The room was quiet as everyone ate their congee. Even Wei Ying didn't complain about its simplicity. Right now, it was a familiar comfort and welcome.

In the semi-lit room with full bellies, it wasn't long before everyone was tired. A'Yuan leaned further into his Baba and whispered something.

Wei Ying smiled at the boy and gently stroked his ragged bangs out of his face.

"If it's okay with him, that's fine." he told him.

A'Yuan nodded and turned to Sizhui.

"Can I sleep next to you?" he asked.

Sizhui was startled for a moment, but he couldn't tell that hopeful face no.

"Okay, kid, but no drooling." he replied, making A'Yuan giggle. Sizhui didn't add that he didn't want to sleep alone either.

Lan Wangji helped A'Yuan half hop off the bed. His ribs were healing, but there was no point in aggravating the bruises. A couple of weeks would fix the bruises, black eye, and the last of the split lip. He'd have some extra weight on him, too, if his Gugu had anything to do with it. He'd be good to go.

Physically, anyway.

Lan Zhan watched the boys decide which bed they would choose. They chose the next to the last bed. Sizhui said it was more comfortable, but he noticed the teenager was looking at the door and the room's layout.

He was giving himself options if there was another incursion.

'Smart boy.' Lan Zhan thought.

Observing the boys brought to mind the picture he had taken of them. He pulled out his phone and found the photo.

He hadn't been mistaken. The boys were looking at each other, creating a profile picture of them both. It was eerily similar.

Looking up, he saw Sizhui help A'Yuan onto the bed with his sky blue blanket.

"Sizhui, sit next to A'Yuan, so I can take your picture." he said.

Wei Ying smiled. "That's a great idea. Say cheese!"

Sizhui seemed less than enthusiastic, but he obliged. Both boys smiled at the camera. Lan Zhan walked over to show them the results.

A'Yuan was all grins. Sizhui pronounced he looked terrible and flopped back on the bed.

Soon, the two were lying side by side and discussing their game wth the type of seriousness usually reserved for life changing decisions.

As the boys were absorbed in their conversation, Wei Ying watched as Lan Zhan was switching back and forth between two pictures.

"May I ask what you're doing?" he asked quietly.

Lan Zhan looked up and appeared to consider for a moment.

"I noticed something, but I am unsure if I should mention it." he admitted.

"Does it affect our safety?"

"I do not believe so. Not at the moment, anyway." His face was thoughtful.

"If you are comfortable sharing, I would like to know." Wei Ying stated.

A moment of hesitation then a decision.

"Mn. Look at them. Not as A'Yuan and Sizhui but as just faces. Look at their noses and eyes, jawline and chins." He handed Wei Ying his phone.

The profile picture was first. Wei Ying smiled. The boys were smiling. It was a very good picture for a quick snapshot.

He looked at their chins and noses. Their eye shape and their cheeks. His eyebrows began to furrow. If A'Yuan had been at an appropriate weight, he wouldn't have seen it so quickly. Sizhui's face was teenage lean. A'Yuan's thin face made it easier to see.

He quickly slid to the new picture. It confirmed what he had seen with the first photo.

He looked up at Lan Zhan with his mouth gaping.

"They look like brothers. A'Yuan looks like a younger version of Sizhui." His voice was a hushed whisper.

"Mn. A'Yuan had Wen on his birth certificate. Sizhui is also a Wen. It would seem an unlikely coincidence that they are both Wen and look this much alike without there being at least some possibility they are related." Lan Zhan said thoughtfully.

"If that bas- man really is A'Yuan's father, could he somehow be Sizhui's father as well?" Just the idea made Wei Ying nauseous.

"I don't know, but I would like to. Badly. The department would normally apply for a DNA test to see if Wen Chao matched any biological evidence in unsolved cases. I can check with our department secretary to see the status on that request. As for the boys, it may be best to find... another way. If we go through official channels to get permission, the results will be known by many. It could hurt our chances to keep A'Yuan and Sizhui safe." Lan Zhan looked in the distance as he talked. Working out details, concerns, and possible outcomes in his head.

