A.I. ~ Learning to Live Again

Happy Ending (or not) - Part 1

Laughter brought Shen Wei up through several layers of consciousness. However, it was not joyous laughter, and had a quite sinister edge to it, so he decided to keep still as he tried to recall what had happened.

He remembered following a nervous Yezun out of the apartment. Yezun kept looking around, as though he was being followed. Although Shen Wei's instincts cried out, a deeper instinct wanting to protect his Didi was stronger. There was a reason Yezun was acting the way he was, and was not able to tell him why, and he chose to follow the second instinct and trust his Didi.

Yezun flagged down a taxi and they both got in and sped off. Shen Wei wondered how the driver knew where to go without any directions. The driver wore a black mesh-type mask over the lower part of his face; his A.I. face recognition began checking past images, and as he craned his neck to get a better view of the driver, he felt a slight prick, and things began to get hazy.

"Take a short nap, Gege. It will be all over soon," Yezun's voice seemed to come from under a blanket, and as he managed to turn his head to look at his Didi, Shen Wei thought he saw Yezun mouth, "I'm sorry..." before everything went dark.

"Good job, my little pet," an oily voice said.

"It was easy to fool my brother. He's so naive and trusting when it comes to me." That was Yezun's scornful voice this time. "I told him I was moving in with some friends, so naturally he would want to see where I would be living."

"Yes, I heard that on your wiretap. You seem to know your brother well," the oily voice continued.

Shen Wei remained still with his eyes closed, feigning unconsciousness. This must be Zhu Jiu, and Yezun had brought him here under his orders. Did that mean Yezun had tricked him? Was his trust in his Didi misplaced after all?

"Shen Wei? You're awake, right? I've looked at what happened during the past hour. It was a set up by Yezun and the man in the mask, who looks like the man who attacked you a year ago, based on the general build and height, not to mention that mask. Your vitals are all good. I have your location. Zhao Yunlan and I will both be there soon. Stay calm," Lin Jing's voice was rushed.

Shen Wei slowly flexed the various parts of his body, and found he was bound and could not move. He cracked his eyes open ever so slightly and saw Yezun and a man with purple-streaked hair standing next to him. Yezun looked smug, and Shen Wei had to stop from gritting his teeth as Zhu Jiu reached up to lovingly stroke Yezun's face. These two were lovers? The Stockholm Syndrome applied in Yezun's case after all, he thought sadly. His Didi had chosen his captor over family.

"Now, let's take a look at your brother. My, my! He's a pretty one, isn't he? You're twins aren't you?" Zhu Jiu licked his lips and ran a finger down Shen Wei's chest. "Your Gege is so handsome and yummy. It would be such a waste not to have some fun with him at least once," Zhu Jiu leered as he walked over to his bag and pulled out a small vial and syringe.

"Aren't I enough for you," Yezun put his hand on the syringe. "I don't like to share," he pouted.

"Aww, my poor little puppy...my poor deluded little puppy," Zhu Jiu ran his hand through Yezun's hair, then yanked hard on the ponytail, forcing Yezun's head back. "You're only passable when you've had this," he shook the vial in Yezun's face. "No, Zhu Jiu, no more, please! You're hurting me!" Zhu Jiu mocked Yezun. "You can't keep up with me. Well, let's see if your Gege is more satisfying than you are."

Betrayal or no, it took all of Shen Wei's self-restraint to remain motionless and helplessly watch Yezun be abused by this monster.

"Zhu Jiu! I think someone is here!" The man with the mask ran into his vision, the man who brought them here, the man who most likely attacked him last year.