Wei Ying heard his phone vibrating in his pocket, and once he saw the name, he had to answer it. But the noise level around him was getting higher as the crowds cheered for Lan Zhan, and there was no way Wei Ying could hear anything. There was nothing to be done except step outside for a few seconds and try to talk to the person who had called, because they would only call if it was an emergency.
Hopefully, he could return before Lan Zhan comes back...
He's on his way out when he hears Lan Zhan say the word marry, and he wants nothing more than to turn around but his phone vibrates again, spurring him into action. He bursts outside, and answers it breathlessly.
"PoPo?"
***************
Wen PoPo wasn't feeling too great as she had admitted to Wei Ying earlier in the day, and she tried to knit but the woollen yarn kept blurring, so she gave up and lay down.
That was in the morning, and she woke up in the late afternoon, hungry and thirsty. After taking care of her needs, she decided not to push herself and lay down again, expecting to wake up the next morning, hale and hearty.
So she was surprised to jerk awake, feeling out of sorts and drowsy. She checked the time on her phone and was surprised to see it just past eleven.
What had woken her up?
The sound of the front door being forced open after a struggle, and then the harsh whispering which followed had her panicking, because neither of the voices sounded like either Wei Ying or Lan Zhan.
Pure instinct had her covering her face with the blanket as she struggled to calm down, her sharp ears listening carefully.
"I bet they're not expecting this! Master is so sharp, this'll have them playing straight into our hands!"
"Hush! We don't want the neighbours to come and see what the fuss is about!"
"You're sure there's no one else here?"
"Yeah, besides bruv, they're kids, no? They just sleep, they don't need no babysitter. And even if there is, we'll deal with them."
There's a low chuckle that makes PoPo want to grab her walking stick and start using it in the way it wasn't designed for, but she decided to wait; no need to do anything yet. There were two of them, and only one of her, so the odds weren't in her favour.
She felt the stirring breeze of people wafting past her, and she held her breath, wondering what these ruffians wanted, since they had specifically broken into THIS apartment, which meant they were looking for something that could only be found here.
And from what she's heard, these people know that neither of her boys are here...and a feeling of dread fills her veins with ice.
It can't be...because if they know that Wei Ying and Lan Zhan weren't going to be here, then that could only mean one thing.
If they mentioned kids, then they were here for A-Yuan and JingYi.
*********
"Popo? What is it? Are you okay?" Wei Ying asks her rapid fire questions. His heart is beating wildly out of control and he doesn't even know why. It's so loud in his ears that at first, Wei Ying thinks he's misheard what she's telling him. "PoPo, say that again!"
This time he tunes out everything but her voice, praying he was mistaken the first time.
"Two men broke in? Why?" He asks her, panic clawing at his throat.
"I think they were after the children. It's okay, though. They've left now. They ran into the children's room and fell down, must have been the Lego," she chuckles to herself.
"The children?? But are you okay?" Wei Ying demands, still worried.
"Yes, yes, my dear, I'm fine. I hid under my blanket on the couch and they were in a hurry," she reassures him. "I just wanted to let you know, in case they're waiting downstairs when you come back."
"PoPo, I'm just...I...thank God you're okay. And we'll be careful, don't worry. And the kids are gonna be fine!! They're somewhere safe, so there's that, at least! They probably won't come back again, so try to rest. How are you feeling now?"
She gives him a quick run down of her health, before adding, "I've put a chair against the door, and no one is getting past that. When do you think you'll be coming home?"
"Tomorrow morning, now. They're just wrapping up the ceremony and I think, after Lan Zhan finds out what happened, he won't mind going home." Wei Ying meant the Lan Manor. He didn't want to say it out loud in case anyone was listening to his conversation, but to say he was shocked was an understatement!
How dare they go after his kids?
The cheek of Wen Rouhan to try something so underhanded, just to get back at them? And why? Was it because their investigations into the missing people were pointing at the Wen Laboratories in a clearer way now? Was Wen Rouhan trying to cover his ass all of a sudden?
It didn't make sense unless they were missing a huge chunk of information.
Wei Ying was just about to turn around and make his way back to Lan Zhan, because he must have finished his speech by now and was probably wondering where he was. After the last couple of scares, when Wei Ying had gone missing, he knew Lan Zhan didn't want to take any chances.
But then the double doors opened by themselves, and a flash of fluttering purple silk announced the arrival of Madam Yu.
