Guardian: Returns

20

"Hey," Da Qing jumped from the windowsill. Luo Fei was putting on his shoes, ready to leave the school. He looked at the man running towards him.

"What's up, you Damned Cat?"

"Hey, language. We're still at school. I'm the Deputy Chief of the S.I.D. Be more respectful towards your elder, kid." Da Qing grinned.

Fei laughed. "Oh, right. Sorry, Deputy Da. How very disrespectful of me. So? Why are you here? Did something happen?"

The kids around them stared curiously. Some of them took their phones and started filming.

"Let's get to the car. I'll tell you everything there."

"All right. I'm ready." Luo stuffed a lollipop into his mouth and followed the deputy.

"Well?" the teenager asked, buckling the seatbelt. "What is it?"

"Your dad woke up. I'm taking you to him. The bureau wanted to de-brief him immediately, but they got kicked out by your mother. She's a fierce woman."

"Yeah..." Luo trailed off. "This is the weirdest situation you can imagine."

"What do you mean?" Da Qing started the engine.

"I mean Luo Jie Ming. Don't you remember him?"

"Um, the name sounded familiar, but when I looked into the case, Cong Bo found nothing about him." A hand appeared on his nape, making Da Qing glance at Luo. "What?"

"Your memory is getting worse again." Luo scratched Da Qing's neck. "Luo Jie Ming was my buddy from the military times. And we went to the police school together, becoming good friends. We used to spend most of the evenings drinking and having fun."

"That was him? Huh. Your life cannot be simple, can it?"

"Yeah. I mean, how do I even talk to the guy? This is exactly why nobody should remember their past lives. Or at least get re-born after a longer time." The kid snorted suddenly. "Old Luo used to tell anybody who would listen that he was gonna be an undercover spy. He said it so many times that even our superiors laughed that if everybody already knew he wanted to be a spy, he would never become one. I can't believe he actually pulled it off. Not to mention that guy... I never imagined he would be a father. And a pretty good one too."

"So, what are you going to do? I mean, will you tell your parents about the past?" Da Qing stopped at the red lights and looked at Luo.

"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous. That will remain a secret. I'm just gonna talk to them as Luo Fei. First, I need to know what their plans are."

"Sure. Just remember to talk as a sixteen-year-old you currently are." The deputy smirked and resumed driving.

*"Ugh, don't even remind me," Luo grunted. "This is insane."

"What?"

"This entire situation is freaking weird. My voice is weird, and I've got like nine zits, and I have zero control over this." Fei pointed at his trousers. "I mean, it's up, it's down. It's up for no reason..."

"That's enough," Da Qing interrupted him. "I think that's called puberty."

"Yeah, which sucks! Again! Some good news, though. Virgin liver and stomach." Luo Fei grinned, patting his belly.

"Sure..." the deputy smiled. "And they will stay this way for a while longer. You've still got two years until you can drink legally."

"That's not funny!" Luo pouted.

"That's a bit funny, Old Zhao. Hey, when is Lord Black Cloak coming back?"*

"Ugh, next week. His uncle was hell-bent on keeping him in the best hospital he could find. And as he has no idea what's going on, Xiao Wei decided to play along."

"Oh, right. What about Yezun?"

"Don't call him that." Luo frowned.

"But he is Yezun. And he remembers everything. What if he decides to turn to the dark side again? Remember last time?"

"I do, as a matter of fact. But this time, it's different. I don't believe Xin Bai will do anything evil. And if he does?" The teenager shrugged. "I'll just kick his ass again."

"Let me tell you, my master. I won't be there to risk my life when something happens. I am an independent cat, you know."

"You say that now, but when I open a fresh can of tuna in the evening, You'll be meowing differently. Hey, this isn't the road to the hospital. Where are you taking me?" Luo looked attentively around.

"Um," Da Qing scratched his ear. "I thought we would take a short detour. It's Thursday afternoon, and the weather is nice, so I wanted to show you something."

They drove next to the park, and Da Qing slowed down. Luo stared out of the window, wondering what in the name of sanity he was supposed to see there. A group of elderly people was practising Tai-chi, their moves purposefully slow and fluid. A well-built man with a grey beard and white hair drew his attention. He seemed to be a split of a second faster than the rest of them, his brows constantly furrowed, as if he was irritated by the slowness of the others. The moment the car slowed down, he spotted it, and his eyes followed the car's route with professional alertness.

"He spotted us," Da Qing commented, speeding up.

"Of course he did," Luo sniffed, his eyes watering. He realised that he was clenching his fists and slowly relaxed the fingers. "He's a pro. So," Luo reached for a tissue and cleared his nose. "How is my Old Man doing? I gotta say, never had him for a Tai-chi kind of a guy. He looked well, though."

"He looks after his health. After you... were gone, I lived with him for some time." Da Qing scratched his ear again. "I guess we both needed someone to return home to. I moved out after a year."

"How old is he now? Seventy-five?"

"Yup. He retired only five years ago. The Xingdu Bureau still contacts him to consult things, though."

"That's good," Luo smiled to himself. "That's really good."

They drove to the hospital, and Luo got out of the car. "Don't wait up. I want to stay here longer. And then I'll just walk home," he said and marched into the building.

********

Hello dear readers.

Da Qing cares about his master so obviously, he took him to see that Papa Zhao is in shape.

I will be tying loose ends making as many happy endings as possible.

The part between the ** is not mine. I borrowed it from "Supernatural" S10 ep12 "About a boy". And slightly adjusted it to my needs. It just fitted perfectly here.😼

Thank You for reading🤗

Till next time👋👋👋

Stay safe!