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Chapter Text

Wen Ning sat at his kitchen table, a candle lit on the wooden finish, flames flickering over the sheets laid out before him. His worst nightmare come true… calculus. 

He would like to argue that Calculus was the worst thing ever invented by anyone in the world, and if it were possible he’d go back in time and punch Isaac Newton for ever having the gall to invent such a topic. 

If the time machine was ever invented, he’d spend his life savings on just the thing. But that was a topic for the future generations, maybe in 2020 they’d not only have a flying car but also a time machine. 

Thirty four years until then, so much could happen in such a time span. 

Creeeeakkk… 

The old tree right outside the kitchen window croaked in the windy night. A shiver wracked through Wen Ning’s body and a sudden awareness he’d lacked since he first sat at the table after school. 

The world grew to include him once more, to include the lonely boy suffering through schoolwork. His eyes flickered over the kitchen with a sudden rapidity. 

A stack of dirty dishes waited in the sink, he was meant to wash those ages ago but calculus had dragged on and he could still make it before his parents both made it home. Life in the medical field meant their schedules often ran late and long. It was not unusual for Wen Ning and his older sister, Wen Qing, to have to go to sleep alone and wake to their parents sleeping in. 

The candle flickered off the dark walls. Wen Ning regretted his choice of lighting a candle rather than turning on the light. The gloomy atmosphere coupled with the strange noises in the night unsettled him, like ants crawling under his skin. 

Tap, tap, tapping on the window. Wen Ning’s head whipped back around. 

It was only the old tree making its presence known. 

Wen Ning sighed. He wasn’t sure why he was being jumpy with no warning, the afternoon had been merry and bright but the moment night fell it was as if all his nerves were on fire. 

Papers rustled before him, causing him to flinch and cause the chair to thump into the ground. 

Grimacing, he waited a few seconds to ensure his sister wouldn’t yell at him from upstairs for making so much noise. To his knowledge, she was working on the last essay of her high school career. 

When all was clear, he pulled the chair back, trying to ignore the screech it made as it scratched against the floor, and walked over to the light switch. Flicking it on made half of his nerves disappear.

Creeeeaaakkkk… 

Nice try, Wen Ning thought, glancing back at the old tree. But it wasn’t the tree this time, for the thing was oddly still in a way it hadn’t been all night. 

Wen Ning’s heart thumped in his chest. 

Creakkk… 

The sound came again, his eyes followed it through the dark living room all the way to the front door. The window didn’t help much, he hadn’t bothered to turn on the porch light yet. 

Footsteps grew closer outside the door. 

His fingers grew cold and clammy with fear, who could be at the door? 

A scratching sound built at the front door, and then the knob began to turn ever so slowly. Wen Ning cursed his past self for forgetting to lock it when he got home. 

His eyes glanced at the telephone hooked on the wall, the pastel yellow device was right by the front door. There was no way he could make it over before the door opened. 

In a split second, his mind made the decision to turn off the kitchen light and his body began to move towards the table. His hiding spot was right there, almost in reach. 

He realized he wouldn’t make it.

The knob finished turning and the door swung in with an ominous creaking sound. A pale, sickly hand reached around the front, exposing a black sleeve. 

Oh god, Wen Ning thought, am I about to join a list? His last worry was for his older sister, still upstairs with no knowledge of what was happening. 

And then… and then the door opened fully to expose Wen Ning’s best friends standing on the other side with twin smiles on their faces. 

Wen Ning’s heart beat dropped so fast he had to hold onto the chair for balance. 

“Hey, dweeb!” Luo Qingyang, Mianmian to her friends, greeted with a totally pretty and totally unfair smile on her face. 

“We brought some grub.” Xue Yang, Wen Ning’s other best friend, jolted the takeout bag in his hand. The smell of Chinese food wafted over to Wen Ning and made his taste buds salivate. 

But he was still caught up in the intense fear from before. 

“Seriously?!” He snapped, after getting his breathing under control. “That was so not cool.” 

“What was?” Xue Yang asked with a nonchalant air about him, his lips moved around the cherry lollipop in his mouth. “Are you mad already? We just got here.” 

Mianmian pouted, “It seems like Ning doesn’t want us here.” 

Wen Ning couldn’t stop an eye roll. “I want you here, but in a normal way. Not breaking into my home!” 

“Breaking in?” Mianmian gasped with mock offense. “The door was unlocked, that’s practically an invitation to serial killers.” 

“Right, are you asking to end up on a list?” 

Wen Ning groaned before he turned to clean his calculus homework off the kitchen table. “Note to self, don’t invite serial killers in.” 

He paused after a few seconds, turning to find Xue Yang and Mianmian sitting at the couch, Xue Yang’s legs thrown up on the coffee table. 

“We’re definitely not eating there.” Wen Ning pointed out. Xue Yang groaned and made a show of dragging his legs back off the couch. Wen Ning thought if it was that difficult to move, maybe Xue Yang should stop wearing those tight leather pants he always insisted made his ass look good. 

Mianmian, ever the extrovert, shot up with energy that should be illegal to have at eight on a Thursday night. “Can I call your sister down?” She asked, already shooting towards the stairs. 

“Please-” Wen Ning started and ended with a sigh when Mianmian disappeared up the stairs, “don’t.” 

“Come on, what’s so wrong with being her brother-in-law? I mean, we all already act like siblings.” Xue Yang shrugged. Wen Ning didn’t stop himself from glaring at the boy. 

“Put your feet down.” 

Xue Yang rolled his eyes while dragging his feet off the chair beside his. He made a great show of pulling the lollipop out of his mouth long enough to say, “Rude.” And then popped it right back in. 

Wen Ning wondered if he would ever see the day Xue Yang didn’t have a lollipop in his mouth. 

Wen Ning turned the light back on, causing the ominous atmosphere to shatter at once. He was no longer alone. Xue Yang sat at the kitchen table, twirling the lollipop in his mouth and not bothering to help Wen Ning set the table. His sister was upstairs, already yelling at Mianmian while the younger girl pushed her extroverted energy on the last person she should be pushing it on. 

The window rattled in its frame above the kitchen sink, Wen Ning glanced out into the night sky where the clouds covered up any signs of the stars or the moon. A small shiver ran through his frame, his grip on the forks shook minutely. 

“A-Ning!” Wen Qing’s voice snapped Wen Ning out of his staring. He turned to find his sister stomping all the way to the kitchen with a frowning Mianmian following close behind. Wen Ning winced at the loud sound and the glare on his sister’s face. 

“Yes?” He asked in a meek voice, his shoulders rising. 

“I told you not to bring her here anymore.” Wen Qing pointed an offending finger in Mianmian’s direction. 

“I mean… I didn’t bring her here?” 

“Yeah, I invited myself in.” Mianmian claimed with a proud voice. The smile on her face froze at the next glare from Wen Qing. 

Wen Qing took that moment to run her gaze over Mianmian’s body with a disgusted curl to her lip. “Can’t even dress right.” She muttered under her breath. 

“What’s wrong with the way I dress?” Mianmian asked, her hands tugging at the cropped shirt with the words ‘bite me’ written on them. It didn’t help that they were paired with some, in Wen Qing’s opinion, ridiculous bell bottoms. 

Wen Qing didn’t bother to answer, she pulled out a chair with a screech and took the first pick of the food. 

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Mianmian muttered in a quiet voice, her chunky boots shuffling into the yellow tiled floor. 

“I think,” Xue Yang began, flaunting the lollipop in his fingers, “the real question is what isn’t wrong with your clothes.” 

“Hey!” Mianmian glared at Xue Yang, and she received a grin for her efforts. 

Wen Ning couldn’t stop a scoff from leaving his lips. His friends were so odd, and paired with his older sister they made a weirder combination. 

“Listen,” Mianmian started after a while between bites. Wen Ning sighed in preparation for what would surely be a dumb comment. “You can’t blame a girl for trying. Best friend’s older sister is a classic, right?” 

Right. 

Wen Qing didn’t waste a second to grip her fork in her hand. “I have a boyfriend , Luo Qingyang.” 

Mianmian shrugged at that, “I can treat you better than that asshole.” 

Wen Ning mentally prayed for his best friend. Sure enough, she flinched after and complained about Wen Qing’s well-delivered kick to her shin. 

An odd combination indeed. 

***

Wen Ning was washing the dishes up after dinner to the background chatter of the talk show the others were watching in the living room when the knock came. Wen Ning turned to the door with a curious glance. Through the window on the door, he could vaguely see a silhouette waiting by it but, cursing himself once more, the porch light still wasn’t on. 

Wen Ning’s hand paused in the air, his eyes tried to make out the shape by the door when the knock came again. This time he was able to make out the sleeve on the person’s hand. 

“A-Ning, go get it!” Wen Qing yelled. Wen Ning glanced over to find her entirely captivated by the talk show. Wen Ning rolled his eyes at the sight, she was the one who claimed that television was only a precursor to what would surely be the end of humanity as we know it. It was bad enough that she was willing to spend more time with Wen Ning’s ‘bad influences’ of his friends and that she was procrastinating her essay. 

The knock came again. 

“Ning!” 

“I’m going!” Wen Ning yelled back. Of course they would send the one person actually doing something productive to open the door and not the three sprawled around the living room. 

Wen Ning turned off the faucet with attitude learned only after being bossed around his whole life, it was the consequence of being the baby of the family. Curse the universe for making Wen Qing first. 

Knocking came again. 

“Stop knocking already!” Wen Ning yelled and noticed as the person flinched outside of the door. Before he opened the door, Wen Ning flicked on the light. The person outside squinted their eyes against the sudden light. 

Wen Ning instantly recognized the person and didn’t bother to hide his disappointment. His face went deadpan as he pulled the door open for Wen Qing’s friend, Wei Ying. 

“It’s Wei Ying.” Wen Ning called out to his sister. A groan filled the room. Wen Qing dragged herself up through much effort while Wei Ying grinned sheepishly at Wen Ning. 

“What do you want?” Wen Qing snapped, taking Wen Ning’s place right before Wei Ying. Her arms crossed over her plaid pajamas. 

Wei Ying’s lips pulled into a wide, amused smile the instant he saw her. It sent warning bells off in Wen Ning’s head. “Come look at this.” 

“Look at what?” Wen Qing asked, also realizing that something was up. By that point, Xue Yang and Mianmian had also approached. 

Wei Ying led the way outside, where a truck filled with people waited in their driveway. And… more warning bells. 

Slowly, Wen Ning’s eyes looked over the surroundings to find what could be off which is when he saw… them. Hundreds of forks stuck out of the grass innocently, their silver edges glinting with the light of the porch. 

“Wei Ying! You-!” Wen Qing yelled and cut off into a groan as Wei Ying took off. The boy jumped onto the bed of the truck while laughing. 

“Go, go!” He smacked on the back of the truck right as the thing sped out of their driveway. Another person waited on the bed of the truck and it was him who caught Wen Ning’s eye. 

In such a small town, everyone knew one another. Especially if they were in the same age range. But Wen Ning had never seen that boy before. Not the one wearing a puffer jacket and a beanie despite the fact that spring was nearly upon them. The signs of someone not used to the cold weather in the area… someone new. 

The boy in the puffer jacket turned, making eye contact with Wen Ning through the night and all the voices and complaints became background chatter. The boy’s head tilted to the side with curiosity, and then he raised his hand in a small wave with a tiny lilt to his lips. 

Wen Ning’s cheeks flared with heat, his heart sped up a beat and he forced himself to look away. 

No way! Wen Ning scolded himself in his head. He’d told himself, and Wen Qing had warned him many times, Wei Ying’s friends were never good options for dating. Friends? Maybe. But dating? Definitely not! 

“Stupid Wei Ying!” Wen Qing’s loud voice finally drifted back into Wen Ning’s mind. He turned to find Wen Qing groaning into her hands while Xue Yang and Mianmian died laughing at the prank. 

“Did you guys just get forked?” Xue Yang asked with mirth. 

“Clearly!” Wen Qing sassed back. She glanced at all three of them before she turned back instantly. “You guys are cleaning it up.” 

“Wait- what?” The smile dropped right off Xue Yang’s face as he glanced over all the forks in the yard. 

“Wei Ying’s your friend!” Wen Ning tried to stand up for himself. Wen Qing didn’t listen as she pushed into the house and closed the door on them, easily locking it. “Jie!” Wen Ning yelled. 

Wen Qing shook her head. “I’ll give you three if you clean it up.” 

Wen Ning crossed his arms petulantly. “I have a job, you know.” Granted, it didn’t amass more than fifteen hours a week and it was helping out at the used bookstore in town… but it was still a job. 

“I’ll finish your calc homework.” 

Wen Ning tried to hold strong. But he had already been working for three hours and only finished two of the six questions he needed to turn in tomorrow. He caved. 

“Deal.” 

“Wait, what do I get?” Xue Yang asked, Mianmian nodded alongside him as if to agree. 

“You get to enjoy my presence.” 

Xue Yang scoffed, yet he bent down to retrieve one of the forks. Mianmian sighed while bending down similarly. 

“You’re lucky we love you.” 

“We?” Xue Yang asked. 

Wen Ning felt his heart burst with adoration for his best friends as a goofy smile filled his face. “Of course you love me too.” 

“Hardly.” Xue Yang paused to adjust the lollipop in his mouth. “I just have nothing better to do.” 

Wen Ning paused where he had been bending down to retrieve a fork and instead put his hand out for Xue Yang. The other silently passed over a pineapple flavored lollipop from his pocket, Wen Ning’s favorite flavor. 

Xue Yang didn’t wait for Mianmian to reach out, simply threw a strawberry flavored one in her direction. 

Wen Ning turned to hide his goofy smile once more. Could loving too much kill a person? 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning woke up to sunlight filtering in through his curtains. His alarm clock told him it was seven in the morning on the dot, leaving him an hour and a half to both get ready and get to school on time. It was ample enough time, especially since his sister had indeed finished up his calculus homework for him. She was practically his savior, though he’d never tell her it. 

The morning felt peaceful, in a way it hadn’t felt in a while. Spring was upon them, and with it the summer would soon come. Wen Ning couldn’t wait to be done with school for the time being, at least until summer ended once more. 

He expected this to be the same mood that would linger throughout the school day in the other students, expected them to be laughing loudly in the halls and snickering during class. What he walked in on instead was cautious murmurs and worried glances around the place. 

Whispers accompanied him all the way to his first block, where Mianmian already waited with her sketchbook open on the small desk before her. It was only the express knowledge that the whispers weren’t directed at him that stopped the anxiety from spreading in Wen Ning. 

Mianmian didn’t glance up, though she greeted him with a simple ‘morning’ when he sat in his usual spot beside her. Wen Ning nibbled on his lip with nerves, still glancing around to where the others were whispering amongst themselves. 

He briefly glanced at the sheet in front of Mianmian, there was a half-formed angel on her page, in the baby form that they were often depicted in. Wen Ning turned to the corner of the classroom, an especially large group of students were huddling around something and whispering to each other. 

“Gonna eat your lip at this rate.” Mianmian mumbled from where she sat drawing, she hadn’t bothered to glance up at all. “I can hear your worrying over here. What’s up?” 

Wen Ning shrugged the thought off briefly, but he only lasted a second until he leaned in. “What’s going on?” 

“You can’t repeat my question back at me.” Mianmian snapped in a petulant tone. Wen Ning sighed. 

“No, I mean. Something’s happening, everyone’s acting off.” 

Mianmian took this chance to finally tear her gaze away from the angel and glance around the classroom. Her eyes narrowed the further she spanned over the classroom full of whispering teens. 

“What the…?” She whispered to herself, the sketchbook now entirely forgotten before her. Her sentence trailed off into silence, it was clear she was just as lost as Wen Ning was. 

“Listen to this!” A new voice yelled, slamming something down on the desk at the same time. Mianmian flinched so hard her chair bumped into the desk behind her. 

“Xue Yang!” She yelled, glancing at the boy in question. He had his hand over a newspaper and a sheepish smile formed around the lollipop in his mouth. “You can’t just do that.” 

Wen Ning ignored Xue Yang’s following half-assed apology to lean in over the newspaper, he only managed to read ‘Body’ before Xue Yang pulled it away. 

“Hey! Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Xue Yang frowned and dropped into the seat before the two. 

“Just hurry, will you?” 

Xue Yang rolled his eyes at Wen Ning’s impatience before he sighed dramatically. “Yes, fine. Listen.” His face grew serious in a split second. “A body was found in a creek in the woods early in the morning, at about four. It belongs to a little girl, though it was hard to come to this conclusion.” 

“Why?” Mianmian wondered. 

“Because…” Xue Yang paused to gather himself, “Her body was so mutilated it was difficult at first to tell whether it belonged to a dead human or a mauled prey. There were multiple holes along her body, it makes people think the murderer used scissors to stab her. And… they didn’t just stop at once. There were some portions where chunks of her skin hung on only by a thread.” 

“Oh my gosh.” Mianmian’s hand was covering her face, both with pity and disgust. Wen Ning couldn’t even say anything with the way he gagged at that description. “Who was she?” 

Xue Yang leaned in, preparing to mouth the words. “Her name was Lu Qing, better known as-” 

“A-Qing.” Wen Ning finished off for him. He’d only met the young girl in passing once, what felt like years ago though in reality was only when the school year was beginning. 

There was a diner that was well known near their town, it marked the border between Harley and the neighboring town. On one occasion, Wen Ning had decided to treat himself to a meal on his own with his very first paycheck, for he did not have enough to buy for others. 

He had just sat down at a table, ready to dine in when he heard a commotion at the front counter. A little girl, whom he later learned was known as A-Qing, was trying to pay for a burger with what was clearly a fake toy dollar. 

“Baby, you know I can’t sell you a burger for seven cents.” The waitress behind the counter was saying with pity written over her face. The burger was usually a dollar and seven cents, but given that A-Qing had only a fake dollar, she was only handing her seven cents. 

“Come on, Miss Shirley, just this once. Please?” A-Qing begged with wide puppy eyes. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled so loud even Wen Ning heard it where he sat. 

“Honey…” Miss Shirley’s face fell behind the counter, the waitress took a quick peak down at her own tip jar as if considering paying for A-Qing. It didn’t get to that point. 

Wen Ning approached the counter and placed the dollar, which would have been used for his meal, on the counter. “Use this.” He said, hoping his voice wouldn’t stutter for once in his life.

A-Qing turned, already with a bright smile on her face and thanked him. In the end, that made it all worth it. Even though Wen Ning left shortly after, since he no longer had the money he would have used to treat himself with. But it didn’t matter, not when he turned back and saw A-Qing chowing down on her burger as he left the diner. 

That was the girl whose body had been found. 

“A-Qing… who?” Mianmian wondered. Xue Yang opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a different voice. 

“You’re in my seat.” The gruff voice said, talking to Xue Yang who was indeed not in his seat. Wen Ning glanced over to find a teen boy called Song Lan there. A boy who was often seen with A-Qing, almost as if she were truly his little sister. 

Tear burns lined his eyes, his nose twitched as if trying to hold back from crying more. 

Wen Ning wasn’t the only one aware of Song Lan’s connection to A-Qing, the whole classroom fell silent. Song Lan’s narrowed eyes dragged away from Xue Yang at the countless stares he felt, his face suddenly paled and he turned to run out of the classroom. 

Xue Yang flinched out of his seat, but a quick yank from Mianmian had him falling back in his seat. 

“Don’t.” Mianmian snapped. Her hand remained gentle on Xue Yang’s own. It was common knowledge for both her and Wen Ning that their friend Xue Yang liked Song Lan. Of course he would want to comfort the boy after his friend died. 

“Let me go.” Xue Yang glared back, he tried half-heartedly to drag his hand out of Mianmian’s hand. 

“Yang,” Mianmian began in the voice she only used when she wanted to remind them that she was the oldest of the three, “Your presence typically annoys him, remember? Now is not the time for it.” 

“But he’s-” 

“A-Yang,” Wen Ning cut in, placing his own hand over the other’s hands. “Just give him some time, alright?” 

Xue Yang’s gaze flitted between his two friends before he cursed, slumping back into his seat… Song Lan’s seat. 

Even when the class began, with Xue Yang taking over the pair of desks that usually belonged to Song Lan and Song Lan’s best friend, Xiao Xingchen, Wen Ning couldn’t stop his mind from running over this knowledge. 

A-Qing had been so full of life before, how could this happen now? And who could have done it? Was there seriously such a horrible person in Harley? 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning hardly made it in the restroom and inside of a stall before he was vomiting out his breakfast. He couldn’t even bother to close the stall behind him, instead his stomach heaved in order to push out the last of his breakfast out. A sickly pale color filled the toilet, ending off with saliva that his stomach nearly cramped up while trying to push out. 

The breeze from the air conditioner pushed through Wen Ning’s sweat soaked forehead for a silent second after he’d hurled everything. Ever since he learned about A-Qing’s corpse in the first block, he’d felt off. 

That feeling grew until he found himself running straight to the bathroom the second the lunch bell announced the beginning of their forty minute lunch. 

Wen Ning felt a single tear roll down his face, he quickly wiped it off with his sleeve. He grabbed some toilet paper to wipe off his mouth before he flushed the toilet and stood. 

It took longer than necessary for him to wash his hands and rinse out his mouth, he continued to feel dirty no matter how he scrubbed. In the end, he stepped out of the bathroom with that odd feeling still lingering. 

He only took a single step before he blinked up to find his sister walking over with Jiang Yanli beside her. The two girls blinked at him curiously. 

Wen Ning’s hand wiped at his mouth self consciously. He offered only a meek, “Hi.” 

“Oh, hey, Ning.” Jiang Yanli smiled, took a glance at Wen Qing and back at Wen Ning. “Everything alright?” 

“Yes. Why?” 

Wen Ning subconsciously twiddled his fingers, his sister worried too often for him, who knew how she’d react if she knew he’d been sick. 

“Nothing, you just look a little pale.” Jiang Yanli motioned, encompassing all of Wen Ning’s face. Wen Qing’s eyes flitted over, her face was oddly looking to the side. 

Thinking she was suspicious of him, Wen Ning shrugged off any concern that might arise, “I threw up… but I’m fine now!” He added in a high pitch, glancing at his sister… but she wasn’t worried, in fact she still glanced away from him. 

“That’s good, um…” Jiang Yanli’s gaze flitted to Wen Qing. Wen Ning’s sister continued to gaze at the closed door to the bathroom as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Jiang Yanli smiled, it didn’t reach her lips. “Well, we’ll be going now.” 

“Right. See you around.” Wen Ning agreed, waving goodbye to them both. Wen Qing jutted her chin at him, something she had never done before. Wen Ning’s brain snapped at him that something was wrong just as he stepped in front of his sister, effectively cutting her off. 

“What?” Wen Qing finally deigned to snap. Wen Ning frowned, his hand wrapped around Wen Qing’s chin, intending to drag her face over. “Ouch!” Wen Qing flinched the second he did, she pulled her face out of his grasp, but the motion was enough for him to notice the nasty bruise on her cheekbone. 

Wen Ning’s face grew hot, his hearing seemed to grow muffled as his vision narrowed in on the bruise Wen Qing had given up on hiding. 

“What happened?” Wen Ning asked in a tense voice. That bruise had to have been placed there by someone else. 

Who dared to hit Wen Qing?!

Wen Qing huffed, “It’s nothing. I tripped over a tree root.” 

“Must’ve been a nasty tree root.” Wen Ning ground out, he ignored the pounding in his heart to glance at Jiang Yanli. The girl instantly flicked her gaze away. “What actually happened?” 

Jiang Yanli glanced at Wen Qing with a growing frown, then back at Wen Ning before she squealed out, “Brad hit her.” 

Wen Ning knew he wasn’t the strongest person, nor did he even know how to fight. But at that moment he did not care. 

He’d never liked Brad in the first place. The boy was an obnoxious football player, someone Wen Qing met through Wei Wuxian, and also someone who did not deserve Wen Qing. They had been together for seven months, six of which Wen Ning had spent wondering what the hell his sister saw in the man. 

He was an asshole at first, but now this? 

Wen Ning glanced closer at the bruise, it was forming a sickly yellow color already, and swelling was present around it. 

“Yanli!” Wen Qing snapped instantly, she widened her eyes pleadingly in Wen Ning’s direction. “No, he didn’t. I tripped, okay?” 

Wen Ning turned a questioning glance at Jiang Yanli, the girl shook her head. “No, Brad hit her because she broke up with him after finding out he cheated on her!” 

Wen Ning couldn’t bother to stay and listen after hearing that. His vision swiveled, and it took a second for his mind to process that his legs were already directing him towards the football field.

“I told you not to tell him!” Wen Qing yelled with anger of her own, though Wen Ning hardly heard her through the cotton in his ears.  

His mind had one goal in mind: to find Brad. He wasn’t sure what he’d do, wasn’t sure if he was making a grave mistake. But he didn’t care at that moment. What made Brad think he could hurt Wen Qing simply for breaking up with him? 

Voices yelled from behind Wen Ning, he couldn’t tell what they were saying. His feet led him almost on autopilot down the hall and out the school. The football field was in the far distance, groups of students milled in their own separate groups both on the field and the bleachers surrounding the area. 

The sun shone down, brighter than it had in previous days and the students were enjoying it on the grass. 

Wen Ning’s feet didn’t pause at any point, even while his eyes surveyed the area in search of Brad, whom he knew often spent his time out here. He found the tall brunette boy on the bleachers, surrounded by other boys in the football team. 

Wen Ning cleared the field faster than he ever had before, if his sophomore year PE teacher had seen him, he’d have been shocked. Only a few feet separated him from Brad when the older boy glanced over, his gaze swept over Wen Ning and laughter bubbled out of him. The noise grated on Wen Ning’s ears. 

Laughter arose out of the friends closest to Brad. Wen Ning noticed that not everyone was jeering at him. Wei Wuxian, whom was a friend to Brad, only seemed confused as to what was happening and his friends weren’t much different. 

Wen Ning was briefly glad that Wei Wuxian at least wasn’t aware of what had happened. That feeling only lasted until he glanced back at Brad. 

His anger seemed to storm back in, like waves crashing onto the shore. 

“A-Ning!” Wen Qing’s voice reached Wen Ning from a distance. 

“Ning, don’t stoop to his level!” Jiang Yanli added. 

Wen Ning was past listening. He was cowardly on his own, for his own sake, but there was no way he would let anyone hurt his sister and get away with it. 

“No, don’t stop him.” Brad grinned, he stood to his full height. Wen Ning paused a few feet before him, even from a distance their difference in build was blaring. “This should be fun.” 

Wen Ning didn’t bother to say a single word, he let his eyes settle on Brad. Brad approached with slow steps, ensuring to stare Wen Ning down his nose every second of the way. 

A small motion dragged Wen Ning’s eyes back to the bleachers briefly. The same kid from last night, the one who had barely moved there, glanced over with worry. Wen Ning was glad when Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian’s equally as dumb friend, stopped the new kid from approaching. Wen Ning was not about to let anyone stop him. 

“Here to defend your sister’s honor?” Brad wondered, his head tilted questioningly, the grin growing on his face. Wen Ning let his gaze trail over him, he wished to punch that stupid grin off his face. 

Footsteps approached, Wen Ning heard murmurs surrounding them. Aside from that: silence, until Brad continued to talk. 

“You can’t do shit! You’re just my ex’s annoying little brother.” 

Brad lifted his own hand, he mockingly measured Wen Ning against himself as if to stress the ‘little’ in his sentence. Laughter rose around Wen Ning. 

Brad lifted his arms in an all-encompassing manner. It was a comical sight, Wen Ning knew. 

Brad was tall, and built from being on the football team. Even off-season, Wen Ning couldn’t measure up to him. All the exercise Wen Ning did was when he went on an occasional jog or had to walk home from school. He couldn’t care enough. 

Brad managed to smile wider, it was the last thing Wen Ning saw before he was running at the boy. Using his momentum, Wen Ning managed to knock Brad down, his vision swiveled on the way down but he felt satisfaction to find that Brad’s grin had fallen off his face already. 

Wen Ning knew how to throw a punch, in theory, though until then he had never put it into practice. It was odd how it felt almost like second nature to him. 

His fist came crashing into Brad’s face in a rapid succession, he lost count instantly. Screaming surrounded them on all sides, and it felt almost suffocating how the students grew to surround them. 

Wen Ning only got a few punches in before he felt his gravity shift, until he was under Brad’s weight and the punches rained down on him. 

An arm pushed against Wen Ning’s throat, forcing him down. His legs kicked out under Brad with no hope. 

It was his quick thinking that had him wrapping his teeth around the arm. A curse left Brad’s mouth right as Wen Ning pushed him off and quickly climbed on. 

His legs splayed out, centering himself in order to keep raining hits on Brad. The boy struggled similarly, Wen Ning felt glad to see it. He could tell there was a smile on his face, even as his face hurt and would surely bruise soon. 

Arms wrapped around Wen Ning, his gravity began to shift off of Brad. He quickly pushed the person off, heard as they crashed into the students. Chatter surrounded them on all sides, and there, in the distance, a teacher yelling. 

“-off!” Wen Ning heard Brad yell before the boy was pushing him off right as two different sets of hands grabbed Wen Ning and dragged him off. 

Wen Ning struggled through it, wondering if he was about to get jumped. He only briefly relaxed when his eyes landed on Xue Yang’s face, mysteriously missing his usual lollipop. 

“Get off me!” Wen Ning yelled regardless, turning to shove at Xue Yang and at Wei Wuxian, the other boy grabbing him. 

“Calm down!” Xue Yang’s voice came out breathless, his arms struggled to keep hold of Wen Ning. 

“He’s had enough!” Wei Wuxian also agreed. 

“No, get off me!” 

Wen Ning would never admit that he felt a surge of power and excitement to know that he could hold his own against someone like Brad. It only made it better to know that the boy deserved it. 

With this, the realization arrived that Wen Ning would not be getting away from Xue Yang and Wei Wuxian anytime soon. 

His anger managed to increase the second he laid eyes on Brad, the other boy was struggling to get past his own friends and to Wen Ning. “Don’t you fucking touch my sister!” 

Brad’s glare managed to deepen, so much rage and fury was pent up. If looks could kill, Wen Ning was afraid he’d die young. 

“Get away!” Brad yelled at his friends. “I’ll show that loser who’s boss!” 

Wen Ning managed to forget that he had heard a teacher yelling until the teacher himself pushed through the throng of students with anger on his own face. 

Mr. Nie, one of the few teachers Wen Ning actually liked, stepped directly between the two boys still struggling to get back at each other. 

“Back up! Back up!” He chanted, his arms raised as if calming two rabid dogs. The effect was instant, the near incessant chatter which had filled the area before quieted down to murmurs. 

“Brad and Ning, to my office, now! No more fighting, and no more bunching up!” He added this to the quiet group of students around them. When they didn’t move, he yelled again, “No more bunching up!” 

In a few seconds, the group dispersed as if they had never been there. 

Wen Ning had long stopped moving, his anger was mostly quelled. And he hoped Brad would know well enough not to hurt his sister anymore. 

The boy in question was still struggling. It dragged Mr. Nie’s attention over. 

“Wilson, you throw one more punch and you’re off the team, got it?” His tense voice proved his words weren’t a baseless threat. Brad turned one last glare on Wen Ning before he shoved his friends off and stomped in the direction of the school building. 

Wen Ning took this opportunity to shake off his friend’s hands, he briefly glanced back at them to find Xue Yang glancing down at a lollipop, squished into the dirt, and Wei Wuxian sighing while holding his arm. Wen Ning felt guilt arise, he turned to walk away. 

He only made it a few feet before he felt something in his palm. His hand wrapped around it subconsciously, even as he continued to walk while a funny feeling grew in his nose. 

Another few steps passed before he registered what had just occurred. 

His eyes took in the dark green handkerchief that now lay in his hand innocently. Wen Ning glanced back but the group of students were already dispersing. There was no way to know who had pressed the object into his palm. 

Wen Ning turned back to the front before Mr. Nie could begin to yell at him for taking too long. He placed the handkerchief under his bleeding nose, and prepared to face the consequences of his actions. 

Chapter Text

Mr Nie’s office was a small room connected to his classroom. Both were thankfully empty due to it still being lunchtime and most of the students being outside. Wen Ning didn’t have to see anyone on his walk of shame into the small office. 

He usually found Mr Nie’s office comforting, even though he’d only been in there twice before. Once when he was falling behind on a group project his freshman year and stepped in to ask for help from the kind teacher who was perfectly willing to help. The second time during his sophomore year when Xue Yang was a loudmouthed freshman who got suspended because he was too proud to explain to Mr Nie that he hadn’t been instigating a fight and had in fact been getting bullied until he finally defended himself. That second moment had been an awkward conversation though one Wen Ning was glad had occurred, it’s what allowed him to help his friend from childhood, who was always too strong headed to make himself clear. 

It was odd to return to the same office during Wen Ning’s junior year, because he was in trouble. 

The room had changed quite a bit since his last time. A picture frame was on Mr Nie’s desk, it had only the man himself and a woman who looked disturbingly similar to him. Wen Ning assumed they were siblings, given the close age gap. He never knew Mr Nie had a sister, he honestly thought the man was entirely alone in life. 

Wen Ning took the last available seat, attempting to ignore the cold look that Brad was sending him as he pulled his chair as far away from the older boy as possible. It only worked so much. 

Mr Nie took his time in pulling a journal out of his desk, as well as yellow sheets, pasted onto white ones, that were used when students got any sort of punishment. 

Wen Ning’s heart was at his throat. Before he’d gotten into the fight, he’d felt a silent courage that he’d never felt before. But it had since fallen away into quiet nerves. 

Mr Nie, after scribbling a few things in his notebook, glanced over at both of them. Wen Ning’s eyes flitted away from the man. 

“So,” Mr Nie began, his voice remained the same as when Wen Ning had previously been in the teacher’s office. “What happened?” 

Wen Ning wasn’t sure what to answer. He didn’t want to continue any of this already messed up situation, he wasn’t sure what he had been hoping to accomplish by fighting Brad. But it certainly hadn’t been this: making one of the best teachers on campus aware of Wen Ning’s violent tendencies. Tendencies that not even Wen Ning himself knew he possessed until mere minutes ago. 

Wen Ning didn’t have to answer. Brad jumped forward in his seat, pointing an accusing finger at Wen Ning. 

“This guy went crazy, that’s what happened!” 

Mr Nie turned to Brad with a pinch in his brows. “Wilson, do explain properly.” 

Brad motioned at Wen Ning, who sat back and allowed him to tell his own story. 

“This guy jumped at me like a madman! He swung first! Everyone saw it!” 

“And did he say anything on the matter?” Mr Nie asked, his body turned to Brad. He was perfectly fine with pretending Wen Ning wasn’t there for the moment. 

It helped calm Wen Ning’s nerves a tad. He just wanted to take whatever punishment was dished out to him and leave without having to be addressed directly. 

Brad shook his head. “No. He just started swinging at me all crazy.” 

He wasn’t wrong. Wen Ning had not said a single word to Brad in the leadup to their little tussle. 

“Alright.” Mr Nie sighed, he turned to Wen Ning. Wen Ning slumped into his seat and glanced away, wishing to crawl into the very seams that made up the cloth beneath him, anything to hide from that searching gaze. “What happened, Wen?” 

Wen Ning shook his head, his hand twitched around the handkerchief in his hand. He’d long stopped using it, the bleeding had been staunched before he even stepped into the office. 

He didn’t say a single word. Wen Ning wasn’t about to tell his sister’s story to Mr Nie, it didn’t matter how much he liked the teacher. It seemed a lot of people already knew what occurred to Wen Qing, Wen Ning didn’t want to make one more. 

No, he decided, Mr Nie could come to his own conclusions as to why Wen Ning punched Brad. 

“I cannot help you if you don’t talk.” 

Wen Ning shrugged at the notion. He wanted this whole thing to be over so he could simply leave and move on. The atmosphere in the tiny office was stifling. He could feel Brad’s presence like an ice wall beside him, and Mr Nie didn’t help much with his insistent glances at Wen Ning. 

“Well then, Mr Wen. If you cannot talk for yourself, you will bear the brunt of the punishment.” 

Wen Ning nodded to this. He would take whatever if it meant leaving already. 

Someone else seemed to like this idea as well. Brad’s loud, unbridled laughter filled the small office. It dragged Mr Nie’s attention back over to the boy. 

“And you, Wilson.” He began, causing Brad to sit ramrod straight in an instant, a gulp passing through his throat. “You will be benched for the next three ‘honor’ games.” 

Honor games were something their school participated in, since the football mentality was huge in their area. Once the official football tournament was over, the football team would continue to participate in ‘honor’ games against other schools. They were just games prepared to boost people’s egos. 

“What-?! But he-” 

Mr Nie ignored Brad’s outburst. “Am I clear?” He asked, entirely unfazed by the boy’s anger. 

“He started it!” 

“And it is to my understanding that you fought back. Do you claim to have been bullied?” Mr Nie questioned. The simple idea of it caused Brad to scoff, in what world would he be getting bullied by Wen Ning? 

“No- but-” 

“Yes or no, Wilson?” 

“No.” 

“Then this is the punishment you bear. Am I clear?” 

Brad turned one final glare at Wen Ning, Wen Ning could feel the weight of it on the side of his face. It only irritated him. 

“Am I clear?” Mr Nie repeated himself after only a second of waiting. 

“Yes.” Brad said, his voice meek unlike before. 

“Then you are dismissed. I need to talk with Ning here.” 

Brad didn’t say a single goodbye to any of them before he was off his seat and out the door, he turned a glare on Wen Ning right outside the door to the office. Mr Nie waited for the sound of his classroom door swinging shut to finally turn to Wen Ning. 

Why couldn’t the ground swallow Wen Ning up? 

“Will you tell me now what happened?” Mr Nie asked, his gaze refusing to remove itself from Wen Ning’s face, as if the answer to his question lied in his imperfections. 

Wen Ning squeezed the handkerchief in his hand once more, for a fake sense of comfort. He shook his head in regards to the question. 

Mr Nie’s eyes flickered down to the green cloth, his eyes furrowed briefly but they smoothened out fast enough for Wen Ning to wonder if he’d imagined it. 

Mr Nie’s lips pulled down into a frown. Wen Ning knew that look. 

“I never expected this type of behavior from you, Wen.” 

Wen Ning had to force the tears wanting to build up in his eyes back down, gulping felt like a struggle when there was a weight in his throat. He glanced at the corner of Mr Nie’s office, where the man pasted drawings from previous students, anything to not have to look at Mr Nie’s disappointed expression. 

Mr Nie sighed. “You’ll have two weeks of lunch detention and ten community hours to complete. Understood?” 

Wen Ning nodded. 

“I need words, Wen.” 

“I-I understand.” Wen Ning’s voice came out weak, it sounded even to him that he’d break out into sobs anytime soon. He didn’t regret giving Brad what he deserved, he regretted that Mr Nie had to deal with the aftermath, that someone was disappointed in his actions. 

Mr Nie pursed his lips, he glanced away, and his hand made a quick motion as if shooing Wen Ning off. 

“You’re dismissed.” 

Wen Ning didn’t have to be told twice. He nodded his head frantically and turned to leave the office. The classroom was empty; it helped to briefly lift the heavy tension off of his shoulders. But outside the classroom, the tension came back tenfold when he spotted Brad right outside of the door. 

