Escape to You

Emotional Upheaval

   Chen Yu quickly puts a large chicken pot pie in the oven and joins the others in the living room. The atmosphere seems a bit tense and he sighs.

"I'm betting, you've heard gossip and rumors within the Triad." Chen Yu says, holding Gu Wei's hand and patting Zimo's knee. "It's better, you get the truth from the source." Bai Jiu fidgets, glancing at Zimo and nodding.

"I've heard, some truly outlandish theories. Surrounding Uncle Feng's shooting." Bai Jiu looks up at Chen Yu and shakes her head. "You're so, tenacious in your pursuit of justice. Some believe that Geng Le was the shooter, as you once suggested." She smiles at Chen Yu, but bites her lip. "Others, say you're protecting the shooter."

"I suppose I am, in a sense." Chen Yu says and Bai Jiu blinks. "First of all, you need to know neither shooting was done in malice." He says, feeling Gu Wei tense and squeeze his hand. "Baobei, could you put the garlic bread in the oven?" He waits for Gu Wei to retreat and scoots closer to Zimo.

"Neither? So the rumor about the shooter being the same as... it's true?" Bai Jiu asks, her eyes rounded in disbelief.

"With Wei's parents, the shooter was young." Chen Yu begins, gently squeezing Zimo's hand. "He thought he could protect the family that had welcomed him with open arms, by scaring them. He was afraid, if he warned them of the danger circling them and told them his identity, they'd turn their backs on him." He sighs, shaking his head and glancing up to see Gu Wei slip into their bedroom. "He thought he could wound Jiang Cheng and put him on alert. He didn't expect that he'd sense something was off and move as the trigger was pulled. The shooter was so startled, he accidentally double tapped the trigger. But Jiang Cheng had slumped over a bit and the second shot hit Gu Su, killing her instantly. Jiang Cheng shoved his son into the frightened arms of the family's nanny and closed the door. Here's something no one knows. The shooter cradled the dying couple in his arms, weeping and begging for forgiveness. He spent the next thirty years in service of the family, protecting the orphaned child and his Uncle." A lone tears hits the back of his hand and for an instant, he's not sure if it's his or Zimo's. "When I married Wei, the Triad... Uncle Benny to be precise. Started making noise about putting me down. He knew, I wouldn't be an easy target. But, he was older and much better marksman. So, he tried to alert us to the danger again. By shooting Uncle."

"How did you find out, Zimo was the shooter?" Bai Jiu asks, Gu Wei returning to Chen Yu's side.

"Hm, I think he suspected from the beginning." Zimo says, wiping his eyes with shaking hands. "You didn't seem to trust me fully. Kid notices everything. He's incredible." He sighs, looking down at his trembling hands. "He let Uncle Feng and A'Wei decide, what to do with me. And, I think he's a large part of the reason I'm still part of their family. I'm not proud of what I did and, if I could go back." He swallows a lump in his throat. "I'd rather have told them and lost them, then to... I should have killed Grandfather. That would've been the right thing." He feels Bai Jiu's small hand rubbing his back and the tears won't stop. "I'm not a good man Jiu'er."

"Stop." Chen Yu says, kneeling in front of him and taking his hands. "Honestly, you were in an impossible situation. Torn between the family that gave you life and, the family that gave you love. Uncle Zimo, you've made bad choices. Not out of malice or hatred, but out of love and the misguided notions of youth." His bottom lip quivers and he turns watery eyes to Gu Wei. "You're not a bad man, you're one of the best men I know. Would a truly bad man willingly take a bullet, for me?" He turns to see Bai Jiu weeping and still rubbing Zimo's back. "He's, a good man. If you can't see that, you don't deserve him."

"A'Yu!" Zimo shouts angrily, but Bai Jiu reaches out a hand to wipe a fallen tear from Chen Yu's cheek.

"You're right." Bai Jiu says, turning to give Zimo a sad smile. "He's a good man and, maybe I don't deserve him. But, I'm going to keep him anyway." She leans toward Zimo, kissing his cheek. "All the time we've spent together. I know what type of man you are. No one's perfect Zimo, but perfect is boring." She giggles, pulled into his arms. "I much prefer something original, one of a kind. Beautifully flawed and only I know, where all the cracks are hidden. Zimo, I love you. You didn't need to have these boys explain."