11. The beginning of…

“Isn’t that... Detective Nie?!” Wang Yi Bo shouted angrily, tearing the photo out of Xiao Zhan's hand. He blinked several times, unable or unwilling to believe what he was seeing. “That self-centered, self-righteous weasel is the culprit?!” The now crumpled picture showed the Detective in a corner, holding a camera and talking to a man he didn't know, in the very same nightclub where Chief Jiang was photographed.

Xiao Zhan scooted closer and rested his chin on his understandably upset Baby's shoulder. His arms wrapped gently around his stomach and tenderly caressed the muscles there. “Shh, who’s about to freak out here? You can vent your anger later in private, you know?" He whispered mischievously and rubbed his nose over the tender skin of Wang Yi Bo's neck.

"Xiao Zhan!" Wang Yi Bo groaned and rolled his eyes, which caused the older one to laugh amused.

"Okay, okay. Back then, I immediately had suspicions when the Detective strutted into the office and loudly declared that our Chief was guilty. My gut feeling didn't disappoint!”

"Come on? Your gut feeling?” Wang Yi Bo replied doubtfully. He took a deep breath and tilted his head to look at Xiao Zhan skeptically. But the Agent just smiled and shrugged slightly. “Yes, obviously a reliable source. That time, when I saw you sitting in the bar all by yourself, my gut feeling told me talking to you would be the right thing to do.”

“You mean trying to get in my pants.”

“Nah, Baby, now you totally have ruined the romantic factor.” Xiao Zhan pouted and came even closer. He took Wang Yi Bo’s earlobe between his lips and tugged playfully until he received a harsh slap on his thigh.

"Stop doing that! Otherwise, the old ladies over there will have a heart attack! And I will definitely not perform CPR! So Romeo, back to reality. How did you know there was something wrong with the weasel? I did not notice anything.”

Being back on track, Xiao Zhan's voice shifted to a serious note. “I don't blame you. I've been trained my whole life to even read just the tiniest changes of people's expressions and to analyse them.”

“So?”

Xiao Zhan sighed, and his grip on Wang Yi Bo's stomach tightened. The younger subconsciously let his hand slide down and gently placed it on Xiao Zhan's long fingers, slowly stroking them. It was a habit he had picked up after their fight whenever Xiao Zhan became tense. “I wasn't sure at first, but when he seemed to recognize me, I saw something flicker in his eyes, just for a brief moment. And I couldn't understand it. Till today.”

“What changed?” Wang Yi Bo asked.

The Agent peered thoughtfully at the photo. "I know who he's talking to.” Wang Yi Bo stopped stroking the fingers and turned to look at his husband. “You know this man? Who is it?”

“He's a member of the Syndicate.” Xiao Zhan said and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

When Wang Yi Bo heard this, he straightened up in surprise. Questions upon questions began to form in his mind. What could the Detective possibly have to do with this scum? And most importantly, what is the connection to Chief Jiang? It didn't make any sense at all. "I don't get it. How does this all fit into one picture? The Detective was involved in Chief Jiang's crime. Is the syndicate working with him? On what? And what about you? They’re after your perfect ass too!”

“You finally openly admit my ass is perfect? I'm flattered.” Xiao Zhan smiled innocently.

“Is this all you took from what I said?? You are so shameless!”

“Always and forever, and just for you.”

“You are driving me crazy! Seriously." Wang Yi Bo moaned, leaned back and snuggled angrily against Xiao Zhan's muscular chest. "But how do we solve this problem? I'm not talking about Chief Jiang. I expect that he will be free of accusations within the next 48 hours. But what about the rest? The Syndicate? You?" He added, slightly confused, to put it lightly.

Xiao Zhan nodded acknowledgingly. “We should do some investigation.”

“Good idea... wait, about what?”

“How about my Baby putting on his beautiful date night clothes that he super secretly packed in his suitcase and accompanying me to a very fancy nightclub that I happen to know?" Xiao Zhan purred right into his ear, giving him goosebumps on his whole body. Wang Yi Bo gasped and literally flew out of his chair as the deep tone of Xiao Zhan's voice made him melt into a puddle of amorous hormones.

