Chapter Text
He Tian is sitting in a plush chair in one of the building's many meeting rooms, waiting for Qiu to join him. The building is owned by the He family, serving both as a hotel, and place of business for the men and women who work under his Father and Brother while in this country, far away from China and overseas. While he has been here for close to two weeks, and the service of the building being pristine, up to the He standards, He Tian can’t seem to relax.
‘There have been many shipments from this port that have been missing cargo for weeks. It’s not clear who is responsible for the loss, but this can’t be ignored. We have men receiving the shipments and they are certain it is before their dock. I need you two to go and figure it out.`
His brother had said when he sent them off, He Tian acted as the negotiator and the representative for their family and Qiu as his personal bodyguard. He Cheng could have sent any other bodyguard with him, but he has been increasingly obvious in his indulgence. Favoring Qiu and He Tian together, often sending them in pairs whenever there is work to be done over longer periods of time. With He Tian using all his charismatic charm in communications to come to terms quickly, and Qiu with all his intimidating muscles and quick reflexes to ensure his safety, doing other heavy lifting, or sometimes bloody work, so He Tian doesn’t have to.
They are a rather efficient duo, finishing jobs twice as quickly as any of the other men or women his brother employs. It helps that he and Qiu get along so well, having known each other since He Tian was a child when Qiu started working for his Father, directly by He Cheng’s side. Qiu does not put up with He Tian’s spoiled attitude, and similarly He Tian does not have to save face and pretend he likes the work they do.
A win for everyone involved.
Or at least it would be, He Tian finds himself huffing into the nice and lavish, but still empty room. Patience was not one of his virtues and he is starting to think that Qiu is testing him on purpose this morning. He distracts himself with coffee, drinking it black, trying to will himself to calm down. His phone vibrates in his pocket, and He Tian almost drops it when he roughly pulls it out, impatient.
‘Zhan Zheng Xi’
The name brings him to an immediate halt, his impatience turning sharply into anxiousness. Zhan Zheng Xi doesn’t call him, especially when He Tian is away, unless there is a problem. Specifically a problem with Mo Guan Shan. He answers on the second ring—
“Hello?”
“He Tian.” Zhan Zheng Xi says as a greeting and then proves him right, “Have you talked to Mo since you left?”
“No.”
He Tian hasn’t, communication between them is difficult where he is at and Guan Shan is a very busy man normally between classes and work, and with them being in completely opposite time zones this is doubly the case. In fact, it is near 9pm in China right now.
“Don’t panic,” He starts, but He Tian is already spiraling, “But someone has been following him around town. Apparently, he is over there outside your apartment right now.”
“What?” He Tian must have misheard him.
“You should call him. He won’t listen to us.”
He Tian hangs up, not caring how rude it might be, but Guan Shan is more important than being polite. Zhan Zheng Xi will understand anyway.
Someone is following him? What does that mean? Someone that Guan Shan knows? A stalker? A murderer?
Guan Shan is his most recently called, after Zhan Zheng Xi, they spoke when He Tian was at the airport as he was just about to get on his flight. The call lasted nearly twenty minutes with an amused Qiu smirking at him from the chair next to him, and Guan Shan’s voice quiet and sleepily mumbling from the comfort of their bed, wishing him a safe trip.
The phone call is answered on the first ring but instead of Guan Shan it is Jian Yi that speaks, “He Tian— you gotta talk some sense into him!”
He Tian can hear Guan Shan yelling in the background, “Give me back my phone, Jian Yi you fucking asshole, right now!” and the sounds of scuffling.
“Get out, go home if you’re going to be annoying.” Guan Shan speaks and He Tian can hear him better now, while Jian Yi is yelping in a way that makes him think that Guan Shan is slapping at him.
“I’m not leaving until that weird guy does!”
“Hold on, Tian— Jian Yi don’t follow me! I’m serious, go away!” The sound of a door slam, and then Guan Shan is finally speaking to him, voice annoyed and frustrated, “Tian, hey, how is your trip?”
He Tian ignores the question, chest tight and fearful, “Someone is stalking you, Guan Shan?”
Guan Shan just exhales sharply, “No! For fucks sake, I’m not being stalked. Who told you that? Zhan Zheng Xi?”
“He just called me. Someone has been following you around town, and they are outside the apartment right now?”
