[FOR BLAZINGSNOW] Burn Notice
From: angelye
To: blazingsnow
Title: Burn Notice
Rating: G
Word Count: 4.6K
Summary: Lu Han runs in straight lines. Yifan runs in another line. Somewhere somehow they come across each other.
Warnings: brief swearing
Author's Note: I am so sorry that this is not what recipient probably had in mind. And this is actually not what I had in mind too. But I still hope you'll still find this at least enjoyable.
The first time Lu Han saw him was in JFK airport. It was winter and the frosty air was biting despite the layers of wool on Lu Han's skin. The man was dressed as an Air France pilot, his wrinkle-free attire complete with a luggage marked with staff stickers. He looked like a Tommy Hilfiger model more than anything with his navy blue jacket hung over wide shoulders and sharp eyes that looked straight ahead. Lu Han had taken only a few seconds to look properly at the man's profile but that was enough to catch his attention and make him turn his gaze at Lu Han’s direction. Lu Han, by instinct, immediately knew that the man wasn't a commercial plane pilot. It takes one to know one, although Lu Han rather believed that his disguise as airport security with a matching K9 isn't worthy of suspicion.
The second time Lu Han saw him was in the rain soaked side streets of Manila a few months after the first time. Lu Han just came out of Quiapo church, discreetly following a guy who knelt on one of the pews at the back for not even three minutes and exchanged a few words with a woman who sat beside him just seconds after he knelt. Lu Han came out on one of the exits at the left after taking a brief glance of the woman’s face all while supposedly lighting a candle offering. He wasn't even surprised when he saw him talking to one of the flower vendors and actually buying a single stem of white rose. Lu Han had no time to pay him any attention because the guy he was tailing was quickly walking away with a brown envelope now at hand that he didn't have before. How the guy manouvered between loud peddlers and pedestrians so quickly, Lu Han would sure like to know.
The third time Lu Han saw him was in Doha. The dry, balmy air of early autumn a welcome change for Lu Han. Lu Han sat in the umpire's chair in the match between Djokovic versus Ferrer when Lu Han's attention was caught by a waving hand behind the Spanish player's side. Even in a thobe and ghutrah, and a mustache to go with the attire, Lu Han recognized his face. It puzzled Lu Han, but sitting as an umpire for a tennis match is no time and place to dwell on that tall, handsome, but bitch-faced man who seemed hell bent on crossing paths with him.
The fourth time Lu Han saw him was in Prague when the first flowers of spring came to bloom. Lu Han had been walking around with a camera hanging down his neck and a tourist's guide book at hand when he saw him playing the cello outside one of the cafes that lined both sides of the street. The man had waggled his eyebrows at Lu Han when their gazes locked before smiling and resuming playing with his instrument. Lu Han thought he thought he knew what Lu Han was thinking. Lu Han smirked as he swiftly grabbed his camera and took a picture.
Lu Han wasted no time. He needed to find out about that one guy that he kept bumping into almost everywhere that he had a mission. It was starting to bother him and made him suspicious. Could it be that his identity had been compromised? Although the mysterious guy had not interfered with his work at any given time, Lu Han still found it disconcerting.
He went back to his hotel room then quickly scanned the polaroid picture of the guy. He smiled at how he had taken the perfect shot at the perfect angle to capture every detail of the man’s face. He didn’t need to take a picture to remember a face but a print out will make the search for information just that much easier. Yixing had always been particular about details and often chided Lu Han for making his work more difficult than it already is. He sent the image to Yixing back at Headquarters and waited. His phone buzzed after nearly ten minutes, notifying him of a new message, so he quickly grabbed it and tapped on the screen. Sure enough there’s a photo message that Yixing sent him. He scanned the details with wide-eyed wonder as he sipped his iced coffee.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Wu,” Lu Han said while facing the mirror. He wouldn’t have to be apprehensive the next time they meet. And Lu Han just knows there will be a next time.
The fifth time they meet, Lu Han was half expecting him to be there. Lu Han was amongst the crowd of spectators watching the annual Dragon Boat Race that the Hong Kong Chamber of Business held during the said festival when he saw Wu Yifan sitting on a nearby bench. Lu Han walked towards the bench and sat down beside him.
“Funny that we meet again here, Mr. Wu. Don’t you think it’s about time we got acquainted?”
“I do believe it is time, Mr. Lu. Should we shake on it?” Lu Han is not even surprised that CIA agent Wu Yifan already knows who he is. In fact, he would have been disappointed if Yifan did not know. Yifan offered a hand which Lu Han took immediately. Yifan’s hard, calloused hand contrasted to Lu Han’s soft. supple one. The handshake was brief and quickly dropped as if the both of them got burned.
“So, what brings you here this time, Mr. Wu? Let me guess….Tao?”
Yifan gave a low chuckle, the sound quite melodious to Lu Han’s ears.
“I think it’s you who is here for Tao. I am here for his friend Li. We shouldn’t be discussing this, I am sure you are aware of that.” Yifan’s tone is amicable but Lu Han knows the CIA agent is right so he dropped the subject. Yifan is right about him being there for Huang Zitao though, the Qingdao born businessman the prime suspect for the sudden influx of new party drugs in Beijing while his friend Ivan Li the one behind the counterfeit Hong Kong dollars that has been circulating in recent months.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Lu Han stood up and left with just a murmured “see you around” and a grunt as response from Yifan.
