The trip to the supermarket, or as I sometimes liked to call it: the information drop zone, was thankfully uneventful. As promised, Haoyu had done the needful. Now, all I had to do was find some time to analyze it in peace. Unfortunately, I was aware of how slim the chances of that happening were. 

Half an hour later, with my grocery cart ready to burst at the seams, and my 'information gathering' mission completed, I headed home.

Unexpectedly, in my absence, my charge had not only returned to the apartment but had also found the surveillance monitors that I had unwisely left on the couch, the footage of which he was going over as I entered. 

Fucking hell! 

The idol held the monitor up and demanded, "What is the meaning of this, Zhao Laoshi?" The accusing tone got to me. I hate to admit that it hurt. However, in the very next moment, it dawned on me that anyone in his position would have done the same. 

I ignored the knot in my stomach and waved him to come over with the device.

"You might have already guessed how important Ai-Jiejie is to me." I started my argument by placing my proverbial gun over my landlady's shoulder and aiming it at my client's heart. 

Immediately his expression softened. He bobbed his head and waited for me to proceed. 

"Well, it's there for her… I mean so that I can keep an eye on her." In my defense, it was not a complete lie. One of the reasons I had placed the device in her yard was because I wanted to keep an eye out for unsavory characters that might try to take advantage of her disability. 

Junjun's eyes snapped up. "Did... something happen to her?" he asked, unmistakably concerned. I could tell that though they had just met, the boy had taken a shine to Ai-Jiejie. 

I couldn't blame him, to be honest. It was impossible not to like the sweet woman. 

I shook my head, "No, luckily nothing severe. However, I did find a few potential stalkers, thanks to these," I pointed at the surveillance equipment, "and nipped it in the bud." I pursed my lips, "I am sorry if they bother you, but I can't get rid of them. I feel much better with them around, especially when I am not around to watch over her."

Though he didn't interrupt me, even before I had finished explaining, he started shaking his head, "No, please don't. I would do the same if I were in your place." Then, as if in a hurry to change the topic, he pointed at the paper bags, "What are these? Where did you go?"

***

After feasting on the scrumptious dinner (where the boy surprised me with his sumo-wrestler-like appetite) that my beloved landlady had whipped up especially to welcome my charge, I finally handed him his mobile. However, he didn't immediately jump on social networking sites as I had seen most idols do. Instead, he thanked me and put it away. "It's just for keeping in touch with you, in case we get separated," he stated matter-of-factly, then demanded that we play a few games. 

He was delighted when I brought out my stash of old-as-fuck video games. I was surprised at how fast he got the hang of the gameplay module and the console. Before I knew it, he was beating my ass at the games I had grown up playing. 

The youngster had killer reflexes, just like his brother. It made me contemplate what else they might have in common. 

It was one in the morning before Junjun finally heard my plea to be let off the hook. As discussed earlier, he left for Ai-Jiejie's place downstairs. 

I inserted the micro SD card into the reader and plugged it into my ASUS; typing in my password, squaring my shoulders, I braced myself for the long night that undoubtedly lay ahead of me. 

The following five hours proved my initial suspicions about Bunny. He was indeed bad news. Many things raised red flags in the way he was conversing with Junjun. 

1. He hadn't mentioned his age or where he was from. 

2. After Junjun had told Bunny that he was taking a break, the latter had suggested he pay Ysichuan a visit. He had even offered to take the boy around. 

I could bet on my life that Bunny had done that with full knowledge that Junjun had already been planning the same. 

3. Bunny was posing as a programmer who had lost a loved one to depression. 

I had no doubt that that was nothing but a tactile lie to make Junjun empathize with him. 

4. It was Bunny's idea for Junjun to leave his phone at his dorm so that no one could find and ruin their 'together' time. 

Classic pedophile behavior!

5. The last message was from Bunny instructing my charge to look for a silver Lavida and a person holding a nameless placard. To which Junjun had left a thumbs-up sign. 

The password, however, was something Junjun had come up with on his own. He expected Bunny to know the phrase since he had told the latter about it recently. 

Trying to track down the IP led nowhere, and asking around in gaming circles came with its own set of risks. It irked me that Sweetheart was still dancing around in circles and dodging any questions about his brother. 

