Lan Wangji had followed Mo Xuanyu into the side room more out of pure instinct than with an actual plan. It was entirely out of character for himself, and he knew it. The omega was not who he had pretended to be, and Lan Wangji was no closer to knowing him now than he had when he'd encountered him back at his club. He should be cautious.
But, instead, the inescapable draw he felt towards the omega was causing him to act in ways he never had before. Even with the man's scent muted by blockers, there was something about Mo Xuanyu that had dug its claws inexorably deep into Lan Wangji's blood.
They had been testing each other as they circled around the small break room. Mo Xuanyu was fast, able to read Lan Wangji's movements and elude his grasp in ways that should be unsettling but instead had lit a building simmer of heat in Lan Wangji's blood. It clouded his mind, when he needed to be wary.
Neither of them were going for the kill, but it didn't mean they were allies.
"I don't want to be your enemy," Mo Xuanyu stated, as though reading his thoughts.
It could be the truth. It could be a lie.
"What do you want?" Lan Wangji asked, not expecting an honest answer. His phone buzzed, but he ignored it. He was not foolish enough to take his eyes off the man before him.
Mo Xuanyu's eyes flickered to his pocket, then back to his face. His sliver eyes were dark, heavy-lidded and laser focused on Lan Wangji.
"What if I said I wanted you to finish what you started back at your club?" Mo Xuanyu asked.
It was simultaneously both an offer and a taunt.
The fact that the man knew exactly who and what Lan Wangji was, and still dared to say such a thing to him made Lan Wangji's fingers flex with the need to fist into Mo Xuanyu's hair and drag him beneath him. His cock was already filling, growing heavy between his thighs.
He clenched his teeth against the instinctive response that his body seemed to insist upon with this omega.
He knew he should not be even considering this. He had no idea what Mo Xuanyu was doing there, and that was a dangerous thing. All of his years of training in discipline, all of his hard-won self-control… how could it evaporate so quickly in the presence of this man? What would it take to satiate it, so the man no longer had this influence on him?
Lan Wangji was determined to put an end to it. He would not allow himself to have a weakness such as this. If he needed to fuck the man for a week straight to purge this fixation from his body, then he would do so.
Mo Xuanyu pulled his mask off, letting Lan Wangji read his face. Mo Xuanyu's full lips were slightly parted, and his cheeks were edged with a flush of arousal. Even though the blockers he wore muted it, Lan Wangji could still smell traces of it. The tendrils of omega arousal seemed to soak into his pores and wind through his bloodstream, making his usually razor-sharp mind go fuzzy at the edges.
Mo Xuanyu was so beautiful, his face so expressive.
Lan Wangji had grown up in a family trained from birth to never show their emotions. It was like a punch to the gut to see the desire so recklessly displayed on Mo Xuanyu's face. The man wore his emotions so openly, without artifice.
It made him wonder what the other expressions the man would make. What he would look like when Lan Wangji fucked him. What he would look like when he came. He had been close to finding out in their last encounter, but had foolishly walked away.
He was not going to make that mistake again.
"Mark your words, Mo Xuanyu. " Lan Wangji took a deliberate step forward, testing the waters.
Mo Xuanyu did not step back. His eyes were dark with desire, his chin lifted, as though daring Lan Wangji to close the distance.
Lan Wangji did not hesitate. His hands move quickly, gripping Mo Xuanyu's wrists and pinning them to the wall over the man's head. He might be making a mistake, but he was going to take no chances of letting Mo Xuanyu get the upper hand.
Mo Xuanyu leaned forward, drawing in a breath right above Lan Wangji's scent gland, and Lan Wangji pressed his hips forward, grinding the hard length of his rapidly growing erection against the man's flat stomach.
"What do you want, Hanguang-Jun?" Mo Xuanyu asked, letting his head tip back to bare his throat, knowing how tempting he looked as he watched Lan Wangji through narrowed eyes. "Do you want answers, or do you want to fuck me?"
Lan Wangji's grip instinctively tightened on the man's wrists. He was not going to let the omega go. He was going to fuck him in this room, then bring him back to his hotel and fuck him again. He would fuck him until he answered all his questions. He would fuck him until his blood no longer clamored for his body.
"Both," Lan Wangji answered roughly.
His dick was painfully hard. He should be asking more questions. He should be doing a lot of things, but all he could think about was being buried inside of Mo Xuanyu, and fucking him until he was willing to give up all his secrets. The scent of the man's arousal spiked, as if reading Lan Wangji's thoughts.
