He was pacing his office. Trying to decide.

It had been three hours since he had originally called Homicide and Wu Haoyu still hadn't hadn't seen a soul.

He had filled out his report. Printed out all the pictures. Placed a call to his priest asking for prayers for Mo Xuanyu. Had tried to start processing the next piece of evidence but he just couldn't do it. His concentration was on the manilla envelope on his desk instead of his screen. When he almost deleted the hard drive he was supposedly examining, he gave up and quit.

The last of the three additional calls he had made to Homicide had turned up a bit of news. Apparently, everyone was busy on search warrants. Literally everyone. The night shift was due in soon but Wu Haoyu didn't want to wait anymore.

Bribing the secretary with her favorite coffee for a week, he not only got Nie Mingjue's phone number but his location.

In a sudden moment of decision, he downloaded the contents of thumb drive A47319 to his lap top. Putting it into his messenger bag, he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

____

Yu Ziyuan's day had not improved any after the punch to her face.

The steel mirror in the bathroom had shown her a distorted view of her black eye and swollen cheek. She had never been punched in her life much less had her eye blacked.

Fury bubbled in her throat and ate at her stomach. She looked no different than the street trash around her.

'I am Yu Ziyuan! I am not like this scum! I will learn. It will only be a matter of time before I run this place.' she told herself angrily. Her decision made, she exited the bathroom. The woman who had punched her was leaning against the wall.

"You didn't bow. You saw me but didn't bow. No manners at all. Were you raised in a whore house?" the woman sneered with a grin. "This once, I will forgive you. I feel merciful currently."

She nodded her head at several women who bowed respectfully as they passed.

"See? A perfect example." She turned back to Yu Ziyuan. "Now. Let me see you do it."

"I would rather fuck the whole police force." was the flat reply.

"Kinky... I like it... Perhaps you want me to notice you... Is that it?" The woman looked her up and down. Yu Ziyuan was middle aged but she had kept in shape. She was slender and reasonably toned. "I think I might sample you. Tonight... would you like that, Yu Ziyuan?"

Madame Yu looked as startled as she felt. She had told no one her name.

"Don't worry. I've already arranged to share a cell with you. Amazing what you can get for a simple blowjob." the woman grinned again. "We 'trash' are pretty direct in getting what we want. No schemes. Just action."

Her hand whipped out and slapped Yu Ziyuan before she could duck.

"See? Simple. Direct. Effective." she stated softly into her ear. "You may call me Ma'am."

Yu Ziyuan's head was spinning from the slap.

"Ma'am?" she questioned not quite able to understand what had been said. "Why would I call you Ma'am?"

She was hauled closer to Ma'am's face by a hand full of hair.

"Because I said so. You are going to be so fun to break..." Another slap that flung Yu Ziyuan up against the wall and Ma'am walked away.

"Tonight..." was tossed over her shoulder with a laugh as she left.

_____

Song Lan was pensive.

They had spent the afternoon passing out ice cream cones to probably thirty kids. He wasn't sure who had more fun - the kids or him and his Star. They had played chase and laughed harder than they had in awhile.

That wasn't why he was pensive.

There had been a boy there. Said his name was Wang Hao Xuan**. He was a lean kid with dimples and an impish sparkle in his eyes peeking out from under his messy hair.

He had taken the ice cream hesitantly and given Xiao Xingchen a hard look.

"Why are you giving us ice cream?" he asked.

"Because the day is warm and ice cream is cold and yummy." was the answer.

A moment more before Wang Hao Xuan nodded and began to eat his ice cream. He didn't gobble it as others had. He had savored every mouthful. It wasn't long before most of the kids had finished their ice cream and wandered off. But not Wang Hao Xuan. He had stood at a distance watching them with a puzzled face.

Song Lan sat down and called to the boy. "Come have a seat in the shade, Wan Hao Xuan. It is too hot to stand in the sun." An exaggeration but it worked.

The boy sat at a safe distance from Song Lan.

"Why are you confused? What is it you are wondering about?" Song Lan asked. He saw Xiao Xingchen move in next to him and sit. Both of them could clearly see the child.

"Why did you really give us ice cream?"

"Because it made us happy to share. That's all. No hidden motive." Song Lan said.

Wang Hao Xuan was thinking hard.

Song Lan stepped out on to a ledge with his next question.

"Where do you live?" he asked casually.

"In the alley behind a restaurant. Best place for spare food." It was a cut and dried answer.

"Where's your family?" Xiao Xingchen asked.

"Don't have one. Uncle died last winter."

Both men were stunned by how matter of fact the child was. As if this was just the way life was supposed to be.

"You are on your own?" Xiao Xingchen was caught between horror and respect for this little survivor.

"Yep. I'm pretty big now so I do just fine." was the confident answer.

They had bought the boy dinner.

He had eaten his fill and taken the rest for breakfast. A quick 'thanks!' and he had scampered off with a grin.

Since then, Song Lan couldn't get the kid out of his head. Knowing Wang Hao Xuan was sleeping in an alley was eating at him.

