Chapter Text
It was the dog days of summer and the precinct's AC was out. Wei Ying blamed it on himself. He always had shit luck.
It was so hot these days that he was constantly sweating through his button up. He'd opt for a t-shirt but then the sergeant would have his ass. He skipped the tie this morning and as the day went on, more and more buttons became undone. If anybody had a problem they could talk to the damp ass print on his chair.
"Where're you going?" Wen Ning looked up from his desk.
Wei Ying halted mid-step. He had hoped to sneak out without anybody noticing.
"Following up on a lead." Wei Ying was trying to keep it vague, slowly shuffling toward the door. "It's nothing," he added as Wen Ning made like he was gonna get up. "It'll be boring. You should stay."
It wasn't that Wei Ying didn't like his new partner. It was more that Wen Ning was a rookie and as green as they come. He looked up to Wei Ying. Literally. With those round puppy dog eyes. He was barking up the wrong tree. He probably didn't know about Wei Ying's track record around here. The new captain liked things by the book, he wanted whole numbers, neat and tidy for his comstat. Homicides were usually anything but. Wei Ying liked to actually solve the cases and catch these assholes. He had at least a dozen ongoings on his desk that the captain had been pressuring him to close. The captain called him into his office at least once a week.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he had demanded this most recent time. "You don't have enough cases already? Drop it or I'm writing you up for insubordination."
"But we just found-"
"No," the captain snapped. "It's a missing person case. Let those guys handle it."
"He might be dead," Wei Ying said very seriously.
"You might be dead if you don't fucking drop it," the captain snapped.
For once, Wei Ying held his tongue.
The seasoned detectives knew to steer clear of him. Nobody wanted to be buddies with the guy on the captain's black list. That stink might catch. That was why they stuck him with a rookie. They saw Wen Ning as a necessary sacrifice. Wei Ying just felt bad for the kid.
"We're supposed to meet with the medical examiner." Wen Ning lowered his voice. "You know, on that case we're supposed to drop."
Wei Ying totally forgot. "You can handle that by yourself."
Wen Ning sat up, bright eyed. "Really?"
Cute. Wei Ying flashed him a winning smile as he backed out the door, "Take lots of notes."
Song Lan took the elevator down with Wei Ying. He was a year ahead in the academy and set all the records that Wei Ying broke. He was the definition of a good cop, on track to make captain in the next few years. He was a good guy too. They never shared more than a nod usually, but Wei Ying just had a good feeling about him.
Today, that feeling turned a little funny in the elevator. They didn't say anything to each other, but Wei Ying felt it all over his skin. It was a soft prickling. It made his heart go ba-dum ba-dum just a beat too fast. He stole a peek at Song Lang's face as they headed off each on their own way. It was hard to tell, but it was probably one-sided.
Actually, it was probably no-sided. Song Lan wasn't even his type.
Wei Ying shook himself. It had been too long since he had any time alone to sort himself out. A few days ago he even caught himself ogling at the swarthy hot dog vendor around the corner from his apartment. Maybe he could take a cold shower after work today, pull up the bookmarks of shame in his browser, along with some tissues, and take care of it.
As far as Wei Ying was concerned, time spent sleeping and eating were wasted, not to mention the time people spent fucking, or thinking about fucking, or trying to con somebody into fucking. He would rather do something productive.
As Wei Ying stood on the sidewalk outside the tallest building in the financial district, he checked his reflection in the mirrored door. His messy hair and untucked shirt made him stand out among these slick bankers in their crisp suits. Some of them stared at him as they passed, hurrying along on their lunch break, eyes flickering over him and noses wrinkling like they just ate something sour.
Wei Ying usually avoided this part of town as much as he could help it.
He flashed his badge at the gorillas behind the security desk. They didn't look particularly impressed.
"Okay, but do you have an appointment?" they asked.
Wei Ying was glad their AC was working. It took the edge off his irritation. He pulled a business card out from his pocket. It was a bit crumpled. One of the gorillas took it with the very tips of his finger and thumb, like it was contagious or something.
They muttered and nodded into the phone for a good long while before letting Wei Ying through the turnstile. "Top floor," one of them directed. "Last elevator on the left."
Wei Ying punched the button and watched the number above those big gold doors drop.
Ding.
Jiang Cheng stepped out of the elevator.
Of all the people in this damn city.
Just his luck.
Jiang Cheng gave Wei Ying a dirty look out of the side of his eyes. Wei Ying stood in his way and stealthily raised his middle finger.
Jiang Cheng glanced around to see if anybody was looking, then leaned in. "Jump off a building, why don't you," he said lowly.
"You first, counsellor," Wei Ying replied with a shit-eating smirk.
Jiang Cheng raised the briefcase under his arm like he was thinking about swinging it. "I'm telling you this for the last time, quit hounding the Nie kid. For your own good."
"We're supposed to be on the same side," Wei Ying said, "Feel free to gimme a call if you ever want to actually do your job."
Jiang Cheng was the one prosecutor that Wei Ying hated working worth. Which of course meant that by the luck of the draw most of Wei Ying's cases ended up with him. Especially if the case involved one of those old money families. He was one of them after all, born sucking on that silver spoon, attending schools and parties with all the other rich pieces of shit who were running this city to the fucking ground.
Jiang Cheng scowled at him. "What the hell are you even doing here?"
"I have an appointment," Wei Ying said, rubbing his nose.
Jiang Cheng looked him up and down. "Dressed like that?" He barked out a laugh.
"What are you doing here?" Wei Ying retorted. "Making a withdraw from the old trust fund?"
Jiang Cheng's face dropped. "Leave the Nie kid alone. Last warning."
"Get outta my way, counsellor."
"Psycho," Jiang Cheng said as the elevator doors began to close.
"Asshole," Wei Ying replied with all the venom he could muster.
There was marble inside the elevator. Considering the type of companies that tenanted this building, Wei Ying was willing to wager it was the real deal. Even that gold trim around the number pad might be real. How many bankers did it take to crush the average person under household debts and subprime mortgages? Forty floors worth apparently.
This particular elevator only serviced the top five floors, the ones reserved for the private bankers who catered to the top one percent. Wei Ying was pretty sure the interior of this elevator alone was more expensive than his entire apartment.
That wasn't saying much. He lived in an absolute dump in the worst part of the city. A junkie once broke in to his place only to steal a chair. It was one of those plastic folding ones, and the saddest thing about that was for that whole week, Wei Ying had to eat dinner on the floor.
Wei Ying hated how these fat cats sat in their shiny towers, so high and mighty. He didn't want to be up there with them. He wanted to see the whole thing razed to the ground.
The elevator stopped on the 44th floor to pick up two of these fat cats. They looked young. Kittens, more like. One of them smiled at Wei Ying as he got on and reminded him of Wen Ning. He might have been fresh outta school, with his MBA still shiny in its new frame, probably.
The smiley one looked surprised when he reached toward the keypad and found the last button already glowing. "Oh, we're heading up there too." He reached out a hand. "I'm Sizhui." He elbowed the other one, who was more prone to frowning than smiling. "This is Jingyi."
Wei Ying was usually very bad with names but he tried to make an effort today. These kittens might prove useful. He slapped on a wide grin.
Jingyi's eyes darted quickly up and down Wei Ying before asking, "Who're you meeting?"
The business card Wei Ying had only gave a room number. "4703."
Sizhui glanced over. "Do you have an appointment?"
Wei Ying resisted rolling his eyes. "I gave the card to the goons out front. You can check with them if you want."
Sizhui flapped his hands. "Oh, no, it's not that. I just-" He paused and turned to his companion. "Is he back from his trip?"
"Lan Xichen?" Jingyi shrugged. "Didn't see him come in."
Wei Ying quietly pulled out his phone to note down the name. Lan Xichen. Who was this guy and why didn't he put his name on his business cards? "You two work with him?"
"Work for him," Jingyi said. "He's our boss. Lan Zhan is stepping in for him while he's away."
Same family name. Hm. "Guess that's who I'm meeting then."
"But," the kittens shared a look. "He never takes any meetings."
Jingyi squinted at Wei Ying. "Are you a client?"
It wasn't a question. None of the clients who grace these floors dress like him. Wei Ying couldn't tell them he was a cop. People tended to clam up when they know they're talking to police, regardless of whether they had anything to hide or not. People liked to err on the side of caution.
Wei Ying cleared his throat. "Has Lan Zhan been stepping in for a long time?"
Jingyi shrugged. "He's always been around. He used to be in Legal. Total pain in the-"
"He's been here for about a month," Sizhui said.
