I AlwaYs havE AnD I AlwayS WiLL --PART-2-TimE & AgaiN" Ongoing.

CHAPTER 37 - Wei Ying at DEATH'S DooR..

Chapter 37

Wei Ying at Death's Door....

Lan Wangji braked his car to a screeching halt right outside his office, to see Wei Ying get out of the car and walk inside, his shoulders slumped.

Guilt nagged at Wangji. He wanted to tell Wei that he cared. Tell him he cared a lot more than Wei Ying thought he did.

Cared for every time his smile dropped- and didn't Wangji know that he was the reason?

Wangji wished he could talk to someone about the crazy state of his mind- but who did he trust, really? He didn't have a single friend. And that made himself the most pathetic person he knew. He bet Wuxian would have helped. Oh yeah, he'd hurt her too. Better not to think about THAT at all right now.

His mobile rang shrilly. "Mom," he answered, his tone clipped.

"You need to come home," hissed Carmen . "There's something important."

"What is it?" he snapped irritably. "Not on the phone!" she said, sounding scandalised. "And good work on that tone. You're starting to sound like a proper teenager finally."

Wangji glared at the phone as the call ended. His brows furrowed, as he cut the call, then turned the car and pressed the accelerator. Suddenly, he braked. The ground beneath the car had vibrated- too small for a human to sense. Something told him it was not his imagination. He opened the door of the car and closed his eyes, focusing his senses. And then he caught a whiff of her scent. His eyes widened : what on earth was she doing here? Why had she come? Was she going to come after Wei Ying again?

"Bring it on, Qing ," he muttered. "Do your worst." He dashed forwards, into the forest.

He sprinted through the forest, following her scent, He was getting closer and closer...and suddenly, he lost her scent. He stopped abruptly, his senses alert. And then he heard a rustling sound very close to him. A few metres away actually.

==========

He whipped around to see a woman sitting on the ground, her dark hair loose and her face bruised. He hurried over to her and dropped on his knees in front of her. "Reina?" he asked. "What-"

Reina smiled, but it was strained and her lip was swollen. "She was here, wasn't she?" he said. Reina nodded and coughed. He got to his feet and extended a hand, helping her up. "I know who you really are, you know," he said quietly. "Although I'm going to pretend-for now-that I don't."

Reina turned to him, and he saw the shock flit past before she composed her face to neutral again. "Took you long enough." she said finally. "I must ask you to keep your...knowledge...to yourself. For just a while now." "I am, already," he said evenly. "And that's because I know you've been looking out for Wei."

Reina nodded, then turned to leave, her movements tired but still graceful. "I can help," said Lan Wangji, extending a friendly offer. "I could heal you." He watched her walk unsteadily away from him.

"I can manage, Wangji ," she said quietly. "But thanks for the offer." She glanced back and offered a brilliant smile.

She walked away from him, her long robe trailing over the dead leaves...and then, all at once, she was gone, with only a trail of sparks that twinkled briefly, showing her recent presence. She had gone.