RLTT CH 8

Chapter 8: Guan Yu’s Kung Fu Tea

“Sorry about today, Shaofeng,” Wei Jiaxi apologized as soon as they got home after dinner, his face still full of guilt. “We didn’t get to watch the movie.”

“It’s no big deal, really,” Yun Shaofeng replied, shaking his head dismissively. “You have the day off tomorrow, right?”

Wei Jiaxi picked up two pieces of clothing and stuffed a few finished comics into his bag. He gave Yun Shaofeng a light smile. “Yeah, once Zhong Zai arrives, I’ll head home.”

However, after packing his things and sitting in the living room from dusk until it was completely dark, the two had ended up eating a haphazard dinner together. Yet Zhong Zai was still nowhere to be seen. Wei Jiaxi called him several times, but every call went straight to voicemail.

As bedtime approached, Wei Jiaxi noticed that Yun Shaofeng looked a bit tired yet still sat with him, waiting. He couldn’t help but advise, “Why don’t you go to sleep first? Zhong Zai might’ve gotten tied up with something and can’t come tonight. Don’t worry, I won’t leave.”

Yun Shaofeng yawned but continued to sit beside him. “Could something have happened to him? Should you check with your other colleagues?”

“Probably not…” Wei Jiaxi hesitated. After all, Zhong Zai was past the agreed-upon time, and if word of this reached their superiors, it could spell trouble for Zhong Zai. Since they had a decent relationship, Wei Jiaxi didn’t want to stab him in the back by reporting it. After mulling it over, he decided to send a text message to Eva, silently praying that Zhong Zai wasn’t slacking off and leaving him in the lurch.

Wei Jiaxi glanced at Yun Shaofeng again, only to see him propping his chin on his hand, his eyelids drooping slightly as he stared blankly, clearly too sleepy to think straight. Amused, Wei Jiaxi patted his shoulder gently and said in a soft tone, “Why not head to bed?”

Yun Shaofeng opened his eyes and looked at Wei Jiaxi without saying a word, his expression almost childlike in its simplicity.

Wei Jiaxi’s smile deepened. “You really don’t have to stay up with me. Who knows? By the time you wake up tomorrow, Zhong Zai might already be here.”

Yun Shaofeng also smiled and murmured, “That’s why I wanted to wait a bit longer…”

Huh? Wei Jiaxi kept a faint smile on his face, but his thoughts stalled for a moment. That sentence felt like it carried some hidden meaning. What did he mean? He blinked, trying to figure it out, but his mind was stuck in neutral.

Yun Shaofeng’s cheeks suddenly flushed. Shaking his head, he finally stood up. “I guess I’ll head to bed. If Zhong Zai comes too late, just stay the night. There’s enough space to sleep anyway.”

Wait, stay the night? Enough space? But I only have a single bed! What does Shaofeng mean? Is he asking me to sleep with him?!

Wei Jiaxi’s expression froze as he slowly looked up at Yun Shaofeng. After a long moment, he finally managed to let out a single, confused, “Huh?”

Yun Shaofeng didn’t notice anything unusual about him and chuckled. “Didn’t you realize? The couch can pull out into a bed.” He pointed at the sofa.

…Oh.

Wei Jiaxi wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed, but he exhaled deeply anyway.

“Goodnight,” Yun Shaofeng said casually as he strolled off to his room.

After he left, Wei Jiaxi collapsed onto the couch with a dramatic sigh.

This won’t do. At this rate, I can’t tell whether I’m getting surprises or scares every day. Shaofeng, why are you doing this to me… Life is too hard…

Wei Jiaxi stared up at the ceiling in silent despair.

However, trouble seldom comes alone.

After Yun Shaofeng went to sleep, it didn’t take long before Wei Jiaxi received a text message from Zhong Zai. Zhong Zai said he had been vomiting and suffering from diarrhea since last night, leaving him half-dead. Although he was feeling much better now, he confirmed he wouldn’t be able to make it tomorrow.

…This time, Wei Jiaxi really felt like he had hit rock bottom.

Wei Jiaxi had been looking forward to taking the day off today. He had planned to accompany Li Guozhan to meet Xi Ye that evening—a rare opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss. Besides, if he didn’t go to back up Li Guozhan, the people from Hong Sheng would probably tear him apart.

But now that Zhong Zai couldn’t make it, it meant his day off would be canceled. He still had to stay close to protect Shaofeng, leaving no chance to meet Xi Ye.

Taking leave was out of the question—he had no good excuse. If anyone found out that he had privately met with gang members, he wouldn’t just lose his job—it would be far worse than that.