The boy had been leaning against the wall, though he lifted off the instant he saw Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning felt a small burst of anger fill him up again. The door swung shut behind him.

 Brad took one, two steps closer. Wen Ning didn’t move an inch. 

“Watch yourself, Wen.” Brad said, one last time, and bumped into Wen Ning’s shoulder hard as he stepped past him. Wen Ning didn’t bother to catch himself; his shoulder slammed into the locker beside him. He waited for Brad’s footsteps to disappear behind him before he took a step forward. 

Wen Ning would be a liar if he said he didn’t feel some sort of satisfaction at seeing the bruises all over Brad’s face. It reminded him of his own predicament. 

Wen Ning brought the bloodied handkerchief back up. It had once been folded into neat squares, but they had long fallen apart from his use. 

A flash of silver caught Wen Ning’s attention. He turned the small cloth around to find embroidered letters on one corner. 

N.H.S.

Chapter Text

The Wen home was entirely silent that entire afternoon after school. One would think the house was alone, yet two teenagers sat in the kitchen together for hours on end, not saying one word to each other. 

Wen Qing was set on giving Wen Ning the silent treatment, aside from glaring at him every so often. Wen Ning did not feel like begging for her forgiveness, especially when she spent the whole afternoon painstakingly putting on a full face of makeup to cover up the ugly bruise Brad had left behind. 

Wen Ning couldn’t apologize to her, because he did not regret fighting Brad. He ignored his sister as well, instead choosing to work on his calculus homework while wishing he could rip it up in pieces. 

The sun was hardly setting behind the horizon, placing an orange sheen to the world, when keys started jingling right outside of the door. 

Wen Ning mentally prepared himself. His parents usually got home once the sun had long set, the fact that they were already there meant they must have learned about the fight already. 

The door swung open, exposing his mother and father on the other side. Wen Ning’s mother was a woman with soft facial features, ones that Wen Ning had taken after. But when she was angry it did not matter how innocent her face seemed, everyone would cower. 

It was a testament to how upset she already was that she did not bother to remove the key from the door and instead stomped right in. 

Yep, Wen Ning thought, I’m doomed. 

“Ning!” His mother yelled, her eyes glanced around and widened slightly when she found both her kids already waiting in the kitchen. 

Wen Ning felt like his heart was right in his throat. He gulped with fear. 

“What the hell is this?” She asked while slamming the white copy of Wen Ning’s punishment right in front of him. Wen Ning recognized Mr Nie’s handwriting, explaining the cause of punishment and the punishment itself. “You got in a fight?” 

“In school, son?” Wen Ning’s father helpfully added after having removed the key and closed the door. 

“Against Brad?” His mother questioned. “What the hell happened?” 

Wen Ning shrugged, attempting to appear nonchalant when he truly was not. His hands were already sweating. “It’s not a big deal.” 

“Not a big deal?” Mother repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Is that what you call getting into a fight in front of your school? With your sister’s boyfriend?” 

“Ex.” Wen Ning added, he couldn’t help himself. 

“Wen Ning.” Wen Qing hissed between her teeth. Wen Ning chanced a quick glance at her to find her glaring at him once more. 

Mother and Father gave looks to each other, one of the many that Wen Ning did not completely understand but which he assumed meant they were wondering what was going on. 

“What? What happened?” 

Wen Qing jumped in to answer Mother’s question. “Nothing happened, he got into a fight. That’s what happened.” She said, trying to deflect the attention onto Wen Ning again. 

“And I want to know why!” Mother snapped, it was clear to everyone that her annoyance grew the longer her questions remained unanswered. 

“Love.” Father said, placing a hand on Mother’s shoulder. Mother grabbed it, a sigh falling out of her lips. Wen Ning wanted to cry. 

“What happened?” 

“We just fought.” Wen Ning grumbled. His heart was heavy in his chest, he could feel his voice getting shaky already. 

“Yeah, you just fought.” Wen Qing commented.

“Well, why don’t you tell them then?” Wen Ning snapped. In his own moment of weakness, he found himself trying to deflect the attention as well. 

“Wen Ning!” His mother scolded him. Wen Ning flinched, he found himself raising his shoulders subconsciously. “Tell me what happened right now.” 

Wen Ning glanced at his parents with guilt written all over him, they wanted an answer. He knew he could lie, and say he was simply annoyed at Brad. But he also felt they deserved to know what had happened, mostly since Brad still seemed vengeful. 

Wen Ning jutted his chin out in Wen Qing’s direction. “Your daughter is wearing a full face of makeup for the first time in weeks.” 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Mother asked with furrowed brows. 

“Don’t you wonder why?” 

“Ning!” Wen Qing whispered in his direction. Wen Ning ignored it and continued. 

“What she’s hiding under? Maybe a bruise on her face? From where Brad hit her!” Wen Ning snapped. It was clear the moment his parents processed it, their gazes all fell on Wen Qing. The girl glanced between her parents and Wen Ning, before she settled on Wen Ning. 

“You’re such an asshole!” She yelled an instant before she ran out of the kitchen and straight up to her room. 

“Qing!” Mother yelled back at her daughter, in a split second she made the decision to follow her. “Seriously?” She asked with full judgment as she passed Wen Ning. 

The kitchen was filled with silence for some time, Wen Ning turned to his Father with a questioning glance. His father only seemed confused at the turn of events, until he shrugged. 

“He got what he deserved.”

And wasn’t that the moral of the story? 

Wen Ning’s nose had a weird bruise on it, and it was uncomfortable to breathe, but aside from that he was fine. 

It had been two mornings since the fight occurred, he found himself in the only bookstore in town with a silly apron on. He had been working there for a few months already, since the start of his junior year and he found the workplace was very calming. He didn’t usually deal with rude customers, only old people looking for books or the occasional nerdy teens. 

A yawn dragged out of Wen Ning’s mouth, pushing up into his nose uncomfortably. 

It was still too early though. The clock hadn’t even struck double digits yet and it was a Saturday. Anyone else his age was likely still sleeping. 

It was as he had that bitter thought that two familiar faces appeared in the windows. 

Wen Ning watched as his best friends approached the door, causing the bell to ring as they stepped into the cozy area. 

Mianmian looked annoyed for some reason, she hadn’t even bothered to properly dress herself, instead choosing to walk around in a hoodie and sweatpants. Xue Yang seemed determined, still with a lollipop in his mouth that Wen Ning would bet two dollars was cherry flavored. 

The two walked around the bookshelves, carefully dodging some stacks that didn’t fit within the shelving, before they settled right before Wen Ning. 

“Why, if it isn’t my two favorite customers.” Wen Ning said with sass, his energy already perking up at seeing two people he loved. 

“You know you love us.” Mianmian grinned at him. It dropped off her face when Xue Yang leaned in. 

“Right. But, focus.” Xue Yang snapped, causing the lollipop to teeter dangerously. Wen Ning looked at Mianmian with a raised eyebrow, his way of asking what was going on. “Oh, stop that!” 

“What’s with you?” Wen Ning frowned, Xue Yang was usually the one annoying them, not the other way around. 

“Listen,” Xue Yang said, he glanced around suspiciously despite no one being in the store, he leaned in. “I want to find out what happened to A-Qing.” 

“The girl whose body was found.” Mianmian added helpfully. 

“I know.” Wen Ning groaned. The girl had been haunting his dreams lately. He couldn’t forget that she had died in their very same town yet no one knew what had happened. 

Xue Yang nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, and it’s clearly bothering Song Lan a lot. So I want to solve the case for him.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal. “So he’s not upset anymore, and maybe he’ll realize I’m a good man and-” 

“Yang!” Mianmian cut him off, earning herself one of Xue Yang’s infamous grins. “Seriously, Ning, tell him how crazy he sounds.” 

Wen Ning shifted under Mianmian’s gaze, “Actually…” He trailed off. Because he had been concerned about the situation too. The idea that a murderer was walking freely in their town unsettled him to no end. And A-Qing had been a good child, he felt the least she deserved was for the person who did that to her to be behind bars. For life. 

Mianmian gasped. “No!” 

“ Yes , I want to know what happened as well.” Wen Ning flashed her an apologetic smile. 

Mianmian groaned into her hands. “Oh my god, you’re both so dumb! Don’t you know how dangerous that is?” 

“Aren’t you even a little bit curious?” Xue Yang wondered with his arms crossed before him. 

“No, not even a little bit.” Mianmian mimicked his pose.

“But what if they’re still out there?” Wen Ning asked, leaning in over the counter that separated them. Mianmian shrugged. 

“The cops will find them.” 

“Like they’ve done such a great job so far.” Xue Yang grumbled. “Come on, this will be totally fine, let’s just do it?” 

Mianmian shook her head resolutely. “No, absolutely not.” 

“Why not?” Wen Ning asked, trying to keep his voice leveled despite how he was growing annoyed. 

“Because it’s dangerous!” 

“That’s why you have to help us!” Xue Yang pointed out. Wen Ning flashed him a grin, maybe his annoying behavior would be helpful for once. 

“Exactly, you have to be there to keep us in check. Right, Yang?” Wen Ning turned to Xue Yang with wide eyes, he imagined he looked a little off. 

“Right!” Xue Yang agreed. 

Mianmian glanced between the two boys before her, her face went through a whole series of emotions. Wen Ning knew they’d won when she rolled her eyes. 

“Fine.” She raised her arms in surrender. Wen Ning couldn’t even begin to smile before she continued. “But! You guys follow what I say, got it? If we’re doing this, we’re doing it safely.” 

Wen Ning glanced away from her at the same time that Xue Yang rolled his own eyes. Mianmian frowned, looking between the two. 

“I asked if you got it?” 

“Yes, fine.” Wen Ning mumbled. Xue Yang shrugged noncommittally. 

“Good. Let’s go now.” She said, grabbing Xue Yang by the jacket and starting to drag him out. She made it a few steps before she turned to Wen Ning. “I’ll research to find out the best and safest way to go about this.” 

Wen Ning nodded in response and waved his goodbyes at his friends. 

The bookstore felt much lonelier after that excitement, the only sounds were from the cassette player beside him. For the third time that morning, ‘Girls just want to have fun’ began to play. 

Wen Ning groaned and took the chance to slump over the counter. It was going to be a long shift. 

Chapter Text

Hazy light filtered in through the shop windows on Sunday afternoon. Wen Ning had been assigned to the closing shift, the clock ticked on the wall and he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at it every few minutes. The thing seemed to understand his urgency and only took longer to reach the six o clock mark, when the shop would be closed up for the day and he could close up. 

There were still forty minutes left, and the clock seemed to have slowed down again to a slow tick-tock when the door opened. The bell rang to announce someone’s arrival. 

A familiar face was the one entering the place, it was the stranger from the other night. Wen Ning remembered how he’d felt at seeing the boy’s face amidst the scandal that Wei Ying’s friends had caused. Wen Ning’s heart skipped a beat, a shiver ran over his body. 

The boy was wearing a jean jacket lined in thick wool over a graphic tee, featuring a skating man, and Wen Ning was sure he could see the peak of another long sleeve underneath it all. He looked like he came straight out of a magazine from California. Perhaps Los Angeles or San Francisco, the only two places Wen Ning knew. 

Wen Ning wished to take the boy’s appearance in with careful movements but he only briefly noticed the other’s baggy jeans before the boy was crossing past the bookshelves, straight to the counter. 

Wen Ning let a nervous smile fill his face, he urged his racing heart to relax enough for him to speak. 

“Welcome, please let me know-” Wen Ning failed to be calm, his hand managed to knock over the little knick knacks that waited for customers at the front counter. “Ugh.” Wen Ning groaned, then blushed while trying to pick up the items. 

The boy’s feet sped up in an instant, he dropped to pick up the items that had fallen straight to the floor on the other side. His body was hidden behind the counter but for his hair, a messy tuft of black over his head. 

Wen Ning’s hands trembled around the items. He hoped the boy didn’t notice it when Wen Ning ordered everything again. 

“Thank you.” Wen Ning smiled at him after the ordeal was over, hoping that the heat on his face didn’t mean his entire face was red. 

The boy jutted his chin at Wen Ning, in a simple acknowledgement of his words. 

At a loss for what to say, Wen Ning turned around to the other items that lined the walls and moved the posters from one side to the other and back again. The store was silent save for the radio blaring “You Spin Me Round” for the world to hear. 

A soft sound filled the area, Wen Ning’s nape tingled when he recognized it as the sound of the boy chuckling. His voice was a melodic sound that Wen Ning wanted to hear over and over again. He was sure he would never get tired of it, no matter how often it blessed his ears. 

“People actually still carry those things around?” The boy asked, twisting that soothing voice into a jibe carrying a hidden knife. 

The tone of voice reminded Wen Ning of how Wei Ying and his friends usually talked to him, it instantly put him on the defensive. 

The tingle at Wen Ning’s neck grew worse for an entirely different reason. His eyes narrowed on the boy’s eyesight, following it all the way down to the green handkerchief sticking out of Wen Ning’s pants. 

After having washed it properly, Wen Ning had decided to carry it around wherever he went in case the owner ever saw it and wanted to reclaim it. But why was this boy making fun of him for it? 

“Handkerchiefs are a good fashion statement.” Wen Ning said in a curt voice, a frown filling his face. 

The boy’s face contorted in confusion, his brows knitting together as if he hadn’t done anything to warrant this. That was the problem with people like him. 

“Uh, have I done anything to upset you?” The boy asked, he seemed to still want to be polite despite it all. Wen Ning shook his head, he couldn’t offend this guy while at work. It was with this in mind that he pasted a picture-perfect smile on his face. 

“Is there anything I can do to assist you?” 

The boy narrowed his eyes at Wen Ning. “Seriously, what did I do?” 

“If you bring in used books you can also accumulate store credits which can be used in future purchases.” 

The boy glanced directly into Wen Ning’s eyes, Wen Ning kept his own peeled open in fake joy. The boy sighed. 

“Where are the mystery books then?” 

“In that corner, by the cat hat painting.” Wen Ning pointed towards a secluded corner, it had a painting of a lady who wore a cat as a hat. 

“Thanks.” The boy said, his voice sounding just as curt as Wen Ning’s had. Wen Ning jutted his own chin in acknowledgement. The air in the shop felt awkward and stifled, Wen Ning felt like he was suffocating. 

It was like a breath of fresh air when the boy walked away. Wen Ning watched in silence as he spent a few minutes looking through the stacks on the shelves. He picked out a few books, going as far as to flip through the pages, before placing them back on their spots. 

The clock was thirty minutes from six when the boy walked back over, and past Wen Ning. His eyes flicked in Wen Ning’s direction as he passed, he opened his mouth but Wen Ning glanced away. The boy continued on, Wen Ning barely noticed a brief roll of his eyes before he hurried out the door. 

Wen Ning exhaled the instant the door closed behind the boy, he no longer felt as if he were suffocating. 

Wen Ning’s curiosity was peaking by the time he unlocked the door to his home and walked inside. Wen Qing was the only other person home, her figure was slumped over a journal in the kitchen with the yellow bulb on for light. The sun was already well into setting. 

She glanced up briefly when he arrived, gave him a single raise of her brows in acknowledgement before she continued to write with a pink gel pen. 

She wasn’t mad at Wen Ning anymore, they had talked about it a few hours after she initially called him an asshole and admitted she thought Brad deserved it and wished she could have punched him herself. Wen Ning had joked that she still could, only to get a playful smack in response and they had been fine since. 

Wen Ning dropped his bag off at the bottom step of the staircase and slipped his shoes off. He ran over to the table, dropping into a seat without wasting any more time. 

“Jie.” He called out to his sister. 

“Mm?” Wen Qing hummed, she refused to look up from her task with her journal. It had pale red pages, which meant it was the one she used to write about her own thoughts. Wen Ning had learned that when he tried to take a peek at it and got a smack on the face in response. 

“Do you remember that kid from last time?” Wen Ning asked with a lilt to his voice, he was trying to beat around the bush. 

Wen Qing’s hand paused, she turned up to Wen Ning. “What kid?” 

“He was in the back of the truck when Wei Ying forked us.” 

Wen Qing frowned with growing confusion. “No? I don’t. I didn’t really pay attention. Describe him.” She turned back to her journal as if she had lost interest already. 

“He’s about, yay high.” Wen Ning put his hand about a finger’s length above his own, the other boy seemed to be only just taller than him, perhaps they might even be the same height. He waited for Wen Qing to glance up to continue. “He’s always wearing winter clothes and I definitely haven’t seen him before.” 

Wen Qing nodded in understanding. “You mean the new kid?” 

“Yes… him!” 

“Well yeah, he’s a new student. He’s Mr Nie’s nephew too.” She said, when she realized Wen Ning was listening intently she continued to ramble, “He’s the talk of the school right now… well aside from what happened to Lu Qing. It’s because he moved over literally three months before graduation. Why are you mentioning him?” 

Wen Ning shrugged. He couldn’t very well tell her that he had a schoolboy crush on him even though they hadn’t talked. And definitely couldn’t mention that the feelings hadn’t even dampened despite how the other had proved to be sort of a jerk. 

“No reason, just curious. And… he dropped by the bookstore earlier.” 

Wen Qing pursed her lips, she fidgeted with the gel pen in her hands. “He sounds like no good. He quickly fell in with Wei Ying’s group and now they’re good friends.” 

“You’re Wei Ying’s friend.” Wen Ning pointed out. Wen Qing seemed to shudder at the reminder. 

“Reluctantly, there’s a difference.” 

Wen Ning smiled at his sister’s antics, she could be quite foolish sometimes. A sudden thought had him gasping. “Oh, and what’s his name?” 

“Who? The new kid?” Wen Qing confirmed. “Huaisang Nie. Or, Nie Huaisang I guess.” 

“Nie Huiasang…” Wen Ning sounded it out, his brain began to inch towards something, some sort of realization that made him frown. “N-ie H-uai…S-ang… Oh.” Those were the initials on the green handkerchief that was conveniently still in Wen Ning’s back pocket. 

That would explain so many things: the weird look that Mr Nie had gotten when he noticed the thing, because he recognized his own nephew’s handkerchief. And it also explained why Nie Huaisang had pointed out the handkerchief in a playful manner, as if he wanted to joke around about something they both knew. But Wen Ning had shot Nie Huaisang down instantly. 

Wen Ning dropped his head to his arms, groaning into them with dramatics only a teenager could have. 

“What’s wrong with you now?” Wen Qing jibed. 

“It’s just- he lent me his handkerchief, which I only now realize was his, and then was trying to make conversation about it earlier but I shot him down because I thought he was making fun of me and got defensive. But he was just trying to talk to me.” Wen Ning groaned again for good measure. Wen Qing smiled at his actions, shaking her head as if he was being the foolish one now. 

“It doesn’t even matter.” She said, then turned to her journal. “You shouldn’t worry about Huaisang’s opinion because that means you already care for him.” 

“What?” Wen Ning asked with feigned innocence. “No I don’t.” 

“Better not.” Wen Qing grouched. “I can confirm extra hard now that anyone who hangs out with Wei Ying is no good for dating.” 

“It’s not like that!” Wen Ning claimed with growing heat in his cheeks. To his luck, Wen Qing just hummed before she put her pen to paper again. That was as good a dismissal as any. 

It was all fine for Wen Ning, he nearly tripped trying to get away from Wen Qing. 

Chapter Text

On Monday night, Wen Ning found himself alone in his home. His parents were working late nights once more, to no one’s surprise. Though they would thankfully have the next three days off. Wen Ning was already making mental plans to drag his parents out to the diner, of course making them pay. He wanted one night with them and his sister as a family. 

Usually Wen Qing would be there as well. This time, however, she had dropped by only for an hour before she informed him she’d be sleeping over at Jiang Yanli’s house as they had a project to work on. Wen Ning didn’t believe it for a second. 

The new installment of The Karate Kid was set to come out during the summer and he knew his sister was planning on watching it with Jiang Yanli. If he had to guess, he’d say the two were planning on rewatching the first movie at Yanli’s house together. Wen Qing always got embarrassed to admit she was a teenage girl at heart in front of Wen Ning, it was likely why she pretended to be working on a project instead even though she had a DVD in hand as she left. 

That night, Wen Ning had no such plans. Luo Qingyang had not suggested that they meet, which meant no one else suggested they hang out. It seemed they had plans though, Xue Yang was struggling with his academics as of late and Luo Qingyang likely had to stay in to babysit her little sister. 

It all meant Wen Ning could enjoy his time on the television, watching it for hours at a time without an annoying older sister telling him that he was rotting his brain or his parents suggesting that he go to sleep already. 

And with a blatant lack of homework to complete, that was exactly what Wen Ning did. 

He was on hour four of watching the television, it was eight at night, and he still planned to stay up for at least two more hours when he heard a noise. It was so subtle, that Wen Ning skipped over it in hopes of watching the sitcom on his television. 

A character on the screen made a joke, prompting some fake laughing sounds to emit from the scratchy speakers, it almost covered the sound of the front door opening. 

In a split second, Wen Ning recalled that he hadn’t locked the thing. 

He turned, expecting it to be his parents, his sister, friends, anyone he already knew. It was someone he knew. 

“Waiting for me?” Brad asked with a smirk on his face, his hand pointing at the lock, implying Wen Ning left it unlocked for him. Wen Ning pushed a harsh gulp through his throat, his heart beat rapidly against his chest. 

His brain took a quick second to wrap his mind around the situation: he was home alone, Brad walked in with an evil glint in his eyes, and Wen Ning was home alone . 

Wen Ning jumped to his feet instantly, he noticed the smirk wash off Brad’s face, morphing into anger, before Wen Ning was running towards the kitchen. 

Thunderous footsteps crashed behind Wen Ning, he could hear Brad’s raucous breaths. 

Wen Ning pulled the back door open and spilled out into the night. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the moonlight, when they did his heart nearly stopped. 

Brad’s football friends were waiting for him. 

“Going somewhere?” One of them asked, his face was delighted at Wen Ning’s growing panic. He stepped a foot closer. 

Wen Ning backed up only to crash into Brad, arms wrapped around his neck. Wen Ning elbowed Brad, dropping to his legs at the same time. 

“Get him!” Brad yelled. 

Wen Ning dodged the next set of hands that tried to reach him. He dashed through their formation, running barefoot through his backyard. He ignored their yells to loop back around to the side gate, which would lead him out into the night. 

The door was already open from where the others must have broken through. 

“Don’t let him get away!” Someone else yelled from behind. Wen Ning ignored them, he dove through the open gate and saw a shadow flying at his face. By the time he realized it was someone’s fist, it was too late to stop. 

A sickening crunch filled the night, Wen Ning’s healing nose was broken again in a split second. Dark spots covered his vision, he could hear footsteps approaching but couldn’t hope to run. His head swam with the force of that punch. 

He cursed inwardly, of course Brad had brought a lot more friends with him. 

A set of arms wrapped around Wen Ning’s neck, squeezing at his airway. 

“Let go!” Wen Ning groaned, trying to elbow the person. But they already knew to expect it. Another set of arms grabbed at his legs, his sense of gravity shifted. “Get off me! Stop!” He tried to pull his legs out but nothing worked. 

He could hear them laughing behind him, beside him, all over. 

His vision cleared after a few seconds, he counted six different people, Brad included. He glanced back forward and noticed someone’s old pickup truck waiting, Wen Ning had often seen it in the high school’s parking lot. 

Where were they taking him? 

“Please!” Wen Ning yelled, he wasn’t above begging. It was to his understanding that one should always avoid being taken to a secondary location in case of a kidnapping. 

“Please what?” Brad mocked him. Some of the friends picked something out of the bed of the truck, it was a cluster of ropes. “Now you’re afraid? Not when you ruined my life?!” 

Wen Ning thought that was a bit much. 

“I didn’t!” He yelled, while trying to pull away from the guys with ropes. It was no use, his hands were both bound together. “What are you doing?!” 

Brad laughed, his eyes blown wide with hatred. “You embarrassed me in front of everyone!” 

Wen Ning could feel his heart at his throat, his vision was growing blurry. “I didn’t- didn’t mean to!” 

“But you did!” Brad widened his eyes at Wen Ning. “And now you’re going to pay.” He motioned to his friends. 

One of them stepped closer with more ropes. These were looped through Wen Ning’s tied arms and brought up. Wen Ning followed it all the way to the end and his heart dropped. They were tying him to the hook behind the pickup truck. 

“No-” Wen Ning’s voice broke in his panic. He’d heard of this happening to others before, they didn’t tend to survive. “Please!” 

Wen Ning didn’t want to die simply because he fought a boy in his school. People fought all the time! Why did he have to die for it? 

“Beg all you want, you’re not getting away from here.” Brad laughed at Wen Ning’s panic. 

“No, please stop. Please.” Wen Ning’s voice broke with emotion. His life flashed before his eyes in moments, he was too young to die. He still wanted to go to college, to get a career, and to build a family of his own. But he couldn’t do all of that if he died then. 

“You hear that? He’s scared.” Brad jeered, he glanced at his friends and beamed with pride when they began to laugh. The smile fell off his face when he turned back to Wen Ning. “Work your legs, then won’t you? Don’t wanna fall over.” 

“No-!” Wen Ning yelled but the others were done listening. Brad motioned at them and then they were all moving. Brad jumped into the back of the pickup truck, as if he wanted to see Wen Ning’s death firsthand. So many people yet not one of them cared if he died. 

Wen Ning realized begging was futile. His vision blurred until tears were falling down his face, sobs falling through. He could no longer care whether they laughed at him, he’d be dead anyway. 

The car started, he heard it switch gears. Wen Ning desperately hoped they wouldn’t start it, maybe it’d be enough that he had already humiliated himself. But he’d never had much luck. 

The truck lurched into action, Wen Ning only ran two steps before he fell forward. Pain bloomed all over his body, it bumped along the rocky pavement, scratching millions of cuts into the skin of his arms. His knees bumped directly into the ground. 

His vision swam worse than ever before. His chest crashed against the ground, his chin bumped into the harsh pavement, and the car continued. 

It felt like Wen Ning was dragged for a lifetime, but he actually only made it to the end of the block before voices started yelling nearby. 

“Stop the car!” He heard someone yell, he thought it might be Wei Ying’s voice but that didn’t make sense. 

The car stopped so suddenly, Wen Ning’s arms jerked in the ropes. He heard the sounds of another punch, though this one was not directed at him. 

He could hardly focus on anything through the pain encompassing him whole. He couldn’t even believe that he was alive. Or was he…? 

Perhaps not, an angel appeared in Wen Ning’s vision, one with a halo around its head. 

“Please don’t die.” The angel muttered. It took a second for Wen Ning to scold his running brain at the mistake. This wasn’t an angel, it was the new boy, Nie Huaisang, and the halo was the moonlight behind him. 

Wen Ning groaned as hands pulled the rope off of his own, the ropes scratched at his cuts as they fell away. Wen Ning heard the car pulling away, he pinched his eyes closed, already expecting pain. It didn’t come, the truck drove off without him to follow. 

Wei Ying’s voice was still yelling in the distance, yelling such profanities at the people in the truck that Wen Ning wondered if he’d have to clean his own ears. The thought had him smiling, a flare of pain interrupted him and a groan fell out of his mouth. 

“Steven!” Nie Huaisang called out, Wen Ning would recognize that voice anywhere. He was only upset at the name it said, Wen Ning was not fond of Steven. In reality, he was not fond of Wei Ying’s little group. They had always been quite mean to him as kids and claimed it was ‘all in good fun’. Whose fun? Definitely not Wen Ning’s. 

“Yeah?” Steven called back. 

“Grab his legs.” 

Footsteps approached, Steven’s face filled Wen Ning’s vision. “Up we go, little Ning.” He said, it was what everyone called Wen Ning when they were kids. It was always said right before they teased him about his lack of height, or the uneven set to his teeth, or about his quiet nature. 

Their hands were not very gentle on Wen Ning, the pain flared up twice as much, causing him to groan and shake his head. 

“Just a little longer.” Nie Huaisang promised in Wen Ning’s ear. 

The night fell away in Wen Ning’s vision, being replaced by a warm popcorn ceiling and then by a smooth one before he was laid down on a soft surface. 

Wen Ning glanced around, he was in someone’s room, on an unmade bed. It was clear the other boys had been inside it, opened snacks were laid all over the floor and there was a football match playing on the television. It was a rerun from the weekend. 

“I haven’t seen a first aid kit yet.” Nie Huaisang explained, his voice sounded panicked as well. 

“Well, go find one!” Jiang Cheng, another of Wei Ying’s friends, snapped. “He’s bleeding all over your bed.” 

“I’ll be right back.” 

A minute passed in silence, with Wen Ning hoping he could stop feeling already. Was that what anesthesia was for? If so, he wished he could have some right now. 

“Where’s Qing?” Wei Ying finally asked after approaching Wen Ning. “Ning, where’s Qing?” 

“Yanli’s.” Wen Ning barely managed to whisper out. 

“Yanli’s?” Wei Ying confirmed, Wen Ning nodded. It caused his head to throb. 

“I’ll call her.” Jiang Cheng said, he turned from where he’d been standing by the bed towards the hallway. Wen Ning imagined the phone must be out there somewhere. 

“No.” Wen Ning’s voice came out weak, he couldn’t let them bother his sister. She’d be beside herself with worry, it was her nature. Jiang Cheng paused to turn back to Wen Ning. 

“What the hell do you mean ‘no?’” He snapped. Wen Ning had always been sure Jiang Cheng didn’t like him, though it seemed the boy didn’t like anyone. 

“Don’t tell her.” 

“I’m not covering for you.” Jiang Cheng seemed disgusted at the mere thought. He began to walk off, Wen Ning grabbed his hand weakly. 

“No, please.” 

Jiang Cheng shrugged Wen Ning’s hand off with a pointed glare, he stomped outside of the room and then his voice could be heard on the phone. Wen Ning’s voice came out in a whining manner, why couldn’t they just listen to him? 

“C’mon, Ning.” The last of Wei Ying’s friends, Jared, began with a pleading look. He was the kindest one in Wei Ying’s friend group, though that wasn’t to say much as he was still quite rude. “She’ll kill us if we don’t tell her.” 

Nie Huaisang came back before Wen Ning could say anything, he had a first aid kit in his hand. He didn’t say another word before he began to patch Wen Ning up. 

Wen Ning was worried at first that he would have to remove his clothes, but that wasn’t necessary. His clothes were in tatters already, the cuts could be seen easily and accessed. Wen Ning glanced at his body once and then refused to look at it again, he looked gross. 

Nie Huaisang focused on Wen Ning’s face last. He cleaned up the cuts on Wen Ning’s chin. 

“Ow.” Wen Ning groaned when the alcohol stung too much. 

“Sorry.” Nie Huaisang whispered out. “I’m almost done.” He promised, his fingers were careful as he dabbed at Wen Ning’s face. 

From this close, Wen Ning could make out a lot of different things. 

Nie Huaisang had long and curly eyelashes, pretty enough to make any girl jealous. His irises were a stormy gray color, but they had specks of honey brown within. They were the prettiest thing Wen Ning had ever seen. 

They flicked over to his eyes, Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened and his hand paused near Wen Ning’s face. 

Wen Ning couldn’t bring his own eyes away, that gaze felt hypnotic. He suddenly understood the allure that sirens must have had on sailors. 

A sudden sting had Wen Ning inhaling with pain and blinking, whatever effect had been there broke in an instant. Nie Huaisang glanced down at where his hand had slipped with guilt in his eyes. 

“You’re all banged up.” He muttered with one last dab at Wen Ning’s face. “And… I’m… done.” 

Wen Ning wasn’t sure what Jiang Cheng told Wen Qing, it was only a few minutes before she was arriving, red faced and out of breath. 

Wen Qing walked inside of the room, Nie Huaisang’s room, she pushed through Wei Ying’s friends and all the way to Wen Ning. Wen Ning refused to look at her, but he could feel her gaze over him. After deeming him alright, Wen Qing walked back out. 

The rotary phone began to make sounds as Wen Qing put in numbers, Wen Ning wasn’t sure what she was doing. 

Wei Ying looked at Wen Ning with confusion, but Wen Ning couldn’t offer answers he didn’t have. 

“Hey, Miss Wilson,” Wen Qing’s voice eventually said. And then it was clear what she was doing. Wen Ning groaned at the thought that she was calling Brad’s mother. 

A brief pause occurred before Wen Qing continued, “No, I’m not calling to get back with him, we’re done, forever.” 

Another pause. 

“I want to talk with him, is Brad there?” 

Wen Qing hummed as something else was said over the phone. 

“He just got there? I wonder where he was… can you put him on the phone, please? Thank you.”

A long few seconds passed here, it was clear when Brad arrived as Wen Qing inhaled sharply. 

“Brad?” 

Only a split second before Wen Qing said, “Shut up.” Wei Ying raised his eyebrows and nodded sagely. “Listen here. If you ever hurt my family or any of my loved ones, for that matter, I will end you faster than you can blink. Got it?”

Steven whispered in the following silence, “She means business.” 

That was Wen Qing in a nutshell. 

Her voice filled the hallway once more, “No, I don’t wanna hear your grown tantrums. Tell me right now, do you understand?”

 Wen Ning would give his liver away if it meant knowing what Brad was saying on the other end of that phone. Wen Qing shifted. 

“Good, I knew you were smart.” She began, “Oh, and Brad? We’re done after this, you stay away from my people and I’ll stay away from yours.” The phone clanged as she slapped it back into the receiver without much care.

She walked back into the room after, glanced at Wen Ning and smiled. 

“He won’t bother you anymore.” 

“How did-?” Wei Ying began to wonder. Wen Ning wanted to know as well, how could she be so certain Brad would leave him alone? Though if she was right, Wen Ning would be glad. One near-death experience would be enough to last him a lifetime. 

Wen Qing shrugged. She turned to Nie Huaisang, whom until then she had only known as ‘the new kid’. She eyed him up and down, causing Nie Huaisang to shift with discomfort, before she turned to his closet and began to sift through it. 

“Um, excuse me?” Nie Huaisang questioned. 

“You’re excused.” Wen Qing replied, curtly. She grabbed a green hoodie and some black sweatpants and handed them to Wen Ning. “Change into these.” 

“Jie…” Wen Ning whined with embarrassment, he ignored Wen Qing’s extended hand to glance at Nie Huaisang. 

“Go ahead.” Nie Huaisang waved dismissively, it seemed everyone understood not to fight with Wen Qing.

Wen Ning grabbed the clothes, he tried to stand to change but had to drop back down instantly when the pain flared. He groaned as he landed on the bed again. 

“We’ll help him.” Wei Ying claimed. Wen Ning had already been nearly killed, but this had him fearing for his life again. Wei Ying shooed Wen Qing out, all while Wen Ning begged her for help with his panicked eyes. She closed the door behind her. 

“This is a shaming ritual!” Wen Ning claimed later while Wei Ying slipped on Wen Ning’s pants, all while Jared picked up Wen Ning’s lower half and Steven laughed at his misery. 

In the corner, Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at the scene before him and Nie Huaisang found himself entirely interested in the moon outside of his window. At least Wen Ning wouldn’t feel too embarrassed in front of him moving forward. 

Wen Ning had long learned to be grateful for the small victories.

Chapter Text

Wen Ning’s eyes closed in Nie Huaisang’s room once the other boys had left and it was only him, his sister, and Nie Huaisang in an awkward trance. Wen Qing only allowed him to close his eyes after she ensured he did not have a concussion nor any life-threatening injuries. Wen Ning’s deepest wounds were mental. 

He woke in snatches throughout the night, first when his parents picked him up and his father carefully carried him back down the block to their own house. Wen Ning thought that was one good thing that came of everything, he learned that he and Nie Huaisang were neighbors.

Overnight he couldn’t stay asleep for long. His muscles ached, his bones broke out into cold numbness, like winter had managed to seep inside of his very skin. And he was plagued by nightmares for the first time since childhood. 

In his dreams, Nie Huaisang never arrived and the truck drove until Wen Ning’s heart gave out on itself. 

Wen Ning woke up from those nightmares, wondering whether monsters truly roamed this Earth and pretended to be human. He wondered if, given the chance, Brad would have continued until Wen Ning died or if he would have stopped on his own. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. 

The next morning, his parents asked if he wanted to press charges. Wen Ning shook his head. 

It felt like if he continued, this stage of his life would grow into an underlying presence forever. Wen Ning only wanted it to be over. And he was scared. 

He didn’t want to see Brad again. Part of him wished one of them would just keel over and die, then this horrible situation would be over and the gnawing pit in Wen Ning’s stomach would disappear. 

His parents decided to talk things over with Brad’s parents directly. They had met each other a few times since Wen Qing and Brad began dating, and were somewhat close friends in their years of youth. 

Wen Ning waited with bated breath for hours, his parents returned around lunchtime with the news. 

After much chatting, Brad’s parents had promised that Brad would not seek out Wen Ning any more, something to which Brad himself had attested, though his parents refused to tell him exactly what he’d said. 

And then came the stressing news: his parents had decided to open a report with the police department, in case Wen Ning ever wanted to press charges in the future or Brad went back on his word. That report would be their fail safe, something that Wen Ning would have to personally attest to as soon as he was no longer bedridden. The nightmare wasn’t exactly over. 

It was enough. 

There was still the possibility that the department would decide to continue to press charges despite what had been said, but that possibility was small. In truth, their department only had a few officers. And they needed all of those to work on Lu Qing’s investigation, on top of the usual reports that happened each day. 

Wen Ning hoped his report would get lost in the sea of millions of others. He hoped, in that same way, that this would become a bad memory in a cluster of good memories. He wanted, foolishly, to move on as if nothing had happened. 

Only then would he stop feeling like he was drowning. 

The sun was an orange tint on the horizon, something which blared in through Wen Ning’s window when two figures walked past the sidewalk below. 

Wen Ning’s room, as well as his sister’s, was on the second floor. He had a clear view of the people that passed below as his room had two windows, one that faced the setting sun and the other that faced the sidewalk. 

He had spent the whole day lying on his bed, at his parents and sister’s insistence, only getting up on the rare occasion that he needed to use the bathroom. His back was beginning to ache at the notion, he already knew sleep would pass him that night. 

The figures that walked by weren’t the first he’d seen that day, they were the first he was interested in, however. Xue Yang was waving his lollipop around while talking animatedly, Wen Ning couldn’t make out what about. The boy was wearing his usual leather pants, the ones that the teacher’s hated seeing on him and often tried to dresscode him for despite there being nothing against leather pants in their dress code itself. 

Mianmian walked nearby with an exasperated look on her face, she had her own strawberry lollipop, which Xue Yang must have gifted to her. She was in her usual crop top and bell bottom combination that Wen Ning pretended to hate, but it suited her. 

Wen Ning felt an air of nostalgia when he watched them walk past, and then heard the doorbell ring below. He yearned for the simpler times he’d had with his friends, even though those times had occurred just yesterday. It was as if he’d lived a lifetime between then and now. 

Footsteps clambered up the stairs, and then the door opened suddenly with Mianmian on the other side. She took one look at Wen Ning and cried out. 

“Oh my god, my baby! I can’t believe Brad did that to you!” She ran at Wen Ning, forcibly wrapping her arms around him. Wen Ning flinched at the sudden movement, he struggled to push Mianmian off. 

In the span of a night, he found he was not okay with it anymore. He didn’t want her to touch him liberally, it made a weight settle on his throat, one that attempted to choke him; to finish the job that Brad had failed at. 

