BOOK 3. Shen Wei works in a bank in the background because he does not like to mix with the customers. After a raid, he is mistaken as the inside man but only briefly which leads to him meeting Zhao Yunlan. The story follows their relationship th...
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The bank re-opened for business and the one way mirror was repaired. Several workers came over to Shen Wei to thank him for helping to save them during the robbery and everyone settled back into their daily routine. The manager called Wei into his office and wanted to promote him which meant that he would be working in the main reception and mixing with the public but that was a definite no, from Shen Wei. He refused the promotion using his eyesight as an excuse with random hospital appointments and he managed to keep his position behind the scenes.
Zhao Yunlan had been quiet at work since finding out about Shen Wei and wanted to help him but he knew that he couldn't. Lin Jing asked about him but Yunlan glanced around the main office and asked him to come into his smaller room and close the door to speak in private.
"You like him." Lin Jing stated.
"I've only just met him, how can that be?"
"You really like him." and Lin Jing wasn't joking. "Just spend time with him."
Yunlan knew he was right but he was afraid to get involved, of getting hurt and then he realised that it was too late, he was already involved and he was going to get hurt should anything happen to Shen Wei because how long could he go on for, hiding, and hearing the noise from everyone he came in contact with.
The phone rang and broke Yunlan out of his reverie, another bank robbery and it sounded like the same culprits in a different bank. He gathered his team and they all headed to the new crime scene. The three masked men managed to escape again, so the team went through the same routine of questioning and releasing the witnesses hoping that maybe this time they would be able to find something to point them in the right direction. Thankfully, no casualties, only the security guard was hit and unconscious but doing well in hospital.
Returning to the office, they wrote out their reports before they finished for the day and Lin Jing looked towards Yunlan making the phone call sign and ran for the door when he threatened to throw something at him, but he wasn't wrong, and Yunlan lifted his phone.
"Shen Wei, would you like to go out tonight, dinner or just coffee? Call me back or message, I don't mind."
Wei's phone had gone straight to voicemail, so Yunlan left the office to go home and get ready, just in case he did phone back.
Several hours later when Yunlan's phone rang, he almost dived at it but it was Lin Jing asking him if he wanted to join them for a meal, several of the male staff members were out for fun, but he declined, hoping that Shen Wei would phone.
Eventually he gave up, obviously he'd read too much into their last conversation and he wasn't going to phone him now or at any other time, so he made a choice of where to go for a nice meal on his own and phoned a taxi rather than drive. On his way to the restaurant, his phone rang again and his first instinct was to ignore it, but he wasn't that kind of person and he answered.
"Hi Shen Wei, I'm on my way to the restaurant...." and he didn't know how to finish the sentence.
"Is that Zhao Yunlan? Your name and phone number were given as an emergency contact for Shen Wei." the female voice said.
"Who is this?"
"This is Dragon City Private Hospital, Shen Wei was admitted earlier today and had you as his nearest contact, if you come down we can discuss his circumstances more fully. Give his name at the reception desk and they'll give you directions."
Yunlan redirected the taxi to the private hospital and ran to the reception desk where they told him the ward number and how to find it. He couldn't understand, why would Shen Wei use him as a contact when they'd only met twice and why was he so upset that Wei was in hospital. He didn't understand his own emotions, hopefully it wasn't too serious and they would have a chance to talk and work things out.
The closer he came to the ward, the slower his footsteps became as he began to take notice of the posters on the walls and some of the thank you cards from the families of the patients who had died, and he really didn't want to go in but someone opened the doors for him when they saw him coming.
"Zhao Yunlan, come this way please."
Shen Wei was in his own private room off to the side surrounded by machines, for breathing, heart monitor, fluid drip, and automatic medication. He slept peacefully and had been there for most of the day. Yunlan's heart sank when he saw him, not the same man who gave him the wonderful smile as he'd left his house yesterday.
"What happened?" He asked as a nurse gave him a seat beside the bed and she spoke quietly.
"Firstly, you know about his ability, that's why he gave you as a contact, he passed out and we were called, we have been looking after him all his life knowing that this was a possibility. Mentally, he has shut down, we don't know for how long, he is in no pain, the meds are there for emergency use only. And he made arrangements a long time ago should this happen, just updating them every so often. Everything is already paid in advance, he was thorough in his planning. You were the only person in his plan that he couldn't foresee, and the fact that he spoke to you at all about himself, means that he cared about you."
Yunlan's mind and emotions were in shock, Wei did care for him and included him in his life the only way he knew how.
"What happens now?" he asked shakily.
"We wait. He left some instructions for us to carry out but before that, we have to ask you something, important to him, and you have to answer us truthfully. Do you care enough for him to be a part of his life even if he's like this? If it's too difficult for you to say yes, walk away now. If not, take time to think about it and come back and see him and we'll know you really mean it. Walking away is truthful."
The nurse left the room leaving Yunlan alone with his decision, why did it have to be now, he wanted to know more about him, and now he might not get the chance. Wei's actions meant that he wanted Yunlan in his life even if he was like this and Yunlan couldn't ignore that fact, he was asking for help from this bed. He said that he couldn't read him, so even although he knew that this was going to happen, he chose Yunlan to be the one to look after him, hoping that he would. How could he walk away from a cry for help, and he made up his mind there and then, that he would stay. He held Wei's hand and spoke to him,
"You are a good judge of character, even although you couldn't read me, you knew that I wouldn't say no, so you're stuck with me until you wake up, that includes my awful habits and my sense of humour."
Yunlan went looking for the nurse who was not surprised to see him because she believed in Wei's judgement over anything else.
"Okay, sign me up, what's next?"
"He made recordings in the likelihood that this would happen but we had to give his carer this one first for him to hear before the rest, and we will give them to you one at a time for you to keep."
The nurse gave Yunlan his introductory recording, an MP3 file and a tiny player with headphones that he took back to Wei's room to listen to while looking at the sleeping beauty.
"Hi Yunlan, I updated this tape after we met, I told the truth when I said that I couldn't read you. The other recordings were made as the thoughts occurred to me. If you're hearing this, then I'm unconscious in the private hospital. The staff know me well in here, I've known them for a very long time, however back to the tapes. Each one is either a story about me or, a mission for you, and then you have to come and tell me how you managed to do it, don't worry, there's nothing in there that would get you fired, but it should be fun because sitting at my bedside every day isn't. If you can't make it one day, don't feel guilty, ask Lin Jing to come instead, and tell him he's rubbish at tailing, I knew he was there. Hopefully see you tomorrow."