Throughout the day, Wei Jiaxi thought he had hidden his frustrations well. But every now and then, he would pull out his phone to check for updates, and when he had nothing else to do, he paced circles in the living room. He pretended to act relaxed in front of Yun Shaofeng, but the moment he turned away, he racked his brains for a solution.

By evening, Wei Jiaxi finally decided to seek help from two old colleagues from his time in the serious crimes unit, Kong Zi (Confucius) and Brother Mark. After sending them a text message, he figured it was about time to leave. Feeling awkward, he approached Yun Shaofeng.

“Something came up tonight, but it’s not convenient for me to officially take leave…” Wei Jiaxi said hesitantly. “I’ve asked two former colleagues to come over and keep you company. They’re trustworthy.”

Yun Shaofeng looked at him calmly. He blinked and asked, “Are you going to coax your girlfriend?”

“Girlfri—? No!” Wei Jiaxi’s eyes widened as he waved his hand in protest. “I don’t have a girlfriend, Shaofeng, don’t get the wrong idea!”

Yun Shaofeng smiled and nodded, “I was just joking.”

Wei Jiaxi let out a sigh of relief but still looked at him with a pleading expression. “So, tonight…”

“Take me with you,” Yun Shaofeng interrupted, his tone light but firm.

Wei Jiaxi froze, his voice barely a whisper. “What?”

“I said, no matter where you’re going tonight,” Yun Shaofeng looked him in the eye, “take me with you.”

Wei Jiaxi opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

“Yesterday, when you chased that thief, you didn’t say whether you caught him or if he got away. You also didn’t call for backup, which doesn’t seem like the usual procedure,” Yun Shaofeng shrugged casually, analyzing the situation. “You’re always cautious about your work. For you to suddenly run off like that while we were just walking, it must not have been an ordinary criminal, right?”

“…You’re too sharp,” Wei Jiaxi sighed helplessly. “Tonight… I really am going to handle something related to that criminal, but I can’t take you along.”

Yun Shaofeng continued to look at him, undeterred. “Take me with you, or I’ll report you.”

Wei Jiaxi raised an eyebrow, incredulous.

“You didn’t officially take leave, and you even called in your old colleagues. That means wherever you’re going tonight, it’s definitely not somewhere you’re allowed to go,” Yun Shaofeng said with a smug smile. “So, you’re taking me with you.”

“No way,” Wei Jiaxi suddenly stood up, glaring at him in frustration. “My job is to ensure your safety. Even if I’m technically abandoning my post tonight, there’s no way I’d take you into a den of criminals. That would be putting your life in danger!”

Yun Shaofeng stood up as well, looking directly at Wei Jiaxi. “Are you saying you don’t have the confidence to protect me there?”

How could he say something so blatantly provocative? “Shaofeng, what exactly are you thinking?” Wei Jiaxi shook his head and took a step back, crossing his arms.

“Didn’t you promise yesterday that you wouldn’t abandon me?”

“Where I’m going tonight is very dangerous.”

“That’s why I need to go with you,” Yun Shaofeng’s usual mild expression vanished, replaced with a serious gaze. “In short, if you don’t take me, I’ll report you. If you take me, it’ll be like tonight never happened.”

Seeing the determined look on Yun Shaofeng’s face, Wei Jiaxi felt a sudden pang in his chest.

Half an hour later, Wei Jiaxi was standing in the shadows of an alley beside an arcade. Of course, Yun Shaofeng was standing right next to him.

They waited for over half an hour before Li Guozhan finally sneaked out from the shadows. He brought along two men from Xin Qing and led them through a series of twists and turns deeper into the area until they arrived at an old Tang-style building with no security system.

However, Li Guozhan hesitated on the roadside, unwilling to go inside. Wei Jiaxi turned to look at him, and he edged closer, his face still filled with fear. “Young Master Xi, there are a few people upstairs… I’ve had some ‘teeth marks’ (grudges) with them before.”

Wei Jiaxi glanced back at the two Xin Qing men, who were looking at Li Guozhan impatiently, their gazes suggesting they could start a fight at any moment.

“I-I’d better leave first. Anyway, they wouldn’t dare do anything to you,” Li Guozhan stammered as he patted Wei Jiaxi’s shoulder and dashed off. “We’re even now! Don’t look for me again!”

“Hey!” Wei Jiaxi only managed to shout after him, but Li Guozhan was already out of sight. The two Xin Qing men didn’t chase after him. One of them even muttered, “At least he knows his place.”

