.  How was your flight?” he asked.  Zhan Yao huffed.         “Long” he murmured.  Bao Heizei chuckled.         “I bet.  Come, come, follow me” he instructed, motioning for Zhan Yao to follow him through the automatic gates and over to the elevators.  They then stepped into the elevators and rode it up to the eleventh floor, where Bao Heizei’s office was located, Bao Heizei quickly ushering him over to his office before he motioned to the chair in front of his desk.         “Sit sit sit” he urged.  Zhan Yao nodded and sat down as Bao Heizei sat down across from him and smiled.         “I’m glad you replied” he stated.  Zhan Yao smiled.         “Well, I’m glad you reached out…I had no idea there was a psychology department here at the police department” he replied.  Bao Heizei chuckled.         “Well, we could use a brilliant mind like you here in our department” he explained.  Zhan Yao hummed before he took a shuddering breath and looked at him.         “Bao Sir…you know what I really am beneath my Ph.D., don’t you?” he asked.  Bao Heizei nodded.         “Of course I know.  It’s why I asked you to join us” he replied.  Zhan Yao shook his head.         “But why?” he demanded.  Bao Heizei huffed.         “Because you’re more than just an assassin.  I think you can do some real good police work, Zhan Yao” he declared before he looked at Zhan Yao.         “Does Bai Yutong know?” he asked.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened.         “No!” he exclaimed before he cleared his throat.         “No…I’ve never told him.  I don’t think I could…or can” he murmured.  Bao Heizei hummed.         “Well…let’s just keep this a little secret between us, hmm?  No one has to know” he declared.  Zhan Yao looked at him in shock before he nodded.         “Okay…thank you” he thanked.  Bao Heizei smiled and nodded before he stood to his feet.         “Come, let’s meet your new team” he declared.  Zhan Yao frowned.         “New team?” he asked as he stood to his feet and follow Bao Heizei out of the room.  Bao Heizei nodded.         “Mm.  I created a new department called S.C.I. and I told them I was going to introduce a new member today” he explained.  Zhan Yao frowned.         “S.C.I….isn’t that the team that Bai Yutong heads?” he asked.  Bao Heizei hummed.         “It is” he agreed as they headed over to the S.C.I. department. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Meanwhile, the S.C.I. department, Bai Yutong and his team members, Wang Shao, Zhao Fu, Ma Han, Bai Chi, and Jiang Ling, were waiting around, wondering where Bao Sir and the new team member was.         “Who do you think the new team member is?” Ma Han wondered aloud.  Bai Yutong huffed.         “Whoever they are, they sure are taking their sweet ass time” he grumbled.         “Well excuse me, I’m a little jet-lagged” a voice called out, making everyone turn to see Bao Heizei and Zhan Yao walking into the department, a small smile on Zhan Yao’s face.           “Zhan Yao?!” Bai Yutong exclaimed the minute he saw him.           “That’s Deputy Team Leader Zhan Yao, to you” Bao Heizei declared before he looked over at Zhan Yao.         “I think you can handle it from here” he murmured.  Zhan Yao nodded and Bao Heizei clapped him on the shoulder before he turned and headed out of the department.  Once he was gone, Bai Yutong stormed over to Zhan Yao and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly before he pulled away.         “You…you fucker!  You didn’t even bother to call and tell me you came home!” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao smiled weakly.         “Sorry Mouse…I was just so exhausted it hadn’t even crossed my mind” he murmured.         “But I could have come to get you!” Bai Yutong exclaimed.  Zhan Yao shook his head.         “I didn’t want to bother you” he replied.  Bai Yutong huffed before he turned to face the rest of the S.C.I. team, who were looking at him in confusion.         “This is Dr. Zhan Yao, criminal

psychologist.  He’s going to be joining our team” he declared.           “Woah, wait, you’re the Dr. Zhan Yao?!  I’ve heard things about you, you’re amazing!” Wang Shao exclaimed.  Zhan Yao blushed as Bai Yutong waved his hand.         “Alright, alright, alright, get back to work” he ordered before he looked at Zhan Yao.         “And you…follow me” he ordered.  Zhan Yao nodded and followed Bai Yutong over to one of two offices, Bai Yutong opening the door before motioning inside.         “This is your office” he declared.  Zhan Yao looked around appreciatively before he walked over to his desk and placed his briefcase down as Bai Yutong shut the door and crossed his arms.         “I really am hurt Cat, that you didn’t even bother to tell me that you were coming home” he murmured.  Zhan Yao looked up at him and smiled softly.         “I’m sorry, Yutong.  I just…wanted to surprise you” he explained.  Bai Yutong huffed.         “Well, this is certainly one hell of a surprise” he murmured before he clapped his hands.         “Let me get you up to speed on what we’re working with” he stated, quickly exiting the room and grabbing some files before entering Zhan Yao’s office again, handing him the files.         “Since we don’t have any active cases at the moment, Bao Sir’s letting us take a crack at some of these cold cases…we think it’s the work of a serial killer, but we can’t be sure.  What do you think?” he asked.  Zhan Yao hummed before he opened the file, looking through the reports before his eyes widened at the evidence photos.  They were all photos…of his work.  Of all the hits he did in the past years before he went to America.  Oh…oh this was bad.         “Well?  Do you think this is a work of a serial killer?” Bai Yutong asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.  Zhan Yao then shook his head, blinking, before he cleared his throat.         “I think so…but I can’t be sure” he murmured as he looked up at Bai Yutong.         “Let me talk to Bao Sir about this…maybe he knows something” he suggested.  Bai Yutong nodded.         “Sounds like a good idea.  I’ll go with you” he offered.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened before he shook his head.         “No…no.  It’s alright.  I’ll be fast” he assured.  Bai Yutong frowned before he shrugged.         “Alright, up to you” he replied as Zhan Yao stood up from his desk and quickly slipped past him, heading out of his office and out of the department, making a beeline for Bao Heizei’s office.         “You let them take my case?!” he shouted the minute he burst through the doors, making Bao Heizei look up with wide eyes before he huffed.         “Close the door” he ordered.  Zhan Yao then slammed the door behind him as he stormed over to Bao Heizei and shook the case files at him.         “You let Bai Yutong take the “Z” cases?!  Are you insane?!  How am I supposed to keep my past a secret if it’s literally staring me in the god damn face!” he hissed.  Bao Heizei huffed.         “I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t budge.  You know how stubborn he is when he gets something in his mind that he wants to do” he reminded.  Zhan Yao groaned.         “What am I supposed to do then?  How can I play “profiler” on my own fucking profile?!” he exclaimed.  Bao Heizei shrugged.         “Just lie” he argued.         “Bai Yutong can read me like a fucking lie detector!  It wouldn’t work!” Zhan Yao exclaimed.  Bao Heizei huffed.         “Zhan Yao, I don’t know what more you want me to do.  Just…play along.  Make up a fake profile…hopefully a new case will come soon so that you can stick these cases back in the box and never touch them again but for now…just play along” he instructed.  Zhan Yao looked at him for a moment before he took a deep breath and nodded, straightening himself out before he turned and headed out of the office, heading back to the S.C.I. department.  When he stepped back inside, Bai Yutong walked over to him and raised an eyebrow.         “So?  Was Bao Sir helpful?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked over at him before he shook his head.         “Not really…I’m going to have to

study these a bit more before I can come up with a profile” he stated.  Bai Yutong nodded.         “Take your time.  They’re cold cases, there’s no need to solve them right away.  We’ve got time” he assured before he laughed.         “And who knows.  Maybe a case will come along, and we won’t even have to worry about those old cases” he declared.  Zhan Yao smiled thinly before he walked past Bai Yutong and headed back to his office, his smile immediately falling the minute he walked away.         ‘Let’s fucking hope so’ he thought to himself. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Thankfully Zhan Yao’s prayers were heard because almost the next day, they had gotten an anonymous tip saying that an informant had some information on a local gang that S.C.I. was trying to stop.  So, after they had gotten the anonymous tip, the S.C.I. team headed out to the warehouse where the informant said they would meet and when they arrived, Zhan Yao immediately frowned.         “This seems like a trap” he murmured.  Bai Yutong tsked.         “I’ve met informants in weird and sketchy warehouses before, this is nothing” he assured.  Zhan Yao frowned but followed him into the warehouse, the others following behind.  As they looked around, they noticed that it was eerily empty and incredibly dark, making it almost impossible to see anything inside save for the few overhead lights that were shining down on them as the windows had been all blacked out.           “Bai Sir, are you sure this is where we’re supposed to meet the informant?” Bai Chi asked, looking over at Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong said nothing as he continued to look around before he frowned.         “You know, maybe…maybe this is a trap” he murmured, just as the warehouse doors suddenly slammed shut, making everyone whirl around in shock before Bai Yutong looked over at Zhan Yao and glared.         “Don’t you say a word” he growled.  Zhan Yao scoffed, just as his eyes fluttered and the world suddenly went black. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When Zhan Yao woke up a little while later, he found himself on his knees with his hands bound by zip-ties in front of him.         ‘What the hell?’ he thought to himself before he looked over to find Bai Yutong and the others also bound, but they were all tied together in one bundle, ropes wrapped around their torsos and wrists.         “Bai Yutong!” he exclaimed, making Bai Yutong look up at him with wide eyes.         “Cat!” he cried, just as a low, dark chuckle echoed throughout the warehouse, making everyone turn to see a man dressed in all black step out of the shadows.         “Not so tough now, are we, Bai Sir?” the man sneered.  Bai Yutong snarled.         “Zhang Jie, when I get out of here, I’ll kill you” he growled.  The man, Zhang Jie, laughed.         “When you get out?  That’s cute, Bai Sir…but none of you are getting out of here alive” he declared.         “That’s what you think” Zhan Yao murmured, making Zhang Jie look over at him and raise an eyebrow.         “What was that?” he asked before he walked over to Zhan Yao and grasped him by his face, forcing him to look up at him.         “Huh?  Speak up.  It’s rude to mumble” he growled.  Zhan Yao smirked.         “I said, that’s what you think” he snarled before he spat in Zhang Jie’s face, causing the man to stumble backwards in surprise.  Zhang Jie then huffed as he wiped the spit out of his eyes before he growled at Zhan Yao and pulled a gun out of his belt, pointing it at him.         “No!” Bai Yutong shouted, causing Zhang Jie to turn and point the gun at him, making Zhan Yao’s eyes widen before he pushed himself up onto his heels and launched himself at Zhang Jie, crashing into the man.  As they crashed to the ground, the gun went skittering out of Zhang Jie’s hand, causing Zhan Yao to look over at it with wide eyes before he pushed himself off Zhang Jie and ran over to the gun, picking it up.  He then pointed the gun at Zhang Jie before he glanced over at Bai Yutong and the others, Bai Yutong’s eyes wide in shock but there was also a hint of pleading in them…to not kill the man.  Zhan Yao took a deep breath

before he suddenly pointed the gun at their own source of light in the warehouse and fired a shot, shattering the bulb and plunging the warehouse into darkness.         “Zhan Yao!” Bai Yutong shouted, searching the darkness for the man but he couldn’t see anything; even if there was a hand in front of his face, he wouldn’t have been able to see it.  As he searched around the dark, trying to figure out where Zhan Yao and Zhang Jie were, he heard the sound of fighting before a gunshot suddenly rang out, making him and the other S.C.I. team members flinch.           “What the fuck was that?” Zhao Fu hissed.           “I don’t know” Ma Han whimpered.           “I hope Dr. Zhan’s fine” Wang Shao murmured.         “He’ll be fine” Bai Yutong snapped, just as the warehouse suddenly flooded with light, making everyone squint at the sudden light.         “The hell?” Wang Shao exclaimed, just as Zhan Yao suddenly appeared before Bai Yutong, smiling softly.         “Cat” Bai Yutong breathed, staring at Zhan Yao with wide eyes.  Zhan Yao chuckled before he quickly untied the ropes from around Bai Yutong and the others, allowing them to stand to their feet.         “What happened to Zhang Jie?  Where’d he go?” Bai Yutong demanded.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he sighed heavily and motioned for him to follow him over to where Zhang Jie’s body lay on the ground, a single gunshot wound to his temple.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and he knelt down, studying the body when he noticed a familiar symbol carved behind Zhang Jie’s ear.  He frowned and stared at the symbol for a moment before he slowly looked up at Zhan Yao, who just hung his head, never saying a word.  Bai Yutong then slowly stood to his feet, his eyes never leaving Zhan Yao before he let out a huff.         “You’re Z?” he whispered.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he nodded slightly causing Bai Yutong to shake his head in disbelief.         “YOU’RE Z?!” he shouted, making the other members of S.C.I. look over at him in shock.         “Bai Sir, what the hell are you talking about?” Ma Han exclaimed.  Bai Yutong then looked over at them and motioned them over as he pointed to Zhang Jie’s body.         “Look at the symbol.  Right behind his ear” he ordered.  The other S.C.I. members frowned before they walked over to Zhang Jie’s body and knelt down, looking at the symbol carved into his skin behind his ear, their eyes widening in horror before they all looked up at Zhan Yao.         “Dr. Zhan” Bai Chi whispered.  Zhan Yao said nothing and just looked away, causing all of S.C.I. to stare at him before Bai Yutong turned and stormed out of the warehouse, Zhan Yao’s eyes widening as he turned to watch him leave before he rushed after him, leaving the other S.C.I. members alone in the warehouse, stunned and confused.         “Dr. Zhan…was the one who killed all those people?  It can’t be…” Ma Han murmured.  Zhao Fu shook his head as he pointed to Zhang Jie’s body.         “But the evidence doesn’t lie” he reminded.           “What the fuck…” Wang Shao whispered. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Meanwhile, Zhan Yao rushed after Bai Yutong, who was heading over to his car.         “Bai Yutong!” he shouted, making Bai Yutong stop and turn to look at him with piercing eyes before he huffed.         “Get in the car” he ordered.  Zhan Yao stared at him before he quietly walked over to the passenger’s seat and got in, Bai Yutong getting behind the wheel before he turned on the car and drove away from the warehouse, heading back to the police department.  The drive back was incredibly awkward as Bai Yutong clutched at the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were almost white while Zhan Yao stared out the window, not sure what to say.  After a while, Zhan Yao looked over at Bai Yutong and sighed.         “Bai Yutong—” he started.         “Don’t” Bai Yutong growled, his eyes never leaving the road.         “I don’t want to hear it” he snarled.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he sighed again and rested his head against the headrest, shutting his eyes, a single tear streaming out of the corner of his

eye. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When they returned to the police department, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao headed inside and up to the eleventh floor, where Zhan Yao quickly headed to his office and shut the door behind him, leaving Bai Yutong alone in the bullpen, just as the other S.C.I. members walked in, immediately looking at him.         “Bai Sir, is Dr. Zhan really the one behind those cold cases?” Bai Chi asked.  Bai Yutong just shot him a glare and he immediately cowed under his gaze as Bai Yutong huffed.         “Get back to work” he ordered.  The other S.C.I. members nodded before they walked over to their desks and began working as Bai Yutong headed to his office, glancing over at Zhan Yao’s office before he headed inside his own.  He sat in his office for all of five minutes before he let out a groan and quickly stood to his feet, heading out of his office and over to Zhan Yao’s, throwing open the door, startling Zhan Yao into looking up from his work.         “Bai Yutong?” he asked, frowning at him.  Bai Yutong stared at him before he let out a huff.         “How long?” he demanded.  Zhan Yao frowned.         “How long what?” he asked.  Bai Yutong pointed at him.         “How long have you been killing?  And don’t fucking lie to me” he snarled.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he sighed.         “All my life” he answered.  Bai Yutong stared at him in disgust before he huffed.         “You have some fucking nerve, Zhan Yao.  You’re a fucking killer and yet you’re a cop.  Is this job some kind of joke to you?  Am I some kind of joke to you?” he demanded, making Zhan Yao look up at him.         “Bai Yutong—” he started.         “No, you know what?  You’re a fucking hypocrite, Zhan Yao.  You chase down people who fucking kill and hurt others and yet you’re JUST LIKE THEM.  You’re a fucking KILLER!” Bai Yutong roared.  Zhan Yao said nothing and just stared at him, tears glistening in his brown eyes, causing him to sigh heavily.         “You know what?  I don’t want to see you anymore.  Just…leave.  Just go” he murmured.  Zhan Yao looked at him for a moment before he quietly packed up his briefcase and stood to his feet, slipping past Bai Yutong as he headed towards the door when Bai Yutong looked at him.         “And Zhan Yao—” he started, making Zhan Yao stop and turn to look back at him.         “If I find out that you kill again…I’m walking out of your life.  You will never see me again.  Do you understand me?” he growled.  Zhan Yao just stared at him before he nodded silently and stepped out of his office, walking past the other S.C.I. members before heading out of the department.  Wang Shao, Jiang Ling, Bai Chi, Ma Han, and Zhao Fu watched him leave before they turned back to their work while Bai Yutong let out a heavy sigh as he sat on the edge of Zhan Yao’s desk, placing his head in his hand.  He couldn’t believe it.  His best friend…a fucking killer. ~*~*~*~*~*~ After leaving the S.C.I. department, Zhan Yao headed to Bao Heizei’s office, knocking on the door.         “Come in” a voice called from inside.  Zhan Yao then opened the door and stepped inside, Bao Heizei looking up at him.         “Dr. Zhan?  Is there something I can do for you?” he asked.  Zhan Yao said nothing before he closed the door behind him and walked over to Bao Heizei’s desk, sitting down before him.         “He knows” he whispered.  Bao Heizei frowned.           “What do you mean?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked up at him, tears in his eyes, before he sniffled.         “Bai Yutong knows.  S.C.I. knows.  About me.  About what I’ve done” he whispered.  Bao Heizei’s eyes widened before he frowned.         “How?” he demanded.  Zhan Yao sighed.         “We got a report…an informant said that they had some information on a case and when we went to go see them…we were ambushed” he murmured before he looked at Bao Heizei.         “He was going to shoot Bai Yutong!  I couldn’t let him kill him” he exclaimed.  Bao Heizei hummed and nodded as Zhan Yao huffed.         “In that moment, I didn’t care what happened to me…I didn’t care if I was the one who got shot, if

I was the one who died…hell if I got thrown out of the police department…I just could not let Bai Yutong die.  So I killed him” he growled.  Bao Heizei nodded again before he sighed softly.         “Why don’t…you take some time off?  Give Bai Yutong some time to take it all in, give you some time to just…rest” he murmured.  Zhan Yao nodded.         “Yes sir” he murmured.  Bao Heizei then watched as Zhan Yao stood up and headed over to the door, opening it before stepping out, quietly closing the door behind him.  Bao Heizei watched him walk away before he let out a heavy sigh.         “Oh Zhan Yao” he murmured. ~*~*~*~*~*~ A few weeks after Zhan Yao left S.C.I. at Bao Heizei’s suggestion, Bai Yutong was briefing a new case to S.C.I. when the television suddenly switched from Jiang Ling’s computer screen to a black screen, making everyone look at it with a frown.         “What the hell?” Zhao Fu grumbled, just as a cackle echoed throughout the sound system.         “Bai Sir~” a voice suddenly cooed, making Bai Yutong frown as the television suddenly switched from black to a livestream of what looked like a person, their face covered with a bag, in a warehouse, shirtless, on their knees, their face and body covered with cuts and bruises as well as some pretty gruesome brand marks.           “I believe I have something of yours, Bai Sir~” the voice purred before a man dressed in all black walked over to the person on their knees and yanked the bag off their head, revealing Zhan Yao.  At the sight of Zhan Yao, the S.C.I. members let out gasps of horror and shock while Bai Yutong just stared at his partner with wide eyes.         “You must be wondering how I kidnapped him…it’s a secret” the man declared before he pulled out a knife and slashed Zhan Yao’s arm, causing him to cry out in pain.  Bai Yutong flinched at the sound of Zhan Yao’s cry, but he said nothing as the torturer just chuckled and tsked.         “Oh?  No reaction?  Looks like I’m going to have to try a bit harder then” he mused before he suddenly kicked Zhan Yao in the side with the steel-toed boots he was wearing, causing Zhan Yao to gasp in pain as he crashed to the ground, curling in on himself as his face contorted in pain.  Seeing Zhan Yao in pain made Bai Yutong curl his hands into fists, and he growled low in his throat, but he still couldn’t get over Zhan Yao’s betrayal, so he just stayed quiet as the torturer grabbed Zhan Yao by the hair and yanked him up so that he was on his knees once more.  As they watched the livestream, Bao Heizei walked into S.C.I. and frowned.         “What’s going on here?” he asked.  Wang Shao said nothing and just pointed to the television screen, making Bao Heizei turn to see Zhan Yao, on his knees, shirtless, wincing and hissing in pain, brand marks and slash wounds covering his body.         “What the hell is he doing?  Why isn’t he breaking free?  Why isn’t he fighting?” he demanded.         “Because I told him that if he ever killed again, I would cut myself out of his life forever” Bai Yutong answered, his voice tight.  Bao Heizei looked over at him with wide eyes before he stormed over to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, giving him a hard shake.         “SO YOU WOULD RATHER WATCH HIM DIE THEN LET HIM FREE HIMSELF?!  HUH?!  YOUR PARTNER?!  THE PERSON YOU WOULD DIE FOR?!” he screamed.  Bai Yutong looked at him with wide eyes before he shoved him away.         “He claims to be a cop and yet he’s killed people!  He’s a fucking hypocrite!” he shouted.           “LIKE YOU HAVEN’T KILLED PEOPLE YOURSELF!  WHAT MAKES YOU ANY DIFFERENT FROM HIM?!” Bao Heizei roared.  Bai Yutong blinked before he opened his mouth to protest when Bao Heizei pointed a finger at him.         “You don’t get to judge him when you’ve done the exact same thing.  You’ve killed people too, Bai Yutong” he hissed.  Bai Yutong shook his head.         “But that’s different!” he exclaimed.           “Is it?” Bao Heizei demanded.  Bai Yutong’s mouth fell open in shock before he shook his head again.         “I—” he started.         “You’ve

killed people to stop them from hurting others later on, correct?  Those criminals whom you knew were going to keep hurting people unless they were stopped?” Bao Heizei demanded.  Bai Yutong stared at him before he nodded slightly.  Bao Heizei then pointed to the TV screen.         “He’s done the exact same thing” he declared.  Bai Yutong frowned.         “What do you mean?” he asked.  Bao Heizei huffed.         “Even before he went to America, Zhan Yao was hired by people, mainly by the victim’s families, to assassinate pedophiles, abusers, child molesters, and child rapists.  He’s never killed an innocent person in his life” he growled.  Bai Yutong looked at him in shock before he shook his head.         “Why didn’t they just go to the police?” he demanded.  Bao Heizei scoffed.         “If the abuser, molester, or pedophile is a rich or affluent person, you think the police is going to do anything?  You know how rich people are, they like to get their hands on the investigation and pay a lot of money to just have the whole thing covered up or “solved”.  And Zhan Yao refused to let that happen, let another victim suffer and let another monster go free so he killed them.  It was deserved and the only thing he could do to stop them” he snarled as he looked Bai Yutong in the eyes.         “Do you know why he never told you any of this?” he asked.  Bai Yutong shook his head.         “Because he knew you’d react like how you are now.  He knows how much justice means to you, so he hid that part of himself away.  But deep down?  He’s still the Zhan Yao you grew up with.  You know that day that you got ambused?  And he killed Zhang Jie?” Bao Heizei asked.  Bai Yutong and the rest of S.C.I. nodded as Bao Heizei huffed.         “That day, you know what he told me?” he asked.  Bai Yutong shook his head again.         “He said that he didn’t care what happened to him.  He didn’t care if he died, if he got kicked out of the police force, none of that matter except for your safety” Bao Heizei declared, pointing a finger at Bai Yutong.         “He cared more about you and your safety then his own god damn well being.  That’s why he killed Zhang Jie.  And all those cold cases you were looking at.  The so called “Z” cases?  Did you never once realize that all the victims in those cases…were rapists?  Were pedophiles?  Were child molesters?  Were abusers?” he hissed.  Bai Yutong blinked, just as a pained screamed echoed through the sound system, making everyone turn to see Zhan Yao doubled over in pain, a brand-new brand on the middle of his back as his kidnapper cackled, having far too much fun with his torture.  Bai Yutong stared at the screen and his hands slowly closed into fists as rage began to course through his body before he turned and looked at Jiang Ling.         “Jiang Ling, track the IP address of the video and once you figure out where it’s being transmitted from, send me the address” he ordered as he headed for the sliding doors.         “Wait, Bai Sir, where are you going?” Bai Chi called out.         “To save Zhan Yao!” Bai Yutong called back as he stepped through the sliding doors and headed for the elevators. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Bai Yutong then ran to his Lamborghini, his phone pinging with a text from Jiang Ling with the location of IP address.  He quickly pulled out his phone and looked at it, pressing the address to send it to google maps.  Once the address was typed into the GPS, Bai Yutong got into his Lamborghini, turned on the engine, and gunned it out of the parking lot, eyes constantly shifting between the road and the GPS as he broke nearly every traffic law in the book but who was going to stop him?  Everyone in Hong Kong knew him and his car, so he knew that he was perfectly fine to keep speeding down the roads and through the lights (he was very careful of cars though) until he reached the address.  He then quickly parked the car and got out, first checking to make sure that his gun was fully loaded, before he ran into the warehouse, Zhan Yao’s torturer turning at the sound.  Before he could even move, Bai