His hands pushed futilely at Mianmian, “Can’t- breathe-” 

“Don’t kill him now.” Xue Yang said, pulling Mianmian off by the back of her shirt like a mother cat would drag a kitten. Mianmian frowned but let herself be pulled away. 

Xue Yang suddenly locked eyes with Wen Ning. The thumping of his heartbeat grew louder in Wen Ning’s ears.

“Should I kill Brad for you?” Xue Yang asked. 

A shudder ran through Wen Ning’s spine, both at the thought and at the reminder of how Brad had just gotten away with it. It was Wen Ning’s fault, he was too scared to do anything. 

Wen Ning averted his eyes from his best friends, he didn’t want them to realize how scared he was. 

“Definitely not.” He sighed to hide how his voice wavered. “And don’t worry about it, Wen Qing scolded him yesterday and promised he wouldn’t bother me ever again.” 

So please, don’t ever bring him up again. Wen Ning thought. If he’d been of a better mind, he would have wondered why Wen Qing was so certain that Brad would leave him alone. 

Mianmian sighed with lovestruck eyes. “That’s my Wen Qing.” 

Wen Ning gagged, “Not yours.” But he had to hide his smile, this was familiar territory. He was used to having to argue with Mianmian about her weird infatuation with Wen Qing. He’d rather do that than ever talk about what happened. 

Mianmian scoffed, throwing a pillow right at Wen Ning despite his wounded body. 

“You’re a bad brother in law!” 

“You’re gross.” Wen Ning fake-gagged for better measure. 

“Hey!” Mianmian stomped a single foot closer before Xue Yang pulled her back by the crook of her elbow. 

“Okay! Can we focus now?” He asked. It struck Wen Ning as odd again that Xue Yang was the one being level headed, usually that job fell to Wen Ning. 

Mianmian frowned, flopped down on the end of Wen Ning’s bed. “Fine.” 

“What did you guys learn?” Wen Ning asked. They had called him in the morning, which had been a weird and hazy conversation for Wen Ning. All he remembered was telling them, in  minor detail, what had occurred since his parents had already told them when they’d first picked up the phone. And he remembered them telling him that they’d learned some stuff, and they’d tell him in person. 

Mianmian rummaged in her pockets, she pulled wrinkled newspaper clippings from her jeans and handed them to Wen Ning. 

“All of these are the ones that mention Lu Qing even slightly. And, as we already knew, the cops are still working on the case.” 

“ But, “ Xue Yang began, throwing a pointed glare in Mianmian’s direction. “The station has three cops on a good day, it’ll take ages before they can figure it out.” 

“Right.” Wen Ning nodded. It was the same thought he’d had in the morning. Mianmian pulled another paper out of her pocket. 

“I thought you’d say that. Which is why I went ahead and compiled a list of possible ‘pects that we have now as well as a plan of action.” She pointed at the papers separately. 

The first page was the list of suspects. It only consisted of three people at the moment. Wen Ning wondered how they were supposed to solve the case, knowing only this. 

But the thought made him almost excited, he wanted to be able to work at it himself and grow the knowledge that he wasn’t useless. He could stay in control of himself, and this would prove it. 

He tried to internalize people on the list for future reference. 

The first was A-Qing’s mom, closely followed by her dad. There was a note that they were not very good parents. The last person was a man by the name of ‘Oliver Moon’ who was apparently the one that found A-Qing’s body. 

Xue Yang whistled with admiration. “When did you do all this?” 

“It wasn’t that bad.” Mianmian boasted with zero humility. Xue Yang nudged a shoulder at her teasingly, his eyes locked in on the first page. 

Wen Ning continued to read the second one. 

The title read ‘Plan of Action’ in Mianmian’s swoopy handwriting. There were three portions to it. The first suggested asking A-Qing’s parents for information about their daughter’s death. The second was to inquire into her school life, where she had spent a vast portion of her time. The third was to add ‘pects to the list when possible. 

“Wow, I didn’t realize you were so driven.” Wen Ning teased, instead of saying what he truly thought: that this was hardly anything. But it didn’t matter, he knew they’d figure it out. 

Mianmian gasped with mock-offense. “Rude.” 

“Anyway,” Xue Yang cut in with an eye roll, Wen Ning had often told him his eyes would get stuck like that. “We can go talk to A-Qing’s parents tomorrow after school.” 

Wen Ning nodded, “Right.” 

“Uh, no, not you.” Mianmian shot him down instantly. 

“What-” Wen Ning began to complain, this time it was Xue Yang who cut him off. 

“You’re sitting this one out. You literally have a cloud on your nose.” He said, pointing out Wen Ning’s bandages. There was indeed a huge bandage on his nose, since his parents had had to set the thing straight themselves after he refused to go to the hospital.

Wen Ning slumped further into his bed. 

“I can still move.” He whined. Xue Yang shook his head. 

“No, you have to stay back.” 

“Yeah, just relax.” Mianmian began, she hurried to cut Wen Ning off when he opened his mouth, “Just three days, okay? And then you can help as much as you want.” 

“But I wanted to go.” Wen Ning pouted, hoping to win them over. He needed this. Why didn’t they understand? 

Mianmian shrugged dismissively. 

“No can do.” 

Xue Yang nodded along. “We’ll tell you everything.” 

Wen Ning sighed, realizing it was pointless to argue with his best friends. The unfortunate thing was that they were all stubborn, and if he didn’t stop they could go on all night. 

It only sucked that Wen Ning’s control was pulled right from his hands just when he’d begun to have it again. 

Chapter Text

The officers were just settling into their usual routines when Wen Ning dropped by with his mother. His parents had been taking turns in going to work, in order for one of them to be with Wen Ning at all times during his brief recovery time. 

He already felt much better than he had two days ago, when his friends had dropped by for a quick visit and updated him on their plans with Lu Qing. That hadn’t been going well, they’d informed him that A-Qing’s parents either hadn’t been home when they dropped by or outright ignored them. 

Which meant Wen Ning had to focus on other things. It was time for him to add his perspective to the report his parents had opened. 

He spent a good portion of their visit explaining this to the two officers that were in the office: Officer Hendricks and Officer Nolan. 

Officer Hendricks was a short woman with smile lines imprinted onto her face and her curly hair pulled back into a bun. She offered water to Wen Ning and his mother as soon as they entered. 

Officer Nolan, Wen Ning knew more about. He was dating Mianmian’s mother, which meant Wen Ning had met him a few times before. He was a reliable adult, who truly loved Mianmian’s mother and always talked to children like they were adults rather than foolish humans. 

Wen Ning felt safe around them, it’s why he told them everything without holding anything back. 

Officer Hendricks waited for him to finish, she turned to look at Officer Nolan and they had a brief conversation with their eyes that Wen Ning wasn’t privy to. 

“And do you think,” Officer Hendricks began, her arms crossed before her, “had no one stopped Brad Wilson, he would have continued until you were dead?” 

“I…” Wen Ning trailed off. He had often wondered this himself. 

Would Brad truly have been capable of killing Wen Ning? 

He was sure the answer was yes. 

A pressure on Wen Ning’s shoulder grounded him, his mother was squeezing him to provide some semblance of comfort. 

Wen Ning’s eyes flickered over the department again, as he’d done countless times since he entered already. 

Multiple stacks of paperwork were piled over every available surface. File cabinets were overfilling, without anyone to properly clean them. And empty coffee cups covered nearly every other space. It was clear that the officers were struggling as it was. What with an active investigation ongoing in their small town. 

Despite all this, Wen Ning knew that if he said ‘yes’, if he admitted that Brad was capable of killing Wen Ning, they’d stretch themselves thin to push forward the report. It wouldn’t matter whether he wanted to press charges or not, they would do it themselves. 

He couldn’t ask that of them. It was his fault that everything had occurred. He had called it on himself when he fought Brad. He couldn’t drag anyone else into it. 

“I don’t think so.” Wen Ning said, forcing his voice to even out. 

Officer Nolan leaned in, “You think Brad would have stopped?” He asked in confirmation. 

Wen Ning nodded. “Yes, I think so.” 

Officer Hendricks and Officer Nolan turned to each other, Officer Nolan’s eyes flickered briefly to the side. 

Officer Hendricks smiled at Wen Ning and his mother, “Can you give us just a minute?” 

The officers didn’t wait for an answer before they walked away. Their voices were barely a murmur from that distance, it was unclear what they said. Officer Hendricks' back was turned to them, but her shoulders were bunched up. Officer Nolan tried and failed to hide the pinch in his brows. 

“Are you sure about this, honey?” Mom asked Wen Ning, interrupting his focus. She laid a soft hand on Wen Ning’s shoulder. Wen Ning felt his breath hitch in his throat. 

He nodded, not knowing whether his voice would work with him. 

“You know we will support you, whatever you choose, right?” 

He forced a smile. “I know, thank you.” 

It wasn’t clear what the officers had talked about when they’d walked away, it was clear what they felt about their conclusion. Officer Hendricks sat down with a slump, she sighed when Officer Nolan took no initiative to speak. 

“That is everything we need to close off the report. We’ll keep this, so if you ever want to revisit this it will be here waiting for you.” 

Wen Ning’s heart flipped in his chest. Did this mean they weren’t going to continue to press charges? His brain struggled, trying to settle on joy or disappointment. He wasn’t sure what to feel. 

Officer Nolan looked straight at Wen Ning, “And if Brad ever approaches you, or you think something is off about his behavior, come tell us straight away. Alright?” 

“I will.” Wen Ning agreed. It was becoming surprisingly easy to lie. 

Wen Ning waited until evening, when the sun was barely half an hour from setting, to walk across the street with a stack of clothes in hand. They were Nie Huaisang’s clothes, cleaned and folded properly by Wen Ning’s own hands. 

Wen Ning had waited long enough to make sure Nie Huaisang would be at home. School had long let out. 

The Nie’s house was one of the few in the block that was single story. It was a tiny thing, with small windows on the side that hardly let any sunlight in. Wen Ning tried to get his nerves under wrap and pushed on the doorbell. The sound reverberated throughout the house, more than it should’ve for something so tiny. 

Seconds passed and footsteps walked closer to the front door. Wen Ning’s heart soared with anticipation, he awaited Nie Huaisang’s arrival. 

But it wasn’t him who stood at the door when it swung open. It was Mr. Nie, clad in gray pajamas and with his hair falling messily over his eyes. Wen Ning’s heart dropped with disappointment, he had to hold back from sighing. 

“Ning- what a surprise-” Mr. Nie said, with wide eyes as he glanced around behind Wen Ning, likely looking for his parents. Wen Ning looked away, seeing his teacher like this felt illegal, “-to see you here.” 

Wen Ning extended his hands. “These are for Huaisang. They’re his. I borrowed them- only because mine were ruined!” 

Mr. Nie glanced at the garments in Wen Ning’s hands. He made no move to grab them. “That makes perfect sense. Come inside, I’ll call him out.” 

Wen Ning began to panic, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to see Nie Huaisang or not. “Oh, no. That’s okay. I’ll just leave these for him and go-” 

“What nonsense, come inside before any flies get in.” 

“There are no flies-” Not during spring. 

“I’ll call him out. Just wait here.” 

“But- I don’t know what to say.” Wen Ning whispered the last part to himself, Mr. Nie had left the door open and promptly disappeared down a long hallway. Wen Ning sighed, and placed one foot inside the house like there could be a trap underneath. 

He hadn’t seen the house properly at all when he’d last been there. But it was clear now that the place was much bigger than it looked on the outside. The ceiling was high enough off the ground that a chandelier hung down what was likely the dining area but had been transformed into a storage space instead. 

The front door shut with a click behind Wen Ning, sealing his fate for the day. 

His eyes took in the house with curiosity. Dirty dishes were piled in the kitchen sink, three different sets for what had likely been dinner. Wen Ning had never met Nie Huaisang’s mom, he wondered if she was there. 

The living room was scarcely decorated. A single couch was inside of the whole place, mismatched chairs stood on either side, both pointing towards a boxy television. Wen Ning sat down on the cyan colored couch, it was springy and slightly dug into his bottom. 

He managed to sit for only a few seconds, during which his leg bounced with his nerves, before he stood again. There was a curious looking door in the hallway, which Wen Ning could see from the living room. 

Light spilled out from underneath, soft piano music blared out from inside. Mr. Nie had not gone in that room, which meant the piano music likely came from a music player and not from someone’s fingers. 

Wen Ning inched closer to the door, it was open a sliver and he managed to spot a study of some sort. A vinyl was spinning on a floral player, the music was coming from there. Wen Ning put his one free hand out, and snapped it back when a door opened down the hall. 

“What are you doing?” Nie Huaisang asked, his head tilted with pure curiosity at Wen Ning. Wen Ning hid his hand behind his back.

“You were just taking a while so I- sorry.” 

Nie Huaisang let out a chuckle, which he quickly cut off with his own smile. He motioned back to the living room. “Come sit down. Should you be walking so casually already?” 

Wen Ning followed slowly. “It’s been three days, and I didn’t break a bone or anything…” Nie Huaisang pointedly glanced at Wen Ning’s nose, where a small band aid still was. “Beside that-” 

Nie Huaisang smiled, sitting down on the springy couch with a slight grimace. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it. Sit here. What brings you here? I mean- not that I mind it.” 

“Right!” Wen Ning sat down and pushed the stack of clothes out. “These are yours.” 

Nie Huaisang grabbed them, pulling them in with a puzzled look. It fell away into a smile when he sniffed at the clothes. He looked at Wen Ning, and his smile grew. 

“They smell like you.” 

Heat ran through Wen Ning’s cheeks. “It’s the detergent! My whole family uses it, Fibiscus from the quarter store on Main street.” He was rambling but he couldn’t stop himself. Nie Huaisang was just too forward. 

Nie Huaisang chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Sorry-” 

“You apologize a lot.”

“It’s a habit.” Wen Ning tried to excuse himself. 

Nie Huaisang turned back to the stack, pulled the shirt off the top and curled a brow when he saw the green handkerchief beneath it. He grabbed it, showing it to Wen Ning. 

“You finally know it’s mine? You won’t snap at me this time?” He asked in a teasing manner. 

Wen Ning couldn’t see his own face, but he knew it was red. He rolled his eyes, in a desperate attempt to keep his composure. 

“Not my fault…” He muttered. “And anyway, you were being very roundabout.” He glanced away, urging his face to stop exposing his every thought while his fingers fidgeted with the fibers of his pants. 

“Cute-” Nie Huaisang muttered.

“What?” Wen Ning looked back, his eyes wide. Surely he’d imagined that. Nie Huaisang’s face burst with color. 

“Nothing!” He claimed, it was his turn to look the other way. “Dumbass.” He cursed under his breath. This time Wen Ning was sure he hadn’t imagined it. 

He still felt heat over his face, but that word had him laughing with no attempts at hiding it. Nie Huaisang was a fool. It was endearing. 

Nie Huaisang’s eyes were wide when he looked back at Wen Ning’s laughing face, he spluttered before he began to laugh as well, “Sorry.” 

“At least it’s not me this time.” Wen Ning managed to push out between laughter. This time Nie Huaisang was apologizing. 

Suddenly, Nie Huaisang was gasping. 

“Wait here, I just remembered something!” 

“What- okay?” Wen Ning’s laughter cut off with confusion. 

Nie Huaisang ran down the hall back to his room. Wen Ning attempted to catch his breath, it was the most he’d laughed in days. He never thought Nie Huaisang could be that funny. 

But the moment he left, the gnawing feeling in his stomach filled Wen Ning again. He remembered this house, certain portions of it. 

He recalled the popcorn ceiling on the hallway, and the way it had felt to be carried into Nie Huaisang’s room. The same one Nie Huaisang had disappeared to. 

Footsteps began down that same hallway. Mr. Nie was the one to walk out, from the furthest door down the hall. He walked down the hallway, and into the kitchen before he came back out with a water bottle. 

“Ning, have some water.” He extended it, with a small smile in Wen Ning’s direction. Wen Ning tried to mimic it. 

“Thank you.” 

“Are you hot? Your face is so- red.” 

Wen Ning rubbed at his face, trying to recall what had made it do that. His heart flipped when he remembered, he had been laughing himself nearly to tears with Nie Huaisang. Wen Ning looked away, he didn’t need Nie Huaisang’s uncle knowing what Wen Ning thought of his nephew. 

“Do you need me to turn on the air conditioner? Though- Huaisang might get cold. He’s not used to it here, California was much warmer.” 

Wen Ning’s mind briefly celebrated that he’d guessed Nie Huaisang’s origins correctly. 

  “No, I’m fine. Thank you. Just- it’s nothing.” He shook off the thought. 

Mr. Nie took a long look at Wen Ning, as if he wanted to peel back his layers and know what exactly had Wen Ning reacting like that. Wen Ning was sure he’d found it when the man smiled conspicuously.

“Suit yourself.” He said and walked back down the hall into the same room from before. 

Wen Ning enjoyed the soft piano music until Nie Huaisang returned. He didn’t bother to sit before he extended his hand in front of Wen Ning. A thin silver necklace dangled from his fingers, a star pendant was on the end. 

Wen Ning looked at it, with growing confusion. Was Nie Huaisang trying to give this to him? Or show it off? 

Nie Huaisang seemed to grow more unsure of himself the longer that Wen Ning just stared. He pulled the necklace back and asked, “Is it yours? I thought it was.” 

Wen Ning’s brows furrowed. “It’s not. I’ve never seen it before. Why would it be mine?” 

“I found it outside, around where the truck stopped. I thought it might be yours.” Nie Huaisang frowned, his eyes seemed to grow darker. “If it’s one of theirs I’ll throw it away.” 

Wen Ning smiled at that reaction, he was glad he wasn’t the only one who disliked the boys. But at the reminder of what they’d done, Wen Ning could feel fear gripping his heart. His breath wanted to run away. 

Nie Huaisang sat down in front of Wen Ning, he leaned in closer and a small smile filled his face, like they were sharing a secret. 

“For what it’s worth, I think what you did was very admirable.” Nie Huaisang whispered. 

Wen Ning scoffed, “For getting kicked and dragged around?” 

“For standing up to him and defending your sister.” 

Wen Ning looked away, Nie Huaisang’s gaze was oozing with admiration. It made Wen Ning uncomfortable. 

“I shouldn’t have had to in the first place.” 

It was silent for a second, Nie Huaisang looked pensive. Wen Ning wasn’t sure what he was thinking, and he never found out. He glanced down at the necklace and reached for it. “Can I have it?” 

Nie Huaisang took one look at the thing before he dropped it into Wen Ning’s palm. “Here, I don’t know what to do with it anyway.” 

Wen Ning did know what to do with it, he knew exactly what he would do. He went home shortly after. The anticipation had him wanting to leave the second he got his hands on the thing. 

When he entered his house, he briefly greeted his mother and veered into the kitchen. The necklace dangled in his hand above the trash can for a second. Wen Ning imagined, and hoped, that the owner of the necklace could feel a phantom pain as he dropped it into the trashcan and closed the lid over it. 

Chapter Text

Only minutes after Wen Ning made it into his home, the doorbell rang. Wen Ning unlocked the door (he’d never forget to lock it again) to find his best friends standing outside. After telling his Mother that they’d be upstairs, he allowed them into his room. 

“What happened?” He asked without waiting longer. He wondered if they had managed to chat with A-Qing’s parents, as they had been trying to for days already. It was likely they had. 

Mianmian’s brows were pinched together, never relaxing once on the way upstairs. Xue Yang kept pulling the cherry lollipop out of his mouth to fidget with it. It wasn’t often that he would leave his mouth alone, it was clear something was wrong.

Mianmian let herself down on Wen Ning’s bed with a thud, she glanced up at the stars stuck to Wen Ning’s ceiling. They’d been there since Wen Ning was a child, he had more than enough time to remove them yet he’d never bothered to. What would his room be like without this signature feature? 

Mianmian sighed, she turned to Wen Ning. “You know, you usually think monsters are the ones with one eye and fur all over their bodies, but they’re not. They are humans.” 

Wen Ning agreed. Monsters weren’t the ones who looked ugly, or the ones used to scare children into behaving. The worst monsters were the ones who smiled in your face when they needed you, and stabbed you in the back when you weren’t watching. They were the ones who dragged defenseless teenagers out of their homes and nearly killed them. 

It was clear that A-Qing’s parents were the monsters Mianmian was talking about. 

“What did they say?” Wen Ning asked, sitting down with his back to the headboard. 

Xue Yang chuckled sardonically, where he stood leaning against the doorway, a lollipop twirling between his fingers. “A bunch of nothing actually. They said so much and none of it made sense.” 

“How does that happen?” 

“They were high as all hells, Ning.” Xue Yang groaned, he pushed the lollipop back in his mouth. “You couldn’t make heads or tails of what they were saying.” 

“And they didn’t seem to be aware, or really care that their daughter is dead.” Mianmian added. 

“We asked if they wanted to talk and they said they’d just talked to the cops earlier.” Xue Yang said. He slid down the wall, until he slumped against it. “They seemed exasperated. Like they don’t care that their daughter is dead and they’re tired of having to help with her investigation.” 

“They don’t care what happened to her.” Wen Ning murmured. It was true, the true monsters were humans. 

“No, they don’t.” Mianmian agreed with a frown. 

“Did they say anything useful?” Wen Ning asked. It was horrible that parents like that existed, but the best way to help A-Qing was to figure out what happened to her. 

Xue Yang shook his head. 

“They weren’t aware of anything. We asked if they knew where she goes when she’s not at home or school, they looked at us like we were crazy for assuming her parents would know where she hangs out.” 

Mianmian grumbled, “Can we even trust anything they say though? I mean, they literally kept giggling at nothing.” 

“It’s like they’re not aware of anything.” 

“How are we supposed to get anything out of them, or anyone for that matter?” Mianmian asked what they were all thinking. 

Wen Ning sighed, he wasn’t sure what to tell them. Their investigation had only just started and they were already facing obstacles. His heart thumped uncomfortably, he wondered if they’d call it quits already. 

He couldn’t have that, he needed to know what had happened to A-Qing. 

“We can’t give up yet, not when we decided to start.” Wen Ning said. Mianmian’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears, Xue Yang narrowed his eyes. “Let’s go to their house again tomorrow, maybe we’ll have better luck.” 

“Wasting our time?” Xue Yang whined. Mianmian sighed. 

“We have no other option.” She sat up suddenly to turn to Wen Ning. “Are you feeling any better?” 

Wen Ning pulled his lips into a smile, he nodded at Mianmian. “ Much better, I’m going back to school tomorrow.” 

Life kept moving after all, and Wen Ning just had to keep moving with it. 

Being back at school once everything happened was weird. Wen Ning had expected to be stared at, and whispered about. 

But it seemed the days that had passed since the attack meant people had gotten bored already. There were still whispers that followed him, they were significantly less than he expected and entirely easy to ignore. 

After school, Wen Ning walked up to the Lu’s House with his best friends in tow. The house was a murky pink color, it would have once been a pastel pink shade that had since dulled out into a sickly pale pink. The walls had not seen a good washing in years either, cobwebs lined the area and the grass was overgrown against it. Rustling footsteps scurried away through the tall grass when the trio knocked on the door. 

A man in loose camo shorts, with no shirt on and his bones popping out against his skin opened the door. His eyes were bloodshot, it took a second for them to focus on the teenagers on his doorstep. He frowned as soon as he noticed them. 

“We don’t want to buy anything-!” He yelled, Wen Ning assumed this was A-Qing’s father. He pushed on the door, intending to shut it in their faces. Mianmian pushed past Wen Ning. 

“Wait!” She yelled, putting her hand out to hold the door. A-Qing’s father pulled the door back to frown at her. “We were actually here yesterday. Yang and I?” She motioned between Xue Yang and herself. Xue Yang waved. 

The man looked between the two, the frown grew and it was clear he did not recognize them. It had only been a day since he’d last seen them. 

“What do you want?” 

“We want to ask a few more questions.” Mianmian smiled. 

The man narrowed his eyes, he swayed on his spot and fell back against the doorway. “I’m not joining no cult.” 

“I can assure you that isn’t our intention, sir.” Mianmian said, polite as ever. It was better than Wen Ning could have been, the man held no regards for them, Wen Ning would have left if the conversation wasn’t necessary. 

A-Qing’s father burped, long and loud, before he pulled the door open. 

“Five minutes.” 

“Thank you.” Mianmian said, Wen Ning pushed past her to walk in first. 

The inside of the house was worse than the outside. The stench was the first thing Wen Ning noticed. It assaulted his nose the second he entered the home, the smell of weed in the air and the rot of leftovers. 

The walls were grimy, a yellow coat covered them, a telltale sign that smokers lived in the house. 

They were hoarders too. Not a single inch of the house was properly cleaned off, dust covered all of the surfaces and random knick knacks laid over the couches and the chairs. 

Wen Ning tried to hide his grimace when he sat the smallest part of his bottom on the ripped couch. The springs practically stabbed him. 

“Who are they, Jun?” A woman asked, her fingers wrapped around a cigarette. Her eyes were red, like she was matching with the man, Jun. 

“Fuck if I know.” Jun snapped. “They wanna ask us questions.” 

“Miss Lu,” Mianmian leaned in with a smile. “We just have a few questions about A-Qing.” 

The woman scoffed the second the name left Mianmian’s mouth. “It’s always about her, isn’t it?” 

Mianmian glanced at Wen Ning warily, “What do you mean?” She asked. 

“She was always running around, looking for attention from anyone that would give it to her! Even from Jun, oh, that little sl-” 

“Miss Lu-” Mianmian cut in, her eyes already swimming with fury. Wen Ning didn’t bother to calm her down, the woman was a monster and she deserved it. “She was your daughter.” 

“She sure didn’t act like it. She liked to preen around in hopes of attracting everyone, God, I can’t imagine her any older.” 

Wen Ning filed this comment to the side, Miss Lu had just made herself top of the suspect list in his mind. Mianmian, on the other hand, snapped to her feet. 

“She was eleven years old, I don’t think she wanted your husband.” She yelled. Miss Lu glared at Mianmian. 

“What are you defending her for?” 

“Here we go.” Wen Ning groaned, A-Qing’s mother was preparing for her big one. 

“Do you think you can take him away? To keep him to yourself? As if he’d ever go after someone like you-!” She pointed an accusing finger at Mianmian.  

“Like what?!” Mianmian asked with growing offense. Miss Lu stood, swaying on her spot as she fought for balance. 

“Why do you think he chose me? He’d never choose you!” 

Miss Lu held herself in high regard: she was blond haired, with blue eyes, and likely peaked in high school. She needed a taste of reality, and fast. 

Mianmian sneered, “I don’t want your fugly man anyway! And you two are terrible parents! I hope A-Qing’s death remains in your conscience forever because you might as well have done it yourselves!” She yelled, already turning to leave. She glared at Wen Ning and Xue Yang. “Let’s go.” 

“Oh yeah!” Miss Lu yelled behind them. “Well if you want to defend her so bad then why don’t you join her, bitch?!” She punctuated her words by slamming the door right behind their backs. It nearly smacked Wen Ning on the way out. 

The air outside helped calm Wen Ning down. That entire situation had been stifling. 

Mianmian and Xue Yang had said that A-Qing’s parents could hardly focus on a thing when they’d visited, and that their words made no sense. That wasn’t what Wen Ning had seen, A-Qing’s mother had been able to grow pretty angry herself and A-Qing’s father looked exasperated with them. It only meant that they were more lucid. And if that was how they were on their good days, Wen Ning wasn’t sure they’d learn anything useful from them. 

That lead would need to be pursued another way. 

“That went well.” Xue Yang groaned on the sidewalk in front of A-Qing’s house. Mianmian turned to glare at him. “What?” Xue Yang raised his hands, feigning innocence. 

Mianmian rolled her eyes and groaned at his behavior. “Now what are we supposed to do?” 

Wen Ning had just come to the conclusion that they needed another plan as well. 

A shuffling sound grew closer, it was a green soccer ball rolling right up to them. Wen Ning glanced up, there was a kid running their way with more kids following behind. The neighborhood friend group. Wen Ning remembered when he’d been part of one of those, he remembered how often he’d been teased and how Xue Yang had been the one to defend him while Mianmian chased after Wen Qing, even then. 

“Can you pass it?” The leading kid asked Wen Ning. Wen Ning kicked it back with ease. “Thank you!” The boy’s smile had a few missing teeth. 

Wen Ning hummed, a thought was forming in his head. He tilted his head, flicking his eyes over the kids running back over to their part of the street. 

When he was a kid, the friends he hung out with spent most of their time outdoors. So, if anyone had seen something… it would be these kids. 

Wen Ning began to walk over to them, he ignored Mianmian’s questioning glance. 

He only made it a few feet closer before the same kid who’d asked for the ball noticed him. 

“Alan-” He nudged the oldest looking kid there, one who seemed to be around thirteen years of age. 

“What- oh, stay here.” The kid, Alan, pushed the other kid behind himself, the other three kids there naturally followed Alan, who seemed to be the assigned leader. 

Wen Ning kneeled in front of them, he wasn’t that much taller than Alan but he hoped to not intimidate the younger ones. 

“Hey, can I ask you guys something?” He asked, in his friendliest tone of voice. 

Alan frowned. “Why should we help you?” 

Mianmian kneeled beside Wen Ning, she said, “If you did, it would really help with an investigation we’re doing right now.” 

Xue Yang leaned in to speak, already having pulled the lollipop out of his mouth. “Don’t you guys want to be detectives?” 

Alan hummed, he scratched at a nonexistent beard. “Okay then, ask.” 

“What do you know about the Lu house? The parents or A-Qing.” Wen Ning asked, straight to the point. 

The instant he mentioned A-Qing, the only girl squealed, she was tiny in size and likely about five years of age. 

“A-Qing sometimes does my hair.” She exclaimed. Wen Ning didn’t miss the use of present tense in her sentence. 

Alan looked at Wen Ning’s furrowing brow, his eyes softened as if pleading for Wen Ning not to tell the little girl the truth of A-Qing’s death. Wen Ning softened his features, it wasn’t his business. 

“Anything else?” He asked. 

Alan shifted, his eyes going back to their hard stare. “There’s always screams coming from the house, usually when A-Qing w-is there. But there are a few moments where they’ll yell even if she’s not there.” 

“When they’re not high.” Xue Yang muttered, Wen Ning had come to that same conclusion as well. 

“And was there any suspicious activity that happened leading up to… it.” Wen Ning asked Alan. 

“It?” The little girl titled her head adorably, no one bothered to explain this to her. 

The kids fell into a brief silence, some of them going as far as to frown in thought. It was a different kid, one around nine years of age with a dusting of freckles along his cheeks, that answered. 

“No, it was the same.” 

The last kid, who hadn’t yet spoken, frowned at the freckled kid. He didn’t say anything.  Wen Ning took notice of this, perhaps the kid had noticed something? 

Mianmian scowled. “Is there really nothing?” 

Alan glared in her direction. “We already told you, no.” 

“Okay, geez.” Mianmian said with a roll of her eyes. “Thanks, anyway.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

With those last words from Alan, the kids began to disperse. Their game of kickball had gone forgotten long enough, they seemed to be itching to get back to it. 

The only kid who hadn’t said a word walked away last, almost reluctantly. He chanced a glance back at Wen Ning through his curly hair. 

“Wait.” Wen Ning called out to him. Alan looked back, but he quickly moved on when he realized they were talking to someone else. The last kid fidgeted as he walked back over to them. “What’s your name?” 

“Ronnie.” Ronnie’s voice was a whisper, he shifted on the balls of his feet, his eyes flickering between each of the teenagers. 

Wen Ning smiled at him, trying to appear friendly. “It looked like you remembered something, Ronnie.” 

Ronnie looked down at his twiddling fingers. “It wasn’t much.” He said. He looked to be about eight years old, he talked with the nerves of a child who was more self-aware of the world but still not old enough to be sassy. 

Wen Ning shook his head at the notion that anything could be considered ‘not much.’ “No, anything you can tell us will help.” 

Ronnie tugged on the ends of one of his curls, he managed to stretch it all the way down to his shoulder before he said, “There was a… boy.”

“A boy?” Wen Ning asked when Ronnie paused for too long. He felt like they might be getting somewhere, and his patience had begun to wear thin. 

Ronnie nodded. 

“He used to go in and out from their house. Sometimes.” 

Wen Ning turned back to his friends, Mianmian gave him an encouraging glance and he continued. “Do you remember what he looks like?” 

“He is a little taller than you, I think. And… he has short dark hair.” 

Wen Ning sighed, Ronnie stopped as if he didn’t remember more. “That doesn’t narrow it much. Thank you for help, Ronnie.” 

Ronnie smiled, it showed off his crooked teeth. “Am I a detective too, now?” 

Xue Yang leaned down. “You sure are, kid. Here, your payment.” He held a blueberry lollipop in his hands, Wen Ning often wondered how Xue Yang managed to keep so many flavors on hand. 

Ronnie glanced at the thing and frowned. 

“My mom says I shouldn’t accept candy from strangers.” 

Xue Yang pulled it back, he nodded sagely. “Your mom is a wise person. Take care of yourself then. Make sure your friends stay safe.” 

Ronnie nodded with determination. “I will.” He turned and ran back to his friends, quickly joining in on their soccer game. 

They didn’t speak of their findings in public, they seemed to have come to a silent agreement to wait until they made it to someone’s home. The home, in this case, turned out to be Xue Yang’s trailer. It was a light blue thing, with lots of plants decorating the outside per Xue Yang’s grandma’s hobby. 

Once inside, they settled in Xue Yang’s small room before Xue Yang’s grandmother arrived with warm tea and cookies that she claimed had been made earlier in the day, when Xue Yang had informed her his friends might be coming over. 

They were chocolate chip cookies with gooey chunks of chocolate on the outside, and a soft inside. 

“Thank you, Granny.” Wen Ning turned to smile at the old lady. 

“Hey, she’s my Nan not yours.” Xue Yang complained, Grandma suddenly smacked him on the head. 

“Haven’t I taught you to share?” She wondered. It was true that she was the one who’d taught Xue Yang, she’d raised him to be the boy he was after his parents died when he was seven and he suddenly had to move away from Wen Ning’s side of the town and all the way to the trailer park with his Grandmother. 

Xue Yang had always seemed grateful for it, and it was clear to any of his friends that he loved his Grandma dearly. 

Xue Yang pouted at his Grandma, she ignored it to smile at Wen Ning and Mianmian. 

“Make sure to eat them all.” 

Mianmian sent a wide grin at her. “You’re the best, Gran!” She didn’t waste any more time to dig into one of the cookies. Granny Xue beamed at Mianmian’s reaction, her eyes turned up into crescents as she smiled at them. 

“I’ll let you youngsters be.” She said and then left. It was only due to prior experience that Wen Ning knew she’d be going outside to the ‘porch’ they had and would then read another creased paperback on her rocking chair. 

The door to Xue Yang’s room closed behind her, then the door shut from outside before Mianmian turned to them. 

“We need to find out who mystery boy is.” She said without delay. That might be their number one suspect at the moment. Someone that dropped by A-Qing’s house often, who was also likely around Wen Ning’s age or even older, considering the height. That was who they needed to find. 

“But how? That description could fit anyone.” Xue Yang asked what they were all thinking. And that was the question of the year. How were they going to find someone when they had such a generalized description? Mystery boy could be anyone. 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning wasn’t able to spend his lunch time sitting in the library anymore, not since he’d been assigned lunch detention. It had been momentarily stopped while he couldn’t attend school, which meant he still had quite some time to go. 

He usually spent his lunch time sitting in the library, or, on the occasions it was warm enough, sitting outside. But since his lunch time was no longer in the equation, he now took to sitting there before school. The plus side was that it was mostly empty at the time, and the people who did drop by were either going to quickly check out a book and leave, or tended to whisper with their friends. It was the best place for someone who needed to concentrate. 

That was why Wen Ning needed it the morning after talking with A-Qing’s parents. He couldn’t sleep properly overnight, his mind had been running through half-formed plans that quickly fell off when he realized he couldn’t do any of what he was thinking. 

He thought about asking around, but Mianmian had already warned them against it until she could figure out how to do it safely. 

He wondered if they should stake out the house, but he had a life to live and community hours to complete. He didn’t have that type of time, even if he still had a whole semester to complete the community hours, he needed to start cracking down on them soon or he might forget about them. 

It was why he only wrote one thing down on his paper full of notes, the fact that there was a mystery boy showing up at the Lu’s house quite often. He wasn’t able to write a single way to find out who the boy was. 

Wen Ning sighed, crestfallen. He had been zoning out while looking through the high library windows into the sky, it ended when he slumped down and dropped his face into his arms. 

He wasn’t sure what to do anymore. Perhaps there was a reason being a detective was an actual profession. 

Footsteps approached, Wen Ning didn’t bother to look up, he thought it might be someone else making their way to the librarian’s desk to check out a book they grabbed. 

The person stopped behind Wen Ning, causing goosebumps to rise over his skin. 

“Not much to go off of, huh?” 

Wen Ning flinched at that voice, he turned his head and found Nie Huaisang standing there with his eyes peeking at the nearly empty page on the table. Wen Ning hurriedly flipped it around. 

Nie Huaisang raised his hands in mock surrender, “Sorry, it was just right there.” 

Wen Ning glanced at Nie Huaisang’s gray eyes, and then he dropped them onto the boy’s puffy jacket again. It was clear he still wasn’t used to the cold. And if he hadn’t yet, he might never. Wen Ning foresaw a future full of thick winter coats for Nie Huaisang. 

Nie Huaisang pulled the chair beside Wen Ning out, easily sitting down without even asking for permission. Wen Ning inched away. 

“Does this usually happen here?” Nie Huaisang asked, motioning at the paper which Wen Ning had helpfully titled ‘Notes on Qing’. The title was covered, but the implication was clear. 

“No, not when there’s so little people.” Wen Ning said, looking away from Nie Huaisang and over to the bookshelves stacked along the wall. One of the books had been left behind, stacked on the floor. 

“It’s so interesting.” Nie Huaisang began, dragging Wen Ning’s attention back. “I wonder what happened to her.” 

That wording was interesting, not A-Qing’s death. Wen Ning wondered how someone could say that about a child’s death, like it was something normal and not a horrible occurrence. 

“I wouldn’t put it that way.” 

Nie Huaisang glanced at Wen Ning’s pursed lips, he grimaced and looked away, mouthing something unintelligible under his breath. He leaned in again after a second. 

“How are you gonna figure out who the boy is?” 

Wen Ning groaned, that was what he’d been wondering for so long. “I don’t know.” 

Nie Huaisang nodded, as if he understood Wen Ning’s frustrations. His eyes glazed over so suddenly, that Wen Ning knew he must be thinking about how to help. It was odd for someone who didn’t even know A-Qing to be so willing to help. 

It threw Wen Ning off, but it was better than Nie Huaisang calling this ‘interesting’ and it proved that the boy at least had some compassion. 

Nie Huaisang frowned suddenly, “Can’t you just ask the adults on that street? Maybe one of them knows who the boy is?” He asked. 

“Mianmian said it’s too risky.” Wen Ning answered simply. At Nie Huasaing’s lost look, he recalled that Mianmian might be a known nickname by everyone in town, but Nie Huaisang was new. “Luo Qingyang.” He corrected himself. “We call her Mianmian.” 