Wei Ying glanced back at the boys with a grin. One of them had farted and they were both laughing while blaming each other.

He turned back to Lan Zhan. His face was somber again.

"We can't let Wen Chao have them. We need to know. Will your brother help us?"

"I believe he will. To protect them. He seems fond of them both." Lan Zhan nodded to himself and took his phone back from Wei Ying. "I'll send a text for him to call me. For now, you should rest at least."

"So should you. We're all looking a little ragged after... everything." Wei Ying replied. He faltered ever so slightly.

Without thinking, Lan Zhan reached out and held Wei Ying's hand while finishing his message with his thumb. A quick 'send', and he looked up.

Wei Ying was lying on his right side. His grip on Lan Zhan's hand was firm. Warm.

"You mentioned a place where you and the boys would be safe. Where is it? Let me have it checked out before we choose." Lan Zhan's voice was a whisper. This was for no one else's ears. Not until they figured out how they had been found.

"Shijie's. She has a penthouse apartment. She took her inheritance and put a down payment on the building. Now it houses a grocery store, a cinema, dentists and doctors, apartments - all sorts of things. Jin Comp has their own floors as well. When they finished the building, they couldn't decide if they wanted a second apartment or just their own. They finally decided to complete it as one really large apartment. They have security too. I met the head of their security division once. His name is Rain**. Zixuan says he's one of the best. Do you think that would be enough to protect us all? Provided Shijie and Zixuan agree, of course."

Wei Ying's voice was a low murmur as he outlined his idea to Lan Zhan. The boys were still laughing (most likely about bodily functions) and weren't paying attention to the boring adults (to Lan Zhan's relief).

"We can ask first, and if they agree, we can meet with this Rain. See what security measures he has in place and what we may need to add." Lan Zhan mused. "I like this idea. There would be comfort for you and the boys while everyone convalesces. Connection with your family. It has great possibility." Lan Zhan didn't want to use a safe house. They were often dirty with few comforts. He didn't want Wei Ying, Yu Bin or the boys in that environment.

"Do you think they will allow Yu Bin to be with us there?" asked Lan Zhan. Wei Ying smiled at the 'us' in his question.

"Shijie is very fond of him and is becoming close friends with Yu Qing. I do not see why not, but I can not speak for her. It will be tough to have us all there, but I think she and Zixuan will prefer that over not seeing us for several months if we have to go into hiding in a police safe house. Neither would be able to stand being away from A'Yuan that long." Wei Ying gave one of his beaming smiles. "They already love him."

Wei Ying glanced back at the boys again. They had quieted and seemed to be well on their way to sleeping.

"I think they will agree." He yawned enormously. "At least I hope so."

"Wei Ying must sleep, please. Rest will help you heal."

"Will you sleep too? You are tired. I can see it in your eyes."

"When someone else arrives to keep watch, I will sleep." Lan Zhan stood and placed a warm kiss on Wei Ying's forehead. "Close your eyes, Wei Ying. I will be right here."
-----

Nie Mingjue was almost at Steve Chen's security center before he realized he hadn't spoken to the officers about creating a diversion to sneak Yu Bin into the room.

Somehow , he couldn't bring himself to mind. He would text them. No problem

There was a bounce in his step and a smile on his face that had the ladies he passed smiling back.

There was a sense of fundamental satisfaction with actually hitting that bastard. Of feeling Wen Chao's flesh compress underneath the force of his fist. He wanted to do more. Rip the man apart and then scatter the remnants until he knew the man was destroyed beyond recall.

Wen Chao more than deserved it. After everything his didi had been through, he deserved more than Nie Mingjue could ever do to him. He deserved to be wiped out completely. Any soul Wen Chao had left should be obliterated. Shredded into cosmic dust with no hope of reincarnation.