Yutong was already pulling the trigger, firing bullet after bullet into the man until he fell to the ground, dead.  Bai Yutong then ran over to Zhan Yao, first kicking the camera off the tripod and watching as it crashed to the ground, plastic pieces going everywhere, before he knelt beside Zhan Yao and carefully pulled him into his arms, Zhan Yao immediately slumping against him.         “Zhan Yao.  Cat.  Kitten.  Can you hear me?” he asked, his voice full of panic.  Zhan Yao let out a soft groan before he weakly looked up at him.         “Y-Yutong?” he croaked.  Bai Yutong shook his head as he carefully wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly.         “I’m sorry Kitten.  I’m so sorry” he whispered before he removed his arms from around Zhan Yao and quickly took off his jacket, carefully wrapping it around Zhan Yao’s torso.         “You’re gonna be okay.  You’re gonna be okay, I’m gonna get you to a hospital.  You’re going to be okay” he promised as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing 110 before placing his phone to his ear.         “This is Sergeant Bai Yutong of S.C.I.  I need medical personnel right now; an officer’s been injured.  I repeat, an officer’s been injured” he reported before he put the phone down, keeping the line open so that the dispatch officers could figure out his location while he carefully wrapped his arms around Zhan Yao again and hugged him tightly, rocking him back and forth as he whispered apologies over and over until the paramedics arrived.  Once they got there, they rushed over to them and had to practically pry Zhan Yao out of Bai Yutong’s arms because he just would not let go.  After finally getting Bai Yutong to let go of Zhan Yao, they rushed him to the ambulance while Bai Yutong grabbed his phone, hanging up the call before he stood up and rushed out to his Lamborghini, waiting for the ambulance to leave before he quickly turned on the engine and followed after them. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When Zhao Yao woke up hours later, his entire body felt as if it had been constantly run over by semi-trucks and just…everything hurt.  As he tried to sit up, he let out a gasp of pain and clutched at his ribs, his face contorting in pain, just as a gentle hand appeared on his shoulder.         “Shh, don’t move Kitten.  Don’t move” a voice soothed, causing him to turn and look over with wide eyes to see Bai Yutong sitting beside him.         “B-Bai Yutong?” he whispered.  Bai Yutong smiled softly.         “Hey Kitten” he greeted.  Zhan Yao shook his head.         “What…where am I?” he croaked.  Bai Yutong sighed as he reached out and began to pet his hair, his touch almost ridiculously gentle.           “The hospital” he replied.  Zhan Yao stared at him for a moment before he frowned.         “What are you doing?” he demanded.  Bai Yutong raised an eyebrow.         “What do you mean?” he replied.  Zhan Yao huffed.         “You’re suddenly so nice to me even though a few weeks ago you looked at me as if I was the fucking devil incarnate, and you told me you never wanted to speak or see me again” he sneered.  Bai Yutong looked at him for a moment before he sighed heavily and continued to gently pet his hair.         “I’m sorry” he apologized.  Zhan Yao blinked.         “What?” he whispered.  Bai Yutong nodded.         “I’m sorry.  I was wrong and an asshole and if I hadn’t said anything, you wouldn’t have taken time off and wouldn’t be in the hospital right now” he explained as he looked at him.         “Bao Sir explained everything to me…I’m really sorry Zhan Yao” he apologized.  Zhan Yao looked at him in shock before he shook his head.         “So you don’t…you don’t hate me?” he whispered.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened.         “Hate you?  Zhan Yao, I could never hate you!  I just…I didn’t understand why you did what you did.  And I get why you never told me…I was kind of a dick” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed.         “No, it’s just that you…always held a stronger sense of right and wrong.  I tend to…toe the line.  Which is why I did what I did.  And why I couldn’t tell you.

 Because I knew if I told you…you would hate me” he whispered.  Bai Yutong shook his head as he leaned forward and rested his head against Zhan Yao’s.         “I could never hate you, Kitten.  I just wish you had told me” he replied.  Zhan Yao chuffed.         “Because that’s an easy conversation to bring up” he murmured.  Bai Yutong chuckled.         “True” he agreed before he pulled away and looked into Zhan Yao’s eyes.         “I’m not mad, Cat, and I don’t hate you” he promised.  Zhan Yao looked back at him and tears began to fill his eyes before he squeezed them shut, tears streaming out of the corners.  Bai Yutong then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead.         “Shh…shh…it’s alright.  It’s alright, Kitten.  Shhh…shhh” he soothed as Zhan Yao continued to cry, Bai Yutong’s lips never leaving his forehead.  Once he had finally calmed down, Zhan Yao sniffled and looked at Bai Yutong.         “What are we going to do now?” he asked weakly.  Bai Yutong shook his head.         “Don’t think about that now.  Just focus on getting better.  We’ll figure out what to do when you get out of here” he assured.  Zhan Yao nodded as he let out a sigh and relaxed back into his pillow, shutting his eyes.  Bai Yutong smiled softly at him before he reached out and began running his fingers through his hair again, Zhan Yao letting out a hum of content.         “Yutong?” he murmured, causing Bai Yutong to look at him and raise an eyebrow.         “Yes Kitten?” he replied.         “Thank you” Zhan Yao whispered.  Bai Yutong blinked in surprise before he smiled and nodded slightly.         “You’re welcome” he replied. ~*~*~*~*~*~ A few weeks after Zhan Yao was released, S.C.I. was pretty much back to normal.  There was no uncomfortable or awkward tension, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong bickered as usual, Wang Shao and Zhao Fu got into trouble, Bai Chi, Ma Han, and Jiang Ling worked, and Gongsun rolled his eyes at all of them before locking himself in his lab to work and keep out the noise.  The only real difference to the department was that in Zhan Yao’s office, sitting next to his filing cabinets, was a black duffle bag that didn’t used to be there before.  And the duffle bag was hardly ever used unless Bai Yutong came into his office with a case in his hand and a look in his eyes.  Whenever that happened, Zhan Yao would just glance up at him before he quietly reached behind him and grabbed the duffle bag, standing to his feet.  They then would head out of the department, the other S.C.I. members watching them quietly before they went back to work, none of them commenting on what they saw because what was there to say?  One of their bosses was an assassin and the other one was totally fine with it.  So, like…did their opinion or comments really matter?  No.  Not really.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Jing City Meet Hong Kong

