Red Light

Unexpected

The night continued as so many had until his last customer of the night. He was a small man, slender. Graceful in his motions even if clearly nervous.

Upon entering, he looked anywhere but at Yiling. Shy to the point of stuttering.

'I-I ...", he voice faded. He rubbed at his ear and fidgeted a bit.

It wasn't the first time this had happened. A young man wanting to experiment with another man maybe? A virgin? Perhaps his first time to hire a person for sex? It was Yiling's job to find out what each customer wanted and, within reason, give it to them.

He lead the man to the bed and seated him on it. Kneeling down before him, Yiling took off the customer's shoes and began to massage his feet. Centering in on a spot just below the big toe and second toe juncture, he watched the acupressure point work its magic as the man slowly began to relax.

He smiled up at the customer. "What can I do for you?"

Meng Yao opened his tired eyes then looked down at his hands. "I..." A sigh as if frustrated with himself.

"I-I don't want s-sex. C-can you just hold me? For a little while?" It was no more than a whisper. Meng Yao looked up. "Is that allowed?"

Yiling's smile was kind, understanding and went a long way to easing Meng Yao's fears.

'This time is yours. No one need ever know what takes place here. How long do you wish to stay?"

"T-two hours. Is that okay?" His gaze said he expected to be told no.

"Two hours is fine. May I ask that you set a timer on your phone?"

With a nod, the phone was fished out and the timer begun.

"I am Yiling. What would you like me to call you?"

"A'Yao?"

Yiling crawled up on the bed and opened his arms to the younger man. "Come, A'Yao."

Hesitantly, Meng Yao laid down, putting his head on Yiling's chest. When he felt the arms surround him, he sighed in relief.

Yiling gently combed A'Yao's hair with his fingers. He didn't know what this man was going through but the tension sang across his muscles they were so tight.

Laying his cheek on A'Yao's head, he whispered, "It will be okay, A'Yao. It really will."

The man was asleep within minutes.

Yiling laid for two hours, quietly humming and stroking A'Yao's hair.
~~~

The "test run' was in it's third hour and counting.

Chen Li had seen Wen Chao enter the 7-Eleven he was begging across from. He began to pick his nose with obvious and exaggerated motions which had the exact effect he was hoping for - everyone was disgusted and moved away. He whispered the information, the license plate as well as the car's color, make and model. Then he wiped the finger on his jacket and promised himself he would wash his hands the minute he could.

As far as Nie Huaisang was concerned, it was Christmas. Sitting in his office, he was listening to his earbud and monitoring Chen Li and Huang Feng's video feeds. At the new information, he started pulling up traffic cams in the vicinity of the 7-Eleven. Madly scribbling, he wrote down the information, the time and date. It would join the rest of his files on Wen Chao.

"Another late night Slurpee, Wen Chao? Those are putting a serious belly on you, Wen Chao. So unattractive and unhealthy..." Nie Huaisang murmured to himself. Gods, he hoped that bastard didn't drop dead of a heart attack. Wen Chao didn't deserve the easy way out.