That was eleven months and sixteen days ago.
Lu Han is now back in Hong Kong following intelligence reports that shipping tycoon Kim Joonmyun, better known as Suho in the underground world, the most notorious arms and drugs dealer from South Korea is going to attend a charity fund raising event for the Parkinson’s Foundation. Somehow, he has a feeling that Yifan will be around too.
He takes a glimpse of the entire restaurant as he follows the lead of a waitress to an empty table. This restaurant is highly recommended on Open Rice as the best place to eat roast duck in Kowloon. He takes note of the number and positions of the few people who are there. The place isn't crowded because it is a Monday and barely ten o'clock in the morning. He is startled for a while when he sees Yifan’s now familiar face. Yifan motions for Lu Han to join him at his table so Lu Han informs the waitress that he will be joining the other.
They exchange pleasantries like how acquaintances do after not seeing each other for a long time. The waitress waits for them to finish their hi and hello, her pen and small notepad already at hand to take Lu Han’s order. When she leaves for the kitchen, Lu Han looks around the restaurant once again and notices three new customers. One guy seems to be alone while the two others are obviously together. Lu Han is sure the three know each other judging by the glances they share. He immediately recognizes a poorly concealed gun on the waist of one of the new arrivals who is seated with his back against Yifan.
“These people don’t even try being subtle nowadays, do they?” Lu Han notes calmly, voice low as to not alert the others.
“I don’t think it’s one of their strong points.” Yifan replies, nonchalant. “I can take down those two behind you and you can have this one behind me.”
“There’s no need to take them down. We are in a public place. Just leave it to me.” Lu Han takes Yifan’s glass of water even as he tweaks the straps of his wristwatch and drops a few miniscule black pellets in. He stirs it with a straw from Yifan’s glass of orange juice and smiles as the pellets get swollen. Lu Han takes a sip making sure there is a pellet that comes up into the straw before motioning for Yifan to move his head to the side. Before Yifan can ask Lu Han what he is doing, Lu han is already aiming the straw at the guy behind Yifan. He blows hard and Yifan knows by the smile on Lu Han’s face that his aim didn’t miss.
"Your turn, Wu."
There is a smirk on Lu Han's face as he puts the straw back into the glass of water and pushes it closer to Yifan. Yifan knows it's a challenge and being a man who doesn't back down on a challenge, he takes a sip and makes sure that the straw has two pellets in it. He motions for Lu Han to duck just before he takes aim.
He keeps a straight face so Lu Han raises an eyebrow after Yifan puts the straw back into the glass. Yifan notes how rigid the two men has become as the pellets melt against the skin of their necks, he assumes that the man seated behind him has suffered the same fate.
“I don’t know what that was but I am guessing that the effects will not last for long. We better…” Yifan’s sentence is left unfinished as Lu Han abruptly stands up just as the entrance door opens and four men enter.
“What are you waiting for? Quick! We haven’t got much time.”
Yifan follows Lu Han to the back exit in the smoke-filled kitchen and into a back alley. They emerge on the main streets and act like any other pedestrian out in the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui. They take the first bus that comes at the bus station. It’s a good thing they had not been followed. They climb up the bus and stay at the back just in case even if there is only just only a couple of high school students on the upper deck.
“What was that about?” Lu Han asks, eyes throwing the accusation that is not detectable in his voice.
“What? I am the one supposed to ask you that. What were those things back there? And who were those people?” Yifan does not look at Lu Han but instead outside the window in the pretense of checking for any signs that they are being followed.
“Paralyzers. Only lasts for two minutes at the most. Good for a quick escape. I have no idea who those people were.” Lu Han shakes his head as if trying to get rid of some thoughts that bother him. Yifan turns to look at him this time before asking another question.
“Paralyzers? Man, you guys in Beijing are really serious with those kind of stuffs, huh? Isn’t it scary…” Yifan finds himself unable to finish his sentence once again as Lu Han stands up. There is an obvious change in the Chinese spy's mood. He can almost hear the smaller man's brain whirring with conflicting thoughts. He is not familiar with the other but he can assume by the way his eyes shift and the furrowing of his brows. Yifan is hesitant to admit the possibilities. He finds himself following the smaller man through streets and footbridges until they reach a hotel.
Lu Han stops just across the road and takes a detour towards a telecom shop. Yifan wonders but doesn't ask when Lu Han purchases a cheap smartphone and a sim card. Things like these are a daily affair for their line of work. It still makes Yifan wonder anyway.
"Go directly to the lift lobby and take one to the twenty third floor. Get up two more floors using the fire exit to the left of the lobby," Lu Han says as they wait for the blinking stoplight to change. "I will sit in the lobby for three minutes and follow. If I am not there when you come out of the fire exit, then run and save yourself."
"But..."
"Questions later. Just do as I say. For now."
Yifan nods. He knows Lu Han, the PLA's best strategist, is not going to risk anything without careful thinking. He just hopes Lu Han can give him answers later.
The staff at the concierge gives Lu Han a flirty smile and stares at Yifan from head to foot when they enter the hotel. Yifan has no time to admire the plush interior but he takes note of the floor layout for just in case they need a quick exit later. He goes straight to the lifts and follows Lu Han's instructions to the letter.