When Bai Yutong and the rest of the S.C.I. team found out that they were going to do a joint investigation with another police department, they weren’t very happy. “Why do we have to work with them?” Bai Yutong grumbled after Bao Heizei briefed them about the joint investigation.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Why else?  Bao Sir said so” he replied.  Bai Yutong tsked. “You know how I feel about doing joint investigations” he grumbled. “It’s not like I wanted this either” a voice called out, making Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and the rest of the S.C.I. team turn to see a tall man with light skin, brown eyes, and short black hair dressed in a white dress shirt overlaid with a black suit vest, black leather jacket, black pants, and black combat boots and a tall man with light skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair dressed in a white mandarin collared dress shirt, white suit jacket, white pants, and brown shoes overlaid with a white trench coat step into the department, Bao Heizei following behind them. “Bai Sir, Dr. Zhan, this is Dr. Chen Yuzhi and Chief Jiang Yuelou from the Jing City Police Department.  You two will be working together on this case” he stated.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao nodded as Bao Heizei pointed at Bai Yutong. “Play nice” he ordered before he turned and walked out.  Bai Yutong huffed before he looked at Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi. “Jing City…that’s not in Hong Kong, is it?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi shook his head. “No, we’re from the mainland” he answered.  Bai Yutong nodded. “I see…what the hell are you doing over in our neck of the woods then?” he demanded, causing Zhan Yao to shoot him a look. “Bai Yutong” he murmured.  Jiang Yuelou tsked. “Like I said, it’s not like I wanted this either, it’s just that my boss said that there was a case over here and that I needed to look into it” he snapped, making Chen Yuzhi look over at him. “Jiang Yuelou” he hissed.  Zhan Yao huffed before he looked at Chen Yuzhi. “I don’t think Gongsun has started the autopsy yet…would you like to see the body?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi nodded. “If you don’t mind” he replied.  Zhan Yao then motioned for him to follow him as they headed towards Gongsun’s lab, Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou still glaring daggers at one another. “Bai Yutong, stop being five and get over here” Zhan Yao called out, making the S.C.I. team snicker softly under their breaths.  Bai Yutong turned and shot them all glares, immediately silencing them, before he turned and headed over to where Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi were standing outside of Gongsun’s lab, Jiang Yuelou following after him.  As they walked away, the S.C.I. looked at one another. “It’s like looking in a fucking mirror” Zhao Fu murmured. “More like a fucking carbon copy” Wang Shao corrected. “The same color scheme and everything, just reversed” Ma Han agreed. “Bai Sir and Chief Jiang even have the same fiery personalities” Bai Chi mused. “Hey!” a voice suddenly shouted, making everyone flinch and look over to see Bai Yutong sticking his head out of Gongsun’s lab. “We can hear everything you’re saying.  Now is not the time to be discussing Dr. Zhan, myself, or the other two” he snapped.  Everyone dipped their heads in apology. “Sorry Bai Sir” they apologized as they turned back to their work while Bai Yutong stuck his head back into Gongsun’s lab.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside Gongsun’s lab, Zhan Yao motioned to Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou. “Gongsun.  This is Dr. Chen Yuzhi and Chief Jiang Yuelou from Jing City.  They’re going to be working with us on this case” Zhan Yao explained.  S.C.I.’s forensic pathologist, Gongsun Zhe, hummed before he dipped his head. “Gongsun Zhe” he greeted.  Chen Yuzhi dipped his head in return. “Chen Yuzhi” he replied before he motioned to the body. “Have you started the autopsy yet?” he asked.  Gongsun shook his head. “Not yet” he answered.  Chen Yuzhi hummed before he motioned to the body again. “May I?” he asked.  Gongsun nodded again before he pulled back the tarp covering the body, revealing a teenager, no older than sixteen.  Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou both let out growls of anger while Zhan Yao had to shut his eyes, he didn’t do very well with cases that had to deal with kids.  Chen Yuzhi took a deep breath before he stepped forward and began looking over the teen, noting the blue lips and fingernails as well as the bluish-purple tinge of the skin as well as the white froth that was at the corner of the teen’s mouth. “Opium overdose” he murmured before he sighed heavily. “Jiang Yuelou” he called out, Jiang Yuelou immediately walking over to him.   “Hmm” he replied.  Chen Yuzhi motioned to the teen. “They died of an opium overdose.  Or some sort of opioid overdose” he murmured as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves, slipping them on before he reached out and opened the teen’s closed eyes, revealing pinpoint pupils. “One of the signs of an opioid overdose” he explained. “What are you two whispering about?” Bai Yutong demanded, making Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou turn to look at him before Chen Yuzhi sighed. “This child died of an opioid overdose.  Come see” he instructed, motioning Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong over.  Both men walked over and stood around the body as Chen Yuzhi motioned to the teen’s eyes. “Pinpoint pupils.  A tell-tale sign of opioid overdose” he explained.  He then pointed to the body’s blue lips before holding up the body’s hand, revealing blue tinged fingertips.   “Other symptoms of an overdose is blue tinged lips and blue fingertips.  Their skin is also a blueish-purple and there’s a slight foam around their mouth, meaning that in their last moments, they were probably choking on their own saliva or fluids” he explained.  Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong frowned. “How do you know all this?” Zhan Yao asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled slightly. “I’m a doctor.  I’ve seen many an opioid overdose in Jing City.  Lots of gangs there” he explained.  Jiang Yuelou then frowned and crossed. “But there hasn’t been any recent drug activity that we know of in Jing City, especially since the drug crack down.  Are the gangs here bad?” he asked, looking at Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong hummed. “They are…but we haven’t heard of any of them doing anything like drug trafficking lately” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou hummed as well before he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, putting it on speaker. “Hello?” a voice answered. “Zhan-xiong” Jiang Yuelou greeted. “Jiang-xiong.  What do I owe this pleasure?” the voice on the other line, Zhan Junbai, asked.  Jiang Yuelou huffed. “You’ve got eyes and ears all over Jing City.  Have you heard anything about any recent opium dens or opioids going on the market?” he asked.  Zhan Junbai hummed. “You know I control the black-market Jiang-xiong, if there was anything, I’d be the first to know.  So no, I haven’t heard anything recently about any opium or opioid dens” he answered. “What about in Hong Kong?” Chen Yuzhi asked. “Hong Kong?  Lu Ka Si was the last person to run the drug trade in Hong Kong but he’s dead, remember?” Zhan Junbai replied. “Could some of his followers slipped away and picked things back up?” Jiang Yuelou inquired.  Zhan Junbai hummed. “It’s possible.  Since opium has many drugs derived from it, I would start looking into triads that are known to traffic drugs, mainly opioids or any derivative of opium, and go from there” he stated before he paused. “Why are you calling me anyways?  Especially about this matter?” he asked. “We have a sixteen-year-old who died of an opioid overdose” Bai Yutong stated.   “Who’s that?” Zhan Junbai asked.   “Sergeant Bai Yutong and Dr. Zhan Yao of S.C.I.” Bai Yutong answered.   “Pleasure.  Executive Zhan Junbai, Minister of Finance” Zhan Junbai greeted before he cleared his throat. “I may still have a contact in Hong Kong who can assist you in what you’re looking for.  I’ll give him a call” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou smiled. “You’re a lifesaver, Zhan-xiong” he thanked.  Zhan Junbai chuckled. “I know” he replied before he hung up.  Once he had hung up, Jiang Yuelou pocketed his phone as Bai Yutong looked at him. “Your Minister of Finance…controls the black market?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.  Chen Yuzhi chuckled. “It’s a very long story but we’re grateful he’s on our side of the law” he explained.  Bai Yutong hummed as Zhan Yao crossed his arms. “Do you think Zhao Jue is involved with this?” he mused.  Bai Yutong, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi all looked at him, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi looking at him in confusion while Bai Yutong frowned. “Who’s Zhao Jue?” Jiang Yuelou asked.  Bai Yutong snarled. “A fucking psychopath” he murmured.  Zhan Yao smacked his arm, shooting him a look before he looked over at Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou. “A very intelligent man who has the power to manipulate people using hypnosis” he explained.  Chen Yuzhi frowned. “Why do you think he’s involved?” he asked.  Bai Yutong tsked. “Because any case we had normally involved him somehow” he grumbled before he looked over at Zhan Yao. “But you know that Zhao Jue doesn’t hurt children…this would be out of character for him” he reminded.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Nothing out of character for this monster” he murmured.  Bai Yutong hummed before he shrugged. “I suppose we can pay him a visit” he mused as he looked over at Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi. “Care to join us?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou nodded as Bai Yutong smirked. “Great.  Follow us” he declared as he turned and headed out of the lab, Zhan Yao at his heels.  Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi then followed after them, Chen Yuzhi stopping to bow to Gongsun before he quickly exited the lab.  Gongsun dipped his head to him before he watched them leave, making sure they were out of his lab before he looked down at the body. “Time to get to work” he murmured.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After the four men left the S.C.I. department, they all piled into Bai Yutong’s Lamborghini before heading off to Zhao Jue’s studio. “Do you think this Zhao Jue will be angry if we show up unannounced?” Chen Yuzhi asked.  Bai Yutong scoffed. “That psycho loves to see Zhan Yao so I’m sure this is just going to thrill him” he growled.  Jiang Yuelou frowned. “Why does he love Zhan Yao so much?” he asked.  Zhan Yao sighed. “He thinks I’m his prodigy…I’m really not, I just so happen to use hypnosis like he does.  I don’t, however, do the sick and twisted things he’s done to people” he growled.  Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi nodded slowly, not quite sure what they were going to expect when they met this Zhao Jue.  However, they soon arrived at Zhao Jue’s studio and the four of them got out, heading up the stairs to the studio, Zhan Yao opening the door before stepping inside.  Bai Yutong followed after him, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi following after him, the four men heading inside.  As they looked around, Jiang Yuelou let out a low whistle. “Now this is impressive” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Be careful, Zhao Jue’s hypnosis is very strong and rather persuasive” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou hummed, just as a laugh echoed throughout the studio, making everyone look up to see a short older man with light wrinkled skin, brown eyes, and salt and pepper hair and goatee dressed in white robes walking down the winding staircase, looking almost fondly at Zhan Yao. “Oh Xiao Yao…it’s been a while.  What brings you to my humble studio?” he asked.  Zhan Yao made a face of disgust as the man looked over and noticed Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou. “And you brought friends” he mused. “Don’t touch them” Zhan Yao growled, sending the man a warning look.  The man huffed before he crossed his arms. “What can I do for you today?” he asked.   “Have you heard anything from the criminal underworld or anything about drugs, particularly opioids, going around different triads?” Bai Yutong inquired.  The man looked over at him and frowned. “Now why would I involve myself in a nasty business like that?” he asked. “Because it’s you, Zhao Jue” Zhan Yao growled.  The man, Zhao Jue, hummed. “I haven’t heard anything, no.  But if it’s drugs, why don’t you start with the triads?  I’m sure they’re involved somehow” he mused.  Bai Yutong huffed. “I’m sure they are, but we had to come check with you first because you’re always involved some way or another” he growled.  Zhao Jue chuckled and hummed. “Yes, well, normally I am, but this time, I’m not” he assured.  Zhan Yao huffed. “You better not be, or we’ll lock your ass back up in that prison faster than you can blink” he snarled.  Zhao Jue chuckled again. “I’d like to see you try, Xiao Yao” he cooed, reaching out to pat Zhan Yao’s face when Zhan Yao smacked his hand away. “Let’s go” he growled as he turned away.  Bai Yutong nodded and quickly followed after him, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi following after him, both men sending a wary look towards Zhao Jue before they continued after Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong.  As they walked away, Zhao Jue hummed. “An almost carbon copy…how fun” he purred.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“You see why we call him a fucking psycho?” Bai Yutong growled as they all piled into his Lamborghini, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi getting in first since the car only had two doors. “Yes” Chen Yuzhi answered.  Jiang Yuelou then huffed. “Is he always like that?” he inquired.  Zhan Yao shuddered as he got in and shut the door. “He’s normally not touchy, but yes” he answered as Bai Yutong turned on the car and drove away from Zhao Jue’s studio.   “So, where to first?” Zhan Yao asked, looking over at Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong hummed. “Shouldn’t we try to meet up with that contact your friend said might be here?” he asked, glancing back at Jiang Yuelou.  Jiang Yuelou hummed. “Probably” he agreed, just as his phone buzzed, causing him to pull it out of his pocket and look at it. “Junbai just texted and said his contact will meet us at at a café called Between Coffee” he stated.  Bai Yutong hummed. “Alright, let’s head there then” he declared before he stepped on the gas, speeding towards the café.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the café, Jiang Yuelou smirked when he saw a familiar face. “Sun Heying” he greeted.  The man, Sun Heying, smiled and shook his hand. “Chief Jiang” he replied before he looked over at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao. “They are—” he started. “Sergeant Bai Yutong and Dr. Zhan Yao of S.C.I.  We’re doing a joint investigation with them” Jiang Yuelou explained.  Sun Heying hummed. “I see.  Well, Executive Zhan said you’re possibly looking to see if the triads are involved with this?” he asked.  Bai Yutong nodded. “We think they are, we just need to know who to start with” he explained.  Sun Heying hummed and crossed his arms. “Well, if I had to guess, your best options would be to start with the 14K and the Sun Yee On.  They’re the biggest triads in Hong Kong and are always trying to get a leg up on their competition so my best guess would be to start with them and see how it goes” he stated. “Who do we start with first?” Zhan Yao asked.  Sun Heying was quiet, thinking. “I’d start with the Sun Yee On.  They’re the bigger of the two groups and might be more willing to talk” he replied.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Alright, thanks” he thanked.  Sun Heying nodded as Jiang Yuelou clapped him on the arm. “Thanks again” he thanked.  Sun Heying nodded again. “Anytime” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou smirked before the four men turned and headed back to Bai Yutong’s car, all of them getting in before they sped off to the Sun Yee On’s headquarters.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi frowned. “Are they going to even let us in?  I know the gangs back home aren’t particularly fond of cops” Chen Yuzhi murmured.  Bai Yutong hummed. “Most triads will cooperate with law enforcement, but only if they have to.  As long as we’re only asking questions then we won’t have any problems” he explained.  Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi nodded as the four of them headed into the mansion that served as the Sun Yee On’s headquarters. “Bai Sir!  What do we owe this pleasure?” a voice boomed, making Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi look up to see the Sun Yee On’s leader, Heung Chin, walking towards them. “Heung Chin.  Since you’re known in the underworld as a bit of a drug trafficker, you wouldn’t happen to be involved in any, say, illegal opioid distributions now, would you?” Bai Yutong asked.  Heung Chin looked at him before he laughed. “Bai Sir, I can assure you, while we do traffic drugs, we haven’t trafficked any opioids recently” he assured.  Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes. “And how do we know that for sure?” he asked.  Heung Chin laughed again. “Well, you don’t!  You’re just going to have to take my word for it” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou then stepped forward and crossed his arms. “Do you know San Ye?” he asked.  Heung Chin’s eyes widened. “San Ye!  How is that bastard doing?  He’s been rather quiet lately; I hope he’s doing okay.  His trade route is going to get snatched up if he doesn’t get back on the wagon” he stated.  Chen Yuzhi frowned. “Who’s going to snatch it up?” he asked.  Heung Chin shrugged. “Well, anybody, really.  But mainly the 14K.  They’ve been hovering around the docks as of late, trying to get the best quality goods” he explained as he looked at the four men. “You know the 14K, besides being drug traffickers, are human traffickers, right?” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou, Chen Yuzhi, Bai Yutong, and Zhan Yao froze before Bai Yutong quickly whipped out his phone and dialed a number before placing it to his ear. “Gongsun.  You’ve done the autopsy already, right?” he demanded when the lines connected. “Yes, why?” Gongsun asked. “Did you find anything in the postmortem?” Bai Yutong asked.  Gongsun hummed. “There were some small, ruptured baggies of heroin found in the decedents stomach, which probably caused the drug overdose” he stated.  Bai Yutong pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before he sighed. “Anything else?” he asked. “I’m still waiting for the toxicology results, but I should have them back soon.  But Dr. Chen was right, this was an opioid overdose.  The victim might have been a drug mule” Gongsun stated.  Bai Yutong was quiet before he let out a breath. “Alright, thanks” he murmured, hanging up the call before he looked over at the others. “What did Gongsun say?” Chen Yuzhi asked. “He found small, ruptured baggies of heroin in the stomach, meaning that our victim was probably a drug mule” Bai Yutong explained.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened while Jiang Yuelou let out a growl and Chen Yuzhi just hung his head. “The one thing about us, Bai Sir, is that we don’t use drug mules in our drug trafficking, but the 14K do” Heung Chin stated.   “And yet you’re known for murder.  What makes you think we’re going to believe what you say?” Zhan Yao growled.  Heung Chin chuckled and made to step towards him, but Bai Yutong stepped in front of him, glaring. “Don’t even think about it” he snarled.  Heung Chin raised his hands in surrender as he looked at him. “Like I said, you should check out the 14K.  I’m sure they’ll have what you want to know” he stated.  Bai Yutong nodded. “We’ll do that” he growled before he grabbed Zhan Yao’s wrist and dragged him away, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi following after them as Heung Chin watched them leave with a small smile on his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What a fucking creep” Jiang Yuelou growled as they all got back into Bai Yutong’s car. “Normally they’re not like that…at least he’s usually not” Zhan Yao murmured.  Chen Yuzhi frowned. “How do you know?” he asked.  Bai Yutong sighed. “We had a case a while back where someone was killing off the triad leaders…it was weird.  They were very compliant with us, so we assumed that they would be this time” he explained.  Jiang Yuelou huffed. “He seemed to be…until you started talking about the drug mules.  Then he got weird” he growled.  Zhan Yao sighed. “Most triad leaders are like that, unfortunately” he murmured.  Chen Yuzhi huffed. “Good thing the ones back home aren’t” he mused.  Jiang Yuelou barked out a laugh. “They’re not like that because they know that Zhan Junbai will have their asses on a platter” he reminded.  Bai Yutong then looked in the rearview mirror at them. “By the way, who is this San Ye that you were talking about?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou looked at him before Jiang Yuelou smiled. “Oh, San Ye is Zhan Junbai.  That’s his underworld name, I suppose” he explained.  Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong blinked in confusion before Zhan Yao turned to look back at them. “Again, your minister of finance…is a drug lord?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi shook his head. “Not just a drug lord, the biggest drug lord in Jing City.  Any triad wants to gain access or sell any drugs or make any trades, they have to go through him” he explained.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “What the fuck…” he whispered.  Jiang Yuelou sighed. “It’s a long story but he’s gotten out of the drug game.  Mainly for the sake of his husband” he explained.  Zhan Yao frowned. “His husband?” he repeated.  Chen Yuzhi nodded. “Yu Tangchun, a famous opera singer.  Yu Tangchun went with him one day to view an incoming shipment and a rival drug boss thought that it would be funny to take Yu Tangchun hostage in exchange for the shipment.  Let’s just say, it didn’t end well for the man.  But, the thought and fear of losing Yu Tangchun was too much, so he decided to give up being the kingpin, so to say” he explained, Jiang Yuelou nodding in agreement. “He still oversees shipments if they come in, but he has no ties to any of the gangs or any of the groups that run them.  If they get out of hand, however, he will step in and take care of them if necessary.  He’s very useful when we need to make an arrest or bring down a drug den” he added.  Bai Yutong huffed. “Jing City seems wild…” he murmured.  Jiang Yuelou shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s home” he replied, just as they arrived at the 14K’s headquarters. “Do all triad leaders seem to make their mansion’s their headquarters?” Jiang Yuelou murmured as they got out of the car.  Chen Yuzhi huffed. “Yuelou, Zhan Junbai’s mansion is his headquarters so yes, it’s safe to say that all triads run their operations out of their boss’s mansion” he stated.  Bai Yutong chuckled. “You wouldn’t be too far off” he mused, just as a pained cry rang out.  The four men looked at each other before they rushed into the mansion, soon coming upon a man repeatedly hitting and beating a woman.  Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened and he looked over at Jiang Yuelou, noticing the look in his eyes and the way his fist slowly began to close into fists. “Oh no” he whispered before he reached out and grabbed his arm. “Jiang Yuelou.  Jiang Yuelou, don’t” he begged, causing Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong to look over in confusion.   “Dr. Chen, what—” Bai Yutong started when Jiang Yuelou wrenched his arm out of Chen Yuzhi’s grasp and stormed over to the man, who was holding the woman, who was down on her knees, by her hair, his fist raised above his head like he was ready to strike. “Hey!” he shouted, making the man look over at him, just as he punched him in the face, causing him to stumble and fall as well as let go of the woman’s hair.  The woman quickly scrambled away as the man pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Jiang Yuelou. “Why you—” he started, raising his fist to punch Jiang Yuelou in the face when Chen Yuzhi ran forward and stepped in front of Jiang Yuelou, taking the punch for him.  The punch was so strong that it sent the young doctor to the floor with a pained groan, causing Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong to gasp as Jiang Yuelou glared at the man. “You—” he started before he launched himself at the man, both men wrestling around on the floor, throwing punches at one another.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, meanwhile, just stood there, not exactly sure what to do, since they weren’t used to such a visceral reaction like the one Jiang Yuelou had.  While Jiang Yuelou and the man were wrestling around on the ground, Chen Yuzhi let out a soft groan before he slowly pushed himself to his feet, clutching at his head before he looked at Jiang Yuelou and the man fighting and wrestling one another.  His eyes widened and he quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out a small leather roll case, which he then opened to reveal small acupuncture needles.  He then took one out before rolling up the case, shoving it back into his pocket before he ran over to the man, who now had Jiang Yuelou pinned underneath him, and stabbed the acupuncture needle in his neck, watching as the man slowly became limp.  He then carefully grabbed him and placed him on the ground, allowing Jiang Yuelou to push himself to feet and let out a huff. “Thanks, Yuzhi” he thanked.  Chen Yuzhi nodded before he looked over at the woman, who was trembling and looking at them with wide eyes.  He then sighed and walked over to her, smiling gently. “It’s okay, I’m a doctor.  Do you mind if I look at your injuries?” he asked, his voice calm and soothing.  The woman sniffled and shook her head, making Chen Yuzhi smile wider before he reached out and carefully helped her to her feet before looking over at Jiang Yuelou, Bai Yutong, and Zhan Yao. “I’m going to look after her.  You deal with him” he instructed, motioning to the man unconscious on the floor.  The three men nodded as Chen Yuzhi led the young woman away and once he was gone, Bai Yutong looked over at Jiang Yuelou. “Mind telling us what that was all about?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou looked back at him before he huffed mirthlessly. “Ah…I don’t like domestic abuse.  My father was an opium addict and abused both me and my mother and even sold my mother to people as a prostitute so that he could get money for opium.  So…whenever I see men abusing women…I uh…I snap” he explained.  Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at him with wide eyes before they both dipped their head. “We’re sorry, we didn’t know” Zhan Yao murmured.  Jiang Yuelou waved his hand. “It’s fine, it’s not something I normally like to talk about” he replied before he looked down at the man. “Let’s get this sonovabitch handcuffed to a chair somewhere so we can get him to talk” he declared.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao nodded before the three of them walked over to the man and carefully picked him up, since they all knew enough about acupuncture needles that you didn’t want to mess with them too much or they would move out of the nerve or muscle and instead paralyze the person, which definitely wasn’t what they wanted.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While they were moving the man to a chair to handcuff him, Chen Yuzhi guided the woman to a nearby room, sitting her down in a chair before he knelt before her. “Are you alright?” he asked.  The woman sniffled and whimpered, causing Chen Yuzhi to reach into his pocket and pull out a handkerchief, handing it to her. “Here, dry your eyes” he murmured.  The woman took the handkerchief with shaking hands and gently dried her eyes as Chen Yuzhi looked at her. “What’s your name?” he asked.  The woman looked back at him before she sniffled. “Xiao Mei” she answered.  Chen Yuzhi nodded, smiling softly. “Xiao Mei.  I’m Dr. Chen Yuzhi” he greeted.  Xiao Mei sniffled again as she looked at him. “What are you doing here?” she whimpered.  Chen Yuzhi sighed. “Well, we came here to ask the leader of the 14K some questions.  Would that man who was beating you happen to be the leader?” he asked gently.  Xiao Mei nodded. “He’s my husband” she sobbed.  Chen Yuzhi took a deep breath, slowly curling his hands into fists, before he looked at her. “Has he hit you before?” he inquired.  Xiao Mei nodded again. “Many times.  It just keeps getting worse” she sobbed.  Chen Yuzhi took another deep breath before he looked at her and smiled. “Xiao Mei, don’t worry.  We’ll put him away for good.  You won’t have to be afraid of him anymore” he assured.  Xiao Mei frowned. “Are you sure?  He’s a very powerful man” she argued.  Chen Yuzhi laughed and shook his head. “Not more powerful than those three men out there” he assured before he stood to his feet. “I’m going to go join them.  You just stay here and rest, okay?  I’ll come back to check on you before we leave” he assured.  Xiao Mei looked at him with big eyes. “You promise?” she asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled. “I promise” he assured.  Xiao Mei looked at him before she nodded, Chen Yuzhi smiling again before he turned and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him before he headed off to find Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and Jiang Yuelou.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in the living room, the man Chen Yuzhi had knocked unconscious slowly began to wake up, blinking his eyes blearily as he slowly raised his head to find Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi (who had just joined them) all glaring at him. “You best start talking, buddy, or I might just let my friend here go to town on you” Bai Yutong snarled, motioning to Jiang Yuelou, who just cracked his knuckles.  The man tsked before he looked at Bai Yutong. “What do you want?” he demanded. “What do you know about the recent opioid distribution going around here in Hong Kong?  Word is you’re the one’s doing the distributing” Zhan Yao stated.  The man scoffed.   “Like hell I am” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou growled. “So, you know nothing about drug mules then?” he snarled.  The man gave him a look. “Of course not” he snapped.  Chen Yuzhi hummed. “And yet the 14K is known for its human and drug trafficking…I’m surprised you know nothing about this” he mused.  The man huffed. “Of course I know nothing about this because I’m not in charge of the drug trade that goes on here in Hong Kong.  San Ye’s in charge” he declared.  Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi frowned. “But that’s impossible” Jiang Yuelou exclaimed.  The man gave him a look. “I’m telling the truth, San Ye is in charge of the drug trade and trafficking here.  If anyone knows anything about any opioids or drug mules, it would be him” he stated.  Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi all frowned before Bai Yutong reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, pulling up the phone of the dead teen before showing it to the man. “So you don’t know who this is?” he asked.  The man looked at the photo before he shook his head. “No idea.  Again, you wanna know anything about drugs, ask San Ye” he declared.  The four men were quiet before Chen Yuzhi pointed at him. “We can still arrest you for domestic abuse” he snarled before he looked over at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao. “We can, can’t we?” he asked.  Bai Yutong shrugged. “Sure.  I just need to call in for backup, but we can lock his ass up no fucking problem” he sneered.  The man snarled and lunged at the four men, but they just stepped back away from him before Chen Yuzhi walked around him and stuck the needle he had taken out of the man’s neck back into his neck, watching as the man’s head slumped forward.  Once the man was asleep, he looked up at Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and Jiang Yuelou. “That should buy us some time for backup to get here” he declared.  Bai Yutong nodded and pulled out his phone, stepping away to make the call for backup as Zhan Yao looked over at Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou. “Are you two alright?  You both took quite the beating” he mused.  Chen Yuzhi waved his hand. “I’m fine” he assured before he looked over at Jiang Yuelou. “Are you alright, Yuelou?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded. “Just fine.  Might take some aspirin later, just so that I can sleep” he answered.  Zhan Yao hummed before he crossed his arms and looked at Jiang Yuelou. “Didn’t you say that this Zhan Junbai was out of the drug game?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded. “I did” he replied.  Zhan Yao frowned. “Then why would he say that he’s in it when we all clearly know he’s not?” he inquired, motioning to the unconscious man.  Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou were quiet before Chen Yuzhi hummed. “Maybe there’s someone parading around as San Ye” he mused.  Jiang Yuelou hummed. “Maybe…but why?  What would they gain?” he wondered. “Well, you said this San Ye was rather powerful in Jing City, right?” Zhan Yao asked.  Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou nodded making Zhan Yao hum. “Then that’s probably what it is.  This person wants power and everything that comes with it.  If he knows the status the name “San Ye” holds, it might be why he’s using it” he mused, just as Bai Yutong walked back over to them. “Backup should be here soon” he declared.  Zhan Yao nodded. “Good, good” he agreed, just as Jiang Yuelou frowned. “Where do you think we can find this San Ye?” he mused. “You can find him at the docks” a voice called out, making Chen Yuzhi, Jiang Yuelou, Zhan Yao, and Bai Yutong look over to see Xiao Mei walking towards them, her hair and makeup fixed so that it didn’t look like she was abused. “Xiao Mei” Chen Yuzhi greeted.  Xiao Mei smiled weakly at him before she looked at the others. “I overheard my husband talking with some of his men and he said that there was supposed to be a large incoming shipment of drugs tonight.  If you’re looking for San Ye, he’ll probably be there” she explained.  Bai Yutong nodded before he looked at her. “Police will be arriving soon to take him away.  Do you need to go to a hospital?  Just to get looked at?” he asked.  Xiao Mei frowned before she looked over at Chen Yuzhi, who nodded in encouragement.  She then looked at Bai Yutong before she smiled weakly. “Maybe” she answered.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Okay, we’ll make sure one of the officers takes you” he assured, just as a group of uniformed officers entered the mansion. “Bai Sir!” the officers exclaimed as they ran over to him.  Bai Yutong looked over at them before he motioned to the unconscious man. “Two of you take him to the squad car” he ordered before motioning to Xiao Mei. “Two of you take her to the hospital to get checked out” he ordered.  The officers nodded, two of the officers walking over to the unconscious man, uncuffing him from the chair. “Oh, wait a moment” Chen Yuzhi called out as he walked over to the man and plucked his acupuncture needle from his neck. “I’ll take that, thank you” he declared.  The officers nodded before they began to drag the man away while two other officers walked over to Xiao Mei and motioned for her to follow them to their squad car.  Once they were gone, Bai Yutong looked at Zhan Yao, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi. “Let’s head back to S.C.I. and we can figure out what to do from there” he declared.  Jiang Yuelou, Chen Yuzhi, and Zhan Yao nodded and soon the four men were heading back to Bai Yutong’s car to head back to S.C.I.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they returned to S.C.I., Bai Yutong looked over at Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi. “You two should go see Gongsun for some ice and some aspirin.  Join us when you’ve gotten checked out” he ordered.  Jiang Yuelou huffed and opened his mouth to protest, but Chen Yuzhi just smiled before he grabbed Jiang Yuelou by the arm and dragged him off towards Gongsun’s lab.  While they were heading towards the lab, Bai Chi looked over at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao. “Dr. Zhan, Bai Sir…how’s the investigation going?” he asked.  Ma Han nodded. “Yeah, it’s like you’ve completely forgotten about us” she pouted.  Bai Yutong tsked. “We haven’t forgotten about you, what are you talking about?” he scolded as Wang Shao looked at them. “So, did we figure out who killed our teen?” he asked.  Zhan Yao nodded. “A heroin overdose.  Gongsun thinks they were a drug mule since he found baggies of heroin in their stomach” he explained.  The S.C.I. team all made noises of horror, just as Gongsun’s lab open and Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi stepped out. “According to the leader of the 14K, he said that there’s a man named San Ye running the drug operation here in Hong Kong” Bai Yutong continued as Jiang Yuelou pulled out his phone. “Speaking of San Ye, I’m going to give Zhan Junbai a call and see if he can give us some insight onto who this person might be” he declared.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Good idea” he agreed.  Jiang Yuelou then dialed Zhan Junbai’s number before putting the call on speaker so that everyone could hear. “Hello?” Zhan Junbai answered. “Zhan-xiong” Jiang Yuelou greeted.  Zhan Junbai chuckled. “Two calls in one day…how very unlike you, Jiang-xiong” he teased.  Jiang Yuelou rolled his eyes. “Not now, Zhan-xiong.  We were told a little while ago by the leader of the 14K that “San Ye” is in charge of the drug trade here in Hong Kong.  You know nothing about that, right?” he asked.  Zhan Junbai scoffed. “If I did, I’d be down there supervising it myself.  You know I don’t like going through middlemen” he replied.   “Then who is this “San Ye” that’s parading around and in charge of the drug trade?” Zhao Fu asked.  Zhan Junbai hummed. “If I had to guess, it’s probably someone who was either under Lu Ka Si or used to work for Jinma Hall” he mused.  Chen Yuzhi frowned. “But that’s not possible, Jinma Hall doesn’t exist anymore.  We got rid of it” he argued.  Zhan Junbai laughed. “Still innocent as ever, Dr. Chen.  It’s true that Jinma Hall is no more but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still members out there that might have slipped under your radar.  So this person might be someone picking up the gauntlet to try and rule the Hong Kong drug trade” he explained. “Do you have any idea who they might be?” Zhan Yao inquired.  Zhan Junbai hummed. “Unfortunately not” he replied.   “Do you know why they’re doing this?” Jiang Ling asked.   “For the money and power.  If they are using the name “San Ye” then they are probably searching for some sort of fame as well” Zhan Junbai answered. “Wonderful” Bai Yutong grumbled.   “Anything else?” Zhan Junbai inquired.   “No, thank you Zhan-xiong.  You’ve been very helpful” Jiang Yuelou thanked.  Zhan Junbai chuckled. “Anytime” he replied before he hung up.  After he hung up, Bai Yutong sighed. “What’s our plan of action?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou looked over at him. “We go down to the docks, obviously” he replied.  Bai Yutong shot him a glare. “I know that” he snapped.  Jiang Yuelou glared this time. “Then why would you even ask?” he demanded.  Bai Yutong snarled. “You—” he started. “Enough!” Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi barked, causing Jiang Yuelou and Bai Yutong to turn and look at their respective partners.  Zhan Yao then glared at both men. “Fighting and arguing is going to get us nowhere.  If we’re going to do this drug take down, we need to work together so you both need to get your heads out of your asses” he snapped.  Bai Yutong’s mouth opened in shock and Jiang Yuelou just blinked, stunned, as Chen Yuzhi huffed. “Bai Sir, I know we’re in your territory, but we also have knowledge of taking down and stopping drug trades.  Like Zhan Yao said, we need to work together if we’re going to stop this San Ye” he explained.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he sighed and looked over at Jiang Yuelou. “Fine.  Since you have more experience, what do you suggest we do?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou hummed before he smiled. “How do you feel about disguises?” he asked.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at him in confusion. “Disguises?” they repeated.  Jiang Yuelou nodded. “If the 14K’s leader’s wife said that San Ye is going to be at the docks, most of the people there are probably going to be triad members who are helping him out.  To blend in, we need to dress like triad members” he explained.  Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at one another before they looked back at him. “Alright, we’ll give it a try, I guess” Bai Yutong agreed before he looked over at the S.C.I. team. “Be prepared to be backup if this goes south” he ordered.  The S.C.I. team nodded as Bai Yutong sighed. “Let’s go get changed then” he declared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After getting changed into ridiculous looking suits, Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi arrived at the docks, noting a large group of triad members already there. “What is it with triad members and tacky suits?” Bai Yutong grumbled as they got out of the Lamborghini, which they parked some feet away so that they wouldn’t be spotted, since Bai Yutong’s car was rather known throughout Hong Kong. “It must just be a thing” Zhan Yao murmured as they headed over to the group. “Try not to say anything and just stay in the back until we get a good visual of who San Ye is supposed to be” Jiang Yuelou murmured.  Zhan Yao, Bai Yutong, and Chen Yuzhi nodded in agreement as they all quietly stood in the back of the group, waiting for “San Ye” to arrive.  They didn’t have to wait very long for soon a man flanked by two other men arrived and walked over to the group, causing Bai Yutong’s eyes to widen. “Wait a minute, isn’t that—” he started. “Sun Heying” Jiang Yuelou growled.  Zhan Yao frowned. “What should we do?” he whispered.  Chen Yuzhi hummed. “We should wait until we see him opening up one of the boxes…most drug lords want to test to make sure that the drugs they’re getting is what they paid for…once we see the drugs, then we can move in” he replied, making Jiang Yuelou and Bai Yutong look over at him appreciatively. “Are you sure you’re a doctor and not some undercover cop?” Bai Yutong asked.  Chen Yuzhi laughed. “Ah, no, I really am a doctor…I just hang around the police station a bit too much” he murmured as Jiang Yuelou gave him a fond smile.  They then turned their attention back to Sun Heying and the other triad members, watching and waiting for Sun Heying to open one of the containers that came off the boat.  As they watched, Sun Heying opened one of the shipping containers and stepped inside, staying inside for a few moments before stepping back out and nodding to one of the triad members. “Now?” Bai Yutong asked.  Jiang Yuelou nodded. “Now” he replied before he stepped forward. “Sun Heying!” he called out, making Sun Heying turn towards them as the group of triad members parted to reveal them.  The minute he saw them, his eyes widened and he took off running. “Stop!” Bai Yutong shouted, he and Jiang Yuelou immediately heading after him. “Get them!” a triad member shouted, pointing to Jiang Yuelou and Bai Yutong but before they could go after them, Chen Yuzhi and Zhan Yao stepped in front of them. “Not on our watch” Zhan Yao growled before he punched a triad member in the face, Chen Yuzhi kicking another one in the balls.  When those two men went down, a few of the triad members pulled out their guns and pointed it at Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi, causing their eyes to widen before they looked at one another. “Run?” Chen Yuzhi asked.  Zhan Yao nodded. “Run” he agreed.  Both men nodded to each other before they turned and ran off, the triad members running after them. “Split up!” Zhan Yao shouted, Chen Yuzhi nodding in agreement before they split up, also splitting up the group of triad members.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Zhan Yao and Chen Yuzhi were leading the triad members away, Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou were still running after Sun Heying, both men hot on his heels. “Don’t think you’re getting away, Heying!” Jiang Yuelou shouted as he and Bai Yutong continued to chase him.  As they were running, Sun Heying pulled a gun out of his holster and turned, firing it at Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou, both men ducking out of the way to avoid getting hit before they continued on, Jiang Yuelou and Bai Yutong pulling out their guns as well, both men firing back at Sun Heying.  Sun Heying, however, was fast and dodged the bullets but Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou kept firing, hoping that one of them would get lucky at hit him in either the leg or the back so they could take him down.  Thankfully, Bai Yutong was able to clip Sun Heying in the back of the calf, sending him to the ground with a pained cry.  Jiang Yuelou then ran forward and tackled him, pressing a knee to his back to keep him pinned as he grabbed Sun Heying’s hands and handcuffed them behind him. “I told you you weren’t getting away” he snarled.  Sun Heying struggled in his grasp, but Jiang Yuelou just pushed off of him before yanking him to his feet, giving him a shake. “You really shouldn’t have tried to run” he growled as he tugged Sun Heying towards Bai Yutong, giving him a smirk when he got close. “Nice shot” he praised.  Bai Yutong shrugged. “Didn’t get second in the academy for nothing” he replied.  Jiang Yuelou tsked before he motioned with his head towards the docks. “Shall we?” he asked.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Let’s” he agreed.  Both men then headed back to the docks and when they arrived, the S.C.I. team were waiting for them, along with Chen Yuzhi and Zhan Yao. “Bai Sir!” the S.C.I. team exclaimed.  Bai Yutong nodded to them before he motioned to Sun Heying. “Take him back to S.C.I.” he ordered.  Wang Shao and Zhao Fu nodded, taking Sun Heying from Jiang Yuelou’s custody before dragging him over to a squad car so that they could take him back to S.C.I. for interrogations.  While they were taking Sun Heying away, Jiang Yuelou walked over to Chen Yuzhi and cupped his face in his hand. “Are you okay?  Are you hurt?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi smiled and shook his head. “I’m okay” he assured as Bai Yutong gave Zhan Yao a once over. “Cat?” he asked.  Zhan Yao rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Mouse.  You’d know if I was hurt” he replied.  Bai Yutong huffed. “The last time you said you were fine; you were actually clipped by a bullet and none of us even fucking realized it until you collapsed!” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao huffed. “I’m fine, Yutong” he assured.  Bai Yutong hummed before he reached out and grasped Zhan Yao’s arm. “If you’re not, you tell me” he murmured.  Zhan Yao nodded. “I will” he promised.  Bai Yutong nodded before he looked over at Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou, both of whom were looking back at him. “Let’s go interrogate this sonovabitch” he growled.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they returned to S.C.I., Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, Chen Yuzhi, and Jiang Yuelou all headed down to the interrogation room, where Sun Heying was handcuffed to the interrogation room chair. “And to think you were a friend” Jiang Yuelou sneered as he looked at Sun Heying, who just chuckled. “You were always a naïve one, Chief Jiang” he replied.   “Why were you smuggling drugs into Hong Kong?  Especially using drug mules?” Bai Yutong demanded.  Sun Heying shrugged. “Why not?  Everyone has to make a living somehow, don’t they?” he replied.  Zhan Yao snarled. “You’re a monster” he murmured.  Sun Heying laughed. “Am I?  I’m no different than these triads or Zhan Junbai.  What makes me a monster yet not them or him?” he asked.  Chen Yuzhi huffed. “At least Zhan Junbai acknowledge that he was a monster and stopped” he snapped.  Sun Heying glared at him. “You actually believe that crap?  That Zhan Junbai no longer is San Ye?  Please, that’s ridiculous.  He still is San Ye and will always be San Ye.  I just thought that if I pose as him for a while…he’ll come back and take over” he explained.  Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, Chen Yuzhi, and Jiang Yuelou all looked at him in disgust. “So you used innocent people as drug mules to grab Zhan Junbai’s attention?” Jiang Yuelou snarled.  Sun Heying nodded. “It’s the only way” he agreed.  Zhan Yao snarled as he glared at Sun Heying. “Was it only you who was behind the drug trafficking?  Or are there others?” he demanded.  Sun Heying smirked. “It was just me” he declared.  Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you” he growled before he turned to look at Bai Yutong, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi. “Get out” he ordered.  Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou frowned as Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes. “Cat.  You’re not—” he started. “I have to.  I have to know if it’s just him or if there are others involved because if there are others…I want them dead” Zhan Yao snarled.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he sighed. “Alright” he agreed before he looked at Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi. “Come on” he ordered, motioning for them to follow him out of the room, leaving Zhan Yao alone with Sun Heying.  Once they were outside, Chen Yuzhi looked at Bai Yutong. “What is he doing?” he asked. “Hypnosis” Bai Yutong answered.  Jiang Yuelou frowned. “Is that even a legal police procedure?” he inquired.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “No, not really.  It’s not recognized as one but we use it from time to time to get answers.  Besides Zhan Yao, the only other person to use hypnosis is Zhao Jue, which is why I don’t like Zhan Yao using it.  I’m afraid he’s going to become more like Zhao Jue every time” he explained.  Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou nodded before Chen Yuzhi smiled. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Bai Sir.  We’ve met Zhao Jue…and I don’t think Zhan Yao will turn into him.  I really don’t.  Besides, he has you, doesn’t he?  You’ll stop him if he goes too far” he assured.  Bai Yutong smiled slightly, just as the interrogation room door opened and Zhan Yao stepped out, making the others look at him. “Well?  Are there any others?” Jiang Yuelou asked.  Zhan Yao shook his head. “No…no, it’s just him, thankfully” he replied.  Bai Yutong, Jiang Yuelou, and Chen Yuzhi all let out sighs of relief before Bai Yutong crossed his arms. “Well, what do we want to do with him?” he asked, looking over at Jiang Yuelou. “He is your man” he reminded.   “But he was caught on your terf” Jiang Yuelou countered.  Zhan Yao sighed. “Let’s just split the paperwork.  We both caught him, we’ll both get credit for it.  Once we write the reports, have Executive Zhan do whatever he likes with him, since he was informant.  That work?” he asked, looking at Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou.  Bai Yutong and Jiang Yuelou looked at him before Bai Yutong smirked. “Good idea, Cat” he praised.  Zhan Yao smirked. “I do have a PhD, Mouse” he reminded.  Bai Yutong rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Details” he replied, making Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi smile.  Zhan Yao then looked over at them. “Shall we head upstairs?” he asked.  The three men nodded and soon the four of them were heading upstairs to the S.C.I. department.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they reached upstairs, Bai Yutong quickly briefed the S.C.I. team about the plan before he turned and looked over at Jiang Yuelou. “Well…I guess this is goodbye then” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou smirked. “I guess so” he agreed.  Bai Yutong then held out his hand. “Thanks for your help” he thanked.  Jiang Yuelou smiled and reached out, shaking his hand. “You’re welcome” he replied as Chen Yuzhi shook Zhan Yao’s hands. “If you ever want to know more about psychology, don’t hesitate to call, Dr. Chen.  I’ll be more than happy to talk to someone who actually enjoys listening to my psychology lectures” Zhan Yao declared, giving Bai Yutong a look.  Bai Yutong rolled his eyes as Chen Yuzhi laughed and nodded. “If I have any questions, I’ll call.  Thank you, Dr. Zhan” he replied.  Zhan Yao smiled and nodded as Chen Yuzhi looked over at Jiang Yuelou. “Should we go?  Keying’s going to be mad that we’re late for dinner” he stated.  Jiang Yuelou made a face. “We should probably go” he agreed before he looked at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao. “Don’t hesitate to drop by if you’re ever in Jing City” he offered before he and Chen Yuzhi bowed, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong bowing in return before Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi turned and headed out of the department, Zhan Yao, Bai Yutong, and the rest of S.C.I. watching them leave. “Do you think we’ll ever work with them again, Bai Sir?” Ma Han asked.  Bai Yutong hummed. “Maybe…maybe one day” he answered before he huffed. “Though hopefully not anytime soon” he murmured.  Zhan Yao chuckled. “You can just say that you liked working with them, Yutong, there’s no harm in that” he teased.  Bai Yutong gave him a side glare before he reached out and pinched his arm, making him cry out. “Hush you” he murmured.  Zhan Yao tsked as he rubbed his arm, a small smile on his face.  Meanwhile, as Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi were taking a taxi to the train station, Chen Yuzhi looked over at Jiang Yuelou. “Do you think we’ll ever see them again?” he asked.  Jiang Yuelou huffed. “If we do, it’ll be too soon” he murmured.  Chen Yuzhi just chuffed and rolled his eyes as he smiled softly to himself.  He knew Jiang Yuelou enjoyed working with Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao just as much as he did, even though they had a bit of a rocky start.  But that’s how most friendships formed though, right?  