"What does he do exactly?" Wei Ying asked.
Jingyi opened his mouth. "He's-"
"Maybe it'd be better if you speak with him directly," Sizhui said quickly.
This little kitty was smarter than the other. Wei Ying kept his mouth shut until the elevator door opened again.
The top floor was built like an old cathedral. The ceiling was too high, floors too squeaky, and everything from the door knobs to the light fixtures looked too expensive. Wei Ying's footsteps sounded to his own ear like thunderclaps. They didn't believe in open concept up here, only halls upon halls like a labyrinth. The whole place sounded like a mausoleum. It was as if they designed it to be as uninviting as possible. It was a good thing he met the little cats in the elevator, or else Wei Ying was sure he would be wandering around forever.
"Just through that door," Sizhui pointed to a particularly imposing one at the end of a long silent hallway. "You can just walk right in. Lan Zhan doesn't have a secretary. He has an open door policy."
"What door?" Wei Ying pointed. "That door? It's closed."
"It's always closed," Jingyi said lowly. "I don't even think he's in there half the time."
"He's in there," Sizhui said. "I hear him typing."
"From out here?" Jingyi asked. "What are you, Superman?"
Wei Ying left them whispering in the middle of the hall and walked up to the door and steeled himself. For the first time in a very long time, he was walking into an interview with absolute no idea what to expect.
A cursory Google search told him this Lan Zhan had almost no internet presence. His LinkedIn profile was barebones and had no photo. Which was strange. Normally, this might mean he was a boomer or something, but judging by the year he graduated from Stanford (summa cum laude, by the way), he couldn't have been older than Wei Ying by more than a year or two.
Lan Xichen, on the other hand, never seemed to miss a photo op. He was a big philanthropist and donated to every charity and organization known to mankind like he couldn't burn through his money fast enough. Lan Xichen seemed to have everything a man could possible want. He was young, handsome, and rich, and loved by everybody who ever met him. Even that usually dour WSJ columnist did a gushing write-up about him last summer and it was...absolutely gushy.
Nobody was this perfect. It wasn't possible. It shouldn't be allowed.
Wei Ying wasn't sure yet what the relation was between the the two Lans was yet. He'd have to get back to the precinct before he could run a background. He sent a quick text to Wen Ning in case the kid could get something useful to him before the interview was over.
And then Lan Xichen opened the door.
It was a little jarring to suddenly find the man whose photo you had been zooming into on Google appear right before you eyes.
"Oh," Wei Ying said, confused. "I thought they said you're away."
"I am not," came the curt the response.
On closer look, there was something about the line of his jaw and the rise of his cheekbones that suggested this man was not Lan Xichen, albeit a close copy. They could almost be twins.
"You're the detective?"
"Yep," Wei Ying said, like a dope, still staring very hard and forgetting to blink.
"Come on in," Lan Zhan said.
His office was spartan. His desk sat in front of a towering wall of floor to ceiling windows. It was a great view. Today it was full of cotton clouds drifting through the baby blue sky. The whole office was blindingly bright. When Wei Ying sat down opposite him, the sun shone directly in his eyes. Maybe Wei Ying was being paranoid but this set up felt intentional. It was a classic interrogation tactic. Wei Ying did this to perps back at the precinct. Only now, it was him who was squirming and squinting.
Lan Zhan sat very still with his back impossibly straight and his hands folded neatly on his desk, waiting patiently for Wei Ying to get comfortable.
Wei Ying pulled at his shirt collar. He was never gonna be comfortable.
If he had to guess just based off looks, Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen must be brothers. Their age gap was too small to be anything else, and the similarities of their features ruled out extended family relations. Lan Zhan was just a fraction better-looking than Lan Xichen. Wei Ying couldn't quit put his finger on why. It was distracting as all hell.
Lan Zhan spoke first. "What can I help you with, detective?"
Wei Ying found himself keep having to pull his eyes away from Lan Zhan's lips. He was sure that he looked a bit cross-eyed at the moment. "Uh-" Wei Ying had to take a second to remember. "The Nie Mingjue case."
"I already spoke to Detective Xiao," Lan Zhan replied flatly.
Wei Ying didn't know that. Xiao Xingchen hadn't mentioned it. Well, he wouldn't. Not to Wei Ying. Since, this wasn't technically Wei Ying's case. "I'm following up."
"Are you Detective Xiao's partner?"
"No, I work homicide."
"Nie Mingjue is a missing person."
Wei Ying plastered on a grin, just sharp enough in the corners so that Lan Zhan knew he was faking it. "For now. But it seems to me that the likelihood of this case remaining a missing person is dwindling by the minute." He paused, for effect. "We found an arm."
Lan Zhan didn't even blink. His eyes looked iridescent. Like some sort of precious stone. Like a yellow diamond. "An arm."
"Our medical examiner is trying to figure out if it was cut off a live person or a stiff, so I suppose we'll know soon." Wei Ying managed to find an angle in this uncomfortable chair where the sun's glare wasn't directly in his eyes, but he was seeing spots everywhere. He blinked a few times too many. "In case Nie Mingjue isn't out there walking around alive and well minus an arm , I thought I could follow up, see if there's anything that was missed the first time around."
Lan Zhan refolded his hands. He had nice knuckles. Wei Ying didn't quite know what that meant, but he just found himself thinking it. Stop staring. You're gonna weird him out.
"What do you think was missed?" Lan Zhan asked.
If Wei Ying knew exactly what he was looking for he wouldn't be here, would he? "We found your card among Nie Mingjue's things. Or, your office's card, actually. There wasn't a name on it."
"Yes." Lan Zhan said.
Talking to this man was like pulling teeth. "I just have some additional questions, since this might now be a homicide investigation."
Lan Zhan struck an imposing figure. Sitting across from him made Wei Ying think he should have showered yesterday, or put on a new shirt, or at the very least he should've run a comb through his hair it before he came up here if he knew what he was going to be starting at. He should have at least put on his tie.
"Nie Mingjue's brother, Nie Huaisang...does he bank here too?"
Lan Zhan blinked once. "Do you have a warrant?"
"We have his bank records," Wei Ying said. "I know he does." It was only half a lie. Xiao Xingchen submitted a request for the information and the banks had not provided them. Wei Ying was taking an educated guess.
"Why did you ask if you already knew?" Lan Zhan said.
"To see if you'd answer the question," Wei Ying replied.
"I could answer." Lan Zhan's eyes seemed a couple degrees colder. "If you have a warrant."
Wei Ying remembered belatedly what the little cats said earlier. Lan Zhan came from legal. What's worse than a banker? A banker's lawyer. He changed his tactic. "Have you ever met him? Nie Huaisang."
Lan Zhan took a second to think it over. "Yes. In passing."
"What's your impression of him?" Wei Ying pulled out his notepad and pen from his jacket pockets. "I'm asking on a personal level." He put on his brightest smile. "Just curious."
Lan Zhan raised his folded his hands up to his lips, as he weighed his options. Wei Ying tried not to fixate.
"Huaisang doesn't have a head for numbers, he's very hands off with the finances." This was unexpectedly forthcoming.
Wei Ying wasn't surprised. From what he'd learned so far, Nie Huaisang didn't seem to have a head for most things apparently. "Anything else?" he asked.
"Like?"
"Anything you know about him that you can share."
Lan Zhan was frowning now. "All the information I have is related to his banking needs."
"Well that's convenient." Wei Ying was getting irritated.
Lan Zhan pressed his lips together. "Nie Huaisang is not my client. I don't know him well. However, from what I can tell, he loves his brother very much. He wouldn't hurt him."
Huh. Guess there wasn't any need to beat around the bush. Lan Zhan already figured out where Wei Ying was going with his line of questioning.
"But you don't know him well," Wei Ying pointed out.
"I know enough." Lan Zhan turned slightly and clicked away at his computer. Wei Ying couldn't see the screen from where he was sitting. If the sky wasn't so bright outside, he might have caught some reflection off the window, but no such luck. "The Nie brothers share everything, every account, every venture, and investment. Nie Mingjue made sure his younger brother is in want of nothing. Plus, his multi-million life insurance policy names Nie Huaisang as the sole beneficiary. Nie Huaisang's reluctance to pursue a death investigation prevents him from cashing out."
Solid logic, but money wasn't the only motivation for murder.
Wei Ying pointed Lan Zhan's monitor. "Can I see that?"
Lan Zhan remained stonyfaced. "No."