Nie Huaisang nodded slowly. 

“I see.” 

“She said it’s too risky.” Wen Ning continued. “Any one of them could be the killer, and if they know we’re looking for them we might be next.” 

Nie Huaisang’s brows pinched together.  “This is a risky thing you’re doing on its own. It’s why the cops usually look into it. Because… you can’t expect to learn much if you’re always taking the safe route.” 

Wen Ning thought he could detect some judgment, and he understood it. He wasn’t a big fan of how Mianmian was handling things either. 

“I can propose it to Mianmian.” He said, dismissively. 

“Or…” Nie Huaisang grinned, setting warning bells off in Wen Ning’s head. “We could go together?” 

“Together?” Wen Ning frowned at the mere thought. Was Nie Huaisang trying to butt into his investigation? Or did Nie Huaisang want to hang out with Wen Ning? Wen Ning recalled what his sister had told him, it was not ideal to hang out so closely with any of Wei Ying’s friends. Wen Ning was aware without having to be told by her, he’d been the one who’d been teased and picked on his whole childhood. And if Nie Huaisang was friends with them, surely he was the same way. 

He shook his head, refuting the idea. “No, I don’t think so.” 

Nie Huaisang narrowed his eyes at Wen Ning, his eyebrow twitched. “Seriously, what did I do to you? I thought we were fine, but now you’re doing this again.” 

Wen Ning’s heart sped up, he hated when people got upset with him. His throat began to close up with a lump forming, he struggled to breathe through it. His face felt hot. 

“I’m n-not doing anything.” 

“You’re trying to avoid me again.” 

“N-n-” 

Wen Ning couldn’t push the words out, the lump was growing and it was starting to clog up his airway. Nie Huaisang wasn’t letting up, he’d focused his gaze right on Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning was grateful when footsteps approached. 

“Hey, why’re you bullying my friend?” Mianmian asked, she set her bag down in front of them with a loud thump. Wen Ning was more grateful to see that his best friends were the ones approaching. 

“Leave him alone.” Xue Yang added with a glare, moving around to where Nie Huaisang and Wen Ning sat. 

Nie Huaisang smoothed out his face, he waved off their concerns.

“I’m not bullying him.” 

Mianmian stuck her tongue out at Nie Huaisang, like someone who hadn’t outgrown being a child. 

Wen Ning could feel his breath returning to him. His face was still hot. 

Xue Yang didn’t drop the glare from his face, he grabbed a chair from the table beside them and shoved it between Nie Huaisang and Wen Ning to sit right there. 

Nie Huaisang glanced at the offending boy, his lips were pursed but Xue Yang paid him no mind, he turned to Wen Ning. 

“Anyway.” Xue Yang began. “I’m one homework assignment away from failing math right now.” 

“Ugh, math sucks.” Mianmain groaned. 

“Especially calculus.” Wen Ning added, thankful for the sudden change of topic. Nie Huaisang glanced between them awkwardly. 

“Don’t remind me.” Xue Yang groaned. “I’m already failing pre-calculus, I won’t survive calculus. Why do I have to take these classes?” He pretended to pull at his hair. 

Nie Huaisang leaned in. “Have you tried looking for a tutor? Th-” 

“I can’t afford one, genius.” Xue Yang interrupted in a snappish tone. 

A pindrop could be heard in the following silence. Nie Huaisang paused with his mouth open, he closed it after a second and looked away with a tense jaw. Wen Ning tried to urge Xue Yang to apologize with his eyes, to do anything but only received an eye roll in response. 

Finally, Nie Huaisang scoffed, “Well if you bothered to wait for me to finish you’d know there’s a program, which includes this town, lucky you, where low income students can get tutoring for free. All you need to do is ask a teacher about it to get the necessary information.” Nie Huaisang glared at Xue Yang and Wen Ning alike. “But I guess you’re all too stuck up to give me a chance anyway, so who cares what I say, right?” 

He stood up, causing his chair to crash against the table. He turned to leave, and paused right beside Wen Ning. 

 “I’ll stop by your house at five tomorrow.”

“B-but-” Wen Ning wasn’t sure why Nie Huaisang was still trying to hang out if it was clear Wen Ning ticked him off. This was proven when Nie Huaisang glared at Wen Ning. “Okay…” He agreed, sheepishly. 

Nie Huaisang didn’t say another word, he turned and left the library with his head held high.  

Xue Yang waited for the door to close to huff, “What the hell is his problem?” 

Mianmian shrugged, she furrowed her brows after, “Definitely go ask a teacher about that thought.” 

Xue Yang slumped back in his seat, “I’ll ask Ms. S.” 

Ms. S was one of the nicest teachers in the whole school, she always went out of her way to see them succeed even when it meant extra work for her. If there was a teacher that could help them, it was her. 

“Can you go with me after school?” Xue Yang asked. 

Mianmian grinned, “Not like we have anything else to do. Right, Ning?” 

Wen Ning nodded. He wasn’t sure if his words would work for him anymore. He was shocked by everything that had transpired, and he was entirely unsure as to why Nie Huaisang acted the way he did. 

It didn’t stop him from growing excited to see the boy again. 

Chapter Text

“You three.” Ms. S smiled when she opened her classroom door to find them standing outside. She stepped aside and motioned in. “Come, sit here.” She pointed at two chairs in front of her desk, they were the only comfortable chairs aside from her own in the whole classroom. 

Xue Yang and Wen Ning squished into one chair together, Mianmian slumped down into the other one. 

“Thank you.” Wen Ning said. Ms. S nodded. 

“Of course. What can I help you three with?” 

Mianmian glanced at Xue Yang, raising her eyebrows at him when he didn’t speak. Xue Yang gasped and smiled at Ms. S. 

“Right. I heard there is a program here.” 

Ms S frowned. “There are many programs here, I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.” 

“For tutoring?” Xue Yang’s voice lilted at the end, as if he wasn’t sure himself what he was asking about. His hand nudged into Wen Ning’s side, he fiddled with the lollipops in his pocket. He’d decided not to eat one while talking to Ms S. Since his mouth couldn’t fidget, his fingers did it for him. 

“Ah!” Ms S nodded. “Are you talking about the Low Income Tutors Initiative? LITI?” 

“Yes, I think that’s the one.” 

Ms S reached into her desk drawers, she rummaged and brought out a pamphlet which she turned to face them. “We have this pamphlet here for it. Were there any questions you had?” 

“I just want more information.” 

“I see. Well the program is for students that come from low incomes, and it spans over a few counties across America. Our county happens to be one of them, and given your home status you automatically qualify under the case that you live with another relative aside from your parents, may they rest in peace.” Her following smile was sad. Xue Yang’s grip tightened around the lollipop. Wen Ning considered grabbing Xue Yang’s hand, but the mere thought had him growing uncomfortable. “Many people that you might know participate in the program as tutors, or as students as well. Even from this school, if I remember correctly.” 

Xue Yang leaned in, he had already moved on. “Can I know who?” 

“Yes, you might want to take notes.” 

Ms S waited for Xue Yang to grab a pencil and a sheet of paper, one which Mianmian passed from her bag. He laid them out on the desk, Wen Ning tried to squish into his side of the chair so Xue Yang would have room. 

“I’m ready.” Xue Yang said, spinning the pencil once. 

Ms S looked at a sheet of paper on her lap. “There are two teachers involved from this school. The first one is Mr Nie and the second is Mr Reese.” 

They couldn’t stop themselves from wincing at that name. Mr Reese was an old man with more bald spats than white hair, he often struggled to even walk and thought it was okay to take it out on the students. He was a stickler, always hounding the students for the smallest of things. 

It was known in the school that hardly anyone could pass his class with an A. Wen Ning himself had barely ended with a B plus. 

Ms S noticed their reactions, it had her giggling. 

“Mr Reese isn’t that bad. He may be a little too strict for some students, but he really just wants to see you guys succeed.” 

“Really doesn’t seem like it.” Xue Yang groaned. Ms S scoffed at his dramatic words. 

“Okay, maybe you’d like to know the students more then. There are six of them that participate in the tutoring program, four seniors, one junior, and one sophomore. They are Jason Daniels, Andy Henderson, Jessica Lane, Lyla Smith, and Zhan Lan…” She paused, frowned. “Actually, I’m not too sure about him, I haven’t checked in with him in a minute. Maybe you could ask him yourselves?” 

Xue Yang grimaced. “And have to deal with his boyfriend?” 

Xue Yang and Wei Ying hadn’t gotten along very well as kids. They were too similar in personality, both headstrong and couldn’t take things seriously until the last second. It didn’t help that Wei Ying always picked on Wen Ning, and Xue Yang was protective of his friends. 

It was also common knowledge around their school that childhood friends Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were boyfriends. 

Ms S chuckled much to Xue Yang’s dismay. 

“You kids are always so quick to judge.” She sighed. “And the last student is Xingchen Xiao. Though I’m not sure how open he’d be to a new student at the moment, after what happened to his last one.” 

Those last words. What did they mean? 

Wen Ning furrowed his brows, it was Mianmian who leaned in to ask, “What happened?” 

“It’s not really my place to say, simply that he was the one tutoring Qing.” 

It felt like Wen Ning got doused with a bucket of ice cold water. Shivers broke out all over his skin. He could hardly focus on the conversation, and he was glad when Xue Yang hurriedly thanked Ms S and they left. 

They were the only ones in the school still, at least in that hallway. As soon as the door closed, they turned to each other. 

“We need to talk to him.” Wen Ning said. Xiao Xingchen might know something. 

Xue Yang nodded. “I didn’t realize he was close with her as well.” 

Mianmian frowned. “We should’ve seen it coming. I mean, Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen are so close with each other, of course Xiao Xingchen would also know her.” 

“There’s no time to regret.” Wen Ning whispered. “We have to talk to him.” 

Mianmian opened her mouth, but Xue Yang butted in before she could speak. 

“He’s different from Song Lan, you said Lan seemed too upset but Xiao Xingchen looks fine. Can’t we talk to him?” 

Mianmian looked away. She rubbed her temples and sighed. 

“Let’s wait until tomorrow after school. We’ll make a game plan to make sure we stay as respectful as possible. He’s been through a lot and we need to have empathy, we can’t cross any lines.” 

“So, your house?” Xue Yang asked. Mianmian nodded. 

“Come on.” 

They had a conversation to plan. 

Chapter Text

The conversation was frustrating to plan. Mianmian insisted that certain topics were taboo (ie. Xiao Xingchen being A-Qing’s tutor) and that they had to skirt around the edges. Wen Ning wasn’t keen for confrontation, he didn’t want to start snapping at Mianmian and that was the only reason he held back from voicing his frustrations. 

He wasn’t sure if this would work. They had too many limitations, how were they meant to learn anything? Wen Ning was beginning to understand what Nie Huaisang had been talking to him about. 

The next day after school, they caught up to Xiao Xingchen in the library. The boy tended to spend a few minutes after school talking to the librarian, something which they only knew due to Xue Yang’s interest in the boy’s best friend, Song Lan. 

Wen Ning wondered if anyone would get the wrong idea, to see a single sophomore getting cornered by two juniors and another sophomore he didn’t know at all. That was if anyone saw, the librarian wasn’t in her usual spot at her desk and most of the students had run out the second the bell rang, likely to go home or hangout with their friends at the park. 

Xiao Xingchen was on his way out of the library when they caught up with him. 

“Xiao Xingchen.” Xue Yang, the only sophomore among them, was the one to call out. 

Xiao Xingchen glanced back briefly, he pursed his lips when he noticed Xue Yang. “I don’t know where he is,” he replied dismissively, already walking away again. 

Wen Ning wondered how often Xue Yang bothered the boy about Song Lan; that was his first reaction: annoyance. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

Xue Yang scoffed, “No, I’m not looking for him.” 

Xiao Xingchen paused. He looked between the three of them. 

“Then what is it? I don’t have a lot of time.” 

“We want to ask you some questions. About A-Qing.” 

Fog seemed to pass over Xiao Xingchen’s eyes, they darkened and his focus was gone for a second. He shook it off to frown at them. “Why?” 

Mianmian flipped open her notebook and said, “We’re looking into her murder. We want to know what happened to her. Who did it? And we need your help.” 

“That’s not your job.” 

Xue Yang groaned. “Yeah but the cops aren’t doing such a good job of it.”

Xiao Xingchen glanced at the clock, and pulled the nearest chair out to sit in it. 

“I can help. But I want you to tell me who you suspect so far.” 

“Done.” Mianmian said with a grin. 

She sat directly across from Xiao Xingchen on the table he’d chosen. Xue Yang slumped down beside her, mindlessly offering Xiao Xingchen a lollipop while Mianmian searched for the suspect list. Wen Ning pulled a chair out from a neighboring table and sat further away. 

Silence enveloped them for some time, Xiao Xingchen looked through the list seriously. In the hallways, a few students still laughed but even that died down the longer they sat there. Finally, Xiao Xingchen frowned and pushed the paper away. 

“Not much to go off of.” 

“That’s why we need your help.” Mianmian said, flipping back to a new page. 

Wen Ning nodded, turning to look at Xiao Xingchen. “We need to know how you knew her, and anything that might help.” 

“Did you tutor her?” Xue Yang asked before Xiao Xingchen could respond. The boy snapped his head back to Xue Yang. 

“Yang-” Mianmian snapped. 

“What? Small talk’s a bust.” Xue Yan crossed his arms defensively. 

Wen Ning was sure they’d thrown Xiao Xingchen off and he wouldn’t want to talk to them anymore. The boy only sighed. 

“I did tutor her.” He began, eyes growing cloudy as if lost in the memory. “For two years. She was… almost like a little sister to me. And I think she looked up to me as well.” 

“Does that mean you saw her quite often?” Mianmian wondered. Her scrawling filled the library.  

“Yes.” Xiao Xingchen agreed. “A few times a week. Maybe even more than Lan saw her.” 

Talking to him might have been a mistake if that were the case. Mianmian hadn’t wanted to talk to Song Lan because she was afraid he was too close to A-Qing and it would be insensitive to question him while he was grieving. But if Xiao Xingchen saw A-Qing more, wouldn’t that be worse for him? 

Mianmian didn’t seem to come to this conclusion. She looked up with her pen in the air. 

“Do you know what her home life was like?” She asked. 

Xiao Xingchen’s gaze went astray, there was a guilty pinch in his brows. “Her parents were horrible.” Mianmian nodded when she heard this, Xiao Xingchen noticed it with a start.  “You know? They were always either neglectful of her or just abusive, there was no other option in their book. She never wanted to be at home because of it.” 

“Were they any better sober?” 

Xiao Xingchen shook his head. “Worse. They’d fight with each other when they were, it wasn’t just with her at that point.” A wearied sigh spilled from his lips. “I always thought I’d adopt her when I turned eighteen. I know, it sounds foolish. But I think I could have made it. I don’t think we’ll ever know.” Xiao Xingchen was two years shy from eighteen still. And A-Qing was gone. 

Mianmian looked at Xiao Xingchen’s broken gaze, wet her lips and gulped. It was only after what was likely a mental conundrum on her part that she continued. 

“Is there anywhere she frequented when she wasn’t at home?” She asked. Xiao Xingchen looked away, his eyes lost in thought as if trying to recall anything, when he noticed the clock on the wall and gasped. 

“I need to go, sorry.” He scrambled out of his seat. “I’m going to be late for tutoring.” 

Xue Yang leaned in at the mention of that. “You’re still tutoring?” 

Xiao Xingchen didn’t seem adverse from talking to Xue Yang anymore, he answered easily, “I mean my tutoring, someone’s tutoring me.” 

“Who? Do you recommend them?” Xue Yang wondered. Wen Ning didn’t feel the need to partake in the conversation, he watched as Mianmian hurriedly scrawled away in her notebook. 

“Mr. Nie.” Xiao Xingchen was saying. “What do you need help with?” 

“Math.” 

Wen Ning saw Xiao Xingchen shake his head out of the corner of his eye. “I recommend Mr Reese instead.” 

Xue Yang’s groan was not well hidden. It was followed by Xiao Xingchen chuckling. 

“Mr Reese isn’t all that bad. Give him a chance.” He smiled at each of them, which is when Wen Ning glanced back at the boy. It seemed genuine. “Thank you for looking into this. See you.” 

His footsteps led away and the door swung shut behind him. Wen Ning turned to the wall as well, the clock read three thirty on it. That meant he had an hour and a half before Nie Huaisang had promised to drop by his house. 

Wen Ning wondered if Nie Huaisang would even keep true to his word, and that worry dropped instantly. Nie Huaisang didn’t seem like the type to forget that fast. 

Wen Ning rose out of his chair. 

“I also have to go.” He told his friends. 

“Huh?” Mianmian blinked at him, lost. 

Xue Yang was the one who quirked an eyebrow. “Need to get ready for your date?” He asked, only slightly mockingly. 

Mianmian gasped at the reminder. “Right. Gonna clean up nicely?” She asked with a grin. 

Heat filled Wen Ning’s face, he averted his gaze from their matching grins. 

“It’s not a date-” 

“Yeah?” Xue Yang asked. “Sounds like a date to me.” He ended with a teasing hint to it. Mianmian leaned in, Wen Ning was sure she was going to tease him again but she frowned instead. 

“What’s up with that anyway? I thought we all knew not to date out of that friend group.” 

Wen Ning groaned, he was ready to deflect that question already. “It’s not a date, okay? I’m going.” 

He didn’t look back as he left the library. He couldn’t answer their question, it’s something he had been worried about for some time. 

He knew what that friend group was like. He knew how Wei Ying and his friends had often ‘teased’ him as a child, though he would argue it was closer to picking on him then friendly teasing. He often felt like he was walking on glass around them. And there was also the fact that they once were friends with Brad. 

It’s said that people only hang out with like minded companions. 

As soon as he thought that, Wen Ning remembered how they’d all stepped in to stop Brad that night. Nie Huaisang himself had been the one to patch Wen Ning up until his family could arrive. He’d had gentle hands, and he’d even seemed to feel guilt everytime Wen Ning winced with pain during the process. 

Surely Nie Huaisang wasn’t like Brad. But how could Wen Ning be so sure? It wasn’t uncommon for people to put up fronts. 

Nie Huaisang could just be a perfect actor. 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning wasn’t excited for the date, it’s what he repeated to himself time and time again on the way back home. He didn’t glance at Nie Huaisang’s house, at the end of the block, wondering whether Nie Huaisang was getting ready. And he definitely didn’t hope that Nie Huaisang might be putting a little extra care into his clothing today. 

Wen Ning cleaned himself up in the shower, each drop from the showerhead was a reminder that this was not a date, that he didn’t like Nie Huaisang, that he was only hanging out because Nie Huaisang hadn’t given him a choice. 

It wasn’t that Wen Ning wanted to hang out, it’s just that he did not have any other option. 

His room became a mess, in a perfect reflection of his muddied thoughts. Part of his brain was excited for the not-date, the other part kept reminding him that this wasn’t a date. It reminded him that Nie Huaisang likely only wanted to hang out to go to A-Qing’s street and learn more about the girl’s disappearance. It had nothing to do with Wen Ning. 

Clothes flew from one side to the other, nothing fit right. One shirt was too loose, the other cut off his circulation from how tight it was. One was too gray in color, and some were too light and washed him out. 

He settled on a blue shirt in the end, not out of love for the color but because it looked the best on him. It was his last option. 

He paired it with his usually baggy jeans and the converse all stars his mom had gifted him years past. The shoes were stained with dirt and ink where Xue Yang had decided little drawings would look best months ago. Wen Ning considered cleaning them. The doorbell stopped him. 

It rang throughout the house. Wen Ning grabbed his wallet and ran down the steps, two at a time, with the knowledge that his sister would open the door if he didn’t hurry. 

Nie Huaisang stood on the other side of it, a thick jean jacket swaddled his figure and he practically hid inside of his clothes. His hair had been combed back with some gel. Wen Ning’s eyes flickered to Nie Huaisang’s searching gaze, it dropped away quite as fast. 

His heart had flickered, he knew he had been inching into dangerous territory. 

“Won’t you get cold?” Nie Huaisang asked, his voice more angelic than the singers on the radio. His gaze was focused on the short-sleeved shirt Wen Ning had on. It was clear that Nie Huaisang had yet to get used to the colder weather. But Wen Ning was born there, the weather was nothing to him, especially when winter was already over. 

Wen Ning opened his mouth, he closed it awkwardly and shook his head instead. If he didn’t grow too friendly with Nie Huaisang, then everything would be fine. 

“You sure?” Nie Huaisang asked. Wen Ning nodded in response. 

Nie Huaisang pursed his lips, he frowned at Wen Ning. The reaction was covered faster than Wen Ning could question it, and Nie Huaisang motioned at him. “Let’s go.” 

Wen Ning followed along behind him. It took a few steps for Nie Huaisang to notice and fall into step beside him. 

“I brought a notebook with me.” He claimed with an airy voice, and waved a small notebook he pulled out from his jacket. 

Not a date then… Wen Ning reminded himself. If Nie Huaisang had gone as far as to prepare a notebook, then he was taking the investigation seriously. It was the only reason he’d wanted to go out with Wen Ning. 

The thought made Wen Ning’s heart deflate, and disappointment began to fill him. 

“Can you lead the way?” Nie Huaisang suddenly asked. He gave Wen Ning an awkward smile. “I don’t know where her house is.” 

Wen Ning nodded, he continued to walk and expected Nie Huaisang to follow. The other did, not before shooting Wen Ning a questioning glance. 

Wen Ning realized he was being awkward, what with his shakes and nods. It wasn’t his fault, he reasoned, he couldn’t help but feel thrown off by Nie Huaisang’s behavior. The other boy was insistent on joining Wen Ning. And what if it was for bad reasons? What if he was ready to tease Wen Ning like Nie Huaisang’s friends had once done? 

A few minutes passed in silence, it was cut off when Nie Huaisang’s teeth clattered together, he rubbed his arms dramatically. 

“Is it always so cold here?” Nie Huaisang asked. 

Wen Ning shrugged, “I’m used to it.” He wasn’t even sure this could be considered ‘cold’. 

“Right.  You’ve all been here your whole lives it feels like.” Nie Huaisang pointed out,. Wen Ning nodded his assent. Nie Huaisang leaned closer to Wen Ning. “What’s it like? Knowing these people your whole life?” 

Wen Ning recalled all those he’d known for his whole life. Most of the people in the town were ones that he’d known since he was a child. He remembered the neighborhood kids that he’d hung around with as a kid. 

Wei Ying and his foolish friends: Jiang Cheng, Steven, and Jared. That group was one Wen Ning never wanted to mix in with. There was also Lan Zhan, who used to talk with Wen Ning when they were children, then Lan Zhan began to hang out with Wei Ying in middle school and Wen Ning naturally drifted away from him. It felt like years since they’d last shared a word. 

Of all the children he’d talked with, Mianmian and Xue Yang were the only two he still considered friends. And yet he still knew about them all, because they resided in the same town since childhood. 

“Normal.” Wen Ning decided on, rather than to explain exactly how it felt. Nie Huaisang likely wouldn’t care to hear regardless. 

Nie Huaisang hummed. 

“Usually people move quite often throughout their lives. It’s normal for a child to grow up and not live anywhere near the people from their childhood. It happened to me.” He rambled. 

“What?” Wen Ning asked, he didn’t understand where the conversation was growing. 

“I’m saying it’s not exactly normal.” 

“Oh.” 

“There must be a better way to explain it.” 

“I wouldn’t know.” Wen Ning said dismissively. 

“But it’s your life.” 

“It’s normal to me.” 

“Normal to me is different.” 

Nie Huaisang claimed, his eyes boring straight into Wen Ning’s. Wen Ning looked ahead. 

“Then normal to you is different.” 

“Do you ever say much?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“I know you can talk more.” Nie Huaisang frowned at Wen Ning. “You’ve done it before.” 

“W-what?” Wen Ning stuttered through, his shoulders bunched up with the growing tension. They were only a block from A-Qing’s street when Nie Huaisang paused, turning to Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning curled back, as if the distance could hide him from Nie Huaisang’s curious eyes. 

“What’s the big deal?” He asked, his eyes narrowing. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Wen Ning shifted back. 

“You’re always trying to push me away.” 

Wen Ning shook his head with growing nerves. “It’s not- that…” 

Nie Huaisang’s eyes flickered over Wen Ning’s cowering form, the way Wen Ning pulled back like it could help him hide. Nie Huaisang huffed, he shook his head while taking a step back. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He asked in a low voice. His eyes softened at the corners, his hands fiddled with the sleeve of the jean jacket.

He looked so hurt, like he was a puppy on the street that Wen Ning had just spat at and kicked. Like he was used to upsetting others. 

Wen Ning’s will shattered in that instant. He’d been afraid of becoming friendly with Nie Huaisang, that fear had suddenly been replaced with the need to settle Nie Huaisang’s nerves. He didn’t want to be the reason Nie Huaisang hurt. 

Wen Ning frantically shook his head. 

“You didn’t. Just-” He sighed and decided to simply tell the truth. “Wei Ying and his friends tend to be too much for me.” 

Nie Huaisang blinked, scoffed, “What?” 

Heat rushed through Wen Ning’s face, of course his words would sound foolish to an outsider. 

Nie Huaisang began to walk again, the constant motion of Wen Ning’s own legs helped him relax. 

Nie Huaisang continued, “They’re not some outer world species or something. They’re just teenagers.” 

“I don’t think so.” Wen Ning muttered. Most teenagers hadn’t run around terrorizing the neighborhood with ‘innocent’ pranks that weren’t actually so innocent. 

“Why?” Nie Huaisang wondered. His head tilted with his own confusion, as if he actually wanted to know what Wen Ning thought of his new friends. 

“When I was a kid…” Wen Ning trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to explain that Wei Ying made him uncomfortable, all of them did. Nie Huaisang nodded encouragingly, it inspired Wen Ning to finish. “When I was a kid they used to- stuffwormsdownmypantswhenitrained.” He hurriedly muttered the last part, perhaps Nie Huaisang hadn’t made it out. 

No such hope. 

“They what?!” Nie Huaisang gasped, his voice pitched up with concern. 

That reaction encouraged Wen Ning to continue, “And they still do it now. They’re always pulling stuff like that on the school.” 

Thankfully, they left Wen Ning alone. He didn’t bother to hang out with them anymore, any pranks that ended up affecting him were usually meant for his older sister, such as the forking incident that happened last week. 

Nie Huaisang nodded slowly. 

“But I’m not like them.” 

“Then how can you hang out with them?” 

Nie Huaisang shrugged. “They’re funny sometimes.” 

“If you think that then you are like them.” Wen Ning grumbled. 

Nie Huaisang paused, he frowned and his eyes grew dazed as if he was lost in thought. He said, after a while, “I guess.” He pulled his lips up in a subtle smile. “Would you rather I don’t hang out with them?” 

Of course he asked with that stupid smile, Wen Ning thought. This was why he didn’t tell random people about his problems, it only worked with his two friends, who’d both experienced the terror of Wei Ying’s pranks and knew what it was like firsthand. Nie Huaisang didn’t understand. 

Wen Ning wasn’t dumb, he could tell when he was getting teased. 

Wen Ning frowned. “I just explained why I don’t hang out with them-” 

“I can stop hanging out with them.” Nie Huaisang interrupted, leaning into Wen Ning’s personal space with the smile growing wider. “But only if you hang out with me instead.” 

“Are you teasing me?” Wen Ning wondered. Nie Huaisang shook his head immediately. 

“Not at all. I can stop hanging out with them.” The smile had dropped from his face, he looked serious about his endeavor. 

Wen Ning didn’t believe it for a second. Why would Nie Huaisang stop hanging out with his friends just because Wen Ning asked him to? No one in their right mind would do that. 

Wen Ning huffed, “You’re being mean.” He sped walked the rest of the way to A-Qing’s street without bothering to wait for Nie Huaisang. He commended his own efforts, he didn’t even look back at Nie Huaisang when the boy continued to claim he’d stop hanging out with his friends if Wen Ning wanted him to. 

They made it to the Lu’s street in a matter of seconds. The place seemed like a deserted town, a small pocket stuck in the usually lively town. The group of kids weren’t there either, though their soccer ball waited on someone’s front lawn. The kids were likely inside of their houses at that moment, eating dinner before they would head back out to play for the last hour of sun they had. 

A flicker of movement dragged Wen Ning’s attention over to a yellow house down the street. An old lady’s face stuck out behind the curtain, the second Wen Ning made eye contact she disappeared behind the curtain. 

Nie Huaisang’s hand grabbed at Wen Ning’s wrist gingerly, he motioned Wen Ning over to the yellow house. Wen Ning willed his heart to slow down; it didn’t, not until Nie Huaisang let go in order to knock on the door. 

“I’m coming!” A scratchy voice yelled through the walls. The door opened after a second, Wen Ning had to lower his vision to find an old lady there, her eyes scrunched up at them. “What do you want?” 

Nie Huaisang stepped closer. Wen Ning was thankful he was taking the lead, he wouldn’t have been sure how to approach an older lady that was already so suspicious of them. 

“Ma’am,” Nie Huaisang began politely, “we would like to ask you some questions regarding the people on this street. The Lu’s, do you know them?” 

“Of course I know them.” The old lady crossed her arms. “Why are you interested?” 

Nie Huaisang waved the small notebook in his hand. “My friend and I are investigating Lu Qing’s death.” 

“You kids don’t have enough homework?” 

“It’s just something on the side, ma’am. We think Lu Qing deserves her justice and thought it might be worthwhile to ask the residents here.” 

The lady nodded slowly. “You knocked on the right door, young man. I know everyone and everything that happens by this street.” Her voice sounded far more amiable than before, though to Wen Ning it still felt like she wanted to throw them back out at the first sign of trouble. 

“Might we come inside to chat?” Nie Huaisang asked. “Only if you’re comfortable, of course.” 

The lady looked between the two. “I don’t see why not. Come in.” 

Nie Huaisang walked in first, Wen Ning was on the way in when she turned a watchful eye on him. “You don’t talk much.” 

“He-” Nie Huaisang began, but Wen Ning cut him off with a growing suspicion. 

“Ma’am, are you Miss Willow?” He asked, quite suddenly. Miss Willow was infamous in their town for being a recluse, hardly anyone saw her and those she did see she tended to glare at. Wen Ning didn’t often see old women that he couldn’t recall, he thought it might be her. 

The lady frowned. “What’s it to you?” 

Wen Ning looked away, he studied the wall barren of any paintings like it might be the biggest wonder of the world. “Nothing, I’m sorry.” His voice was shrill. 

Miss Willow shook her head, Wen Ning saw it out of the corner of his eye. 

“Now I feel like I’m bullying you.” She sighed, pointed at a threadbare couch. “Sit there.” 

She chose to sit on a wide chair that was facing the window, with a permanent indentation where someone’s butt had made a home for itself. 

Nie Huaisang sat on the corner closest to the old lady, Wen Ning sat on the other end.

“Now, what is it you want to know?” 

Nie Huaisang flipped open his notebook, he skipped past pages with half done sketches and settled on a blank one. He turned to Miss Willow. 

“You said that you know everyone and everything on this street? What did you mean by this, ma’am?” 

Miss Willow used a hairclip to fold the curtain back and pointed out the window. “I sit here often. I’m the only adult who’s ever home on this street, the others are always working. I retired years ago, and my only job now is to watch the little ones. They’re always running around the street without a care in the world, no parent supervising or nothing. I have to be here because I’m the only one who can be here in case something occurs.” 

“That is an admirable thing, Miss Willow.” Nie Huaisang said, his pencil scrawling away at the same time. 

Miss Willow scoffed, “No need to praise me, boy. I do what has to be done.” 

Nie Huaisang’s pen paused in the air, the boy’s face grew into a wide grin directed at Miss Willow. He found her humility amusing, Wen Ning realized. 

“Then,” Nie Huaisang said, “how much did you learn about A-Qing’s parents in doing this?” 

Miss Willow rolled her eyes. “Horrible people. Her parents are assholes, I always hear them yelling from their house. Do you see how far they are? Do you know how loud they must be that I can still hear them? And it’s always their poor girl. They never stop yelling at her.” She sighed. “That poor girl. I hope the perpetrator receives ten times worse what they did to her.” 

On that note, Wen Ning leaned in quite suddenly, pulling something out of his pocket at the same time. It was a picture that Wen Ning had hurriedly cut out while he got ready to leave his house minutes before, one of the reasons his room would need a good cleaning later. 

“Ma’am, have you ever seen a boy head to their house?” Wen Ning asked. He thought he might know who the boy was now, but it was never too much to confirm.  

Miss Willow shook her head. “No. Come here, son.” She made space on her armchair. Wen Ning’s rise was slow, he wasn’t sure he wanted to sit next to Miss Willow and risk touching her. 

“You too.” Miss Willow motioned at Nie Huaisang. He took one quick glance at Wen Ning and sat down beside Miss Willow. Wen Ning squatted beside them. 

“This is where I usually sit.” Miss Willow glanced out the window. “I cannot see anything but the edge of their house from here. Do you see?” 

A corner of their overgrown yard stuck out, and their washed out pink wall showed a sliver. Nothing else. 

“Oh.” Wen Ning sighed, if Miss Willow hadn’t seen the boy then there was no way to know. 

Miss Willow looked over Wen Ning’s reaction and she frowned suddenly. 

“I have seen a boy a few times though.” 

Wen Ning hurriedly put the picture he’d cut out in front of her. It was cut out straight from their last year’s yearbook and featured a freshman Xiao Xingchen, his name written below his image. 

“Is this the boy?” 

Miss Willow squinted at the picture, she moved from one angle to another before she nodded. “That’s the one.” 

Nie Huaisang had been glancing at the picture as well, he looked at Wen Ning when Miss Willow nodded. He didn’t wait a second more before beginning to scrawl in his notebook, Wen Ning made out an ‘x’. 

Wen Ning made a mental note to let Nie Huaisang know that Xiao Xingchen was A-Qing’s tutor, therefore his presence at her house was not anything out of sorts. Something which unfortunately put them back at square one. 

Seconds later, Nie Huaisang asked, “Were the family close with anyone? Or was there anyone that might have hated them enough to take it out on Lu Qing?” 

Miss Willow sneered, “Who didn’t? Those parents attracted hate anywhere they went. But I don’t think anyone hated them enough to hurt them.” 

“And were they close with anyone?” Nie Huaisang repeated.

“Does their dealer count? They didn’t talk to anyone else. But if you’re thinking it might have been him, I doubt it.” 

“Howcome?” Nie Huaisang asked. 

“He does not live here. I heard he drives from hours away to make rounds in all of the towns, I think he knows too many others to seriously care about her parents. And when it comes to their… treats, they can be quite nice.” 

Nie Huaisang wrote the information down regardless. “Perhaps not.” 

Nie Huaisang said it like he wanted to investigate the matter, but Wen Ning knew the chances of the guy being the culprit were slim. If he lived hours away, what would he be doing in their town so suddenly? And if he seriously was the one to take A-Qing, someone would have noticed him lurking around town beforehand. In a town like theirs, people noticed when outsiders dropped by. 

No, whoever took and killed Lu Qing lived in town. They lived amongst them. 

Wen Ning decided a different route was better. 

“Was A-Qing close to anyone?” He asked. 

“She hung out with the neighborhood kids sometimes. And she had her little school friends, she would bring them over at times.” She pointed at the little part of the Lu’s front yard that she could see. “They would play there. But it seemed to me that they only hung around with her to make fun of her.” 

“Do you recall any names?” Nie Huaisang asked with his pen poised to write. 

“No, I’m not good with names. The old age does that to you.” Miss Willow groaned, she rubbed at her forehead with a strained expression. “Amongst other things, major migraines.” 

Nie Huaisang nodded, the indirect dismissal was clear to them. “Thank you for your time, ma’am. If there is anything else, could you call us at this number?” He ripped out a slip of paper and handed it to Miss Willow. 

“I don’t have a telephone.” Miss Willow explained even as she took the paper. “There’s no hookup here.” 

Nie Huaisang turned to frown at Wen Ning. 

“Could we drop by in the future?” 

Miss Willow shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Old age is lonely.” 

Wen Ning gave her a genuine smile, the old lady reminded him of Granny Xue when she wasn’t glaring at them. “We’ll see you soon, Miss Willow.” 

Miss Willow nodded at their words and waved them off. She turned to a bottle of medicine on the table and didn’t bother to see them out.

Nie Huaisang made it as far as the corner of the street and he sat down on the curb to write in his notebook. His handwriting was fast and messy, Wen Ning couldn’t make heads or tails of it but Nie Huaisang himself took a glance at it after and nodded approvingly. 

Wen Ning couldn’t help but to sigh at the misfortune of the situation. It felt to him that they hadn’t learned anything new, the movies made this type of thing look so simple. Clues always appeared left and right. But with them the clues hid behind layers they couldn’t hope to peel back. 

Nie Huaisang looked up at Wen Ning after putting his notebook away. 

“Is there a specific reason you have a picture of a boy inside your pocket?” He asked, his tone was suspicious. 

Wen Ning gasped with growing urgency, he hadn’t realized it would look so odd to Nie Huaisang. He rushed to explain, “It’s nothing weird. Last time we were here some kids told us a boy always dropped by the house, and then we learned that Xiao Xingchen tutored A-Qing. I thought to bring the picture to confirm if the one that kept dropping by the house is him. Since it is him, he has a reason to be here.” 

“Not a suspect then?” Nie Huaisang asked easily, the tone from before gone. Wen Ning shook his head. 

“Not a suspect.” 

“We crossed a suspect off instead of finding another one.” 

“What else can we do?” Wen Ning wondered, he shifted his foot against the ground with disappointment. Nie Huaisang suddenly stood up. 

“We should talk to the people from her school next. It’s where she spent a vast majority of her time.” 

Wen Ning recalled what Mianmian had said about making it known that they were investigating. 

“If Mianmian was here…” 

“Luo Qingyang is not here.” Nie Huaisang pointedly interrupted. 

Wen Ning nodded with a growing smile, Mianmian wasn’t there which meant they could go about things however they wanted. 

“Let’s do it.” 

“I’ll call the school Monday then, to see if we can drop by and talk with her teacher. If it works out, let’s go Tuesday after school?” 

Wen Ning nodded at that, it sounded like a plan. It was one that would mostly rely on Nie Huaisang, Wen Ning forced himself to trust the other, if Nie Huaisang hadn’t forgotten their hang out then he wouldn’t forget to call either. 

Silence fell over them for the first time in a while. The street remained empty, the kids hadn’t yet finished their dinner. 

Nie Huaisang looked away, he nibbled on his lip awkwardly. 

Wen Ning shifted on the balls of his feet, he opened his mouth to tell Nie Huaisang he would be heading home but Nie Huaisang beat him to talking. 

“Let’s go for dinner?” Nie Huaisang asked in a sudden rush. 

Almost on cue, Wen Ning’s stomach grumbled. Given the otherwise silent area, the sound carried quite far like someone had placed a megaphone over it. 

Wen Ning’s face burst in color. Nie Huaisang choked trying to hold back his laughter, then he gave up and let it fall freely. 

“Let’s go then.” He said after catching his breath. 

Wen Ning didn’t bother to put up a fight, nor to claim that he could eat at home. He found that he was excited to eat dinner with Nie Huaisang, wherever it was that they might go. 

Wen Ning let Nie Huaisang lead the way this time. 

