Red Light

Routine and Planning

Yiling knew it was bad when he opened the door to his room and Wen Chao was standing in the middle of it wearing an even deeper scowl than usual.

"What did you tell them, Yiling?" The tone was full of accusation and anger.

"N-nothing. I told them nothing, Wen Chao." Yiling stared at the floor. It was safest. Eye contact was seen as a challenge which Wen Chao usually answered with his fists.

The man felt depleted in every way possible. A shower and then sleep were the comforts he needed now.

Waking in the hospital had been a surprise. Finding the detective sleeping in the easy chair was a bigger one. He had almost just snuck out but A-yu deserved better. The note should be enough. At least, Mo Xuanyu's name would be recorded on his death certificate.

He had walked most of the way from the hospital until he finally found a bus going in the right direction. Thank the gods they were cheap. He had only a few bills and some change in his pocket when he had been dragged off.

Not keeping his focus on Wen Chao was a mistake. Two strides and a slap that put him on the floor was the reminder. Yiling stayed where he was, cowering. A hand full of his hair yanked his head back until he was looking directly at Wen Chao.

The man was foul. He smelt of stale sweat and cheap booze. His stinking breath fanned Yiling's face.

"Don't fucking lie to me. What. Did. You. Tell. Them?"

The words were bellowed  and spit laden. Yiling didn't even dare to wipe it off.

"Nothing! I swear! I don't know what happened! I went out because people were screaming about a body. I didn't know it was A-yu until I got there. I didn't say anything!" He was talking as fast as he could desperately trying to avoid what could come next.

Wen Chao looked deeply into Yiling's eyes. Fear. Grief. Despair. It satisfied a hunger in him he had never bothered to name.  Tightening his grip on Yiling's hair, he shoved the man's head down and dragged him across the floor. Yiling was scrabbling to keep up.

Wen Chao sat himself down in the only chair in the room pulling Yiling between his knees as he did so. Unzipping his stained pants, he looked at the man on the floor.

"You know what to do." Wen Chao grinned. It was a horrifying thing all on its own.

Yiling almost vomited. 'Not today. Please, not today.', was all he could think. He hesitated.

"DO IT!", was furiously bellowed into his face. With a trembling hand, Yiling slowly reached upward.
~~~
Lan Wangji was sitting at his desk lost in thought. The name Mo Xuanyu had pulled up typical results. A few arrests for prostitution. No fixed address. No next of kin. Mug shots. Some showing bruises.

What had stood out was Mo Xuanyu's eyes. In each progressive picture, his eyes held more despair. More sorrow. His life was being drained away. Bit by painful bit until the last had fled leaving him on the road.

The name Yiling hadn't helped either. Several people's files had been pulled up but none of them were the man he was looking for.

There was something that bugged him about the man. He was terrified and obviously so. He had barely spoken. But still, Yiling was different.

The detective was a keen observer with good instincts. He didn't think Yiling had been working the streets for long. His eyes still had life in them. Beaten down granted but life nonetheless.

The next question was Wen Chao. How had Yiling gotten mixed up with that bastard? He had a rap sheet the length of his arm but all of it was negotiated down to lesser charges with minimal fines and jail time. With the help of the high priced lawyers his family provided, Wen Chao had always weaseled his way out of any significant consequences.

A slight knitting of his brows was the only indication of how disturbed he truly was.

He didn't know if Yiling had any answers but there was only one way to find out.
~~~

Yiling was finally alone. He had rinsed his mouth with hydrogen peroxide and then brushed his teeth until his gums bled. Now he was just standing under the tepid water. He had washed away everything he could of Wen Chao's touch. Of the day. Of Mo Xuanyu's death.

He sighed. He had a few hours left to sleep before he had to be at the window. Sleeping on the mattress Wen Chao called his 'office' with an obscene titter, wasn't going to happen. Ever. From beneath the bed, he pulled a thin foam mat. It was his. Purchased with what little money he was paid. And it was clean. None of the johns had touched it.

He checked to make sure the door was locked and the curtain on his window was tightly closed. Rolling out the mat he sighed. Sleep would help. He could stand it if he just got some rest.

Curling up on his side, he gratefully fell into slumber.
~~~
The detective absent mindedly ate his lunch. He was planning and lunch was a required inconvenience. Finishing quickly and neatly as always,  he made a phone call.

"Wei?"*

"Yu Bin, this is Detective Lan Wangji. May I request your assistance again?"

"Of course. How may I help?"

"I would prefer to meet at a coffee shop away from the precinct. Is this acceptable?"

"I will be off duty in just over an hour. I need to change from my uniform and then I am at your disposal."

"That would be fine. Thank you, Yu Bin. I will text you the address."

A quick text and Lan Wangji went back to his average day. Filling out paperwork mostly. But he was watching the clock like a hawk.
~~~
Yiling stirred as the alarm clock went off. He batted at it as he stretched. Silencing the screech and stretching with an enormous yawn. He was tired but not exhausted. There was time to eat and get dressed before he had to open the curtain.

'Sometimes a bowl of spicy Ramen is all you need.' He sighed with contentment. He had added a few veggies given to him by one of the girls in the brothel upstairs. No meat today but there was always tomorrow.

A rinse to get the spicy out of his mouth. Customers didn't like it. Some make up to mostly cover the bruise on his cheek. Mo Xuanyu had taught him that... tears threatened but he blinked them back. A-yu would have understood.

Yiling didn't dance in his window. He created scenes. Today, he was doing one of his favorites. He pulled the one chair over and adjusted it several times until it was where he needed it to be.

He put on tight jeans then took his shirt and his house shoes off. A pony tail piled high on his head with a red ribbon.

Glancing around his room to make sure everything was ready for the night, he grabbed the last item to create the scene.

Yiling opened the curtain. The floor to ceiling window was five feet wide. Seating himself in the chair, he flipped a leg over the arm so all of his assets could be seen. Straightening his back to show off his chest and abs, he opened his book. Finding the right page, he nodded to himself. It was time to go to work.

He reached up and flipped the red light on.
~♡~♡~♡~

Wei (pronounced 'way') is a how phones are answered in China.

Have a lovely day or night as dictated by your geographical location!

❤🍫🫖❤