Wei Ying leaned in. "Your eyes didn't move. You weren't reading off your screen."
Lan Zhan hesitated for the smallest of seconds. "No. I reviewed the Nie files before you came."
"You remembered their whole file?" Wei Ying asked. "Their whole portfolio?" It was a big portfolio too, if the size of their house was anything to judge by.
"I have a good memory. People tend to find it off-putting." Lan Zhan turned his screen around. It was completely black. "So I pretend to read things off my computer." He paused. "I also pretend to use the calculator."
It was an unexpected confession. And kind of adorable. There was nothing about Lan Zhan's appearance and manner that should be described as adorable, yet Wei Ying couldn't think of a better word. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning. Lan Zhan might be finally warming up to him. Or, maybe was it the other way around? This block of ice of a man was surprisingly relatable.
Wei Ying sat back in his chair, grinning a little. "Sometimes I have to wait days for lab results when I've already figured out who the perp is because 'duh, isn't it obvious' isn't admissible in court, so, yeah, I get that." He tapped the monitor with his pen. "You don't have to pretend for me."
Lan Zhan's shoulders might have dropped a hair. It was a good sign. Wei Ying attempted a new question. "Do you know if Nie Mingjue was hands-on with his finances?"
"No, he was not," Lan Zhan said.
There it was. The loose thread. Wei Ying was gonna pull on it. "Really? According to his calendar, Nie Mingjue took a lot of meetings here in this office in the days leading up to his disappearance."
Lan Zhan did not react. He had an excellent pokerface. "Nie Mingjue and my brother are old friends, they often have lunch together."
Damn. "Your brother is Lan Xichen?"
"Yes."
"Is it always just the two of them meeting up?"
"And Jin Guangyao."
Wei Ying perked up. "The Nie family lawyer?"
Lan Zhan nodded. "He is close with Nie Huaisang. They were in school together. When Jin Guangyao passed the bar, Nie Mingjue hired him."
Wei Ying didn't know what to make of this information yet, but this connection was something he needed to look into. He filed it away for later and nodded at the name plate on the desk. "Where is your brother?"
"On a business trip in Shanghai."
"Doing what?"
"Is that relevant to the investigation?"
"Maybe."
"Procuring new clients."
"How long is he gone?"
"Three months."
Wei Ying chewed on the top of his pen. "That's a lot of clients."
"He is also taking some time off." Lan Zhan sounded defensive. "The recent disappearance of his close friend was troubling to him, no doubt the information about the arm will be doubly so."
"Oh, wait." Wei Ying straightened in his chair. "Keep that to yourself for now, please. Nobody is supposed to know about the arm."
"Why did you tell me?" Lan Zhan asked.
I forgot. Can't say that. Wei Ying grinned. "You know that old game? You show me yours and I'll show you mine?"
There was the slightest furrow of Lan Zhan's brows. "Show you my what?"
"Uh, nevermind." Wei Ying sat back and watched Lan Zhan watch him. He supposed he could just lay his cards on the table. Lan Zhan had been unexpectedly upfront and it was time for Wei Ying to repay him in kind. "I believe Nie Huaisang is a person of interest in this case." Unfortunately, no one else did, but Wei Ying didn't need to share that detail. "I need to talk to him. One on one, preferably." And without the presence of any lawyers.
"You should make an appointment then," Lan Zhan said like it was obvious.
Like Wei Ying hadn't already tried. "He's not being very cooperative. I was hoping I could find a mutual acquaintance who could introduce us."
The was a pregnant pause while Lan Zhan considered it. He looked down at his hands. "I don't believe that's appropriate."
"I just want to talk to him," Wei Ying said.
Lan Zhan's face was closed. "I manage his money, not his calendar."
Wei Ying heard the finality ringing in his answer. It was a long shot anyway. He figured it wasn't likely that Lan Zhan would help. He seemed like the kind of guy who did everything by the book. It was a desperate play, because Wei Ying was desperate. Nie Huaisang knew something about his brother's disappearance and he wasn't talking. If he wasn't the perpetrator then what was he? He had a wall of lawyers stacked between himself and the police. His family connection meant even the DA's office was applying pressure for the police to look elsewhere. None of it made sense.
Lan Zhan might be covering up for him. Lan Zhan could be the key. Given how this conversation went, it seemed like there might still be a speck of hope that Wei Ying might be able to convince him.
Wei Ying fished out a card from his jacket pocket as he stood and held it over the table with two fingers. "Thanks anyway," he said.
When Lan Zhan tried to take the card, Wei Ying held on. Lan Zhan's looked down then up. Wei Ying clasped his other hand over Lan Zhan's and squeezed hard enough to make his knuckles pop. It was an intimidation tactic, one that Lan Zhan didn't know about, as apparent by the way he froze. "If you ever feel chatty-" Wei Ying leaned down real close and gave him a big smile, all teeth "-give me a call. Anytime. Day or night."
Lan Zhan sat there like a statue, staring up at him with dark eyes.
Wei Ying was already half through the door when Lan Zhan said, very stiffly, "I'll walk you out."
For a perfect exit, Wei Ying would have declined, left Lan Zhan staring after him and, hopefully, a little scared. But Wei Ying had forgotten the way back to the elevators.
Sizhui and Jingyi were already waiting, watching the numbers tick above the golden doors. They carried big boxes full of paper. They had been chatting away but at the sight of Lan Zhan, they feel immediately silent, straightened their backs and stared pointedly forward with matching solemn expressions.
"Looks heavy," Wei Ying said into the silence."Putting those MBAs to good use, huh?"
Jingyi twitched like he wanted to turn around, but thought better of it.
Lan Zhan hovered behind Wei Ying, like he was security, escorting a problem employee out the building. Totally unnecessary. What was he afraid of, that Wei Ying might scrape off some of the gold off the buttons-
Wei Ying blinked. The buttons.
This elevator only serviced the top five floors and when he was coming up earlier- "Hey!" Wei Ying said suddenly.
Jingyi jumped and Sizhui turned to stare.
Wei Ying faced Lan Zhan. "Why did you meet with Jiang Cheng today?"
Lan Zhan fixed him with a silent, questioning look in response.
Wei Ying was taking a gamble. Jiang Cheng might have stopped on one of the other four floors. But if he was meeting with Nie Huaisang's private banker then he may have some some personal connection here. This could be collusion. It would explain why he kept blocking Wei Ying's attempt to pursue a homicide investigation and Xiao Xingchen's repeated requests to bring in Nie Huaisang as a person of interest.
"It might be relevant to the investigation," Wei Ying added.
"You might want to bring a warrant for my daybook then," Lan Zhan replied coldly.
"You might be charged with obstruction of justice," Wei Ying said.
"I doubt that," Lan Zhan said. He sounded very sure.
Wei Ying's head was reeling. They had to have a connection. Somewhere. Somehow. He knew Jiang Cheng was colluding with somebody. He knew it. He glanced over at the little cats, still holding their boxes and frozen in place. Hm. "You got your MBA from Stanford."
"Yes," Lan Zhan said.
"Did you get your JD there as well?"
"Yes."
There was the connection. "Jiang Cheng would've been in your year."
Lan Zhan's face was unreadable. "He was in the year below me."
Ha. "So you do know him."
"Yes," Lan Zhan said a little reluctantly.
Wei Ying smirked. "And you two still keep in touch."
"Not really."
"You were in touch today. What were you in touch about?"
Lan Zhan seemed to be clenching his jaw. "Have a good day, detective," he said, then pivoted stiffly and turned back the way he came.
The elevator ride down was quiet. The kittens were sneaking glances at Wei Ying out of the corners of their eyes. As they got off on 44, Wei Ying held the door open for them. "He seems nice."
Sizhui frowned. "Huh?"
Wei Ying pointed up. "Real talkative."
Sizhui looked confused.
As the door closed, Wei Ying heard Jingyi say, "He's being sarcastic, dummy."
"Oh," Sizhui said.
Wei Ying allowed himself a smirk. These bankers didn't scare him. He was gonna run circles around them. Today had been a productive day, all things considered.
The cherry on top to this day was Jiang Cheng, standing in the middle of the lobby, having clearly been waiting for him.
"Forgot something, counsellor?" Wei Ying said as he breezed past.
Jiang Cheng was practically stepping on his heels. "Who'd you go to see?"
"That's classified."
"Is this about Nie Huaisang again?" Jiang Cheng hissed.
"When was your last physical?" Wei Ying feigned a concerned look. "You might wanna get your blood pressure checked. You're turning purple."
"Wei Ying!"