Chapter Text

The diner was a fifteen minute walk from where they’d already been. 

The sun was bleeding out of the sky in a swirl of pink when they arrived at the small building, set between the borders of two neighboring towns. Cars littered the parking lot, it was mostly pickup trucks and a single motorcycle. 

Inside of the diner, they were led to a booth that hugged the wall. It had neon orange material over the seats and a brown film over the tables. All around them, multiple different conversations were happening. The diner was the place to go when anyone wanted to chat or hang out. 

“I’ve been here before.” Nie Huaisang said after Miss Shirley walked away with their orders: cheeseburgers, fries, and soda for both of them. His words shocked Wen Ning. In the matter of two, maybe three weeks, Nie Huaisang had already dropped by the diner?

“Really?” 

“Yeah, with Wei Ying and Jared. The food is quite delicious.” 

“It’s a staple here.” 

“So you come here often?” Nie Huaisang wondered with a tilt of his head. 

“Everyone does. I usually come here with my family, I’ve only come alone a few times.” 

Being in the diner alone was an interesting experience, but a fun one. Interesting because the last time a rumor spread that Xue Yang and Mianmian stopped being friends with Wen Ning which was why he ate alone. 

Nie Huaisang asked, “With your friends?” 

“No, alone.” Wen Ning paused. Another interesting thing was that the first time he’d been there he’d met someone. Nie Huaisang seemed inclined to continue conversing, so Wen Ning decided to tell him. 

“It’s one of the places I saw A-Qing around.” He admitted, continuing at Nie Huaisang’s slow nod. “She came in here trying to buy a meal with a toy dollar and seven cents.” 

Nie Huaisang chuckled. 

“Aw, did she get her meal?” 

“She did.” 

“Can’t believe they let that slide.” 

“They didn’t. I bought it for her.” 

Not that Miss Shirley didn’t want to help herself. 

Nie Huaisang frowned, he looked at Wen Ning with obvious confusion, as if the thought itself was impossible to believe. 

“Why?” 

Wen Ning leaned back in his seat and shrugged. “I thought she might enjoy it more than I would.” He recalled something. “And I came back the week after for my own meal.” 

“You didn’t have enough for two?” Nie Huaisang inquired, it was like he actually cared what Wen Ning had to say. And for the first time in a while, Wen Ning wanted to be heard. 

He answered truthfully, “It was my first paycheck.” 

“I’m not entirely surprised.” Nie Huaisang admitted, Wen Ning’s brows pinched at the words. “That you’d do something like that, I mean. Especially after what you did for your sister.” 

A weird itch started at Wen Ning’s throat, he looked around, taking in everything but Nie Huaisang for a few seconds. His discomfort only grew at the weight of Nie Huaisang’s gaze on his shoulders. 

“Anyone would have done it.” He whispered.

“No they wouldn’t.” Nie Huaisang’s eyes seemed to cloud over, like a storm had overtaken the sky on a sunny day. “They would have watched her go hungry with their bellies full.” 

There was a corner of the seat that had the material ripped off, Wen Ning’s fingers fiddled with it while he talked, “I think your outlook on life is… dreary.” 

“Dreary?” Nie Huaisang laughed. “I’ve never heard someone use that word before, not outside of novels.” 

“It-” 

A loud voice interrupted what would have been Wen Ning’s defense. 

“Miss Shirley, we’re here!” The voice yelled through the door, one that Wen Ning would recognize anywhere. It was his old friend, Wei Ying, walking in with Steven, Jared, and Lan Zhan. 

Wen Ning’s heart dropped, why was Wei Ying there? Wen Ning tried to inch back in his seat, but, almost like a dog smelling someone’s fear, Wei Ying looked over and his smile grew. 

“Hey!” 

Oh no. 

“Little Ning!” Steven yelled, walking beside Wei Ying. 

“Quiet.” Lan Zhan said in a scolding tone. 

“But it’s A-Ning!” Wei Ying managed to shout and turned to walk over. Miss Shirley rolled her eyes when she saw them and handed them menus on their way in. “Thank you.” 

They all took that opportunity to make their way over to Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang. 

“I want to go home.” Wen Ning whined under his breath. He partially blamed Nie Huaisang for the experience too, if it were only Wen Ning there he would have been left alone. 

Nie Huaisang seemed unaware of this predicament, he only eyed Wen Ning at the whine he let out and back at Wei Ying’s approaching figure. 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Wei Ying asked Nie Huaisang while sitting on Wen Ning’s side of the booth. 

Wen Ning inched toward the other side of the booth, away from Wei Ying’s figure, until he crashed into the wall. It didn’t work, Wei Ying still wrapped a sticky arm around Wen Ning’s neck. Every muscle in Wen Ning’s body tensed up at the contact. 

“Yeah,” Steven began, “odd to see you two together.” 

Jared sat beside Nie Huaisang on the other side of the booth, Lan Zhan remained standing. The difference threw Wen Ning off even more, they were all comfortable in each other’s presence. And they were all normal, none of them flinched when someone hugged them. 

Wei Ying pouted quite suddenly, the appearance of it took Wen Ning out of his thoughts, knowing Wei Ying’s next words would be foolish. 

“Wait,” Wei Ying said, “did you blow us off so you could go on a date?” 

Foolish words, indeed. 

Nie Huaisang chuckled, “Sor-” 

“It’s not a date.” Wen Ning muttered beneath his breath. He wasn’t sure anyone would hear him, but Nie Huaisang stopped talking the second he started, and Wei Ying turned to him. 

“What?” He asked. 

“I said it’s not a date.” Wen Ning repeated, his voice seemed to reverberate off the wall this time. 

“Nice try, Ning.” Steven waved him off. “I can smell love from a mile away.” 

“Like a shark?” Nie Huaisang asked. His eyes flickered down to Wen Ning’s shaking hands. 

“Exactly!” Wei Ying interrupted. “We’re sharks.” 

“Still, this is unexpected.” Jared finally deigned to speak. He kept glancing between Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang, as if trying to make heads or tails of the arrangement. 

“Yeah, you guys are totally the opposite.” Steven added. 

“Completely. Do you guys remember what he was like as a child?” Wei Ying asked, he used his arm to pull Wen Ning closer. Wen Ning tried to dive under the arm to get away, but Wei Ying followed him and tightened the arm. “He was always so quiet.” 

“Yeah. And he fell everywhere he went.” Steven agreed. “It was like he had two left feet.” 

Wen Ning could hardly hear him out of the cotton in his ears, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know exactly what they were saying either. 

“And his teeth too.” Wei Ying said, bringing Wen Ning ever close to point at Wen Ning’s closed mouth. It was only through Wen Ning’s sheer will that his head was not touching Wei Ying’s chest. His nape tingled at the feeling, his face hot and the air wanting to run away from him. 

“Stop-” Wen Ning’s voice came out a quiet whine, he pushed his hands against Wei Ying’s chest. 

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s voice reached them, and those two words managed to sound like a whole lecture. 

Wei Ying chuckled and pulled his arm back sheepishly. The breath came easier to Wen Ning, he dove back to the other side of the booth. 

Nie Huaisang’s smile looked uncomfortably wide, like it was one which had been painted on a clown and could not be removed at any point, like it was fake. If Wen Ning hadn’t known any better, he’d assume that Nie Huaisang was annoyed. But these were his friends, there was no way. 

“Anyway.” Wei Ying continued after a second, leaning closer to Nie Huaisang. “His teeth!” 

“Do go on.” Nie Huaisang said, though his tone seemed to imply ‘stop talking’. 

Either Wen Ning was misreading the situation, or Wei Ying was an airhead because he didn’t notice and instead continued. 

“He had an adorable little gap between his teeth! It’s why he never talked. I was sad when he fixed it.” Nevermind that they didn’t even talk by that point of their childhoods. 

“Really ?” Nie Huaisang asked with comically wide eyes. 

“Yes.” 

“And!” Steven leaned in. “When he talked, there would be a little whistle and a lisp. It was hilarious.” 

Wen Ning could recall many of the nicknames they’d given him for that, his face burst in heat at their words. He didn’t need Nie Huaisang to know all of that. 

“Stop it.” Wen Ning begged, his voice shaking under the strain. 

Wei Ying took this in, and smiled like he recalled something. 

“He was always such a crybaby too, Lan Zhan as well. They would cry until snot-” 

“Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan’s voice was hard this time. He pulled at Wei Ying’s hand. “Let’s go.” 

“Wait! Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying’s whines grew smaller and smaller as Lan Zhan dragged him off to a different booth. Wen Ning wished he would have done it from the beginning. 

Steven took this chance to sit down beside Wen Ning. 

“And that’s not all, he-” 

“Steven!” Lan Zhan called back. Steven groaned at the sound of it. 

“Fine!” He grumbled and then grinned at Wen Ning before he left. Jared stood from his seat. 

“Enjoy your date.” He said with a bright smile at both of them, then he walked off. 

Wen Ning was too red and embarrassed to even insist that it wasn’t a date. After that moment of excitement, he took a few seconds to regulate his frenzied emotions again. 

“I also had to have braces.” Nie Huaisang said suddenly. “My teeth were horribly crooked.” 

“S-seriously?”  

“What?” Nie Huaisang asked, teasingly. “Did you think my teeth were this straight naturally?” 

Wen Ning frowned, “I wouldn’t know…” But he wasn’t entirely an airhead, unlike Wei Ying, he realized that Nie Huaisang was trying to comfort him. So maybe that annoyance that Wen Ning saw had been real as well. Wen Ning tried to hide his smile at the thought. 

Miss Shirley arrived with their food shortly after and they began to scarf it down in the way only two teenaged boys could. 

Nie Huaisang’s food was nearly done when he asked in between bites, “Have you ever been on a date?” 

Wen Ning’s brain struggled to catch up to the sudden question. He was unsure why Nie Huaisang wished to know but he nodded truthfully. “Once.” 

“Really?” Nie Huaisang asked with what looked like genuine shock. “Are you… dating them? I mean- I haven’t heard- I-” His voice trailed off. 

Wen Ning shook his head quickly, he needed Nie Huaisang to know that he wasn’t dating anyone for some reason. 

“I’m not. And it was last year.” He felt like he needed to properly explain for reasons he did not understand. “Mianmian needed the answers to an assignment last school year, and she heard a boy in our grade was selling them. But when she asked him about it, he didn’t name a price, he just said he wanted to go on a date with me.” 

“So he already liked you?” 

“I guess.” Wen Ning shrugged. “But nothing came of it, and we don’t even talk.” 

“Where did you even go? There’s nothing to do here.” Nie Huaisang complained. He had only been there a few weeks, yet Wen Ning had been thinking that his whole life already. 

“We sat there.” Wen Ning pointed to a booth a few spots down from them. Nie Huaisang turned his body to get a good look at it, his eyes narrowed but he shook it off the second he saw Wen Ning again. 

“What do you do when you’re not working?” He asked suddenly.  

“School.” Wen Ning’s voice lacked any emotion at the word. 

Nie Huaisang chuckled, like Wen Ning’s answer had been foolish. “Or school.” He added like an afterthought. 

Oh. Wen Ning thought about it for a second. Possible answers ran through his mind but none felt adequate. He went to school, he worked, he hung out with friends, and what? For the first time, he realized his life might sound boring to anyone else. 

“I hang out with Mianmian and Xue Yang.” He settled on, and then decided to tell Nie Huaisang everything. “When I’m alone, I watch television and read once in a while.” 

“Can I guess what you read?” Nie Huaisang asked with a grin. At Wen Ning’s nod, he continued. “Adventure stories, right? Where the main character is some sort of hero who falls in love, makes friends for life, and saves the world.” 

Wen Ning failed to hold back his gasp. “How did you know?” 

“Because you’re like the hero?” Nie Huaisang answered, he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Wen Ning instantly shook the thought away. 

“I don’t think so.” 

“Why couldn’t you be?” 

Because Wen Ning couldn’t be a hero without control. 

Wen Ning shrugged the question off, and changed the subject, “What do you do?” He asked. 

Nie Huaisang leaned back in his seat.  

“I like to experiment creatively. I like to write stories in my journals, and paint in my free time.” 

“Is that what you want to do in the future?” 

Nie Huaisang shook his head. “I want to be a business man.” 

Wen Ning tried to imagine it. Nie Huaisang, in a suit, shaking hands with other business men and living in a huge apartment. Maybe drinking aged wine like people drank grocery-store wine, like it didn’t matter. It was a fancy lifestyle; one that Nie Huaisang seemed to fit right into. 

“I can see it.” Wen Ning said with a smile. 

“What do you want to do?” 

The question made Wen Ning feel a sense of impending doom. All the uncertainty of the future came crashing down on him. 

“I don’t know.” He admitted. “I’ve never been sure and it’s- scary…” 

“It shouldn’t be scary. You have time still.” Nie Huaisang began. “The human life expectancy is seventy-six years old, you’re only, what? Seventeen? You still have your whole life ahead of you.” 

Wen Ning looked away, he still felt unsure though that notion did make it better. 

“But-” He trailed off. 

A cacophony of voices rose around the diner suddenly. One of them belonged to Wei Ying. He was nearby, yelling at another group of teenagers. 

“Leopards beat falcons any day!” Leopards and falcons were the school mascots for their respective schools. 

“You’re-” The other kid began to yell back, which is about when Wen Ning stopped listening. 

His eyes widened, he knew where this would go and he knew who would get dragged into it if he was still in the diner. 

“Let’s go, now!” He whispered to Nie Huaisang. The other boy looked confused but he jumped into action, stacking up their empty dishes. 

Wen Ning scrambled through his wallet, sifting past all of his dollar bills and over to a five before setting it down on the table. 

He practically jumped out of his seat, and turned around on time to see Nie Huaisang replacing Wen Ning’s bill with a five of his own, plus an extra one. 

“Wait-” 

“Come on.” Nie Huaisang took hold of Wen Ning’s hand, he managed to slip Wen Ning’s bill back into his hand with the same grip he used to pull Wen Ning towards the door. 

At that moment, Wen Ning’s brain and heart seemed to battle each other. His heart skipped a beat at the touch, while his brain made his palms sweat and his breath hitch in his throat. Nerves and flutters coalesced into one. 

That time, Wen Ning didn’t try to pull away, though he knew he should. 

They made it to the door with no problem, the real issue was getting past the group of boys who’d decided to sit right next to it. Wei Ying was still yelling at the other teens. 

Wen Ning put his finger to his lips, in the universal ‘be quiet’ motion, at Nie Huaisang. He pulled his hand out of Nie Huaisang’s grip, something which his brain cheered for, and began to tiptoe out. He was so close, almost in reach of the door, when Wei Ying’s hand snapped out and clamped around Wen Ning’s wrist without even a look. 

“We can verse in basketball to prove our honor.” Wei Ying was claiming. 

The other teenager scoffed, “No way, you-” 

“What? Scared?” Wei Ying asked. Wen Ning tried to pull his hand out from Wei Ying’s grip, he failed before he even started. Lan Zhan was seated on Wei Ying’s other side with a hand at his temple and growing disappointment. “Steven, Jared, Huaisang, and I against four of you.” 

“What? Don’t loop me in.” Nie Huaisang complained. Wei Ying finally looked back at them both, he raised his hand and by association, Wen Ning’s wrist. He waved with both. 

“I’m holding Ningning hostage.” 

Nie Huaisang glanced between their hands and Wen Ning’s helpless expression. Wen Ning practically begged for him to do something with his eyes. 

Nie Huaisang groaned. 

“Fine.” 

Chapter Text

The basketball court was a small thing, only minutes away from the diner and lying on the side of the road. Nie Huaisang managed to convince Wei Ying that he wouldn’t run away after a few minutes, thankfully getting the boy to let go of Wen Ning’s wrist. 

The wind was a biting breeze, it caused shivers to splutter to life over Wen Ning’s skin. Twilight was harsh during the spring, it was something Wen Ning hadn’t accounted for when he left the house. He’d expected to be back home by now. 

Instead the sun hid on the other side of the sphere they called their world, and dark blue streaked across the sky. Dark gray clouds interspersed the area. 

Wen Ning sat on the edge of the court with Lan Zhan and two of the neighboring towns’ teenagers, another of the neighboring teenagers watched the match excitedly from the side. The other eight circled up on the court, beginning to chat technicalities which Wen Ning wouldn’t understand even if he tried. 

Lan Zhan had always been a quiet individual since childhood, when they hung out it would be on Wen Ning’s shoulders to be the talkative one. It might have been another one of the reasons they fell out. 

Wen Ning asked the boy, who’d previously been watching Wei Ying, “Why didn’t you stop him?” 

Lan Zhan didn’t bother to look away from Wei Ying when he answered. 

“Wei Ying is stubborn.” 

“So are you.” 

“Not enough.” 

Wen Ning sighed, Lan Zhan was of no help. He was too foolishly in love with Wei Ying to stop the boy from causing problems; he seemed to support the problems instead. Wen Ning wondered what that might be like, to love someone enough he could ignore their shortcomings. 

The match started shortly after and Wen Ning subjected himself to waiting impatiently. 

“Hey.” Someone called, it was one of the two neighboring town’s teenagers: a boy with dirty blonde hair and murky green eyes. He was looking at Wen Ning. 

“Y-yes?” 

Wen Ning cursed his stutter. 

“Who are those two?” This was asked by the other teenager—a girl with voluminous curls framing her small face. She jutted her chin at the basketball court. 

“Who?” Wen Ning wondered, there were four different people they could be talking about. 

“Those two.” Their fingers pointed out the side of the court Nie Huaisang and Jared were on. Nie Huaisang dabbed at his forehead, his breaths came out heaving and exhausted. Jared clapped him on the back with a grin on his face and whispered something that had Nie Huaisang nodding and running back into the action. 

It was only when he got mixed in with the others that Wen Ning processed who they’d been asking about. His heart thumped in his chest, he was unsettled to know they were curious about Nie Huaisang. 

Wen Ning had to force the words through a lump in his throat, “Huaisang, Jared.” His shaking finger pointed each of them out, he hoped no one noticed. 

“Jared?” The girl tested the name out on her tongue, she grinned at them. “He has a killer smile.” 

“And Huaisang has good taste in fashion.” The boy beside her added, his eyes lingered on Nie Huaisang. 

“Denim on denim?” Wen Ning grumbled, he had the strongest urge to run off; anything to not see their curious stares on Nie Huaisang. 

The boy didn’t notice, he turned to his girl friend, “Do you think he’s single?” 

Wen Ning’s lips tugged into a frown, he decided it’d be best to ignore the two friends and turned to the court instead. 

But he couldn’t ignore the weight of their twin gazes on him, he turned only to find them giggling to themselves. The girl smiled at Wen Ning in a teasing manner. 

“Which one are you upset about?” She asked. 

“Jared or Huaisang?” The boy asked, his eyes lit up in a sudden realization. “It has to be Huaisang.” 

“It’s not like that.” Wen Ning said and turned away from them. 

When he looked back at the court, Nie Huaisang’s eyes were on him. Wen Ning’s mouth gaped open, he felt caught in Nie Huaisang’s magnetic stare. Steven ran by, he called Nie Huaisang’s name and the boy turned his attention back to the game. 

Wen Ning’s face was hot, he turned away to hide it, unfortunately in the friends’ direction. The girl and the boy glanced at each other before they fell into obnoxious giggles at Wen Ning’s ordeal. 

The match seemed to fly by. The other group of teenagers were good, but they were no match for Wei Ying’s group of friends. Wei Ying played with a strong, competitive flare and his ego to protect. Steven cackled often throughout the match, taking time to trashtalk the others in between hoops. Jared was quiet, his eyes locked in on the ball at all times. 

Nie Huaisang did the absolute bare minimum, he hardly even ran to intercept anyone. He was only a placeholder, they all understood that. But Nie Huaisang did not seem to care what anyone thought about it. And since the other three carried the game, they won regardless of his lackluster playing skills. 

The streetlights had long turned on by the time the match was over. Wen Ning’s legs were cramping up when he stood, he turned down and stretched them out from one side to another. Ants seemed to crawl all over his skin. 

Footsteps approached, Wen Ning expected it to be Nie Huaisang, the smile froze on his face when he caught eyes with the only girl who had been playing on the court. Nie Huaisang was approaching from behind. 

The girl had her hair back in a messy ponytail, it fell over her shoulder when she tilted her head and offered him a dashing smile. 

 “Hey, I haven’t seen you around before. What’s your name?” 

Wen Ning pointed at himself, his eyes wide. “Me?” 

The girl giggled at his expression. “Yes, you.” 

“Oh.” Wen Ning’s face burst with color, he was embarrassed. Moreso that Nie Huaisang was close enough to have heard the conversation. “Ning.” He introduced himself. 

“Ning? I like that.” She smiled, almost like she was flirting. “We should hang out sometime, Ning.” 

Wen Ning’s mind froze, she was flirting. Wen Ning couldn’t get a word out, he never knew how to react when people flirted with him. He wasn’t sure how to let them down without seeming like an innocent fool. 

A gasp suddenly filed into their ears, Nie Huaisang approached with his finger pointed at his watch. He ignored the girl’s pinched brows and said, “Would you look at that? It’s time to go?” He grabbed Wen Ning’s hand without any warning, Wen Ning’s mind rushed at the action. His stumped brain let Nie Huaisang pull him away. 

“Wait up!” The girl’s voice called out. Nie Huaisang’s steps sped up. 

“We’ve a long way to walk!” He said without another look back. 

“You-!” The girl cut off, annoyed. Even from their growing distance, they heard her scoff and then no more. She knew the battle had been lost. 

Back from the court, Wei Ying yelled at the others, “I hope you have a terrible night!” And his footsteps began to near. Wen Ning curled in closer to Nie Huaisang. 

“Hope the bedbugs bite!” Steven’s voice added. 

“Bye.” Jared said. 

Three sets of steps ran to catch up to them. Wen Ning was nearly falling over his feet to keep up to Nie Huaisang’s pace. 

“Huaisang, wait!” Wei Ying called. Nie Huaisang finally took the time to pause and turn back to them. “Jared brought his truck, it’s at the diner. Why don’t you go back with us?” 

Nie Huaisang shot Wen Ning a questioning glance. Wen Ning shrugged, he didn’t want to seem like he was leeching, but he would much rather drive back home than have to walk another half an hour. 

“Okay.” Nie Huaisang agreed. 

They ended up on the truck’s bed with Steven. Wen Ning sat with his back against the side, his hair fluttered in the wind. Steven’s voice was the only thing heard, as he conversed with Wei Ying’s much quieter voice in the truck. 

Wen Ning leaned his head back, he tried not to look at Nie Huaisang but his skin itched, his mind wouldn’t stop thinking about it. He finally turned to the boy, Nie Huaisang’s lips were pulled into a slight smile as he glanced at the starry sky, taking in the view. 

Wen Ning took in a different view. The moonlight was striking, as it highlighted Nie Huaisang’s cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, his dark eyes. Wen Ning felt a phantom pain when he had to drag his gaze away. 

He shivered at some point while Steven was talking to both of them about how they should have a double date with Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, Wen Ning had long given up trying to convince him it wasn’t a date. 

Steven asked if Wen Ning was cold when he saw him shivering, earning himself a shake of his head that was a complete lie. 

Nie Huaisang shifted away from the wall, his hand reached out to his own sleeve, beginning to remove the thing. Wen Ning’s heart fluttered, was he going to…? 

He never learned. Steven pulled a thin blanket out from the truck’s rear window and handed it to Wen Ning. Nie Huaisang paused with his sleeve half off his arm and glanced at Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning put the blanket on wordlessly. He tried to hide the disappointment he felt. 

They pulled up to Wen Ning’s home and Nie Huaisang got off as well. They waited for the truck to drive off before Nie Huaisang walked up to Wen Ning’s front door with him. 

Nie Huaisang gazed at Wen Ning, the porch light gave his pupils a warm sheen to them. “Thank you for spending the time with me.” His voice was soft, like there was a bubble around them he didn’t want to burst. 

Wen Ning smiled at him, he looked down at his feet with nerves. 

“I had fun.”

Nie Huaisang chuckled.  “How was that for a date?” 

Wen Ning’s head whipped back up to Nie Huaisang, his mouth dropped open. “Date?” 

Nie Huaisang’s eyebrows pulled together, his lips pulled into a smile, it looked like it was almost mocking, at himself. Something flashed through his eyes, it was gone before Wen Ning knew what it was. 

Nie Huaisang cleared his throat after a second, and a bright grin filled his face. 

“Got you!” He yelled. 

Wen Ning pursed his lips, he tried to hide the warm glow over his cheeks. He was embarrassed to have fallen for Nie Huaisang’s joke. 

“Don’t mess around like that.” His words barely made it out. Nie Huaisang heard it regardless.  

“Sorry.” He chuckled. Something flickered at Wen Ning’s peripheral vision, they both turned as the curtain closed hurriedly. Nie Huaisang sighed. “You should go on in.” 

“Yeah.” Wen Ning agreed, wanting to do anything but. 

“Good night, Ning.” 

“Good night.” Wen Ning walked inside of his home, he stepped inside of the warm entryway and turned to peek out of the closing door. Nie Huaisang was on the other side, a small smile on his face and his hand waving at Wen Ning. The door closed. 

“Good night, Huaisang .” Wen Ning muttered under his breath, fixing his previous sentence, the one he’d been too shy to finish. 

Footsteps approached, Wen Ning flinched around to find Wen Qing crossing her arms at him. 

“Him? Seriously?” Her eyebrow was raised. 

Wen Ning’s breath rushed out, heat grew all over his face. “I-It’s not like that!” 

“I’m pretty sure I know what it’s like.” Wen Qing scoffed. She was so sure of herself, Wen Ning knew arguing would be futile. 

He ran past her. 

“I need to shower!” He claimed while running up the stairs, two at a time. Anything to get away from her judging stare. 

Chapter Text

Per his usual routine, Wen Ning found himself at work when it was hardly nine in the morning on Saturday. He’d been given the morning shift, something his body struggled to get ready for after a late night. 

It was already ten when he got home from the court with Nie Huaisang, then he’d had to do his whole nighttime routine and by the time that was over it was eleven. Yet, despite doing his routine he still could not fall asleep. 

His mind kept running over the things which had occurred in the afternoon and the things which had occurred at other points. His mind kept recalling one in particular, the way Nie Huaisang asked ‘how that was for a date’. 

Wen Ning hadn’t hated the thought of it, in fact his heart had raced and he’d wondered if he might be gifted more of these moments with Nie Huaisang. 

All of this meant it was already late when Wen Ning’s eyes closed to sleep, only to wake up at six the next morning. 

A yawn pulled out of Wen Ning’s lips, the eighth one since he’d stepped inside of the bookstore. It dragged tears out of his eyes. 

It was not a good morning. 

He couldn’t stop flitting over memories: Nie Huaisang trying to shrug off his jacket, Wei Ying and his friends being stupid as always and unaware that they were assholes, the two teenagers wanting to know who Nie Huaisang is. 

He couldn’t forget about Lu Qing either. The intent of their hang out had been to learn more about her. It hadn’t worked and they’d made a new plan instead. 

Voices rang in through the door, Wen Ning snapped out of his daydreams in an instant, he was at work afterall. It was only his best friends. 

“Good morning!” Mianmian sang as she walked into the bookstore, Xue Yang trailing behind. She was the only one who could be so happy after having to wake up early. 

Wen Ning gave her a small smile, “Good morning.” 

“So, how’d your date go?” Xue Yang asked. Wen Ning imagined it was only the sugar rush from the lollipop in his mouth that had him looking alive. “Were there roses involved?” Xue Yang teased. 

“I told you it wasn’t a date.” 

Mianmian raised a brow. “Right, because he just asked to hang out with you alone as friends, totally platonic and definitely not as a date.” 

“People are allowed to hang out one on one.” Wen Ning mumbled an excuse. “We do it all the time.” 

“Yes, but we’re your best friends and he’s a new kid that took a sudden liking to you.” Mianmian said. 

“He just wants to be friends.” 

Xue Yang scoffed. “Friends with three extra letters in front: b-o-y.” 

“Boyfriend.” Mianmian added helpfully, though Wen Ning had been smart enough to figure it out on his own. 

He frowned at his foolish friends. 

“It’s seriously not that.” 

“Open your eyes, Ning.” Mianmian huffed.  

“Did you only come here to tease me?” 

Mianmian gasped. “No, we wanted to see your lovely face, of course.” 

“Yeah, so wipe that pout off your face.” Xue Yang grabbed at the corners of Wen Ning’s mouth, trying to drag the corners up. Wen Ning pulled away instantly, as if he’d been burned. 

He played it off with a roll of his eyes. 

“You guys are too much.” 

“But we’re your too much.” Mianmian giggled. 

“That doesn’t even make sense.” 

“The best things in the world don’t make sense.” Xue Yang pointed out. 

The radio which was always turned on, and had been playing hit songs since Wen Ning walked in, suddenly crackled and a host started talking. She said the time first, which startled Mianmian. 

“Wait! We actually did have something to talk about though.” 

“Finally.” Wen Ning grumbled. 

“So we know that Xiao Xingchen used to tutor A-Qing, and that he was the boy going to her house.” 

“Right.” Wen Ning nodded.

He kept his words to a minimum. He did know all of that, in fact he’d confirmed it with Nie Huaisang. 

Guilt wanted to drag him down, for hiding the fact that he was also investigating with Nie Huaisang from them. But he couldn’t just tell them; Xue Yang and Mianmian didn’t seem very happy to be with Nie Huaisang themselves despite all their teasing for Wen Ning. And if he told them, Mianmian might want to take over their investigation as well. Wen Ning couldn’t have that.  

That wasn’t all, and this was what caused most of the guilt: he did not want to share what would be time with Nie Huaisang alone. He’d realized yesterday that the boy was a wonder to talk with, and being with him felt comfortable. 

Wen Ning shook the guilt off, he promised to tell them if they found out something crucial. But until that time came, he’d rather keep it to himself. 

Xue Yang continued for Mianmain, “But that doesn’t put us anywhere further. We lack too much information here.” 

“So, what are we going to do about it?” Mianmian asked. Both she and Xue Yang turned their questioning gazes on Wen Ning. His mind blanked. 

“Are you asking me?” 

“Right on.” Xue Yang grinned. 

Panic suffused Wen Ning in an instant, he flitted his eyes from one side of the store to another, struggling to stop his fiddling hands.  

“I don’t know-” 

He said that except he did know, he knew exactly what they could do. Because he knew he was going to go to her school with Nie Huaisang. But he couldn’t tell his friends that. 

Mianmian gripped Wen Ning’s hands, her hold was strong and for the first time in days Wen Ning wasn’t entirely thrown off by it. 

“Think, Ning.” She insisted. “There must be something!” 

“Don’t you have any idea?” Wen Ning asked. 

“No, we need your brain today.” Xue Yang replied. 

“I don’t know either.” 

Mianmian sighed, exasperated. 

“We’re done for.” 

“At this rate…” Xue Yang cut off. His fingers came up to toy with the lollipop stick in his mouth, he twisted it from one side to another. 

Their investigation was looking all too hopeless again. Wen Ning imagined it was only a matter of time before they stopped looking into it altogether. 

He couldn’t have that. Not yet, not when he knew it meant so much to them. To him. 

“Why don’t we brainstorm and get back to it tomorrow?” He asked them. 

“And do what for now?” Mianmian groaned. A smile filled Wen Ning’s face, this was something he had an easy answer for. 

“We got a new stack of romance novels.” He pulled the thing out from behind the counter, he had yet to organize them in the bookstore but it wouldn’t be so bad to read them for now. 

Mianmian grinned at the sight, Xue Yang groaned even though they all knew he’d be invested immediately. 

There weren’t any customers around, they managed to read the first thirty pages of a steamy cowboy story. The cover depicted what was obviously a city girl and a cowboy trying to lasso her. It was cliche. 

They still managed to giggle over it for minutes after. 

It only ended when the door opened and Wen Ning hurriedly put the novels back. It was Xiao Xingchen at the door, he stopped when he saw them. 

Wen Ning told him to come in, and bid his friends farewell, trying to ignore Xue Yang’s inquisitive glance and Mianmian mouthing him to ‘call them’. They likely wanted to know what Xiao Xingchen would say. 

Wen Ning thought they expected too much, the boy was in a bookstore. What more would he talk about but books? 

Xiao Xingchen walked in closer, his eyes peered between the shelves and his feet seemed to freeze on the ground. It was as if a bookstore was a novelty for him. 

“Is there anything in particular that you’re searching for?” Wen Ning asked, trying to be helpful. 

Xiao Xingchen flinched, he glanced back at Wen Ning with wide eyes. His hand twitched, heading to his neck before he caught it and turned it to a fist at his side. A nervous tic of some sort? 

“No, I just- I don’t want to bother you.” His voice was unsure in a way it had not been the last time. 

Wen Ning lowered his own at the sound of it, “I’m here to help you.” He tried to comfort him. His job was literally to serve the customer with the things they might need. 

Xiao Xingchen shifted nervously. 

“I don’t know if you’ll have it here.” 

“I’m not sure what you’re searching for but if we have it here I’ll know exactly where it is.” 

Xiao Xingchen nodded, his hand unfurled. “Then. I am looking for a book.” 

Well, we have hundreds of those here, was what Wen Ning wanted to say at that unhelpful answer. Instead, he asked, “What is it about?” 

Xiao Xingchen’s hand twitched near his neck, it moved back to rub at his nape. “Just- cooking. I’m really bad at it.” 

Wen Ning could empathize with Xiao Xingchen on that, the last time he’d tried to cook he managed to ruin two different eggs and nearly burned the kitchen down while making noodles. 

“We have all of our cookbooks over here.” Wen Ning said, walking out from behind the counter to show him. “See if there’s something you like.” He said after leading Xiao Xingchen right up to the shelf. 

“Thank you.” 

“I’ll be in the front, call me if you need anything.” 

Time passed, Wen Ning listened to the beats on the radio that filled up the store. Xiao Xingchen took his task of looking for a cookbook seriously, his eyes moved diligently over the pages. Finally, he chose one and walked back over to the counter. 

“Did you find everything alright?” Wen Ning asked with his best customer service voice. Xiao Xingchen smiled. 

“Yes, thank you.” 

He left after, his new cookbook in hand. The door closed behind him, making the doorbell ring. 

Wen Ning glanced at the clock and sighed at what it said. There were three hours left of his shift. 

This time he welcomed the running thoughts and daydreams. 

Chapter Text

Sunday passed slowly, the only familiar face he encountered that day was his own Mother, who came to add another romance novel to her growing collection. She drove him home that day, and Wen Ning laid in bed without being able to sleep again. 

His eyes were wide on the stars stuck to his ceilings, a memento left behind by his childhood self that blinked back at him in the stretching night. The moonlight flickered in through the window beside him, it formed a light on his opposite wall, illuminating his door. 

He could see someone opening it, grabbing him, dragging him, beating him. Killing him. 

None of that was true, yet sleep did not arrive quickly. The patch of moonlight had shifted to the opposite wall when his eyes closed and he fell into a restless sleep. His dreams were flashes of memory, his brain always running. 

He walked into the library at school the next morning with eyebags underneath his eyes. He resisted the urge to yawn for the hundredth time since he’d gotten out of bed that morning, honestly way too early. 

His friends sat around their usual table, the one they’d taken to inhabiting ever since Wen Ning lost his lunch breaks to detention. He only had a few more days of that luckily. 

Wen Ning forced a smile to his lips, it dragged uncomfortably. 

“Good-”

“Stop!” Mianmian snapped, cutting him off effectively. “It is not a good morning.” 

Wen Ning could agree with that. His eyes took in Mianmian’s appearance in a flash, her hair was in loose beach waves rather than her usual crisp curls and her shirt was wrinkled, immensely so. She didn’t seem to be doing much better than him. 

Xue Yang raised a brow in her direction, “What monster bit your ass.” He sassed. His appearance was as usual. Which was to say he appeared to be going to a rock n roll concert, nevermind that they’d gone out of style since the seventies. Wen Ning often thought the boy was born in the wrong era. 

Mianmian groaned, she spread her arms along the table so that Wen Ning had to maneuver his body to even fit on the chair. 

“Yang, that literally makes no sense.” She complained. 

“Nothing in the world makes sense.” Xue Yang glanced at them with wide eyes, a theatre drama would have suited him. 

“I have something.” Wen Ning jumped in. Over the course of his sleepless night, he had come to a quite simple conclusion to their problem. That was before he spent the next few hours haunted by his imagination. 

“What?” Mianmian asked. 

“She’s right, I don’t believe you.” Xue Yang crossed his arms dramatically. Wen Ning was hopelessly lost. 

Mianmian frowned, “I literally never said-” 

Wen Ning leaned in before they could start arguing. 

“I thought of something last night.” 

This made them pause in their brewing fight, they turned to him in sync. 

“You did?” Mianmian gasped.  

“Spill it.” Xue Yang urged. 

“Well…” Wen Ning trailed off, his eyes flickered to Mianmian. “We know that Mianmian’s stepdad is-” 

“No.” Mianmian whispered, already knowing what he was bound to say.  

“-an officer and we can-” 

“No!” Mianmian snapped. Xue Yang grabbed her arm dramatically. 

“He’s right, just ask him!” 

“I thought you loathed officers.” Mianmian seemed to whine. 

Xue Yang shrugged. 

“Only half the time.”

“And the other half?” Mianmian raised her brow. 

Xue Yang grinned, “They’re hot as-” 

“Yang!” Wen Ning finally cut in. He needed to get the conversation moving again. He turned pleading eyes to Mianmian. “You need to ask him what they’ve learned.” 

“I can’t do that.”  

“Why not?” 

Xue Yang said, “Yeah, just ask like you’re curious.” 

“You don’t understand.” Mianmian said with wandering eyes. 

“You’re blowing this out of proportion.” Xue Yang claimed. 

“I don’t want to hear it from you.” Mianmian glared at him. 

Wen Ning could feel the situation leaving his hands, control was running away. 

Xue Yang narrowed his eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Their eyes participated in a battle of wits, neither of them looked away. After a second, Mianmian began to open her mouth. 

Wen Ning pushed through his own nerves. 

“Let’s just talk-” He began. They stared for one last second, then they turned to Wen Ning. He tried not to crumple under their weighted gazes. “Maybe we could help you word the conversation.” 

“Ning, seriously.” Mianmian pushed through gritted teeth. 

“We have no other option.” Wen Ning explained with flailing hands. “Nothing else is helping us and-” 

“Drop it.” 

“We had to find another way. And this is the way so why don’t you-” 

“Because I can’t!” Mianmian yelled. A deathly silence followed, stares turned in their direction and the librarian shushed them. None of them cared, Wen Ning was too busy looking at Mianmian like he’d been personally scolded, like a wounded child. Mianmian turned between both of them, her gaze settled on Wen Ning and she sighed. 

“Mom has been stressed for years on end… because of us. My sister and I. And I can’t just ask him because if he mentions it to Mom she’ll be stressed again because of me. And- she just found him, she’s finally happy again and I just-” 

His scorned feeling fell away the instant she started talking, and throughout her conversation he had the strongest urge to comfort her. He wanted to, but his brain reminded him that human contact didn’t feel good lately. It felt like something to fear. 

When her voice broke off, he chose to ignore it and pushed his hands out to grab her own. His heart raced in his chest, but he wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. And when she squeezed his hands with a growing smile, his heart flipped with the knowledge that he’d made the right choice. 