[killerandhealerqueen]

Prompt: Bai Yutong cuffs Zhan Yao again, for one reason or another (maybe they being adventurous, who knows?), and they get a call to a crime scene. They have to get there immediately to do their job and to make sure nothing goes wrong. Except, the keys to the cuffs are missing.

Holy fucking shit, I am so sorry this took forever to get to, but hey! Here we are! Changed the prompt around just a little, but I hope you like it! Thank you for always sending me good prompts. I always live whenever you send me one

Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were fighting.  Again.  For like the third time that day.  The S.C.I. team couldn’t remember the last time either man were so angry at each other but whoever fucked up this time…it was making all of their lives miserable.  Like, it was worse than the Tuxi case a year or so ago.  After listening to fourth screaming match, Bai Chi just about had it. “That’s it.  I’m going to do something about this because this is getting ridiculous” he grumbled.  Ma Han tsked. “And what are you going to do, silly boy?” she asked.  Bai Chi smiled. “You’ll see” he replied before he stood up and headed to Zhan Yao’s office, knocking on the door before poking his head in. “Dr. Zhan” he stated, making Zhan Yao look up from his computer, where he was working on some reports. “Yes, Bai Chi?” he replied.  Bai Chi motioned to Bai Yutong’s office. “Bai Sir wants to see you” he stated.  Zhan Yao growled. “What now?” he grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the door, stepping out before he and Bai Chi walked over to Bai Yutong’s office and opened the door. “What do you want, stupid mouse?” Zhan Yao snapped as he stepped inside, Bai Chi following him.  Bai Yutong looked up from where he was reading a report and glared. “I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you for the rest of the day” he snapped back.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Then why did Bai Chi say that you wanted to see me?” he demanded, placing his hands on his hips.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he frowned. “I didn’t tell Bai Chi that I wanted to see you” he replied.  He and Zhan Yao then looked at each other before they both slowly looked at Bai Chi, who’s eyes widened slightly at the death glares he was receiving from both men.   “Um…” he started as Bai Yutong stood up from his desk and walked over to stand by Zhan Yao, his hands on his hips as well. “What’s the meaning of this, Bai Chi?” he demanded.  Bai Chi looked at them before he gulped. “Um…” he started again as Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes. “Bai Chi—” he started when Bai Chi suddenly rushed forward, causing both Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong to flinch in surprise before he stepped back. “What are you smiling, boy?” Bai Yutong demanded.  Bai Chi said nothing and just pointed at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao’s wrist, making both men look down to see that they were handcuffed together.  Their eyes widened before they looked up at Bai Chi. “BAI CHI!” they roared.  Bai Chi gulped as he took another step back, Bai Yutong raising his and Zhan Yao’s wrist. “You uncuff us, right now” he growled.  Bai Chi shook his head. “No” he replied.  Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at him in shock. “No?” Zhan Yao repeated.  Bai Chi nodded. “No.  You and Bai Sir are always fighting!  And we’re tired of it!” he exclaimed.   “WE DO NOT FIGHT!” Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao roared.  Bai Chi flinched and took a third step back before he held up a pair of keys. “You’re not getting these back until you two stop fighting” he declared before he turned and walked out of the room. “Yah, Bai Chi!” Zhan Yao roared before he turned and glared at Bai Yutong. “This is all your fault, you started this” he hissed.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened. “Me?  How is this my fault?  You’re the one with the stickler for rules” he snapped.  Zhan Yao huffed. “And maybe if you had followed those rules and listened to me, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now” he snarled.  Bai Yutong growled and turned to head back to his desk when Zhan Yao let out a cry of surprise as he was suddenly yanked along.  Bai Yutong immediately stopped and turned to look at the criminal psychologist with wide eyes as Zhan Yao clutched at his wrist. “Why’d he have to make the cuffs so damn tight?” he hissed.  Bai Yutong then took a step forward and reached out, grasping Zhan Yao’s wrist in his hand, making Zhan Yao look at him in shock as Bai Yutong cradled his wrist. “Does it hurt?  Are you hurt?” he asked.  Zhan Yao stared at him, shocked by the sudden change in demeanor, before he quickly pulled his wrist away, yanking Bai Yutong’s wrist with it. “I’m fine” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he huffed.  He then took a deep breath before he pinched the bridge of his nose, with his non-cuffed hand of course. “Damn that Bai Chi…I’m going to dock his pay for this” he grumbled.  Zhan Yao tsked. “You should do more than that” he hissed.  Bai Yutong hummed, just as Wang Shao poked his head in the door. “Bai Sir, we got a case” he declared.  Bai Yutong nodded. “We’ll be right there” he replied before he looked over at Zhan Yao and motioned to the door. “Come on, let’s go” he ordered.  Zhan Yao nodded and both men headed to the door, Bai Yutong walking out first as as Zhan Yao followed behind.  As they were heading towards the sliding glass doors, Zhan Yao suddenly stopped, making Bai Yutong jerk before he turned to look at him. “What now?” he grumbled.  Zhan Yao huffed. “I hope you weren’t planning on driving because how the fuck are we going to get into your car if our hands are cuffed together?” he demanded.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he looked down at his wrists and realized that Zhan Yao was right. “Oh, sonofa—” he started before he let out a loud groan. “Oh come on!” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Shall I call a taxi?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.  Bai Yutong groaned again before he sighed. “I guess…this is fucking humiliating” he murmured.  Zhan Yao smirked as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, about to call for the taxi, when Bai Yutong’s eyes widened. “I have an idea” he declared as he grabbed Zhan Yao’s wrist and dragged him out of the office, heading downstairs to the parking lot.  They then walked over to Bai Yutong’s car, Bai Yutong opening the driver’s door before motioning to it. “Get in” he ordered.  Zhan Yao looked at him in shock. “Get in?” he repeated.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Get in and climb over to the passenger’s side” he explained.  Zhan Yao huffed. “And how is this any less embarrassing than getting in a fucking taxi?!  You do realize that I’m going to have to do all of this nonsense when we get to the scene too, right?!” he shouted.  Bai Yutong rolled his eyes. “No one’s around.  Just get in” he ordered, giving Zhan Yao a shove.  Zhan Yao shot him a glare before he sighed heavily. “The things I do for you, you stupid mouse” he grumbled before he carefully lowered himself into the car, careful not to hit the horn or the gear shift or any of the other buttons on the heater or AC controls.  Once he was in his seat, Bai Yutong easily got in and shut the door, smiling at Zhan Yao. “See, that wasn’t so bad” he teased.  Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes before he suddenly lashed out and punched Bai Yutong in the arm, making him cry out. “You’re a fucking asshole.  Let’s just go to the scene” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong chuckled before turned on the car, put it into drive, then drove out of the parking lot and to the scene.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the scene, Bai Yutong was going to park in his normal spot in front of the building when Zhan Yao yanked his wrist, making him look over with wide eyes. “What?” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao glared at him. “If you think I’m climbing out of this car in front of all these other officers and health personnel, you’re fucking wrong” he hissed.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he sighed and continued to drive until they were parked where there were no other cars around and he looked at Zhan Yao. “Alright, fine.  I parked where no one can see us, so will you get out now?” he asked.  Zhan Yao smirked. “Of course” he replied before he got out of his side, causing Bai Yutong’s eyes to widen. “Hold on, hold on, I thought you were climbing out my side!” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao leaned down and smirked. “Nope.  It’s your turn to struggle” he declared.  Bai Yutong glared at him before he unbuckled himself and carefully climbed out of the car, huffing once he got out. “Was that so hard?” Zhan Yao teased.  Bai Yutong gave him a shove. “Shut up.  I have shorter limbs than you so of course it wasn’t” he murmured.  Zhan Yao smirked. “So you admit that you’re shorter than me” he teased.  Bai Yutong swiftly kicked him in the butt, making Zhan Yao let out a yelp before glaring at him. “Shut it.  Let’s just go before the others wonder where the hell we are” Bai Yutong ordered.  Zhan Yao huffed before both men headed into the building, barely making it inside before they had to quickly cover their mouth and noses to keep from gagging. “What the—” Bai Yutong choked as Zhao Fu walked over to them. “Sir, I don’t know if you should come inside…it’s pretty bad in here” he murmured.  Bai Yutong frowned. “How bad?” he asked as Zhan Yao took a deep breath. “We should see for ourselves” he declared.  Zhao Fu and Bai Yutong looked over at him before Bai Yutong looked back at Zhao Fu. “Let’s go” he instructed.  Zhao Fu sighed and nodded before he motioned for Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong to follow him into the house, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao covering their noses so that they didn’t gag from the smell.  Once they reached the living room, Zhan Yao’s eyes widened and he dropped the handkerchief he was using to cover his nose, taking a horrified step back, alerting Bai Yutong that something was wrong by the tug of the handcuffs.  Bai Yutong then looked over at him and frowned. “Cat?” he asked, frowning.  Zhan Yao shook his head. “I need…I need to get out of here” he whispered.  Bai Yutong frowned. “But we can’t just—” he started when Zhan Yao looked at him. “Bai Yutong.  Please” he whispered.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he sighed and looked at Zhao Fu. “We’ll be back in a minute” he declared as he grabbed Zhan Yao’s wrist and led him out of the house, guiding him over to a secluded part of the yard.  He then walked him over to a tree before gently pushing him up against the trunk, cupping his face in his hands. “Hey, hey, look at me.  What did you see?” he murmured.  Zhan Yao let out a shuddering breath and shook his head, causing Bai Yutong to gently Zhan Yao’s face, making him look at him with wide eyes. “What did you see?” Bai Yutong repeated.  Zhan Yao blinked before he let out another shuddering breath. “Children.  Two of them.  Slaughtered.  Their throats sliced…so deep.  I can’t…I can’t, Yutong” he whispered.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “You have to, Cat.  We have to find out who killed them.  Who killed this family” he replied.  Zhan Yao shook his head this time. “Yutong, I can’t.  I can’t do cases that have to deal with children…I can’t do it” he croaked.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he sighed and gently stroked his cheek. “Hey, hey, I’ll be right here.  I’ll be right by your side.  I’m not going anywhere” he promised before he jingled his wrist, reminding Zhan Yao that they were still handcuffed to each other. “Literally.  I’m not going anywhere.  But even if we weren’t handcuffed to each other, I still wouldn’t leave you alone.  Alright?” he murmured.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he nodded. “Alright” he agreed.  Bai Yutong smiled. “Good.  Now, shall we go back inside and figure out who killed this family?” he asked.  Zhan Yao let out a shuddering breath before he nodded.  Bai Yutong nodded and removed his hands from his face before he took his hand, both men heading back inside to continue working.  When they walked inside, no one said any about Zhan Yao’s outburst and even if they wanted to, Bai Yutong would send them the most withering glare he could muster, immediately quieting them from asking any questions or making any comments.  They then continued to walk around the scene, Zhan Yao’s hand grasped tightly in Bai Yutong’s, both for moral and emotional support.  As they walked around, Zhan Yao analyzed the scene with a critical eye, making sure not to leave anything out when he suddenly stopped and looked over at Bai Yutong. “You figured it out?” Bai Yutong asked, raising an eyebrow.  Zhan Yao nodded. “I did” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After getting a profile from Zhan Yao, the S.C.I. team headed off to find the suspect while Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao headed back to the station, heading up to the S.C.I. office.  Before they headed into Bai Yutong or Zhan Yao’s office, Bai Yutong walked over to Bai Chi’s desk and searched through the drawers but couldn’t find the keys to the handcuffs. “Shit…where did that punk hide them” he growled.  Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” he asked.  Bai Yutong looked over at him. “Can’t find the keys” he replied.  Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow. “What?” he asked.  Bai Yutong raised their handcuffed wrists. “Can’t find the keys to uncuff us” he repeated.  Zhan Yao looked at their handcuffed wrists before he reached out and grabbed a bobby pin from Ma Han’s desk and quickly bent the bobby pin into a 90˚ angle before removing the plastic tip at the end of the straight section.  He then inserted the straight-sided bobby pin about halfway into the upper portion of the lock and bent the bobby pin to the left, creating a 90˚ bend.  He then inserted the pin again halfway past the first bend and bent it to the left 90˚.  Once that was bent, he took the pin out and then inserted it into the upper cut out of the lock pointed towards the cuff’s direction of travel.  After he was sure that the pin was inserted and was resting under the handcuff housing, he added tension and pressed the bobby pin towards the cuff’s direction of travel until the cuff released.  Once he had released himself, he quickly worked on releasing Bai Yutong, who looked at him in shock. “How did you—” he started when Zhan Yao smiled. “Just in case you ever decided to handcuff me again, I could get out of it” he explained.  Bai Yutong huffed and shook his head before he looked at Zhan Yao and reached out, cupping the back of his neck, making Zhan Yao look at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m sorry” he apologized.  Zhan Yao frowned. “For what?” he asked.  Bai Yutong sighed. “For all the fighting.  Bai Chi’s right, we fight far too much” he stated.  Zhan Yao smiled slightly. “That’s just what couples do, especially when they’ve known each other for as long as we have” he replied.  Bai Yutong shook his head as he lowered his hand from Zhan Yao’s neck. “But it’s not healthy” he stated.  Zhan Yao hummed. “You’re right, it’s not healthy for us to yell at each other…but we’re also not very good at sharing what’s on our minds either…we’re too proud and stubborn for that” he mused.  Bai Yutong hummed. “That’s true” he agreed.  Zhan Yao sighed. “We really should work on our communication skills…we only seem to communicate really well when one of us is on the verge of a mental breakdown” he murmured.  Bai Yutong rolled his eyes. “No, it’s just that I tend to get my head out of my ass once I realize what’s happening with you, seeing as you’re the more emotional one, even though you claim not to be” he reminded.  Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes at him. “Shut up, stupid mouse” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong smiled. “Make me, Kitten” he replied.  Zhan Yao stared at him before he huffed and looked away, making Bai Yutong chuckle before he reached out and grasped Zhan Yao’s arm. “Cat” he started, making Zhan Yao look back at him. “I’m sorry.  Really” he apologized.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he smiled fondly. “I know.  I’m sorry too” he replied.  Bai Yutong then smiled before he looked down at Bai Chi’s desk. “Now, how are we going to punish the little brat?” he mused.  Zhan Yao chuffed. “After the case, Mouse.  We’ll let him think everything’s fine and then we’ll show him our wrath” he declared.  Bai Yutong looked over at him before he laughed. “I knew I loved you for a reason” he declared.  Zhan Yao blushed before he gave him a small shove. “Oh hush” he murmured.  Bai Yutong chuckled as he clapped Zhan Yao on the arm. “Come on, let’s get ready for the briefing.  They should be back soon” he stated.  Zhan Yao nodded as he and Bai Yutong headed to Bai Yutong’s office to go over the briefing, small smiles on their faces.  They were glad that Bai Chi handcuffed them together; they were able to talk things out, finally, like a normal couple and even apologize, which for them, wasn’t very common, given how stubborn they were.  So Bai Chi did good in that sense…now he just had to watch out, because now that Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao had made up, they were now stronger than ever and ready to punish him for even considering handcuffing them together in the first place.

[killerandhealerqueen]

If you can, I think I'd vey much like to see something about with Zhan Yao's low self-esteem please? Maybe Zhan Yao not caring when they badmouth him and only reacting when they insult Bai Yutong (with of course BYT being touched that his cat defended him and worried that he didn't defend himself and of course BYT fixing things) or maybe just BYT reminding Zhan Yao that he's awesome? Dunno, I just need more BYT/ZY in my life, I love them so much and anything you write is fabulous!! ❤️❤️

Hi anon! Thank you for sending this in! I love writing anything for Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, so this was a lot of fun to write!

Zhan Yao knew he was smart; hell he was probably the smartest person in the whole police department, with Bai Chi ranking just below him and Bai Yutong just below him.  Of course, being extremely smart didn’t come without some…problems.  Because of his intelligence, people liked to badmouth him and talk behind his back, which he wasn’t completely unused to; it happened all the time in high school, university, graduate school, and the police academy.  To him they were just words, nothing more.  And he learned that if he ignored said words and didn’t give them any power, they couldn’t hurt him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a normal day in the S.C.I. department as the S.C.I. team were working on one of their latest cases when a couple of officers from one of the other units stormed into the department, a bunch of files in their hands. “Where’s Zhan Yao?” one officer demanded.  Wang Shao, Zhao Fu, Ma Han, Bai Chi, and Jiang Ling looked up from their work before Bai Chi frowned. “What do you need Dr. Zhan for?” he asked.  Another officer tsked. “None of your business.  Now, where is Zhan Yao?!” they exclaimed.   “Right here” a voice called out, making everyone turn to see Zhan Yao walking calmly towards him, dressed in his signature navy.  He then walked over to the officers and stood before them, raising an eyebrow. “Can I help you gentlemen?” he inquired.  The third officer holding a large stack of files in their hands stepped forward and shoved all the files at Zhan Yao, making the man look at him with wide eyes. “W-What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked.  The three men smirked. “We need you to review all of these cases and create profiles for each of them” one of the men stated.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened, as did the rest of the team. “You want Dr. Zhan to do what?!” Ma Han exclaimed.  The second officer huffed. “What, aren’t you up to the challenge, Dr. Zhan?” he sneered.  Zhan Yao looked down at the large stack of files in his hands before he looked back up at the officers. “And…when do you need these profiles by?” he asked. “8:00 am tomorrow morning” the third officer answered.  Zhan Yao thought he was going to faint at his answer as Zhao Fu stood to his feet. “There’s a whole Psychology Department, why don’t you ask them to create your fucking profiles for you?!  They’ve got multiple psychologists, why do you need Dr. Zhan?!” he roared.  The first officer motioned to Zhan Yao. “Because he’s the best of the best” he answered before he turned to look at Zhan Yao and raised an eyebrow. “Or is that not true?” he sneered.  Zhan Yao frowned. “What?” he asked.  The first officer then stepped forward and poked Zhan Yao harshly in the forehead, causing Zhan Yao to flinch as the officer huffed. “Maybe you’re not as smart as everyone claims you are…you’re not even a police officer.  I don’t know why you’re a deputy leader of S.C.I. when all you do is create profiles and teach students…you can’t even shoot a gun!  All you’re good for is being the damsel in distress, forcing this team and Bai Yutong to save your pathetic ass again and again” he sneered as the second officer scoffed. “You’d be nothing without your brain, Zhan Yao” he sneered. “It’s Doctor” Zhan Yao gritted out.  The third officer scoffed. “You don’t even deserve that title” he snarled.  Zhan Yao’s blinked, stunned, just as a loud crash was heard, causing everyone to turn or look over to see Bai Yutong standing in the entrance of his office, murder in his brown eyes.  He then stormed out of his office and walked over to Zhan Yao and the officers, stepping in front of Zhan Yao as he glared at the officers. “I suggest you take that back” he warned.  The officers snickered as they looked at one another. “Oh look, Zhan Yao’s knight in shining armor coming to save his pathetic ass” one officer sneered.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened before he lashed out and punched the officer in the face, everyone letting out gasps of shock as Bai Yutong pointed to the officer who was on his ass, looking up at him with wide eyes. “You come in here and disrespect my partner, my Deputy Leader, my Zhan Yao.  You sneer at his intellect when his IQ is probably higher than the three of yours fucking combined!  Without him, S.C.I. would be nothing!  He is an important asset to this team and to this police station!” he roared.  Zhan Yao looked at him in shock, he had never seen Bai Yutong this angry save for the time when Lan Chenling kidnapped him and beat him in front of Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong then took a step forward, the other two officers quickly stepping back to leave their friend to deal with Bai Yutong’s rage. “If I ever see you in this department again or if I even hear the slightest whisper of you badmouthing Zhan Yao, you’re going to deal with me” he snarled.  The officers nodded and the officer on the floor quickly stood to his feet as Bai Yutong walked over to Zhan Yao and grabbed the files out of his hands.  He then turned and hurled the files in the officer’s faces, watching as loads of papers, pictures, and files go scattering everywhere. “Go get someone else to do your profiles.  Now get the fuck out” he snarled.  The officers nodded as they quickly bent down and began picking up the files while Bai Yutong looked over at Zhan Yao. “Cat?” he murmured.  Zhan Yao looked over at him before he turned and stormed out of the bullpen, heading back to his office, which he promptly entered and slammed the door behind him.  Bai Yutong watched him leave before he sighed heavily and headed after him, knocking on the door before he turned the knob and opened the door. “Cat?” he called out softly.  Zhan Yao said nothing as he sat in his chair, his eyes shut as his head leaned against the head rest.  Bai Yutong sighed again before he slipped into the office, shutting the door behind him as he walked over to Zhan Yao, sitting on the edge of his desk. “Zhan Yao…you know what they said isn’t true, right?” he asked softly.  Zhan Yao said nothing as he let out a heavy, shuddering sigh and opened his eyes, looking at Bai Yutong. “What if they’re right, Yutong?  What if…what if I’m not everything Bao Sir and the Psychology Department makes me out to be?” he croaked.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and he quickly stood up, walking over to sit before Zhan Yao. “Zhan Yao.  Cat.  You’re not going to believe what those assholes said, are you?” he asked softly.  Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes at him. “What if they’re right?!” he exclaimed.  Bai Yutong shook his head as he reached out and cupped Zhan Yao’s face in his hand, forcing Zhan Yao to look into his eyes. “They’re wrong Zhan Yao.  You are the most intelligent man I have ever met.  You deserve every title and accolade you receive because you’re you and you’re brilliant.  Don’t listen to them, Cat” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed and looked away. “But they’re not wrong when they say that I’m useless…you’re always having to come and save my ass” he murmured.  Bai Yutong scoffed. “And?  What’s your point?  I’m your partner, it’s my fucking job to save your ass, you idiot.  Besides, I don’t mind; I’ve always been saving your ass, what makes you think I’m going to stop now” he declared.  Zhan Yao continued to look away, making Bai Yutong’s eyes widen before he stroked Zhan Yao’s cheek. “You…you thought I minded?” he whispered.  Zhan Yao nodded slightly, causing Bai Yutong to huff before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Zhan Yao’s head. “For someone so smart…you can be so stupid sometimes” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Shut up” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong smiled and pressed another kiss to Zhan Yao’s head before he pulled back. “I meant what I said though; S.C.I. would be nothing without you, you’re a valuable part of our team” he stated, removing his hands from Zhan Yao’s face.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he tsked. “You only like me for my brain” he murmured.  Bai Yutong rolled his eyes before he reached out and cupped Zhan Yao’s face again, pressing a firm kiss to Zhan Yao’s mouth, making Zhan Yao look at him with wide eyes when he pulled away. “No, you idiot, I like you for you.  Your brain is just a sexy addition to everything else about you” he declared.  Zhan Yao blushed as Bai Yutong chuckled. “Now, are you going to sit in here and mope?  Or are you going to help me solve this case?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked at him before he huffed and gave Bai Yutong a shove. “Get off my desk and I’ll help” he murmured.  Bai Yutong nodded and let go of Zhan Yao’s face before he slipped off Zhan Yao’s desk, Zhan Yao standing to his feet.  Once they were standing to their feet, Zhan Yao looked at Bai Yutong and smiled slightly. “Thank you, Mouse” he thanked.  Bai Yutong looked back at him and smirked. “I’m your partner, Cat.  I’m gonna defend you no matter what” he replied.  Zhan Yao laughed softly. “It’s amazing Zhao Jue called you a tiger…you’re more like an attack dog” he mused as he and Bai Yutong exited his office.  Bai Yutong shrugged. “Attack dog, tiger, I’ll be whatever you need me to be to keep you safe” he murmured.  Zhan Yao smiled fondly before he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of Bai Yutong’s head. “Just keep being my Mouse…that’s enough for me” he stated.  Bai Yutong nodded before he reached behind him and placed his hand on Zhan Yao’s lower back. “Come on, let’s get to work” he murmured.  Zhan Yao nodded and both men headed out of Zhan Yao’s office, ready to work and prove to the other departments why S.C.I. was the best department in the police station and why Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong were their Leader and Deputy Leader.