"Tell me." Xiao Xingchen said as he gathered his lover into his arms.. He knew his A'Lan and he was definitely brooding on something.

A'Lan put his head on his Star's shoulder. "Wang Hao Xuan."

"What about him, love?" Softly, he stroked A'Lan's hair.

"He's sleeping in a box probably." A small grunt. "If he's lucky."

"Most likely. It's not a happy thing. What are you thinking?"

"It bothers me. I can't quit thinking about that kid. He claimed to be twelve but if he was over eight, I'll eat your sneakers which stink. Bad." Song Lan's voice was thoughtful.

"My sneakers don't stink!" They did but he wasn't going to admit it. "I don't like that he's out there either."

"I want to bring him back here..." Song Lan's voice was so soft. Afraid to broach a subject they hadn't bothered to discuss. Two men meant no babies and no adoption. "This might be our chance to have a family. With Wang Hao Xuan living on the streets, the chances there is any documentation of his life are minimal. We both know we can create a paper trail so he is our nephew, cousin - anything so we can get him off the street..."

His voice trailed off into a lingering silence.

Xiao Xingchen knew Song Lan had wanted a child. All he had to do was watch his beloved when he was with kids. He lit up. Patient and kind, Song Lan would make an amazing father.

"Our life would totally change. No afternoons making love unless he's in school. One of us would have to be available for him. We'd have to get him into school with no past school records... perhaps the cousin who left him to you was in a rural agricultural area... difficult to get records..." Xingchen's wheels were already turning.**

"How do we get him to realize we are his fathers but he can't tell anyone we are together? If it's known we are lovers, there's a chance they'll take him." Xiao Xingchen whispered.

"I don't want to hide any more, My Star. I've loved you since we were in elementary school. We can't shout it from the roof tops but we don't have to hide. We'll explain to him. Anyone who is surviving on the streets at eight by themselves is smart and reads the situation well. I think we'll be able to get him to understand. Are you okay with this idea? I know there's a lot we'd have to work out including if he'll trust us enough to even come here." Song Lan was sitting up. His voice was sincere. "There will be a lot of adjustments for all three of us if this happens. But I think we can do it and I think it will be good."

Xiao Xingchen thought. He had liked Wang Hao Xuan. He had guts and enough confidence for several people in that little body of his.

"Can we sleep on it? There's a lot to consider and we need to get to know this kid."

"I agree. You think. I'll think. Tomorrow, we'll think together. Sound good?" Song Lan answered. "Anything scheduled for tomorrow?"

"We've got the dive at ten so we should be there at nine thirty. That's it though."

"So we don't have to be up early?"

"Not that I know of. Wh-" A'Lan cut him off with a kiss. Warm and strong.

It was like being ignited. What had started as a kiss became a consuming flame.

Naughtiness Warning
Continues to end of the chapter

Xiao Xingchen slid his hand into Song Lan's hair and shifted them to deepen the kiss. A'Lan's hand ran up his Star's arm and across his chest and began undoing his buttons. A soft kiss on A'Xing's cheek and a whisper in his ear.

"I love you, My Star."

It was enough to have Xiao Xingchen shiver. "I love you, A'Lan."

A line of kisses and love bites went from his ear, down his neck and on to his chest. Song Lan's fingers fumbled with his Star's jean button and zipper until he finally managed to get them open. Xiao Xingchen couldn't help his erection springing upward. Or the groan as A'Lan caressed it with his tongue.

"No underwear? Very sexy..." Song Lan purred. He opened his mouth and sank down to the base of his Star's cock just to hear him gasp and then groan. He pulled off with a swirl of his tongue over the head.

"No... Please... More..." Xingchen panted.

"I think you should give up underwear from now on." Song Lan said between licks. Xiao Xingchen would have agreed to anything just to get back into Song Lan's mouth.

"Mhmm. No underwear..." his words cut off as he groaned. "S-so good..." was all he managed to get out as Song Lan swallowed him.

Xiao Xingchen was lost in the sensations. The way Song Lan curled his tongue. The soft bites. The friction as he bobbed his head. The pull as he sucked him hard.

His eyes rolled back as he gripped A'Lan's hair.

His hips began jerking upward. Song Lan knew what that meant.

"Not yet, my love. Let's go to bed... There's so much more I want to do to you..." He was pulling his Star's jeans off followed by his own shirt. He scooped the naked Xiao Xingchen into his arms, holding him so his legs were wrapped around his waist.

Xiao Xingchen thrust upward in the valley of Song Lan's six pack abs and moaned.

"Bedroom. Now." It was a command.

Song Lan grinned and kissed Xiao Xingchen all the way to the bedroom.
~♡~♡~♡~

Wang Hao Xuan played Xue Yang.

'Wheels turning' means someone is trying to figure something out. For example: Bob wasn't sure how he was going to get there but the wheels were turning.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Smile, eat chocolate, repeat.

❤️🍫🫖❤️