Lu Han has a haunting suspicion and he wants to prove if it’s true. If his haunch is correct, which they are eerily enough always are, then Yifan is in some deep shit. He purposefully walk towards the lift lobby slowly, pretending to be busy with inserting the sim card into his new phone. He checks the faces of everyone and makes sure that none of them are probable “burners” and sighs in relief when he sees no one like the men back at the restaurant.
Lu Han hates engaging in bloody confrontations, his forte rather intel and strategy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take down half a dozen men with a few blows. He knows Yifan is more than capable of handling the same number of attackers by himself, but he would much rather avoid engagement as much as possible. It not only alerts their targets but is also heavy on the conscience.
Lu Han spots Yifan the moment the elevator door opens on the twenty fifth. He motions for Yifan to follow him to his room after making sure that there are no other people apart from themselves. Lu Han slides his card key but doesn’t open the door immediately but instead inspects the integrity of the string he has tied at the door. Satisfied that no one has attempted to enter his room, Lu Han opens it just enough for them to get in.
Lu Han throws the phone into Yifan’s lap as he pours the two of them some water. Yifan looks at Lu Han’s back in confusion. He thinks he has an idea what Lu Han wants him to do but is clueless as to why.
“What’s going on, Lu? I think you need to explain to me what you know that I don’t.”
Lu Han doesn’t give him a response and instead heads towards the bed and takes out his Macbook from under one of the pillows. The device whirs into life and it's only then that Lu Han throws a glance his way. The look in Lu Han’s eyes gets Yifan apprehensive.
"I... I don't even know where to begin, but I think those guys are after you."
Yifan's face turns from shock to disbelief to anger in a matter of seconds. Their lives are always in peril, that is a given in their line of work, but Yifan is of the belief that he has not earned enough enemies to have someone want him eliminated. He is a shadow who only moves in the darkness and keeps himself hidden, only visible to fellow shadows like him. Only reason that an enemy would know him is if an insider tattles. Or in Lu Han’s case, knows where to dig. He stands up and starts pacing, once in a while looking outside the window down to the bustling street. People move about in constant speed in different directions, and Yifan feels so detached from those who live normal lives.
“You’re thinking wrong,” Lu Han says with a shake of his head. Lu Han doesn’t understand why it comes so easily to him, reading Yifan like an open book. It’s probably because of being in the same line of work although Yixing had always insisted that Lu Han was a telepath. Lu Han thinks Yixing watched too many X-Men movies.
“How do you even know what I’m thinking?” Yifan asks with a raised eyebrow. Yifan was used to being told he had an unreadable face. It’s not often that someone says they know what Yifan is thinking.
“Don’t think too far. Men always fail in seeing the small details because they always look at the bigger picture.” Lu Han doesn’t even look up from his laptop and it catches Yifan’s attention.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for the identity of those men at the restaurant. I’ve seen them before when I went to New York two years ago.” Lu Han ignores the lack of distance between their faces as Yifan looks over his shoulder to see for himself the dozens of photographs that are on the laptop monitor.
“You still remember their faces?" Lu Han nods in response so Yifan asks again." How many times have you seen them?”
“ I only saw them once. There was one more guy with them that time.”
“You really do live up to your reputation, huh? Mr. Photographic Memory.” Yifan had been surprised when he found out about Lu Han, more widely known in their circles as Xiao Lu, the man with the photographic memory, he's heard about him but didn't know how he looked like until they saw each other again in Doha. He had been curious about the doe eyed man and did his own research about him. It felt like a pleasant surprise to know that he and Lu Han were on related cases. Yifan is pulled back from his thoughts as Lu Han groans.
"Fuck."
Yifan can feel the hairs on his neck bristle, Lu Han sounds agitated. He looks at the laptop monitor again to find out what Lu Han could have seen to make him cuss.
"Shit."
Lu Han nods. It seems that Yifan is really in some deep shit. His brows furrow upon the realization that he could be in trouble too because of the encounter earlier.
"Fuck," Lu Han curses again as he puts the laptop down on the bed and stands up to fish his phone out of his jeans pocket. He dials Yixing's number and taps his foot on the carpeted floor while waiting for the call to connect. Yixing picks up on the fourth ring.
"Yixing! What took you so long, man? I need an exit. And a passport too while you're at it," Lu Han says without pausing for air.
“Well hello to you too, sunshine. Mind telling me what or who has set your ass on fire?” Yixing’s voice is calm and smooth, yet it sounds taunting to Lu Han’s ears. Yifan just quirks a brow.
“Some cleaners are after Mr. Wu. I was seen with him earlier. We need an exit now, Yixing. We need it fast.”
“Mr. Wu? Wait...since when have you been friends? Lu…” Yixing’s voice sounds clipped from the other end of the line and Lu Han can hear the rustle of paper and the clacking of the keyboard. Yixing works fast even if he sounds nonchalant.
“Yeah, Mr. Wu Yifan,” Lu Han says, effectively interrupting Yixing’s words. “I will explain to you later. We really just need that exit now, Xing, before the cleaners are on to us.”
“Damn. He really got burned, didn’t he? Did he say why the CIA put him on the burn list?”
“We.. I mean he, he didn’t even know he got burned, Yixing. We can figure those things out later.”
There is a pause on the other side but Lu Han knows Yixing is pulling the strings necessary to give Lu Han the exit he is asking for. The clacking of the keyboard continues for a moment before Yixing is breathing on the phone, his voice still calm and smooth.
“Take the train to Lo Wu. I’ll have a woman give you passports there. Wear a blonde wig and give him a mustache. There will be a car waiting for you in Shenzhen.”