In retrospect, provoking Jiang Cheng was probably a bad move, because when Wei Ying tried to set up another appointment with Lan Zhan, he was turned down "on the advice of counsel". Whose counsel? Wei Ying had one good guess. He couldn't get through to Lan Zhan by email, phone, or carrier pigeon. They were stonewalling him. Just when he thought he was making progress too.
It was infuriating.
Two weeks after their meeting, Wei Ying checked out an unmarked car under the pretense of working another case and prepared for a stakeout. Lan Zhan had a white BMW registered to his name, but Wei Ying could never manage to clap eyes on it. Unless Lan Zhan was able to teleport from his Manhattan penthouse directly to Wall Street, how the hell was he getting to work?
"Subway?" Wen Ning suggested.
Wei Ying snorted. Imagine Lan Zhan, in his perfect suit, perfect hair, and perfect shoes braving the rush hour crush on the 3 train. Not likely.
The first time that the white BMW appeared from the office's underground parking, Jingyi was at the wheel. He slowed to wave at Wei Ying, who was baked half to death in the sun and practically drowning in empty Gatorade bottles. "D'you want a donut, detective? I'm going on a coffee run."
The little shit.
By the weekend, Wei Ying had pulled forty hours of overtime that he didn't get approval for and was nursing a blinding headache behind his eyes.
On Saturday night, Wei Ying finally caught a break. Lan Zhan drove to a fancy vegetarian restaurant midtown. Wei Ying tried to get a peek inside but the hostess wouldn't even let him sit at the bar without a reservation. Wei Ying sat across the street instead with his engine running.
The minute Lan Zhan's headlights turned onto the main street, Wei Ying hit him with both the lights and the siren.
Lan Zhan didn't look the slightest bit surprised. "Detective, is everything alright?"
Wei Ying leaned against his door and glowered at him for a long minute. Lan Zhan had his hair swept to the side today. A long winding strand fell into his amber eyes as he waited patiently for Wei Ying to speak. Wei Ying rolled his neck and took a breath. "You were swerving." He was not. "Have you been drinking?"
"I don't drink," Lan Zhan said flatly.
He looked all too calm and collected and it really got on Wei Ying's nerves. "You just came out of that restaurant, right?"
"Yes."
"Meeting a client?" Wei Ying asked, even though he knew he probably wasn't. Lan Zhan was wearing slacks and a simple long sleeve tee. Casual looked good on him.
"No," Lan Zhan said.
"Date night?"
"No."
"Help me out here."
Lan Zhan actually looked around, "With what?"
Wei Ying couldn't figure out if he was really good at pretending to be obtuse or if he was just a very literal person. "Who were you eating with?"
Lan Zhan was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Was he fidgeting? "My uncle."
"His name?"
"Lan Qiren."
That checked out. Wei Ying was glad he did his research. "I have a couple of follow up questions from our last meeting-"
"You can call my office to set up an appointment."
"I tried," Wei Ying said through his teeth. "You don't have a secretary."
Lan Zhan let out a small breath, like a sigh. He looked frustrated. He looked good frustrated. "On the advice of counsel-"
"No," Wei Ying interrupted loudly.
Lan Zhan blinked up at him, like that was the rudest thing that had been ever said to him. "Excuse me?"
"What kind of relationship did Jin Guangyao have with Nie Mingjue?"
Lan Zhan gripped the steering wheel. "On the advice of counsel-"
"Would you describe it as friendly?"
"On the advice of counsel, I can't answer any of your questions without my lawyer present." Lan Zhan's raised his voice. Only slightly, but Wei Ying heard it. He might really be getting to him. Good.
"Aren’t you a lawyer? Can't you just represent yourself?"
"No."
Wei Ying put on a pout, just to mock him.
Lan Zhan's eyes were glowing like embers. "Detective." His tone was clipped. He must be mad. "I'd like to help, but my hands are tied."
"Be careful what you wish for," Wei Ying snorted.
Lan Zhan shot him an unreadable look.
Wei Ying dropped a yellow ticket through the window. He had it ready before Lan Zhan even pulled out of the parking lot. Call it reparation for Jingyi's donut joke.
Lan Zhan stared at the ticket like he had never seen one before. "What is this for?"
Wei Ying was already walking away. "Speeding."
"I wasn't-"
"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the judge, counsellor."
Wei Ying watched him stare down at the ticket, probably furious. His ears were bright red. Wei Ying wondered what he was thinking about.
From that night on, every time Wei Ying laid eyes on that white BMW, he pulled it over. He didn't care who was driving it.
"This is harassment," Jingyi complained once as Wei Ying handed him a ticket for going 26 in a 25 zone.
Wei Ying flashed him a small smile. "Do you know if Lan Zhan has time for an appointment this afternoon?"
"He doesn't," Jingyi snapped.
Wei Ying handed him a second ticket.
"For what?" Jingyi demanded.
"You rolled through a stop sign." Wei Ying pointed in a random direction.
Jingyi stuck his head out the car window and shouted, "Fucking where?"
Another time, Wei Ying stuck a parking ticket through the windshield wiper while Sizhui was sitting in the car.
"Uh, wait-" Sizhui said.
Wei Ying kept walking. "No loitering."
This went on for weeks.
On those rare good days when Lan Zhan was driving, he would drum his fingers on the wheel and glare up at Wei Ying with a tick in his jaw. "Detective."
Wei Ying didn't even bother looking at him. "License and registration."
"What is this about?" Lan Zhan said lowly.
"Speeding."
"I wasn't."
Wei Ying ignored him. "Where you headed?"
"Home." Lan Zhan's voice kept getting lower. Wei Ying was definitely getting to him.
"Where d'you live?"
"It's on my license."
Wei Ying still wouldn't meet his eyes. He furrowed his brows and pretended like punching the keys in his ticket machine needed all his focus. "Answer the question."
"Cloud Recesses Towers," Lan Zhan said.
"Nice building." Wei Ying made a big show of squinting at address on Lan Zhan's driver's license. "Penthouse, huh?"
"Yes." It was practically a growl.
"You can afford the ticket." Wei Ying tossed it through the window and marched away.
Lan Zhan actually got out of the car. It took everything Wei Ying had to not turn around at the sound of his door slamming. "But I wasn't speeding."
Wei Ying shrugged. "Maybe you should go get the advice of your counsel."
The next day, Wei Ying got lucky again and spotted Lan Zhan headed out in the BMW early in the morning. He tailed him to a swanky golf course on Staten Island. It was only after Wei Ying paid twenty bucks for the valet that he was told it was members only. So he found a shady spot just outside the gate where security couldn't see him and waited.
And then, Nie Huaisang showed up.
Wei Ying was, like, ninety percent sure it was him.
Wei Ying wrote down the plate of the car that dropped him off and made frantic phone calls to Wen Ning. It was the kid's day off but he went into the precinct anyway to look it up.
"It's a limo service," Wen Ning said.
"No wonder I can't keep track of him," Wei Ying said. "He probably uses a different car every day."
"Is this for the case we’re not supposed to work on again?" Wen Ning asked.
Just then Wei Ying spotted Lan Zhan's perfect hair. "Call you back," he shouted into the receiver and took off running.
Lan Zhan stood right where he was and waited for him. "Detective."
"D-didn't know you're ah- a member here." Wei Ying should have given himself a second to catch his breath. He sounded like an idiot.
"Didn’t know you were," Lan Zhan replied coldly.
Wei Ying tipped his head at the doors, closed firmly behind them. "Is this a client meeting?"
"No."
"Your uncle?"
"No."
Wei Ying grinned. "It's not a date, is it?"
"I met with Nie Huaisang," Lan Zhan said.
"Wh-" Wei Ying hadn't expected him to just fess up like this. "Nie-"
"I asked him if he was willing to meet with you." Lan Zhan said. "He declined."
"You asked-" Wei Ying couldn't fucking believe it. "I- ah, fuck."
Lan Zhan looked perturbed. "I thought you wanted me to help."
Wei Ying realized only now that this man right here was the worst possible person he could have asked to assist in a clandestine operation. Lan Zhan did everything by the book. Lan Zhan thought in straight lines. Lan Zhan completely misunderstood what Wei Ying wanted him to do. "You're supposed set up a meeting with you, just you," Wei Ying tried to explain, "and then I just...show up."
Lan Zhan blinked at him.
Wei Ying didn't know how to make it more clear. "If you tell him I'm gonna be there, he's not gonna come. He doesn't want to talk to me."