“M..my d…date night clothes? Aren't you confusing something here?" He stuttered, deeply embarrassed, as he tried to compose himself and maintain a somewhat masculine appearance.

“You know… we are here alone, far away from prying ears and eyes. We should combine the nice with the useful. Besides, I didn't take the trip to this remote place just for fun.”

Since it was a Friday night, the venue, located in a wealthy town ten minutes away from the hotel, was crowded with over-dressed people of all ages and varying levels of intoxication. Already from the outside, they could hear and feel the hum of music and the dull rumble of the bass system, which increased tenfold as they entered the club itself. The lights were dim and flickering. The music was now so loud it drowned out any attempt at normal conversation. On the dance floor, men and women danced wildly or ground against their chosen partner for the night, lost in the moment and not caring about anything else. There seemed to be a never-ending stream of alcoholic drinks at the bars and in the many lounges consisting of small tables and leather sofas surrounding the dance floor.

Wang Yi Bo's eyes scanned the area, and he couldn't help but scrunch his nose in utter disgust. The cop in him shuddered at the sight of superficiality, waste and probably countless broken laws. Even though he frequented establishments like this pretty regularly in the past, he never could find anything positive about them. Distracted, he didn't notice the movement beside him and almost froze in shock when he suddenly felt a hand on his buttocks, leisurely beginning to knead his soft flesh.

“You look too sexy for that sour look on your face tonight, Baby. Relax and just enjoy yourself.” Xiao Zhan murmured right into his ear. Despite the loud music, Wang Yi Bo could hear the deep timbre of his voice above all other noises, and it made his midsection clench deliciously.

He turned around and looked meaningfully from head to toe at the deity whose hand was currently buried in one of his back pockets. “Your hand…”

“Where it belongs.” Xiao mouthed and winked. He was dressed in something that could only be described as a sinful combination of tight black leather trousers and a form-fitting black tank top, accentuated by his casually worn leather jacket.

As if all self-confidence was owned by him, the deity walked through the club, dragging his unwilling Chicken with him and, completely unintentionally, of course, attracting the attention of dozens of young women and men. When Wang Yi Bo witnessed this insolence, he mentally geared up to put these bitches in their place. But all the jealousy he was ready to express disappeared when his husband turned his gaze on him and pointedly grabbed him by the waist. He dipped his head and claimed his lips with an immense hint of possessiveness, causing Wang Yi Bo's heart to beat erratically. His mental companions breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in their lounge chairs, and happily observed their godlike company. Take that, Bitches!

When Xiao Zhan let go of him, he weakly stumbled back a few steps, his face red from embarrassment and pride. Unfortunately, he collided with a passing guest. His Agent reacted quickly and pulled him back to his chest, staring menacingly at the poor, innocent soul who happened to cross their path and almost dropped his drink all over Wang Yi Bo.

"Careful, I don't want you to get wet. Unless it's for me." Xiao Zhan teased, grinning from ear to ear after refocusing on the almost dying man in his arms.

“Xiao Zhan!” Wang Yi Bo fumed desperately after barely recovering from the kissing incident. 

“That’s my name, Baby. Come on, let’s dance!” Xiao Zhan shouted enthusiastically, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Wang Yi Bo's hand. He dragged the horrified Officer to the dancefloor amidst the crowd of celebrating people.

Wang Yi Bo didn't know what to feel. Xiao Zhan guided them to a less crowded place and pulled him into an intimate embrace. For a second, he was unsure where to put his hands, but Xiao Zhan, as if sensing his insecurities, gently wrapped his fingers around them and brought them to his lips. He tenderly kissed the knuckles and looked deeply into Wang Yi Bo's eyes. “May I ask for this dance?”

“Isn't it a little late to ask after dragging me here?" Wang Yi Bo raised an eyebrow but came closer and carefully wrapped his arms around Xiao Zhan's neck. He noticed with a hint of satisfaction that his husband's eyes darkened. Xiao Zhan's hands slid teasingly slowly along his spine, down to his soft buttocks, where they clasped them tightly through the fabric of his trousers. Wang Yi Bo bit his lower lip and tilted his head to the side. "Well, then let's dance," he whispered.

