Monday 31 days for the Full Moon Festival

Uncle Qiren led the way from the library to the study.

Two police officers were waiting for them, one standing and walking around, looking at the various antiques on display. The senior officer was sitting down, checking his notepad. He also stood up, when Uncle Qiren walked in, preceeded by Mr. Marshmallow who sat right in front of the officer as if demanding the reason for their presence in his home.

The senior officer stared at Mr. Marshmallow and then did a double take when he saw Uncle Qiren. Even his partner was comparing the two. Wei Ying was watching the show wanting to punch the air in jubilation, because now he wasn't the only one who found their resemblance uncannily similar.

"Good morning. I am Officer Mei Yi and this is Detective Meng Yao. Pleased to meet you."

Introductions were made and pleasantries exchanged.

"So shall we start?" Officer Mei Yi offered.

"Actually, we are waiting for our lawyers to arrive." Uncle Qiren replied, stroking his whiskers.

He too, continued to stare at both officers.

Without blinking.

"An unusual cat." Detective Meng Yao said, glancing at Mr. Marshmallow.

Mr. Marshmallow growled.

"He has been in our family for a long time. He is a part of us." Uncle Qiren stated, cutting off that thread of conversation.

The silence was becoming quite awkward.

Lan Zhan was busy making online purchases. Some of the things he wanted weren't available off the rack, but with special requests, everything was possible. Just that there would be a small delay.

Then he started buying underclothes and simple T-shirts and joggers for his three charges; he knew Wei Ying had lost all his and A-Yuan's clothes in the fire, and Mo XuanYu did not appear to have any extra. That worried Lan Zhan more, because he wondered about the circumstances which led to him leaving his home, and whether or not it was a hasty exit.

He was quite particular about everything he bought too; mostly black and red for Wei Ying, happy pastels for A-Yuan and for Mo XuanYu...that was a little difficult. He checked out the top ten lists for hoodies and trousers and bought an assortment, unsure of what he might like.

Lan Zhan could feel Wei Ying becoming increasingly agitated as more time passed by without any action, so he asked for his opinion on some of the trendier items which might appeal to a teenager, to distract him.

Lan Zhan was also aware of the fact that they had lied to the police already about who Mo XuanYu was, and he felt a little bit nervous about that. However, if the truth came out, he was uncertain of which way the law would swing. So he made a note to tell Xiao XingChen about that at the earliest opportunity.

Xiao XingChen and Song Lan turned up after an excruciatingly tense twenty minutes. They entered the study and introductions were made once more.

The first thing Song Lan did was place a mini recorder on the coffee table facing the policemen.

"It's voice activated." He supplied helpfully, smiling at the now nervous looking officers.

"Actually...this was meant to be an informal meeting...mostly just fact checking." Officer Mei Yi said, looking around the room. "We expected only to be speaking with Mr. Wei and Mr. XuanYu...given the nature of our investigation."

Wei Ying was overcome by the strangest desire to giggle; the officers had been counting on talking to just himself and a teenager...so instead of just four people attending this meeting, the family had rallied around and lawyered up, so now nine pairs of eyes were watching their every move, if he counted A-Yuan and Mr. Marshmallow too.

And they were being recorded to boot.

It was enough to put anyone on edge.

Officer Mei Yi reached out to pet Mr. Marshmallow's head, but he had not allowed Mr. Marshmallow to actually give his permission yet, and got a sharp nip for his efforts.

"Do you recognise this person?" Detective Meng Yao handed them a photo.

Since no one stood up to pass the photo directly to Wei Ying, they had to play a modified game of Pass the Parcel until it reached him.

"That's Jiang WanYin, Jiang Cheng. Heir to the Jiang conglomerate." Wei Ying told them.

"And what is your relationship to him?" It was the senior officer asking now, paying more attention to how Wei Ying answered, scrutinising his every word.

"When I was adopted by the Jiangs, I became his older brother." He explained.

"Are you still on good terms with the family? Obviously not with him at the moment." Officer Mei Yi asked, cradling his hand.

Mr. Marshmallow started licking himself with satisfaction, keeping an eye on his unpredictable guests.

"Um...no....not any more." Wei Ying blushed.

He had managed to tell Lan Zhan and his family in almost a flippant manner, mostly because he could tell that Lan Zhan cared about him, and then afterwards, Uncle Qiren had been most supportive of everything. It was easier to skate over the details of everything because for one thing, no one had actually asked him for them, for which he was extremely grateful.

But these were complete strangers.

And he knew what cops were like.

Once they got hold of a thread, they pulled and pulled until the whole story unravelled.