"You want me to set up an ambush," Lan Zhan said slowly.
"It’s not an ambush- It’s just a regular meeting. Like any other meeting."
"But it’s a meeting without his consent."
"Yes," Wei Ying said. "Exactly."
Lan Zhan seemed to have trouble getting his mind wrapped around the idea.
"You're big on consent, aren't you?" Wei Ying joked.
Lan Zhan fixed him with a sombre look. "In these kinds of things, yes."
There was something about the way he said that, which made Wei Ying's stomach do a little flip. Wei Ying shook his head and tried to get his mind back on the topic at hand. "This is a homicide investigation for a close friend of your brother's. Any normal person would want to help any way they can."
"But it's not a homicide investigation," Lan Zhan said flatly. "I spoke to the DA's office."
"Well- they're-" Wei Ying tried to find the right word. "Wrong."
Lan Zhan faced him. They were standing very close, Wei Ying just noticed. When did this happen? Lan Zhan's eyelashes brushed his cheeks as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. He spoke slowly, carefully. "I want to help. I really do. But on the advice of counsel-"
"Don't." Wei Ying said. "If you finish that sentence, I'm gonna cuff you."
Lan Zhan's eyes flickered up at Wei Ying and swallowed hard. He actually looked a little worried. Wei Ying noticed his ears were red again. That made Wei Ying's stomach do a flip too.
Last night, when Wei Ying ranted, as he often did, to Jiang Yanli, she hummed in that way she did whenever she had something to say but didn't know if she should say it.
"What?" Wei Ying demanded. He was standing barefoot in kitchen of his little apartment, stirring a pot of Indomie that was quickly going soggy with the phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear. "Just say it."
"You talk about him a lot," Jiang Yanli said.
"Where've you been?" Wei Ying said. "Of course I talk about him. We've been talking about him for a month. I'm going fucking bananas-"
"No, no. You've been talking about him, like, as a person."
"He is a person. A person of interest."
"A person of your interest."
Wei Ying chewed on the ends of his chopsticks. "I just said that. Isn't that what I just said? Can you please make sense?"
"You talk about his hair and his voice and his nose-"
"Did I tell you about his nose?" Wei Ying didn't remember doing that. But Lan Zhan did have a very nice nose. Whoever made that should win an award.
"You talk about how frustrated he makes you and you read into every little thing he says and every little expression he has-"
"He's a person of interest!"
"He's a person you're interested in."
Wei Ying nearly dropped his noodles. "I-" he started laughing. "He's what?"
"He's a person you're interested in, like, romantically."
"No," Wei Ying said very loudly. "That is not-"
"Or at least sexually."
"How dare you."
Jiang Yanli had a smile in her voice. "It’s okay. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s about time you finally get out there and find someone who-"
"I'm hanging up," Wei Ying said. He needed to sit down.
"Wait. Ah-Cheng is coming over for dinner next week. Is there anything you wanna say to him?" She sounded so hopeful. It made Wei Ying almost not want to disappoint her.
Almost.
"Yeah," he huffed. "Tell him to go fuck himself."
"I'll tell him you miss him."
"No. That's not what I-"
"Love you. Bye."
Jiang Yanli was wrong. She was wrong about Lan Zhan and she was wrong about Jiang Cheng. Wei Ying shook himself. He was deleting this conversation from his memory. Out of sight, out of mind.
It was easily done. He had many more important things to think about.
Especially when on Monday, a hiker found a pair of dismembered legs. Then, the day after, some volunteers doing beach clean up called about a hand. The medical examiner, Wen Qing, confirmed they all belonged to Nie Mingjue and were all hacked up with the same kind of circular saw that was used on the arm.
Wei Ying slapped Wen Qing's report on the captain's desk. The paper was still warm from the printer. "Do you still think it's just a missing person case?"
If looks could kill, the captain would have Wei Ying shot right between the eyes. But he still reached for his desk phone and called Xiao Xingchen. He glared at Wei Ying all the while. "Yeah, it’s me. Yeah. Kick Nie Mingjue's case over to homicide."
Wei Ying didn't let himself savour the moment just yet. "Who gets this case?" he asked, as evenly as he could, even though his heart was hammering in his ears.
The captain threaded his sausage fingers together. "Call the DA's office," he said. "We're gonna need some subpoenas."
Wei Ying's grin stretched all the way to his earlobes.
"I want a full surveillance package," he said when he got to Wen Ning's desk. "I want video, audio, all of it. I want to see the pores on Lan Zhan's face."
Wen Ning's hands hovered over his keyboard. "I thought Nie Huaisang was our person of interest."
Wei Ying blinked at him. "That's what I said. Nie Huaisang."
"Oh," Wen Ning said. "Okay. I'll get started on the forms then."
---
Lan Zhan was embarrassed. It was an unfamiliar feeling.
It started that day when a certain detective turned up in his brother's office and it hadn't stopped. It was now a constant state of being for him.
Lan Zhan likened the detective's visit to being fragged by a hand grenade. Lan Zhan saw the man come in, watched the man sit there, felt slow creeping dread spread through his stomach all the while, felt too afraid to move, and braced himself for the detonation. He thought he knew what was coming. He didn't have a clue.
The detective's shirt was only partly buttoned, like he was caught halfway through undressing. If it was anyone else, Lan Zhan might think they were unprofessional. Wei Ying was different. Wei Ying didn’t have time for buttons. He had more important things to do.
He practically vibrated where he sat, unable to be still, like he was brimming with energy, like if gravity wasn't a thing he'd be ricocheting off the walls. He was whip smart. Lan Zhan could almost hear his mind buzzing, going a mile a minute, and his mouth was almost just as fast.
Lan Zhan wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, to calm him down. Lan Zhan wanted to put hands all over him. That would calm Lan Zhan down.
Lan Zhan had wondered if Wei Ying was aware of the effect on people. The effect he had on him.
More than anything else, Lan Zhan was surprised by his own response. It was like an out of body experience. When those dark, sharp eyes fixed on him, he watched himself lose all of his words all at once. His response to every question had been slow and short. He didn't know whether he prefered that Wei Ying attributed his peculiar manners to a determined refusal to cooperate with the investigation, or the truth - that Lan Zhan was trying to keep himself from launching across the table and committing a felony.
Wei Ying had an uncanny ability to lull people into a sense of safety before striking, like a cobra. And Lan Zhan was bitten right in the heart.
Wei Ying must know exactly what he was doing, making all those innuendos, and making Lan Zhan burn from the inside out. Yet he said those things with such wide guiltless eyes, that Lan Zhan couldn't help but wonder if it was all in his own head. Lan Zhan felt attacked. Beseiged by that smile, so sweet and sharp at the same time.
While sitting across from the detective, while being interrogated and accused, Lan Zhan noticed that Wei Ying had very nice fingers. It was a terrible time to notice that. But they were so long and slender. Lan Zhan suddenly had an image of them around his throat, squeezing. Around another part of him, squeezing. The sweat that dampened his back had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
It was such a particular feeling, of being attracted and repelled at the same time. Lan Zhan had only ever felt this way about one person in his whole life.
So it caused him a bit of a heartache when he realized the obvious - Wei Ying did not remember him.
They first met after a robbery seven years ago, when Lan Zhan was still in school and working part-time as a bank teller.
The robbers ran in shouting and waving their guns around. They weren't supposed to do that. According to the training videos, robberies were usually quiet and quick. Lan Zhan didn't know what to do. Nobody did. One of the robbers pistol-whipped another teller, Mian Mian, and she fell down with a cry. When the robbers finally took off, everybody was left shaken.
Wei Ying was still an uniformed officer back then and came to take statements. He was warm and personable. He joked with Mian Mian, who was on the verge of a panic attack, and made her smile. His voice was soothing. He made Lan Zhan feel safe. He made Lan Zhan want to walk closer, lean in.
When their eyes met, Lan Zhan’s heart thumped. He blamed it on the adrenaline. He stood behind one of the pillars and hoped Wei Ying would forget about him.
Wei Ying did not.
When Wei Ying found Lan Zhan, he smiled real wide and asked if he was alright, if he was the one who stood up, lured the robbers away from the rest and handed them the money so they would leave. Lan Zhan could only manage to nod.
"That was good. That was smart." Wei Ying had tried to pat him on the shoulder, but Lan Zhan flinched away.
"Don't touch me," Lan Zhan snapped.
It was a visceral physical reaction. Lan Zhan couldn't bear to be so close to him. He felt like he was boiling over. At the time, he had been surprised at himself. He thought it was anger. He didn’t like to be touched by strangers. Still, it was unexpected. He heard himself say the words and then stood baffled. He wasn’t usually that rude.