“He isn’t out there,” Guan Shan continues more quietly as if he has moved the phone away from his mouth, “I don’t see him anymore.”
That’s enough to confirm it and He Tian can imagine Guan Shan looking for this stranger out the blinds toward the street, it’s enough to fill him with more anxious energy and the possessive need to protect him, his hackles rising at the threat, “Guan Shan—“
“It’s fine, Tian.” Guan Shan cuts him off, “It’s just some guy. I was out with Buzzcut and the guys a couple days ago and he ran into me on the street and started a fight. I think he’s just trying to scare me or something, but he’s a nobody.”
“I’m coming home.”
“Don’t!” He sounds more frustrated, “I don’t need your help. It’s not a big deal. He hasn’t even done anything, and you know I can handle myself. I’m a grown man, not some helpless kid.”
‘Anymore.’ He leaves off at the end, but He Tian can still hear it. It has been several years since Mo Guan Shan had been beaten so severely that he had to stay the weekend at his house to recover, back when they were practically children. The scars are still displayed on his neck and chest—like trophies of his survival.
“Guan Shan…”
“I’m serious, Tian,” his voice gets softer, “Listen if he is still around when you get back, and he won’t be, you can take care of it then, okay?”
He Tian opens his mouth to protest, to insist that he still come home, if not to protect him then to at least help him clean up the mess, because Guan Shan is strong and He Tian knows it, but—
Qiu finally walks into the room, hand up against his face to hide a yawn, and he stops when he sees He Tian on the phone. A silver eyebrow raises at him and He Tian doesn’t want to hear Qiu tell him that he needs to have more trust in Guan Shan.
It’s not about not trusting him. It’s about knowing the dark underbelly of their society and seeing first hand the kinds of twisted men in it.
Himself included.
“Tian, listen, Jian Yi is planning to stay the night tonight anyway, and we both know that this apartment building has more alarms and security than most banks.”
He knows, that’s precisely why He Cheng bought it for him when he went to live there for school, and why he still lives there now. Guan Shan’s safety is his number one priority.
“Okay,” He Tian gives in, moving to stand up from the table and handing Qiu his half finished coffee. He watches as Qiu takes a sip and makes a face, too bitter for him, but then he chugs the rest anyway, “But if anything happens, call me immediately. Do you understand?”
“You know I will,” and even if He Tian can’t see it he knows by the sound of his voice that he rolls his eyes, “Don’t order me around, asshole, I’m not a dog.”
“Guan Shan, I’m serious.”
“Tian, I know. Listen, I love you, but I have to go. Jian Yi is banging something around, and I don’t want him destroying the house. So be safe, and come back in one piece, okay? Bye!”
He Tian doesn’t get to say anything back before he hears the click, and Guan Shan is gone.
Qiu tosses the empty coffee cup into one of the garbage cans, “So,” he starts and He Tian already doesn’t want to deal with whatever he is going to say, “Trouble in paradise?”
“No,” He Tian narrows his eyes, “Unless you count me waiting for you for half an hour.”
Qiu doesn’t even look guilty, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, gesturing He Tian to the door, “Was busy.”
“With what?”
Pale eyes lock with his as he looks over his shoulder, teasing, “Phone sex with your brother.”
Qiu catches his fist as he goes to punch him.
He Tian decides to call He Cheng.
It is nearing midday when he finally does it. Too busy spending the morning fidgeting and thinking about Guan Shan to focus on work—trying to find the people responsible for the shipment losses. The man they had suspected had run off, disappearing a few days ago, hiding in some hole in the town or otherwise.
Tracking him down has proven more difficult than they originally thought.
They have stopped by a small restaurant near the docks to have lunch. It is a smaller place, advertising all kinds of fish, lobster, and seafood. The food is decent and Qiu likes the beer. They have eaten here a few times the last couple of weeks, and while the decor is a little drab, and the tables a little wobbly, the staff is polite and the view of the ocean makes He Tian wish he was here on vacation and not work.
Guan Shan might like to spend a week with him swimming in the water, and sitting in the sand.
When Qiu heads off to have a smoke outside while they wait for their food, He Tian pulls out his phone, still devoid of messages or phone calls since this morning.
It is an easy decision.