The rational side of his brain told him that he had nothing to worry about, nothing to feel ashamed about how he had been treated, whilst living with the Jiangs.

But his heart harboured a lot of pain for what he had suffered during that time, and even now he was unsure if he was going to be able to discuss it, if at all.

Lan Zhan reached over and held his hand. He didn't just stop there; his thumb traced the grooves of his knuckles in a calming gesture designed to relax him.

Wei Ying consciously untensed his shoulders and took a deep breath. The officers were waiting for him to elaborate.

"Since this is an informal meeting, perhaps it is not necessary for Mr Wei to go into details." Xiao XingChen smoothly slid in between the conversation, giving Wei Ying an encouraging smile.

Wei Ying smiled back, immensely relieved.

"Of course...but..." Officer Mei Yi stared at Wei Ying curiously, "even if we don't discuss it in depth here, there may come a time in the very near future where he might have to be more forthcoming. It would be best if he was prepared for that eventuality."

"Perhaps." Lan Zhan interjected. "However we are expecting a doctor to come and tend to Wei Ying very soon." He hinted none too subtly. "So if we can wrap this up soon, it would be advantageous to everyone concerned." His tone was begging for them to try his patience. "After all, he was the one injured." He added, pointedly.

He had seen how Wei Ying looked upon being asked about the Jiangs, and Lan Zhan had his suspicions on how much Wei Ying had already told them, which wasn't much to be fair. And while he was eager to know everything there was to know about his boyfriend, he could also see quite clearly that this line of inquiry was upsetting him. So he put an indelicate stop to it.

Officer Mei Yi wondered how far the family connection went between the humans and the feline.

"Alright...I suppose that can be discussed later." Detective Meng Yao replied quickly, wanting this meeting to continue in a friendly manner. "But we have a report that Jiang WanYin and yourselves were involved in another altercation a few weeks back...is that true? What can you tell us about that?"

"That's easy." Lan Zhan found the video on TikTok that had gone viral and sent it to Song Lan, who got up and showed the officers what had happened.

"It appears Jiang Cheng harbours a grudge against you." Officer Mei Yi said, looking at first Wei Ying and then with grudging admiration at Lan Zhan. "That's some uppercut."

He got a warning glance from his superior.

"Uncle insisted on self-defence classes when we were growing up. I can give you pointers, if you like." Lan Zhan wore a smug smile.

Officer Mei Yi didn't dare to respond, but he was grinning while he was pretending to check his notes.

Detective Meng Yao cleared his throat noisily.

"That was an accidental meeting." Wei Ying clarified.

"When he came into my home, that was trespassing with intent." Lan Zhan told them, all traces of amusement vanishing. He was still shocked at what had happened, and how in just mere seconds of time, he could have lost Wei Ying.

He wasn't going to let this go.

"We have proof." He added, sending another video of that night to Song Lan.

This time, Song Lan showed Xiao XingChen first, before sending it to him directly. Then he stood up and showed the officers.

"Why don't you tell us what happened that night? Please start from the beginning." Detective Meng Yao asked Wei Ying. But his voice was definitely more understanding....kinder, even.

Wei Ying recounted that evening as quickly as he could, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. He knew it was difficult for Lan Zhan too, to hear about that night. His arm had wrapped around Wei Ying’s waist and he was holding onto his  hand on his good arm, as if he couldn't get close enough.

Wei Ying wasn't even sure whose hands were trembling more, but he was so glad of the physical support.

When it came to talking about Mo XuanYu, he carefully didn't mention that the boy had crawled out of the cupboard in the kitchen, instead he said that Mo XuanYu had been in another room and came into the kitchen having heard the commotion.

He could feel Mo XuanYu paying extra attention to this part, his eyes heavy towards him.

Thankfully the cops did not ask about their relationship, something Lan Zhan was ever so relieved about. Lying did not come easily to him, and the best he had managed so far was skirting around a truth, lying by omission and that was only the once because Mo XuanYu had nonverbally asked him to.

But the officers did talk to Mo XuanYu.

"I called the emergency services." Mo XuanYu replied to the question about what he did.

"We heard the tape." Officer Mei Yi confirmed. "What did you do after that?"

"I started recording." Mo XuanYu told them.

Lan Zhan reluctantly let go of Wei Ying with one hand and used it to hold Mo XuanYu's hand instead, wishing there was more of himself to go round. His family needed him and he felt woefully inadequate right now.

Mo XuanYu held onto his hand like it was the lifeline it was.