Xiao Zhan didn't need to be told twice and pulled the lithe body even closer to him. One of his hands rested on his Baby's side as he began to sway seductively to the rhythm of the music and gyrate his hips. His movements were graceful and radiated pure dominance and elegance. But also something incredibly erotically sensual. Wang Yi Bo felt dazed. Everything apart from his outstanding man began to blur, and he willingly let himself be guided to the beats and tones. Their faces were only inches apart, and they would steal a searing kiss from each other every now and then,

Soon, the rhythm of the music changed, and with it, the atmosphere. It became hotter and uninhibited. The crowd was about to lose their restraints. Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo moved in sync, their bodies glued together as they danced to the fiery Latino melodies. The air seemed to crackle with electricity. A breathy moan escaped Wang Yi Bo as their heated loins collided in a powerful, unexpected movement. His eyes rolled back at the delicious friction and Xiao Zhan’s vibrating growl on his neck.

Xiao Zhan constantly roamed his lover's body with his fingers, caressing every part they could reach greedily, as if being addicted. As his cheeky hand slipped under the dark red shirt, his earlobe was bitten harshly.

“What exactly are you investigating here, Mr Agent?” Wang Yi Bo whispered needily in Xiao Zhan’s ear, his excited state more than evident.

“Just wait, my Baby. The reason will soon show itself.”

"What do you mean?" In a daze, Wang Yi Bo pressed himself against Xiao Zhan's broad body, no longer caring about his surroundings and focusing only on his growing urges. He felt his husband inhaling deeply, a clear sign that he wasn't unaffected at all.

But then Xiao Zhan suddenly stiffened, and his eyes turned icy when he caught a man dressed all in black lurking in the corner with his eyes fixed on them. “We appear to have attracted some wanted attention. Hmm… We should get some fresh air, Baby.” Xiao Zhan whispered softly as he lovingly nuzzled his nose into the damp, sweaty strands of hair beside Wang Yi Bo’s ear.

It took the younger a few seconds to clear his mind enough to think properly. Xiao Zhan had turned them around so he could see their target discreetly watching them. Wang Yi Bo instinctively knew what Xiao Zhan meant and that this man was most likely a member of the Syndicate. Rage flooded his being. “You think he would follow us?” To maintain their facade, he dug his hands into Xiao Zhan's firm buttocks, pulling him closer.

“Hm… Baby, you are so bold. We should deepen this topic later… The guy is here to spy on us, most likely to find out what we know about the photos. We could use this to our advantage.” Xiao Zhan murmured, his voice deep and excited.

Wang Yi Bo hissed disparagingly and licked over his Agent's ear. “A bit of fresh air and a quiet place sounds perfect to me. Lead the way!”

“So you really don't want to tell me why you were watching us? And who sent you? I'm a little sad, you know. After all these years, I really hoped that we could have a conversation for the sake of old times." Xiao Zhan's deep, stern voice, dripping with sarcasm, echoed through the small, dimly lit alley behind the nightclub as he leaned over the figure stretched out on the dirty floor.

But instead of an answer, all he received was a strangled, pained groan. The person spoken to trembled intensely as he tried to sit up. Small, red drops ran from his nose and mixed with the dirt he lay in. A large cut, also bleeding, adorned his left eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I couldn't hear you, my friend." Xiao Zhan's voice now sounded gentle and kind, which made it all the more dangerous and threatening. He crouched down in front of the shaking man and firmly placed a hand on his shoulder. A panicked twitch ran through his battered body, and yet he only shook his head violently.

Then Xiao Zhan squeezed.

Drops of sweat and blood poured in all directions, and an agonized wail cut through the damp air, still lingering with the scorching heat of the day. The man collapsed, yelping and whimpering to himself.

Xiao Zhan sighed, disappointed, and stood up.

“Should I lend you a fist?” Wang Yi Bo offered, looking at the piece of shit among the trash on the floor. The whole time after they had lured the bastard out the back door, he had been watching Xiao Zhan completely switch to his other, dark side. A side he only saw once resurfacing after he was abducted by the Wens. Strangely, he wasn't appalled by the callous ruthlessness he witnessed.

"Oh? Where has my dutiful little officer gone?" Xiao Zhan replied happily.

“As you recommended, he is not here today.” The “not today” Officer cracked his fingers and stepped forward, but Xiao Zhan gently stopped him.

