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“Come on… just try one more!” Zhao Yunlan urged, taking a sample of the butter pecan himself.
Shen Wei ducked his head, trying to hide a smile. “I think we have taken up enough of the young lady’s time.”
“Oh, it’s no bother!” The ice cream shop attendant assured him, already holding out a sample spoon of the lychee and peach flavor.
Shen Wei inclined his head politely and took the offered sample.
The only thing more amusing to Zhao Yunlan than watching the young attendant practically swooning over Shen Wei, was watching Shen Wei taste the ice cream.
He had asked Shen Wei on this very unusual date when he found out, through conversation, that the man had actually never eaten ice cream before.
“We don’t have it in Dixing. And I guess I… never had a reason to try it, when I came here.”
It was a shame that relations between Dixing and Haixing weren’t more formalized; many still considered the place a myth. But the SID still caught the occasional Dixing criminal wreaking havoc, and the equivalent force in Dixing even returned a few humans who had tried their luck in the underworld. But all in all, ten thousand years of peace had not quite created the strong bonds the two worlds could have achieved.
Not that Zhao Yunlan had been thinking about that often, or in general. Or at all really. It was just…
In all his time as the SID chief, he’d never had the chance to see Dixing. Even once he’d discovered that the Black-Cloaked Envoy had an undercover identity in Dragon City, he was disappointed to learn that there were no undercover humans on the Dixing side.
When Zhao Yunlan had decided to bring Shen Wei to this ice cream shop, it was honestly just an excuse to take him out somewhere nice. But as he watched Shen Wei lick the incredibly tiny spoon, he felt as though he were seeing a new side to his partner. The usual stoic expression gave way to an almost sensual enjoyment of the dessert. It was getting hard to concentrate.
Zhao Yunlan was interrupted from his musings by Shen Wei attempting to purchase a pint of taro. “Hey hey hey, I said it was my treat!”
“Oh.” Shen Wei looked down at his package. “This is a gift. I’m taking it home to my brother for the holiday.”
“Your brother.” Zhao Yunlan repeated. He knew about him, of course. He had heard the stories. Their tragic separation. Meeting again on the field of battle. Misunderstandings that almost rent the world in half. A reconciliation that coincided with a peace treaty that has stood for ten thousand years.
Zhao Yunlan knew all about Ye Zun. He’d just never met him.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets he tried to project an unaffected air. “So you’re going home for the holiday, then?”
Shen Wei suddenly could not meet his eyes, and Zhao Yunlan became worried at the nervousness he was sensing. “Yes, I… I had meant to talk to you about that.” Shen Wei drifted away from the counter, away from earshot. “There is something I have been meaning to ask you.”
“Oh?” Zhao Yunlan tried not to worry, to anticipate. Whatever happened, happened.
He knew immortals and humans could not last.
“I wanted to know… would you come with me this year? I think it’s time… I would like you to meet my family.”
Zhao Yunlan had not been expecting that.
“Come with you? To Dixing?” It was something he had wanted since the beginning of their relationship. But any time he had asked, Shen Wei had always had a reason or excuse why it couldn’t happen.
To be asked outright was… the best present he could have asked for.
So why was he hesitating?
***
Back at the station, Daqing couldn’t give him any answers.
“You’re clearly crazy. You’ve been ranting about not getting invited to Dixing—which is already insane, because who would even want to go to such a terrible place—and now that you get what you want, you’re still not happy!”
Zhao Yunlan waved him off. “Who asked you, stupid cat?”
Daqing leaned in close. “You! Just now!”
“Aiya!” He raised his leg, threatening to kick the Deputy Chief, who predictably lept back. “Don’t make me get out the spray bottle!”
Daqing opted to move across the room--slowly, to prove it was unrelated to the threat of a soaking--and perched on the arm of the couch. “So what did you tell him?”
“What do you think? I said yes, of course!” But the drumming of his fingers on his desk betrayed his lingering nervousness.
“Well then, you better find a good present!”
***
Stepping into Dixing for the first time was like being hit with a blast from a furnace, but instead of heat it was a wave of dark energy. Zhao Yunlan almost felt light headed from the change. Though there was a sky and light (courtesy of the Holy Tools), the air still had a sense of staleness about it. No breeze blew through, and there were no sounds of birds or insects.
Zhao Yunlan took it all in before turning to Shen Wei, who without looking at him was nevertheless still giving the impression of nervously waiting for his opinion.