He had been through police interviews before, whenever his father's drinking got out of hand. The neighbours would complain to the cops and report the noises coming out of their house, and then Mo XuanYu would have to come up with lie after plausible lie on how his dad had "slipped" or some other ridiculous explanation for broken furniture.

He had a low opinion of cops...

"But the angle of the camera...it's quite low?" Officer Mei Yi questioned, looking at the video again.

"I was sitting on the floor." Mo XuanYu said. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

"Well...either way, it looks like you saved this man's life. But it was a reckless move." Detective Meng Yao had a reprimanding tone.

Mo XuanYu looked at his hands, the one joined to Lan Zhan’s specifically, and wisely chose to say nothing. The Officer was baiting him and they both knew it. One street rat to another.

He could hardly admit to wanting to defend Wei Ying because he saw himself in that skinny man, being bullied through no fault of his own.

Mo XuanYu was tired of being a victim, of letting others dictate his life. He was going to take back control.

So to see it happening again, right before his eyes? Again? How could he hide and do nothing?

Although Mo XuanYu had lived in the shed outside for a few days now, he'd had occasionally seen both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, either separately or together a few times, and from what he could tell, they were both nice people. One could not sing to save his life, and the other one appeared to be tone deaf.

But it was clear from how they managed to gravitate towards each other that they cared deeply about one another, and he firmly believed that people should not be judged for being musically challenged.

He even caught himself daydreaming about what his life would be like if they were his parents instead. How different his life might have been were it so...

And now it seemed the Universe had listened...

If it was a gift, then Mo XuanYu was going to grab this chance with both hands.

Detective Meng Yao sighed as if he knew he was going to get nothing more out of the teenager.

But before he could ask another question, there was a soft knock on the door. The maid from before entered and her eyes sought a family member. She found Uncle Qiren to her relief.

"Doctor Fei is here." She announced and left.

Lan Zhan stood up immediately, pulling Wei Ying with him.

"That's all we have time for today." He said, unable to hide his glee.

Detective Meng Yao scowled at his phone before schooling his features.

"Of course....we understand. However we still have questions." Officer Mei Yi said. "But they can wait." He quickly added when he saw the look on Lan Zhan’s face.

And the cat...the cat was already growling...they couldn't even lie and pretend it was purring loudly.

They stood up intending to leave, quickly.

"Where is Jiang WanYin now? Still in hospital?" Uncle Qiren asked, stroking his beard.

Mr. Marshmallow mimicked him.

Officer Mei Yi was alarmed by just that.

"Yes...the doctors want to keep him under observation for the next few days. He'll be taken straight to a holding cell as soon as they're happy for him to leave." Detective Meng Yao responded. "Once the charges brought against him are decided upon, bail will be set...although it's doubtful whether that will be offered to him."

"He's considered a flight risk." Officer Mei Yi told Lan Zhan as they were leaving. He had a twinkle in his eye when he said it.

Lan Zhan decided he liked the younger of the two policemen. Perhaps it would be advantageous to have someone on their side over there.

He had seen both officers noticing how they as a family had held hands. But their gazes had been merely curious as opposed to being against whatever they saw.

It was a plus point.

"This is our number. If you remember anything else, even if you think it doesn't matter, please don't hesitate to contact us. Although this case seems pretty cut and dried, it all depends on how good their lawyers are." Officer Mei Yi added, handing him a card.

That was a sobering fact.

Jiang Cheng could be found not guilty on a technicality...

Lan Zhan had not considered that.

He added it to his list of projects.

The officers left after that.

"Uncle, will you be alright? The doctor is here to see Wei Ying." Lan Zhan asked, though he was really looking at his brother.

"Yes, Young Master Mo can help me with A-Yuan." Uncle Qiren smiled at the boy.

Lan Zhan waited for Mo XuanYu to look at him. Only when the boy nodded that he was alright with it, did he feel comfortable with leaving.

"It's okay Didi, I have some things that need to be discussed with our friends in a professional capacity...we can wait for you to return." XiChen assured him.

Lan Zhan smiled at them all before leading Wei Ying out of there.

"You know...if my boyfriend has other things he has to do, his boyfriend won't mind!" Wei Ying nudged him playfully.

Lan Zhan gently trapped him against the wall, looking down into brilliant silver eyes full of mischief.

"Is this the part where I'm going to be ravished?" He asked, looking up into an intense gaze.

Lan Zhan sometimes did not need words to convey what he was thinking. Wei Ying was learning that he could understand what he was thinking more and more.

"No."

"No?" Had Wei Ying read him wrong?

"No." Lan Zhan repeated, a suddenly soft look in his eyes. "This is the part where I kiss my boyfriend because I love him."

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