He whispered, “You don’t want to scare her?” 

“ No.” Mianmian admitted, her voice sounded winded, like she’d just finished running a marathon. “That’s the last thing I want.” 

Wen Ning nodded, “I’ll figure something else out.” 

He would never make Mianmian do something that upset her, not to this extent. Even if… even if it concerned the investigation. 

A thump reached Wen Ning’s ears, Xue Yang was patting Mianmian’s back. 

“Cheer up.” He said. “You’re off the hook.” 

Wen Ning’s mind was already running, he didn’t catch much of their following conversation. He tried to brainstorm, to find out how they could ask the officers about the investigation. 

Not him and his best friends, him and Nie Huaisang. They could figure it out together. 

Suddenly, Mianmian was leaning in and pulling Wen Ning out of his running thoughts. 

“I’ll do it.” 

Wen Ning realized he’d missed out on quite a bit. 

Do what?” He asked. 

“Ask him.” Mianmian began. “I’ll ask him about it, okay? But you have to give me time. I know what Luke is like and I can’t just go up and ask, it’ll set him off. There’s a certain way I can ask so he’s unaware, I just haven’t found it yet.” 

“Are you sure?” Wen Ning confirmed, he didn’t want Mianmian to feel like she’d been forced into a corner.  

“I’m sure.” She smiled and another pressure was on his hands. 

Wen Ning’s heart thumped when he glanced down, her hand was squeezing his harder. His brain was stumped for a beat, he’d forgotten that they were holding hands. He pulled his own away gently, his heartbeat slowed down to his normal pace.

“Great.” Xue Yang chimed in, he was grinning at them. “We’ll finally get past step one.” 

Mianmian’s smile grew, she shook it off and feigned a sigh. “You guys are so annoying.” 

Wen Ning frowned at that, how could she say that after they’d been so kind to her? Xue Yang dropped his mouth open with offense. She noticed their gazes and chuckled. 

“But you’re my annoying.” 

Xue Yang cackled. “See! It’s so stupid it makes sense somehow.” 

Mianmian gasped dramatically, “Did you just call me stupid?” 

“Not really, but if the shoe fits-” 

“Yang!” She yelled and smacked him on the arm. The boy tried to cover up his face while chuckles fell out from his lips. “You’re so annoying!” 

Wen Ning’s face hurt from the grin stretching across his skin, he found that he couldn’t exactly stay sad when he was around his friends. Around them, all of his problems seemed to momentarily disappear. 

Wen Ning hadn’t had any classes with Nie Huaisang for the first two weeks the boy was in his school. But halfway through the last week, Nie Huaisang’s schedule seemed to have been shifted around and he ended up in Wen Ning’s second block: Calculus. 

It was a class that mostly seniors had, and only a few juniors were in. Wen Ning regretted being one of the few juniors in the class. 

That day would have been the third day he had the class with Nie Huaisang, except Nie Huaisang wasn’t there. Wen Ning wondered if his schedule had been switched around once more. 

That wasn’t the case, twenty minutes into their second block, Nie Huaisang walked in. 

Silence filled the class, everyone turned to look at him. The math teacher, Mr. An, curled a bushy eyebrow at Nie Huaisang. 

“Nice of you to join us.” He said. Nie Huaisang smiled, nervous at the clear sarcasm in the sentence. 

“I got lost.” 

“Three weeks in?” 

“The school is huge.” Nie Huaisang tried to play it off. 

Mr. An frowned. “It’s two floors.” 

Nie Huaisang shifted his feet. “I come from an outside school. These hallways all look the same.” His voice came out whining at the end.

Mr. An huffed, in a clear attempt to not roll his eyes. 

“Just sit down. And don’t make this a habit.” 

“Yes, sir.” Nie Huaisang grinned and went straight to the empty desk behind Wen Ning. The class didn’t have assigned seats, the students moved around quite often. As long as it didn’t become a problem, Mr. An had no care for where they chose to set up for the day. 

Wen Ning was usually surrounded by people on all sides, so Nie Huaisang had yet to sit next to him in class. 

Wen Ning was hyperaware of Nie Huaisang’s presence behind him. He could hardly concentrate, something which he knew he’d regret when he had to complete the homework assignment later. 

Minutes passed before Wen Ning heard shuffling behind him. 

“Ning.” Nie Huaisang whispered by Wen Ning’s neck, his breath crashed against Wen Ning’s ear. Wen Ning’s heart started racing, it was a hard effort to keep his breath in check. He leaned back after his breathing was normal, to prompt Nie Huaisang to continue. 

“I managed to set up a meeting with Mrs Delaney, she was A-Qing’s teacher.” 

Shivers ran over Wen Ning’s skin when Nie Huaisang’s breath crashed against his neck instead. He turned to the side, hoping to hide his hot face. 

“W-when?” He asked, mentally cursing the stutter. 

“Tomorrow after school.” 

The bell rang and saved Wen Ning from his torture. Nie Huaisang stood instantly, he hadn’t bothered to bring anything out. Wen Ning struggled to pack his things up. 

“I’ll meet you?” Nie Huaisang asked. 

“In the parking lot?” Wen Ning suggested while his hands fumbled. He turned up in time to notice Nie Huaisang nodding. Sudden footsteps approached the door to the classroom, it banged open to showcase Wei Ying and Jared on the other side. 

“Huaisang!” Wei Ying called out. Wen Ning’s hands momentarily froze, his mind foolishly considered that if he didn’t move they wouldn’t even notice him. Wei Ying’s eyes flickered to Wen Ning and Wen Ning’s hopes were dashed. 

Nie Huaisang turned to smile at Wen Ning, ignoring his friends. 

“I’ll be there.”

“Come on!” Wei Ying yelled, he grabbed Nie Huaisang’s arm to drag him away. “You can talk to your boyfriend later.” 

Nie Huaisang sighed. “You always have the best timing.” The sarcasm practically dripped off of his words. 

Wen Ning watched them walk away, and the door shut behind them. It was only then that he muttered, “I’m not his boyfriend.” But they were too far away to hear it. 

On his way out the classroom, Mr. An sent him a pitying look. 

Wen Ning hurriedly walked out while rubbing at his face, hoping to remove the blush permeating it. 

Chapter Text

The next day when school let out, Wen Ning made it out to the parking lot first. His last block was a few steps from the exit. 

Throngs of students milled out behind him, some yelled to their friends and others drove by on their skateboards. 

Minutes passed before Xue Yang and Mianmian filed out in the crowd of students. They seemed to want to question what he was doing, but then Nie Huaisang called out Wen Ning’s name and they nodded with some sort of understanding. Wen Ning ignored them, to not see the knowing grins on their faces. 

Their school day ended thirty minutes earlier than the elementary and by the time they made it to A-Qing’s school the bell was just ringing. 

They waited outside of Mrs Delaney’s classroom. There was a poster posed on the door, it had her name written on it with a picture of a rainbow on top of it, as if her name was the cloud beneath it. 

Voices filtered out from inside of the door for a while, it sounded like two adults were speaking inside. 

Most of the students had already left by that point, only a trio of girls remained down the hall, giggling around the water fountain. Their obnoxious voices only died down when they eyed Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang with blatant curiosity. 

Wen Ning was not surprised when they walked right up to them. One of the girls, a blonde one with brown eyes, squinted at them. 

“Hey, who are you people?” She asked. Nie Huaisang turned to Wen Ning, his brows pinched with his own poorly concealed confusion. Wen Ning wasn’t sure he was much better. 

Nie Huaisang shifted closer. “I’m Huaisang.” He pointed at Wen Ning. “This is my friend, Ning. We’re here because we want to know more about Lu Qing.” 

The way he said it was like a sales pitch, or like the beginning of a professional interview. It was nothing but, he was telling it to some children. 

“Lu Qing?” Another girl scoffed, a brunette.

The last girl, a redhead, sneered, “You guys are weirdos.” 

“Yeah, why are you interested in her of all people?” The brunette asked. They talked and talked but weren’t giving them any opportunity to talk. 

“Must be because she’s dead.” The blonde added again. Her comment was followed by a round of their foolish laughter. The only good thing about it was that they’d finally stopped running their mouths. Wen Ning frowned. 

“I’m sorry I must have missed the humor in that.” He said, pointedly. 

Confrontation was not his usual route for dumb comments. But who was he to be afraid of some little kids? 

The girls’ laughter cut off, they gave him their sassiest eye rolls. 

“Whatever.” The redhead said. “That freak had it coming.” 

 Wen Ning couldn’t get a single word out before Nie Huaisang grabbed his hand, as if to stop him. Wen Ning took in the sight, his heart gave one valiant flip, before he glanced up at Nie Huaisang, who tried to smile politely at the girls. 

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

“Obviously that she smelled like weed.” The brunette curled her nose with disgust. 

“And she had greasy hair.” The blonde added. 

“And she hid behind her hoodie like a slug.” The redhead also pointed out, all of a sudden the conversation had turned into ‘who can judge A-Qing the most’. 

“Oh, and her parents were creeps.” The brunette started to say. “Not to mention-” 

She was cut off when the door opened, an older blonde woman with a lanyard around her neck was walking out with a younger woman behind her. The girls took one look at the teacher and scurried off like little rats. 

The two women chatted at the door for a single second more, then they said their goodbyes and the younger woman left. 

The older woman with blonde hair that had white streaks at points turned to them both. A smile filled her face. 

“You must be Huaisang and you…” She turned her gaze from Nie Huaisang to Wen Ning, her eyes squinted and brows furrowed before she gasped. “Ning?” 

Wen Ning tried to place her face. It was clear she knew him, but from where? No matter how he flipped her image around in his head, he couldn’t come to a conclusion. He nodded though it came off hesitant. 

“You know her?” Nie Huaisang asked with his own confusion.

“Not really.” 

“You didn’t have her?” 

“Oh no.” The woman, Mrs Delaney, laughed at the thought. “I had his sister, Qing. During parent-teacher meetings, he’d always be there hiding behind his mother’s skirts. Hard to forget that.” 

A brief memory tugged at Wen Ning’s head, he saw a young blond woman in them, a bright smile on her face. There was no way to know if he was truly remembering her or if his brain was trying to make a fake memory. He gave up. 

Nie Huaisang shifted. “No wonder.” 

Mrs Delaney motioned at her door, waiting for them to go in. 

“Come in.” 

They arranged two of the children’s chairs to face the teacher’s desk. Wen Ning’s legs had to be folded under him to fit on the small thing. He didn’t remember being this small in elementary. 

Mrs Delaney tapped her fingernails on her desk, she seemed to be holding back from saying something. She made it as far as they took to get settled to speak. 

“I must admit that I’m worried about the reason for your questioning, boys.” She said without any further delay. Wen Ning glanced at Nie Huaisang, he was unsure what to say to this. 

Nie Huaisang seemed to wave the teacher’s worries off. 

“Oh, not to worry. We’re just trying to write an article about Lu Qing when she was alive.” He paused, frowned. “It’s unsettling that everyone focuses simply on her horrifying death, and not the child she once was.” His voice was straight, even as he lied through his teeth. If Wen Ning hadn’t known his true reason for questioning, even he would have believed it. 

Mrs Delaney chuckled nervously, she nodded slowly.  

“That settles me lots, you don’t know it. I thought you guys were- looking for the culprit or something.” She scoffed at the mere thought. 

“No, that’s silly.” Nie Huaisang agreed. 

Mrs Delaney sighed. 

“Then what exactly did you want to know?” 

Nie Huaisang asked about Lu Qing’s life up until that point and Mrs Delaney went into the same rant that everyone said about her when asked: how her parents were horrible, how she seemed to hide, and how she had close to no friends. 

Mrs Delaney cut herself off after a while. 

“But enough about that.” She mimicked the act of ‘pushing the thought away’. “Her grades and her own enthusiasm improved a lot when she began to get tutored by that older boy.” 

“Older boy?” Nie Huaisang prompted. 

“Yes. Xingchen.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Honestly, I was worried that her relationship with him and the other boy might not have been appropriate or safe. But when I saw it in person, I realized she would be fine. They loved her lots, like siblings.”

It was a happy thought to know there was at least one adult in A-Qing’s life who had worried about her, even though it hadn’t been enough. 

Nie Huaisang asked, “Who was the other boy?” 

Wen Ning was sure that it was Song Lan. 

“Xingchen’s friend, Lan Song. I taught him myself years ago, he was such a quiet boy.” Mrs Delaney said. That checked out, it was who Wen Ning had thought. 

“Was A-Qing a very talkative person?” Nie Huaisang asked next. 

Mrs Delaney paused to think about this question briefly. 

“I wouldn’t say so. Once you knew her, she’d talk your ear off. But if she didn’t know you she’d hightail it the other way at the sight of you.” 

In other words, A-Qing must have at the very least recognized the culprit, if not she’d have run at the mere sight of them. 

Afterward, when they’d finished talking with Mrs Delaney and sat outside of the school, Nie Huaisang groaned. He was frustrated, similarly to Wen Ning. 

“This is getting a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.” 

Wen Ning tilted his head at Nie Huaisang’s words. He asked a question that had been prodding at his head. 

“What are the chances that the killers were kids from her school?” 

“Zero.” 

“Why?” 

“Well, not zero but also not likely.” Nie Huaisang corrected. “A-Qing was missing for a whole day before her body was found. No child would have the means of kidnapping her and bringing her to a separate place their parents didn’t know about to kill her.” 

“Only an adult would have the means of doing so.” Wen Ning finished that thought. 

“Yes.” Nie Huaisang tapped his fingers on the wall behind him, he hummed in thought. “Of course, the other option is that A-Qing was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” 

“Someone took her out of convenience and a need to kill, not targeting?” 

“Exactly.” Nie Huaisang turned to Wen Ning. “And if that’s the case it is unlikely we will ever be able to figure it out ourselves.” 

Wen Ning could do nothing but sigh at that thought. What else could he say to such a deprecating thing? 

If the attack had been random, with nothing connecting A-Qing and the murderer, forget them, even the cops would struggle to find the murderer. 

They walked home together that day with their hopes dashed, but a growing plan. They needed to return to A-Qing’s street. They needed to go back to the little girl’s origin. 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning blew off his friends to go out with Nie Huaisang again. He felt guilt for it, in the way his fingers refused to settle from their nervous fiddlings and the way he couldn’t even look at Mianmian in the eyes while he told her he was too busy to go over to her house. 

It wasn’t exactly a lie. That afternoon, a day after going to A-Qing’s school, he was busy. He had agreed to go to Miss Willow’s house and have another chat with her, and he wasn’t sure how long that was going to take. 

The group of children were playing outside again when they arrived. Ronnie the curly-haired boy turned their way and shot Wen Ning a bright smile as he passed. 

Once at Miss Willow’s door, they knocked and waited outside for the old woman to open the door and perhaps let them in for the afternoon. Seconds spanned, the door remained closed. 

Wen Ning’s eyes wandered from the scratched wood, they trailed around the neighborhood and he noticed with a frown that someone was approaching. Their figure was too far for him to recognize. And then they got closer, only feet from A-Qing’s house further down, and their face grew into one Wen Ning clearly remembered. 

“Brad?” Nie Huaisang was the one who questioned. The door opened behind them, Wen Ning couldn't turn, not if he’d lose sight of Brad. His brain thought that would be a foolish decision. If he turned around, Brad could sneak up on him and finish what he’d started. 

Brad didn’t notice them, his hair was pulled back with gel and his clothes seemed to be properly ironed. At the center of the Lu’s house overgrown pathway, he paused and fixed up his clothes. 

Nerves beheld him, the sight threw Wen Ning off. How could someone like Brad feel nervous? 

Brad placed a single foot onto the cracked pathway, it was stopped when he twitched and glanced in their direction, as if feeling their gazes. His eyes locked on Wen Ning’s from what felt like miles away. Images flashed through Wen Ning’s mind with that gaze, all the different variations of how that night could have gone. His nightmares always consisted of this thing. 

Brad was the one who looked away first. His foot shifted back onto the street without ever fully settling, and he walked past the Lu’s house like he’d never meant to go there in the first place. Had Wen Ning not seen how he stepped onto the pathway, he’d have assumed Brad was just on a casual walk. 

“Do you two know him?” Miss Willow’s scratchy voice asked from behind them. She had seen everything. 

“Yes.” Nie Huaisang answered, Wen Ning wasn’t able to say anything. His body still tried to get over the shock of seeing Brad again, for what seemed like the first time since the incident. At school, they had their set routines and places they hung out, somehow they’d avoided each other. 

“Has he been there before?” Nie Huaisang asked.  

“Not that I’ve seen him.” Miss Willow frowned. “Then again, I cannot see that area from my spot on the window.” 

Nie Huaisang muttered, “So we don’t know how often he comes by… but it's clear he’s been here before.”

Nie Huaisang seemed to grow lost in thought. He was trying to brainstorm in his head, but Wen Ning knew a simpler way to learn the truth. He finally turned to Miss Willow. 

“Can you excuse me for a second?” 

“Go ahead.” Miss Willow waved dismissively. 

Brad had his head held high while he walked through the block. Wen Ning rushed across the street and toward the group of children kicking around a ball. 

“Are you asking them?” Nie Huaisang asked, falling into step beside Wen Ning. 

“Yes. They're the kids we talked to last time.” 

The kids paused in their game, they had multiple different expressions on their faces, but all screamed confusion. 

“Hey, Ronnie.” Wen Ning smiled at the little boy. Ronnie’s whole face lit up, likely to have Wen Ning talking to him again.

“Detective!” He yelled excitedly and scrambled over to them. His hair bounced briefly as he walked, it made him look all the more adorable. The other kids turned to watch for a brief second then they resumed their game. 

“Ning.” Wen Ning corrected when Ronnie stopped in front of them.

“Hm?” 

“My name is Ning.” 

“Detective Ning.” Ronnie said in a cheeky manner. “Do you have another question?” 

“I do.” Wen Ning pointed at Brad’s figure in the distance, the brunette was about to turn out of A-Qing’s street and away from their sight. “Have you seen that boy before?” 

Ronnie didn’t need even a second to recognize who Wen Ning was talking about. He nodded, “Yeah. He’s the boy I was telling you about.” 

Wen Ning smiled.

“Thank you, Ronnie.”

Now there was another thing for Wen Ning to question, but that wasn’t Ronnie’s fault. 

Ronnie asked,  “Was I helpful again?” He grinned when Wen Ning nodded at him. “Who’s this guy?” He motioned at Nie Huaisang. 

Wen Ning’s mind liked to blank at the most inopportune moments, it happened then. He wasn’t sure how to introduce Nie Huaisang. Nie Huaisang curled an eyebrow. 

 “He’s… my friend. Huaisang.” Wen Ning finally said. Ronnie blinked at Nie Huaisang. 

“Oh. Do you want to play with us?” He asked both of them, while motioning at the soccer ball. With Wen Ning’s athletic skills, he’d sooner die than play any sort of sport. Or, on the off chance he did play, the ball would end up in someone’s window with his luck. 

Wen Ning shook his head. 

“I can’t today. We promised to hang out with Miss Willow.” 

“Aww, next time?” 

“Next time.” 

Ronnie didn’t waste time in running off, he rejoined the group of children like he’d never left in the first place. Wen Ning turned back to Nie Huaisang. 

“I need to talk to Xingchen again.” 

“But-” Nie Huaisang lightly nudged Wen Ning’s shoulder, turning him back to the yellow house on the street. “For now we have something else to do.” 

Miss Willow lingered by the open doorway. Her pale arms were crossed over her chest as she watched them. The second they turned around, she walked back inside of her home, leaving the door open for them. 

Wen Ning quickly glanced at Nie Huaisang, then they both walked over.

Chapter Text

After seeing Brad at Lu Qing’s house yesterday, Wen Ning made a plan to question Xiao Xingchen as soon as he could. And if he wanted to do that, he needed to let his friends know about it, lest Xiao Xingchen expose him later on and the situation came back to haunt Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning walked into school in the morning, he expected to have to search for his friends in the library but he found them as soon as he entered, huddled around Xue Yang’s locker. The boy’s locker was empty but for an array of snacks inside. 

“Good morning!” Mianmian was the first to greet him with a joyous smile on her face. She no longer looked like death reincarnated, though eyebags were still slightly visible under her makeup. 

Xue Yang turned to Wen Ning and drawled, “Look what angel has decided to grace us today.” 

It was much later than Wen Ning usually arrived at school, but Wen Ning did not appreciate the sass. 

“Morning.” Wen Ning said in reply, he was tired after having stayed up all night pondering what to do about the situation. He’d even begun to brainstorm ideas as to why Brad would be going to the Lu’s house. None of them were good. 

“Wow, no ‘good’?” Xue Yang cried at Mianmian, “He must hate us.” 

Mianmian gripped onto Xue Yang’s arms. 

“I never thought the day would come!” She wailed and they both fell into dramatic crying. The strongest urge to roll his eyes filled Wen Ning, he barely managed to contain it. 

“It’s not that.” He sighed. Now was the time for him to explain. “Something has been throwing me off for a while.” 

“Grab on then.” Xue Yang said, instantly. It took a second for Wen Ning to process that Xue Yang was back to being his annoying, witty self. Wen Ning missed the somber Xue Yang already, though deep down he was glad his friend was feeling better. 

He couldn’t let Xue Yang know. Wen Ning gave Xue Yang the most disappointed glare he could muster. 

“Yang…” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Xue Yang grinned, not apologetic in the slightest. “Go on.” 

“I was saying, something has been throwing me off.” Wen Ning continued.

Mianmian groaned.  

“I love you, Ning, but please just say it already.” 

Wen Ning could tell he was losing them already. Xue Yang seemed to be dying to give another sassy retort, and Mianmian seemed exasperated. He finally forced the words right out. 

“We never asked Xingchen if he was the one going to A-Qing’s house.” He said, clear and to the point. It was the best way he could think to nudge his friends in the right direction without outright saying Brad was the one dropping by the Lu’s house. He couldn’t just tell them, they’d know that he was investigating apart from them as well. 

“What?” Xue Yang scoffed. “So now we have to confirm every little thing?” 

“Just this. It’s been bothering me.” 

Mianmian commented, “But he said he was tutoring A-Qing, and that he saw her a lot.” 

“But what if it wasn’t at her house?” Wen Ning wondered. “We never asked.” 

“What are you, a psychic now? Gonna talk to A-Qing’s body next?” Xue Yang remarked, his tone of voice was sharp as always. But this time it grated at Wen Ning, Xue Yang was being mean and insensitive.

Wen Ning glared at Xue Yang, “You’re not being funny.” 

Xue Yang was taken aback for a split second, he stopped to consider what Wen Ning was saying. When Mianmian also nodded that, yes he was being rude, he finally seemed to realize and furrowed his brows. 

“Sorry.” 

“I,” Mianmian cut in, quite loudly so as to cut the tension in the air, “For one, think you’re being dumb. But I’ll humor you. Let’s ask.” 

The heavy mood was lifted in an instant. Wen Ning grinned at his friends, they were finally heading in the right direction. 

“Let’s go.” 

Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen were in the library as per usual, something they still only knew because of Xue Yang’s stalker tendencies. Xue Yang liked to pretend to be nonchalant in front of others, Wen Ning and Mianmian knew he was everything but, especially when it came to his crush, Song Lan. In that scenario, Xue Yang was the most chalant person to ever exist. 

The two friends were sitting with their backs to the door. Xiao Xingchen had his hand in his chin, his back was slouched over and slightly angled to look at Song Lan. Song Lan was nodding at something that Xiao Xingchen was saying. 

Xiao Xingchen cut off the second he noticed them. His brows pinched at the center. 

“You three… again.” He looked between the three of them, his gaze growing more and more closed off with each one he landed on. 

“Aren’t you happy to see us?” Xue Yang asked, one brow curled. He said this calmly yet his gaze flickered to Song Lan briefly, almost like he hadn’t meant for it to happen. Song Lan’s own gaze was trained on a novel without a care in the world. 

“A day spent talking to you is always a fun one.” Xiao Xingchen agreed, his tone sounded genuine. Wen Ning had a strong feeling it was not. 

Mianmian also saw right through it, she grinned at Xiao Xingchen. 

“We just have one question, don’t you worry, we’ll be out of your hair soon.” She promised. 

“Unless you want us to stay there, we’ll be the lice to your hair follicles.” Xue Yang added. Wen Ning often wondered how Xue Yang always knew just the thing to say, it was second nature to him. Of course, they weren’t always good things. 

Xue Yang’s gaze flickered to Song Lan again. Wen Ning held back a disappointed groan, for someone so witty, Xue Yang tended to be quite dumb. It was obvious he was trying to impress Song Lan everytime he managed to say something sharp. 

Xiao Xingchen didn’t seem to notice. 

“I’m not too fond of the idea.” He said, shaking his head. “Ask away. I suppose.” 

Wen Ning was the one who took the chance to ask, “Did you go to A-Qing’s house a lot?” He lacked Xue Yang’s way with words, he usually just got straight to the point. He was often called boring for it, and quiet. 

Xiao Xingchen blinked with growing shock, he started to get misty eyed at the topic. 

“Not much, no.” 

“None of you?” Xue Yang asked, glancing pointedly between Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. 

“No.” Song Lan said for the first time since they’d arrived. He had finally lifted his eyes off of the novel long enough to glance at them. Xue Yang’s eyes were wide and filled with wonder, like he’d just seen the sun peak through the clouds on a stormy day. 

Could he be any more obvious? 

Mianmian asked, “How much is ‘not much’?” 

“I went every few… months or so. And I haven’t gone back in a long time. Even before…” Xiao Xingchen trailed off. His hand flinched toward his nape, and then settled on a necklace that hung limply around it. His fingers fidgeted with the string. His discomfort was obvious. 

Despite this, he continued, “She was usually the one dropping by my house for tutoring.”

Which meant that he wasn’t the one the kids had been seeing, that much had been confirmed. The one that had been dropping by the Lu’s house was Brad. Which begged the question, what was he doing there? 

Wen Ning felt his skin crawl the longer he thought about Brad, he pushed it aside for the time being. 

“Ugh, tutoring.” Xue Yang was groaning dramatically at the reminder. 

Xiao Xingchen’s lips pulled up slightly at Xue Yang’s antics. 

“How’s that going for you?” He asked, he had been uncomfortable talking about A-Qing and even Xue Yang had noticed. Xue Yang allowed the topic switch. They had already confirmed what they’d gone for after all. 

Xue Yang groaned. 

“Mr. Reeses Cups already has too many students. He said he couldn’t take me in and slammed the door behind my ass. That’s why it’s so fl-” 

“Yang…” Wen Ning cut him off, he was trying to save Xue Yang from rambling away in front of his crush. Song Lan looked disappointed, and he wasn’t bothering to hide the disgusted curl to his lip. 

Xue Yang grinned sheepishly.

“Anyway,” He thankfully moved on, “What about Mr Nie?” 

“No, not him.” Xiao Xingchen cut that idea off, shaking his head slowly. “Mr Nie already tried tutoring three students a while back, but that was too much for him and when the third student dropped out, he decided two was enough.” 

Xue Yang grabbed his temples in another one of his theater antics. 

“Just my stupid luck.” He sighed. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Wait, what about the prettier of the lovebirds, Lan Zhan?” Of course Xue Yang couldn’t miss having a jab at Wei Ying. 

Song Lan’s gaze flickered directly at Xue Yang, his brows were bunched together. He pulled it away right as Xue Yang turned to look at him, so that Xue Yang was unaware Song Lan had been frowning at him. 

Wen Ning was not. He turned to hide a small smile that felt inopportune for all of the bad things going on around them. But if he couldn’t celebrate the small victories for his friends, he’d crumble. He needed some sort of normalcy. 

“Oh.” Xiao Xingchen grimaced in front of Wen Ning. “That was the third student. But he’s not even tutoring anymore.” 

“Just kill me, why don’t you?” Xue Yang slumped over like the weight of the world had been dropped on his shoulders. Xiao Xingchen’s eyes betrayed his pity for Xue Yang. Beside him, Song Lan’s frown deepened. 

“What if-” Song Lan began. He paused momentarily when everyone’s eyes settled on him. “What if I- if Xingchen tutors you?” 

“Me?” Xiao Xingchen asked with shock. He turned to Song Lan and shot him a weird look. 

“Yes. You.” Song Lan nodded. He also made a weird expression at Xiao Xingchen. 

Wen Ning and his friends watched in awkward silence as the two sophomores had some sort of argument with their eyes that only they could understand. Xiao Xingchen sighed eventually, it seemed Song Lan had won. 

He said, “I’ll check if I can tutor you myself, I just need to make sure I have time.” 

Xue Yang’s eyes widened when he heard that, he grinned. 

“I owe you the world. But since I can’t, have this instead.” He pulled out two lollipops from his jacket without even glancing at them. The first one, a blueberry one, he handed to Xiao Xingchen. The second lollipop was a cherry flavor. Wen Ning knew Xue Yang was possessive of his cherry flavored lollipops, he was a kind friend but that didn’t mean he ever gave them one of the cherry ones. 

Xue Yang hesitated when he noticed the red color, his mouth was currently empty, he’d likely been meaning to eat that lollipop in due time. It was only a split second before he handed it to Song Lan. 

“Don’t spend it all at once.” He said, as if he’d just given them pocket money and not candy. 

Xiao Xingchen frowned. 

“Spend w-”

The bell rang around them, signifying the start of the school day. 

“See you!” Xue Yang told the two boys, even though they all shared the same first block. His face was slightly red, he hurried off and his friends were forced to follow. 

Outside of the library, Mianmian turned to Wen Ning. 

“Did you see that?” She asked with growing excitement. Wen Ning nodded, he knew what she was hinting at. Song Lan was the one who had gone so far as to help Xue Yang. And if that wasn’t enough, Xue Yang had willingly given Song Lan something he usually refused to share. Wen Ning didn’t know his friend could be so selfless, or that he had such high chances. 

Wen Ning leaned on Xue Yang. 

“Maybe you’re not hopeless.” He said, his voice came out a low whisper. 

Xue Yang scoffed, “Me? No, hope is practically my middle name. Just wait until we’re at the pew.” 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself now.” Mianmian jeered. Students began to file into the hallways around them, some walking to their classes and others stopping by their lockers to get ready for the day. 

It was a Spring day with the sun shining, joy was in the air. Wen Ning smiled at the sight of it. 

Chapter Text

Nie Huaisang was already sitting in the classroom when Wen Ning walked into his second block. He considered his following actions at the door and walked to the desk beside Nie Huaisang, sitting down without another word. 

Mr. An was teaching them about anti-derivatives that day, it was mostly a review before they had to take their final. Wen Ning waited for the teacher to fall into the flow of his teaching, he turned to Nie Huaisang and nearly flinched when he found Nie Huaisang looking at him. 

Wen Ning cleared his throat. “Huaisang…” 

Nie Huaisang frowned, “Sang.” 

“Huh?” 

“You can just call me Sang- if my name’s too much.” 

“It’s not-” Wen Ning’s voice cut off. He shifted minutely, away from Nie Huaisang’s light gaze. His face felt hot, he struggled to sound it out. “Sang?” 

“Yeah. Everyone calls me that.” Nie Huaisang paused, rubbed at his nape. “My mother calls me that.” He corrected sheepishly. 

Only one person called him ‘Sang’ then. Wen Ning remembered his friends always called him ‘Huaisang’, never Sang. 

Pretending that it was any other way was foolish, obviously Wen Ning knew what Nie Huaisang’s friends actually called Nie Huaisang. But… it was kind of… cute, if Wen Ning had to admit. He shook the thought away, and nodded.  

“Sang.” 

“There you go.” 

A smile lit up Wen Ning’s face, it nearly rivaled Nie Huaisang’s. He turned down at the table and coughed as if to clear his throat. 

“I have something to tell you. We need to talk privately soon.” 

“During lunch then?” 

“Can’t.” Wen Ning sighed at the thought. “I have lunch detention.” 

Nie Huaisang hummed, eyes growing dazed. 

“That’ll be a problem…” Suddenly he started to work on his notebook, moving the sheets around one way and another. 

“What are you doing?” Wen Ning whispered, leaning closer to see what Nie Huaisang was doing but he couldn’t make heads or tails of it. 

“Ning.” Someone called from the front of the class. Wen Ning flinched at the sound of it, it was Mr An, narrowing his eyes at him. “What’s with all the whispering?” His tone betrayed his annoyance. 

“S-sorry.” Wen Ning looked back down, feeling scorned. He didn’t like bothering his teachers. 

Mr An sighed and continued teaching shortly after. He turned back to the board, his voice droning on about math. His back was to them, when a paper airplane flew over and stabbed him right on the back of the head. It was a perfect headshot. 

His hand snapped out to grab the thing. He crumpled it in his fist. 

“Who-” He cut himself off when his eyes landed on Nie Huaisang, the boy was in the process of folding up another airplane. “Huaisang Nie!” 

Nie Huaisang flashed him a cheeky grin. 

“Yes?” 

“What are you-” Mr An groaned when he noticed that Nie Huaisang was not repentant. He frowned. “Detention.” He snapped and gave them his back again. It gave Nie Huaisang a clear shot for the next airplane to get Mr An on the lower back. Mr An flinched. 

“You already have detention!” 

Nie Huaisang gasped. 

“Oh no.” He forced his mouth into a scorned pout. It was nearly on Xue Yang’s level of theatrics. 

Mr An nodded, pleased at the reaction and turned to continue teaching. 

Nie Huaisang grinned at Wen Ning. “I have lunch detention too.” 

“Why would you do that-?” Wen Ning whispered. What was Nie Huaisang thinking? 

“Now we can talk.” Nie Huaisang shrugged. He said it matter-of-factly, like he didn’t care that he’d earned himself detention only weeks before his graduation. 

Wen Ning turned away, hiding the growing smile on his face. 

The detention room was always cold during lunch. It had once been said that this was to ensure the students wouldn’t fall asleep during what was supposed to be a punishment. If the room was too hot, they’d get comfortable and nod off. 

It wasn’t working. In fact, it was the supposed supervisor who always nodded off first. He was kicking back on his chair, his legs up on the desk with his shoes off and his socks on full view of the classroom. His mouth was dropped open, in a manner that always prompted a game of ‘hoops’. The kids would roll up pieces of paper and try to make it into his mouth. 

All this meant that anyone sitting in the back of the classroom could afford to talk if they were quiet about it. Wen Ning would take advantage of it. 

As soon as the supervisor was asleep for the block, Wen Ning turned to Nie Huaisang. 

“I talked with Xiao Xingchen earlier.” He said, paused. “He said he hardly went to A-Qing’s house. So, it was just Brad going to that house.” 

Nie Huaisang frowned when he heard this. 

“So we know it was Brad. But now… the question is: why was he going there?” 

“Maybe he’s on drugs too?” Wen Ning wondered out loud. Perhaps Brad had been going to swipe some drugs off of A-Qing’s parents. But why couldn’t he buy them from the plug himself? And if that was the case, why would he dress up for it? 

Nie Huaisang seemed to see the error in that idea as well. 

“There’s no way to come to a conclusion.” He said, looking at Wen Ning. “Why don’t we interrogate him ourselves?” 

Wen Ning balked at the mere idea of it. He… would have to talk to Brad? He couldn’t. Not after everything. 

After Brad dragged him out of his own home? Nearly killed him? Wen Ning’s heart thumped in his chest. Panic wanted to enshroud him. 

He couldn’t talk to Brad regardless. He promised everyone that he wouldn’t contact Brad anymore. Even if- even if everything might depend on it. 

Wen Ning’s voice came out small, “I- I can’t-” 

He had hardly finished saying it before Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened, he nibbled on his lip and nodded. 

“Right. I shouldn’t have suggested it.” 

He looked so guilty that Wen Ning rushed to comfort him. 

“No, it’s fine.” 

“I’ll interrogate him myself then, and I’ll tell you what he says.” 

That idea made Wen Ning uncomfortable, more so than having to talk to Brad as well. He knew what Brad was like… what if something happened to Nie Huaisang? And at least if Wen Ning was there, he had something to fall back on. 

Brad was already on the edge of no return with Wen Ning, if he pulled something then Wen Ning could open the investigation again. He’d lose some credibility for approaching Brad first, but everything else still stood—that Brad could have killed him and showed no intentions of stopping. 

Wen Ning decided he needed to be there too. Nie Huaisang would be vulnerable otherwise. 

“Actually.” He began to say. He waited for Nie Huaisang to look back at him. “I’ll do it.” 

“Are you sure?” Nie Huaisang asked, he seemed unsure. “I can do it myself.”

Wen Ning knew Nie Huaisang could do it on his own, it was Brad he was worried about.  

“I’m sure.” 

Nie Huaisang began to smile. 

“Here’s what I’m thinking then: we lure him into the bathroom and question him there.” 

“How?” 

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. Come to my house later? We’ll hash out a plan there.” Nie Huaisang grinned and nudged Wen Ning with his shoulder. Wen Ning backed away. 

“I don’t know-” 

“It won’t take long!” Nie Huaisang tilted his head to one side. “Yeah?” 

His eyes were slightly widened, practically doing all the pleading on their own. Wen Ning’s own flickered all over the place, he tried to remind himself why he shouldn’t go to Nie Huaisang’s house but in the face of Nie Huaisang’s begging face, he couldn’t think of a single reason. 

Wen Ning nodded after a while. It made Nie Huaisang’s eyes turn up at the corners with how wide he smiled. 

“Great!” 

Chapter Text

Nie Huaisang waited for Wen Ning in the parking lot when school ended. Wen Ning had just walked out with his friends in tow when the older boy called out his name. 

“Ning! Again?!” Mianmian gasped with growing delight at seeing Nie Huaisang there. 

Xue Yang scoffed, “Your not-boyfriend is here.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Wen Ning retaliated in a whisper-yell to ensure Nie Huaisang could not hear. 

“And the sky isn’t blue.” Xue Yang quipped. At the same time, Mianmian grinned. 

“That is what ‘not-boyfriend’ means.” She put up a single finger to give herself more credibility. “Does he know you like him?” 

Wen Ning frowned. “I don’t like him.” 

Xue Yang raised a brow at him. “Right, you just happen to hang out with him often because you’re best bros.” 

“That’s perfectly plausible.” Wen Ning huffed. 

“You know what else is plausible? You liking him.” 

Mianmian added, “Yeah, you’ve never been this interested in anyone else.” 

Wen Ning shrugged, turning to hide his red face. 

“He’s just a curious person.” 

“Curiousity killed the cat.” Xue Yang jeered. 

“Or in this case,” Mianmian began, grinning at the thought, "Curiosity ate the cat.” 

“Mianmian!” Xue Yang gasped, playfully affronted. Wen Ning’s face grew hotter than before, he didn’t bother giving his friends a goodbye before he stomped off to where Nie Huaisang waited. 

The boy was glancing behind Wen Ning with a nervous smile on his face, he talked to Wen Ning despite it. “Your friends are quite energetic.” 

No sooner than he said that, Mianmian yelled out, “Don’t you forget about us!” 

“Not because you found curiosity.” Xue Yang added. 

“What are they talking about?” Nie Huaisang wondered. Wen Ning grabbed Nie Huaisang’s puffy sleeve and dragged the boy away. 