Mo Xuanyu leaned forward as much as Lan Wangji's iron grip would allow, biting Lan Wangji's lower lip before pushing his mouth against his. Mo Xuanyu's lips were firm against his, parting and pushing them open and pressing the tip of his tongue to run along the inside of Lan Wangji's lip where he had bitten it.
Lan Wangji froze, nearly pulling back reflexively from the kiss. He did not allow kisses. They implied an intimacy that he had no use for, no interest in. But the taste of the man registered on his tongue, with notes that were honey-sweet and darkly spicy, just like the man's scent. If Lan Wangji had thought scenting the man's arousal was addictive, it was nothing compared to actually tasting it.
All thoughts of rules evaporated, and Lan Wangji surged forward, licking into his mouth, instantly addicted to the taste of him. He had never wanted to kiss an omega before. But now, he couldn't get enough of the hot, velvet-wet heat of Mo Xuanyu's mouth. His mind recorded every detail of the taste and feel of him, memorizing every wet slide of their mouths against each other.
It wasn't enough.
He shoved Mo Xuanyu harshly against the wall and pinned his body there, freeing his hands to slide down over the man's toned, lithe body. He bit back a groan at the feel of the lush roundness of Mo Xuanyu's ass as he gripped it. The scent of omega arousal grew stronger, wetter, and Lan Wangji was desperate to feel it on his fingers… to taste it on his tongue. He pressed his fingers into the thin fabric at the crease of Mo Xuanyu's ass, growling in satisfaction at the growing heat and dampness he felt there.
He wanted to bury himself in that tight, wet heat. He wanted to pin the omega to the wall with his cock and fuck him until he passed out. Lan Wangji's hands gripped the fabric of Mo Xuanyu's pants and he pulled harshly, rending it at the seams. He shoved two fingers in, needing to get at least some part of his body inside Mo Xuanyu immediately.
"Oh, holy fuck," Mo Xuanyu's voice was full of arousal, but also shock as he arched back. He was grinding his hips in circles against Lan Wangji's dick in a way that seemed instinctive rather than skilled, and the rawness of the man's desperation only fueled Lan Wangji's own.
He looked down at Mo Xuanyu's eyes, which were open but glazed and unseeing. He looked surprised, like the entire experience was a revelation. Like he had never had anyone touch him like this before.
The thought drove a surge of possessiveness through him that nearly brought Lan Wangji to his knees. It felt like every drop of blood in his body was fighting to get into his dick, making it even harder and longer inside his already painfully tight trousers.
Mo Xuanyu fisted his hands into Lan Wangji's hair, bringing their mouths together with a desperation that resonated with the hot pulse pumping through Lan Wangji's blood.
Mo Xuanyu used his grip on Lan Wangji's hair for leverage as he began to slide up and down the length of Lan Wangji's dick with increasing speed.
Lan Wangji pulled his mouth away, dipping his head to breathe in along the base of Mo Xuanyu's throat.
Mine.
The thought struck him deep and resonated within his bones. This omega was his. No one had touched him before, and no one would again. He latched onto the scent gland, sucking a deep bruise, wanting to bite, to leave a mark that everyone could see.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, Lan Wangjji," Mo Xuanyu continued a litany of curses and Lan Wangji's name. Except it wasn't his real name. He wanted to hear the man say it. Wanted to know Mo Xuanyu's real name as well.
Names had never mattered before. He barely learned the names of his past omegas, other than to ensure they passed the background check. He had no interest in knowing any of them outside his bed.
He wanted to know everything about Mo Xuanyu. He wanted it all to belong to him and no one else.
Lan Wangji slid another finger inside him, searching for the spot that would make the man cum. He wanted to see Mo Xuanyu's face when he fell apart. He wanted to fuck him over and over, watching each new revelation play out across the man's face.
Mo Xuanyu made a sound deep in his throat as he arched back and came, his entire body locking up, his face twisted in pleasure. Lan Wangji wanted to hear all the different sounds the omega could make, he wanted to see the raw emotions playing out across his expressive face.
Lan Wangji couldn't wait anymore. He needed to be inside him with more than just his fingers. He could feel the man still shaking with the aftershocks of his orgasm when he set him down and spun him around, pressing Mo Xuanyu hard against the wall.
Lan Wangji's hands were clumsy in their haste to undo his belt. He wanted to fuck into Mo Xuanyu and feel the aftershocks of the omega's orgam tight around his dick the way they had felt around his fingers.