Guan Shan’s safety is not something that he will be precarious with. Even if it turns out to be just as Guan Shan says—a man who is nothing to worry about. The man should count himself lucky if that is the case, He Tian is not one to bare his fangs at someone without the bite to back it up.
It will be well into the night by now, in China, close to 3am, but He Tian is confident that He Cheng will answer. Every call that he has ever made to his brother has been answered by the third ring if not sooner, something that he had never really thought much about until Guan Shan pointed it out to him. The fact still stands even when they are hours apart, and He Tian is no longer technically He Cheng’s responsibility to care for, not a child begging for his attention or a teenager wanting his money or connections.
“He Tian,” He Cheng picks up on the second ring, groggy from sleep, “What’s wrong?”
Explaining the situation, and his fears, wary to keep his voice quiet and low—even if most of the people in the restaurant probably do not speak the language—it is easier now. To confide in his brother, ask him for help when he needs it, and know that he will be heard. It is the small things that speak volumes to He Tian. He Cheng will always answer his calls, and will always take them seriously.
“I understand.” He Cheng sounds more awake now, nearly his normal voice but with a lower pitch, “Threats on our family are always to be treated seriously. Even if Mo Guan Shan thinks it is nothing, I will personally look into this. Do not worry little brother, I will take care of it.”
The call calms and warms him. Guan Shan is not part of their family, not by blood or by marriage—not yet at least, but He Cheng has not treated him like any less. From the moment that He Tian declared his devotion for Guan Shan, He Cheng has respected it and taken it as fact.
With He Cheng’s reassurances in mind, he hangs up the phone right as Qiu returns, smelling of smoke and ocean spray. He takes back his seat across from him, pulling his beer close and knocking it back with the ease of practiced hands, bottle neck held loose between a few fingers.
He Tian does not miss the way their waitress giggles quietly to the host, watching Qiu from the kitchen doorway. Flushing pink like teenagers, speaking to each other behind their hands. Infatuated by his muscles and sharp features.
Qiu doesn’t pay them any mind, “Could try the cargo crates at the dock three blocks down.”
“Do you really think he would be so obvious?”
Shrugging, taking another sip of beer, “Best to be thorough with this kind of thing,” the now empty beer bottle gets raised in the air and Qiu smiles at the giggling girls—who immediately move toward the back to grab him another, “Can’t leave ‘till we find him. Cheng will be pissed if we do.”
He Tian doesn’t really care about being thorough, he just wants to go home. The shipments to China have been all accounted for since their arrival—no one has dared to try and steal from under their noses. After interrogating the crew— and breaking a few noses on the more violent men— they had discovered a smaller gang among them. An offshoot trio who thought they could try profiting off of stealing from the He Family.
It is more about sending a message than anything else.
‘You cannot steal from us, without the consequences. There is bloodshed waiting for those who try.’
The whole thing is fucking exhausting.
—
He Tian hears nothing from Guan Shan or He Cheng until nearly midnight.
His phone pings when he is drying his hair from his shower. The room he is staying in is much like all the upper class hotel rooms he normally has booked. Too large, and the bathroom is chilly with its space. The goosebumps on his arms make him annoyed, reminding himself that he is human and not someone invincible—capable of failure and pain, of doubts and insecurities.
When he picks up his phone, and sees the notification that Guan Shan has sent him an image— it strikes him as odd, but not immediately alarming.
Quickly, as he unlocks his phone, that changes.
He nearly drops his phone onto the bathroom floor. His eyes are incapable of understanding what he is seeing—his hand immediately tensing to the point of nearly cracking the screen from the shock.
The photo is of Guan Shan.
Sitting up right, and tied with rope to a wooden kitchen chair in the middle of a dark and abandoned looking room—mouth taped shut and eyes narrowed in murderous fury. There is a cut on his eyebrow that has bled down his face and his clothes are scuffed and dirtied as if he had been put through a fight.
Another ping—a text message:
‘Negotiations, He—don’t try anything funny.’
Another message comes through. A location, with a time and date. Two days from now, in a place where the factories are downtown, nearly twenty minutes from He Tian’s apartment—not exactly in the cityline, but close enough to the shipyards that it would make for an easy escape after the desired transaction.
He’s already throwing on clothes and quickly shoving things into his bags, using the phone in his hand to shakily call He Cheng.