Lu Han listens to the instructions that Yixing is giving him, humming an answer at the right intervals to let him know that Lu Han understands. Yifan just watches with curiosity as Lu Han goes around the room picking up his things and stuffing them into his bag while talking on the phone.
Yifan thinks it’s odd that Lu Han is being helpful. He is practically a stranger to him despite knowing his name and his other details. The thought that Lu Han might be helping him due to an ulterior motive disturbs Yifan. Yifan would like to think Lu Han is really just kind.
The hour long train ride is spent in silence. They don't want to attract attention to them more than the gawking of some of the female passengers. They arrive in Lo Wu and is greeted by a woman in her forties. She hands Lu Han a small brown envelope after confirming that he is who he says he is after Lu Han answers the security question that Yixing told him earlier. Soon, she parts way with them without so much as a muttered goodbye.
The car waiting for them at the parking lot turns out to be driven by a guy who looks too handsome to be just a simple driver. Judging by the way Lu Han jumps at him, he is not just an acquaintance either. Yifan is left to watch as Lu Han hugs the life out of the man who is nearly a head taller than Lu Han himself and the other try to pry Lu Han’s hands away from him with a sheepish smile at Yifan.
“Shixun!” Lu Han is beaming at the man -boy, that’s what he seems to Yifan when he smiles- he calls Shixun.
“Lu Han ge.” Shixun smiles at him fondly even as his gaze shifts from Lu Han to Yifan. “You haven’t introduced me to your friend.”
“I haven’t seen you in months and that is the first thing you say to me?” Lu Han says, his voice incredulous. “And I mean it when I say you need to stop growing. You will hit your head on our ceiling if you keep at it!”
Shixun just groans and Yifan feels the need to help the man -boy- out of his predicament. He clears his throat loud enough to catch Lu Han’s attention and hopefully remind him of their current predicament without saying a word. Lu Han turns around to look at him and gapes.
Oh shit!
“You guys can get acquainted later. We need to get moving. Now.” Lu Han pulls the car door open and throws his bag into the back seat as he reaches for the door to the driver’s seat and gestures for Yifan and Shixun to get in. The two have barely closed the doors when Lu Han is pulling out of the parking lot and speeding into the busy main road. His senses are heightened with the threat of danger as he constantly checks for any signs of anyone following them. He makes a mental note to wring Yixing’s neck for sending his own cousin out to fetch him.
Yifan makes small talk with Shixun and discovers that the boy is Lu Han’s cousin who isn’t even aware of the nature of Lu Han’s work. He only thinks Lu Han is a photographer who needs to travel everywhere every so often. Bless What he doesn’t know hopefully wont kill him.
Lu Han drops Shixun off after twenty minutes of driving. Shixun is reluctant to go and leave his car in Lu Han’s hands. Shixun relents when Lu Han turns sad eyes to him and just his lower lip out complaining about how Shixun doesn’t trust him when he trusts Shixun even with his life. The boy walks away from the car sullenly as he waves his goodbye.
“I will visit you soon Shixun. Promise I will take you out around town for a day.”
“I will hold you to that promise, ge!” Shixun says as he waves.
The ride is even more silent in the absence of another person but Yifan is okay with the silence. He lets his mind drift and his muscles relax. They drive for another twenty minutes before they reach their destination.
Calling LU Han’s apartment messy would be the understatement of the year. Yifan tries his best not to trip on clothes thrown all over the place and covering more than half of the floor. Something catches Yifan’s eye on the shelf beside the door. Yifan toes off his shoes and heads towards the shelf as Lu Han attempts to tidy up the place.
Yifan stares at the picture frame a little too long so Lu Han finds him in the same spot after he comes back from depositing his laundry in the washing machine. He understands why Yifan is wide eyed right now. Yifan picks up the picture from the shelf and examines it even closer, making sure it is an authentic photograph.
“When Yixing gave me the data about you, I realized that your father was my father’s best friend. I wouldn’t have known if not for the fact that your birth name appeared on your data. I am not even going to ask why you dropped the name and changed it to something less recognizable.”
“I remember this day. I remember how your dad tried so hard to convince you to join in the picture,” Yifan says.
Yifan smiles fondly at the two toddlers in their respective father’s arm. Lu Han had looked even more tiny back then. He also remembers how Lu Han had tripped on his own shoe laces that day. His father died about a year after that and his mother decided that moving to Nevada was a good idea. Yifan’s seven year old mind had not understood why they had to up and leave. He turns to face Lu Han and smiles at him.
“Thank you. I know it’s not enough. But I promise I will find a way to repay you someday.”
Yifan knows he has a lot to deal with in the coming months, maybe even years, and he will sort it out until his life is no longer under threat, how he will manage that he still doesn’t know. For now he is thankful.
It has been fifteen months since that day that Lu Han helped Yifan go back to China. Now Lu Han is in a restaurant in Singapore, slurping on his tomyum noodle soup when a tall figure stands beside him. He tilts his head to look at the face of the man who disturbed his peace only to find Yifan smiling down at him.
“Hello there Chef Wu. I heard you have some rumours for me straight from the grapevine, Lu Han says as he puts his chopsticks down on the table beside the steaming bowl of food.
“Maybe I have,” Yifan says just as he bends down to look at Lu Han closely. “The question is; are we going to talk about this over dinner? Or over dessert?”