Nie Mingjue's smile went up a notch at the thought.

Steve Chen did a double take.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" he asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"No particular reason." Mingjue grinned back. "I do have something to discuss with you."

He outlined his plan.

"What do you think?"

Steve Chen was thinking.

"As long as the officers are careful. I don't want to create a panic." was the response.

"Agreed. Say two officers? Have another walk through several minutes later talking about it's all clear and a false alarm?"

"That should work." He pulled up the schematics for that section of the hospital. "Run them from here to here. Enough to divert attention but not have anyone trying to follow. There's always that one person that wants to see what's going on."

"Agreed. I'll give you a ten minute heads up before we do it. Hey, what happened with the group by the ER entrance that was trying to cause problems?" Mingjue said.

"Apparently, being assholes at night is better than being assholes during the day. When the sun came up, they drifted away, leaving that little shit stirrer to stand and make threats alone until he wandered off as well."

"Hm. Good riddance to bad rubbish." Mingjue grunted.

"Agreed."

"I'm headed to Recovery to see when Yu Bin will be ready to move. I'll let you know before we start and if we get him to the room successfully."

"Thanks, Mingjue. I'll be waiting for your call."
-----

Nie Huaisang was gently wiping Yu Bin's face with a cool cloth then fanning him slowly. Yu Bin smiled.

"That's nice. Feels better." he mumbled.

He had thrown up earlier. The nurses had assured him it wasn't uncommon but Huaisang wasn't happy seeing A'Bin with tears in his eyes from throwing up so hard. Yu Qing had given him additional anti-nausea meds which seemed to be helping.

"Glad you feel better, baobei." was the soft reply.

"I wanna go home. Tired, A'Sang. Watch moobies and eats pizza wif shroomies." A'Bin rambled.

Huaisang shared a smile with Yu Qing over Yu Bin's pronunciation of movies.

"That sounds fun. Can I come too?" Yu Qing asked.

"Jiejie!!" Yu Bin yelled then coughed. "I puked. Its was nasty."

A'Bin looked sad and pouty. Huaisang was sure there wasn't anything cuter on the planet.

"My balloons is ruined. Gots blood on dem." he sighed. "All ruined..."

He drifted back into sleep again.

Yu Qing looked sharply at Huaisang who sighed.

"He shot and killed one of the assassins." He looked at the horrified Yu Qing. "He saved my life. There is no question. I would be dead if he hadn't."

She looked back at her little brother.

"How did he take it?" she whispered.

"As well as could be expected. He was adamant you not come to the room and see it." Huaisang answered solemnly.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. A quick swipe at her face to hide a tear.

"I'll get you new balloons, didi." she told her sleeping brother and kissed his forehead.

That was the scene Nie Mingjue walked in on.

"I think I have things set up for sneaking Yu Bin into - why does everyone look upset? Is he okay?" Nie Mingjue asked in confusion.

"I told her what happened. How Yu Bin saved my life." Huaisang said in a low voice.

"I see..." he paused looking at Yu Qing. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She glanced at him and shook her head. A sniff and a slight straightening of her shoulders.

"No but I appreciate the offer. It was kind of you."

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small packet of tissues. She looked at the tissues and back at Nie Mingjue. He shrugged almost sheepishly.

"Allergies." he explained.

She took two tissues and almost smiled.
~♡~♡~♡~

Rain is a K-Pop Idol and appeared in Ninja Assasin. Worth watching just for his workout scene. 😏

Merriest of Christmases and Happy New Year to you! ❤️🎅🎄❄️☃️❤️

I can't say often enough how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Reading, voting, commenting, and saving Red Light to your library lists. Putting up with my wildly erratic update efforts.

I am more thankful than I can say.

May you be blessed with smiles, kindness, and love.

And of course lots of chocolate and tea. 😁❤️😁

With Love,

❤️🍫🫖❤️