Wild Creatures

Chapter 13

The bus ride back into town was quiet.

Lan Zhan thought Wei Ying might be able to say what was on his mind then, but there were too many people on the bus, and only because Lan Zhan held onto Wei Ying’s hand, that they weren't separated.

Wei Ying throws him an apologetic look and Lan Zhan smiles back. This is nice, he thinks. Having someone to do things with, being with someone...it felt...uplifting.

He could get used to this, he realises as they step off the bus together.

He knows...or can sense Wei Ying’s reluctance to broach a subject for which they may not have enough time to properly discuss, so he tries to lighten the mood. It bothers Lan Zhan that Wei Ying doesn't seem to like his manager.

Out of the two of them, Lan Zhan knows Wei Ying. He can vouch for Wei Ying’s personality, his character. Wei Ying is inherently a good person, someone who is simply living his life and trying to provide for his kid. And Lan Zhan knows things are tight financially...he knows that it weighs on Wei Ying’s mind...but he's doing his best.

So he is not going to be overly fond of anyone who tries to make it harder.

But Lan Zhan is a fair person.

He doesn't like to form an opinion of anyone without getting to know them, at least a little bit. It was better than only judging them from what other people said.

"What is Su She like?" He asks casually.

Wei Ying makes a face.

"Tolerable. I haven't killed him. Yet." He jokes, pointing out the establishment a little further away.

Lan Zhan stops.

They are at the mouth of an alley.

The graffiti looks...familiar.

The last time he was here....

"Oh my God....!" Wei Ying pulls him towards a bench further away. "I didn't think! That's where I found you!"

Wei Ying is more upset about this than Lan Zhan feels; he's looking back at that place with a sort of detachment, as if it happened to somebody else.

Wei Ying is quiet now, letting him process.

That night, everything changed for him.

His whole life turned upside down.

He could get angry about it, if he lets himself.  That emotion is right there, under the surface of his skin. It is powerful, like righteous anger should be...but Lan Zhan wants to keep it under control for now.

It's like having a gun within reach, knowing you can depend on it. So he quietly acknowledges it. It is there for him.

There is also sadness.

This grief....he is unprepared for.

His life wasn't exceptional in any way; he made a decent amount of money and both his jobs were secure. Even if one wasn't viable anymore, the other certainly was....he saw no reason why he couldn't work at night or from home, should it come to that.

There was still so much uncertainty regarding his condition...that it felt like he was rushing things by assumption. Was waiting so bad?

There was sadness though.

Again, the detached part of him reasoned that it was due to missing something because it was taken away...but was it really? He didn't think so.

But time would tell.