Wrong Turn

Fan Qentian groaned as he opened his eyes.

"Good evening," Xin Tuyong said.

Fan Qentian rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. "I feel like garbage." His voice was croaky and Xin Tuyong passed his friend a cup of water.

Fan Qentian struggled to sit up before taking the cup and sipping slowly.

"You've got some explaining to do."

Fan Qentian didn't even pause and continued sipping the water casually. He didn't speak until half the glass was empty. His eyes flicked to meet Xin Tuyong's.

"I'm grateful for you saving me, but I'm still angry that you didn't believe me. I told you the truth. Huan Mao is a murderer -- she'll kill you, too."

"Well she's had all the opportunity in the world to do it and at this point I'm not sure I mind. Watch your mouth when you talk about her. That 'murderer' could have easily killed you, but she put you back together. You owe her an apology." Fan Qentian shook his head and winced with the accidental movement of his body. "Yes, you do. Why not?"

"You don't know what she's done-- or no, you do, actually. Do you really not care? I know she's got dirt on you, but I've got bigger dirt on her. She's a killer like any other."

"And you're not?"

Fan Qentian's eyes hardened and he pressed his lips into a thin line. He carefully enunciated every word through gritted teeth: "Don't compare me to her. I'm not a monster."

"What makes you so different? You came here, trespassing, to kill her in her sleep. I may not know everything, but it seems like you've been doing awful things too, Leader Fan*."

Fan Qentian clenched his jaw and avoided Xin Tuyong's eyes. "I did what I had to."

"Listen to yourself! We both know how weak your argument is. You're no better than Huan Mao." Xin Tuyong ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Fan Qentian slumped in defeat. "I... I... hope you can forgive me."

Xin Tuyong clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's what you do from here on that determines where you stand."

A wistful look glazed Fan Qentian's eyes for a moment, escaping the notice of Xin Tuyong.

"Now, could you please tell me what you know?"

...

When Xin Tuyong left the room, he felt reassured that he could continue to trust his friend. It took gentle prying, but now he knew much more about the situation.

Fan Qentian's uncle was a triad boss who gained international ties and grew the organization into something bigger. Similar to Huan Mao's style of operation, Fan Qentian's uncle relied on both illegal transactions as well as legal business deals to maintain the flow of income and influence.

Unlike what Huan Mao said, Fan Qentian didn't kill his cousin. There was just a tragic accident and even the police reported it as such.

That accident brought Fan Qentian into power roughly five years ago, and he too had been working to grow the organization to match the power of the other major triads in China.

He managed a hit service** and other businesses to accumulate power at the fastest speed, but he had some run ins with Huan Mao's people that made business difficult.

His goal was strength, not wealth.

As Xin Tuyong made his way through the hall, a saw a flash of dark hair from the doorway, and with the faint lingering scent, knew it was Huan Mao escaping the scene.

"Huan Mao," he called out. No response.

He entered the living room and almost didn't see her curled tightly within herself on the couch. Her shiny black hair covered the arms pulling her legs to her chest.

He knew she wasn't asleep, and she knew that just as well but kept her eyes closed and breathing steady.

"Huan Mao," Xin Tuyong tried again. He sat on the couch at the point furthest away. "Thank you for saving Fan Qentian. He was awake today."

After continued silence, Xin Tuyong left. In her unmoved spot on the couch, Huan Mao remained with her eyes closed until she fell asleep.

* reference to a previous chapter implying that Fan Qentian has status

** "hit service" = a job where people hire hitmen to kill targets