“Let’s just go.” He pleaded. Nie Huaisang chuckled at the sight, his feet caught up to Wen Ning’s pace after a few steps and he began to ask about Wen Ning’s day. Wen Ning wasn’t sure what to tell him, every one of his days was much the same. 

He woke up, went to school, got home and relaxed until night. He felt boring telling Nie Huaisang this, but the other nodded as if Wen Ning was telling him an exciting fairytale concerning princesses and dragons, otherworldly beings with importance and not, well—Wen Ning. 

They split up at Wen Ning’s house, Wen Ning going inside to take a quick shower and wash off the invisible dirt he was sure he’d garnered throughout the school day. When one went to a public school with other teenagers, it was a given they’d catch some odd smells. 

It was half an hour before Wen Ning found himself in Nie Huaisang’s house again. The place seemed less cluttered than the last time Wen Ning had been there, and Nie Huaisang oddly seemed out of breath when Wen Ning entered. There was a stray sock under the sofa that the boy quickly picked up and dropped in a basket by the hallway entrance. 

He turned a sheepish grin at Wen Ning, standing awkwardly by the couch and motioning at it. “Please sit.” 

Wen Ning gingerly took up the side that did not have the spring slightly poking through. He took a glance at the house around him. “Were you… cleaning before I got here?” 

“What- no. It’s always been like this.” Nie Huaisang promised. His hand reached up to smooth a stray hair down where it’d been sticking out of his usual ‘do. 

If the hair sticking out wasn’t enough, he was still in the same clothes as well, minus the shoes. Wen Ning didn’t believe that Nie Huaisang hadn’t been cleaning. He couldn’t stop a smile at the thought. 

“You don’t need to clean before I come.” 

Nie Huaisang shook the thought off. “I wasn’t cleaning.” He suddenly pushed forth a water bottle from the coffee table. “Here.” 

“Thanks.” 

Nie Huaisang glanced to the side. “Should we watch something?” 

Wen Ning couldn’t hide his frown. “I thought we were here about Brad?” His voice lilted up at the end. Nie Huaisang’s eyes widened slightly. “Was I wrong…?” 

“Well…” Nie Huaisang sighed. “Honestly, I was thinking and I have an idea already.” 

“What is it?” 

“Do you still have lunch detention tomorrow?” 

Wen Ning did have lunch detention. But he wanted to participate in this more. And, if he skipped only one day he might be able to get away with it. And it was his last day, he could just make up for it another day. 

“N-no.” Wen Ning lied through his teeth. He tended to stutter when he tried, he was sure he’d gotten caught but Nie Huaisang only smiled. 

“Then we can do this tomorrow. I’ll have Wei Ying help lure him to the bathroom and we’ll take over with the investigation from there.” 

“How?” 

“Oh, it’s easy.” Nie Huaisang shrugged off the thought. Wen Ning waited for him to explain but the boy seemed to have finished with his sentence. 

“Are you going to explain?” Wen Ning wondered. Nie Huaisang shook his head. 

“No.” Nie Huaisang said bluntly. He seemed to realize what he’d said only when Wen Ning frowned. “I mean- I’ll worry about that. You can worry about what we ask him.”

“‘Why were you visiting the Lu’s?’” Wen Ning suggested. 

“That works.” 

“Are you sure he’ll be there?” 

“I’m sure.” 

Wen Ning was suspicious, he wanted to continue asking but it seemed that Nie Huaisang really did not want to explain. Wen Ning would only be wasting his time. 

A second passed, before Wen Ning reluctantly shifted on the couch. “Then we’re done?” 

Nie Huaisang blinked, shocked silent before he suddenly scrambled, “Not exactly- let’s watch something?” 

“But we’re done planning.” 

Nie Huaisang chuckled and ran toward the television. “It’s okay, you said you had time.” 

“I’m not made of it either.” Wen Ning pointed out. 

“Just for a little.” Nie Huaisang promised. His fingers turned the knob on the thing, searching for something interesting for them to watch. 

Wen Ning wasn’t sure why he allowed it to happen. He only knew he spent the next hour rotting his brain, as Wen Qing would call it, and watching sitcoms. The characters kept making jokes that weren’t exactly funny, but Nie Huaisang would laugh loudly each time and, at hearing that, Wen Ning wouldn’t be able to stop himself from melting into a laughing puddle. 

The shows seemed so much funnier, and tons sillier, when he was with Nie Huaisang on his side. 

A character had just crashed into a door on the television, prompting Wen Ning to laugh only because he already expected Nie Huaisang’s loud cackling, when the doorknob started jingling. Wen Ning’s mind briefly brought him somewhere else: a dark night, a doorknob left unlocked, a brunette boy standing on the other side. Wen Ning blinked and the memory died. 

The door opened and the laughter died in Wen Ning’s throat with sudden nerves. 

A woman who appeared strikingly similar to Nie Huaisang was standing on the other side. She was in a worn pair of jeans and a dark blue tshirt, almost like a subtle uniform. Her black hair was in a loose bun, falling apart around the small band that held it together. Eyebags lined her eyes, icecream held in her hands. 

“I’m home!” She was saying, with her eyes downcast at the shoes she was pulling off. She hadn’t yet noticed Wen Ning. “I brought some of that ice cream you like.” 

Nie Huaisang didn’t seem shocked, he smiled at her. “Thanks!” 

With the shoes off, Nie Huaisang’s… mother, Wen Ning assumed, glanced up and gasped when her eyes landed on Wen Ning’s face. Wen Ning imagined he looked like a deer caught in the headlights at that moment. 

Her knuckles turned white, grasping harder onto the strap of the ice cream bucket in hand. 

“Who is he?” She asked in a snappish tone of voice, her back tensed up and her eyes seemed to narrow in Wen Ning’s direction. They flitted over his appearance and suddenly the baggy jeans and half-sleeve shirt Wen Ning had on felt entirely inappropriate. He shifted further into the couch. 

He opened his mouth to introduce himself, “I-” 

“He’s my friend.” Nie Huaisang interrupted. “His name is Wen Ning. He’s very kind and polite.” 

Wen Ning did not feel like he was kind and polite, and he was confused as to why Nie Huaisang was mentioning it—like he had to praise Wen Ning. 

He frowned, “What-” And stopped when Nie Huaisang squeezed his elbow in a sort of warning.

Nie Huaisang’s mother turned a hard stare on that point of contact, she switched from Wen Ning to Nie Huaisang in quick motions. Finally, she unclenched her fist and put the ice cream on the small table by the front door. 

“Next time warn me if someone’s coming over.” 

“I will.” Nie Huaisang said lightly, entirely unfazed by her behavior. “This time was just last minute.” 

His mother hummed dismissively, she didn’t seem convinced of this. 

“I’m going to wash up for dinner.” Her feet led her to the other end of the hallway but she stopped right as she would step out of sight to squint at Wen Ning. Worms seemed to crawl under Wen Ning’s skin. 

“Give that boy more water.” She said simply and took her leave. The atmosphere seemed to lighten up when she disappeared behind one of the doors. Nie Huaisang grabbed the ice cream from the table and put it inside of the freezer without much fanfare. 

He seemed content to move on when he sat back down, Wen Ning didn’t feel the same. He felt put off by the entire encounter. 

“I don’t think she likes me very much.” Wen Ning mumbled. He couldn’t blame her, who would be happy to walk in on a stranger inside of their home? One that they didn’t know would be there? But it wasn’t as if he did it on purpose. 

Nie Huaisang frowned at Wen Ning, he shook his head in quick succession. “No, that’s not it. She’s just always been like this, it’s nothing personal.” 

Wen Ning wasn’t sure he believed Nie Huaisang. He managed to last five more minutes in that house before the nerves grew too much and he suddenly turned to Nie Huaisang. 

“I think I should go now.” He looked down at his fingers, where he picked at the loose threads on the cushion. “It’s getting late.” 

“But-” 

Nie Huaisang wasn’t able to finish. A door opened further down the hall, Nie Huaisang’s mother walked out in mismatched pajamas. 

“Will your friend be staying for dinner?” She asked Nie Huaisang, not even bothering to look at Wen Ning. 

“Yes.” Nie Huaisang agreed, regardless of how Wen Ning had just been about to say that he must get going already. 

Wen Ning felt betrayal in his bones, he turned wide, accusing eyes on Nie Huaisang but the other boy just shrugged it off with a small smile. It was how Wen Ning found himself staying for dinner. 

Mr Nie arrived five minutes before the chicken Mother Nie had been cooking popped out of the oven. He continued to pester her in perfect brother behavior while Wen Ning watched their household dynamic in awe. It was always odd to see how other families functioned. 

When he finally sat down for dinner, the tension could be cut with a knife. Wen Ning hoped the ground would open up and swallow him whole, anything to get out of there. 

“So,” Mother Nie began. “Wen Ning, is it?” 

Wen Ning had to force his gaze away from the mashed potatoes he’d been pushing around the plate, silence filled the kitchen and three pairs of eyes turned to him. Wen Ning hurriedly swallowed the piece of chicken in his mouth, it scratched at his throat on the way down. 

“Yes?” He squeaked out, almost unsure of himself. 

Mother Nie narrowed her eyes. 

“Is that not your name?” 

“No, it is.” 

“Then you have to be clear about it.” 

Wen Ning’s heart leapt uncomfortably. 

“I’m sorry?” 

Nie Huaisang leaned in, “Mom-” 

Mother Nie cut him off. 

“What good is a boy who doesn’t even know his own name?” She asked. Wen Ning had the urge to hide under the table from her searching eyes. 

“Stop picking on him.” Nie Huaisang gritted out through clenched teeth. Between his behavior and Mother Nie’s accusatory nature, Wen Ning had it cut out for him. His skin crawled, the air struggled to push through his lungs and out of his nose. He wanted to go home. 

The only person entirely unaffected was Mr Nie, he continued to chow down on his dinner. 

Mother Nie sighed finally. 

“Fine.” Her gaze lightened up where it had settled on Wen Ning. “How old are you?”

“Mom s-”

  “I’m just getting to know him.” Mother Nie snapped, with her own growing annoyance. Nie Huaisang slumped in his seat after nearly rolling his eyes and only just cutting himself off. 

Wen Ning’s grip tightened on the spoon in his hand, he steeled his nerves. This was fine, it was normal to be curious about your children’s friends. 

This time when he answered, he forced his voice to remain even. 

“I’m seventeen, ma’am.” 

Mother Nie nodded once. 

“Ma’am is appreciated but unnecessary.” She commented simply. “And are you with that little group he hangs out with?” She said with a curl to her lips. 

“Wei Ying’s group?” Wen Ning wondered. 

“I believe so, yes.” 

Wen Ning shuddered at that thought. There was no way he could be friends with them when they always picked on him. 

“Not at all.” His own disdain peaked through, he heard Nie Huaisang chuckle from beside him. 

Mr Nie finally stopped chewing long enough to say, “Ning couldn’t be any more different than they are.” He flashed Wen Ning a smile. Wen Ning returned it, grateful to have an ally in his professor. Mr Nie broke the look first, Wen Ning turned back to Mother Nie.

“I’m glad then.” She was saying. “I still don’t know why this one talks to them.” Her eyes pulled into a squint, directed at her own son. Nie Huaisang grinned in between bites, he didn’t bother to defend himself. 

That was one thing Wen Ning could agree on, maybe he could get along with Mother Nie then. 

“I have some questions too.” Mr Nie commented suddenly, Wen Ning hummed, for he was in the middle of a bite and could not encourage Mr Nie to continue otherwise. “What is it you plan on doing after high school?” 

The mashed potatoes were perfectly soft, one almost didn’t have to chew at all. Wen Ning still managed to choke on them when he heard that question. He stuttered, “I-I’m not… sure.” 

He felt stupid even just for admitting it. What kind of person doesn’t know what they want to do with their life? 

Mother Nie narrowed her eyes, “But you’re continuing your education, right?” 

Wen Ning was sure of that, it should be everyone’s goal to pursue a higher education. 

“Yes. I’m going to go straight into college. I just need to settle on a career.” 

“Any ideas?” Mr Nie asked. 

Wen Ning did have some ideas, none of them felt ideal. He settled on one to mention. 

“Maybe something medical? Like my parents. Or even research? I-” 

“You’re not at all certain.” Mother Nie interrupted, she wasn’t asking a question but instead stating a fact. 

“Not yet, but-” 

“Why are you with my son?” She asked suddenly. Wen Ning’s brain stopped for a whole second, trying to catch up to her words. “Huaisang knows what he wants to do.” 

“Mom,” Nie Huaisang frowned at her, “that’s not his fault.” 

“How can he be with you without any plans? What does he plan to do? Leech?” Mother Nie’s hands trembled with rage even at the mere thought. Wen Ning could understand why, any mother would be concerned to learn that their children might get taken advantage of. 

What Wen Ning didn’t understand was why she thought Wen Ning would do so. Why she thought they had that kind of relationship? A frown tugged at his lips. 

“Ma’am, we’re friends, not boyfriends. I think… you’re-” He began strong, but when Mother Nie raised her brows at him, his voice died into a mutter. “Misunderstanding.” 

A beat passed. Mother Nie’s head turned completely to stare at her son. Nie Huaisang seemed to crumble under her gaze, he squirmed in his seat as if he was barely holding back from running off. Finally, Mother Nie sighed and shook her head. 

“Just keep eating.” 

That was easier said than done. The rest of the dinner was awkward. Mr Nie tried to make small talk, Mother Nie seemed lost in her own thoughts, and Nie Huaisang would not stop piling extra food onto Wen Ning’s plate. Between those three, Wen Ning could hardly keep his food down. 

He was glad when it was all over, when Nie Huaisang headed outside with him and insisted on walking Wen Ning the few feet he needed to get home. 

“I’m sorry about that, Ning, I really am.” Nie Huaisang whispered. His fingers fidgeted with the hem of his jacket. Wen Ning wondered why Nie Huaisang would be nervous, it wasn’t as if Wen Ning was too upset. He was mostly confused. 

Nie Huaisang continued, “My mom is just- she’s not mean, okay? She just has a lot of- things in her head and she thinks that she’s allowed to act this way because of it. And- it has nothing to do with you. None of this is your fault. Actually… I think she rather liked you at the end… she just-” 

Wen Ning grabbed Nie Huaisang’s elbow to cut off his rambling, he ignored the way his heart fluttered even though there was a thick jacket between them. 

“It’s fine. I’m not upset.” He tried on a smile, it was smaller than usual. “You really love her, I can tell.” 

Nie Huaisang found a sudden interest in the ground, his face was red under the street lights. 

“Well she is my mom.” 

“But you’re nothing alike.” Wen Ning pointed out. Mother Nie seemed a blunt individual, Nie Huaisang was blunt at times but he was mostly smooth with his words. 

“She may have come off rude but-” 

“Sang, I get it.” Wen Ning cut Nie Huaisang off before he could start rambling again. “She runs a tight ship.” He shrugged it off… a nervous smile filled his face. “Very tight.” 

The tension seeped out of Nie Huaisang’s shoulders, they loosened as his laughter filled the night. 

“Don’t worry,” he said in between giggles, “she won’t be like this next time.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I’m sure. She’s already realized you’re not a bad person.” 

“I don’t know. Maybe I am.” Wen Ning trailed off, his own thoughts growing to consume him. He knew what type of person he was: someone who could beat up a student in front of the whole school, someone who wished for his own death if it meant getting away from the consequences. Wen Ning was a horrible person. 

Nie Huaisang shook his head, it dragged Wen Ning’s glazed over eyes back into the situation at hand. 

“I don’t think so.” He was saying with a smile. “She just sees what I see now.” 

Wen Ning’s heart fluttered, like a butterfly beating against its cage. 

“And what do you see?” He asked in a quiet whisper. A car rumbled somewhere further away from them, it wasn’t enough to drag their gazes away. 

Red burst across Nie Huaisang’s face, “Hm?” 

The moon looked far more interesting to Wen Ning at that moment. Gray spots interrupted the otherwise milky white surface. 

Wen Ning took a shuddering breath. 

“What do you see?” He asked, slowly to ensure he didn’t stutter. He… wanted to know that someone thought he was good. 

Nie Huaisang’s eyes flickered all over before he gasped. 

“We’re here!” He motioned at Wen Ning’s front door which they were indeed approaching. Nie Huaisang took the pace double time to reach it. “It seems this is where we part.” 

Wen Ning nodded with growing disappointment. 

“I enjoyed myself, despite everything.” His words came out odd, stilted. 

Nie Huaisang’s lips tugged into a small smile. 

“Does that mean you’ll visit again?” He asked. 

Wen Ning shrugged, “Maybe, if it's for a good reason.” What counted as a good reason: to hang out and not to plan an interrogation that in fact only took a few minutes to consider. 

“Next time it’ll be because I want to see you.” 

“You see me at school.” 

“It’s not the same. At school, there’s other people. And at home, it's just us.” It was Nie Huaisang’s turn to gaze at Wen Ning. And Wen Ning’s weak heart had blood bursting across his face. 

“And your family.” He added, quietly, deflecting. 

Nie Huaisang acquiesced, “And my family.” 

The porch light illuminated all of the speckles in Nie Huaisang’s irises, like stars in a dark night. Wen Ning wanted to commit all of them to memory, he wanted to be the artist painting those constellations on a blank canvas. 

His emotions were surreal, for a second he forgot that he wasn’t the artist, Nie Huaisang was. He forgot where they were, their ages, the situation they were in. There were two people in his world, himself and Nie Huaisang. Suddenly no one else fit. 

And he didn’t mind. 

Nie Huaisang didn’t shy away from his gaze, Nie Huaisang’s own eyes locked on Wen Ning’s, they glazed over like he imagined a future tethered between them. Wen Ning blinked, and not even that was strong enough to ruin the moment. 

A door banged open, the sound ricocheted in Wen Ning’s brain, he finally glanced away. It was his sister, with the front door wide open. 

“Hurry up already!” She yelled, prompting both Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang to flinch. Her eyes were narrowed at the small space between them that had once been larger. 

“Jie!” Wen Ning yelled back, she was embarrassing him in front of Nie Huaisang. 

“Get in here!” She snapped. Her suspicious eyes glared at Nie Huaisang. “You, scram!” 

Nie Huaisang’s brows pinched together, “I’m… not a dog?” 

Wen Qing ignored him in favor of glaring at Wen Ning who had yet to move. 

“Come on!” 

Wen Ning turned a guilty look at Nie Huaisang, it didn’t last long before he remembered how lost he’d been in the other’s eyes and decided it would be better to look at his feet. 

“Sorry.” 

“I guess it’s my turn to get hounded.” Nie Huaisang shrugged with a shy smile. 

“Good night.” Wen Ning attempted to return it. 

“Sweet dreams.” 

“Ning!” 

“I’m going!” Wen Ning snapped back at his sister while turning around. 

“Don’t yell at me!” She yelled before her eyes narrowed at Nie Huaisang. “And you, what are your intentions with my little brother?” 

Nie Huaisang’s confusion managed to grow tenfold. 

Wen Ning groaned. 

“Jie!” He hissed at her, already beginning to drag her into the house. The door seemed to take eons to close, she yelled between the thing. 

“Don’t get any funny ideas!” 

The door closed, sealing Wen Ning off from any other potential embarrassment. 

Wen Ning glared at his sister, “Seriously?” 

Wen Qing doubled down on her own glare, “Thought it ‘wasn’t like that’?”

Wen Ning knew there was nothing he could say to convince her otherwise. He was able to recognize a losing battle. 

It didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. 

He rolled his eyes and turned to walk off without another word, he didn’t even stop to greet his parents who seemed to be cleaning off from work in their room. 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning never was told how Brad would be lured into the school bathroom. But it became apparent when the boy walked in. 

Wen Ning had been waiting behind the door, in a perfect spot where Brad would not see him upon first entering. Nie Huaisang leaned back on one of the sinks. 

Brad paused in his steps when he saw Nie Huaisang, his head turned from one side to another but never behind where Wen Ning was. Wen Ning wished he could see the other boy’s face. 

“Who else is here?” Brad asked, his voice strained. 

“Just me.” Nie Huaisang admitted. His posture was lax, but it was a front that Wen Ning found he could read through. Nie Huaisang’s fingers twiddled underneath his sleeves, in a position Brad was too tall to see. 

Things might go awry, Wen Ning realized with a hurried heartbeat. He let his steps quietly lead him out from behind the door to standing right in front of it. It was a fool’s errand, what could he do to stop Brad? 

Brad’s head shifted into the mirror so that Wen Ning could just barely see him, he narrowed his eyes. 

“I’ve never talked to you. Why do you want to fight?” 

Then the lure was convincing him someone wanted to fight him? It was simple, but it clearly worked. 

Nie Huaisang pushed off of the sink. 

“I want to talk to you. About A-Qing.” 

Brad’s whole demeanor shifted when he heard that. His body locked up into a tense block of wood. 

“I’m not talking to anyone.” He turned around, intending on leaving, to find Wen Ning there. His legs froze beneath him, he looked more confused than angry for an instant. “You’re not supposed to be here.” 

“In the restroom?” Wen Ning wondered, hoping his voice would remain smooth when blood was pounding through his ears. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be there either, the no-contact agreement included both of them. But he felt as if he didn’t have a choice. “That I was in first and you walked in after?” 

He wasn’t exactly subtle. 

Fire seemed to rage in Brad’s eyes, his fists clenched and his nostrils flared. His hatred for Wen Ning seemed to grow at that moment. 

“If it- Wen if it wasn’t for that fucking-” He cut his anger off. 

It was still too much. His anger was barely kept at bay. And the last time he’d been like this… it had nearly cost Wen Ning’s life. 

Wen Ning had hoped to hold strong, but in the face of that anger his fear doubled down and he curled back into himself. 

He whispered, “We just have a few questions.” 

“I’m not talking to you.” Brad spit out. Wen Ning opened his mouth, nothing was forced through and he looked down at the dirty floor. Nie Huaisang walked closer. 

“You just did.” He added with a helpful smile on his face. Brad only looked away from Wen Ning to glare at Nie Huaisang. 

“Who do you think you are? Think you can just walk into this school and act like you own it?” 

Nie Huaisang squinted, raised a brow. “Does it intimidate you?” 

Wen Ning couldn’t help but worry for Nie Huaisang, he was playing with fire. And yet… Nie Huaisang’s easy manner when dealing with Brad almost made Brad seem like a loser in comparison. 

It made Brad splutter, “What- fuck no. You’re stupid if you think I’m intimidated by you.” 

Nie Huaisang took his eyes off of Brad in order to pull the small notebook out of his jacket and flip it open. 

“I think you should be.” He continued easily. “You don’t understand how much we have on you.” 

“What are you talking about? Stop playing games, just speak shit straight up.” 

“You know what we’re talking about, you saw us right there when you were going to A-Qing’s house. Why were you going there? Did you kill her?” Nie Huaisang asked without pause. Brad flinched at the words, like Nie Huaisang had just punched him straight in the gut. 

“N-no! Why would I- I didn’t hurt her! I never even went into that house! I was just walking by!” 

Wen Ning pointed out with a trembling voice, “You were heading to the pathway.”

Brad didn’t waste a second to give Wen Ning a furious glare. Wen Ning remembered those eyes, how they’d glared at him before tying him to the back of the truck. 

Wen Ning stumbled back but Brad wasn’t bothering with him anymore. 

“You guys are seeing things.” He was telling Nie Huaisang. “I was on the sidewalk, the public sidewalk that I’m allowed to use.” 

Nie Huaisang shook his head, “No, you had already stepped onto the pathway, with your hair pulled back and a fancy little outfit on when you suddenly saw us and pretended to walk off.” 

“I didn’t pretend to do anything. I was walking past the house because I had a date.” 

“You walk up to your dates?” Nie Huaisang asked with a judging look in his eyes. 

Brad bristled at that, he glanced off to the side. 

“Not everyone can afford their own car.” 

“Who were you going on a date with?” Nie Huaisang changed the question. “Why haven’t we heard anything?” 

In a small school like theirs, one’s own business was everyone’s business. 

“Why do you care?” Brad snapped. “It’s none of your business.” 

“Then you weren’t going on a date. You’re lying.” Nie Huaisang accused. 

That wasn’t the thing to say, Brad managed to look down at Nie Huaisang with his height advantage. 

“I’m not fucking lying, I never went to their house, never planned on it. Are we done here?” 

“No, I don’t think so.” 

Brad cackled when he heard this, the sound brought Wen Ning back to that day in the football field. 

“You actually want to fight?!” 

Nie Huaisang couldn’t fight Brad, he’d lose, or he’d win and get retaliation the same way Wen Ning had. Wen Ning could not allow it!

“No!” He said, though with the volume and power it was closer to a yell. Brad turned with a crazed look on his eyes, like a cat cornered and ready to die fighting. 

Brad approached with lumbering steps. 

“Then move, Wen.” 

Under his steady gaze, Wen Ning tried to remain strong. They weren’t done talking, they hadn’t learned a thing but that Brad claimed not to have hurt A-Qing. But his reaction had been adverse. They still needed to learn more. 

Brad took a single step closer and Wen Ning faltered, he turned his wide-eyed gaze at Nie Huaisang, who nodded at him. Wen Ning slowly moved to the side. 

On the way out of the door, Brad glared down at Wen Ning and then left. The door shut with a deafening thud behind his back. 

Nie Huaisang sighed, and waved his notebook. “We need more on him.” 

Until they had more to prove Brad’s involvement, Brad could just deny every one of their accusations. He had the upper hand. 

None of them forgot that Mianmian was supposed to ask her stepdad about the officer’s knowledge, it just became an unspoken agreement not to ask about it. Mianmian was stressed enough about it as it was, she didn’t need Wen Ning or Xue Yang to make it worse by rushing her through it. 

Even though Wen Ning really wondered when she was going to go through with it. It was why he was glad when Mianmian arrived on Friday morning and the first thing she said was, “I talked to Luke yesterday.”

Wen Ning’s eyes widened, he had been tired after overthinking the conversation with Brad for the better part of the night but that single sentence was enough for clarity to rush through his brain. 

“What do they know?” He asked in a rather insistent manner. Mianmian frowned. 

“Not much.” 

“As expected.” Xue Yang quipped. It earned him a glare from Mianmian before she continued to explain. 

“They are nowhere near finding out who the killer was. And… he didn’t want to explain too much but it’s clear they have yet to find any leading evidence since the killer was quite organized.” 

“And they’re stretched thin as it is.” Wen Ning commented, he’d seen the state of their office last time he’d been there and he imagined it was not any better since. Especially given all of the empty coffee cups. 

Xue Yang grinned, “Guess it’s up to us then.”

“Except we don’t know much either.” Mainmian groaned at the thought. 

“Haven’t you ever heard?” Xue Yang began to joke. “‘Slow and steady wins the race’?” 

Wen Ning wanted to roll his eyes at that, he hardly stopped himself. Mianmian didn’t stop herself from sighing dramatically. 

“We don’t have slow and steady, it’ll only be more difficult to investigate as time goes on.” 

And wasn’t that the simple truth? There was nothing that could be said against it. Time was the only thing that refused to be dominated by humans. It would be their investigation’s doom if they didn’t hurry. 

Chapter Text

Wen Ning didn’t get away with skipping detention. In fact, the act earned him half a week more of the thing during lunch. He wondered why it all felt worth it regardless, given how little they’d learned from Brad. 

He wasn’t sure he’d ever know. 

On Monday of the following week, Xiao Xingchen began to tutor Xue Yang which meant that Xue Yang was seeing Song Lan, by extension, every day since. All this happened because Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen seemed to be attached at the hip when they were in school. 

This meant that most of what Xue Yang talked about for the days leading up until Wednesday revolved around one common subject: Song Lan. 

Xue Yang had managed to remain silent for one long minute as they stood by his locker in the morning, before he gasped. “And then-” 

“Yang, please don’t go on about Lan again.” Mianmian groaned, cutting him off at the start. 

Xue Yang pouted, “Just say you hate me then.” he turned to Wen Ning. “You want to hear about it, don’t you?” 

Wen Ning shimmied further away from Xue Yang, as if that might make it easier to lie. He didn’t even bother. 

“Not… really-” 

Xue Yang gasped. “You wound me! Next time you want to talk about Sir Curiosity or you want to talk about Wen Qing I. Won’t. Listen.” 

Wen Ning frowned and muttered, “I don’t talk about him.”

  At the same time, Mianmian rolled her eyes. “Fine! Talk all you want about how you’re going to marry him!” 

Xue Yang grinned, having already forgotten his wounded soul. “Not just that. We’re going to get married in our twenties. And then we’ll travel the world! In our thirties we’ll have three kids!” 

“Try not to kill them.” Mianmian jibed. 

“How dare you?! I’m good with kids.” Xue Yang shrugged dismissively. 

“Yeah? Like that time you killed off your flour baby in less than an hour?” Mianmian asked. During Xue Yang’s freshman year, they’d all shared a single elective class that happened to be a child development class. One of the assignments was to take care of a flour baby for a week straight and to ensure it survived until the end. The assignment had been completed in duos, and Wen Ning still regretted choosing to do it with Xue Yang. 

Because the baby hadn’t even made it out of the classroom before Xue Yang popped it and they got fat zeros on the assignment. It took weeks for Wen Ning to bring that grade back up to an A. 

Xue Yang didn’t feel the same way, he rolled his eyes at that. “What was it so fragile for?” 

“Babies are fragile.” Mainmian pointed out. 

Xue Yang groaned. “Okay, so maybe no babies. Whatever. We can still live happily ever after.” 

Mianmian turned an exasperated squint in Wen Ning’s direction, as if prompting Wen Ning to tell Xue Yang something. Wen Ning wasn’t sure what to say, it earned him a facepalm from Mianmian. 

“Anyway, he also-” Xue Yang began to say before Wen Ning stopped listening. He loved Xue Yang, truly, but if he had to hear about how Song Lan let Xue Yang borrow a pencil during the tutoring session, he’d keel over and just die. 

A man could only listen about the same thing for so long. 

Mr An’s back was turned away from them during the second block when Nie Huaisang slipped Wen Ning a note. The note was written in swoopy handwriting and said: My house later? Yes or No? 

Wen Ning felt his heart swoop but circled ‘yes’ regardless. 

That meant he rushed home, washed up, put on an outfit he definitely did not reconsider, and walked into Nie Huaisang’s home when the other boy answered the door. The home seemed to have been improving in shifts. 

The first time his eyes had seen the place, there had been clutter all over. The second time the clutter had lessened and the house managed to seem neat despite the things lying around and the spring pushing through. That third time, Wen Ning was shocked to find the differences. 

The clutter was mostly gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. The couch with the spring had been replaced by another couch, one that was obviously bought secondhand but spoke of good quality. 

Wen Ning didn’t have to gauge where he sat to ensure the spring wouldn’t poke him, and the cushions were the perfect combination of firm and soft, so as to further soothe his bum the longer he sat. 

Minutes had passed with senseless chatter when Nie Huaisang suddenly said, “I couldn’t find you during lunch.” 

Wen Ning’s heart paused when he heard this. Nie Huaisang had his hair combed back from his eyes, it allowed them to look right at Wen Ning’s reddening face. 

“You looked for me?” Wen Ning asked, hoping his voice wouldn’t betray his struggle. He was shocked to learn Nie Huaisang was looking for him, and nervous that he knew the other hadn’t found him because he’d been in detention. 

“Yeah and you weren’t there.” 

Wen Ning’s brain rushed to come up with an excuse. 

“I was in the library.” 

“I checked there too.” 

Wen Ning’s eyes widened. His fingers hoped to fidget with the threads that usually stuck out of the couch, but that couch was gone and this one had no threads to pick at. His fingers fell uselessly to his lap, his mind rushed for another excuse to which he fell short. 

“I…” Wen Ning sighed, decided to just tell the truth. “I had detention.” 

Nie Huaisang’s brows furrowed, he seemed shocked momentarily before his brain processed something and a wide smile filled his face. 

“You lied to me?” He said in between sudden chuckles, he sounded amused at the thought rather than annoyed. “Can’t believe I didn’t realize.” 

“Sorry.” Wen Ning’s voice was meek without warrant, Nie Huaisang wasn’t mad. He seemed excited at the thought instead, he couldn’t stop laughing. 

Nie Huaisang shook Wen Ning’s apologies away. 

“No, I’m sorry you skipped it for nothing.” 

Skipped for nothing because Brad hadn’t told them a single thing. At the reminder, Wen Ning fell back into the couch. Brad had been quite… annoyed during that encounter. 

But it wasn’t Nie Huaisang’s fault and Wen Ning couldn’t have him thinking that. 

“It’s not your fault.” Wen Ning began insistently. “Br- he’s just going to be stubborn. He was always like that, even when he was with my sister.” 

Nie Huaisang frowned at that reminder. 

“Why was she with him anyway? I don’t get it. She seems like the opposite type to ever get with him.” 

“I’m not sure. We all thought she was being odd but we wanted to be supportive.” 

He used to think it was something she was going through, some sort of mental hurdle that led her to end up with someone so wrong for her. He’d never told her or anyone, of course. He was simply glad all this meant Brad wouldn’t be anywhere near him now. 

“Well did you learn anything?” Nie Huaisang asked. “What could he have been doing there for example?” 

“Maybe he was buying drugs from them?” Wen Ning wondered. 

Nie Huaisang grinned. 

“Or maybe they have a secret cult?” 

“What if he’s a door-to-door salesman?” Wen Ning added. The thought seemed to cross both of their minds, the idea of Brad knocking on doors and trying to sell people things was a funny one, and entirely ridiculous. Wen Ning frowned at Nie Huaisang. 

“No.” 

He said as Nie Huaisang mimed, “Nah.” 

Wen Ning couldn’t help but to scoff when he heard their synchronized thoughts, and then Nie Huaisang was fully laughing which caused both of their cackling to fill the living room for seconds after. 

Nie Huaisang hummed and tried to catch his breath soon. 

“What if we ask his family?” He asked suddenly. “Doesn’t he have a little brother in sixth?” 

He did. But they weren’t close in the slightest, from what Wen Ning knew. And even if they were, what type of siblings told each other everything? 

“Probably not.” Wen Ning paused with the sudden recollection that Nie Huaisang was an only child. He likely didn’t know the reason. “It’s a sibling thing to not share secrets much.” 

Nie Huaisang’s smile froze on his face, he squinted his eyes slightly before he could force it away. 

“What?” 

The tone shift was jarring, Wen Ning wasn’t sure where he overstepped but he hoped to fix it. Anything to bring back the earlier Nie Huaisang’s joy. 

He spluttered,  “I’m just saying- since you might not know.” 

Since you don’t have siblings, was left unsaid but not unheard by any of them. 

It caused Nie Huaisang to frown at Wen Ning. 

“I know that, I had a brother.” 

Wen Ning’s heart dropped miles it seemed, he’d accidentally touched on sensitive topics. He couldn’t help but curse himself in his head, of course the time he assumed someone was an only child they actually had a dead sibling. What was wrong with him?! 

His face was burning hotter than black pavement during the summer, but he pushed out an apology, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” 

Please don’t stop talking to me over this… He begged silently. 

Nie Huaisang seemed stumped at these words, his bitter eyes narrowed but his head tilt proved confusion. 

“He’s still alive.” He pointed out as if to correct Wen Ning’s assumption. 

“But you-” Wen Ning cut himself off. He’d already offended Nie Huaisang once, he couldn’t do it again. He wasn’t sure what was happening with Nie Huaisang’s family, but he didn’t need to know if it meant Nie Huaisang would stay with him. 

He decided to bring the conversation back to safe waters. “I still don’t think Jamie would know.” 

Jamie was Brad’s little brother. The little boy was the quiet counterpart of Brad’s boisterous nature. Wen Ning had only met him once, when the families met for the first and only time. He hadn’t really talked to the boy, but they seemed to have found a silent carmadrerie at least on that day, as the only two silent ones that sat on the side. 

Wen Ning was sure he wouldn’t know. 

Nie Huaisang seemed to lose any previous tension when he heard this. He slumped back into his own seat. 

“You’re right.” Nie Huaisang suddenly smiled. “Want ice cream?” 

The change was jarring, but it was one Wen Ning welcomed after feeling like he might piss off Nie Huaisang enough to lose him just seconds ago. And he wasn’t one to turn down cookies and cream. 

Chapter Text

Nie Huaisang filled Wen Ning’s mind for days to come. It was bad enough that he’d had some weird reaction to the mention of siblings, but it suddenly became blaringly clear to Wen Ning that he knew very little about his new friend. 

Who was Nie Huaisang? Most importantly, why did he have to move more than halfway through his last year of high school? 

None of those questions could be answered. Wen Ning’s voice seemed to clog up whenever he tried to ask them. He settled to ruminate the questions in his mind, toying with the thoughts and ideas he could brainstorm. 

He sat at the kitchen table one afternoon, still toying with foolish possibilities. His English homework was open before him, he was meant to read a few pages of their assigned reading and answer questions based on the material. His pencil had been poised in his motionless hand for what seemed like hours already when footsteps approached the front door. 

A key jingled in the hole and the door turned to reveal Wen Qing, her messy hair barely making itself seen between the corner of the wall and Wen Ning. 

“A-Ning!” Wen Ning’s sister yelled and turned toward the staircase. They’d lived with each other long enough to learn their tells. For example, Wen Qing’s voice was strained and she didn’t bother to say anything else which meant she was annoyed. 

“What?!” Wen Ning called back. “Kitchen!” 

Her feet brought her tense figure in to the kitchen, her perfectly manicured brows were pinched together into a glare. Wen Ning mentally prepared himself for whatever had pissed her off this time. 

“What were you talking to Brad for?” 

That was not what Wen Ning expected. 

“What?” He stuttered out before he could stop himself. He realized his mistake later, Wen Qing might not be certain, in which case he could pretend he’d never talked to Brad. Wen Ning paused, recollected himself before he continued. “What are you talking about? I wouldn’t talk to him.” 

“Then Yanli’s a liar?” Wen Qing asked with crossed arms. 

“I never said that, just tell me what you mean!” 

If she mentioned a rumor, Wen Ning could claim it was fake. But now she was bringing up Jiang Yanli? 

Wen Qing pulled a chair out to sit next to Wen Ning.

“Last week Yanli saw you and Nie Huaisang go in the bathroom and still be in there when Brad entered. She didn’t say anything because she wasn’t sure what was happening. But then Jiang Cheng told her that Nie Huaisang asked Wei Ying to tell Brad that someone wanted to fight him in that bathroom. So spill it, what were you guys planning?” 

So she knew everything. Wen Ning knew Jiang Cheng had it out for him, why did he have to be involved too? 

Wen Ning shifted in his seat, avoiding his sister’s focused eyes. 

“Nothing. It’s-” 

Wen Qing leaned in, “A no-contact agreement only works if both sides adhere to it.” 

Wen Ning’s heart thumped uncomfortably. His very skin seemed to tingle with nerves. 

“I won’t talk to him again so it doesn’t matter.” 

“It does matter! What if someone else saw you?” Wen Qing wasn’t done glaring at Wen Ning, but he was done talking to her. She seemed to notice then, groaning and saying, “Okay. Then I’ll tell Mom and Dad you were talking to him.” 

“What? No!” Wen Ning’s own eyes turned down into a glare. “You can’t just snitch on me.” 

“You did it too.”Wen Qing glared right back. It had happened weeks ago, that time Wen Ning told their parents about Brad and Wen Qing. 

“Is this about that?” 

