The Universe Is Change

Part 2/2

Zhan Yao went to America, Li Jiangkang moved to Taiwan, and Bai Yutong moved up the ranks again. Qingtang bought him a flashy car, which he complained about but not-so-secretly loved.

Time zones and jobs and personalities meant that he rarely spoke to Zhan Yao these days. His father tried to give him news of Zhan Yao, but he changed the subject. If that damn Cat couldn't make the effort, then screw him.

He solved a lot more murders. The old medical examiner retired and Gongsun started working with him. He met Ma Han and Wang Shao and Zhao Fu.

Then one day he screeched up to a crime scene and found an intruder examining the surroundings. An intruder in a dark coat with a supercilious look. What the hell was Zhan Yao doing here?

They fought, but in the end, Bai Yutong had to work with him if he wanted SCI. And he really wanted to be in charge of SCI.

After a few cases, he decided it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Zhan Yao was still a damned genius, even if he was irritating, and it was good to have someone that smart on their side if they were up against a genius like Zhao Jue.

It felt like they were winning until the two of them narrowly escaped death on an exploding boat and subsequent near-drowning. Dragging an unconscious Zhan Yao up the beach, Yutong was incandescently angry. "Don't you dare die. Don't you dare. I'm not done yelling at you yet."

Zhan Yao's first choking breath felt like Yutong could start breathing as well. "Don't do that to me again," Yutong said, almost falling over in relief.

"Stop sounding like you care or I might misunderstand you." Zhan Yao choked up some more water, distracting Yutong from his words.

"I just don't want to have to explain to our families that I let you drown."

"Of course." Zhan Yao almost smiled as Yutong dragged him to his feet. "Let's go home."

Their team found them soon, bundling them onto the boat and yanking off wet clothing to wrap them in blankets. Ma Han turned her back and Yutong rolled his eyes as he made sure someone was keeping Zhan Yao from doing something ridiculous like falling into the water again.

As Zhan Yao's sopping wet shirt was almost ripped off him, Yutong caught a glimpse of his arm and that ridiculous heart that Qingtang had been so obsessed with when they were younger. He very deliberately didn't look at his own arm, wrapping the warm blankets around his torso and trying to stop shivering.

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Things got better and then they got worse. His working relationship with Zhan Yao improved...but Zhao Jue had survived the explosion as well. And Zhan Yao was too damn fascinated in the man's work to have the slightest sense of self-preservation.

Not only was he trying to sneak out and meet up with the man alone, he was starting to emulate the man's techniques and lack of regard for other people's rights to their own brains.

Every time they encountered the smallest problem, Zhan Yao was ready to solve it by hypnotizing people. The bouncer at the club, a witness, it didn't matter.

Yutong brought out the big guns and told Zhan Yao outright that he was behaving like Zhao Jue...but it didn't help.

Chief Bao saw it happening too. Yutong could see it in his eyes when he looked at the two of them, but he seemed equally helpless to stop it.

Zhan Yao was turning into someone else right in front of them and there was nothing they could do. He wouldn't listen.

Yutong punched the bag in his office even harder, trying to work out his frustrations.