He thought afterwards that maybe he should have explained himself. He thought about running out after Wei Ying and apologizing, but he couldn’t bring himself to move from his spot, from where he was safe and alone.
For the first time in his life, Lan Zhan felt what it was like to lose control. That feeling of freefalling was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
Lan Zhan couldn’t make sense of it.
That chance meeting led to many donations to the NYPD. Both he and his brother were involved in many charitable works, but Lan Zhan always kept his own contributions anonymous, or put it under his brother’s name. He never went to any of those donor galas or thank-you luncheons, but for the NYPD, he accepted every invitation for every event.
Once, and only once, he got what he had been silently wishing for. At a medal presentation ceremony, Lan Xichen stood on-stage, shaking hands with officers being awarded, and from the last table at the very back of the room where Lan Zhan sat, he saw Wei Ying, standing off to the side with one arm in a sling and his face a little bruised.
Lan Zhan choked on his water. Some of it came out his nose. He had to excuse himself and leave the room before he could remember how to breathe again.
He had actually went as far to making small talk with strangers in order to discover what had happened to Wei Ying. It turned out he had been shot in the line of duty. His partner won a medal for bravery for some reason and Wei Ying had been suspended without pay for a week.
There was some politics behind it all that Lan Zhan didn’t understand. But Wei Ying didn’t look like he minded at all. He cheered when his partner was called up to the stage. Entirely unaware of the pair of hungry eyes on the other side of the room that watched him all the while.
Lan Zhan had wanted to walk up and talk to him that day, but didn’t know what to say. His own life and work seemed so insignificant in comparison that he was embarrassed to even be within hearing range of the officer.
He had lived to regret that decision. He never saw Wei Ying again.
Until last month, when Wei Ying's name appeared in an appointment request. Lan Zhan’s heart jumped up into his throat.
He usually never took meetings.
In the days leading up the appointment, Lan Zhan did the most uncharacteristic thing of his life - he pulled some strings at the DAs office and got a copy of Wei Ying’s file from the NYPD.
There were two photos of him, one from when he graduated from the academy, fresh faced and dewey-eyed, and another from when he was promoted to detective, where his cheeks were hollower, his eyes were darker and the set of his lips were grim and determined. Lan Zhan lamented about the seven years that he had been just outside reach, when he locked away his feelings and resigned himself to loneliness. He had decided to be an outsider, watching from afar. He was afraid to taint Wei Ying's life with his own presence and ended up missing so much of it.
He couldn’t read enough about Wei Ying. He couldn’t be in enough awe over his case work. He was a brilliant detective. He should have been promoted years ago. All those reprimands in those files explained the delay, and Lan Zhan was angry on his behalf. Wei Ying was punished for thinking outside of the box, for caring too much, for doing the right thing rather than the expected thing.
Lan Zhan understood the struggle.
When the NYPD digitalized their filing system a few years ago, they had scanned some old paperwork into the system. Lan Zhan found a few forms that Wei Ying had filled out by hand. There was something about the way he wrote his g's that just made Lan Zhan blush. For two nights Lan Zhan had the most obscene dreams all involving the curl in Wei Ying's g.
On the day of their appointment, Lan Zhan ignored all his emails and stared at the door, counting down the minutes.
Lan Zhan heard him arrive. If it wasn't for the voices of Jingyi and Sizhui, Lan Zhan might have said something unforgivable when he whipped opened the door.
Long neck, long legs, long waist. From the first glance of those dark eyes, Lan Zhan wanted to fold him in half.
All Lan Zhan remembered from that meeting was skin. The littlest flash of soft blushing skin at Wei Ying's open collar made Lan Zhan lose his train of thought. He wanted to be that shirt. He wanted to be wrapped all around him. Every time Wei Ying smiled, Lan Zhan's mouth went dry. He wanted to be between those lips. He wanted to melt on that tongue.
When Wei Ying squeezed his hand at the end of the meeting, Lan Zhan wondered if he had been seen though. He wondered if Wei Ying could read him like an open book. He thought, this was it, we're either going to fuck right on this table or he's going to tell me I'm disgusting.
But then Wei Ying turned and left.
If Sizhui and Jingyi hadn't been at the elevators, Lan Zhan might have done something terrible.
He scared himself thinking about it.
Lan Zhan was tingling for the rest of that day. He was in a fog for the rest of the week. He found himself losing time. He couldn't concentrate on anything at all. He was sure it was a sickness. It was some kind of psychosis.
It went on like that for a month. He thought his head would clear with some distance, but the detective left him no room to breathe. Lan Zhan was sure he had died. He felt all hollow.
When Wei Ying ran up to him in front of the golf club in Staten Island, Lan Zhan thought he had confessed. I went out on a limb after I said I wouldn't. I did it all for you. Wei Ying swore and told him he did it all wrong, and Lan Zhan wanted to disappear into the cracks in the pavement.
The next day he got a call.
"It's officially a homicide," Jin Guangyao said.
Lan Zhan felt hopeful. Maybe now he won't have to repeat his mantra of "on advice of counsel" anymore. He was embarassed everytime he said it. Embarassed that he was so useless.
"Is that detective still harassing you?"
Lan Zhan had snapped at Jingyi for calling it harassment, but but now he didn't argue. "Yes," he answered. He was indeed harassed. Day and night. In person and in his imagination. Lan Zhan couldn't remember what a full night of sleep felt like anymore.
"Can you talk to him for me?" Jin Guangyao asked. "Find out why the sudden change? Jiang Cheng got assigned the case and he's being unhelpful as usual."
Lan Zhan couldn't believe it. "Talk to him?"
"Will that be a problem?" Jin Guangyao sounded wary.
"No," Lan Zhan said quickly. "No problem."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Jin Guangyao continued. "I had a thing in Hong Kong last week and I swung by to check on Xichen."
"Yes, I heard." Lan Zhan was lying. He hadn't heard a thing after "talk to him".
"He's doing better, I think. He gave me a little present to give to you. I'll have my driver drop it off later."
"Sure," Lan Zhan said.
"Let me know what that detective says."
"Sure."
"Thank you."
No. Thank you.
Lan Zhan nearly tore his entire desk drawer out from its brackets. Wei Ying's card was right there on top, carefully placed.
It came to him with a crease in the middle and long after Wei Ying left his office, Lan Zhan sat stroking it and felt shivers all down his body. When he picked it up now, he felt a wild desperation.
He took a minute to gather himself before the call. Then he took ten minutes. Then it turned into thirty, then an hour. Sizhui and Jingyi came in with some forms right when he picked up the phone and he had to slam it back down real fast. Sizhui gave him a look but didn't say anything.
When Lan Zhan finally managed to psych himself up, he waited very impatiently for the call to connect. He was sure his heartbeat could be heard through the receiver. When he was directed to voicemail he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed. Wei Ying's cheery voice asked him to leave a message, but his throat closed up and he couldn't get a word out. He had to call again.
"I- Hello. Please call me back at 212-871-xxxx." He paused for a long beat. "It is my personal number. Thank you."
He forgot to leave his name. Stupid.
He couldn't call again. Could he? No. That would be pathetic.
Lan Zhan spent the rest of his day drumming his fingers on his desk, waiting for his cell to light up. He nearly made it three hours before he decided to just go down to the station personally.
It was important. A homicide investigation was serious business. He should help. Yes. It was urgent. It wasn't ridiculous. Yes. Right.
He was half expecting to be pulled over on the way with that familiar drawl of "License and registration", but he was not.
It was blistering hot in the precinct. The receptionist at the front desk was munching on sunflower seeds and barely looked up. "You here to make a statement?"
"No," Lan Zhan said haltingly. "I'm looking for Detective Wei Ying."
The receptionist sighed loudly, picked up his phone, and jabbed at the keys. After a beat, he slammed it down. "He's not at his desk."
"Where can I find him?" Lan Zhan asked.
"How would I know?"
Lan Zhan looked around. "Can I wait for him here?"
"Is he expecting you?"
"I left a message."
"Are you making a statement?"
Lan Zhan took a breath. "Yes." It wasn't necessarily a lie. He might be asked to make a statement at some point.
"Any detective can take your statement." The receptionist waved toward the little gate that led down a hall. "Bull pen's on the right at the end."