"Thought I had to be wearing the 'proper clothing' for you to fuck me," Mo Xuanyu slurred, slanting a hazy smirk over his shoulder.
Gods, Lan Wangji was going to fuck him so hard.
"Making an exception," Lan Wangji gritted out as undid his buckle, pulling his belt out and letting it fall to the floor.
He had been dimly aware of his phone going off, but had ignored it. The sound of his brother's emergency ringtone cut through Lan Wangji's lust like a blade. Lan Xichen never called this number unless it was truly urgent.
Something had happened. He had to answer.
He cursed, but reached into his pocket for his phone. He pressed a hand to the center of Mo Xuanyu's back, pinning him to the wall while he answered it.
"What," he bit out.
His brother's voice came through, uncharacteristically sharp and urgent.
" Wangji. Su She's body was just discovered in his apartment. It was a hit. Where are you?"
Lan Wangji stilled, forcing his mind to focus. This was not something that could be put off. With all of the fear and rumors about the Yiling Laozu, he would need to deal with this personally. There was a knocking on the door that was rapidly escalating to pounding. Lan Wangji pulled the phone away from his mouth, leaning forward so his lips almost brushed against Mo Xuanyu's ear.
"Don't move," he growled, directing his voice away from the mic of the phone while his brother continued to talk at him.
Lan Wangji's dick was still painfully hard as he pushed it to the side so he could zip up his pants. Every instinct in him was screaming at him to not let the omega go, but he had to open the door and let his men in, or they would break it down. Luckily, the room had only one exit. He would finish what he started with Mo Xuanyu once he had the situation under control.
"No one has claimed the hit, but everyone is assuming it was the Yiling Laozu. Your men wouldn't give me more information than that."
There was a hint of annoyance in his brother's tone, but Lan Wangji would deal with that later. His men were following his orders to only report certain matters to him.
"They said they would give you the full report. The men you had stationed watching the apartment didn't see anyone leave or enter, but someone got to him somehow. Uncle is heading over to keep the situation under control. They think -"
Lan Wangji had just flipped the latch unlocking the door and began to open it. He felt Mo Xuanyu move before the sound reached his ears, but even as he spun to face him, he knew he would be too late. Lan Wangji sprinted back towards the table, but the omega moved with a fluid speed that was almost preternatural as he leapt from the tabletop and - in fluid one motion - pulled himself up through the narrow skylight.
The flash of skin where Lan Wangji had torn open the back of Mo Xuanyu's pants had his teeth baring as one of his men, another alpha, entered the room thinking that Lan Wangji was being attacked in some way.
"Out!" Lan Wangji turned and snarled at the alpha, earning a wide-eyed look of surprise from the man. The skylight slammed closed, and Lan Wangji stood staring up at where Mo Xuanyu had vanished into the night, his phone forgotten in his hand.
He could still taste the man on his lips, could still feel the heat of him on his fingers.
Frustration and anger flooded through him, along with a visceral need to give chase. Every instinct in his body was clamoring for him to run his omega to ground and pin him down beneath him and tear any other alpha limb from limb who dared look at any part of Mo Xuanyu.
The width of the skylight's opening was too narrow for his shoulders. If he wanted to follow Mo Xuanyu, he would have to go around to the main entrance. By then the man would be long gone.
Again.
The small size of the skylight was why he had disregarded it as an exit in the first place when he'd entered the room, and why he'd made the mistake of turning his back on Mo Xuanyu to answer the door. He thought he was blocking the only exit.
"Fuck," he gritted out, standing on the table, staring up at the closed skylight.
The anger he felt was partly due to alpha frustration and possessive instincts towards an omega. He had never felt this way over an omega before, but he could recognize the way his blood was heating, the anger on the flip side of the coin from arousal. If he got his hands on the man again, he was not sure he would be able to hold himself back. But another part of the anger he felt had nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with business.
Mo Xuanyu had played him.
Lan Wangji had not yet figured out what the man's end game was, but he was going to. Due to the security at the event, only two of his men were inside with him. The other two were back at the hotel. None of them would have any chance of tracking the omega down.
Frustration churned inside him.
Nie Huaisang stepped into the room, looking from Lan Wangji to the skylight. Two Nie alpha guards stood behind him in the hall, wisely not entering the room that smelled heavily of arousal and alpha anger and frustration. Lan Wangji's brother's voice was still coming from his phone, barely penetrating the haze of the alpha instincts surging hot through his body. The scent and taste and feel of Mo Xuanyu had Lan Wangji's body coiled tight and at the edge of his much-vaunted self-control.