Lu Han can’t hide his smile.
To: blazingsnow
Title: Burn Notice
Rating: G
Word Count: 4.6K
Summary: Lu Han runs in straight lines. Yifan runs in another line. Somewhere somehow they come across each other.
Warnings: brief swearing
Author's Note: I am so sorry that this is not what recipient probably had in mind. And this is actually not what I had in mind too. But I still hope you'll still find this at least enjoyable.
The first time Lu Han saw him was in JFK airport. It was winter and the frosty air was biting despite the layers of wool on Lu Han's skin. The man was dressed as an Air France pilot, his wrinkle-free attire complete with a luggage marked with staff stickers. He looked like a Tommy Hilfiger model more than anything with his navy blue jacket hung over wide shoulders and sharp eyes that looked straight ahead. Lu Han had taken only a few seconds to look properly at the man's profile but that was enough to catch his attention and make him turn his gaze at Lu Han’s direction. Lu Han, by instinct, immediately knew that the man wasn't a commercial plane pilot. It takes one to know one, although Lu Han rather believed that his disguise as airport security with a matching K9 isn't worthy of suspicion.
The second time Lu Han saw him was in the rain soaked side streets of Manila a few months after the first time. Lu Han just came out of Quiapo church, discreetly following a guy who knelt on one of the pews at the back for not even three minutes and exchanged a few words with a woman who sat beside him just seconds after he knelt. Lu Han came out on one of the exits at the left after taking a brief glance of the woman’s face all while supposedly lighting a candle offering. He wasn't even surprised when he saw him talking to one of the flower vendors and actually buying a single stem of white rose. Lu Han had no time to pay him any attention because the guy he was tailing was quickly walking away with a brown envelope now at hand that he didn't have before. How the guy manouvered between loud peddlers and pedestrians so quickly, Lu Han would sure like to know.
The third time Lu Han saw him was in Doha. The dry, balmy air of early autumn a welcome change for Lu Han. Lu Han sat in the umpire's chair in the match between Djokovic versus Ferrer when Lu Han's attention was caught by a waving hand behind the Spanish player's side. Even in a thobe and ghutrah, and a mustache to go with the attire, Lu Han recognized his face. It puzzled Lu Han, but sitting as an umpire for a tennis match is no time and place to dwell on that tall, handsome, but bitch-faced man who seemed hell bent on crossing paths with him.
The fourth time Lu Han saw him was in Prague when the first flowers of spring came to bloom. Lu Han had been walking around with a camera hanging down his neck and a tourist's guide book at hand when he saw him playing the cello outside one of the cafes that lined both sides of the street. The man had waggled his eyebrows at Lu Han when their gazes locked before smiling and resuming playing with his instrument. Lu Han thought he thought he knew what Lu Han was thinking. Lu Han smirked as he swiftly grabbed his camera and took a picture.
Lu Han wasted no time. He needed to find out about that one guy that he kept bumping into almost everywhere that he had a mission. It was starting to bother him and made him suspicious. Could it be that his identity had been compromised? Although the mysterious guy had not interfered with his work at any given time, Lu Han still found it disconcerting.
He went back to his hotel room then quickly scanned the polaroid picture of the guy. He smiled at how he had taken the perfect shot at the perfect angle to capture every detail of the man’s face. He didn’t need to take a picture to remember a face but a print out will make the search for information just that much easier. Yixing had always been particular about details and often chided Lu Han for making his work more difficult than it already is. He sent the image to Yixing back at Headquarters and waited. His phone buzzed after nearly ten minutes, notifying him of a new message, so he quickly grabbed it and tapped on the screen. Sure enough there’s a photo message that Yixing sent him. He scanned the details with wide-eyed wonder as he sipped his iced coffee.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Wu,” Lu Han said while facing the mirror. He wouldn’t have to be apprehensive the next time they meet. And Lu Han just knows there will be a next time.
The fifth time they meet, Lu Han was half expecting him to be there. Lu Han was amongst the crowd of spectators watching the annual Dragon Boat Race that the Hong Kong Chamber of Business held during the said festival when he saw Wu Yifan sitting on a nearby bench. Lu Han walked towards the bench and sat down beside him.
“Funny that we meet again here, Mr. Wu. Don’t you think it’s about time we got acquainted?”
“I do believe it is time, Mr. Lu. Should we shake on it?” Lu Han is not even surprised that CIA agent Wu Yifan already knows who he is. In fact, he would have been disappointed if Yifan did not know. Yifan offered a hand which Lu Han took immediately. Yifan’s hard, calloused hand contrasted to Lu Han’s soft. supple one. The handshake was brief and quickly dropped as if the both of them got burned.
“So, what brings you here this time, Mr. Wu? Let me guess….Tao?”
Yifan gave a low chuckle, the sound quite melodious to Lu Han’s ears.
“I think it’s you who is here for Tao. I am here for his friend Li. We shouldn’t be discussing this, I am sure you are aware of that.” Yifan’s tone is amicable but Lu Han knows the CIA agent is right so he dropped the subject. Yifan is right about him being there for Huang Zitao though, the Qingdao born businessman the prime suspect for the sudden influx of new party drugs in Beijing while his friend Ivan Li the one behind the counterfeit Hong Kong dollars that has been circulating in recent months.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Lu Han stood up and left with just a murmured “see you around” and a grunt as response from Yifan.
That was eleven months and sixteen days ago.