The bull pen was a mess of desks stacked with very old Dells and trays of files and papers. Too many people were bustling about. It was incredibly loud. He was jostled and bumped until he found a safe corner where he could stand. Lan Zhan was entirely overwhelmed and didn't know where to even start looking.
And then, there he was.
He was laughing with his sleeves rolled up and holding an iced coffee. The top buttons of his shirt was undone again, exposing all that neck and those collar bones that Lan Zhan had dreamt about licking. His shirt was wrinkled like he did some extrenuous rolling around, and, oh, his nipples could be seen through his shirt. It was absolutely scandalous. And it had to be on purpose. He was shining, bright and effervescent.
"Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying's voice really carried. He did that thing where he looked Lan Zhan up and down which made Lan Zhan feel completely naked. Did Wei Ying do this to everyone or was this a special torture that was reserved just for him? "What're you doing here?"
Lan Zhan swallowed. "To make a statement."
Wei Ying raised an eyebrow.
"I left you a message," Lan Zhan said weakly.
Wei Ying's grin shrank until his eyes grew serious. "C'mon."
Lan Zhan fell into step behind him like it was the most natural thing in the world. It didn't matter that he was led down a narrow set of stairs into what looked like a basement closet. He didn't even question it. He would happily follow Wei Ying anywhere.
"It's cooler in here," Wei Ying said.
Very considerate. But it was also much smaller down here. They also had to stand in very close proximity. Was this on purpose as well? Lan Zhan could feel the heat coming of Wei Ying in waves.
"So," Wei Ying said, smiling a little. "What do you want to tell me?"
Lan Zhan had to think about it. Why was he here again? Oh, right. "I heard the investigation is now officially a homicide," he started.
Wei Ying still had one eyebrow raised. "Yeah."
"I want to help," Lan Zhan said stiffly.
"Do you now?" It sounded like he was teasing.
Lan Zhan schooled his face into a mask. "Yes."
"Is this also on the advice of your counsel?" Wei Ying asked. "Who is your counsel anyway?"
Lan Zhan traced the curve of those lips and wondered what they'd taste like. He wanted to sink his incisors into them.
"It was just a question." Wei Ying rolled his eyes. "You don't have to make that face."
What face?
Lan Zhan was sweating. "Why has this investigation changed into a homicide?"
"We found other body parts," Wei Ying said. "Like, multiple. But shh, don't tell anyone."
Lan Zhan didn't know if the detective was being frivolous. There was a look in his eyes when he told Lan Zhan these things that resembled a hunter putting out bait. "Are you supposed to be telling me this?"
"No." Wei Ying winked. Like, an actual honest-to-god wink.
Lan Zhan's knees wobbled.
He needed a whole minute to gather himself. His ears were very warm. "I've been in touch with my brother, but since I can't tell him about the arm, I don't have any reason to ask him to return early."
Wei Ying chewed his lip as he thought. He chewed his lip and looked at Lan Zhan in a way that made him want to melt.
The closet door was open. Occassionally, people walked past. Sometimes their heads turned toward Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. If this were not the case, if that door had been closed, Lan Zhan might have reached out, brushed his fingers against those collarbones and then tangled them in that hair, and then- and then-
"We only managed to interview Nie Huaisang once about his brother's disappearance," Wei Ying said. "But we have it on tape. I find his reactions very strange." His eyes held Lan Zhan in place. "What did Nie Huaisang say when you told him about the arm?" Wei Ying asked.
"I- I didn't."
"Okay. I want you to tell him about what we found and see how he reacts."
"But you told me about it in confidence."
"Yes and now I'm telling you to tell him."
"But you were also told it in confidence," Lan Zhan said, frowning. "I shouldn't have this information at all."
"But you do."
"But I shouldn't."
"Lan Zhan. Listen to me." He put a hand on Lan Zhan's shoulder. He did it so casually. Like he didn't believe Lan Zhan would lace their fingers together and pin him down right then and there. "These body parts were planted. Someone wanted them to be found. But the people who planted them are the not the same people that killed Nie Mingjue. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
No. Lan Zhan's mind was completely blank.
"I don’t have a single lead except Nie Huaisang."
For the first time in his life, Lan Zhan struggled to find something to say. "It must be hard."
"What?"
"H-having no lead." He was rambling. "It must be rare for you."
Wei Ying narrowed his eyes. "Was that sarcastic?"
Lan Zhan quickly shook his head. He meant it as a compliment. He opened his mouth and then closed it. He was having such a hard time saying what he meant that he might as well keep his mouth shut, lest he said the wrong thing and ruined everything.
"These people planting the body parts - I think they're playing a sick game with the killer. I can't let them do that. I need to find them. Do you understand?"
"I can help," Lan Zhan said urgently.
"Can you?"
Lan Zhan paused. "Was that sarcastic?"
"Yes." Wei Ying's eyes laughed at him.
Lan Zhan's ears burned so hot that they should had set off the smoke alarm. He looked down at his feet, furrowed his brows and told Wei Ying everything he knew - about Nie Mingjue's terrible temper and his clashes with his business partners, about his and Jin Guangyao's falling out and subsequent reconciliation through Xichen, and about the start-up that the three of them had started together and the charitible foundations they had founded. Lan Zhan even relayed the rumors about Nie Mingjue’s disagreements with Nie Huaisang, about their relationship, fraught with high expectations and big let downs. Lan Zhan told him this even though he had never before let rumors stain his lips. He didn't know if any of this meant anything of Wei Ying. He just wanted to help, in anyway he could.
Wei Ying listened to it all carefully and asked smart questions. Most people who liked to talk didn't like to listen, but Wei Ying was good at both. When he got excited, he grabbed Lan Zhan's forearms with both his hands and held him there. His palms were a calming presence. But they also made Lan Zhan want to tear his own hair out. Wei Ying had a way of making Lan Zhan feel both extremes of any given thing. It was maddening.
"Nie Huaisang knows something." Wei Ying was sure. "I need to meet with him."
Wei Ying didn't exactly ask the question. Lan Zhan had answered him already many times over, but now, in this little space, with only the two of them, with Wei Ying's hands on him, with their bodies so close, it felt different.
"Yes," Lan Zhan breathed.
It wasn't until he was back at his office, when he sat down in front of his phone that he wondered if there was really something seriously medically wrong with him. Throwing propriety into the wind, Lan Zhan called Nie Huaisang and asked him to meet.
There was a steakhouse Nie Huaisang liked. He went there so often that they left the back door open and set aside a table in the kitchen so he could come and go without anybody knowing. It was no wonder the detective had such a hard time tailing him.
Lan Zhan was the first to arrive, as always. He had gone home early and put on a jacket and a tie because Wei Ying was going to be there.
"Do you own any t-shirts?" Wei Ying had asked in the corridor outside the kitchen. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve that was faded and thin. It must be soft too. Lan Zhan wanted to touch it. He forgot to answer Wei Ying's question.
"Relax." Wei Ying grinned.
Lan Zhan couldn't. "I'll wait for him in the back."
"Talk to him for a bit. Let him feel safe."
Lan Zhan was the one who didn't feel safe, not with Wei Ying's arm brushing against his.
He smoothed down the front of his button-up and sat at Nie Huaisang's usual table, trying to let himself be distracted by the din of clattering pans so he wouldn't have to think about Wei Ying's skin.
Nie Huaisang showed up in sweats. "When's Xichen-ge coming home?" was his greeting.
"Soon," Lan Zhan replied.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng followed Nie Huaisang through the door.
Lan Zhan hesitated for a second before offering his hand. Jiang Cheng's handshake was like the man himself, unnecessarily strong, like he was compensating for something.
"I'll have to leave early." Jiang Cheng made a show of checking his Rolex. "I have another meeting after."
"You mean your sister's dinner?" Nie Huaisang flapped a hand dismissively.
"I only see her once a month," Jiang Cheng said with a huff. "It takes an hour to drive up."
Lan Zhan didn't know why he was explaining. Lan Zhan couldn't care less if he was here at all.
"What's this about?" Jiang Cheng asked brusquely. When Lan Zhan didn't immediately answer, he guessed, "The murder investigation?"
"Homicide," Lan Zhan corrected quietly, mindful of the look on Nie Huaisang's face.
Jiang Cheng shot Lan Zhan a glare before turning to Nie Huaisang. "Don't worry. They're not gonna subpoena you. You're not a suspect."
"I think that's for the police to decide," Lan Zhan said.
Jiang Cheng looked like he was biting back words. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Aren't you the prosecutor on this case?" Lan Zhan said. "Should you be having dinner with a person of interest?"
