The children predictably fall asleep in the car, almost as soon as they set off.
Wei Ying glances at them on the back seat, hugging their prizes. He shares a smile with Lan Zhan as the latter turns in his seat to reverse them out of their parking spot.
"They're knackered," he beams, hugging his own plushie.
"Mn."
Wei Ying follows that up with a yawn of his own.
The next time Lan Zhan looks over, when the car is waiting for a traffic light to turn green, he sees that Wei Ying has also fallen asleep. He looks so restful and relaxed, it brings a smile to Lan Zhan's face.
His man is so hardworking, always on the go, that moments like this are too few and far between. It makes something warm and fuzzy grow inside him as Lan Zhan takes every opportunity he gets to look over at the sleeping beauty next to him. He feels ever so lucky that Fate, fortune, whatever, chose to throw him into Wei Ying's path, and that he gets to see him every day.
It is the greatest gift.
The drive home is peaceful all the way there, and then just as he parks the car, the lack of motion makes Wei Ying open his beautiful eyes.
He stretches, revealing a sliver of tanned skin, bare and mouthwatering, and Lan Zhan has to clench the steering wheel really hard, in order to stop himself from just grabbing him, and putting his mouth there.
Wei Ying is much too tempting for his own good.
And then, their phones go off, both of them, with a multitude of messages.
"Maybe we didn't have a good signal by the beach." Wei Ying says laughing, picking up a sleeping A-Yuan.
It's an unspoken agreement that the bags can wait, as Lan Zhan picks up JingYi in a similar fashion, and they go inside their apartment building. As Lan Zhan closes the door to the outside, he sees a flash of white. But when he looks again, there is nothing out of the ordinary.
The street is just as dark as usual, only the odd building lights making golden pools on the wet pavement. The night is a mix of dark blues, and pale yellows, a painter's delight capturing suburbia.
Up in their apartment, the adults make quick work of changing the children's clothes and putting them to bed.
They make their way to the usual spot, the couch in the living room.
Then finally, they're free to look at their messages.
Wei Ying has one each from Wen Qing and Wen Ning, both of them having visited here and finding no one at home. Wei Ying sends them a quick response, short and to the point, explaining where they had gone today.
Lan Zhan has several messages.
At the start, XiChen tells him he's spoken to Uncle and would a week night be alright for dinner? He consults with Wei Ying who replies that if they can be home by nine, it should be okay.
Lan Zhan tells him that, and then his phone rings.
"Xiongzhang?" Lan Zhan asks, smoothly. XiChen wouldn't call unless there was an emergency.
"Didi, Huaisang has sent you an email with an attachment. Can you please look at it?" He sounds far too excited, and he may have formed it as a question, but it sounds like a demand.
"Yes, we're just getting settled." Lan Zhan tells him where they were all day, going into details when XiChen's responses sound impatient, just because that petty side to himself is still alive and kicking.
When he gets off the phone, he sees that Wei Ying has wandered off into the kitchen, and Lan Zhan wants to retrieve their things from the car, so he goes after Wei Ying to let him know.
Wei Ying has the trash ready to throw away, but his shoulders are hunched over in a tense pose as he reads something.
Lan Zhan looks over his head to discover that it's a week-old newspaper.
"Wei Ying?"
Wei Ying jolts as if he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but just as Lan Zhan is going to laugh at that, he notices that Wei Ying's eyes are glassy with tears.
"Mn?" Instinct has him wrapping his arms around the smaller man protectively, trying to see what has him so upset.
"I think this...it's the ad. In the back pages of the Gazette. Look!" Wei Ying pushes the newspaper into Lan Zhan's hands, wrenching away to pace anxiously.
Lan Zhan reads aloud, "Are you short of cash? Do you need help? We are here for you! Just sign up for our medical trials on xxxxxxx.org and we have the right package for you. Instant cash after the trial ends and all that is required upon completion is a short survey documenting your experience. Don't delay, sign up today!"
The last catchy phrases are bold and written in a deep red, designed to be as attention grabbing as possible. Below the advertisement, there's a contact number and a website, and an email address.
"This is what F4keSt0ries was talking about!" Wei Ying dashes away his tears with the back of his hands.
He's too keyed up to calm down, feeling antsy at seeing the proof of what they had been told for himself. It made this, the actual search for lives to be experimented upon, so much more real.
"They make it sound so easy," Lan Zhan murmurs. "But it is a ruse, a lie to buy themselves more subjects for their experiments." He's so angry right now.
His knuckles are white, gripping the countertop because otherwise he'd be punching holes in the weak walls.
"It was one thing for F4keSt0ries to tell us..." Wei Ying doesn't finish his sentence, too disgusted and appalled to think properly. "We have to do something! Lan Zhan, what about those poor people? They go in, thinking this is easy money, I mean, they're promising cash, for God's sake!" His hands land in his hair, scrunching up fistfuls and loosening his ponytail. "It's like JingYi's dad! And his mom! How can we sit by and do nothing? When it directly affects us? And our children!" Wei Ying resumes pacing. "I don't know about you, but I couldn't look him in the eyes if we just let this happen..." He shakes his head with disbelief. "Even A-Yuan. When he grows up, if he ever, God forbid, found out about all this, what if he asks me why I didn't even try to stop it?"