"Xiongzhang. I will call you back in ten minutes. We will take the next flight back to Gusu." Lan Wangji hung up the phone, not waiting for his brother's response.
Nie Huaisang signaled to his men to stand guard, then closed the door, leaving just the two of them in the room.
"Bad news?" Nie Huaisang asked, though he clearly already knew, if his brother had sent him to find him.
Lan Wangji's men had tried to reach him but he had not responded to their texts or calls, so they'd called Lan Xichen instead, knowing they were at the event together. That was why Lan Wangji's phone had gone off with the ring tone that meant ' drop everything and answer your fucking phone '.
The heat of arousal was rapidly cooling, allowing Lan Wangji to think more clearly. Something he most definitely had not been when he'd decided to prioritize sex over information.
When Lan Wangji's phone had begun going off excessively, with an escalating ringtone, Mo Xuanyu hadn't looked surprised. He hadn't looked curious. He had looked… wary.
Mo Xuanyu had known .
And Nie Huaisang had come to his club less than three days ago, and said they were looking for the same person. Lan Wangji had - at the time - assumed Nie Huaisang had been referring to the fact that everyone was looking for the Yiling Laozu. He hadn't thought the man was referring to Mo Xuanyu.
Except Mo Xuanyu had been the one to show up to Nie Huaisang's event, and Lan Wangji was not a man who believed in coincidences. He'd already played the fool enough for the evening.
"Who is Mo Xuanyu?"
Nie Huaisang looked up to the skylight. "I don't know anyone named Mo Xuanyu."
Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes. "You implied you knew who was behind the executions. That you had invited someone here, and thought I would be interested. I assumed they were the same person, but then I saw Mo Xuanyu here instead."
Something flickered in Nie Huaisang's expression, and Lan Wangji felt the knowledge that had been hovering just on the periphery of his mind slam home. "Mo Xuanyu is the Yiling Laozu."
Nie Huaisang's eyes were shuttered.
"Is he? Oh, my. Like I said, I don't know anyone named Mo Xuanyu. But you were alone with him!" Nie Huaisang scented the air in a way that almost was trying to be subtle, but - with the razor-sharp eyes studying Lan Wangji - was definitely intentional. "It does not seem as though you were discussing business with him."
Lan Wangji forced himself not to react. This was a game he understood. When outsiders thought about the power of the Nie family, they thought of Nie Mingjue. They feared him, with his notorious physical strength and presence that screamed 'dangerous, powerful alpha.' Very few realized that - between the two Nie brothers - the younger was by far the more deadly. Any interaction with Nie Huaisang needed to be weighed carefully, which was very difficult for Lan Wangji to do when most of the blood in his body had been in his dick only moments before.
"At the time, I thought you simply were acknowledging we were both looking for the Yiling Laozu, like all the other sects," Lan Wangji said slowly, studying Nie Huaisang for any flicker of response that he could use to get more information. "But you meant you knew I was looking for Mo Xuanyu. How did you know?"
Lan Wangji thought of Su She's body, and Mo Xuanyu's warning that he should choose his men more carefully. Su She would have known about the omega who came and left. It was possible he had been in contact with Nie Huaisang. Were the Nie infiltrating the Lan? If so, Nie Huaisang could have come here to kill Mo Xuanyu before he could tell Lan Wangji, or in revenge for killing his mole. Lan Wangji had not been able to bring any weapons into the gallery, but it would be far from the first time he had killed a man without one.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop," Nie Huaisang said, wrinkling his nose at the sharp scent of dangerous alpha anger and protectiveness that was now pouring out of Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji's voice was cold when he spoke. "Su She is dead. He was watching you when you came to my club. He also is one of the very few who knew about my search for Mo Xuanyu. Now you show up with armed guards looking for Mo Xuanyu."
Nie Huaisang took a step back, his mask slipping momentarily as his eyes widened when he read the implication of Lan Wangji's statement. "This is my gallery. I can show up with armed guards as I choose. But I do not have a mole in your crew. Su She had no contact with me. My source was external."
Lan Wangji's eyes narrowed. "You would not admit it if you did."
Nie Huaisang seemed to consider something for a moment, then spoke. "It was the photo you sent for facial recognition. I was informed by - a contact - in the agency you sent it to. It was unusual, especially when it turned up as a ghost. So my contact forwarded me the image."
