Chapter 20

Wei gasped. Despite her obvious bitterness, there was something in her words that made him pause. It actually sounded reasonable to him. Nothing like that had ever happened before he crossed paths with Yunlan. What if she was right? What if it all started with him? He tried to remember how long had it been since he first met Yunlan until the child went missing. Not long, maybe a few days.

Suddenly he wanted to be alone, he had to think it through. Could he be responsible in some way? How could it be a coincidence, maybe it really was because of him, somehow he was the cause of all this mess.

It wasn't an everyday thing for Shadows to take over human bodies, and yet after he met Yunlan and saved that girl they began acting on a large scale.

He hadn't seen the last person to be found, but he had little doubts that his condition would be the same as the man he saw in the hospital. All controlled by Shadows. They let go of the child because his little body couldn't do many of the things an adult could. He got lucky.

Wei turned on his heels and walked out of there without a word or a look at anyone, basically running away right in front of Yunlan, who watched him move and stood conflicted.

Yunlan had really wanted to express his anger with powerful and no doubt colourful words, giving Hong a piece of his mind until she wished that he ignored her again, but when he saw Wei get out in a hurry he promptly changed his mind. He followed him outside without a second thought.

Wei had reached his car, but Yunlan stopped him by putting an arm against the door, keeping it shut.

"Don't listen to her, she's an evil witch," he told him.

Wei smiled sadly. "Sometimes even evil witches can be right."

"What are you saying, you didn't harm those people!"

"You sure?"

"I trust you." Yunlan just knew it, he had only ever seen him do good. He had spoken in a low voice, so quiet and yet so sure that it surprised even himself.

They looked at each other for a moment that seemed eternal, then something happened.

A familiar feeling, something Wei had felt so many times in his life, but since he grew up it had never been without his prior knowledge and consent. Wei didn't see her because she was behind him, but he felt it. She took just that bit of energy she needed, then she pushed.

Wei fell forward, and directly into Yunlan's arms. Yunlan opened them without thinking, his instinct to protect was well trained, and he stopped Wei's fall easily.

Yunlan held him by the upper arms, unsure of what had caused him to fall forward, keeping him steady until he regained his balance.

It had been so quick that Wei was just as shocked, and the next moment saw him clinging to those strong shoulders for support, feeling Yunlan's muscles under his fingers, his warmth was like fire.

Just an inch from his face, Wei felt dizzy inhaling Yunlan's masculine scent and when he raised his eyes into Yunlan's concerned ones, when he slowly lowered them to see that his lips were still parted in surprise, something snapped and his lips moved as if on their own accord.

Wei kissed Yunlan.

It wasn't planned, but he couldn't control it. As soon as their mouths touched, he closed his eyes and got lost in what felt like an embrace. His lips brushed over Yunlan's softly, respectfully, a gentle touch that caused Yunlan to freeze on the spot.

It lasted three seconds, then Wei's right hand move towards Yunlan's hair but the movement caused him to grasp what was happening. His hand stopped and he got a hold of himself realising what he had done and parted full of apologies. "Sorry, it was LiLing, I... sorry, I'm really sorry."

Yunlan's arm had left the car door when he grabbed him, and Wei took advantage of it to quickly get in. He started the car and drove away without looking back.

Had he done so, he would have seen that Yunlan's fingers were now brushing his lips where Wei's had been.

Wei rushed home. He was angry at LiLing for pushing him into Yunlan's arms, but most of all he was upset at his own behaviour.

He cursed his stupidity, feeling ashamed of having acted like a teenager when there was a real possibility that all those people were suffering because of him.

How could he forget about that, just because he was in... Yunlan's... arms...

Wei shook his head, he ought to think of the missing people, and the new threat that the Shadows represented. This was what he should be thinking about, and he was again confronted with what had been said at the station.

He knew that Hong didn't like him, but that didn't mean that she wasn't right.

He tried to think back and talked a long while with his ghost friends about what had happened since he met Yunlan. That was what he always did, they were his only companions and he always talked to them about everything.

All their interactions happened at home, though. For the first time in his life, after meeting Yunlan he had used his connection with them out in the open against other people.

All his ghost friends had found him because for some reason they were attracted by his energy. What if the Shadows felt it too? What if unbeknownst to him they had realised that his ghosts could get stronger thanks to the energy they took from his body? Would they want to try the same thing to interact with the human world?

He had not worried over the presence of other spirits when he stopped Li Fan's assailants. He had barely registered the absence of other humans, and had acted on instincts. He had felt enraged knowing they had almost killed her, and also hopeful that they might be in time to do something useful. He had not thought of anything else.

"Maybe I should have," he said now.

He turned to look at Gelan's lovely ghostly face, but his eyes remained sad.

"Yunlan saved her, not me. I only caused troubles."

Deep inside him, Wei had welcomed the distraction Yunlan had brought into his life, and had grown to like his company more and more, only to discover that it would have been better if he had never met him.