Lu Han is now back in Hong Kong following intelligence reports that shipping tycoon Kim Joonmyun, better known as Suho in the underground world, the most notorious arms and drugs dealer from South Korea is going to attend a charity fund raising event for the Parkinson’s Foundation. Somehow, he has a feeling that Yifan will be around too.
He takes a glimpse of the entire restaurant as he follows the lead of a waitress to an empty table. This restaurant is highly recommended on Open Rice as the best place to eat roast duck in Kowloon. He takes note of the number and positions of the few people who are there. The place isn't crowded because it is a Monday and barely ten o'clock in the morning. He is startled for a while when he sees Yifan’s now familiar face. Yifan motions for Lu Han to join him at his table so Lu Han informs the waitress that he will be joining the other.
They exchange pleasantries like how acquaintances do after not seeing each other for a long time. The waitress waits for them to finish their hi and hello, her pen and small notepad already at hand to take Lu Han’s order. When she leaves for the kitchen, Lu Han looks around the restaurant once again and notices three new customers. One guy seems to be alone while the two others are obviously together. Lu Han is sure the three know each other judging by the glances they share. He immediately recognizes a poorly concealed gun on the waist of one of the new arrivals who is seated with his back against Yifan.
“These people don’t even try being subtle nowadays, do they?” Lu Han notes calmly, voice low as to not alert the others.
“I don’t think it’s one of their strong points.” Yifan replies, nonchalant. “I can take down those two behind you and you can have this one behind me.”
“There’s no need to take them down. We are in a public place. Just leave it to me.” Lu Han takes Yifan’s glass of water even as he tweaks the straps of his wristwatch and drops a few miniscule black pellets in. He stirs it with a straw from Yifan’s glass of orange juice and smiles as the pellets get swollen. Lu Han takes a sip making sure there is a pellet that comes up into the straw before motioning for Yifan to move his head to the side. Before Yifan can ask Lu Han what he is doing, Lu han is already aiming the straw at the guy behind Yifan. He blows hard and Yifan knows by the smile on Lu Han’s face that his aim didn’t miss.
"Your turn, Wu."
There is a smirk on Lu Han's face as he puts the straw back into the glass of water and pushes it closer to Yifan. Yifan knows it's a challenge and being a man who doesn't back down on a challenge, he takes a sip and makes sure that the straw has two pellets in it. He motions for Lu Han to duck just before he takes aim.
He keeps a straight face so Lu Han raises an eyebrow after Yifan puts the straw back into the glass. Yifan notes how rigid the two men has become as the pellets melt against the skin of their necks, he assumes that the man seated behind him has suffered the same fate.
“I don’t know what that was but I am guessing that the effects will not last for long. We better…” Yifan’s sentence is left unfinished as Lu Han abruptly stands up just as the entrance door opens and four men enter.
“What are you waiting for? Quick! We haven’t got much time.”
Yifan follows Lu Han to the back exit in the smoke-filled kitchen and into a back alley. They emerge on the main streets and act like any other pedestrian out in the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui. They take the first bus that comes at the bus station. It’s a good thing they had not been followed. They climb up the bus and stay at the back just in case even if there is only just only a couple of high school students on the upper deck.
“What was that about?” Lu Han asks, eyes throwing the accusation that is not detectable in his voice.
“What? I am the one supposed to ask you that. What were those things back there? And who were those people?” Yifan does not look at Lu Han but instead outside the window in the pretense of checking for any signs that they are being followed.
“Paralyzers. Only lasts for two minutes at the most. Good for a quick escape. I have no idea who those people were.” Lu Han shakes his head as if trying to get rid of some thoughts that bother him. Yifan turns to look at him this time before asking another question.
“Paralyzers? Man, you guys in Beijing are really serious with those kind of stuffs, huh? Isn’t it scary…” Yifan finds himself unable to finish his sentence once again as Lu Han stands up. There is an obvious change in the Chinese spy's mood. He can almost hear the smaller man's brain whirring with conflicting thoughts. He is not familiar with the other but he can assume by the way his eyes shift and the furrowing of his brows. Yifan is hesitant to admit the possibilities. He finds himself following the smaller man through streets and footbridges until they reach a hotel.
Lu Han stops just across the road and takes a detour towards a telecom shop. Yifan wonders but doesn't ask when Lu Han purchases a cheap smartphone and a sim card. Things like these are a daily affair for their line of work. It still makes Yifan wonder anyway.
"Go directly to the lift lobby and take one to the twenty third floor. Get up two more floors using the fire exit to the left of the lobby," Lu Han says as they wait for the blinking stoplight to change. "I will sit in the lobby for three minutes and follow. If I am not there when you come out of the fire exit, then run and save yourself."
"But..."
"Questions later. Just do as I say. For now."
Yifan nods. He knows Lu Han, the PLA's best strategist, is not going to risk anything without careful thinking. He just hopes Lu Han can give him answers later.
The staff at the concierge gives Lu Han a flirty smile and stares at Yifan from head to foot when they enter the hotel. Yifan has no time to admire the plush interior but he takes note of the floor layout for just in case they need a quick exit later. He goes straight to the lifts and follows Lu Han's instructions to the letter.
Lu Han has a haunting suspicion and he wants to prove if it’s true. If his haunch is correct, which they are eerily enough always are, then Yifan is in some deep shit. He purposefully walk towards the lift lobby slowly, pretending to be busy with inserting the sim card into his new phone. He checks the faces of everyone and makes sure that none of them are probable “burners” and sighs in relief when he sees no one like the men back at the restaurant.