Why was Junjun living a lie in front of the world?

Why would anyone want to go to this extent to hide their identity only to kidnap an idol?

Finally, after trying my best (and failing) to fish for answers that only Haoyu could give me, I filled him in on what we had done so far and our plans for the next few days. 

"You need to get him to me before the 27th." My laoban had insisted. I had obviously agreed; there was no reason that it couldn't be arranged if all went well. 

Junjun seemed to be aware of it too. I remembered our conversation over dinner that night where he had told me how his brother was bugging him to get his 'ass back home' for his birthday. Needless to say, that's not how Junjun wanted to welcome his twenty-first year. Nonetheless, he had told me that he had agreed to his brother's demands in exchange for a trekking trip with just the two of them.

'It's been a while since I went with Gege somewhere alone to chill, you know?'

Recalling the twinkle in the boy's eyes as he had spoken about his plans brought a smile to my face. 

Junjun deserved happyness. 

"You look like a goofball when you smile at the laptop screen like you. It's kinda cute?" 

Why was he back already? 

Wait, did he just call me a goofball and cute in one go!? 

"What time is it?" I asked the silhouette leaning on the frame of my bedroom's threshold.

"Five am." The youngster replied and walked inside my private space uninvited. I noticed how he didn't seem as reluctant as last time. 

It was a good sign. Still, I would have preferred it if the boy had knocked. "How come you are up so early?"

"Force of habit. How come you are up so late?" He sized me up, "You look terrible. Did you even sleep?" his mono-lids zeroed in on my laptop, "What kept you?"

I powered off the unit, stretched my arms, and bit back a yawn, "Work." 

"You are lying." Junjun accused, "You told me that you had taken the week off."

Fuck. 

I closed my eyes and gestured to him to join me on the bed. "What are you doing there standing like that? Come. Sit."

Junjun blinked and stared at me for a long moment before eyeing the mattress wearily. 

"Umm. Ok." The idol muttered and sat on the edge of my bed like I was a threat to his virtue. It made him look tiny and vulnerable. Which was odd because he was almost as tall as me though not as well built. 

It must be the lack of carbs and proteins in his diet. Poor thing, no wonder his 'to-eat' list was dominated by meat and wheat. 

"I will be done in a few minutes. Can you wait?" I demanded and went back to 'work' while observing the boy with interest as he left my bed and walked over to the window. 

He looked different from the day before…older… bigger. 

'Zhao laoshi, has the boy bulked up a little overnight. Don't tell me you didn't notice how his T-shirt is hugging his torso a little better. I reckon whatever you are feeding him is agreeing with him.' 

The Bastard wasn't wrong. It was hard not to notice how my charge seemed to have sprouted muscles overnight. Though he had not caught up with me yet, I was sure that if he continued to grow like this, it would not be long before he overtakes me.  

He wasn't on steroids, was he!?

I logged out of the server and shut down the machine as Junjun took his place on my bed again and nervously fidgeted with his nails. 

They seemed sharp. I felt a need to warn the boy to be careful, lest he hurt himself.

"Hey buddy," I called, "Is something the matter. You look uncomfortable." 

He shook his head, "No. I… I am fine."

"Oh, so it's the other thing then." I sighed, dejected. 

"What other thing?"

I put the laptop away and threw my phone towards him, "You don't trust me, do you?"

"I… I don't -" Junjun stuttered.

Without letting him speak, I continued, "It's unlocked. You can check it if you don't trust me. I know you are famous, but I have never cared about it. To me, you are and always will be Lion97." I stated, referring to his user handle in the game where he had met Bunny91. "And believe it or not, we: the IT guys, can take days off, but we still have to work if we want to keep our jobs."

My newfound confidence around him stemmed from the knowledge I possessed about him. I had gone through their five months' worth of his chat history and wasn't scared of getting caught anymore.

Did I feel guilty? Of course, I did. Under normal circumstances, I would have never done something so immoral, but I didn't have a choice. 

However, now, I didn't have to second guess myself on every turn and could focus on gaining his trust and protecting him efficiently.

It was my job, and I saw nothing wrong in putting my whole heart into it.

Heart… I shouldn't have brought that fucking organ into the mix. 

[Chapter word count: 1821;
Word count so far: 14089]