******************
Lan Zhan bowed, clutching his trophy, needing to leave the stage as soon as he could. He'd caught XiChen's eye and thanked the fates that his brother knew how to read him and his every emotion even via the smallest twitch on his face.
One look at Lan Zhan, and XiChen had grabbed MingJue's hand and pulled him away from this central arena.
Lan Zhan turned around and was about to make his exit when he felt his phone vibrate against his thigh. Thinking and hoping it was Wei Ying, he juggled the huge bouquet of flowers and his award on to one side, holding both with one hand while he grabbed his phone and answered it.
"Wei Ying! Where are you?" He is not going to panic. He is not.
But it's not Wei Ying on the other end.
"Lan WangJi, listen to me! Both you and Wei Ying are in danger! Wen Xu, fucking turdball found my notes, and the test results regarding your-" Wen Qing shouts into his ear before she's cut off suddenly.
The phone is knocked out of his hands and it falls to the ground, kicked away before Lan Zhan could grab it.
And then in this dark in-between place of the stage and the area behind it, a place that is usually deserted, both of his arms are held fast and then a familiar voice says in his ear, "Let's see you try to get out of this now." A low manic laugh hisses into his ear, and Lan Zhan panics, trying to fight them off.
He flails wildly but the two people holding onto him are far stronger than Lan Zhan, and they kick the back of his knees to make them buckle. Before he can make a sound, there's another sharp pain at his neck, and his eyes begin to close by themselves.
To his utmost horror, Lan Zhan realises that the bad guys have planned it too well.
As he loses consciousness, he prays that Wei Ying is safe.
******************
Madam Yu glares and scowls at Wei Ying, and he thinks she is her own generator of an electric current. If he was to look closer, Wei Ying thinks he might get to see purple sparks tonight.
But right now, he hasn't got time for any of her nonsense.
Wei Ying tries to push past her, but she's not having it. Her clawed hand with purple talons wraps around his bicep and pulls him back. Wei Ying twists and wrenches himself out of her grasp.
"Don't touch me!" He snarls, feeling out of control.
He's got to get to Lan Zhan and then get back to the kids.
Madam Yu is startled enough to step back, but she's not called the Purple Viper for nothing.
"Finally crawled out of the woodwork, huh? I knew you would try to do something to jeopardise A-Cheng's prospects. Why don't you cease to exist?" She hisses at him like her namesake.
"Haven't you disowned me already? I don't see how my presence is going to affect you or YOUR family any longer. Just leave me alone!" Wei Ying moves to walk past her, because that's the only entrance and exit, and Madam Yu pulls her hand back to slap him hard, when XiChen bursts through the doors with such force enough to slam into her face.
She screeches with outrage and suddenly, there's a lot of blood.
Hearing the noise, other people come from inside the arena and are busy trying to help her when Wei Ying slips by her.
Her face is a mess.
There's blood spewing out relentlessly, spilling onto her gown and over the precious amethyst stones of her belt, looking macabre and gruesome. XiChen is apologetic and trying to help, but this Madam Yu is volatile and resistant to aid.
"WangJi." It's the only word on XiChen's lips and the only one necessary for Wei Ying to hear, as he races inside to look for Lan Zhan.
Wei Ying scans the table where they had been sitting not even ten minutes ago, and his heart swoops in a horrible pendulum of fear and worry, both making him panic.
Now that the awards have finished and every formality done and dusted, security is far more lax than before.
Wei Ying slows to a long-legged stride and owns those stairs, climbing up them two at a time.
Lan Zhan must be back here, after all, it's only been a few minutes, right?
Wei Ying tries to breathe evenly, hoping to calm himself even as his feet hurry.
Lan Zhan had explained to him what happened when a person received their award and the procedure of getting back to their seat. There was a dark area behind this second set of curtains which gave the waiting nominees and award-givers sufficient time to recover before going back to their partners and families in the main central arena.
If they were going to freak out, then this was the place to do it.
Something crunches under his foot, and as Wei Ying bends down to pick it up, he recognises it as Lan Zhan's phone. He's accidentally cracked the screen but it still works, and Wei Ying is just about to switch it on, when the cold tip of unyielding steel pricks him under his chin.
Wei Ying looks up into the hateful smirk of a man dressed in a pale yellow suit.
It is the same man from the alley, behind the Coffee Carousel.
And this time, he's holding a sword at Wei Ying's neck.