Lu Han hates engaging in bloody confrontations, his forte rather intel and strategy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take down half a dozen men with a few blows. He knows Yifan is more than capable of handling the same number of attackers by himself, but he would much rather avoid engagement as much as possible. It not only alerts their targets but is also heavy on the conscience.
Lu Han spots Yifan the moment the elevator door opens on the twenty fifth. He motions for Yifan to follow him to his room after making sure that there are no other people apart from themselves. Lu Han slides his card key but doesn’t open the door immediately but instead inspects the integrity of the string he has tied at the door. Satisfied that no one has attempted to enter his room, Lu Han opens it just enough for them to get in.
Lu Han throws the phone into Yifan’s lap as he pours the two of them some water. Yifan looks at Lu Han’s back in confusion. He thinks he has an idea what Lu Han wants him to do but is clueless as to why.
“What’s going on, Lu? I think you need to explain to me what you know that I don’t.”
Lu Han doesn’t give him a response and instead heads towards the bed and takes out his Macbook from under one of the pillows. The device whirs into life and it's only then that Lu Han throws a glance his way. The look in Lu Han’s eyes gets Yifan apprehensive.
"I... I don't even know where to begin, but I think those guys are after you."
Yifan's face turns from shock to disbelief to anger in a matter of seconds. Their lives are always in peril, that is a given in their line of work, but Yifan is of the belief that he has not earned enough enemies to have someone want him eliminated. He is a shadow who only moves in the darkness and keeps himself hidden, only visible to fellow shadows like him. Only reason that an enemy would know him is if an insider tattles. Or in Lu Han’s case, knows where to dig. He stands up and starts pacing, once in a while looking outside the window down to the bustling street. People move about in constant speed in different directions, and Yifan feels so detached from those who live normal lives.
“You’re thinking wrong,” Lu Han says with a shake of his head. Lu Han doesn’t understand why it comes so easily to him, reading Yifan like an open book. It’s probably because of being in the same line of work although Yixing had always insisted that Lu Han was a telepath. Lu Han thinks Yixing watched too many X-Men movies.
“How do you even know what I’m thinking?” Yifan asks with a raised eyebrow. Yifan was used to being told he had an unreadable face. It’s not often that someone says they know what Yifan is thinking.
“Don’t think too far. Men always fail in seeing the small details because they always look at the bigger picture.” Lu Han doesn’t even look up from his laptop and it catches Yifan’s attention.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for the identity of those men at the restaurant. I’ve seen them before when I went to New York two years ago.” Lu Han ignores the lack of distance between their faces as Yifan looks over his shoulder to see for himself the dozens of photographs that are on the laptop monitor.
“You still remember their faces?" Lu Han nods in response so Yifan asks again." How many times have you seen them?”
“ I only saw them once. There was one more guy with them that time.”
“You really do live up to your reputation, huh? Mr. Photographic Memory.” Yifan had been surprised when he found out about Lu Han, more widely known in their circles as Xiao Lu, the man with the photographic memory, he's heard about him but didn't know how he looked like until they saw each other again in Doha. He had been curious about the doe eyed man and did his own research about him. It felt like a pleasant surprise to know that he and Lu Han were on related cases. Yifan is pulled back from his thoughts as Lu Han groans.
"Fuck."
Yifan can feel the hairs on his neck bristle, Lu Han sounds agitated. He looks at the laptop monitor again to find out what Lu Han could have seen to make him cuss.
"Shit."
Lu Han nods. It seems that Yifan is really in some deep shit. His brows furrow upon the realization that he could be in trouble too because of the encounter earlier.
"Fuck," Lu Han curses again as he puts the laptop down on the bed and stands up to fish his phone out of his jeans pocket. He dials Yixing's number and taps his foot on the carpeted floor while waiting for the call to connect. Yixing picks up on the fourth ring.
"Yixing! What took you so long, man? I need an exit. And a passport too while you're at it," Lu Han says without pausing for air.
“Well hello to you too, sunshine. Mind telling me what or who has set your ass on fire?” Yixing’s voice is calm and smooth, yet it sounds taunting to Lu Han’s ears. Yifan just quirks a brow.
“Some cleaners are after Mr. Wu. I was seen with him earlier. We need an exit now, Yixing. We need it fast.”
“Mr. Wu? Wait...since when have you been friends? Lu…” Yixing’s voice sounds clipped from the other end of the line and Lu Han can hear the rustle of paper and the clacking of the keyboard. Yixing works fast even if he sounds nonchalant.
“Yeah, Mr. Wu Yifan,” Lu Han says, effectively interrupting Yixing’s words. “I will explain to you later. We really just need that exit now, Xing, before the cleaners are on to us.”
“Damn. He really got burned, didn’t he? Did he say why the CIA put him on the burn list?”
“We.. I mean he, he didn’t even know he got burned, Yixing. We can figure those things out later.”
There is a pause on the other side but Lu Han knows Yixing is pulling the strings necessary to give Lu Han the exit he is asking for. The clacking of the keyboard continues for a moment before Yixing is breathing on the phone, his voice still calm and smooth.
“Take the train to Lo Wu. I’ll have a woman give you passports there. Wear a blonde wig and give him a mustache. There will be a car waiting for you in Shenzhen.”