Lan Zhan can feel his canines coming out, sharp and ready to do some damage.
But the awful truth was, the guilty ones weren't here.
How to find them? Where to find them?
"You know." Lan Zhan stops himself from speaking carelessly, and tries to find another way to get his point across.
"What?" Wei Ying doesn't mean to snap, but he's too highly strung right now. His emotions are all over the place.
"We have to talk to Wen Qing. And possibly Wen Ning. They must know something, don't you think so? We've found a positive clue, a direct link to vampires through the medication. SUP10 and SUP11. They must be manufacturing it, and that alone is a noose around their necks." Lan Zhan's voice is hard, and unapologetic.
"I know! I know! And that's what makes this whole mess so much worse!" Wei Ying cries out in frustration. "Don't you see, Lan Zhan? I've trusted them! I've let them into my home, let my kids be alone with them! How do you think I feel knowing that they might somehow be responsible for the disappearance of hundreds of people? Didn't you say Huaisang put the figure closer to the two thousand mark?"
At the mention of Huaisang's name, Lan Zhan is reminded of his brother's message, and the urgent email he's supposed to look at. There's a minute change to his face, just a hardly there crease between his brows.
Wei Ying immediately knows something is wrong.
"What is it?" He asks, coming to stand opposite Lan Zhan.
"Xiongzhang said Huaisang wants us to see something. I was coming to tell you that I was going back to the car to get our things. But they're waiting for us to watch whatever it is." Lan Zhan is also curious about what it could be.
The rule-abiding part of his brain would not let him rest until he's brought their things up from the car. He says as much to Wei Ying, who quickly packs up the rubbish he was originally wrapping in an old newspaper, and ties up the garbage ready to toss in the dumpsters outside.
"Come back quickly!" He warms Lan Zhan, giving him a chaste and fast kiss.
His stress levels are through the roof as he watches Lan Zhan putting his shoes on.
Now Wei Ying is also worried about Lan Zhan leaving their apartment alone, especially as it's already night time outside. But one of them has to stay with the kids.
None of that stops him from thinking about F4keSt0ries telling them that the Vamps are looking for someone.
He spends a tense ten minutes pacing, wearing away the carpet in the living room, waiting for Lan Zhan to return safely.
When the key turns in the lock, it's Wei Ying who runs into his arms first. Lan Zhan barely has time to put everything down and catch him.
Only now with Lan Zhan here in his arms, does Wei Ying let go of the taut string of elasticated anxiety, holding on to him so tightly and simultaneously melting against his chest.
Lan Zhan wastes no time in picking him up and going to sit on the couch with Wei Ying cuddled as close as possible. He fires up his laptop and while they wait for it to start properly, Lan Zhan kisses Wei Ying's forehead. Any contact at this moment is needed and appreciated, and it seems that Wei Ying wasn't the only one rattled by the night's events.
However much they are striving for normal day-to-day living, it seems as if the world outside their apartment has finally caught up to them, and they can no longer deny what they are going to have to face.
Separately and together now, it's as if they've understood that they are going to have to stand up against whatever is coming for them.
Even as Lan Zhan went down the stairs and to his car in record time, his senses were on high alert, watching for anything that could pose a threat to him and his family.
Thankfully, other than a stray cat, there was nothing out there.
No vampires.
Lan Zhan finds the email and clicks on the one that says 'watch this one first'.
The images are grainy at first and there doesn't seem to be any activity, certainly nothing worth noting. It looks like an alleyway between two buildings.
The footage is black and white, obviously from a CCTV camera.
And then suddenly, people appear. There's a clear line separating them, roughly about twenty on each side, and since there's no sound, they don't have any context for what happens next.
It's a bloodbath.
It's sudden, and it's ugly.
The fight starts as suddenly as it stops, with bodies strewn on the ground like bales of fabric. They can't even see how it began, or who started it, but if there's one thing that's clear, it's the ferocity of the battle. No one holds back, like it's already an understanding between all those present that this is a fight to the death.
And then there's a brilliant flash of white, and those that remained standing, have disappeared. There are only those who didn't make it, left on the ground.
They go back to the beginning and watch it a few more times, trying to get a handle on what's happening, before realising that there's precious extra minutes they missed at the end, the first time around.
A group of about six black, or dark coloured vans pull up next to the casualties and four heavy set men jump out of the vehicles. They quickly and efficiently pick up the dead, throwing them into the back of the trucks. The callousness with which this act is performed makes Wei Ying flinch, every time he sees it.
Nothing about this is easy to watch.
A silent look from Lan Zhan with a raised brow towards the screen makes Wei Ying nod.