“No! I just want to know why you were talking to him!” People at school assumed Wen Qing was calm and controlled at all times, maybe Wen Ning just had a knack for making her yell. “Just tell me and I won’t tell Mom and Dad.” 

Wen Ning slumped back in his seat, he tapped his pencil on the table moodily. 

“You’re unfair.” 

Wen Qing didn’t let up. 

“Tell me.” 

Wen Ning sighed before he explained in a tumble what was happening: that he was investigating A-Qing’s murder, that they’d been by her house, that they’d learned he was the one who kept visiting her house. Wen Qing waited with intense focus, but when she heard about Brad dropping by the house her face unexpectedly lightened up and she began to giggle with growing amusement. 

“What?” Wen Ning frowned. “It’s not funny.” 

Wen Qing took a deep breath to recollect herself, “No, it’s just- Brad was cheating on me with A-Qing’s mom! That’s why I broke up with him! And that’s why he keeps going to that house.” She shook her head with growing exasperation. “I can’t believe that’s what’s happening.” 

“It’s that? Seriously? He’s gross.” Wen Ning grumbled. He slumped back in his seat, they thought they had a major lead but it was just that Brad was cheating on his sister with a married woman. That was bad, but not murdery level bad. 

Their lead suddenly disappeared. 

Wen Qing shrugged, she didn’t understand what Wen Ning was upset about. 

“It’s why I couldn’t stay with him.” 

Wen Ning jumped out of his seat no sooner than she’d finished. He needed to tell Nie Huaisang that they were back at square one. His pencil was thrown hapzhardly onto the table, it rolled off and right to the tiled floor. 

“What? Where’re you going?” Wen Qing wondered. Wen Ning popped his shoes on in silence, not bothered to answer. It wasn’t a second longer before she gasped. “Gonna tell your boyfriend?” 

The shoelaces were still loose as Wen Ning hurried out the door, anything to avoid his sister’s probing questions. 

In Nie Huaisang’s house, Wen Ning explained the revelations and waited for Nie Huaisang to say anything. It was a few seconds before Nie Huaisang nodded once. 

“We’re going to have to stress other options then.” He said, and oddly his emotions didn’t entirely reflect Wen Ning’s own. He didn’t seem upset. 

“This sucks.” Wen Ning grumbled, allowing himself to slump back in Nie Huaisang’s new used couch. 

Nie Huaisang’s eyes took in Wen Ning’s figure, he hummed after a while. 

“But we can’t write him off completely. It’s clear he’s not afraid to hurt others.” 

The implication was not lost on any of them. Sitting on Nie Huaisang’s very own seat, was a boy who proved that Brad was not afraid to play dirty. 

Chapter Text

Nie Huaisang was five minutes late to their second block the next day, his hair was in a mess, strands sticking out all over his head and his jean jacket only half zipped up. There were bags under his eyes. 

His seat ended up at the back of the classroom, while Wen Ning sat in the first row before Mr An. It wouldn’t have been his first choice of seat, but he needed to switch some things up if he was going to pick his grades up. 

The time spanned with the clicking of the clock hanging off the wall. Second block was nearly over when something landed on Wen Ning’s desk. 

It was a white airplane with a smiley face drawn on the crinkled wing. Wen Ning’s heart fluttered at the sight. 

When he pulled it open, written in a fancy script was: Can you come over? I want to see you.

Nie Huaisang had said “Next time it’ll be because I want to see you.” And he’d kept to it since. 

Wen Ning wrote a quick ‘yes’ and didn’t even flinch when Nie Huaisang snapped it off his desk on the way out of the classroom, where his friends waited for him. As they walked away, Wei Ying asked Nie Huaisang what had him so happy. 

Wen Ning was getting used to the routine of quickly washing up before heading over to Nie Huaisang’s house. The only thing different this time was that Nie Huaisang still was not ready, and he asked for Wen Ning to wait in the living room while he changed. 

The couch was comfortable under Wen Ning’s bottom, the television was on. He didn’t want to watch it. 

Nie Huiasang was humming a calming tune in his room, his spirits were high but Wen Ning was growing bored, he sprang off the couch and looked around the place. 

There wasn’t much to see this time around, the clutter was gone and the walls were almost squeaky clean. 

Wen Ning walked into the hallway on careful feet, his heart was pounding like he knew he shouldn’t pry. It wasn’t enough to stop him. 

Questions had been filling his mind for days already, who was Nie Huaisang? Perhaps something in this house would help him understand– understand why he’d moved over at such an inopportune moment, why he claimed to have had a brother who was in fact still alive, why he was so interested in Wen Ning. 

The first door in the hallway was Nie Huaisang’s. A yellow phone hung on the wall next to his door, dusty with disuse. 

Wen Ning passed the door without much pause, on the second one the floor creaked under him. His whole body paused for long seconds, then Nie Huaisang’s humming continued and Wen Ning moved again. 

One of the doors was remembered by Wen Ning, it was a study that once had piano music playing from it. This time it was closed, the light was off inside of it though there seemed to be a window letting in natural sunlight. 

Wen Ning reached for the doorknob, this one was used often if the lack of dust spoke for it. His fingers wrapped around the knob, his arm put pressure and the thing began to give. It twisted, slowly, with a slight hesitation on Wen Ning’s part. 

He made it halfway before the guilt won out on him and he let the thing go. His hand began to pull back, and he turned to the living room and nearly jumped out of his skin. A figure was at the end of the hallway. 

“What are you doing?” Mother Nie snapped. Her work uniform was still on, bags in her hand from work, and a glare set on her face. 

Wen Ning’s heart nearly dropped from his chest.

“I-” Wen Ning’s mind rushed for an excuse, any reason he’d have for being here that did not involve the prying he’d seriously been doing. 

Mother Nie raised a brow. “Well?” Her tense lines screamed the anger she surely felt. 

Wen Ning shifted on his feet, his mind had settled on an excuse and he glanced away, bashful. 

“I was looking for the bathroom- I… really have to go.” Wen Ning whispered the last part meekly. 

Mother Nie’s expression froze and then fell away almost instantly, a second passed before she scoffed at Wen Ning’s face. 

“You really have to go?” She repeated, and it was clear her anger was gone, replaced instead with the need to mock Wen Ning’s words. 

Red burst on Wen Ning’s face, the embarrassment became too much. 

“I’ll just sit back-” 

Mother Nie cut Wen Ning off with her body as he had been trying to escape to the living room. 

“Fine, sorry.” She was grinning, hardly apologetic. “It’s that door.” She pointed to the second door on the left. 

Wen Ning nodded his thanks, unwilling to look at her again and headed to the door. She yelled as the door was closing behind Wen Ning, “Sorry for being grouchy.” 

She didn’t sound very sorry. 

Wen Ning decided she was a mean lady. It was something he’d have to get used to if he was going to come here often. 

Nie Huaisang was waiting in the living room as Wen Ning returned. His first words to Wen Ning were about the investigation, and Wen Ning couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. It grew away when they fell into the flow of things, the questions and theories they had. 

There was a small lull in the conversation after a few minutes, both of them lost in thought. It was Nie Huaisang who spoke first. 

“Okay, what about this?” He asked with a bright smile, his hair had been combed back at some point. “In the books, the killers are usually the least likely person. Who would that be?” 

Wen Ning considered this but those weren’t the types of books or movies he strayed to. He preferred novels where the villain was an obvious, clear-cut person. 

“Her parents?” He suggested.

Nie Huaisang frowned when he heard this. 

“No, that’s too likely.” 

Wen Ning sighed with all the emotions he couldn’t name. This felt hopeless again. Everything felt hopeless lately. 

Nie Huaisang glanced at Wen Ning, his brows furrowed before he gasped. 

“But what if they know the parent?”

Wen Ning said instantly, “A close friend?” 

“Or someone who just started talking to them?” 

“Why would they do that?”

“Well what if the murderer is also investigating to find out how much her parents have told anyone? To find out who’s investigating?” 

Wen Ning’s mind ran over this. Over the implications that the killer could find out who was onto them based on what the parents had said. 

If that was true… 

Wen Ning’s heart sped up, his eyes peeled wide. “Could the killer do that?” 

Nie Huaisang winced at Wen Ning’s reaction, he began to shake his head swiftly. 

“No, no they wouldn’t do that.” 

Wen Ning’s brows pinched together, his thoughts were running wild already with fear. 

“But what if they did? Mianmian… and Xue Yang- and you! You’d be in danger.” 

Nie Huaisang had seemed ready to interrupt at first, but as Wen Ning continued Nie Huaisang’s lips pulled down into a frown. 

“So would you.” 

Wen Ning paused, a frown on his own face. 

“I guess so.” He gasped suddenly. “My family.” 

Everything was going wrong! They’d all be in danger! But wait- what if the killer was too stupid to think of that? But wouldn’t they have been caught already if that was the case? 

Nie Huaisang leaned in, dragging Wen Ning out of his growing spiral. 

“And you.” 

The killer would know of Wen Ning and by association Wen Ning’s family would be in danger. 

He rambled, “My family doesn’t even know I’m investigating, and they might get involved.” 

“You too.” Nie Huaisang squinted at Wen Ning. “Ning, so would you.” 

“What?” Wen Ning was confused, why was Nie Huaisang repeating himself? Wen Ning had heard the first few times. “I know.” 

“You would be in danger too.” Nie Huaisang repeated yet again. Wen Ning didn’t bother to stop the furrow from appearing on his brows, it betrayed the confusion he felt. Nie Huaisang noticed, his finger came up to poke at Wen Ning’s chest. “You too.” 

That managed to throw Wen Ning off more. What was Nie Huaisang poking him for? 

He brought his own finger up, intending to get Nie Huaisang on the chest, he missed and poked Nie Huaisang on the ribs. 

“You as well.” 

“Wait-” Nie Huaisang said in between laughing. That had been in regards to Wen Ning poking him. Which… Wen Ning blinked at his extended finger and up at Nie Huaisang. Nie Huaisang blinked at Wen Ning, down at the finger still waiting. Nie Huaisang began to sport a horrified face. “No- wait-” 

Wen Ning felt an urge, the strongest feeling and drive he’d felt in a while, it was something he’d only felt on occasions around Mianmian and Xue Yang. It was odd because he’d met Nie Huaisang not too long ago. But the sudden need to tease him was strong, stronger than Wen Ning had felt for anyone. He wasn’t someone who teased others. 

And yet Nie Huaisang was leaning back, as if to get away from Wen Ning’s finger. 

Wen Ning’s mind hoped to stop it, he hesitated but then Nie Huaisang started to relax and Wen Ning caved. His finger seemed to act on its own, reaching out to practically stab at Nie Huaisang’s sides. 

“Ning!” Nie Huaisang yelled immediately. His hands came up valiantly. “Stop-” He begged in between breathless giggles. 

Wen Ning wasn’t hearing it, his fingers rushed out, this way and that, he no longer knew where he was aiming. He just kept going for the parts that made Nie Huaisang’s laughter fall louder. 

His advantage died soon enough. Nie Huaisang got his hands on Wen Ning’s ribs and pushed him off, Wen Ning landed with a thud beside the couch, the breath momentarily blown out of him. 

His hands reached out before his mind could process it, wrapped around Nie Huaisang to drag him down. The next moments could only be described as a childish fight, Wen Ning hoping to get the upper hand on Nie Huaisang’s ticklish nature, Nie Huaisang hoping to stop Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning wasn’t sure how much time spanned before he found himself on his back once more. He shifted one last time, but Nie Huaisang was steady on him, his whole forearms were on Wen Ning’s shoulders. His eyes were blown, Wen Ning was sure his were the same. Their raggedy breaths filled the house after having the fight of their lives. 

It was dead silent but for the patterns of their breaths. 

“You matter too.” Nie Huaisang whispered after a second. 

Wen Ning finally had enough control of himself to drag his eyes down Nie Huaisang’s body. The other boy’s chest was connected to his like a puzzle. Heat filled Wen Ning’s entire body, embarrassment and adoration at once. 

He couldn’t stop himself from blinking down at Nie Huaisang’s lips, so close to his. All it would take were a few centimeters for them to touch on his. The thought had blood bursting alive under Wen Ning’s skin, he dragged his gaze back up. 

A pinch appeared between Nie Huaisang’s brows. His gaze trailed slowly down their position, down Wen Ning’s spot under him before a near-sunburn red burst to life on his face. Nie Huaisang scrambled away no sooner, until he crashed his back on the couch and could go no further. 

Wen Ning coughed in the ensuing silence, the awkwardness that had fallen over them. 

“I-I’m hungry.” He claimed. He couldn’t even bring himself to look back at Nie Huaisang as he said it. 

Nie Huaisang had his own face turned down at the ground, Wen Ning could see it from the corner of his eye. 

“We can- go make something.” He suggested. 

Wen Ning nodded at that, he rose on shaking legs and waited to follow Nie Huaisang into the kitchen. 

A thick slice of chocolate cake was shared between them, their mouths were busy working away at the creamy thing which allowed them to get away with not talking for a while. But by the time they finished, they had mostly moved past that point, only a lingering tension was left. 

The sun was setting when Nie Huaisang walked outside with Wen Ning beside him, after Wen Ning had stated he would go home. 

Wen Ning built up some strength in order to speak, “You don’t have to walk me home.” He began. “If it’s- too much.” 

A smile appeared on Nie Huaisang’s face. 

“I want to.” 

“Oh. Okay.” 

Nie Huaisang nibbled on his lip, pulled at his sleeves before he asked, “Did you… have fun?” 

“Yes.” Wen Ning paused. His voice fell into a whisper, “I like hanging out with you.” 

It felt like something he couldn’t say too loud, like something that needed to crest the wind and reach the one in front of him, to be for Nie Huaisang’s ears only. 

“We could do it again?” Nie Huaisang suggested, averting his eyes and taking interest in the orange sunlight peaking through the clouds. 

“Your house again?” 

“No.” 

“My house?” Wen Ning pointed at his front door, which they were approaching and only a few feet away from. There was nowhere else to hang out. 

“Somewhere else.” Nie Huaisang said with a wavering voice. 

The sound had Wen Ning turning to Nie Huaisang with budding concern. Nie Huaisang’s arms were fiddling with the hem of his jacket, his eyes still refused to look at Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning’s confusion grew. 

 “Where else?” 

“How about in-” Nie Huaisang paused, he took a deep breath, flicked his eyes back at Wen Ning’s door while his face grew red in shade. “We can go…” His mouth remained open but nothing came out.

Finally, Nie Huaisang groaned under his breath and forced his eyes back at Wen Ning. The gray pupils settled on green, and Wen Ning hated that they’d ever looked away. 

Nie Huaisang’s voice was strong  when he said, “We can go to Snowcap?” It quickly fell off. “Wei Ying- he told me there’s a good place there for… dates.” Nie Huaisang’s eyes were blinking rapidly, he looked almost… afraid. It took one long second for Wen Ning to realize the word Nie Huaisang had used. 

“Dates?” Wen Ning’s voice was skeptical, why did Nie Huaisang want to go to a place good for dates with him? 

“Yes.” Nie Huaisang audibly gulped. “I want to go on a date… with you.” 

“Date with me?” Wen Ning repeated. The words were starting to process through his mind, he couldn’t hide the shock on his face or the breathiness of his voice. 

Nie Huaisang nodded, once. 

“If you- want to?” 

Wen Ning’s heart thundered in his chest, his face was hot, hotter than before it felt like. He gasped with his shock, but his mind settled, he knew what he wanted to say. There was only one option. 

And maybe Wen Ning had known all along, maybe he was just too scared to open his eyes. He’d been too afraid to notice the obvious signs that Nie Huaisang might be interested in him as well, that maybe that’s why Nie Huaisang had wanted to be friends. 

And he’d known, deep down for a while now, that he liked Nie Huaisang. 

So the only possible answer was: 

“I- yeah. B-but on the weekend.” 

He needed time to prepare, to buy fancy clothes and ask his friends for advice because he’d sooner die than ask his sister about it. 

Nie Huaisang’s face lit up. 

“Weekend?” He asked, a smile growing to life. “That works.” 

“I’ll see you there.” 

A grin so wide it seemed to hurt split Nie Huaisang’s face, he was practically bouncing on his feet. 

“I’ll pick you up at six. Yeah?” 

“Mhm.” Wen Ning hummed, he didn’t entirely trust his voice in talking at that moment. And he knew his face must be a deeper red than the brightest of blood. 

Nie Huaisang’s smile still covered his whole face, if that wasn’t enough his pupils practically seemed melted from how soft they appeared, how joyful and glad to be alive. Wen Ning felt the same, he was happy even though he knew he wouldn’t sleep tonight. 

A smile built on Wen Ning’s lips, he wasn’t like Nie Huaisang, his own stayed small and perhaps shy in nature, a whimsical thing that hid from most sights and only appeared to those most trusted. Wen Ning trusted Nie Huaisang. 

He whispered, “Good night.” 

Through the small distance between, Wen Ning heard Nie Huaisang’s breath hitch in his throat before he nodded. 

“Sweet dreams.” 

Nie Huaisang turned around in one jerky motion, his feet walked awkwardly for a few steps and then slipped under him, prompting him to splay his hands out to rebalance himself. Nie Huaisang looked back at Wen Ning with blown eyes. 

Wen Ning sent him a small wave. 

As he walked away, Nie Huaisang’s voice was heard one last time, muttering under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like ‘idiot’. Wen Ning couldn’t hold back a small giggle at the sight. 

He turned back to his house, rubbing at his burning face at the same time. 

His heart raced a mile a minute and his mind was starting to properly process everything. 

“Oh my-” 

The door opened, cutting off Wen Ning’s beginning freak out. His sister cleared her throat from the entryway. 

Wen Ning paused, pulled his hands to his sides instantly. 

Wen Qing crossed her arms before her, she raised her brow and Wen Ning just knew she’d heard everything. But it didn’t matter. 

A grin built up on Wen Ning’s face, now that Nie Huaisang was gone the shy nature was gone. He walked right up to Wen Qing. 

“Okay, so maybe it was like that.” He admitted while shrugging. 

Wen Qing sent him a massive eye roll but Wen Ning was too happy to say anything in regard to it. He walked through his front door with a pep in his step, nothing could upset him now. 

Chapter Text

He waited for Nie Huaisang in the parking lot the next day after school, on occasions they’d taken to walking home together. On that day, specifically, Nie Huaisang had asked Wen Ning to wait for him after school, in case he took too long. 

He never did, it almost seemed like his steps were rushed as he approached Wen Ning– like he couldn’t wait to arrive. 

Nie Huaisang was approaching with a smile when the yelling started. Two loud voices clashed together on the other end of the lot. The smile was replaced by a frown on Nie Huaisang’s face. They wordlessly turned to the spot. 

Two figures were in the distance, arguing with each other loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to be understood. Their voices failed to crest the wind all the way to them. 

And both of those figures were known to them. 

A-Qing’s Dad, the man who often seemed more gone then there, had a glare on his face even as he had to tilt his head back to look at the other person. The other was quite recognizable as well, after years of having seen him around. 

Dark curly hair, which molded into tanned skin and what was usually a bright smiling face but was now conjured in anger; Jared was the other one yelling. 

The argument did not happen for long, and it was sooner than they could even question it that Jared was simply shoving past A-Qing’s Dad to walk off as the older man yelled at his retreating back. 

That was odd in itself. 

Jared was the only calm person that happened to be Wei Ying’s friend. He was the one who managed to be quiet and, unlike Jiang Cheng, did not fall into random bouts of anger. So what was up with that? 

“We need to talk to him.” Wen Ning muttered as Jared disappeared down the block. Nie Huaisang hummed his assent. 

"At least we actually know him.” Nie Huaisang pointed out, as if it were a good thing. That could just make their job a whole lot harder though. 

They waited until their next lunchtime to talk to Jared. Nie Huaisang promised Wen Ning to pull Jared aside and talk to him beside the school gym entrance. Students did not frequent that area, they’d rather spend it inside playing basketball or outside on the bleachers. 

Nie Huaisang kept his promise. Jared was facing Wen Ning’s side when Wen Ning approached, he noticed almost instantly unlike Nie Huaisang who still had his back turned to him. 

Jared pushed off of the wall beside him. 

“Your boyfriend’s here.” He said, not bothering to be quiet about it and instead pointing right at Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning’s eyes pulled wide open at the words. 

“We’re not boyfriends…”

“Yet.” Jared disagreed with a bright smile. It was the closest he’d ever gotten to teasing Wen Ning. 

Wen Ning’s brain stumped, he could refuse those words, say that Jared was wrong. But prior experience proved he was not, they had a date coming up afterall. 

Wen Ning’s fingers twitched nervously, he finally agreed in a meek voice, “Yet.” 

The smile froze on Jared’s face, his eyes grew as wide as saucers, turning to glance between the two boys before him. 

“Wait, seriously?” The smile managed to grow bigger. “The others will love this.” 

Nie Huaisang shrugged, feigning nonchalance his pink cheeks didn’t allow him to have. 

“Yes. But we have some questions for you.” 

“For me? I have questions for you.” 

“No time.” Nie Huaisang snapped. 

A small silent gap befell them, Jared managed to frown at this change in behavior. 

“Okay. What then?” 

“Do you know A-Qing’s dad?” Wen Ning asked, his voice low and laced with nerves. 

It was like the shutters closed over Jared’s face, the smile from before long gone, and now even the frown disappeared until what remained was a placid look that belonged nowhere near the boy. 

“Everyone does.” He said, with a bitter edge. 

“No, but do you know him?” Nie Huaisang insisted. Jared looked between them, this time without any of the curious wonder from before. A silent storm seemed to seethe under his skin, ready to burst any second now.

“What is this about?” Jared gritted out through clenched teeth. 

Nie Huaisang glanced at Wen Ning, Wen Ning sent him a frown in return. 

“We saw you yesterday.” Nie Huaisang decided to explain. “Arguing with him after school. Why?” 

It was time for Jared to remove his gaze from them, the wall interested him for a second, in which his jaw clenched and a muscle seemed to pop. 

That seemed telling enough. 

Wen Ning asked, “You do know him?” 

The next time Jared turned to them, the rage was no longer silent. His eyes pulled down into a glare, intense and directed at both of them. 

“It’s none of your business. Don’t even think of involving me in your little game.” He said, and stepped closer suddenly. Nie Huaisang shifted minutely, his body angled enough to cover Wen Ning. Though Wen Ning failed to understand what he would do if a fight broke out, Nie Huaisang did not seem the type to hold his own. 

Luck was on their side, Jared sighed at their maneuver and groaned after a second.

“Don’t ask about this ever again.” 

No sooner than his words had ended was he stomping off without another look at them. 

“That went well.” Nie Huaisang broke their silence first. His figure slumped back into the wall. 

“He seems angry.” Wen Ning commented. Angry about anything relating to A-Qing’s Dad. 

Nie Huaisang nodded. 

“Maybe so angry he retaliated against A-Qing’s Dad using A-Qing?” 

“We should ask his family.” Wen Ning suggested. He remembered Jared’s Mom from childhood, she had always been a kind person and a hard working mother. Perhaps if they asked right, they might get an answer from her. 

“Later?” 

“Yes.” Wen Ning agreed. He frowned at a growing thought, something which had been eating away at him for days already. “I need to tell Mianmian and Yang now.” 

“Are you sure?” Nie Huaisang asked with a frown on his face. 

At that reaction, Wen Ning had to hold back from smiling. “I’m sure.” 

“Fine.” Nie Huaisang sighed, but he didn’t put up a bigger struggle. That was enough for Wen Ning. 

School was a long and tedious affair. The days could dredge on for what seemed like ages, from the moment one arrived and to the moment the ending bell rang it seemed that one had lived a lifetime already. It was why everyone ran out of the school the second their dreaded time was up, as if their bottoms were on fire and only running could help them. 

Wen Ning’s friends would have won if that was a sport. They never seemed to be able to leave the campus fast enough. That was the case then. Mianmian and Xue Yang lived closer to each other and walked home together. 

Before, it used to be that they took a small detour to walk with Wen Ning as well, but they’d started to leave him on his own when Nie Huaisang became an addition to Wen Ning’s day. 

Mianmian and Xue Yang turned to wave at Wen Ning. 

“See you then.” Mianmian was saying with a smile on her face. 

She took one step, Wen Ning was already losing them. But he had a message to tell, or a confession to make would be most fitting.

“Wait-” He called out to them, a slightly trembling hand outstretched to them. They stopped instantly, waiting for him to continue. He tried to stop his fingers from fiddling. “I need to tell you something.” 

Mianmain lifted a brow in Xue Yang’s direction, Xue Yang squinted at Wen Ning. 

“Go on then.” Xue Yang’s voice prompted him to continue. 

Wen Ning took a deep breath before he related everything to them: how he’d started talking to Nie Huaisang through the investigation first, all of the suspects they’d cleared, and that there was a suspect they’d recently gained and needed to investigate. 

They listened carefully, not bothering to interrupt once. When it was clear Wen Ning was done, there was a brief silence. He wondered what their reactions would be, hopefully not too bad, he needed them to go with him and Nie Huaisang later. 

Xue Yang glared at Wen Ning. Mianmian gasped, affronted. No such luck on their reactions. 

“Seriously?!” Mianmian’s voice was high in pitch, her brows furrowed down. “I thought this was our thing.” 

Xue Yang scoffed, “Get a man and all of a sudden forget about us. I see.” He punctuated his sentence with a roll of his eyes. 

Blood rushed to Wen Ning’s head, how was he to explain this? He knew he should have told them earlier, but- he just wanted more time, more time with Nie Huaisang. 

He gripped his bag’s straps with his fingers. 

“It’s not that.” He rushed to explain, but Mianmian cut him off with a shake of her head. 

“I can’t believe you.” Her pitch dropped instantly, that managed to be scarier then when she’d been practically yelling. 

“Let me explain-” 

Xue Yang cut him off. “No, it’s over with you.” He snapped and angled away, almost as if he would leave. “You broke our trust.” 

“Yeah, we’re leaving.” Mianmian added, her own feet turned away from Wen Ning. Wen Ning’s heart struggled to keep a consistent pace. He didn’t want to lose his friends over this. 

It was all his fault, he knew he should have told them earlier. But he couldn’t lose them, not now, not ever. 

“No,” his voice broke, “please let me-” 

He couldn’t continue before Mianmian’s breath hitched, and then she was falling apart into laughter. Xue Yang’s own followed, loud cackles that filled the emptying parking lot. Wen Ning’s heart thumped, realization filling him. 

“We’re just joking!” Mianmian claimed with tears building up in her eyes from all her laughter. 

“The look on your face!” Xue Yang sneered. 

That reaction made a lot more sense to Wen Ning. He still knew he should apologize at some point, but he was glad for the moment that he wasn’t losing his friends. And upset they’d made him believe that. 

His heart began to even out, and with it he frowned. 

“Wasn’t very funny.” 

“You deserve it after ditching us.” Mianmian humphed with a cross of her arms. Xue Yang clapped her on the back with a smirk. 

“I guess the cat prefers curiosity. It ate it that go-” 

“Stop!” Wen Ning practically begged. Their cackles grew louder at his reaction, they dramatically slapped each other’s arms until Mianmian finally sighed to recollect her breath. 

“Okay, but why did you tell us now?” 

Wen Ning was glad they were getting serious again. 

“Right, well we’ve suspected quite a few people since, and we’re stuck on one person, it’s…” He finished telling them who the most recent suspect was, and how they needed to talk to Jared’s mom in order to either clear him or not. 

Mianmian and Xue Yang waited as Wen Ning dropped his bag off at home, they were ready to go talk with Jared’s mom. 

Both of them were still standing outside when Wen Ning walked back outside, mere minutes later. And Nie Huaisang joined their group, at long last, minutes later with his thick jackets finally gone, now replaced with a gray hoodie. His hair stuck up in odd portions, as if he’d had no time to brush it out. 

“Hey…” Nie Huaisang greeted as he approached, his feet shuffling awkwardly, his eyes settling on Wen Ning, never his friends. That tugged at Wen Ning’s heart strings, he had a date with this boy lined up that weekend, and Nie Huaisang was afraid of his friends. For good reason, they didn’t even like him. 

As if to prove that notion, Mianmian tilted her head and squinted at Nie Huaisang. “Now you’re shy?”

Xue Yang scoffed, “Not when you snatched our best friend and our investigation?” They had a habit of finishing each other’s sentences, almost as if they were long lost twins. 

Wen Ning’s heart thumped in his ears, would his friends ever get along with Nie Huaisang? He was afraid the answer was no. 

Nie Huaisang shifted back, away from their accusing gazes with a grimace on his face. “What did you say?” He asked with his ear leaning into Xue Yang, whom the question had been directed at. 

Xue Yang huffed, “I said-” 

“The- lollipop…” Nie Huaisang pointed at the thing, it stuck out of Xue Yang’s mouth and caused his words to be muffled. Wen Ning had grown used to the addition, as had many of the people who knew Xue Yang, he often forgot it caused a slur which was hard to understand at first. 

Xue Yang rolled his eyes, he pulled the lollipop out of his mouth with a dramatic pop and spoke through his red teeth. “You took our best friend and our investigation.” 

Nie Huaisang chanced a glance at Wen Ning, his eyes were pleading. Wen Ning considered helping, but he knew his friends. He could defend Nie Huaisang, and ruin any chances of Nie Huaisang making it up to them. They were upset, that was true, but they were also simple people and if Nie Huaisang simply tried a little harder he’d earn them back soon. 

At least that was what Wen Ning hoped would happen. 

Nie Huaisang turned those same sad eyes onto Wen Ning’s friends, “But- we have some leads.” 

“Please, we would’ve gotten there too.” Mianmian claimed. She paused instantly with a frown on her face. It was clear they had been nowhere near that level of informed. She frowned and added. “Eventually.” 

“See?” Nie Huaisang prompted with a sheepish smile. 

“Okay, whatever.” Mianmian walked off with red ears, she seemed annoyed that she even had to agree with Nie Huaisang. They were all forced to follow along as she led them the few blocks down to Jared’s house. They’d visited there as children, and it was easy to identify due to the dusty gnomes that sat on the lawn outside. 

Xue Yang turned to Nie Huaisang as they walked, “Don’t think we’ll accept you so easily.” 

“Noted.” Nie Huaisang nodded with a small smile, though it leaned closer to annoyed this time around. It was clear Wen Ning would have to work at them quite a bit before they’d get along with each other. But that was a problem for another time. He was content to just wait. 

Xue Yang began, “And just because curios-” 

Nope! No waiting! 

“We need to decide what we’re going to say!” Wen Ning cut in, precedent stated that Xue Yang would have said something weird and Wen Ning did not need that in front of ‘curiosity’ himself. Cur- Nie Huaisang shot Wen Ning a confused look that he quickly shook off to help. 

“Right, and who is going to talk with her.” 

“What do you mean who?” Mianmian asked suspiciously. “Obviously we’re all going to.” 

“That might not be the best idea.” Nie Huaisang began, it earned him two sets of glares. He rushed to finish. “We’re going to be practically cornering her already, even worse if we all go. Maybe two-” 

“No way!” Mianmian yelled. 

“Yeah, you just want to run off with Ning again.” Xue Yang pointed out with a huff. 

Nie Huaisang shrugged, “We are the best choice, objectively.” 

“Objective, my ass.” Xue Yang smacked his own ass for good measure, the sound served as punctuation for his sentence. “Mianmian and I are going, and that’s final.” 

Nie Huaisang frowned, “But-” 

He stopped at Wen Ning’s shaking head. They’d be wasting time in an argument. Xue Yang seemed to have come to his own conclusion, nothing would change his mind. Besides, they’d get the same result regardless. “Fine.” 

“Good.” Xue Yang scoffed, he popped the cherry lollipop in his fingers back into his mouth dramatically. Suddenly, a smirk filled his face, the cheshire one that he got when he was planning something. Last time Wen Ning had seen it, he’d tripped Wei Ying as the boy was headed into the school. That had happened earlier that day during lunch, and Wen Ning was still afraid for the revenge prank Xue Yang would surely be receiving soon. 

Xue Yang paused to drop a hand into his pocket. Nie Huaisang glanced at Wen Ning with confusion, Wen Ning shrugged, he didn’t know what Xue Yang was up to either. Coins clattered around in the pocket, Xue Yang pulled out a few items: a sock, a half-chewed eraser, and three different hair ties before he found what he was searching for. It was three different lollipops, likely his last ones if his long search meant anything. 

“Here.” He handed a blueberry one to Mianmian, and a pineapple one to Wen Ning before he smiled at the pink bubblegum in his hand and handed it to Nie Huaisang. 

“What? Thanks?” Nie Huaisang asked with confusion. He simply glanced down at the thing while Xue Yang walked ahead of them. His jolly singing was the only sound for a few seconds. 

Nie Huaisang frowned. “That was… oddly nice.” 

Wen Ning grimaced at those words. He knew something Nie Huaisang didn’t, it was something about that specific flavor of lollipops. 

“He… he hates that flavor.” 

Nie Huaisang’s frown fell, his eyes drooped at the corners like a sad basset hound dog. It tugged at Wen Ning’s heartstrings, unlike Mianmian, who leaned in with a wide grin. 

“Thinks only lunatics eat it.” She barely finished before she was falling into giggles and running off to catch up with Xue Yang. 

Nie Huaisang’s mouth fell open, his fingers twitched around the lollipop, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with the offending thing. 

Wen Ning shot Nie Huaisang a pitying look and grabbed at his sleeve. “Come on.” 

Nie Huaisang ended up eating the lollipop while they waited for Mianmian and Xue Yang to come back out of Jared’s house. They sat next to a cluster of gnomes that were busy playing poker on a ceramic table. 

On the corner of the table, someone had drawn two circles and a long, curved line connecting them both to each other. Wen Ning wouldn’t be surprised if the culprit was Wei Ying or Steven as they had visited Jared one day. 

Nie Huaisang’s lollipop was gone when Mianmian and Xue Yang stepped back outside. They thanked Jared’s mom at the door with smiles that fell off as soon as they turned around. Mianmian shook her head at Wen Ning with disappointment. 

“What happened?” Wen Ning asked. Mianmian chuckled sardonically. 

“Did you know that Jared is A-Qing’s half-brother?” She asked with clear sarcasm. She lasted a single second more before she groaned into her hands. 

The knowledge shocked Wen Ning. Jared… and A-Qing were related? But, how had that secret remained for so long? 

Xue Yang added, “And their whore father only calls when he needs money?” He ended Mianmian’s sentence again. 

“For drugs.” Mianmian added, as if A-Qing’s father could possibly have another use for money. 

“Shit.” Nie Huaisang said what they were all thinking. If that was true, then their last lead might as well be removed as well. Would Jared really hurt his own sister? Half or not, it didn’t matter. 

Nie Huaisang groaned, “Not again.” 

For the first time that afternoon, Nie Huaisang didn’t receive a sharp retort in return from Mianmian. She seemed tired, her shoulders drooping in on herself. 

They were all tired. 

Wen Ning shuffled into his house later that day, his footsteps were heavy. They’d attempted to come up with another plan, but that had simply turned into another argument before Wen Ning had to tell them to cut it off. The walk home was rather awkward after, he was glad to be out of that. 

Voices were chattering away on the television, no one was watching it. Wen Qing was standing by a pot near the stove and Jiang Yanli was also there, she was braiding her hair into two portions. 

Wen Ning gave her a small wave and began to head up the staircase, but Jiang Yanli was suddenly standing. “Wait!” She called and let go of the braid, it fell and began to unbraid loosely. Wen Ning glanced back at her slightly panicked face. 

“Do you need something?” He asked with growing suspicion. Wen Qing turned off the pot and joined them. 

“I told her about your investigation.” She said. 

“You did what?” Wen Ning asked, he sounded annoyed even to his own ears. “It’s not your story to tell,” 

“Puh-lease,” Wen Qing scoffed, “with how sneaky you are, practically everyone already knows.” 

Wen Ning shifted, already ready to leave. 

“Is that why you want me here?” 

“No!” Jiang Yanli rushed in. “I just- I think I have something you might like to know.” 

Wen Ning’s heart skipped a beat. If they mentioned the investigation first, then it would likely be beneficial to them. His hopes started growing and no amount of logical thought could stop it. 

“What?” Wen Ning asked with growing impatience. 

“A please would be appreciated.” Wen Qing snapped. 

Wen Ning glared at his sister before he turned to Jiang Yanli, “Please tell me.”

“Well, A-Qing went missing on a Thursday, correct?” 

Wen Ning nodded. On the television, someone tripped which prompted laughter from the fake audience. 

Jiang Yanlie continued, “I saw her on this street a few days before, I think it might have been Monday or Tuesday evening?” 

“Here?” Wen Ning pointed down, he couldn’t think of a single reason A-Qing would be on their street. 

“Not here, here. Down the street. All the way down. At the Nie’s house.”

Wen Ning’s heart thumped against his chest, like it wanted to escape. Cotton seemed to fill his ears, the television was miles away. His face was heating up at this knowledge. 

“Nie Huaisang’s house?” His words came out slow and tense. He could hardly hear them. 

Jiang Yanli nodded, “Yes, she knocked on his door, and he was even the one that answered.”

Past the thudding of Wen Ning’s heart, Wen Ning thought he heard the sound of his hopes shattering. Nie Huaisang had seen A-Qing? 

“Nie Huaisang answered? He saw her?” 

Jiang Yanli seemed unaware of his predicament. 

“Yes, I just thought you might want to know. I don’t think it might have meant anything in relation to Nie Huaisang, he even smiled at her and he was friendly. But there was something odd about her.” 

Wen Ning nodded, prompting her to go again even as he struggled to hear her words. 

“She was upset, doing that thing she does where she hides in her hoodie. And then Nie Huaisang let her inside the house, and I was down the street already.” 

Nie Huaisang saw A-Qing. He answered the door for her. He smiled at her. Was friendly. He noticed her. Nie Huaisang let A-Qing inside the house. Why would he do that? And why- why would he lie?! He said- 

“A-Ning?” Jiang Yanli asked, her voice sounded murky and concerned through the layers of cotton in Wen Ning’s ears. 

Wen Ning shook the stray thoughts out of his head. There was one other important question. 

“Did you… Did you see her leave?” It was difficult to push the words out. 

Jiang Yanli shook her head. “I must have been in here by that point. But she clearly left if she made it to school the next day.” 

“R-right.” Wen Ning gulped, it was painful. He needed to get away from them, before he caved in on himself in front of them. “Thanks for telling me. I- I should go.” 

“Are you alright? You’re a little pale.” 

“Fine.” He said simply, and turned back. He had to take the steps slowly, one at a time to ensure he did not fall on the way up. His head was swimming. He couldn’t make it to his room any faster. 

It did not get better as time went on. 

Sleep evaded him that night. 

His brain was active, questioning everything he knew about Nie Huaisang. Nie Huaisang had been lying to his face for weeks already. He acted as if he never met A-Qing when, in fact, he’d talked to her right before she went missing. And he never thought it important to mention. 

If Jiang Yanli hadn’t seen it, Wen Ning would still be unaware that Nie Huaisang was a liar. 

And there was the fact that Nie Huaisang had been so interested in the investigation. Just last night, Wen Ning was sure it was because Nie Huaisang wanted to be closer to him, but now he wasn’t so sure. 

There were so many questions in Wen Ning’s head that night. And the main one: 

What was Nie Huaisang up to?