Lu Han listens to the instructions that Yixing is giving him, humming an answer at the right intervals to let him know that Lu Han understands. Yifan just watches with curiosity as Lu Han goes around the room picking up his things and stuffing them into his bag while talking on the phone.
Yifan thinks it’s odd that Lu Han is being helpful. He is practically a stranger to him despite knowing his name and his other details. The thought that Lu Han might be helping him due to an ulterior motive disturbs Yifan. Yifan would like to think Lu Han is really just kind.
The hour long train ride is spent in silence. They don't want to attract attention to them more than the gawking of some of the female passengers. They arrive in Lo Wu and is greeted by a woman in her forties. She hands Lu Han a small brown envelope after confirming that he is who he says he is after Lu Han answers the security question that Yixing told him earlier. Soon, she parts way with them without so much as a muttered goodbye.
The car waiting for them at the parking lot turns out to be driven by a guy who looks too handsome to be just a simple driver. Judging by the way Lu Han jumps at him, he is not just an acquaintance either. Yifan is left to watch as Lu Han hugs the life out of the man who is nearly a head taller than Lu Han himself and the other try to pry Lu Han’s hands away from him with a sheepish smile at Yifan.
“Shixun!” Lu Han is beaming at the man -boy, that’s what he seems to Yifan when he smiles- he calls Shixun.
“Lu Han ge.” Shixun smiles at him fondly even as his gaze shifts from Lu Han to Yifan. “You haven’t introduced me to your friend.”
“I haven’t seen you in months and that is the first thing you say to me?” Lu Han says, his voice incredulous. “And I mean it when I say you need to stop growing. You will hit your head on our ceiling if you keep at it!”
Shixun just groans and Yifan feels the need to help the man -boy- out of his predicament. He clears his throat loud enough to catch Lu Han’s attention and hopefully remind him of their current predicament without saying a word. Lu Han turns around to look at him and gapes.
Oh shit!
“You guys can get acquainted later. We need to get moving. Now.” Lu Han pulls the car door open and throws his bag into the back seat as he reaches for the door to the driver’s seat and gestures for Yifan and Shixun to get in. The two have barely closed the doors when Lu Han is pulling out of the parking lot and speeding into the busy main road. His senses are heightened with the threat of danger as he constantly checks for any signs of anyone following them. He makes a mental note to wring Yixing’s neck for sending his own cousin out to fetch him.
Yifan makes small talk with Shixun and discovers that the boy is Lu Han’s cousin who isn’t even aware of the nature of Lu Han’s work. He only thinks Lu Han is a photographer who needs to travel everywhere every so often. Bless What he doesn’t know hopefully wont kill him.
Lu Han drops Shixun off after twenty minutes of driving. Shixun is reluctant to go and leave his car in Lu Han’s hands. Shixun relents when Lu Han turns sad eyes to him and just his lower lip out complaining about how Shixun doesn’t trust him when he trusts Shixun even with his life. The boy walks away from the car sullenly as he waves his goodbye.
“I will visit you soon Shixun. Promise I will take you out around town for a day.”
“I will hold you to that promise, ge!” Shixun says as he waves.
The ride is even more silent in the absence of another person but Yifan is okay with the silence. He lets his mind drift and his muscles relax. They drive for another twenty minutes before they reach their destination.
Calling LU Han’s apartment messy would be the understatement of the year. Yifan tries his best not to trip on clothes thrown all over the place and covering more than half of the floor. Something catches Yifan’s eye on the shelf beside the door. Yifan toes off his shoes and heads towards the shelf as Lu Han attempts to tidy up the place.
Yifan stares at the picture frame a little too long so Lu Han finds him in the same spot after he comes back from depositing his laundry in the washing machine. He understands why Yifan is wide eyed right now. Yifan picks up the picture from the shelf and examines it even closer, making sure it is an authentic photograph.
“When Yixing gave me the data about you, I realized that your father was my father’s best friend. I wouldn’t have known if not for the fact that your birth name appeared on your data. I am not even going to ask why you dropped the name and changed it to something less recognizable.”
“I remember this day. I remember how your dad tried so hard to convince you to join in the picture,” Yifan says.
Yifan smiles fondly at the two toddlers in their respective father’s arm. Lu Han had looked even more tiny back then. He also remembers how Lu Han had tripped on his own shoe laces that day. His father died about a year after that and his mother decided that moving to Nevada was a good idea. Yifan’s seven year old mind had not understood why they had to up and leave. He turns to face Lu Han and smiles at him.
“Thank you. I know it’s not enough. But I promise I will find a way to repay you someday.”
Yifan knows he has a lot to deal with in the coming months, maybe even years, and he will sort it out until his life is no longer under threat, how he will manage that he still doesn’t know. For now he is thankful.
It has been fifteen months since that day that Lu Han helped Yifan go back to China. Now Lu Han is in a restaurant in Singapore, slurping on his tomyum noodle soup when a tall figure stands beside him. He tilts his head to look at the face of the man who disturbed his peace only to find Yifan smiling down at him.
“Hello there Chef Wu. I heard you have some rumours for me straight from the grapevine, Lu Han says as he puts his chopsticks down on the table beside the steaming bowl of food.
“Maybe I have,” Yifan says just as he bends down to look at Lu Han closely. “The question is; are we going to talk about this over dinner? Or over dessert?”
Lu Han can’t hide his smile.