“No need, Baby. I'll leave that in your capable hands, Ning. Just ensure he can give his statement about the surveillance cameras when you're done with him." Xiao Zhan said icily, his gaze focused on the whimpering coward on the floor. He then slowly turned to the third person present. Wen Ning nodded, determination playing in his features. But there was also a suspicious flash in his eyes. Wang Yi Bo didn't need rocket science to understand that this man was one of his tormentors in the past.

Xiao Zhan grabbed the gangster by his uninjured arm and pulled him to his feet with ease, clearly showing his impressive strength. Wang Yi Bo couldn't stop himself from becoming aroused at the mere sight of his dominant, ice-cold husband in this more than inappropriate situation. His heart began to beat faster involuntarily as if it wanted to burst its cage.

“My friend, since you don’t want to talk to an old acquaintance like me, Wen Ning will keep you company from now on. I'm sure he has a lot to say to you." Xiao Zhan explained meaningfully, pulling the man's swollen, dirty face towards him. His dark eyes seemed to penetrate him with every word he said.

Wang Yi Bo licked his lips.

“You'll regret this!" The gangster managed to say with difficulty. Although he could barely stand.

"We will see." Xiao Zhan growled and pushed the cursing man towards Wen Ning, who caught him and tied him up with cable ties. Once restrained, he dragged him to his car and vanished into the darkness.

As soon as they were alone, Wang Yi Bo strode towards his lover and demonstratively placed a hand on the collar of his tank top. Even though they didn't get the answers they wanted, he was confident that Wen Ning had his way of making this poor bird sing beautifully. In the meantime, he preferred to thoroughly comfort his slightly dissatisfied husband.

“Zhan Zhan…”

Xiao Zhan remained motionless, his dark eyes roaming lustfully over Wang Yi Bo's lithe body, which began to sway to the muted beats from the club. He lingered on a tiny drop of sweat, following its path down his neck to his collarbone until it disappeared beneath the fabric of his revealing shirt.

"How about we discuss what you mentioned earlier in our hotel room... in the shower... I think I still got wet after all... How does that sound?" Wang Yi Bo whispered seductively, his hands stroking playfully over Xiao Zhan's private area.

