S.I.D.

Chapter 11

Everyone laughed at how embarrassed Chu was because he was successfully punched by a woman. Chu silently mouthed "thank you" to Zhu Hong, and they both did a fist bump. A couple days later, there was a shopping bag from a well-known boutique on Zhu Hong's desk. Inside was a red dress.

Chu's revenge was complete.

It was the Reunion Festival in DragonCity, a time to spend with family and worship those who were not here anymore. The town was alit with colorful lanterns and flying banners.

To the people gathered in the office, S.I.D. was family, and it was work as usual. Shen Wei knew there were still those who had not completed their missions yet, but he could see the several months of straight work were beginning to take their toll. They were tired, their ideas getting fewer and were not being thought through very well. Zhao Yunlan had also gone back to his usual bad habits, and he noticed him pressing his stomach now and then, then would pretend he was scratching an itchy spot when he saw Shen Wei watching him. Everyone needed a break, and when he mentioned it to Zhao Yunlan, it turned out he was also thinking the same thing.

"You've all been doing a great job, and your enthusiasm and dedication put the police force to shame," Zhao Yunlan started. "I know we still have a way to go, but we need to break away from all this and refresh ourselves."

"That's a great idea! Let's go to an amusement park!" the man-child Lin Jing called out.

"Too crowded. Let's go shopping!" the 2 women chimed in.

"More crowds and too boring," Chu started to complain.

"Um, I don't know how you would feel about a quiet mountain retreat...?" Sang Zan said in a small voice. "My friend back home had just asked if Wang Zheng and I wanted to hang out at the inn the family runs. It's pretty empty now because everyone would rather go some place with action." The words rushed out.

"That sounds perfect, Sang Zan! I was also hoping for something quiet and restful," Shen Wei smiled.

"Again, my favorite fool, you are a genius!" Zhao Yunlan clapped his hands.

"Great! I will make arrangements right away!"

Zhao Yunlan was able to "borrow" 2 SUVs at no charge, thanks to the motorcycle dealer who owned the vintage motorcycle he had reluctantly returned. Although the dealer not happy about the motorcycle going missing at first, he was forced to keep quiet since he still had the $200,000 from Ding Dun.

The mood was happy during the drive, except for poor Little Guo who got very carsick at first. It got better after a couple of stops, and Chu started driving slower. Although Guo's wimpy nature had irritated Chu at first, his innocence reminded him of his brother, and he found himself watching over him.

A couple hours later they arrived at Sang Zan's friend's inn. Although it was initially empty, an acting troupe decided to hold a training camp there and booked several rooms. The S.I.D. group had 5 rooms, so they decided on the sleeping arrangements - Chu and Guo, Lin Jing and Da Qing and Sang Zan, Zhu Hong and Wang Zheng, and Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei each had their own rooms. After a short rest, they went for a walk to check out the area. The fresh air and sounds of nature around them helped soothe everyone's tired hearts.

The acting troupe wanted to put on an impromptu show as part of their training, and the inn decided to serve dinner outside to match the mood. The show started after everyone had finished eating and was sipping on tea. Granted, the troupe was still very rough and needed more practice, but their enthusiasm was contagious, and soon the girls, Little Guo and Da Qing had joined in the dancing. Wang Zheng surprised them all with her graceful, almost ethereal movements; compared to her, Little Guo looked like a shaking skeleton, but it was all in good fun.