[killerandhealerqueen]

a small fic Zhan Yao exploding with his emotions? maybe? :) love your headcanons

So uh...you said small fic, right anon? Heh...yeah, this ain't small, sorry. It's another 10K fic (10.6K to be exact) but I uh, hope you like it. The plot and dialogue is from Criminal Minds, 3.05 "Seven Seconds". I thought it was a great episode to use to show how explosive Zhan Yao could get.

It’s not like Zhan Yao didn’t have emotions…he just didn’t like expressing them.  He found emotions tiresome and cumbersome as they tended to cloud people’s judgement and as someone whose entire job was to have a clear mind to analyze and profile people, emotions tended to get in his way.  So he just…didn’t express them.  This was irritating to his partner, Bai Yutong, but he was used to that, as Bai Yutong was the more emotional one of the two.  But there were days...and cases...where Zhan Yao was the one who ultimately lost his shit.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a calm morning as Zhan Yao was sitting at his desk, working on his lectures for school the next day when there was a knock on his door before the door opened and Bai Yutong poked his head inside. “Hey Cat.  We gotta case.  Let’s go” he instructed.  Zhan Yao looked up at him and nodded, quickly saving his file before he stood up, grabbing his coat before heading out the door, following Bai Yutong as he headed towards the sliding glass doors, the rest of S.C.I. following after them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and the rest of S.C.I. arrived at the crime scene, a locked down shopping mall, they were greeted by Xiao Kai, one of the agents who responded. “Xiao Kai” Bai Yutong greeted.  Xiao Kai nodded to him. “We’ve been in lockdown for almost 20 minutes.  My team’s already in motion” he stated.  Wang Shao tsked. “Another female, same age, same time of day, taken from essentially the same location” he mused as Zhao Fu looked at Xiao Kai. “What makes you sure the girl is still in the building?” he asked.  Xiao Kai huffed. “The mall’s got cameras installed at every entrance and exit.  Surveillance video confirms the girl, Sun Qian, entering the building but no sign of her leaving.  Security paged her over the intercom and their initial sweep came up empty” he explained.  Zhan Yao hummed. “Whoever killed Qin Xue last week left that mall with her because he wanted time with his victim in privacy” he mused.  Bai Yutong huffed. “Assuming it’s the same offender, he wouldn’t stray from his M.O., he wouldn’t leave here without his victim” he declared.  Ma Han nodded slowly. “So if Sun Qian is still under this roof, so is her abductor” she mused as Bai Yutong looked over at Jiang Ling, who had actually come along with them for this case. “Jiang Ling, report to the mall’s security office.  Wang Shao, Bai Chi, Zhao Fu, I want you to find the head of security.  I need all data from every search team” he declared before he looked at Zhan Yao and Ma Han. “You guys start with Sun Qian’s parents” he continued before he looked back at Xiao Kai. “We’ll treat the mall like a neighborhood, we’ll separate into areas of control” he declared.  Xiao Kai nodded as the S.C.I. team began to split up to start questioning people when Bai Yutong reached out and grabbed Zhan Yao’s arm, making him look back at him. “You gonna be okay?” he asked.  Zhan Yao nodded. “I’ll be fine” he assured.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Okay” he agreed before he let go of Zhan Yao’s arm and looked at Xiao Kai. “Come on” he instructed, motioning for Xiao Kai to follow him as the other S.C.I. members went off in their specific directions.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bai Chi, Wang Shao, and Zhao Fu quickly walked over to one of the agents on the scene, Agent Huang, who pulled out a map of the mall. “117 stores, 69 storage closets, 73 dressing rooms, 6 men’s rooms, 6 ladies’ rooms, access to the rooftop via the north and south stairwells, 7 restaurants, each with separate kitchen, and 4 elevators” she declared.  Zhao Fu nodded. “Every team’s gonna need a copy of this” he stated.  Agent Huang nodded. “I’ll get right on it” she replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Zhan Yao and Ma Han were talking to another agent at the scene. “Sun Qian was last seen by her cousin in the arcade about 25 minutes ago.  She was wearing jeans, a green shirt, gray sneakers, and ponytails” the officer stated, just as an officer walked over to them and handed Zhan Yao a piece of paper. “Registered offenders located within a 45-mile radius” he stated.  Zhan Yao looked at the list before he nodded. “Okay, run this against current and former employees as well” he ordered, handing the list back to the officer, who nodded before turning and heading off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“If this animal so much as looks at me wrong once we get ‘em—” Xiao Kai started as he and Bai Yutong headed up the escalator when Bai Yutong nodded. “I read the Qin Xue report; I know you found the remains last week” he murmured.  Xiao Kai shook his head. “20 years, never seen anything like it.  Can’t get the image out of my head.  I joined the Bureau to rescue people, not to stand over another dead kid today.  I couldn’t handle it” he murmured.  Bai Yutong huffed. “Well, hopefully you won’t have to” he replied as he and Xiao Kai made it to the second floor.  Xiao Kai sighed. “It’s all chance, you know?  Wrong place at the wrong time.  No logic.  No sense.  How does a parent reconcile that?” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “They never do” he replied.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the security room, Jiang Ling was looking at the security officer, who raised an eyebrow at her. “You want every inch of surveillance footage?” he repeated.  Jiang Ling nodded. “Yes, because I need to examine it frame by frame to see if there’s anything in the background you guys missed.  I also need a joystick controller, video transmitters, a coax cable, and a programmable park” she declared as she turned and headed over to her computers that she had brought along, booting them up before she turned to look at the officer. “And I don’t mean that hypothetically” she snapped, snapping her fingers.  The officer’s eyes widened and he quickly got to work finding what she needed while she continued to boot up her computers.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While she was setting up, Zhan Yao and Ma Han walked over to the agent that they were talking to earlier, the agent handing them a piece of paper.   “Mrs. Sun’s cellphone had a picture of Sun Qian on it.  Mall security helped us make copies” she explained.  Zhan Yao nodded. “Okay, we need to make sure we get copies to every search team, every officer, every patron.  Potential witnesses need to know who we’re looking for too” he declared.  The agent nodded and turned, heading off to distribute the copies as Zhan Yao sighed. “Problem is, our unsub could be any one of them” he murmured as he looked over the crowd of people.  Ma Han was quiet before she motioned with her chin towards a couple speaking to an officer. “There’s her parents” she declared.  Zhan Yao nodded as they both quickly walked over to them, flashing their badges. “Hi.  I’m Detective Ma Han and this is Dr. Zhan Yao with S.C.I.  You must be Sun Qian’s aunt and uncle.  This can’t be easy.  We’re here to walk you through this” Ma Han explained.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Well, aside from the stairwells, storage closets, and hundreds of shops, there’s a whole underbelly beneath our feet.  Subterranean level, air ducts, boiler rooms” Wang Shao grumbled.  Agent Huang huffed. “Realistically, it’ll take at least three hours to cover this place” she mused.  Zhao Fu scoffed. “Realistically, we have less than half that time” he replied.  Agent Huang frowned. “How do you figure?” she asked. “99% of abducted children who are abducted die within the first 24 hours, 75% within the first 3 hours, and what only law enforcement knows, Qin Xue joined the 44% of children who are abducted and killed within the first hour” Bai Chi explained, just as Zhao Fu’s cellphone rang.  He then quickly pulled it out of his pocket and put it to his ear. “Yeah.  What’ve you got?” he asked.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Okay, so this is surveillance footage off an exit camera outside the arcade” Jiang Ling stated as Bai Chi, Zhao Fu, and Wang Shao stood behind her, looking at her computer. “Can you get a better angle?” Wang Shao asked.  Jiang Ling tsked. “I’m good at my job, but I’m not London.  I can only work with what they have and let me tell you, the 1980s just called; they want their security system back” she grumbled before she pointed to her screen. “Okay, look in the far right, middle section.  You see the two ponytails?” she asked.  Wang Shao, Zhao Fu, and Bai Chi stared at her computer before Zhao Fu nodded. “Yeah, that’s Sun Qian” he replied.  Jiang Ling nodded. “Angle just barely got an image of her, let alone who she was with” she declared.   “Can you enhance the image, jie?” Bai Chi asked.  Jiang Ling huffed. “I can start the process, but we don’t have that kind of time, kid” she replied.  Bai Chi groaned as Zhao Fu looked at the screen. “Where are you going, little one?” he murmured. “And who are you with?” Wang Shao continued.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After showing Wang Shao, Bai Chi, and Zhao Fu the video camera footage, Jiang Ling called in Bai Yutong and Ma Han, as well as Sun Qian’s parents to show them the image. “This image was captured moments before your nephew reported Sun Qian missing” Zhan Yao explained, Mr. Sun shaking his head. “Oh God” he whimpered as Bai Yutong sighed. “I know the angle’s limited but is there anything or anyone in the frame that you recognize?” he asked.  Mr. and Mrs. Sun looked at the image before they shook their heads. “No” Mrs. Sun croaked. “No” Mr. Sun replied.  Mrs. Sun then sniffled. “Sun Qian has asthma…she needs her inhaler” she whimpered as Mr. Sun shook his head. “H-How could someone just take her in front of all those people?” he demanded. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out” Ma Han replied.  Mr. Sun glared at her. “How do you plan on doing that?” he demanded.  Ma Han sighed. “We’re retracing Sun Qian’s steps, we’re going over surveillance footage; we’re searching every crack and crevice under this roof” she soothed. “I wanna be out there looking for my girl” Mr. Sun declared.  Bai Yutong sighed. “I’d want to be doing the same thing, but when an abduction is reported, the parents are debriefed separately.  It’s more efficient that way” he explained before he motioned for Mr. Sun to follow him into an adjacent room.  Inside the room, Mr. Sun sighed and placed his hands on his hips. “What do you want to know?” he asked.  Bai Yutong sighed. “Did Sun Qian have any connection at all to Qin Xue?” he asked.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

“No.  There is no connection” Mrs. Sun answered as Ma Han sat before her, questioning her, asking her the same question Bai Yutong asked her husband. “Maybe a dance class or a church group?” Ma Han asked.  Mrs. Sun glared at her. “You think Sun Qian will end up like that?” she growled.  Ma Han shook her head. “No.  Now, Mrs. Sun, just listen to me here.  I just—” she started when Mrs. Sun shot to her feet, glaring at her. “Is that what you’re trying to tell me?!” she screamed.  Ma Han shook her head as she stood to her feet. “I’m trying to find your daughter” she soothed before she reached out, grasping Mrs. Sun by the shoulders. “Mrs. Sun, I know this is excruciating at a time like this, but I have to ask these questions, okay?” she soothed.  Mrs. Sun whimpered, tears streaming down her face as Ma Han continued to look at her. “Just breathe” she murmured.  Mrs. Sun nodded and took a deep breath before she looked at her. “Okay” she agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Bai Yutong and Ma Han were questioning the parents, Xiao Kai was instructing the different SWAT officers where to go before they split up, heading in different directions.  Xiao Kai then headed to the arcade, a team of SWAT officers following him. “Sun Qian?  Sun Qian?” he called out as he walked through the arcade.  When he couldn’t find her there, they walked through an Asian furniture and decoration store, calling out her name but she wasn’t there either.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

“So she and her cousin came in here about 30 minutes ago and that was the last time anyone saw Sun Qian?” Bai Chi asked as he and Agent Huang walked over to the arcade.  Agent Huang nodded. “That’s right” she replied.  Bai Chi hummed as Wang Shao and Zhao Fu walked over to him. “10 minutes after the assault is generally the molester’s lowest point of self-esteem” he stated.  Zhao Fu crossed his arms. “He could be panicking right now, realizing that he’s got a witness” he mused as Bai Chi nodded. “Richard Allen Davis strangled Polly Klaas just to prevent her from identifying him” he added. “A single abduction like this would normally be classified as a snatch-and-grab, but with the Qin Xue abduction, it’s more likely that we’re dealing with a preferential offender” Wang Shao stated. “Whose victims fall into a particular type.  He came to this mall knowing what he was looking for because he feels safe here, familiar with his surroundings” Bai Chi finished.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, when you and your cousin were going in and out of stores, did anybody try to talk to her?” Zhan Yao asked.  Sun Qian’s cousin, Sun Yi, shook his head as his parents stood next to him. “I don’t think so” he replied.  Zhan Yao nodded slowly. “Did somebody maybe compliment her hair or open the door for you guys?” he asked.  Sun Yi’s father, Sun Zedong, huffed. “He wasn’t exactly paying attention” he murmured.  Sun Yi glared at him. “Yes I was” he exclaimed.  Sun Zedong hummed, doubtful. “Yeah” he replied as his wife, Sun Yanmei, sighed. “You’d think after all my years in retail, I’d hate the mall, but it was convenient” she explained as Sun Yi looked at her with wide eyes. “She was right next to me, I swear!” he exclaimed. “And then we split up because I…I had to shop for my husband’s birthday” Sun Yanmei explained.   “And that’s when you got lost in that video game, right?” Sun Zedong asked, shooting Sun Yi a look as Sun Yanmei shook her head. “I should have stayed near the kids” she whimpered. “It’s not fair!” Sun Yi exclaimed. “And now I wish we never left the house this morning” Sun Yanmei whimpered as Sun Zedong huffed. “I’m sure that’s how my brother feels too” he grumbled.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

“How are all these questions getting us any closer to finding her?” Mr. Sun demanded, glaring at Bai Yutong. “Assuming that she knew not to walk off with a stranger, it means she might have trusted the offender, which can tell us a lot” Bai Yutong stated.  Mr. Sun placed his hands on his hips. “Well, then explain to me what happened to her” he demanded.  Bai Yutong sighed. “She might have walked off with someone in uniform” he offered.  Mr. Sun shook his head. “No, I meant Qin Xue.  I wanna know what happened to that girl” he snapped.  Bai Yutong was quiet before he sighed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Xiao Kai and SWAT officers continued to search the mall, searching dressing rooms, the roof, and the parking lot, calling out her name, hoping to find her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“You know, this may all be a mistake.  Sun Qian might just be lost, maybe in some bookstore or something.  She loves to read” Sun Zedong suggested.   “You know, she could just be in a corner, just you know…or maybe playing dress-up in a store or something” he continued.  Zhan Yao just looked at him before he turned and walked over to Sun Yi, trying not to lose his cool.  He wasn’t particularly fond of cases that had to deal with children and this man was just…getting on his nerves.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

While S.C.I. was questioning the parents and the family, Xiao Kai and the other officers were still searching the mall, checking the restrooms, but there was still no sign of Sun Qian.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sun Yi, we asked your mom and dad if we could talk privately.  Thought it might be easier that way” Bai Chi explained as he sat before Sun Yi, Wang Shao and Zhao Fu standing on either side of him. “Cause my dad thinks this is my fault” Sun Yi grumbled.  Bai Chi shook his head. “No.  Sun Yi, your dad is just super upset right now because times like this, people get really emotional” he explained, his voice gentle as Zhao Fu leaned down to be eye-level with Sun Yi. “Hey kid—” he started, making Sun Yi look up at him. “The moments right before a kidnapping like this are the most important.  You gotta understand you’re the only one who can help us with that” he continued. “But…but I can’t remember” Sun Yi whimpered. “A-Yi, all we need is the last thing Sun Qian did or said before you realized she was gone” Bai Chi explained gently as Sun Yi began to shake his head, almost vigorously.  Bai Chi looked at Wang Shao and Zhao Fu in confusion before Wang Shao reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sun Yi.  Sun Yi—what?  What, what?  Sun Yi, talk to us, what’s happening?” he asked as Sun Yi stood to his feet, clutching at his chest. “I can’t breathe” he whimpered.  Bai Chi quickly stood up and reached out, grasping his shoulder. “You’re having a panic attack.  Sit down” he instructed as Wang Shao and Zhao Fu reached out, gently helping Sun Yi back into the chair.   “Sit down.  It’s okay, sit down” they soothed as Zhao Fu reached out, gently lowering Sun Yi’s head. “Want you to put your head between your knees.  Put your head between your knees.  There you go” he soothed, holding Sun Yi’s head. “Just breathe.  Just breathe” Wang Shao soothed, rubbing his back.  As Sun Yi took in staggered breaths, Wang Shao, Bai Chi, and Zhao Fu looked at each other, concern on their faces.

~*~*~*~*~*~ In the surveillance room, Ma Han walked over to Mrs. Sun, noticing that she was buttoning up a soft pink sweater.   “Is that Sun Qian’s?” she asked gently.  Mrs. Sun looked up at her and nodded. “Yeah.  She didn’t like it with her sneakers today.  Said it didn’t match” she explained.  Ma Han nodded slowly before she pointed to the sweater. “Do you mind if we borrow that sweater?” she inquired.  Mrs. Sun looked at her before she clutched the sweater tightly in her hands. “Why?” she whimpered as Mr. Sun walked over to them.  Ma Han glanced up at him before she sighed. “It would help the search dogs pick up her scent” she explained gently.  Mrs. Sun looked at her then down at the sweater before she handed the sweater over to her. “Here” she whispered.  Ma Han took the sweater reverently before she looked at the Suns. “Whoever abducted Sun Qian did so by looking at her as an object.  If there’s the slightest chance that he has a conscience, it may help to remind him he’s not” she continued.   “And uh…how would you do that?” Mr. Sun asked.  Ma Han looked up at him. “Well, we wouldn’t” she replied before she looked at Mrs. Sun. “You would” she declared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Bai Sir!” Zhao Fu called out as he walked over to Bai Yutong, who was talking to Agent Huang.  Bai Yutong glanced over at him before he looked at Agent Huang. “Thank you” he thanked; Agent Huang nodding before walking off as Zhao Fu walked over to him. “My guess is Sun Yi either heard or saw something that could be useful, but the guilt has manifested itself into an acute stress disorder.  The kid can’t remember a thing” he explained.  Bai Yutong was quiet before he looked at him. “Take him back to the scene and do a cognitive interview” he instructed.  Zhao Fu smirked. “You sound a lot like Zhan Yao” he teased.  Bai Yutong huffed. “I fucking hope so, after being married to him for how many years.  Now go” he ordered.  Zhao Fu nodded and turned, quickly heading back to Wang Shao and Bai Chi, whom he left with Sun Yi.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the surveillance room, Jiang Ling was setting up the intercom so that Mr. and Mrs. Sun could hopefully address the unsub that might be hiding in the mall while Mrs. Sun looked over at Ma Han. “Do you have kids?” she asked.  Ma Han shook her head. “No ma’am” she replied.  Mrs. Sun nodded slowly before she shook her head. “I don’t know if I can do this” she whispered.  Ma Han turned to face her and smiled gently. “Okay, just…just stay calm.  Don’t address what he’s done, that’ll only make him defensive” she soothed as Jiang Ling turned to look at her. “Jie, we’re ready” she stated.  Ma Han nodded before she looked at the Suns. “Just keep the focus on Sun Qian.  Alright, we need him to hear who she is.  No one knows that better than you” she explained as she guided Mrs. Sun over to the microphone.  Mrs. Sun took a deep breath before she leaned down towards the microphone. “My name is Sun Li An.  45 minutes ago, our daughter Sun Qian went missing.  She’s only 6 years old.  Last month she started first grade.  Sun Qian is our only child and we love her very much.  We just want her back safe.  The other day…Sun Qian told me that she was ready to ride a big girl’s bike…without training wheels and I promised her that she could do that on her birthday.  Please, whoever you are…I hope you’re listening.  We just want our daughter back to us safely.  Sun Qian is just a little girl.  She’s just a little girl who deserves another birthday” she declared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Sun Li An’s plea over the intercom, Ma Han handed Xiao Kai Sun Qian’s pink sweater, which he then took and held in front of one of the K9 dogs, the dog sniffing it before it took off. “Find her” Xiao Kai barked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the surveillance room, Bai Yutong was leaning over Jiang Ling’s shoulder as she worked on her computers. “Only 7 seconds I was able to decipher, but it’s 7 more than we had” she murmured. “What are we looking at?” Bai Yutong asked.   “Surveillance footage I retrieved off a second camera on the first floor.  It shows Sun Qian exiting the arcade, follows her movements through the crowd.  She went north—” Jiang Ling started, the computer tracking Sun Qian’s movements until the computer beeped that the subject was lost. “Till she disappears” Bai Yutong declared.  Jiang Ling nodded, her fingers flying over the keys before she hissed. “Fuck.  I still can’t make out who she was with” she grumbled.  Bai Yutong stared at the computer before he shook his head. “7 seconds…” he murmured. “That’s all the footage I could find sir—” Jiang Ling started. “That’s all it takes for a child to disappear” Bai Yutong growled.  Jiang Ling sighed. “It Sun Qian was alone, the only stores in the vicinity she would be walking toward would be furniture, stationary, or bedding” she murmured. “Nothing that a six-year-old would leave an arcade for” Bai Yutong grumbled before his eyes widened in realization. “Unless it wasn’t a store that caught her eye” he whispered.  Jiang Ling nodded. “I once followed Todd Cortell the entire length of Silver Beach because he had a kite” she murmured.  Bai Yutong nodded. “The right bait might lure her away from the crowd” he agreed before he turned and walked off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, what are you youngsters playing these days?” Wang Shao asked as he, Bai Chi, Zhao Fu, and Sun Yi walked through the arcade. “Oh my god, Wang Shao, you sound so old” Bai Chi teased.  Sun Yi smiled slightly before the smile fell and he cleared his throat. “I like…D.O.A.” he replied.  Zhao Fu raised an eyebrow. “D.O.A.?  As in “Dead on Arrival?” he asked.  Bai Chi rolled his eyes. “It’s “Dead or Alive”, Zhao-ge” he replied.  Zhao Fu nodded as he looked at Sun Yi. “What do you like so much about it, Sun Yi?” he asked.  Sun Yi smiled slightly. “The close combat.  It’s all about timing; how well you know your enemies.  Plus, I’m really good at it” he replied.  Zhao Fu, Wang Shao, and Bai Chi smiled fondly at him. “Yeah, I bet you are, kid” Zhao Fu agreed before he crossed his arms. “So, uh, what was the first game that you walked to when you came in here earlier?” he asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Xiao Kai and the K9 unit were walking through the mall, following Sun Qian’s scent when the dog suddenly whimpered and stopped, causing the officers to look at each other in confusion. “Her scent just stops?” he asked.  Xiao Kai looked around in confusion as well before he looked up towards the air vent that was directly above them. “Because that air vent is depositing air from the food court, the dog is overwhelmed by the smell” he grumbled.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While SWAT officers were searching the stairwells, another agent was talking to Sun Yanmei. “I’m sorry ma’am, I can’t let you do that” she argued as Sun Yanmei shook her head. “But I’m his mother, for God sake” she snapped. “Look, I understand—” the agent started when Zhan Yao walked over to them. “I’ll take care of this” he declared.  The agent looked at him and nodded before she turned and walked off as Sun Yanmei turned to face him. “Sun Yi is talking with 2 of my detectives right now” he explained.  Sun Yanmei shook her head. “Well then I should be there too” she argued.  Zhan Yao sighed. “Whatever’s blocking your son’s memory may be exacerbated by that.  He might be feeling a bit responsible somehow” he explained.  Sun Yanmei huffed. “One minute, you’re having a lighter engraved for your husband and the next minute, Sun Qian’s name is being paged” she murmured.  Zhan Yao nodded slowly. “I never thought something like this could happen to our family” Sun Yanmei continued.  Zhan Yao sighed. “Nobody ever does” he soothed.  Sun Yanmei said nothing before she turned and looked towards the arcade. “What are they doing to my son?” she demanded.   “It’s a sensory method of questioning.  We’re hoping it’ll help Sun Yi remember what happened before he realized Sun Qian was gone” Zhan Yao replied calmly.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

