Wedding Bells

Invitations

The wedding invitation has been sitting on Zhao Zi's desk for at least three days. Shao Fei is not a nosy person by nature, regardless of his obsession with the then bane of his existence, now boyfriend Tang Yi. What he feels is more along the lines of worry for his junior. Zhao Li An has been moping. Not even bribes of food from Jack could make him smile, mouth seemingly carved into a permanent pout.

Shao Fei was there when the invitation arrived in the mail. Zhao Zi's eyes had lit up when he read the wedding card, exclaiming about his awesome Yunlan-Gege and his upcoming marriage. But then there'd been the letter with the Zhao family crest and Shao Fei had never seen a person turn white fast as Zhao Zi had in that moment.

The Zhao family is well off. Elite even. But Zhao Zi's father gave up all his inheritance to elope with his mom, who was not of their stature. When his parents met an untimely demise in an unfortunate car wreck, his grandfather didn't want anything to do with him and forbade any contact with the family. He had to stay with his grandmother from his mom's side. When his grandfather died and his uncle became the new head, Zhao Zi was invited back but he chose to stay with his grandma. To make amends, his uncle made sure he didn't get kicked out of the police academy. Though being a police officer was his dream and clearly something that ran in the blood of Zhao men, Zhao Zi was too naive and innocent for the gritty job of a cop, sheltered as he was under his grandmother's coddling. If he wasn't a natural technological genius with strong family connections, he would have been in danger of not graduating.

Last Shao Fei heard, though Zhao Li An's relationship with his uncle was civil, familial obligation at best, he was close with his cousin Zhao Yunlan, who coincidentally was also Shao Fei's senior at the police academy. So there should be absolutely no reason for Zhao Zi to be sulking. It's a happy occasion after all, especially going by what he knew of his senior.

Zhao Yunlan didn't strike him the type to settle down. He used to flirt with anything that moved as if he was in perpetual search for the one. Shao Fei can still vividly recall that scandalous affair Zhao Yunlan had with the Bai family's only son. It caused quite the ruckus back at the academy since they had initially been constantly at each other's throats. Which was true he guessed, just not entirely in the way everybody thought.

This Shen Wei must be very special to put an end to Zhao Yunlan's flirting ways. Shao Fei is of the firm belief that finding the love of your life is definitely something to be celebrated.

"Uncle Xinci had a near death experience." Zhao Zi explains that night when Shao Fei's had enough with the moping and decided to confront his junior. "Some underground gang got to the family. Yunlan-Gege was held hostage and nearly died. His fiance was presumed dead for a time. I mean, I get it. Uncle probably thinks someone might come after me all the way out here so he wants me to stay at the Zhao family house where he could have me guarded and to work under Yunlan-Gege. But Meng Shao Fei, I have a life here and and..." Zhao Zi trails off in his rant, head bending down, chin on chest and a blush on his cheeks. "Jack's here." He whispers, and then groaning, he shoots him with his dear Bambi eyes and admittedly adorable pout, the kind that never fails to make the people around him trip all over themselves to cater to his needs. Tang Yi's former right hand man being the biggest casualty of all. "Uncle Xinci is going to be furious if he finds out my boyfriend used to be a gangster."

"He's just your uncle. He can't dictate who you should or shouldn't date." Shao Fei says, hands clamping on the younger man's shoulders as he very gently pushes him down the couch. "And don't forget, Xing Tian Meng is no longer a mob. Tang Yi's cleaned then up and served his time."