Thoughts run through his head a mile a minute—
How could this happen? Wasn’t Jian Yi with Guan Shan? Wasn’t He Cheng going to investigate this?
And—
Why has the phone rang more than three times?
For the first time He Cheng doesn’t answer him.
Qiu opens the door after a few moments of He Tian banging on it. Expression quickly shifting from annoyed to serious in a fraction of a second— “What’s wrong, kid?”
He Tian ignores the question, “Pack your bag we are leaving immediately.”
He should have left this morning—should have followed his initial instinct and went home the moment he had heard the word ‘stalker’. Even if Guan Shan wouldn’t have wanted him to, an afternoon of a cold shoulder is more than bearable compared to the thud of his heartbeat and fast breathing, nausea threatening to send him into violent sickness.
Qiu doesn’t make a move. Eyes watching him sharply, and He Tian knows that under normal circumstances he wouldn’t be giving Qiu commands— orders like this. It is not his place to do so, even if technically he ranks above Qiu in the business— technically he has every right to make demands of Qiu—but Qiu has been doing this work for nearly a decade longer than He Tian. He knows what he is doing, and He Tian respects him, as both a man who is more knowledgeable than himself in all the jobs they do, but also as— family.
Qiu does not take orders from He Tian, and he knows the consequences of walking out on a job.
“What’s wrong, little Tian?”
“Mo Guan Shan— he—“ He Tian chokes. He knows that he’s panicking, and breathing is difficult for him right now. Thoughts, and his fears flash through his mind and normally He Tian would be able to organize himself. There is protocol for this— rules.
But he can’t compartmentalize right now. Overwhelmed because Guan Shan is in danger, and he is too far away to protect him.
It is like the night so many years ago—He Tian spent hours walking the streets trying to find him. Looking in all the wrong places, with so many thoughts of what Guan Shan might be doing, only to find him beaten and bloodied, choking and coughing for air. He is spiraling now, and he knows it.
Strong and steady hands come up to grip his shoulders, and Qiu lowers his face to look him in the eye. All at once, He Tian remembers that he is no longer a child, not like before, nothing like before. A calming presence, and an overly protective expression, Qiu considers He Tian just as much of his own family as He Tian does. A two way street, and their loyalty is strong.
“What happened to Red?” He gently pulls him inside his room, grabbing clothes and stray items, shoving them into bags—no more questions asked.
He Tian takes a shaky breath and tries to steady himself, opening his mouth and starts to brief him.
A hostage situation.
—
“Knew we should’a been training him.” Qiu mumbles, pulling the car out of the parking lot and flooring it for the airport, “Not like Red couldn’t handle it—sure wish he had the know-how now, huh?”
He Tian ignores him, knows he is right and that Qiu isn’t trying to be an asshole about it, but the more normal of a life that He Tian could give Guan Shan, the better as far as he is concerned.
The phone rings to voicemail again when He Tian tries calling He Cheng for the fifth time.
Qiu made some of his own calls before they left, one to He Cheng’s assistant who told him that she hadn’t seen him since the previous day. The next call was to one of the other men that works closely with his brother and Qiu, but the man didn’t answer either. The final call was to one of Qiu’s direct subordinates—
“Boss is out on a bust right now—has been since nearly four this morning. Another gang popped up overnight and he’s taking care of it with some of the boys.”
It explained why He Cheng and his men couldn’t be reached, but it didn’t explain much of anything else. He Tian wanted answers and he was starting to feel desperate.
“Flight will take about thirteen hours.” Qiu speaks up again, professionally speeding them around a corner in a way that abruptly reminds He Tian he used to dabble in illegal street racing, “Should put us home around two in the morning.”
Thirteen hours in a plane—enough time for He Tian to surely lose all of his patience and his mind.
“If Cheng hasn’t gotten Red out of there first—“ Qiu pauses, licking his lips and He Tian reaches into the center console to grab and light up two cigarettes from the pack Qiu keeps there, “We’ll have him back before sunrise.”
He Tian’s hands shake with the lighter, but he manages to get the job done. Handing one to Qiu and keeping one for himself. They take a drag in near unison and He Tian tries to release his anxiety on his exhale.
The only thing that successfully leaves him is the grey and wispy smoke.