At the D.O.A. game, Zhao Fu, Wang Shao, and Bai Chi were all standing around Sun Yi as he held the game’s gun that acted as a controller. “I’m gonna ask you to close your eyes for a minute, alright?” Wang Shao instructed.  Sun Yi nodded and shut his eyes. “I want you to go back to when you first walked in the arcade a little earlier.  Can You remember that?” Wang Shao continued.  Sun Yi nodded. “Yeah” he replied.   “You’re doing great, buddy.  Now, in your mind, I want you to try and picture what it sounded like in here.  Pictured what it smelled like.  Was it crowded?” Zhao Fu asked. “It was loud” Sun Yi answered. “Were the people loud or were the sound effects loud?” Bai Chi inquired.  Sun Yi hummed, thinking back. “Both.  Some kid was yelling at his game…” he replied before he thought back.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Die!  Die!  Die!  I own you.  You’re mine.  Now die!” the boy screamed as Sun Yi walked over and picked up a toy gun, beginning to play.  As he was shooting at the game, Sun Qian walked over to him, tears in her eyes. “Sun Yi, I don’t like it here” she whimpered. “Well, tough, because I do” Sun Yi snapped.  Sun Qian then walked over to him and tugged on his jacket. “I wanna find my mommy” she whimpered.  Sun Yi tsked. “Stop whining.  I gave you a quarter, so go play a game” he snapped.  Sun Qian looked at him before she began to cry, covering her ears as the sounds from the kids and the games got louder and louder.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As he thought back, Sun Yi began to shudder, making Bai Chi frown at him. “What’s making you so uncomfortable, Sun Yi?” he asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I don’t like it here” Sun Qian whimpered, but Sun Yi paid no mind and continued to play the game, ignoring how Sun Qian was calling out his name as she cried.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What was she crying about?” Bai Chi asked gently. “I don’t remember.  I—I couldn’t hear” Sun Yi replied.  Wang Shao nodded. “Okay.  Sun Yi, go back to the video game” he soothed.  Sun Yi nodded and got his mind away from Sun Qian and back to the game. “I was winning” he declared. “And how’d that make you feel?” Zhao Fu inquired.  Sun Yi smiled slightly. “Awesome.  Proud of myself.  Kind of embarrassed” he answered, the smile falling away.   “Embarrassed?  How?” Zhao Fu asked.   “Like people were watching me” Sun Yi answered.  Wang Shao frowned. “Why were you self-conscious; who was watching you?” he asked.  Sun Yi was quiet, thinking back. “I could smell her shampoo” he answered.  Zhao Fu raised an eyebrow. “Sun Qian’s?” he asked.  Sun Yi shook his head. “No…it was an older girl…she came over…and asked me about the game.  I focused on her and ignored Sun Qian.  The last thing I remember was “Sun Yi, I want an ice cream” and then…she was gone” he stated.  Zhao Fu nodded slowly. “You remember her saying that she wanted ice cream?” he asked.  Sun Yi’s eyes flew open before he looked over at him. “Yeah” he answered.  Bai Chi then frowned. “Was there something else?” he asked.  Sun Yi was quiet before he shook his head. “No” he answered.  Bai Chi nodded slowly as Zhao Fu and Wang Shao smiled at him. “You did good, kid” he praised.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Dogs picked up Sun Qian’s scent somewhere in here” Xiao Kai murmured as he pulled out the trash can and turned it over, dumping out the contents.  He then knelt down and began to rummage through the trash when he noticed a small necklace. “What’d you find?” Bai Yutong called out as he walked over to him, Xiao Kai showing him the necklace. “Some necklace in the trash” he replied before he looked at the officer. “Bag and label it in case there’s any connection” he ordered.   “There is” Bai Yutong declared as he grabbed the photo of Sun Qian and showed it to him. “Sun Qian was wearing it” he declared.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

After finding the necklace, Bai Yutong took it back to the surveillance room, giving it to Ma Han, who then showed it to the Suns. “She found it in the schoolyard about a year ago” Mrs. Sun explained.  Ma Han made a face. “This is 24K gold and the stones are real” she argued. “Whoever lost it would have been looking for it.  Is there any reason why Sun Qian would have lied?” Bai Yutong asked, crossing his arms. “No” Mr. Sun answered as Ma Han looked at them. “How far do you live from here?” she asked.  Mrs. Sun hummed. “Uh, about a mile” she answered. “Do you mind if we search your house?” Bai Yutong inquired.  Mrs. Sun shook her head. “Of course not” she replied as Mr. Sun frowned. “What do you think you’re going to find there?” he asked.  Bai Yutong said nothing as he picked up the evidence bag with the necklace in it, studying it. “It’s just protocol” he answered before he took the bag and turned, walking away. “Excuse me” he murmured.  As he walked away, Mr. Sun looked at Ma Han. “What is he not telling us?” he demanded.  Ma Han said nothing as Bai Yutong headed into the next room, where Xiao Kai, Wang Shao, and Zhao Fu were waiting for him. “The clasp is damaged, like it was ripped off her neck” he stated.  Xiao Kai hummed. “Then they tossed it in the trash” he mused.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “If the abductor just wants to fulfill his urge and move on, he wouldn’t take the time.  This is motivated by rage.  It’s personal” he declared.  Zhao Fu sighed. “David Westerfield kidnapped Danielle Van Dam out of revenge when her mother rejected him” he stated as Bai Yutong looked over at Xiao Kai. “This may not be related to last week’s abduction after all” he declared before he turned and headed out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, Bai Chi and Wang Shao went to go check out the Suns’ home, after gaining their permission.  When they headed inside, Bai Chi headed over to the fireplace. “Somebody lit a fire last night” he declared as Wang Shao looked around the kitchen and dining room area. “Well, there’s dirty dishes for 3 in the kitchen so they eat together as a family” he mused.  Bai Chi then pressed the “eject” button on the DVD box, revealing a movie. “Oh, my favorite movie from when I was a kid” he declared as he carefully took out the DVD and handed it to Wang Shao, who took it and hummed. “So they watch movies together too” he mused.   “By a fireplace in a house that’s in a cookie-cutter neighborhood.  Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted this any cozier” Bai Chi murmured as Wang Shao picked up a photo of the family, a frown on his face. “That’s what worries me” he replied.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the mall, Ma Han stood before the Suns. “Is there anyone in your life you would consider a threat?” she asked.  Mrs. Sun shook her head. “Why would you ask me that?” she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.  Ma Han huffed. “We have to explore every possibility” she replied.  Mrs. Sun shook her head. “I don’t understand, now you don’t think it’s connected to the other case?” she demanded.  Ma Han shook her head. “We’re not sure” she replied, trying not to lose her shit.   “Why would someone we know do this?” Mrs. Sun asked.  While Ma Han was questioning Mrs. Sun, Bai Yutong took Mr. Sun into an adjacent room. “I just need to ask you a few more questions.  Are there any families in your neighborhood that you don’t get along with?” he asked.  Mr. Sun frowned. “My neighborhood?” he repeated.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Or an employee that you might have fired?” he offered.  Mr. Sun shook his head. “No” he replied. “Or any child that Sun Qian might have upset?” Bai Yutong suggested.  Mr. Sun frowned and held up a hand. “Hold on.  Where are you going with this?” he asked.  Bai Yutong sighed. “Sun Qian’s necklace didn’t just fall off by itself, and it’s possible that she knows the offender” he explained.  Mr. Sun shook his head. “That’s crazy.  I mean, w-why would any—” he started before he took a deep breath, calming himself. “No, no.  Uh…we get along with everyone in our neighborhood, and uh, Sun Qian loves all of her—all of her friends at school.  I mean, I, uh—taught my daughter well” he explained.  Bai Yutong frowned. “Why would you say “I’ve taught my daughter well” and not “we’ve taught her really well”?” he asked.  Mr. Sun looked at him. “You know what I mean” he replied.  Bai Yutong just looked at him, causing him to frown. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.   “Are there marital issues I should know about?” Bai Yutong asked, raising an eyebrow.  Mr. Sun’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding?” he demanded. “Are either of you having an affair?” Bai Yutong continued.   “You son of a bitch!  My daughter is missing and you wanna turn this around—” Mr. Sun started. “I know that and I’m concerned with finding her, which is why I’ve asked you the question” Bai Yutong snapped.  Mr. Sun looked at him before he took a deep breath. “My family means everything to me” he replied. “Finding Sun Qian is everything to me” Bai Yutong declared.  Mr. Sun was quiet before he sighed. “No, we are not participating in any affairs” he declared.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Okay” he agreed before he turned and walked off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the Sun’s home, Bai Chi and Wang Shao were looking around Sun Qian’s room. “Sun Qian’s been wetting the bed” Bai Chi declared as he pulled back the comforter.  Wang Shao looked over at him and frowned. “A lot of six-year-olds do.  Could be bad dreams” he argued.  Bai Chi hummed. “Some kids won’t get up at night ‘cause they’re afraid of the dark” he offered, just as Wang Shao pulled a mutilated Barbie doll out of Sun Qian’s toy bin. “Or it could be a lot more complex than that” he declared as he walked over to Bai Chi and handed him the doll.  Bai Chi looked at the doll in confusion before he shook his head. “I don’t know the psychology behind this…I’m gonna call Dr. Zhan” he declared.  Wang Shao nodded as Bai Chi pulled out his phone, dialing Zhan Yao’s number before putting him on Facetime. “Dr. Zhan” he greeted.  Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow. “Bai Chi.  What is it?” he asked.   “Can you explain the meaning behind this?” Wang Shao asked as he held up the mutilated doll to the phone.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened as he looked at the doll before he frowned. “Well, most little girls covet their dolls like an extension of themselves” he explained.  Wang Shao and Bai Chi frowned before Wang Shao’s eyes widened. “I know what this is” he whispered.  Bai Chi and Zhan Yao looked over at him. “Care to share with the class?” Zhan Yao asked. “Acting out on her toys, wetting the bed.  She’s obviously covering up something about that necklace” Wang Shao declared.  Bai Chi was quiet, thinking back to the face Sun Yi made when he asked if there was anything else. “And her cousin might be holding something back” he added. “Sun Qian obviously is in a lot of pain and isn’t telling anybody” Zhan Yao mused. “And I think I know why” Wang Shao declared before he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, placing his phone to his ear as Bai Chi thanked Zhan Yao and hung up. “Yeah?” Bai Yutong answered. “Bai Sir, I think Sun Qian is being molested and we both know the odds” Wang Shao declared. “Most likely by somebody under the same roof” Bai Yutong mused.   “Mr. Sun bought his own daughter a necklace, nobody would think twice about that so why would Sun Qian lie?” Wang Shao asked.   “She didn’t…because her father didn’t buy her the necklace” Bai Yutong declared.  Wang Shao was stunned by his declaration. “Then who—” he started. “Get back here as soon as you can.  I’m going to sic Zhan Yao on these sick fucks” Bai Yutong hissed before he hung up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At the mall, Bai Yutong hung up the phone before he looked over at Zhan Yao, who was talking to Sun Zedong, and cleared his throat, making Zhan Yao look up at him with wide eyes.  He then motioned him over, Zhan Yao nodded and quickly walking over. “What is it?” he asked. “We need to separate the boy and his father, 2 rooms.  Now” Bai Yutong ordered.  Zhan Yao frowned before he nodded. “Okay” he agreed.  Both men then took Sun Yi and Sun Zedong to separate rooms, Sun Zedong frowning at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao. “What’s going on?” he demanded.   “We’re questioning Sun Yi in another room” Zhan Yao explained calmly.  Sun Zedong frowned. “I know that.  Why?” he demanded.   “We suspect he may know something” Bai Yutong replied.  Sun Zedong raised an eyebrow. “About Sun Qian?” he asked.   “From you, Mr. Sun, we’d like to know more about your son” Bai Yutong stated, ignoring his question.  Meanwhile, Bai Chi went to go talk to Sun Yi in the other room. “What’s going on?  Did you find Sun Qian?” Sun Yi asked as Bai Chi sat before him.  Bai Chi took a deep breath before he looked at him. “Sun Yi, how old are you?” he inquired.   “13” Sun Yi answered.  Bai Chi smiled slightly. “13.  Wow.  You know, when I was 13, I was starting to notice girls too.  I was curious but, uh…heh.  I was…I was, like, really awkward so it was super hard for me to talk to them, and I uh…I found that incredibly frustrating” he explained.  Sun Yi frowned. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked.  Bai Chi smiled. “Because I think I understand you.  You’re uh…you’re in the arcade.  Pretty girl walks in, and uh…you get distracted by the—the scent of her hair, right?” he asked.   “I guess.  So what?” Sun Yi grumbled.  Bai Chi chuckled. “So you’re…you’re becoming a man.  It’s…heh.  Believe it or not, it happens to all of us.  There’s nothing wrong with that at all” he soothed.  Sun Yi shook his head. “Never said there was” he grumbled. “And these video games that you play, these cool video games allow you to, uh—to explore your violent side.  Right?  So, I mean, clearly you’re intrigued.  My only question is whether or not you acted on these curiosities, you’ve experimented yet” Bai Chi mused.  Sun Yi frowned. “Shouldn’t you be looking for my cousin right now?” he demanded.  Bai Chi smiled. “I am looking for your cousin right now” he replied.  Sun Yi glared at him. “Why are you asking me these questions?” he demanded.  Bai Chi raised an eyebrow. “Why are you avoiding them?” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the other room, Sun Zedong placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “What would you like to know?” he asked.  Zhan Yao shrugged. “What Sun Yi’s interests are” he answered.  Sun Zedong shrugged again. “Uh, computer.  Likes to be on the computer, spends hours at a time.  What’s going on?” he asked, looking between Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong. “Who does he socialize with?” Zhan Yao continued.  Sun Zedong shook his head. “I don’t know, kids at school, I suppose” he answered.  Bai Yutong frowned. “You live under the same roof, but you can’t name any of his friends?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “He spends hours in his room, listening to that metal music I don’t understand” Sun Zedong explained.  Zhan Yao hummed. “Has he always been this distant with you or is this something new?” he inquired.   “Well, I guess…I guess it’s always been like this.  That’s why I don’t find it odd” Sun Zedong answered.  Bai Yutong hummed and nodded slowly. “Well, we did some checking and uh…we found out that Sun Yi, at the ripe age of 13, has a record” he stated. “For stealing, 6 months ago.  We knew that” Sun Zedong answered.  Bai Yutong frowned. “And that didn’t strike you as odd?” he asked.  Sun Zedong shrugged. “He stole earrings for a girl he liked.  When I was his age, I—I probably did the same thing” he stated.  Bai Yutong hummed as Zhan Yao turned away from him. “He must have really wanted to make an impression on her, make her feel special, because we checked the record and they were very valuable” he mused. “We reprimanded him” Sun Zedong declared. “What was her name?” Bai Yutong inquired.  Sun Zedong frowned. “Who?” he asked. “The girl Sun Yi liked so much he stole for” Zhan Yao growled, turning to face him.  Sun Zedong shook his head. “I don’t know.  We’re his parents.  He’s 13 years old.  If he hadn’t been arrested, we probably wouldn’t have even known that he was interested in girls” he explained.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at each other for a moment before Bai Yutong turned and walked off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Zhao Fu walked over to Ma Han, tapping her on the arm. “Ma Han, can I speak to you for a moment?” he murmured.   “Excuse me, where’s my brother?” Mr. Sun asked. “He’s being questioned, sir” Zhao Fu answered, looking over at him. “About Sun Yi?” Mrs. Sun asked as Sun Yanmei stood to her feet. “You think Sun Yi knows something?” Mr. Sun asked.  Zhao Fu shook his head. “We don’t know the answer to that yet” he replied.   “Oh God” Sun Yanmei breathed as Ma Han looked at them. “Believe me, once we know something, you’ll be the first people we tell” she assured.  The three of them nodded as Ma Han and Zhao Fu walked off, Zhao Fu shaking his head. “That was weird” he murmured.  Ma Han raised an eyebrow. “Care to share?” she asked.  Zhao Fu huffed. “You’d think during a time like this, Sun Yanmei would wanna know why her son’s being detained.  She didn’t even look to us for an answer” he hissed as he motioned with his chin to them, Ma Han turning to look at them. “Look at her.  She’s relaxed enough to sit down” he murmured.  Ma Han frowned. “Maybe protecting what composure she has left?” she offered.   “Or protecting someone else” Zhao Fu declared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sun Yi, do you know what I’m learning in S.C.I.?” Bai Chi asked as he sat before Sun Yi.   “No” Sun Yi answered.  Bai Chi smiled. “Human behavior.  I’m not as good as my boss, Dr. Zhan, but I’m learning.  Like, uh, the way you’re pushing your chair away from me, it tells me that what I’m saying is making you uncomfortable, like uh, you’re trying to distance yourself from me, maybe from what I’m capable of reading about you” he explained.   “Whatever” Sun Yi muttered. “Case in point: you bite your inner cheek.  It’s a nervous tic, like you’re holding onto something.  Doing it right now.  You were also doing it inside the arcade, and I think you were doing it because maybe, I don’t know, maybe you remembered something more than what you told us” Bai Chi declared.  Sun Yi shook his head. “No.  I told you everything” he snapped.  Bai Chi shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.  I think…I think something else happened inside that arcade, something you haven’t told anybody yet” he declared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mr. Sun, have a seat” Bai Yutong ordered as he walked back into the room he and Zhan Yao were using as an interrogation room for Sun Zedong.  Sun Zedong frowned but did as he was told, sitting down as Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong looked at him. “Did uh, Sun Yi and Sun Qian spend a lot of time together?” Bai Yutong inquired.  Sun Zedong sighed. “Our families spend a lot of time together.  He likes his cousin” he answered.  Bai Yutong nodded slowly. “Does that make you jealous?” he inquired.  Sun Zedong frowned. “What?  Why would it?” he asked.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao said nothing before Bai Yutong placed the necklace that Xiao Kai found down before him. “We found that in the trash” Zhan Yao stated as he crossed his arms. “How is it that you know your six-year-old niece likes to read books and play dress-up but you don’t know the first thing about your own son?” he snarled.   “Typically, molesters only pay attention to the children that they’re grooming, ignoring even their own” Bai Yutong added. “Sun Qian wore that necklace because you told her to, because you told her she was special.  As if the sexual abuse wasn’t enough” Zhan Yao snarled, his nerves starting to fray like the end of a rope.   “Is that when it started?” Bai Yutong inquired.  Sun Zedong frowned. “When what started?” he demanded.   “When you gave Sun Qian the necklace, when she started wetting the bed, when her parents came to you and Yanmei wondering why their daughter locked herself in her room.  Was that when it started?  Is that when the molestation started?” Bai Yutong snapped. “This is ridiculous!” Sun Zedong exclaimed, standing to his feet. “Couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Zhan Yao snarled, taking a step forward, making Sun Zedong look at him with wide eyes. “You’re crazy!” he exclaimed. “Like so many little girls before” Zhan Yao continued as he stepped forward, Sun Zedong stepping away from him. “I—I wanna get out of here” he declared. “You started spending more time with her and telling her she was special” Zhan Yao hissed. “I’m not listening to you!” Sun Zedong exclaimed as Zhan Yao pointed to him. “You knew it was sick; your brother’s own daughter!” he roared. “Shut up!” Sun Zedong ordered. “Did she outgrow your preference?” Zhan Yao demanded as he got closer to him. “Shut up!” Sun Zedong shouted. “Did she get too old for you?” Zhan Yao roared. “NO!” Sun Zedong exclaimed, halting Zhan Yao in his rampage.  Sun Zedong then took a deep breath before he looked between him and Bai Yutong, both men glaring at him, Zhan Yao especially livid.  He didn’t do well with cases that had to deal with children, but he was even more furious when it came to molestation, rape, or pedophilic cases that involved children. “I may have done some things that you couldn’t possibly understand, but I would never hurt Sun Qian” Sun Zedong panted.  Zhan Yao let out an angry huff as Bai Yutong pulled out a chair, motioning for Sun Zedong to sit before he and Zhan Yao walked away to speak privately. “Whoever ripped that necklace off Sun Qian did it in a rage and he just seems…broken” Bai Yutong murmured before he turned and walked out.  Zhan Yao was left alone in the room, taking some deep breaths to calm down when he recalled the conversation he had with Sun Yanmei. “One minute, I’m having a lighter engraved for my husband, and the next minute, Sun Qian’s name is being paged” Sun Yanmei stated.  Zhan Yao then turned and looked at Sun Zedong, noticing how stressed the man looked. “You know, for probably the most stressful day of your life, I haven’t seen you light one cigarette” he mused.   “I quit over a month ago” Sun Zedong whispered, causing Zhan Yao’s eyes to widen before he turned and quickly walked out of the room, walking over to Ma Han, Wang Shao, and Zhao Fu. “I don’t think the aunt is telling us everything and this could get dicey” he hissed before he walked past them and walked over to Sun Yanmei. “Sun Yanmei—” he started when Mrs. Sun jumped to her feet. “What is it?” she asked. “I need to speak with Yanmei” Zhan Yao replied calmly, trying to not lose his almost lost cool.   “Why?  What happened?” Mr. Sun asked. “Did you find her?” Mrs. Sun croaked.   “No.  Not yet” Zhan Yao replied as he took Sun Yanmei by the arm and began to lead her away. “Is it about Sun Yi?” Mr. Sun asked. “No” Zhan Yao replied as he looked at Sun Yanmei. “I need to speak with you” he declared.  Sun Yanmei nodded and they began to walk away, Mr. and Mrs. Sun attempting to follow when Ma Han, Wang Shao, and Zhao Fu stopped them. “What are you doing?” Mr. Sun demanded as Sun Yanmei looked at Zhan Yao. “What’s this about?” she asked.   “You used to work in retail, correct?” he inquired.  Sun Yanmei frowned. “I’m sorry, how does that—” she started as Mr. and Mrs. Sun started to argue with Wang Shao, Ma Han, and Zhao Fu, trying to get over to where Zhan Yao and Sun Yanmei were. “You mentioned it earlier” Zhan Yao deadpanned.  Sun Yanmei shrugged. “So what?” she asked.  Zhan Yao snarled. “What you didn’t tell me was that you used to work in this mall years ago” he hissed.  Sun Yanmei shook her head. “What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.   “Yanmei, do you know something?!” Mrs. Sun exclaimed. “You know this building like the back of your hand!  Earlier, you made sure to separate from the group” Zhan Yao growled, glaring at Sun Yanmei. “Someone tell us something!” Mr. Sun demanded. “What the hell is happening?!” Mrs. Sun screamed.   “God, Yanmei!  What do you know?!” Mr. Sun snapped.  Sun Yanmei said nothing, causing Zhan Yao to growl before he grabbed her by the arm. “Let’s go” he snarled.  As he led her away, Mr. and Mrs. Sun tried to break away from Ma Han, Wang Shao, and Zhao Fu, but the three of them were much stronger than the two already emotionally weak parents. “Yanmei!” Mr. Sun shouted. “What did you do to Sun Qian?!  What did she do?!” Mrs. Sun screamed, trying to rush after them but Ma Han’s grip around her was far too tight. “What did she do to her?!” she screamed before she let out a wail.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Zhao Fu, Ma Han, and Wang Shao were trying to calm the Suns down, Zhan Yao dragged Sun Yanmei to a private business office in the mall, sitting her down at a table. “What did you do to Sun Qian?” he growled, crossing his arms.  Sun Yanmei shook her head. “Why would you ask me that?” she demanded.   “You and Sun Zedong have been playing happy family when the truth is you’ve been separated.  Why else didn’t you realize that he hasn’t had a cigarette in over a month?  He has no use for a new lighter” Zhan Yao snapped. “Zedong and I have been trying to work things out” Sun Yanmei explained.  Zhan Yao scoffed. “Did you really believe that getting of that little girl would take away his sickness?” he demanded.  Sun Yanmei looked at him before she shook her head. “You’re not making a bit of sense” she declared.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Did it occur to you last week after you saw on the news that a little girl was snatched from a local mall and found dead 3 days later?” he snarled.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“There are 2 seasonal storage closets at the end of that hall, Xiao Kai.  You check those.  We’ll take the ones upstairs” Bai Yutong declared, pointing towards the end of the hall.  Xiao Kai nodded and rushed off towards the end of the hall, a few officers following him, while a few SWAT officers followed after Bai Yutong as he headed upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Did you duct-tape her mouth too?” Zhan Yao snarled, his composure gone as he began to stalk around the table, like a tiger about to go in for the kill. “You know, if you do that to someone with asthma, they can die?  But I guess you already figured that, didn’t you?” he spat. “This was not supposed to happen to my family” Sun Yanmei whimpered.   “It didn’t just happen, Sun Yanmei.  You took her, a six-year-old vulnerable child, who trusted you, who trusted your husband” Zhan Yao snarled before he leaned in, getting close but not too close. “You need to tell me where she is” he ordered.  Sun Yanmei shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” she replied.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened slightly before he snarled and walked over to another table, picking up the mutilated Barbie doll Wang Shao found before thrusting it in Sun Yanmei’s face. “This is how Sun Qian sees herself.  Self-loathing, dirty, disgusting” he snarled as he all but slammed it down on the table, causing Sun Yanmei to flinch. “That is how your husband made her feel” he spat.  Sun Yanmei whimpered and shook her head. “No” she croaked. “Those nights that she would stay at your house, he would sneak into her room and tell her not to make a sound” Zhan Yao snarled. “No, please don’t do this” Sun Yanmei whimpered. “Do you have any idea how terrified she must have been, how confused, while you lay awake protecting an animal who will always have those urges and always has!” Zhan Yao roared. “Don’t.  Please don’t” Sun Yanmei croaked.   “There’s nothing left for you to protect, Sun Yanmei.  Instead of shielding her from more pain, you blamed her for your own” Zhan Yao snarled.  Sun Yanmei shook her head. “No, no, no” she groaned. “Yes, you did!  You have robbed Sun Qian of her childhood, are you going to steal the rest of her life from her as well?!” Zhan Yao screamed. “No!  Enough!” Sun Yanmei shouted before she sobbed.   “Where is she?!” Zhan Yao roared.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Bai Yutong, Zhao Fu, Xiao Kai, and SWAT officers ran to a large storage closet, bursting inside. “Sun Qian!” Bai Yutong called out. “Sun Qian!” Zhao Fu shouted.  Bai Yutong then turned to face the officers and Xiao Kai. “Take it apart.  Every box, every shelf” he barked before he went back to searching. “Sun Qian!” Zhao Fu called out. “Sun Qian!”  Bai Yutong shouted as he pointed to a pile of boxes and other items. “This whole pile back here” he ordered before he pointed to another aisle of the storage closet. “I need 2 guys in this aisle” he barked as he motioned to another area of the closet. “Check up in here” he ordered before he pointed to Xiao Kai. “Xiao Kai, check that room” he ordered.  Xiao Kai nodded, motioning for his officer to follow him as Bai Yutong rushed off.  Zhao Fu then pointed to another room before he pointed to a pair of officers. “I need you guys to clear this room for me.  Go” he barked as he continued to search. “Sun Qian!” he shouted. “I GOT HER!  I GOT HER!” Bai Yutong suddenly called out, causing Zhao Fu to look up before running over to him as he knelt before a metal locker, carefully pulling out Sun Qian, who had duct-tape over her mouth.  Both men then carefully placed her on the ground before Zhao Fu rushed towards the door. “Yo, we need a medic.  Somebody move!  Let’s go!” he barked as Bai Yutong ripped the duct-tape off as gently as possible off her mouth.  He then placed his fingers to her pulse point before his eyes widened. “I can’t find a pulse” he murmured as Zhao Fu rushed back over and knelt before him as he motioned to Sun Qian’s head. “Tip her head back and open her airway” he ordered before he began to do CPR, just as the EMTs arrived.  He continued to do CPR as the EMTs set up a heart monitor before placing an oxygen mask over her face, pumping oxygen into her lungs while Zhao Fu was standing, holding a bag of IV fluid.  Just then, Ma Han and Mr. and Mrs. Sun ran into the closet, running over to them. “Sun Qian!” Mrs. Sun exclaimed. “Come on, sweetie.  Come on, sweetie, wake up” Mr. Sun pleaded.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Bai Yutong was working hard to try and revive Sun Qian, officers took the mutilated Barbie doll and bagged it as Zhan Yao pulled Sun Yanmei to her feet, handcuffing her hands behind her back, making sure they were on tight before he led her away while another pair of officers took the necklace in the room where Sun Zedong was sitting and bagged it as an officer pulled him to his feet, handcuffing his hands behind his back before leading him out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the closet, the heart monitor continued to flatline before it suddenly began to beep normally as Sun Qian began to cough, awake.  The two EMTs then carefully lifted her off the floor and carried her out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Zhan Yao led Sun Yanmei over to a squad car while Bai Chi, Wang Shao, and Sun Yi watched. “Is Sun Qian gonna be okay?” Sun Yi asked, looking up at Bai Chi.  Bai Chi nodded. “She will, eventually” he replied.  Sun Yi then looked over at his mother, who was looking back at him before the officer placed her into the squad car, before he looked at Wang Shao and Bai Chi. “I heard her call my mom’s name” he murmured, making Wang Shao and Bai Chi look at him. “That’s what I remembered before” he explained.  Wang Shao sighed and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We get it, A-Yi.  That’s your mom” he soothed.  Sun Yi then looked over at Bai Chi. “What’s going to happen to me now?” he asked.  Bai Chi shook his head. “I don’t know, Sun Yi, but uh, we’re gonna make sure you’re alright, okay?” he assured before he reached out and wrapped an arm around Sun Yi and gently guided him away, Wang Shao following him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sun Yanmei consoling Sun Qian’s mother…that’s an image that’s going to haunt me for a while” Ma Han murmured as she and Jiang Ling walked out of the security office.  Jiang Ling huffed. “Well, we could have been left haunted by a lot worse” she reminded.  Ma Han huffed. “Damn straight” she agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Sun Qian was led out on a gurney, her parents at her side, Sun Zedong was guided over to the squad car where his wife was and placed inside as his brother watched him, a look of disgust on his face before he turned to focus back on Sun Qian.  Meanwhile, Bai Yutong and Xiao Kai walked out of the mall, Xiao Kai shaking his head. “Thing is, there’s still a guy out there who hasn’t been caught yet” he mused.  Bai Yutong nodded. “I know.  And there always will be.  But today?  Today we made a difference” he declared.  Xiao Kai huffed and nodded. “That we did” he agreed before he held out his hand. “Thanks for today” he thanked.  Bai Yutong smiled and shook his hand. “Take it easy” he suggested.  Xiao Kai nodded and turned, heading back inside as Bai Yutong walked over to Zhan Yao, who was looking at the squad car with murder in his eyes.  He then wrapped his arm around Zhan Yao, causing Zhan Yao to startle and look over at him as he just smiled softly. “Nice job today, Cat” he praised.  Zhan Yao huffed. “I’m just glad we found her in time…I don’t know what I would have done if we hadn’t” he murmured.  Bai Yutong chuckled. “Genuinely thought you were going to lose your shit with Sun Zedong in there…” he mused.  Zhan Yao chuffed. “I was close to…you know how I feel about cases that deal with children, especially cases that have molestation, rape, or pedophiles involved” he murmured.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Yes, yes, I know.  I know” he soothed as he moved his arm from around Zhan Yao’s waist and reached up, gently stroking the back of his head. “But we got them…and they can’t hurt any other little girls ever again” he declared.  Zhan Yao nodded. “Thank God” he murmured, letting out a breath of relief.  Bai Yutong then gave the back of his head another little pet before he smiled. “Let’s go home, shall we?” he suggested.  Zhan Yao nodded. “Let’s” he agreed.  Bai Yutong smiled and moved his arm to back around Zhan Yao’s waist, both men walking away from the mall, glad that they had stopped the monsters, which ultimately…was their job.  

