Natural Talent
Natural Talent
Shi Ailin then quickly washed up and changed, heading to the kitchen. She grabbed a light breakfast and found Nianzu by her truck.
Nianzu smiled at her and said, "Ailin, will you come to a department store with me? I need to pick up a few things, and I could use your help."
Shi Ailin glanced at Luo Wanting, who gave her a gentle nod. She then said, "Of course."
"Perfect," Nianzu answered. "Come along now."
Nianzu drove them for thirty minutes to the department store, and she had Shi Ailin pushing carts full of garden tools, mulch, seeds, and other miscellaneous items. When they filled up the back of the truck, they stopped by a grocery store where Nianzu picked up some cooking seasonings.
Shi Ailin stalked around to pick up some stuff that she and Luo Wanting had lost.
She almost hadn't noticed, until it was right in front of her, that there was a pharmacy. She dashed toward the counter, requesting the day after pill, and she swiped some condoms while she was at it. She gave the pharmacist a friendly smile as she made the purchase, and then she circled back, finding Nianzu.
When they returned, Luo Wanting helped Shi Ailin unload the truck. During a moment to herself, Shi Ailin followed the instructions of the pill.
…
Shanghai:
After dark, Shi Yen and Yuan Shun had gone to an extravagant nightclub that Fang Qi recommended. It was also one of the many places that Underworld members mingled, drank, and danced. It was also a place of secrets, subtle exchanges, and life-changing deals.
They were on a mission, though it was not an ordinary one. To those that surrounded them, they weren't the Emperor and Empress of the seven organizations. No, they were guests—ordinary people—at least for that night.
Yuan Shun took Shi Yen on a date.
They had dinner that evening, and after, Yuan Shun took her to an art exhibition before they found themselves at a club, since he knew just how much Shi Yen loved to dance.
Shi Yen skipped out on the alcohol, but Yuan Shun didn't. He drank until his face was flushed, and Shi Yen helped him by requesting his drinks, pouring a bottle into his mouth. At a private booth, she would kiss his wine-tasting lips in between, grasping a slight taste as their heated tongues danced and entwined.
Yuan Shun responded by cupping her face, shoving his tongue down her throat. Shi Yen moaned, the sound filling his ears, but toward others, the music drowned out her sighs. When their bodies started to get other ideas, Shi Yen dragged him to the dance floor.
She led him to a seductive dance, touching him everywhere, more sensuously than their first time back when she hated him, and he thought of her as a pain.
She twirled and dipped, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.
He had his hands to her hips, swaying along with her.
Shi Yen smiled and laughed at how much fun they were having. He lifted her in the air, and she kissed him blissfully while coming down.
When her feet met the ground again, she whispered in his ear, "He's here."
Yuan Shun turned, watching a man stepped into the club, straightening his crisp dark-blue suit as he scanned the crowd, and reality struck.
Shi Yen took Yuan Shun's hand, leading them to a single-stall washroom where they changed their clothes, masking their faces. Despite indulging themselves in the evening, they never took a day off work from either job.
The man from earlier waited in a private booth as they slid across him, stealthily and fast. He trembled slightly at the sight of them.
Shi Yen and Yuan Shun were tall and intimidating, strong and still, shadows of black and red.
Shi Yen didn't train Yuan Shun how to emanate an intimidating air or how to speak vacantly, devoid of revealing any feelings while talking—anger, fear, satisfaction, he didn't show it. Yuan Shun was a natural talent.
"Hello, Lady Empress and Lord Emperor," the man bowed, his voice shaky.
They didn't reply to his greeting; their faces were blank because of the masks, and they sat as still as statues, making the man's fear rise by the second. Shi Yen could see the detective badge sticking out from the inside of his chest pocket.
"Do you have what we asked for?" Shi Yen questioned, her voice flat.
He swallowed. "Yes," he answered, "though I can't see why you want to look into the Dark Forces since they're not based in Shanghai. Though some activity suggests they're here—"
"That's not any of your concern," Yuan Shun responded.
"It is my concern," the detective said, "I could lose my job. What do you want with this information?"
"We're against them if that's your concern," Shi Yen answered him.
He chuckled darkly. "I suppose that's somewhat good news. I have a desire to throw them in jail more than my desire to lock up the two of you," he glanced at both of them with disdain.
Shi Yen then answered with cool detachment, "I can assure you that we're not as evil as these types of criminals. But we're not good either, but without people like us, you'd be out of a career, wouldn't you, detective? We can spend the night arguing back and forth about morals and what's right and wrong, but to be blunt, I don't give a fuck."
The detective shifted.
Shi Yen then looked down at images of people within the folder he gave.
She saw a handsome man and read: Prince of Pleasure, a wanted man for several counts of felony such as murder and arson. He has pending charges for drug possession and dark marketing. He was known for promiscuous activities and pleasure houses. His name is unknown, as his background. He's kept busy in the Underground and has distanced himself from the other organizations to avoid arrest.
Shi Yen kept reading, skimming over the pages, looking for the most threatening of them all.
On the final pages, there was one person. The person didn't have a name, a face, not even a gender. It was as if that person didn't exist. The Mountain Dragon was what they were called. Shi Yen nearly crumpled the pages. They took the Long's ancestral name, completely dishonouring it. Those who called themselves by that title were imposters.
But the number of crimes this person committed was too gruesome for her to comprehend. To have such a wicked person exist, she nearly shivered. Even Yuan Shun seemed to have picked up her unease.
Shi Yen barely got what she was looking for, but she had some answers nonetheless. She gave Yuan Shun a signal, and he took out a generous amount of money. "You can now cover your wife's medical expenses," Shi Yen said to the detective.
The detective widened his eyes, almost not expecting her to give him more than what he's asked.
He took the cash-filled case. "This won't take you off my radar," he threatened them.
"You can think about that while I remind you that I have some friends in your force," she smiled beneath her mask, and he must have sensed it because he trembled. "You wouldn't get the chance to catch us, detective. Once you step out of line, you'll vanish. Please focus on your family and not on getting yourself killed. It's my payment for your help."
The detective looked at them hard before he took his stuff and left quickly.
Shi Yen sighed once he'd gone. "We've got to read over this information better at home. We also have to investigate the traitors of the Scorpion organization."
Yuan Shun gritted his teeth. "If Wanting were here, those traitors would have been executed before they had the chance to betray us."
"I know," Shi Yen replied. "But he isn't, and they did. I didn't tell him or Ailin that, though. They already have too much on their hands."
Yuan Shun grabbed her gloved hand. "So, do you. Don't carry the weight on your own."
"I won't," Shi Yen assured him. "But not all of our allies are friends."