Xie Lian's artistic side| Colors of the Heart ~ Hualian AU

Chapter L

"San Lang! San Lang, I'm here! I'm so glad to see you. What happened?"

Xie Lian was staring at his phone, admiring the selfie he and Hua Cheng took last week, right when he noticed someone passed by him.

Hua Cheng interrupted his walk when he heard Xie Lian's voice and looked back. He was wearing a blood-red wool coat. "Gege, I don't wanna talk about it."

Xie Lian was so relieved to see him, he did not notice the coldness in the director's voice at first. He reached forward to hug Hua Cheng, only to grasp thin air. The director avoided being touched. "San Lang, it'll be okay. I'm so sorry you had to go through it."

Hua Cheng stared at the floor. "Me too."

Xie Lian extended his arm, gently this time, inviting the director to hold his hand. "We are gonna get through this together."

Hua Cheng stared at Xie Lian's mouth while answering. "Actually, there will be no more 'we', Gege. I'm gonna be alone from now on." Hua Cheng turned around and walked away.

Xie Lian was left standing, watching the man go in a dark-gray coat.

The world had been bright and colorful, especially the reds, so vivid by San Lang's presence. Now, all seemed soulless. Living in San Lang's absence would be like seeing everything only in tones of gray.

And then Xie Lian was falling again, pitch-black darkness spinning around him, until he opened his eyes.

***

Hua Cheng watched the people crossing the road through the glass window, the police car had just stopped at the red lights. He Xuan was driving it fast and acting weird. "...if you know what I mean" was what he had said earlier. Hua Cheng did not fully understand what he meant. The director was aware that anything he said could act against him, so even though his friend was there, he said nothing. Also, he had a guess of what this was about, and, if he was right, it meant a mess was about to take place.

Hua Cheng was actually not worried about himself, he would figure it out as he always did. He was slightly worried about the business meeting he had that week, more like annoyed that he would miss it, especially considering how promising it was. What a waste of his own efforts! But, finally, Gege. He was really worried about his Gege, left alone in the plane. Probably feeling abandoned and, to some extent, betrayed. Hua Cheng did not have the chance to explain what happened, where he was being taken.

Yet, another thing left Hua Cheng feeling uneasy. That moment when He Xuan turned and cuffed him, he faced the other side of the road, where someone had a camera pointed at him. It was not a random passer holding his cellphone up and taking a photo, that would have been normal. It was a professional camera, held by someone with black face mask, sunglasses and cap, fully in disguise. That probably meant a bigger mess.

They got to the police station and left the car. When He Xuan opened the door and Hua Cheng stepped out, three or four reporters approached with their recorders up, shouting questions at Hua Cheng. He heard camera noises again, but did not have much time to answer or look around, since He Xuan shoved him inside the precinct and told the reporters to stay away. In between the chaos, something was stuffed in the palm of Hua Cheng's hand, in his back. He held it.

Inside the place, another policeman came and took Hua Cheng to a cell. While uncuffing him, the man announced Hua Cheng had the right to a phone call and to a lawyer. Then, he was left alone for some moments, sitting at a stiff and noisy bed.

Hua Cheng breathed out and looked down at his hands. He was still holding that blob from before, but only now he noticed it was made of white paper. It was folded so many times and so tightly, that it took a while to open it.