[killerandhealerqueen]

Hi, so here I am again lol. I'm a bit shy to ask but I'm craving for both Qing Ming x Boya and Bai Yutong x Zhan Yao fanfic. So may I ask for a crossover fic about them, probably both cp are hunting down a criminal/demon that harms people. Angst angst angst and then HE please. Thank you.

Bitch...you and I have the same mind I SWEAR!!  I’ve been meaning to do a crossover with these two at some point so thank you for sending in this prompt!  I hope you like it!

It wasn’t every day that Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao ran through the streets of downtown Beijing chasing after a suspect but when they did, they hated it.  It’s not that they couldn’t keep up with the suspect (Bai Yutong might have been a little faster than Zhan Yao, but Zhan Yao could hold his own), but it’s that they had to weave in and out of crowds, shove past people to get closer to the suspect, and as soon as they get close enough, the suspect disappears.

“Damn it!” Bai Yutong spat after running almost a good few blocks after their suspect.  Zhan Yao, who was at his side, panted heavily, leaning up against a nearby wall.  

“Fuck” he breathed.  He wasn’t entirely fond of chasing after suspects (just like he wasn’t entirely fond of exercise).

“You okay, Cat?” Bai Yutong called out, looking back at him.  Zhan Yao cracked open an eye and sighed.

“Yeah…just a little out of breath” he replied.  Bai Yutong smirked.

“You did good though, keeping up.  Normally you can’t keep up with me on chases like these” he teased.  Zhan Yao opened both eyes this time and narrowed them at him before he lashed out, nearly hitting Bai Yutong with his foot.

“Shut up.  I have to be in shape if I want to keep up with the likes of you” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong smirked.

“Oh?  Are you saying you’re working out to keep up with me?” he teased.  Zhan Yao huffed.

“Shut up, Mouse.  Let’s get back to S.C.I.  Maybe they can tell us more about our suspect” he stated.  Bai Yutong hummed.

“Let’s hope so” he murmured.  As they continued to head back, Zhan Yao looked up and noticed the suspect darting down an alley.  His eyes widened and he immediately took off, making Bai Yutong look at him in shock.

“Yao!” he shouted.  

“Hurry up, Yutong!” Zhan Yao shouted, still chasing after the suspect.  Bai Yutong growled.

“Damn it, Cat” he murmured, racing after Zhan Yao.  The two detectives continued to run through the street, weaving past people before turning and heading down the alley where they thought the suspect went.  

“Damn it, where did he go?” Zhan Yao hissed before he saw the suspect running down the adjacent alley.

“Stop!  Police!” he shouted, running after the suspect, Bai Yutong right on his heels.  They continued to chase the suspect until he suddenly ran through a brick wall, making Zhan Yao stop and blink in confusion.

“What the—” he whispered, just as Bai Yutong ran over to him.

“Where’d he go?” he demanded.  Zhan Yao was silent, still stunned by what happened.

“Cat?” Bai Yutong asked, looking over at his partner.  Zhan Yao blinked before he pointed to the wall.

“He went…through there” he whispered.  Bai Yutong looked over at the wall and blinked.

“Through…the wall?” he asked.  Zhan Yao nodded.  Bai Yutong was quiet before he looked over at Zhan Yao.

“Are you sure all the running hasn’t gotten to your head?  Are you light-headed?” he asked.  Zhan Yao turned and glared at him.

“Do I look light-headed to you?” he snapped before he took a step forward and began running his fingers over the brick.

“What are you doing?” Bai Yutong asked, stepping forward to join Zhan Yao at the wall.  Zhan Yao was quiet as he continued to run his fingers over the brick before his hand suddenly went through, causing him to stumble and lose his balance.

“Cat!” Bai Yutong exclaimed as Zhan Yao fell through the wall; Zhan Yao reaching out and grabbing onto his wrist, pulling him through as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Both men crashed through the…portal and arrived in a strange world, both of them dressed in long flowing robes.  

“Ugh, Yutong, get off me.  You’re crushing me” Zhan Yao grumbled, giving Bai Yutong a nudge.  Bai Yutong groaned and pushed himself to his feet before he held out a hand, which Zhan Yao took.  Once they were both standing, they looked at each other and blinked.

“What…what happened to our clothes?” Zhan Yao murmured.  Bai Yutong shook his head as he looked around.

“Where the hell are we?” he wondered.  Zhan Yao looked up and frowned as he studied his surroundings.

“Ancient China…I think” he murmured.  Bai Yutong hummed.

“Would explain the clothes” he agreed, motioning to the outfits that they were wearing.  Zhan Yao looked at his robes before he hummed as well.

“We should at least try and go find our suspect” he declared.  Bai Yutong nodded and soon both men were walking through the street, studying the world that they had entered.

“So this is Ancient China…I always wondered what it would be like to live in Ancient China” Bai Yutong mused.  Zhan Yao looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” he asked.  Bai Yutong shrugged as Zhan Yao smirked.

“I didn’t take you for a history nerd” he teased.  Bai Yutong huffed and punched Zhan Yao in the arm, making him hiss.

“Asshole” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong chuckled, just as their suspect came running towards them.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled out his gun (which he surprisingly still had in Ancient China).

“Freeze” he shouted.  The suspect just laughed as he pulled out a sword and slashed, causing Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong to dodge out of the way so that they didn’t get cut.

“Bastard” Bai Yutong growled before he fired his gun, just as an arrow went flying past his face, causing him to turn and look to see a tall man with light skin, brown eyes, and long dark brown hair dressed in all black running towards their suspect, a bow and arrow in his hands.

“Watch it!” Bai Yutong shouted, glaring at the man.  Because of his shout, the suspect quickly dodge out of the way, avoid both bullet and arrow.  Since he dodge the attack, the man in black turned towards Bai Yutong, growling.

“You” he snarled as he placed his bow on his back and pulled out a sword that was strapped to his back.  He then raised the sword, slashing down when Zhan Yao rushed in front of Bai Yutong, the sword slashing him on the arm.  He let out a cry of pain and clutched at his arm, feeling the warm blood seeping through his fingers.

“Zhan Yao!” Bai Yutong shouted before he growled and pointed his gun at the man.  However, before he could fire, a golden fan appeared before it.

“The hell?!” he exclaimed as the fan was pulled away, revealing a tall man with light skin, brown eyes, and long dark brown hair dressed in white standing next to the man in black.

“Oh dear…Boya what did you do?” he murmured, looking over at the man in black.

“They let the demon escape” the man, Boya, growled.  The other man huffed, a small smile on his face, and shook his head.

“And you went and hurt one of them?” he asked before he looked over at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao.

“I apologize.  I can take a look at your friend’s arm, if you’d like” he offered.  Bai Yutong nodded as the man in white smiled.

“Great.  Follow us, please” he instructed, motioning for Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao to follow him and Boya back to a rather fancy home.  When they arrived, the man in white motioned for Zhan Yao to sit down.  Bai Yutong, of course, had to help him, as he was bleeding rather profusely and he was afraid that Zhan Yao would pass out if he didn’t help him.  Once he was sitting, the man in white knelt down beside Zhan Yao and grabbed the torn part of the sleeve, ripping it off so that he had easier access to the wound.

“Aish Boya…that damn sword of yours.  If you had cut any deeper, you would have severed the muscle” he scolded, glaring up at Boya.  Boya huffed.

“He wouldn’t have gotten hurt if he hadn’t stepped in front of him” he grumbled, motioning with a thumb to Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong growled and pulled out his gun, pointing it at Boya.

“I should a bullet in you for hurting Zhan Yao” he spat.  

“Yutong” Zhan Yao murmured, making Bai Yutong and Boya look over at him as he looked back at them.

“Don’t.  It was an accident” he murmured.  

“But!” Bai Yutong exclaimed.

“I’m fine” Zhan Yao assured, just as the man in white finished bandaging him.

“You should alright now, just be careful not to open your wound” he instructed before he cleared his throat.

“I haven’t introduced myself.  My name is Qingming and this is Boya” he introduced, motioning to Boya, who dipped his head.  Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong dipped their heads to them as Zhan Yao cleared his throat.

“I’m Dr. Zhan Yao and this is Police Sergeant Bai Yutong.  We’re the leaders of S.C.I., the Special Crimes Investigation team” he explained.  Qingming and Boya frowned.

“S.C.I.?  I don’t believe we’ve heard of them before” Qingming stated before he looked over at Boya.

“You’re more traveled than I am, A-Ya.  Have you?” he asked.  Boya shook his head.

“I haven’t” he replied.  Bai Yutong huffed.

“Well, that would be because we’re not from this time period.  We’re from the future” he explained.  Qingming and Boya blinked in surprise.

“The future?” they repeated before Boya motioned to the gun in Bai Yutong’s hand.

“That would explain the strange thing in your hand” he mused.  Bai Yutong held up the gun.

“This?  You mean my gun?” he asked.  Boya nodded.  Bai Yutong held it out to him and Boya took it gingerly, looking it over.  While he was looking at the gun, Qingming looked over at Zhan Yao.

“How did you get here?  Well, a better question to ask would be, what brought you here?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked back at him and sighed.

“We were chasing a suspect and while we were chasing them through an alley, they slipped through a brick wall.  We thought that was strange so I went to investigate and I guess we sort of fell through a portal?” he explained.  Qingming hummed.  

“So a demon escaped this world and made it to your world…this is bad” he murmured before he looked up at Boya.

“Don’t you think so?” he asked.  Boya nodded as he handed Bai Yutong’s gun back to him.

“Yes…we don’t know what kind of terror they’ve been getting into the modern world, if that is what your world is called” he stated, looking over at Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong nodded.

“The modern world is correct, yes” he replied before he huffed.

“What do you know about this…demon?” he asked.  Qingming and Boya shook their heads.

“Not much…what do you know about them?” Boya asked.  Zhan Yao sighed.

“Probably about as much as you…” he murmured before his eyes widened and he looked at Bai Yutong.

“Yutong—” he started.  Bai Yutong looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“What are you thinking, Kitten?” he asked.  Zhan Yao didn’t even have to say anything, he just stared at Bai Yutong and Bai Yutong huffed before he sighed.

“Fine.  It couldn’t hurt” he agreed before he walked over to Zhan Yao and held out a hand.  Zhan Yao smiled softly and reached out, taking Bai Yutong’s hand, allowing himself to be helped up.  Once he was standing, he looked over at Boya and Qingming.

“If you don’t mind coming with us, maybe we can work this case out together?” he offered.  Boya and Qingming looked at each other before they looked back at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao.

“We don’t mind” Qingming answered.  Bai Yutong smirked.

“Good.  Follow us” he ordered before he and Zhan Yao walked out of the room, leaving Boya and Qingming to stare after them.

“They are a strange couple…” Boya murmured.  Qingming chuckled.

“But they remind you a bit of us, don’t they?” he asked.  Boya huffed.

“Maybe” he grumbled.  Qingming chuckled before he followed after Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, Boya at his heels.

~*~*~*~*~

The four men walked through the streets when Boya’s demon instinct kicked in and his eyes narrowed.

“Ming…he’s nearby” he growled.  Qingming, Bai Yutong, and Zhan Yao looked over at him before Qingming sighed.

“Where?” he asked.  Boya pointed in front of him.

“There” he growled.  Bai Yutong, Zhan Yao, and Qingming turned to see the suspect (demon), standing before them, a dark smile on his face.

“Bastard.  Get back here!” Bai Yutong shouted, running towards the suspect.

“Bai Yutong!” Zhan Yao shouted, running after him.  Qingming and Boya looked at each other before they rushed after the two men, who ran after the demon, who just laughed and jumped through thin air, disappearing.

“He disappeared!” Zhan Yao exclaimed.

“He probably went back to our world!” Bai Yutong shouted before he ran towards the place where the demon disappeared through and ran through it, disappearing as well.

“Yutong!” Zhan Yao shouted, running after his partner, disappearing through thin air as well.

“Huh…so there really is a portal” Qingming murmured, just as Boya grabbed him by the wrist.

“Hold on, Ming.  We’re about to do something dangerous” he declared as he ran towards where Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao disappeared, disappearing through the portal, dragging Qingming with him.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the modern world, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong were dressed in their normal outfits, Bai Yutong in his white pants, white high tops, white dress shirt, black tie, and white suit jacket and Zhan Yao in his navy blue turtleneck, navy blue pants, black boots, and long navy blue overcoat.  

“Ugh…so this is what time travel feels like” Bai Yutong grumbled, shaking his head.  Zhan Yao huffed.

“It’s not pleasant” he agreed before he turned and looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening slightly.

“Yutong” he called out, making Bai Yutong look up before he looked over his shoulder as well to see Boya and Qingming standing before them, dressed in modern clothing.  Boya had the same style as Bai Yutong, except everything for him was in black and his hair was still long and tied up in a high ponytail.  Qingming was dressed in black pants, a soft cream sweater, black boots, and a long cream coat, his long hair in a half-up, half-down ponytail.

“They look so different” Bai Yutong murmured.  Zhan Yao nodded as Qingming and Boya looked down at themselves before looking at one another.

“Oh…” Qingming murmured.

“Welcome to the modern world” Bai Yutong called out, grabbing Qingming and Boya’s attention.  Both men turned to see Bai Yutong smirking slightly.

“If you’ll just follow us, we’ll take you to S.C.I. and we can talk this case over with our team” he stated.  Qingming and Boya nodded, following after Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao as they walked out of the alley.

~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the police department, Qingming and Boya looked up at the building with wide eyes.

“This is where you work?” Qingming whispered.  Zhan Yao hummed.

“It is.  Now here” he stated, holding out two badges to them.  Qingming and Boya frowned and reached out, taking the badges.

“What is this for?” Boya asked, as he looked at his badge.

“It’s a visitor’s pass.  You need it to get in” Bai Yutong explained as he and Zhan Yao slipped on their own badges before heading inside the building.  Qingming and Boya quickly followed their example and slipped their badges over their heads before following after them.  Once they got past the gate, they got into the elevator and headed up to the 11th floor, where the S.C.I. unit was located.  

“Everything’s so white here” Boya grumbled.

“Hurts your eyes, doesn’t it?” Zhan Yao teased, a small smile on his lips.  Boya huffed as Qingming chuckled, the four of them walking through the sliding glass doors.

“Bai Sir, welcome back!  Did you catch the suspect?” Bai Chi asked, looking at his cousin with wide eyes.  Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be up here if I caught him” he snapped.  Bai Chi laughed nervously as Ma Han looked over at Boya and Qingming.

“Who’re they?” she asked.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked over at Qingming and Boya before Bai Yutong cleared his throat.

“Inspectors Qingming and Boya.  They have some information on the case that we’re working on and they came to help” he explained.  The other S.C.I. team members looked over at Qingming and Boya, almost as if they were studying them, before Zhan Yao cleared his throat.

“It’s rude to stare” he scolded.  The others turned and looked at him before they dipped their head.

“Sorry Dr. Zhan” Zhao Fu apologized.  Bai Yutong huffed as he crossed his arms.

“Jiang Ling.  Let’s go over the case and catch our inspectors up to speed, hmm?” he instructed.  Jiang Ling nodded as she clicked a few keys on her keyboard, her computer screen showing up on the projector.

“For over the past week or so, multiple bodies have been popping up all over China, all females.  The bodies are always mutilated, their nails are always ripped out, and it’s always a bloody mess” she explained.  Qingming hummed.

“Any connections between the victims?” he asked, crossing his arms.  Jiang Ling shook her head.

“Not that we can see” she replied.  

“Pull up the crime scene photos, Jiang Ling” Zhan Yao ordered.  Jiang Ling nodded, and typed a few more keys on her keyboard, pulling up the crime scene photos.  Bai Chi and the others looked away, but Boya and Qingming stepped closer, studying them.

“Hmm…scantily-clad clothing, dark makeup, bright red lips…are all these women prostitutes?” Boya asked, looking over at the others.  The S.C.I. was quiet before they all burst out in exclamations and shouts.

“WHY DIDN’T WE NOTICE THAT SOONER?!” Ma Han screeched.  

“WE’VE BEEN ON THIS CASE FOR A MONTH, HOW DID YOU NOT NOTICE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE VICTIMS?!” Bai Yutong shouted.  As Bai Yutong and his team shouted at each other, Zhan Yao pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Oh dear” he murmured.  Qingming chuckled.

“Does this happen often?” he asked, walking over to stand by Zhan Yao.  Zhan Yao sighed.

“Often enough” he replied before he looked over at him.

“What about your end?  What do you know about this demon?” he asked.  Qingming sighed.

“From what we can tell from your photos…it seems to joy and passion in killing prostitutes…can’t imagine why though” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed.

“Well, some people are just sick.  Maybe it’s a revenge sort of thing?” he offered.

“Maybe” Boya mused as he walked over to join them.

“Inspector, have you also been experiencing an odd amount of crime in your area?” Wang Shao asked, looking over at them.  Qingming and Boya looked at him before Boya nodded.

“Yes, unfortunately” he answered.  Bai Yutong then cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention.

“The inspectors, Zhan Yao, and I are going to speak in my office.  If you need us for anything, knock” he ordered.  He then turned on his heels, Zhan Yao instinctively following him, Qingming and Boya following after them.  Once they were gone, the S.C.I. team looked at each other.

“It’s like looking in a fucking mirror” Zhao Fu murmured.  

“The same color scheme and everything” Ma Han agreed.  Bai Chi hummed.

“I wonder how they met…Bai Sir and Dr. Zhan don’t like to collaborate with other stations…or other units” he mused.  Jiang Ling huffed.

“Well obviously they look alike, so that might be a benefit” she mused.

“Hey!” a voice shouted, making everyone flinch and look over to see Bai Yutong sticking his head out of his office.

“We can hear everything you’re saying.  Please do something useful with your time rather than discuss the inspectors” he instructed.  Everyone bowed before they quickly got back to work, allowing Bai Yutong to stick his head back inside his office and shut the door.

~*~*~*~*~

Inside his office, Bai Yutong let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair before he looked at the others.

“Sorry, about that” he apologized.  Qingming smiled and shook his head.

“It’s alright” he assured as Boya crossed his arms.

“So this demon is taking revenge on prostitutes…is that what we’re getting at?” he asked.  Zhan Yao nodded.

“I believe so.  Now we just need to figure out motive” he replied.  

“What could his motive be?” Qingming asked.  Bai Yutong shrugged as he walked over to his desk and leaned against it.