He felt both Gelan and LiLing wrap themselves onto him, and he let out the frustration that had built inside him, crying silently for what felt like an eternity but was nothing more than a few seconds, before he heard a knock on the door.

"Open up! I know you're in there." The loud voice came from outside his apartment.

Wei sat still, without a word.

"I'm not going away until you open this door."

Wei didn't move, feeling embarrassed and guilty.

The comforting presences kept hugging him, but he sighed sadly.

"Thanks, but it is my fault... what can I tell him now, it's better if I don't open the..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because LiLing passed rapidly through him directed to the door.

Yunlan was on the other side of it, determined to stay there until Wei accepted to talk to him.

He didn't like the troubled expression on Wei's face right before he left. He believed that he only wanted to help, that he couldn't be responsible for what was happening now. He was sure of it and unwilling to accept any other theory.

He had already called out to him twice without answer, but he didn't move. Wei had to be there, where else would he be? Plus he had checked, and he had seen his car parked in the building's reserved parking lot.

Suddenly the door burst open but he didn't see Wei so he cautiously stepped inside. He saw him sitting at the table far away from the door.

Part of his brain wondered how could he be there already, but the other half suggested it wasn't the right thing to worry about.

He closed the door then he slowly walked inside the apartment and towards Wei. He heard him talk with his eyes lowered.

"Why did you think I need to talk to him, I... shush now, we'll talk later." Wei closed his mouth and kept his eyes lowered. He had already wiped away any trace of tears, but he needed a moment to compose himself again.

Yunlan refrained from any questions. He knew now who Wei was talking to, or at least who he believed he was talking to.

He went to sit in front of him. For a moment he struggled to find the right words, but eventually his brain tricked him again and his curiosity won.

"Who opened the door?"

Wei kept his head low.

"I thought you'd know by now."

"Yes. What I meant was, who exactly?"

He couldn't explain why he wanted to know, but he did. He was starting to believe that the only way to know the person in front of him was through his ghosts.

Wei raised his eyes, but instead of answering the question, he changed the subject.

"I'm sorry. I believe your officer was right, it all started with me. What's happening right now, it's all because of me."

"Bullshit."

Wei couldn't suppress a little smile. He was getting used to the fact that Yunlan's mouth really moved faster than his brain.

"But let's say, hypothetically, that you are right. It wouldn't change a thing. You didn't commit any crime, you didn't hurt anyone."

Wei kept silent.

"What is happening, then? Explain to me how this works. People are being... kidnapped by shadows?"

"These are not normal shadows." Wei's voice sounded like a mother talking to a stubborn child now.

"That's how I call them because they look like shadows, but they are basically evil energy left behind after death. It's the same thing as my ghosts, only the other way around."

Yunlan nodded. He understood what he meant. Gelan left behind her surplus of love unexpressed, someone else left behind a surplus of hate, grudge, or other negative, strong emotions.

"I think they realised that they could become stronger taking people's energy. But I don't think it works for them like it does for me."

Yunlan caught the meaning behind those words.

"Is this what you do? You let them use your body?"

"No, they only take my energy, it doesn't hurt me at all," Wei hurried to explain. "Most times I don't even get tired, it depends how much they need. I'm not sure though how it would work for other human beings."

"Why don't you find out? I'm here, ask one of your friends to try it with me."

Yunlan's request was rather bold and unsettling, but he insisted and Wei actually considered it.

He knew none of his friends would really hurt him, so why not trying? He was indeed curious, this felt like an important part of the puzzle.

He felt fairly sure that ghosts couldn't use human energy as easily as they used his, but he never had the chance to test this theory further. So after a few seconds of silence, he nodded and gave him a simple instruction.

"What you need to do is concentrate on letting your energy flow, let it go out, then simply raise your arm and relax. I taught them that when I grew up, so that I could always know when and be prepared."

Yunlan did as he was told without further questions, and Wei spoke to the air.

"Just one of you."

Yunlan couldn't see anything, but Wei did. He saw Gelan pass through Yunlan's body then try to move a chair, but it didn't work, she still passed through it.

Then he saw LiLing try a different approach. She entered his body and stayed there. Yunlan's eyes became unfocused, and a couple of seconds later his hands moved to grab Wei's.

Wei wanted to scold her, but he didn't reject the touch. Yunlan's hands were warm, it was a nice feeling that filled him with nostalgia. He saw Yunlan's body leaning down while his hands were bringing his own close to his mouth. Wei's hands came in contact with Yunlan's lips as LiLing expressed her devotion for her long lost love.

Wei gasped as Yunlan's lips continued to place soft kisses on his hands. This wasn't right, he had to put a stop to it.

"That's enough, LiLing. Get out, now!"

Yunlan stopped moving as LiLing reluctantly left him. Wei watched in shock as Yunlan's head fell on the table.