The next video plays, and it's easier to recognise buildings in this second security video.
The high walls look terribly familiar, as does the security set up, because the uniforms worn by the guards are easily recognisable. On the left breast pocket, the curved 'W' sitting on an 'L' symbol is the logo for the Wen corporation.
This is a Wen facility.
It might even be the Wen Laboratories.
A place they have visited.
Six dark vans pull up next to the security guard and then the barrier is raised after the man approaches the driver, and they exchange a few words.
The video ends after the last van makes it past the gate.
"There's another attachment." Wei Ying points it out.
Lan Zhan opens the file to discover more photos, stills taken as screenshots. These are close ups of the vehicles with their number plates clearly visible.
There are two groups of pictures, one labelled 'alley' and the other labelled as 'compound'.
The soft classical music of Lan Zhan's phone jolts them into action. The sound, so innocent and unassuming, belies the nature of the call. Lan Zhan puts it on speaker so Wei Ying can hear, as well, setting his phone down on the coffee table next to his laptop.
"Didi! Have you watched it yet?" It's XiChen. "I'm with A-Sang and A-Jue now, and I've put you on speaker. He sounds just as impatient as they feel.
"Mn. Xiongzhang, I have you on speaker too, it's only Wei Ying and myself here."
"So, what do you think?" XiChen is far too excited.
"We're still processing." Lan Zhan says, glancing at Wei Ying's pale face.
"Didi, it took Huaisang ages to fix the resolution on the images, but even so, it's kind of obvious what's happening there."
"I've sent the footage to my guy, the one that's helping us." Huaisang pipes up.
"From what we saw, there was a gang fight, and then those vans showed up to take away those injured or dead." Lan Zhan feels bad for making Wei Ying wince at that word.
"My friend found that video and sent it to me. A few days later, the business that owned the security camera closed down and ceased operating. Everything was removed, including their security measures." Huaisang chips in, and they can hear him typing away.
"Shouldn't we hand this in to the cops?" Wei Ying suggests.
"NO!" Multiple voices ring out at that.
"You absolutely cannot do that!" Huaisang's tone is hard, full of panic and urgency. "The cops are in on it, and the moment you do that, you're compromising my guy, even putting him in danger. Promise me you won't make that mistake?!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Wei Ying quickly covers himself. "Gut reaction to crime."
Lan Zhan rubs his back gently.
"But Ge, then what are we to do?" He's speaking to his brother, but his focus is on Wei Ying's reactions.
"For now? Nothing. We only sent you that so you'd be in the loop. Huaisang is working on something, and we are absolutely not to get in his way. Understand, Didi?" XiChen is far more serious about this now. "I begged him to tell you everything, but it's a tight case. Only he and his friend know what's happening and they're busy collecting evidence. You, us, we cannot jeopardise that or them. Promise me you won't do anything reckless?"
"Promise, Xiongzhang."
"Alright then, Didi, we'll say goodnight for now. Talk soon." The line goes quiet after the beep ending the call.
The silence is heavy between the two people sitting on the couch now.
"I don't know about you, but it doesn't sit well with me, not doing anything." Wei Ying grumbles.
"But what would we do, even if we were free to take any action?" Lan Zhan says, obviously thinking about the next necessary steps. "We can't tell the authorities because of trust issues. Wei Ying said it himself, why is everything kept so quiet? Nothing in the media about these events...it feels as if the spider's Web is huge."
"So you think the media and the cops are being held back by the same people?" The light of understanding begins to shine in those beautiful silver eyes that Lan Zhan loves so much.
"It might be bigger than just those. Perhaps Huaisang is right not to make a move until he is ready."
Wei Ying yawns, big enough for his jaw to click.
Lan Zhan closes his laptop with one hand and then stands up. He carries Wei Ying to their bedroom, and while they get changed into their night clothes, he says what he thinks about all of this.
"One wrong word in the wrong ear could create more problems than solve, and I think we should trust Huaisang. My brother does, and XiChen is a good judge of character."
Wei Ying doesn't look convinced.
Lan Zhan comes up to him and takes his hands.
"It's like baking bread."
"Huh?" Wei Ying may have whiplash at this rate.
The Lans are great at changing subjects when speaking.
"I love cooking. But baking is a precise skill. Even after the ingredients are mixed and prepared to the letter, that does not mean anything, because still much can go wrong. After the dough goes into the oven, there are still risks. If one opens the oven door too quickly, the blast of cold air compared to the heat inside can ruin whatever rising was going to happen. Even if that rookie mistake doesn't happen, if the bread is taken out too early, it will be sticky and yucky to eat."
Wei Ying smiles at that.
"And if the bread is allowed to cook for too long, it becomes chewy." Lan Zhan adds.
"So what you're telling me is, we shouldn't jump the gun. The bread must be ready." Wei Ying concludes.
He doesn't like it, but he knows Lan Zhan is right.