“Could be like you said, revenge.  Maybe a prostitute rejected him and now he just targets all of them.  Or it could just be that he’s a psychopath who enjoys killing innocent people” he replied.  Zhan Yao crossed his arms.

“Do demons enjoy killing for fun?” he asked.  Boya glared at him.

“What do you think?” he snapped.  Zhan Yao huffed.

“We don’t have demons in the modern world.  Not like the kind that you’re talking about.  We just have monsters; humans who think very little of human life and enjoy making people suffer” he explained.  Qingming and Boya hummed.

“Well, to answer your question, yes, demons do enjoy killing for fun.  And this one seems to take a lot of pleasure in it, seeing as how many people he’s killed” Qingming mused.  

“Is it just a male that’s doing the killing?  Maybe it’s a female” Bai Yutong offered.  

“Out of jealousy?” Boya asked.  Zhan Yao nodded.

“That would make sense too.  She may have been cheated on by a lover with a prostitute and decided to get revenge.  That would fit the revenge theory” he mused.  

“It is just one person doing the killings, correct?  We don’t have to search for a second party?” Qingming asked.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao shook their heads.

“We only chased after one person” Bai Yutong replied, just as there was a knock on the door.

“Come in” Bai Yutong called out.  Just then, the door opened and Ma Han poked her head in.

“Bai Sir, another body was found” she stated.  Bai Yutong, Boya, Qingming, and Zhan Yao looked at her in shock.

“WHAT?!” they exclaimed.  

~*~*~*~*~

A little while later, Qingming, Boya, and the S.C.I. team arrived at the scene.

“Gongsun, Lou Tian, what’ve we got?” Bai Yutong called out as they walked over to the medical examiner, Zhe Gongsun, and Lou Tian, another S.C.I. member.

“Same as the last time.  Mutilated body, torn out fingernails, bloody mess” Lou Tian answered.  

“How old is the victim?” Boya asked.  Gongsun looked over at him and raised an eyebrow before he glanced at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao.

“Inspectors who are helping us with this case” Bai Yutong explained.  Gongsun nodded before he looked at Boya.

“Mid-teens.  About 15” he answered.  Qingming frowned.

“Were all of them teenagers?” he asked.  Gongsun paused before he looked at him.

“Come to think of it, yes.  They were all teenagers” he stated.  Zhan Yao clenched his hands into fists.

“What the hell.  Who would do that to a kid…” he hissed, gritting his teeth when he looked up and noticed the demon standing at the tunnel, grinning darkly.

“You sonava bitch!” he roared, suddenly taking off after the demon.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and he quickly took off after him.

“Zhan Yao!  Zhan Yao!” he shouted.  Qingming and Boya quickly followed after them, leaving the other S.C.I. members standing there confused.

“Why did Dr. Zhan—” Wang Shao started.

“Zhan Yao doesn’t take cases that have to deal with children very well” Gongsun deadpanned.  Everyone fell silent before they bowed their heads, out of respect for the victim as well as Zhan Yao.

~*~*~*~*~

Zhan Yao, Bai Yutong, Qingming, and Boya continued to run through the street, chasing after the demon.  

“Zhan Yao!  Zhan Yao!” Bai Yutong shouted, but Zhan Yao ignored him, continuing to chase after the demon until they made the same turn down the alley with the portal.

“You’re not escaping this time” Zhan Yao growled, pushing himself harder until he grabbed the demon and pushed him through the portal, sending them both back to Ancient China.  A few moments later, Bai Yutong, Qingming, and Boya arrived at the wall, the three men panting harshly.

“They probably went back…” Qingming panted.  Bai Yutong growled.

“We need to save him” he declared as he took out his gun out of its holster.

“Let’s go” he growled.  Boya and Qingming nodded before the three of them rushed into the wall, disappearing through the portal.

~*~*~*~*~

When they stepped through the portal, Bai Yutong, Qingming, and Boya found themselves to be dressed in their original clothes (well, Boya and Qingming were dressed in their original clothes, Bai Yutong was dressed in the white robes).  

“Can you sense them, Boya?” Qingming asked, looking over at Boya.  Boya shut his eyes, silence falling over him before his eyes flew open.

“Found them” he whispered.  He then suddenly took off, causing Bai Yutong and Qingming to follow him until they came upon a relatively empty area of the city.  Before them, Zhan Yao was being pinned down, the demon on top of him, a knife blade pressed to throat.  Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and he quickly aimed his gun at the demon.

“Get OFF OF HIM!” he screamed before he fired, hitting the demon in shoulder.  The impact of the shot was just enough to send the demon flying off of Zhan Yao, allowing Zhan Yao to push himself up and run over to Bai Yutong, Qingming and Boya.

“Stay here, Cat” Bai Yutong ordered before he stepped forward, repeatedly firing his gun, hitting the demon over and over again.  Unfortunately, the demon just stood up, the bullets falling out of its body like the skin was pushing them out.

“What the fuck” Bai Yutong whispered, just as the demon appeared before him and grabbed him by the throat, throwing him into a nearby house.  

“BAI YUTONG!” Zhan Yao shouted as the house came crashing down.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened as Boya quickly rushed forward, drawing his sword.  He then attacked the demon, who easily dodged the attacks, laughing the entire time as Boya tried to attack him.  Suddenly, a portal opened up behind him and Qingming stepped out, smirking.

“Surprise” he whispered, kicking the demon in the back.  The demon went flying forward and almost impaled himself on Boya’s sword but dodged at the last minute, resulting in a slice to the side.  While Boya and Qingming were attacking the demon, Zhan Yao raced over to where the destroyed house was and began going through the rubble until he came across Bai Yutong, who seemed to be out cold.

“Bai Yutong.  Bai Yutong!” he shouted, shaking the man’s shoulders slightly.  Bai Yutong said nothing and as Zhan Yao leaned down, he heard a slight heartbeat in his chest and the softest of breathing, making him realize that he was alive.

“Oh thank God” he whispered before he turned and looked towards where Qingming and Boya were fighting with the demon.

“I’ll kill him” he snarled, pushing himself to his feet as he pulled out his own gun.  He then aimed at the demon and began firing, causing Qingming and Boya to look up and quickly get out of the way as Zhan Yao continued firing.  However, before he could spend his last twos bullets, the demon waved his hand, sending him flying through the air and crashing to the ground.  The demon smirked before he shot into the air, transforming into a human with large leathery wings.  Qingming and Boya looked up at the demon in shock before Boya turned to Qingming, who was already reaching out, pressing two fingers to the middle of his browbone.  His sigil glowed bright red and soon Boya was shooting into the sky, transforming into his Spirit Guardian form.  He then rushed at the demon, forgoing his sword to fight the demon in hand to hand combat like how he did with He Shouyue.  Things were going well, Boya was promptly kicking ass when the demon raised his hand, his fingernails transforming into razor sharp claws, and slashed Boya across the chest.

“GAH!!!” Boya cried, the pain so intense it caused him to fall out of the sky.

“Boya!” Qingming screamed, immediately summoning a portal, which Boya fell through before ending up in his arms.

“Boya.  Boya!” he exclaimed, hugging the man tightly.

“I’m…fine.  I’m fine…” Boya hissed, wincing as his chest continued to bleed.  Qingming clenched his hand into fist, letting out a growl.

“You—” he started.

“Qingming” a voice called out, making him look over to see Zhan Yao standing beside him, Boya’s sword in one hand and his gun in another.

“You can…summon portals, right?” he asked.  Qingming nodded slightly.

“I can…why?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked upwards, glaring at the demon who was smiling down at them.

“I need you to make one for me.  One that gets me right in front of the bastard” he growled.  Qingming was quiet before he nodded and waved his hand, summoning a portal.  Zhan Yao clenched Boya’s sword and his gun tightly in his hands before he nodded and rushed through the portal, appearing through another portal that opened up right in front of the demon.  Before the demon could even attack, Zhan Yao fired one shot, hitting him in the chest.

“This is for Yutong” he growled.  He then fired a second round, hitting the demon in the chest again.

“This is for Boya” he continued.  He then dropped the gun as he grabbed Boya’s sword with both hands, raising it above his head.

“AND THIS IS FOR ALL THE CHILDREN YOU MURDERED!” he screamed before he sliced the demon’s head off.  As the demon’s head fell away from its body, Zhan Yao looked at its wide, shocked eyes and huffed.

‘In the end you showed the same face as your victims…what sick poetic justice’ he thought to himself as he shut his eyes, feeling himself fall out of the sky.

~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, Zhan Yao awoke to find himself resting on a matt, a damp cloth on his forehead.

“Ah, you’re awake” a soft voice greeted, making him turn to see Qingming smiling at him.  Zhan Yao blinked before he slowly sat up, clutching at his head.

“Ow…” he murmured.  Qingming chuckled softly.

“I bet it hurts…you’ve been asleep for the past two days” he explained.  Zhan Yao looked at him in shock.

“Two days?!” he exclaimed.  Qingming nodded.  Zhan Yao blinked before he sighed.

“What about Boya and Yutong?  Are they alright?” he asked.  Qingming nodded.

“Boya’s fine.  Bai Yutong, on the other hand…he’s still unconscious.  Alive, but unconscious” he explained.  Zhan Yao’s eyes widened.

“Still?” he whispered.  Qingming smiled.

“Don’t worry…he’ll wake up soon” he assured, just as Boya walked in.

“Ah, you’re okay.  How are you feeling?” he asked.  Zhan Yao nodded.

“I’m fine, thank you” he thanked as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

“Should you be standing so soon?” Qingming asked as he also stood, walking over to stand by Boya.  Zhan Yao nodded.

“I’m alright.  Really” he assured before he cleared his throat.

“Do you…know where Yutong is?” he asked.  Qingming nodded.

“Follow me” he instructed, motioning for Zhan Yao to follow him to another room where Bai Yutong was laying on a mat with a blanket covering him, his chest rising and falling.

“I’ll give you some time alone” Qingming murmured before he turned and walked out, leaving Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao alone.  Zhan Yao then walked over to Bai Yutong and knelt down beside him, reaching out to gently run his fingers through his hair.

“Yutong…wake up soon, okay?  I miss you” he murmured.  Bai Yutong was silent, making Zhan Yao huff and shake his head.

‘He probably can’t hear me’ he thought to himself.

“…miss you…too…” a voice murmured, causing Zhan Yao’s eyes to widen and look down to see Bai Yutong looking blearily at him, a small smile on his face.

“Yutong” he breathed.  Bai Yutong smiled weakly.

“Hey Kitten.  Boya and Qingming told me what you did…very badass” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed.

“Oh shut up.  It wasn’t anything special…just taking care of the bad guy” he replied.  Bai Yutong chuckled before he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, looking at Zhan Yao fondly before he reached out and pulled Zhan Yao in for a hug, holding him tightly.

“Yutong…should you—” Zhan Yao started when Bai Yutong slowly laid back down, still holding Zhan Yao tightly.

“I’m fine, Kitten.  I just want to hold you right now” he murmured.  Zhan Yao looked up at him before he huffed and shut his eyes, allowing himself to be held.  Meanwhile, in Qingming and Boya’s room, Boya and Qingming were also laying on a mat, Qingming gently touching the bandages on Boya’s chest.

“They’ll scar” he murmured.  Boya hummed.

“They will, but it’s alright.  I don’t mind having scars if that means I protected you” he murmured.  Qingming chuffed.

“Sap” he teased.  Boya smiled.

“Maybe” he agreed.  Both men laid in silence till Boya hummed.

“That Zhan Yao…I wasn’t expecting that from him” he mused.  Qingming chuckled.

“Don’t just a book by its cover, A-Ya.  You saw how I reacted when He Shouyue almost killed you…I’m sure that demon hurting Bai Yutong set him over the edge” he stated.  Boya hummed as he took Qingming’s head and tucked it under his chin, holding him close.

“Probably” he agreed.  

“They’re each other’s Yin and Yang…just like you and I” Qingming murmured.  Boya smiled.

“And one can’t live without the other” he added.  Qingming nodded as he snuggled closer to Boya.

“Exactly” he agreed.

~*~*~*~*~

After Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao rested and healed from the…demon encounter, they headed back to the modern world and never heard from Qingming and Boya again.  They did try and find the portal that led to the other world, but when they tried and pressed on it, they found it to be just a normal wall.

“Huh…maybe they closed it up” Bai Yutong mused.  Zhan Yao hummed.

“Maybe” he agreed.  Bai Yutong tsked.

“Too bad.  I liked them” he mused.  Zhan Yao chuckled.

“Because they reminded you of us?” he teased.  Bai Yutong rolled his eyes and socked Zhan Yao in the shoulder, making him hiss.

“Shaddup.  Come on, let’s go back” he declared.  Zhan Yao nodded and both men then turned away and exited the alley, heading back to S.C.I.  

~*~*~*~*~

At S.C.I., Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were going over some case files in Bai Yutong’s office when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in” Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong called out.  The door then opened and two men stepped inside, shutting the door behind them.

“My my, so busy” a teasing voice called out, making Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong look up to see Qingming and Boya standing before them in their modern clothing.

“What are you two doing here?” Bai Yutong exclaimed.  Boya huffed and crossed his arms.

“Why else?  A demon got loose” he stated.  

“But no children were harmed this time” Qingming added, a gentle smile on his face.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao looked at each other before they looked back at Qingming and Boya.

“Count us in” they declared.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Angst and HE for Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, please and thank you.

Zhan Yao didn’t like cases that ended up in shoot outs.  Someone always ended up hurt and majority of the time, it tended to be Bai Yutong.  He didn’t know why, but Bai Yutong was like a fucking magnet for bullets, whether stray bullets or properly aimed bullets, he always seemed to get fucking hit.  Not like he was any better, but he normally tended to get either slashed with knives or knocked unconscious, he had never been hit by a bullet before.  

~*~*~*~*~

Unfortunately for Zhan Yao, the latest case that they were working on ended in a shoot-out.  He was, of course, with Bai Yutong, giving him extra cover as he worked to take out the suspects who were firing at them.  Bai Chi, Wang Shao, Zhao Fu, Lou Tian, and Ma Han were giving them a hand as well and soon the shoot-out was over, the suspects either incapacitated or dead.  Those who were incapacitated were taken to the hospital to get treated before they would be arrested later.  As for those who died during the shoot-out, their bodies were picked up and taken to the morgue to be accounted for and then discarded.  While the other officers were taking care of the suspects and the bodies, Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were looking over their team members. “Is anyone hurt?” Bai Yutong demanded.  Everyone shook their heads in reply as Bai Yutong turned to look at Zhan Yao. “And you, Cat?  Are you hurt?” he asked.  Zhan Yao tsked. “I’m not like you, Mouse.  I don’t have a target on my back that says “hit me”” he teased.  Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes at him before he looked him over. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he asked.  Zhan Yao rolled his eyes. “You’d know if I was hurt, Yutong.  You seem to have an affinity for knowing when I’m hurt” he replied.  Bai Yutong smirked before he huffed. “Let’s move out.  We’ll debrief back at S.C.I.” he declared.  The others nodded in agreement as Bai Yutong began moving, Zhan Yao at his side.

~*~*~*~*~

As Bai Yutong drove back to S.C.I., Zhan Yao leaned his head against the headrest, suddenly feeling very exhausted. “You okay, Cat?” Bai Yutong asked, glancing over at him.  Zhan Yao cracked open an eye and looked over at him before he huffed. “It’s been a long day, Yutong.  I’m tired” he replied.  Bai Yutong chuckled as he took a hand off the wheel and reached over, gently petting his head. “Ah yes, my pretty kitty had to use his brain today.  I’m not surprised you’re tired” he teased.  Zhan Yao tsked and swatted his hand away. “Fuck off” he murmured.  Bai Yutong laughed as he put his hand back on the wheel and continued to speed towards S.C.I.

~*~*~*~*~

When they reached S.C.I., Zhan Yao’s head had lolled to the side of the headrest, his eyes shut in slumber.  Bai Yutong looked over at him and smiled slightly before he reached out, shaking his shoulder. “Zhan Yao” he called out.  However, Zhan Yao didn’t respond, making him frown. “Zhan Yao” he called out again.  Zhan Yao again didn’t respond, causing a sense of fear to settle into Bai Yutong’s chest. “Zhan Yao!” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao jolted awake, eyes wide, as he looked around the car before looking over at Bai Yutong. “Why are you shouting?” he grumbled.  Bai Yutong huffed. “You weren’t waking up.  I thought something had happened” he explained.  Zhan Yao huffed. “I told you, Mouse.  I’m just tired” he replied.  Bai Yutong frowned, as if he didn’t believe him, but he didn’t say anything as he got out of the car, Zhan Yao getting out as well.  They then headed over to the station and rode the elevator up to the 11th floor, where the S.C.I. department was located.  When they stepped through the sliding glass doors, the other S.C.I. members were sitting at their desks, waiting for Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao to go over the case.  Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao then walked over and stood before the team members, Bai Yutong discussing the cases with them.  As he stood at Bai Yutong’s side, Zhan Yao suddenly felt very lightheaded, causing him to reach up and rub his temple to try and stop the dizziness. “Dr. Zhan?  Are you okay?” Jiang Ling asked, making the other S.C.I. members look over at him in concern, especially Bai Yutong.  Zhan Yao nodded. “Fine.  Just a headache” he replied.  Bai Yutong frowned. “Do you need to sit?  Do you need water?” he asked.  Zhan Yao looked over at him and smiled slightly. “I’m fine, Yutong” he assured.  Bai Yutong looked at him for a moment, narrowing his eyes before he turned back to continue his debriefing.  Zhan Yao then turned to face the others, noting that every now and then they would glance over at him, just to make sure that he was fine.  He huffed softly and rolled his eyes, only to have his vision begin to swim as his ears started ringing.  He didn’t say anything or do anything to draw attention to the fact that he might not be okay and instead continued to listen to Bai Yutong go over the case and the evidence that they had found.  As he listened to Bai Yutong speak, his vision kept swimming and his ears kept ringing and at one point, a cold chill went over his body. “Dr. Zhan?  Are you sure you’re okay?  You look really pale” Bai Chi murmured, causing Bai Yutong to turn and grab Zhan Yao by the shoulders, turning him so that he was facing him and so that he could get a good look at him.  Bai Chi was right, Zhan Yao was pale.  Well, the man had always been fair skinned, but here…here he just looked as white as a sheet. “Zhan Yao.  Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” he asked, looking at him.  Zhan Yao shook his head slightly. “I…I don’t—” he started before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his knees buckled as he fainted. “ZHAN YAO!” Bai Yutong shouted, quickly catching Zhan Yao in his arms as he knelt down.  The other members of S.C.I. quickly shot to their feet and rushed over to them as Bai Yutong looked Zhan Yao over with terrified eyes. “Zhan Yao.  Zhan Yao.  Wake up, Zhan Yao!” he exclaimed. “Bai Sir…what’s that dark red spot on Dr. Zhan’s vest?” Bai Chi asked.  Bai Yutong frowned and looked down, noticing that Bai Chi was right, there was a rather large dark red spot on Zhan Yao’s suit vest.  He then reached out and touched it, his eyes widening in horror when they came back covered in red. “He was shot?!” Zhao Fu exclaimed. “Why didn’t he say something?!” Wang Shao exclaimed.  Bai Yutong growled. “That’s what I want to fucking know” he hissed. “He probably didn’t even know he got shot.  For all you know, he could have just been clipped” a voice called out, making everyone look up to see Gongsun walking towards them. “Gongsun!  Can you look at him” Bai Yutong exclaimed.  Gongsun nodded. “I can” he replied.  Bai Yutong nodded and quickly scooped Zhan Yao into his arms, princess carrying him into the morgue, where he then placed him down on the exam table. “This is a bit unorthodox, but if we don’t at least get the wound stitched up, he’s going to bleed out” Gongsun declared.  Bai Yutong waved his hand. “Do what you need to do then get him to a fucking hospital when you’re done” he barked.  Gongsun nodded as Bai Yutong headed out of the morgue and headed straight for his office, slamming the door behind him, causing the other S.C.I. members to jump. “On a scale of 1-10, how mad do you think Bai Sir is right now?” Ma Han murmured. “I’d say probably about an 11” Bai Chi replied.   “That’s a pretty fair answer” Jiang Ling agreed.

~*~*~*~*~

In Bai Yutong’s office, Bai Yutong walked over to his punching bag and just began going to town on it, punching the ever living shit out of it.  He should have known that something was wrong with Zhan Yao because the man never slept in his car the way he did today, like he was dead to the world.  He should have known.   ‘I’m such a fucking idiot.  How could I not have realized it earlier that something was wrong?’ he growled to himself as he continued to punch the punching bag. “I literally just finished stitching Zhan Yao up, don’t make me have to bandage you as well because you’re too emotional to put on some fucking gloves to protect your hand” a voice snapped behind him, making him turn to see Gongsun standing in his office. “Do you ever even knock?” he asked.  Gongsun huffed. “You wouldn’t have heard me anyways” he replied before he sighed. “I stitched the wound closed then called an ambulance.  They should be here soon” he stated.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he nodded. “Thank you” he murmured.  Gongsun nodded in reply. “No problem” he answered, turning to head out when Bai Yutong looked over at him. “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” he asked.  Gongsun turned and looked at him. “Why do you ask?” he replied.  Bai Yutong sighed. “I should have known better.  I should have recognized that something wasn’t right” he murmured.  Gongsun huffed. “You couldn’t have known.  Besides, he probably didn’t even know himself that he had been shot” he explained.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “But still—” he started when Gongsun crossed his arms. “Bai Sir.  I know you think you know Zhan Yao like the back of your hand, and you probably do to be honest, but you couldn’t have known that he was going to get hurt.  So don’t blame yourself” he instructed.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he huffed. “You always know just what to say, don’t you?” he asked.  Gongsun smirked. “Some of us are just gifted” he replied before he turned and walked out of Bai Yutong’s office, Bai Yutong watching him leave.  Once he left, he sighed heavily and put his head in his hands before letting out a long groan.

~*~*~*~*~

At the hospital, when Zhan Yao woke up, he looked around before his eyes fell on Bai Yutong, who was sitting at his bedside, a mixture of frustration on his face. “Yutong?” he murmured.  Bai Yutong looked over at him with wide eyes before he let out a sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and level.  Zhan Yao frowned. “Tell you what?” he replied.  Bai Yutong huffed. “That you got hurt” he answered.  Zhan Yao shook his head. “I didn’t even know.  I didn’t feel anything” he replied.  Bai Yutong looked at him before he sighed heavily. “This is my fault” he whispered.  Zhan Yao frowned and pushed himself up, looking at him. “What do you mean?  Yutong, this wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have known” he argued.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “But you still got hurt” he murmured.  Zhan Yao rolled his eyes. “Not like I don’t get hurt any other time we have a case.  What makes this any different?” he demanded.  Bai Yutong glared at him. “Zhan Yao, you know I always feel terrible whenever you get hurt” he snapped.  Zhan Yao sighed. “Yutong, if I wasn’t going to take risks, I wouldn’t have become a police officer” he argued.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “You’re not even a police officer!  You shouldn’t even be on scenes with us!” he exclaimed.  Zhan Yao glared at him this time. “I am the Deputy Team Leader of S.C.I.  Where you go, I go.  We’re a team, Yutong” he snapped.  Bai Yutong shook his head. “But I don’t want you to get hurt!” he exclaimed. “I don’t want you to get hurt either!” Zhan Yao shouted.  Bai Yutong blinked as Zhan Yao let out an angry huff. “You think I like seeing you lying in a hospital bed either?  You think I like watching you get hurt?  I hate it!” he exclaimed as he shook his head. “I hate seeing you lie in the hospital bed knowing that I can’t do anything!  It’s infuriating!” he hissed.  Bai Yutong blinked again before he reached out and gently grasped his wrist. “I’m sorry” he whispered.  Zhan Yao glanced over at him before he huffed. “We really are magnets for bad luck, aren’t we?” he murmured.  Bai Yutong chuckled softly before he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Zhan Yao’s forehead. “We are.  We should do something about that” he replied as he pulled away.  Zhan Yao huffed. “Maybe we should stop getting shot at, for starters” he stated.  Bai Yutong laughed. “Too unrealistic, pick something else” he teased.  Zhan Yao smiled softly before he looked at Bai Yutong. “Mouse” he started, making Bai Yutong look at him. “Hmm?” he replied.   “I’m sorry for scaring you” Zhan Yao apologized.  Bai Yutong huffed before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead again. “Just don’t do it again” he murmured.  Zhan Yao huffed. “No promises” he replied.  Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes. “Zhan Yao” he growled.  Zhan Yao tsked before he reached out and patted Bai Yutong’s arm. “Alright, alright, I promise” he assured.  Bai Yutong nodded. “Good.  Now get some rest” he instructed.  Zhan Yao huffed before he laid back down, Bai Yutong tucking the blankets up over him before he settled into the chair next to him, reaching out to take Zhan Yao’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Mouse” Zhan Yao murmured sleepily.  Bai Yutong smirked. “I know” he replied.  Zhan Yao tsked softly before he shut his eyes, giving Bai Yutong’s hand a gentle squeeze.  Bai Yutong let out a soft chuff as he returned the squeeze, just grateful that Zhan Yao was okay.