The Poisoned Pen: A Guardian Story

Chapter Three: The First Day

The following Monday arrived quickly.

Zhao Yunlan had done a bit of research to prepare him for his new role, but from what Lin Jing had told him, his employer was not exactly the demanding type, and had no particular requirements regarding dress code or general appearance.  He had, however, decided to tone down his usual look, opting for a smart casual wardrobe, but still in his usual shades of navy, grey, and black.  The less conventional additions to his attire were two weapons.  A knife tucked into his boot, and a gun that he intended to keep in his room while they were on the estate but would wear holstered under his jacket if his client ventured out.  Other than that, he would rely on his instincts and his combat training.

For Shen Wei, he was not particularly concerned about his new employee.  Whilst it was true that he disliked disruption to his usual routine, he was not inclined to worry about things that might never happen.  He saw little point in it.  In any event, he trusted that Lao Li would keep life at the Shen estate running smoothly, irrespective of how his new personal assistant performed.

Zhao Yunlan hit the gate intercom at five minutes to eight.  He had arrived that morning by taxi, as he had his suitcase in tow, but his business partner was dropping off his motorcycle that evening.  While he waited for the gates to open, he acknowledged to himself that it was a little unusual that he had not yet met his employer, the man he was supposed to protect, but not worrying.  He had been in far stranger situations.

An anonymous person granted him access to the estate, and he made his way up the driveway, dragging his suitcase behind him.  Before he made it halfway towards the house, a slight man in his late fifties arrived at his side.

"Mr Zhao?  Welcome to the Shen estate.  I'm Lao Li, the butler and general manager.  If you need anything at all during your time here, just let me know."

Zhao Yunlan smiled gratefully as the older man continued to talk.

"I will show you to your room, then introduce you to the rest of the staff.  Our employer won't require your services today, so you should just focus on settling in.  Mr Lin will be here in a couple of hours anyway to show you how to access Mr Shen's schedule and run through anything else you need to know."

The detective forced his expression to remain neutral.

"Is it common to have days where Mr Shen doesn't need any assistance?" he asked.

"Oh yes," was the response. "If he gets engrossed in his writing then he prefers not to be disturbed by anyone, and sometimes it lasts for days.  When that happens, you just need to field any calls and make sure that people know to leave him alone, but I'm sure Mr Lin will tell you all of this when he arrives."

Zhao Yunlan nodded slowly.  In truth, if his client was prone to shutting himself away for long periods of time, it would be easier to keep him safe, but perhaps not so easy to track down the person who was targeting him.  Putting it bluntly, without bait it was difficult to catch the fish.  Speaking of which, his thoughts went to the creepy letters Shen Wei had received.

"What about the post?" he asked, innocently.

Lao Li's brow furrowed.

"Until a few months ago, I always took care of all of it.  But then Mr Shen said he would like to open anything that was not obviously a bill or a bank statement himself.  He said it would keep him occupied over breakfast.  He doesn't receive much in the way of letters, though.  Fan mail always goes to his publishing agent."

Zhao Yunlan gave a brief "Mm" in response.  It sounded as though the man was blissfully unaware of recent events, and that his employer had made sure it stayed that way.  He made a mental note to ask Lin Jing.