“The best thing I heard today.”

~~~~~~~

Beijing, 36 hours later.

“I won’t swallow that! It smells like death warmed up!” Wang Yi Bo screamed at the top of his lungs and hid behind the sofa in their office. Well, if you can call it screaming, that is. His voice sounded so hoarse as if he had been screaming all night long.

What he actually did, but that's another story. Our little Officer was sick. Unfortunately, in addition to the night-time exhaustions, he also caught a cold.

“Come on, baby, I know how good you are at swallowing. You can do this." For the last fifteen minutes, Xiao Zhan was trying to convince his reluctant Officer to take his medication to at least relieve the pain in his throat.

"NO! It's your fault anyway! You set the air conditioning in our hotel room to Antarctica!"

"Baby, that's why I'm giving this to you. I will nurse you back to health with the devotion of a saint," Xiao Zhan explained patiently, suppressing a laugh.

“Are you making fun of me again?” Wang Yi Bo narrowed his eyes.

“I would never dare.”

"I hate you!"

"I love you too."

“And it’s still your fault!”

“I know, I know. You should have stayed at home and rest." Xiao Zhan said quietly and put the pills on his desk.

"How can I? I want to see that vile weasel's face first-hand when we bust his ass! Finally, we will know the truth! I heard that Wen Ning managed to make our friend spill the beans and that he was able to recover the surveillance footage! He's incredible!" Even though he felt like he was hit by a truck, he couldn't quite hide his excitement. “And then Li Bowen! He's so talented! How did he manage to work so fast? So impressive!”

“Baby, are you really crushing over another man in front of me?” Xiao Zhan slowly raised an eyebrow, staring seemingly angrily at him.

“What?? No!!! Xiao Zhan!!” Wang Yi Bo paled and chickened out. He quickly left his hideout and climbed on the sofa, eagerly tapping his hand on the cushions beside him.

Xiao Zhan chuckled and shook his head. He sat on the sofa, taking his Baby in his arms and putting his head on his lap. Wang Yi Bo sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. “Take a nap. We still have to wait for the interrogation. There is plenty of time to rest.” He gently ran his fingers through Wang Yi Bo's hair, and soon the Officer's breathing became evener as he fell asleep.

He was about to get up and quietly leave the office when his phone rang. Xiao Zhan cursed and quickly took out the device to not wake his exhausted husband. However, after seeing the caller's name, he immediately answered the call. He was greeted by his brother's agitated voice on the other end of the line, and suddenly, a very bad feeling crept through his guts. Xu Kai wasn't usually one of those who quickly lost their temper. “What's wrong, bro?"

“Detective Nie has disappeared!” Xu Kai hastily exclaimed, which confirmed his suspicions but also caused every single muscle in his body to tense enormously. Without a second thought, he ran out of the office to find his brother. That can't be true, can it?

"How could that happen?" Xiao Zhan swore, clutching his phone in his fingers as he hurried through the halls toward the elevator.

“I swear, I don't know. Xue Yang brought him here about thirty minutes ago and stayed with him in one of the interrogation rooms. We found him unconscious, but no trace of the Detective!”

“Fuck! Where's Xue Yang now?” Xiao Zhan cursed, worried and impatiently pressing the button at the elevator door repeatedly.

“He's fine. Reira took him to a hospital, but she just informed me that there were no other injuries. Jiyang is on the way to pick them up.” Xu Kai tried to sound calm, but the tremble in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Xiao Zhan.

“I guess we were too careless after all. They must have brought a spy here and taken the detective after his deeds were uncovered. So he couldn't tell us anything we shouldn't know." The elevator finally arrived, and Xiao Zhan leaned wearily against the wall on the way down and roughly ran his hand through his hair. The more he thought about the chaos, the angrier he became. How could he have missed that?

Both brothers were silent for a moment. But then Xu Kai resumed the conversation. “Dad is here too. He wants us to finally end the syndicate. We need to meet with Haikuan and the others to plan our next steps. Xiao Zhan, this time, they won't get away with this! You are much stronger than ten years ago.” As if he sensed his brother's feelings, Xu Kai simply continued talking.

“I will meet you in the interrogation rooms.” Xiao Zhan, however, ended the conversation briefly, his head filled with a chaos of thoughts. With a soft ding, the elevator reached its chosen floor. When he got out, Wang Han immediately came up to him and wrapped his strong arms around his shoulders. He closed his eyes and let himself calm down in his father's soothing embrace.

“My boy, don’t blame yourself for anything. You did your job well. We will find out where the rats are hiding and bring the Detective to justice. Regarding the Syndicate, I have a special agreement with the prosecutor's office…”

Before Xiao Zhan could respond to his father and report his concerns, the elevator doors opened again, and a pale, very upset-looking Liu Haikuan stormed out. Everyone turned around and was shocked at his distraught appearance.

“Haikuan, what happened to you?” Xu Kai asked with genuine concern on his face.

“Cheng is missing!” Haikuan cried, banging his fist against the nearest wall.

“What?!?" The rest shouted in unison, dumbfounded.

“I wanted to get him out of prison, but when I opened the door, his room was empty and trashed.”

“What the hell is going on? First the detective, now Chief Jiang…” Xu Kai groaned in frustration.

Wang Han looked at each of them in turn thoughtfully. “I don't know what the Syndicate is planning, but they've gone too far. I'll take over from here. This can't wait any longer. We'll meet at Chief Jiang's office immediately and discuss the next steps. Xu Kai, please inform Ning and Reira. Haikuan, please speak to Prosecutor Nie. Xiao Zhan, where is Wang Yi Bo? He should hear that, too.”

“I'll get him. He's resting. Please give me a moment.” Xiao Zhan nodded and headed back. His thoughts were a mess, and the recent events threatened to overwhelm him. He sincerely hoped to find both men alive.

But absolutely nothing, and no one could have prepared him for what happened next. Time suddenly seemed to stand still as he opened the door to their office, and the metallic lighter on Wang Yi Bo's desk came into view.

He was frozen. His body refused to serve him. His chest tightened painfully, his breath hitched, and his world began to collapse.

There was a note on the computer screen.

"Come alone.”