Wen Chao was pissed.

Sullen.

And bored.

It had been two days since he'd been attacked. Well, three if he counted the day he spent sedated. Which wasn't a fun day from what little he could remember of it.

He stared in blatant animosity at the four policemen staring at him. They came and went in four hour shifts. Never speaking to him except for the team leader, Zhou Jun, who only spoke to him in two word clumps.

"Eat now."
"Raise up."
"Open mouth."

Zhou Jun was also the one who had told him "Shut up" and then enforced it.

He had been discussing Zhou Jun's grandmother and her personal proclivities in a wide range of venues and species. He had been having a wonderful time watching Zhou Jun turn purple.

Zhou Jun had stood and, as was his habit, said two words. 

"That's it."

He marched out of the room with a determined step. A man on a mission.

Wen Chao died laughing. At least there was some amusement to be found here.

He was surprised when Zhou Jun returned just moments later.

He had a super soaker water gun he was holding with the same seriousness he would an AK47. The SWAT team would have been proud.

Wen Chao died laughing again.

"A water gun?" he howled. He would have wiped the tears in his eyes if both wrists weren't attached to the bed.

"Enough."

The stream of water took him in the chest and cut off his laughter.

He couldn't breathe.

The water was icy cold.

Zhou Jun gently shook the enormous water gun. The ice could be heard batting around inside the tank.

A huge gasp and Wen Chao sucked in a lungful of air. Opening his mouth to start screaming.

Zhou Jun slammed the giant yellow and orange super soaker back on to his shoulder, stalking forward with it pointed directly at Wen Chao's chest again.

He was staring into Wen Chao's eyes. Daring him to say another word about his grandmother.

He growled. "Shut. Up."

Wen Chao stared at him with undisguised hatred.

But he kept his mouth shut.

A tiny smile curled the edge of Zhou Jun's mouth.

"Good boy."

Wen Chao almost had an embolism.
-----

Madame Yu's day had not improved since breakfast.

Since Ma'am enjoyed violence in all of its many and varied forms, she thought she would strike back. A good slap would put Ma'am on the ground and teach her a lesson.

She had pulled herself together. Last night had happened because yesterday was a whirlwind of events. Even she needed a bit of time to process it all. Now she would take her rightful position back.

Madame Yu was already picturing herself standing with the defeated Ma'am at her feet.

The slap tossed Ma'am's head to the side.

That was it.

Well, not quite it. Ma'am was now royally pissed.

The return slap had put Madame Yu on the floor and slid her into the wall. For a moment, she couldn't see. Couldn't breathe. Her ears rang with a deafening high pitched tone.

Ma'am was no maid unable to defend herself if she wanted to keep her job. She wasn't one of the rich little girls who went to Madame Yu's childhood school. She was the result of a hard life on the streets.

A slap wasn't going to phase her.

All of her life Madame Yu had been a vicious bully.  Torturing those around her.

Controlling those around her.

The maids she could hit with impunity. Her schoolmates she had threatened and hurt until she got whatever it was she wanted no matter how ridiculous.

And Wei Ying? She had delighted in torturing him. Making him suffer for infecting her household with his existence.

Now it was his fault she was here. He should have just gone back to the gutter he came from. He had turned her beautiful children against her. Used them to hurt her. To put her in this awful situation.

'So cunning and wily, Wei Ying!' she thought to herself as the hatred swarmed up her throat threatening to choke her.

Wei Ying stood to the side unnoticed by the others. His hair half up and away from his face. Wearing his favorite black sweater. Smiling at her.

She snarled.

"Quite the predicament you've got yourself in, Madame." he grinned. He pointed at the side of his mouth. "You've got a bit of blood. Just right there."

The smile never diminished.

Yu Ziyuan faltered. Her hand tentatively wiped at the corner of her mouth. Glancing down, she saw the blood smeared on to her fingers. Her mouth fell open.

Jerking her head back up, she stared at Wei Ying who smirked at her as his eyes slowly shifted in color. They became a cruel shade of red.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head. He wasn't real. He couldn't be real.

Opening her eyes again she hesitantly looked where he had stood.

No one. 

Frantically, she looked around. Eyes wide. Afraid of what she would see.

Or not see.

Only women in orange jumpsuits watching the afternoon entertainment.

She stared at the blood on her fingers.

'It doesn't matter. He wasn't real.' she repeated

She was still in control.

Pushing herself to her feet, she sidled away from Ma'am who let her leave with a promise.

"Tonight, my sweet."

Madame Yu shivered and pretended she couldn't hear Wei Ying's mocking laugh.
-----

Jin Zixun sat in the back of the cruiser in a daze.

How had they caught him?

He had screamed he was the mayor's son. Their careers would be destroyed if they touched him. The security guards had shifted back and looked nervously at each other.

Feng Mingjing had just about had his fill of crazy rich people though.

"Nobody gives a rat's ass who your father is. We do care that you beat a man to death, you little prick." he said vehemently.

Jin Zixun had blinked. Completely unsettled by this sergeant's cold indifference to his father's position.

He had been hauled to the cruiser, shoved into the backseat and the door slammed.

Now they were on their way to get his information, finger  print him and take mug shots before putting him in general holding.

He wasn't going to recieve any special treatment. There would be no one catering to him for being wealthy much less for being the Mayor's son. As far as that sergeant was concerned, Jin Zixun was only one thing - a criminal.

He had never believed he would be caught and punished for his actions. Not really. He was too smart. Too lucky. Too handsome. Too rich.