“I bet it’s always a good temperature here!” Zhao Yunlan said, smiling. Shen Wei smiled as well, turning then to meet his eyes.
Before they could say any more, a man in long blue robes and flanked by two guards came rushing up to meet them. As he came closer, Zhao Yunlan saw he looked very much like the Regent, except —
“How did he grow his hair out so quickly?” Zhao Yunlan asked in confusion. The Regent had visited the SID not even a week ago, and at the time had very short hair and no beard at all. Now his hair was long and flowing, and he had a beard almost as long to match.
“Dixingren can look different here then we do above. There is something else you should know, something I should have told you before—”
But they were interrupted by the Regent.
“Lord Envoy!” The Regent made an exaggerated bow. “Lord Envoy, we have urgent need of you at the palace. Your attendant can wait here.”
Shen Wei tensed, obviously about to correct the Regent, but Zhao Yunlan intervened. “I’m sure there’s someplace at the palace I can wait. You must have visitors every once and a while?”
And so Zhao Yunlan got to accompany Shen Wei as far as the palace audience room. Every now and again it seemed as though Shen Wei wanted to say something, but they were always interrupted by something urgent from the Regent, which essentially amounted to gossip relayed in a grandiose manner. By the time they were at the palace Shen Wei seemed quite agitated.
“Stay here,” he said, gripping Zhao Yunlan’s arm. “Don’t wander around Dixing on your own. And don’t come looking for me, I’ll be right back.” That was all he could seem to get out before being whisked away to official business.
Zhao Yunlan busied himself with looking at the impressive statues that lined the halls. Two in particular, flanking the doors, took his interest. One was clearly Shen Wei in his role as the Black Cloaked Envoy, his handsome features concealed by his mask. The other was also a masked figure, in such a similar attire that it was difficult to tell the two of them apart. Just then Zhao Yunlan heard footsteps behind him and turned.
Shen Wei was descending the stairs, dressed in flowing white robes. His hair was now long and grey, streaked with white, and he wore it tied back, with the smallest braids accenting the style.
He had said people looked different in Dixing, but this was…
“Wow,” he couldn’t help saying. “Xiao-Wei, you look so…”
Shen Wei stopped on the stairs, hesitating. After a moment, he smiled widely. “Do you like it? I wasn’t sure what you would think…”
“You look… good.” Zhao Yunlan took a step closer, and Shen Wei walked forward to meet him. “I mean, you look good in anything. And you look especially good in nothing, but—”
Now that Zhao Yunlan was closer, he could see something was wrong. While Shen Wei was smiling, there was something reserved, almost shuttered, about the look in his eyes.
“Xiao-Wei? Are you—”
Before he could finish, Shen Wei lunged forward and kissed him.
That was when he realized… it wasn’t Shen Wei.
Grasping the gorgeous stranger by the shoulders, Zhao Yunlan wrenched himself away from the kiss. Suddenly, he wished he had thought to bring his revolver with him.
“Who are you?” He demanded, shaking the imposter, who merely smirked at him. “What have you done with Shen Wei? If you’ve hurt him—!”
“Didi? What’s going on?”
They both turned to see… Shen Wei, at the top of the stairs. He looked exactly as Zhao Yunlan had left him, wearing his blue wool suit, his briefcase… even his glasses were still in place.
“Gege, you’ve been holding out on me.” The spectre in white—Shen Wei’s brother—turned to run a hand over Zhao Yunlan’s chest. “So this is what has kept you in Haixing for so long this time?”
Zhao Yunlan leaned back, trying to extract himself, but it was as though Ye Zun had grown extra arms, and he was not shy about using them to explore. “Didn’t my brother tell you? We share everything.”
There was a definitive thump of a briefcase hitting the stone floor. Both Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun turned to look at Shen Wei, who was decidedly not making eye contact with anyone. Slowly, he leaned down and opened his briefcase. He pulled out a small wrapped package, with wisps of cold condensation swirling from it. Zhao Yunlan realized it must be the ice cream.
“You are right, didi. I have been gone longer than before. But you are also right, that there are many wonderful things on Haixing that have drawn my attention and distracted me.” He reached out with both hands to present Ye Zun with the package. “I’ve brought you one of them.”
Ye Zun looked back and forth between Zhao Yunlan and the package. Slowly he untangled himself and walked forward to receive his present.
“Fine.” He said. “I’ll try this one first.”
Zhao Yunlan couldn’t tell if he was joking.