Wei Jiaxi watched him disappear into the distance before turning back to look at Yun Shaofeng. The latter appeared uneasy, arms crossed in discomfort. Seeing this, Wei Jiaxi decided to drop the matter and followed the two Xin Qing men up to the fourth floor.

As expected, there were a few thuggish individuals loitering in the stairwell, glaring menacingly as they approached.

“Isn’t this Young Master Xi?” The man standing at the door looked somewhat familiar to Wei Jiaxi. It was Liu Yi, one of Uncle Xiye’s foster sons. “They told me you were coming tonight, but I didn’t believe it…”

Wei Jiaxi merely glanced at him. “Uncle Xiye is inside, right?” His words sounded like a question, but his tone was certain. He walked straight toward the room, only to be stopped by Liu Yi’s outstretched hand.

Liu Yi met Wei Jiaxi’s glare head-on and said, “Don’t misunderstand, Young Master Xi. My foster father is thrilled you’re here to have tea with him. However,” he nodded toward Yun Shaofeng behind Wei Jiaxi, “this guy looks familiar, but I don’t know him.”

Without changing his expression, Wei Jiaxi reached behind him to grab Yun Shaofeng’s right hand with his left. He intertwined their fingers and slowly raised their clasped hands in front of Liu Yi, their ten fingers tightly locked together.

Liu Yi raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, stepping aside to let them enter.

The room was unlit, but the neon lights from the old town’s numerous shop signs spilled in through the windows, casting a dim purplish-red glow that barely illuminated their steps. Right by the entrance stood a shrine dedicated to Guan Yu, the electronic red candles reflecting off the glass-paneled divider behind it.

Wei Jiaxi still held onto Yun Shaofeng’s hand as he carefully led him into the living room. There, an elderly man with white hair sat alone on a rosewood sofa, a tea table with a full tea set placed before him.

“Uncle Xiye,” Wei Jiaxi greeted.

Uncle Xiye looked up and broke into a wide grin. “Ah, Jiaxi! You’ve finally come! Come, come, have a seat!”

Wei Jiaxi smiled politely and stepped closer with Yun Shaofeng, though he did not sit down.

“Ah, almost forgot! You need to pay your respects first!” Uncle Xiye spoke with a thick Shanghainese accent. His gaze briefly lingered on their joined hands before he continued, “Pay your respects to Guan Yu, come!” He got up and walked toward the shrine.

“No need. I work at the station and frequently pay my respects to him. He probably already recognizes me,” Wei Jiaxi said with a smile, shaking his head.

Uncle Xiye let out an “oh” and then turned his attention to Yun Shaofeng. “What about this young man? He looks a bit familiar. Is he also in law enforcement?”

Yun Shaofeng shook his head and glanced at Wei Jiaxi. Seeing Wei Jiaxi looking at him calmly—neither anxious nor overly expectant—he turned back and responded gently, “Hello, Uncle Xiye.”

Uncle Xiye’s smile grew even wider as he waved him over. “No matter what your background, once you step through this door, you must pay your respects to Guan Yu. Come!”

Obediently, Yun Shaofeng stepped forward to the shrine. With his slender fingers, he deftly picked up three long incense sticks, lit them, and performed three respectful bows before placing the incense into the censer.

Uncle Xiye laughed heartily and finally guided the two of them to sit in the living room.

The three of them gathered around the tea table. Uncle Xiye reached out to pour tea, only to find the teapot empty. Letting out an exasperated “ah,” he discovered that the hot water had also run out. A water dispenser stood nearby, its pump ready to draw water from a large bottle. Uncle Xiye filled the teapot and placed it on the base to boil.

For a moment, the only sound in the dimly lit living room was the gurgling of the water boiling, unusually loud in the quiet atmosphere.

“It’s so late, drinking this strong tea will keep you up all night,” Uncle Xiye said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Why don’t you come with me, Jiaxi, to pick out some green tea? As for this young man, can you watch the water for me?”

Yun Shaofeng hesitated for a moment, instinctively looking at Wei Jiaxi. The latter, however, was focused on the tea cups on the table and answered casually, “Sure.”

Uncle Xiye got up and headed toward a side room. Wei Jiaxi also stood, placing his hand on Yun Shaofeng’s shoulder and patting it gently. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

Yun Shaofeng tilted his face upward, looking at him, but saw that Wei Jiaxi’s gaze was fixed on Uncle Xiye’s retreating figure. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows.

“Alright,” Yun Shaofeng replied firmly, his tone steady and without a hint of doubt.

To be continued…