Now, if they had the video Wen Chao was blackmailing him with, he was facing the ultimate punishment. He would be shot and the bill for the bullet would be sent to his family.

He couldn't wrap his head around that. He was a Jin. This sort of thing didn't happen to his family.

He looked aimlessly out the window as Beijing slid past.

He didn't see any of it.
-----

Jin Guangshan paced in his office. Back and forth. Back and forth. Pauses to look at the empty safe now covered in finger print powder and whatever else the officers had used to gather evidence.

"Jin Zixun." It was a growl of rage.

Rage and fear.

Jin Zixun knew where the money really came from. The mayor had no illusions. If he could save himself by ratting out his own father, Zixun wouldn't hesitate.

Not for a second.

If Zixun gave him to the police, he had two choices.
First, he could stay silent and recieve a maximum sentence. Second, he could tell them everything and be murdered by the traffickers.

Both choices had the same result - he was fucked.

He paced faster and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a nervously fluttering hand.

A brisk knock on the door made Jin Guangshan jump and scream "What!!" reflexively.

"Sir? The Young Master has been arrested at the airport attempting to flee. There are reporters gathering in front of the mansion. We thought you should know."

The butler turned and headed back down the stairs. He had already gotten the younger servants out of the house with recommendations. Two he had retired with full benefits. He had no qualms about back dating them and forging the mayor's signature. He did it everyday to handle household matters at the Mayor's behest.

It had been an insanely busy morning but he also knew he couldn't let anyone else suffer for Jin Guangshan or his son.

He was the only one left.

His letter of resignation was placed carefully on his desk.

Quietly, he gathered his suitcases and few boxes. Once they were loaded in his small car, he placed his household keys next to his resignation.

As he walked out and pulled the door to close it, he heard a desperate scream from upstairs.

He firmly shut the door.
-----

He smiled to himself as he joined the queue to purchase a train ticket to Shanghai. It had been an easy transformation to go from a gardner to a businessman. His hair brushed back neatly. A pair of reasonably fashionable glasses. A sports coat and tie. A cross body messenger bag. A wedding band.

Fai Duyi knew the chances of him being recognized were slim to none.

The smile got broader.

"One ticket to Shanghai. Round trip, please." he said casually to the ticket agent.

In less than fifteen minutes,  the ticket was purchased and he was about to board the train. Simple.

He would go to Shanghai and make his way to Thailand from there.

He smiled again.

As he walked out on to the platform,  he caught someone's eye.

Yi Shu had been a police officer for twenty four years before transferring. The train station was usually filled with people scurrying along just trying to get where they were going. He liked that. He wanted his last year to be quiet. Relaxed. Simple.

This morning there had been a series of new warrants. New pictures of new bad guys. Just like always. There had been one yesterday that had caught his attention though. Trafficking. Human trafficking. They were ranked right next to pedophiles in his opinion. Death was too good for them.

He would be on the look out but considering the number of people who passed through the station the likelihood of seeing him was astronomically low.

That had been his opinion anyway.

His mouth fell open as the man sauntered past him wearing a huge smile. He was dressed better and his hair was different but he was pretty positive it was the same man. If he detained him and he wasn't the man in question, no real harm done. If he didn't detain him and it was?

He ran after him.

Fai Duyi seated himself comfortably in an aisle seat and relaxed. He smiled amiably at the woman next to him while mentally estimating her worth on the current market.

Yi Shu had seen which car the man had boarded. At least he hoped it was the right car. Jumping on at the last minute, he braced himself as the train lurched into motion.

He pulled his radio off his shoulder.

"This is Yi Shu. I'm on the Shanghai two pm. I think I saw the trafficker that was posted yesterday. I'll check it out and report."

"Copy that. Be careful."

"Copy."

Yi Shu entered the car and slowly walked down it, looking closely at each passenger.

Nothing. Not even close.

He went to the next car.

Again, nothing.

He had gone through five cars and he had resigned himself to having missed the man entirely. A sigh. He was there and he would cover the entire train before he got off at the next stop. Might as well.

Two more cars and still nothing.

As he entered the next car, Yi Shu stared. There he was. Chatting with the woman next to him.

Fai Duyi glanced up and met Yi Shu's eyes.

He was made and he knew it.

"Excuse me," he whispered to the woman next to him who smiled.

Fai Duyi nodded at the police officer bearing down on him. Smiled and ran.

"Stop! Police!" Yi Shu yelled grabbing the attention of everyone in the car.

It didn't take a genius to deduce what was going on.

Near the far end of the car, a woman sat on an aisle seat. She glanced down at her large purse. She wasn't a particularly adventurous or brave woman but she tried to do the right thing whenever she could.

Watching the man running toward her with the policeman hot on his heels, she waited and then shoved her purse in front of the fleeing man.

Fai Duyi's eyes widened as he tipped his toe on the purse and began to fall forward. Before he knew it, he was face down in the aisle with a police officer's knee in the middle of his back.

Handcuffed, Fai Duyi was hauled to his feet by Yi Shu.

He stared down at the woman as she slowly pulled her purse out of the aisle.

She looked up at him and smiled beatifically.

"Thank you, officer!"

Her eyes shifted to Fai Duyi and the smile shifted to a satisfied smirk.

Fai Duyi just stared at the woman.

He had been brought down by a middle aged woman with a purse.

He was never going to live this down.
~♡~♡~♡~

Hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday season!

Eat chocolate. 
Smile.
Repeat.
😁

❤️🍫🫖❤️