Wild Creatures

Chapter 56

"They wouldn't eat without you two." Wen PoPo explains, looking relieved that they're back.

"Oh, my sweet little radishes!" Wei Ying kisses them both on their cheeks and hurries to the kitchen, where Wen PoPo has five place settings.

They don't want her to ask questions, so Lan Zhan says he needs to lie down for a bit, just so he doesn't have to pretend to eat in front of her. He removes his plate and cutlery, and goes into their bedroom.

He uses the time to visit the websites that Huaisang recommended and ends up ordering something special for Wei Ying. Then he spends the rest of the time studying the photo of Wei Ying's parents outside his home.

He can't get past the feeling that they're missing something, something really important. But it seems to be an ordinary photo, except for the fact that Cangse Sanren should be looking at the camera. Wei Ying is right: what is she pointing at?

And who took the picture? Was it anyone they know?

He didn't even know that Wei Ying's parents had visited them in the Lan mansion, and if anyone would know more about that, then maybe these were questions for Da Tuzi or Shifu. They definitely needed to revisit Uncle soon, if for nothing else than to tie up loose ends and start getting some answers to questions. It's a nice thought to wonder about his and Wei Ying's past being somehow connected like that, though.

It's a sweet thought to think of them as being destined to be together.

But so far, the list of questions was only getting longer and the feeling that they were running out of time was wearing on his nerves.

Lan Zhan keeps an ear out for noises that tell him the children have finished eating.

He knows they would have been worried, because this is the first time in a long time that neither himself nor Wei Ying were home to be with them; the last time they saw each other was way back in the morning when they had dropped the kids to school. Even if Wen PoPo was here, parents made a difference.

He missed them, too.

The afternoons were spent together with the children as they made fun shapes and vehicles out of Lego. It was their time, when not even Wei Ying was there, and Lan Zhan enjoyed interacting with them.

A-Yuan and JingYi surprise him by running into the room and climbing up on the bed to kiss his cheeks and pull him up, so he can help Wei Ying read them a bedtime story.

Wei Ying beams at the three of them, as they put the kids to sleep.

Wen PoPo is just spreading out her blanket on the couch when Lan Zhan leads Wei Ying into their bedroom, after saying goodnight to her too.

It's late for everyone, but this doesn't stop Lan Zhan from wrapping his arms around Wei Ying as soon as their door closes.

"My love." Wei Ying gasps, nuzzling closer.

He could feel Lan Zhan's desperation slowly increasing as the evening wore on, and it's only now that they're alone, that he can express what he's feeling.

"Why did you do it?" Lan Zhan growls right next to his ear.

Wei Ying shivers, so turned on by that, and Lan Zhan's dominance. He knows that Lan Zhan is really worried about him, but he's only human.

"Do what?"

Lan Zhan stares back at him as if he's crazy.

"You left with a stranger. I want to know why. Have you no sense of self preservation?" He asks, incredulously. "Do you know ..." Lan Zhan lets go of him to pace, biting back the harshness of his words. Right now, he really wants to bite something. Or someone.