"I'm a person of interest?" Nie Huaisang's surprised look wasn't very convincing.
Jiang Cheng was just about to snap back when his eyes suddenly went round and he jumped up liked he was electrocuted. He pointed behind Lan Zhan. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
Lan Zhan stood too, turning.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Wei Ying retorted. Lan Zhan had never seen him look so cold.
Nie Huaisang was eyeing the door, so Lan Zhan took a few steps to the side and blocked his way. It was a necessary precaution.
Jiang Cheng turned his anger toward Lan Zhan. "You set us up."
"Us who?" Wei Ying sneered. "Nobody invited you."
"Huaisang." Jiang Cheng was unnecessarily loud. "You don't have to answer any of his questions."
But Wei Ying's question was directed at Jiang Cheng. "How did you get assigned a case where you know the victim? How is that even allowed? I should put a call in to the DA's office. Don't show me a skunk and tell me it don't stink."
"You're a fucking skunk." Jiang Cheng was fully yelling now.
Lan Zhan didn't know what to do, so he clasped his hands together and focused on preventing Nie Huaisang from bolting. It was the only way he knew how to help.
Wei Ying ducked around Jiang Cheng to say to Nie Huaisang, "We found a left arm, two legs, and a right hand."
One glance down at Nie Huaisang and Lan Zhan could tell his surprised look wasn't any better the second time around. "Oh," was all he managed to say.
Wei Ying saw it too. Lan Zhan knew when their eyes met. Did that tell Wei Ying what he wanted to know?
"We're leaving," Jiang Cheng was shouting. "Huaisang. Let's go."
At the gleeful little smirk on Wei Ying's lips, Lan Zhan moved aside and let them go.
"How can you even suspect him?" Jiang Cheng was furious all the way out the door. "Ungrateful little shit."
Lan Zhan wanted to haul him back by the collar of his shirt and shake him. He didn't remember taking a step toward him but Wei Ying had circled around the table and grabbed Lan Zhan by the wrist. He shook his head.
Lan Zhan looked down at his clenched fist and told his fingers to uncurl. "Do you know him?" he asked quietly.
Wei Ying was scowling. There was a look in his eyes that Lan Zhan hadn't seen before. It wasn't quite like anger. There was a tinge of melancholia to it that made Lan Zhan's stomach twist.
"No," Wei Ying said cooly, and then followed the other two out the door. "I got it from here," he said over his shoulder. "You can go home."
Lan Zhan had a feeling like he had offended him, but he didn't know how. When he walked out, Wei Ying was long gone.
He was halfway through dialing Wei Ying's number before he hung up. What was he going to say? His brain rattled off a long list of unacceptable possiblities - Are you alright? Are you angry? What did I do? I'm sorry.
They all sounded so childish.
When Jin Guangyao called, Lan Zhan realized he had been sitting alone in his car in the steakhouse parking lot for an hour.
"Huaisang called me in a panic," Jin Guanyao said.
"Mn."
"What did the detective ask?"
Jin Guangyao had to repeat his question twice. There was a disconnect somewhere between Lan Zhan's ear and his brain that was causing a lag. "He said they found a left arm, two legs, and a right hand."
"And?"
"That's it."
"He didn't ask him any questions?"
"No," Lan Zhan looked at his phone. "Why?"
"No reason. I-ha, I was just wondering why Huaisang was all upset." Jin Guanyao hummed. "He should be careful."
"Nie Huaisang?"
There was the slightest of pauses. "Yeah."
Lan Zhan stared out at the city lights. "Jiang Cheng was with him."
"Yes, good." Jin Guangyao's laugh sounded forced. "Thank goodness for that. I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry."
He should be careful.
Lan Zhan sat, thinking it over, flipping it around in his mind everywhich way. Jin Guanyao did not mean Nie Huaisang. He meant Wei Ying. Wei Ying should be careful. Why?
He picked up his phone again to dial the detective. It was late now. Lan Zhan should already be in bed. But there was something about Jin Guangyao's words that made him anxious.
Lan Zhan felt like he had all the pieces, but he didn't know how to put them together yet. Wei Ying might. Wei Ying did say Lan Zhan could call him any time, day or night. Lan Zhan’s ears heated up at the memory of that. In retrospect, it might not have been an innuendo. He might have just extended that invitation for the purposes of this investigation. It was good then that Lan Zhan did not call him at night, no matter how many time he had wanted to.
Lan Zhan had heard that to show your interest, you should call a potential romantic partner late in the evening and ask if they were still awake. It was some sort of social convention. He heard that you could also ask if they wanted to go out for a coffee. Lan Zhan did wonder what kind of a coffee shop opened late into the evening. He also wondered what you were supposed to say after that. Was there another arbitrary, seemingly mundane question he was supposed to ask to gauge if Wei Ying was open to be courted by him? He didn't know if it was socially acceptable to say, "I get heart palpitations around you and I like it."
It didn't matter now. He was calling to discuss the investigation. Jin Guangyao was involved somehow.
Wei Ying didn't pick up.
All Lan Zhan had was a gut feeling. He never used to act on gut feelings, but when it came to Wei Ying, he was experiencing all kinds of firsts.
Lan Zhan headed straight toward Wei Ying's apartment.
He didn't know how he was going to explain his sudden appearance.
He wasn't a stalker. This was the first thing that he needed to make abundently clear. But he found the address in Wei Ying's files and he did drive by a few times, just to see where he lived. He didn't know how to explain that and still sound sane.
He had the good fortune to clap eyes on Wei Ying only once, buying food from the bodega on the corner. He was wearing a big t-shirt and what might have been just boxers. No one seemed to mind. The shopkeeper seemed friendly with him. They talked for ages, laughing and slapping each other on the back. Lan Zhan cracked open a window and craned his neck. They seemed to be trading jokes. The longer they went on, the crasser jokes got.
Lan Zhan had to roll his window back up.
On his way home, the grin dropped from Wei Ying's face and a stormcloud rolled over his features. What was he thinking about? Was he upset? Lan Zhan couldn't tell and he couldn't ask. It was then that he thought, if he had to keep himself at this distance forever, being close enough to see but not close enough to touch, he was definitely going to go mad.
Then there was the part of Lan Zhan's brain that he couldn't ignore, the part that only appeared when Wei Ying was near and shut down every other function.
Halfway home with his little bodega baggie, Wei Ying bent over to pick up a stray cigarette carton to toss in the trash.
Maybe it was the recycling, or maybe it was because of the way his back arched. Lan Zhan nearly rolled right into a fire hydrant.
Wei Ying couldn't have know that Lan Zhan was watching. So Lan Zhan couldn't fault Wei Ying for being lascivious on purpose. It was then that Lan Zhan knew it was all his his own head.
He had a sudden urge to run over, split Wei Ying open and fuck him into the pavement, right in view of the whole neighborhood.
It was a sudden reaction, just like the one that caused him to push Wei Ying away on their first meeting. It was visceral and sudden and it came out of nowhere. Lan Zhan was afraid that he might actually do it. Surely this was the thought of a diseased mind, a perverse mind, a criminal mind. He couldn't talk to anyone about it, so he looked it up on the internet.
He needed to know if there was truly something wrong with him.
There were two possible conclusions to be made from his research. Either everybody on the internet were just as sick as him, or he wasn't sick at all. He learned many people do to each other what he imagined day and night. The key was you were supposed to ask first.
He imagined himself, back in the basement of the precinct, with Wei Ying's hands on his arms and their gazes locked, asking, "Is it okay if I tie you up and bite you all over?"
Lan Zhan nearly had to pull over.
He couldn't even bear to think about it. He was never going to be able to get those words out.
The chill in the night air helped. He took many deep breaths before walking into Wei Ying's building.
Keep it together.
This was a part of city that was still in the beginning stages of gentrification. They called it the Burial Mounds because of all the shootings. Lan Zhan wasn't sure if Wei Ying chose to live here due to principle or out of necessity.
Wei Ying's building was forty years old, five floors tall, and had no elevators. Lan Zhan took the steps two and three at a time up to the third floor. The light on the landing was out and the whole hallway was dark. Lan Zhan had goosebumps walking down it, reading the numbers off the doors. When he found the right one he sucked in a breath.
He raised one hand to knock and rested the other on the handle.
The handle turned.
People did not leave their doors unlocked in the city. Even if you had nothing to steal, you did not leave your door unlocked, especially not in this neighborhood, especially not at night.
Something was wrong.
It took Lan Zhan a split second to make a decision. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Instantly, a warm body slammed into him. Hard.