Lan Wangji frowned. Nie Huaisang could be lying. But he had the feeling that the man was being honest. It would be easy enough to find out. He would have to have a… conversation with his government contact. He didn't like feeling exposed by having his family's business shared with others. Who else might have Mo Xuanyu's photo? None of this would be needed if he had expertise in his operation that would allow him to 'access' government systems without an inside contact.
But that was a problem to be addressed later. There was an important point to what Nie Huaisang was saying.
"You recognized him," Lan Wangji said.
Nie Huaisang fluttered his fan. "Did I? Why would you think that?"
Lan Wangji hated games. Still, there was no way to get information out of Nie Huaisang without playing them. So he gritted his teeth and responded. "You said you tried to contact someone I was interested in, shortly after you saw the photo. You knew he did not kill your operative, but you don't deny he is the Yiling Laozu. Nothing in my search would have indicated either of those facts." Because Lan Wangji himself had not known it at the time went without saying.
Nie Huaisang narrowed his eyes. "So you didn't know he was the Yiling Laozu. And yet you were looking for him. And were…," he gestured to the room. "Here. With him."
Lan Wangji did not respond. He knew his reputation. This was incredibly out of character for Hanguang-Jun. But he would not explain himself to Nie Huaisang. Especially not when he couldn't even explain it to himself.
If he had known the omega was the Yiling Laozu, he wouldn't have been fucking around. At least, that is what he told himself. He shouldn't have been, anyway, but that was not Nie Huaisang's business.
"What is he to you?" Nie Huaisang asked, the question catching Lan Wangji off guard. It sounded almost… protective.
When Lan Wangji had no response, Nie Huaisang changed the question. "You said a Lan operative was killed. Do you believe your 'Mo Xuanyu' killed him?"
Lan Wangji's lips pressed together. "I have not received a full report from my men."
"But you think he did it."
"Who is he?" Lan Wangji countered.
Lan Wangji was not surprised when Nie Huaisang didn't answer. Their families had been close for a while, when Lan Xichen had been friendlier with Nie Mingjue. But something had changed a year or two ago, and the two no longer spoke unless necessary. Now, the best that could be said of the two crime families was that they were not enemies.
Nie Huaisang would not tell him what he wanted to know, and he was wasting his time trying.
"I need to return to Gusu. If you have something to share, you know where to contact me," Lan Wangji began walking towards the door. He was sure that Nie Huaisang had men searching for Mo Xuanyu, but was equally sure that they would not find him.
"You recognized him even when I didn't," Nie Huaisang said, still trying to get some information about how Lan Wangji knew Mo Xuanyu. But Nie Huaisang wasn't the only one who knew how to keep secrets.
"I am observant," Lan Wangji stated in the emotionless tone that he knew infuriated most people when they wanted to get a reaction from him.
"Hm. And if he is the one who killed Su She?" Nie Huaisang asked.
"Then it's Lan business. Not Nie," Lan Wangji replied, opening the door. His mind involuntarily flashed back to what Mo Xuanyu - the Yiling Laozu had said.
"I don't want to be your enemy,"
"What do you want?" Lan Wangji had asked.
"What if I said I wanted you to finish what you started back at your club?"
Did he believe him? It would be dangerous to do so. Foolish. Lan Wangji told himself he was not a fool.
Nie Huaisang looked like he wanted to push, but knew he was not going to win. If the Nie weren't going to disclose what they knew, then Lan Wangji had no obligation to share, either.
It was late. They had likely already missed the last flight back to Gusu for the day. He would go to the hotel, shower, sleep, then head home with his brother.
And decide whether the next time he saw Yiling Laozu, it would be as an enemy.
Lan Wangji exited the gallery, stepping out onto the dark city streets as he turned towards his hotel. His guards fell into step behind him, neither one daring to ask about what had occurred at the gala.
He had trained them well.
He needed the silence. Everything Lan Wangji knew about 'Mo Xuanyu' now had to be re-examined in light of the knowledge that he was the Yiling Laozu. Lan Wangji clenched a fist behind his back. If he scanned the rooftops for signs of a familiar figure, that was no one's business but his own.
Lan Wangji was not used to making mistakes. Anger bubbled in him at the idea that the Yiling Laozu had been toying with him. Had any of the chemistry between them been real? Had Lan Wangji been the man's target but - for some reason - he just hadn't yet made his move?
He had no information on the Yiling Laozu's target, but Lan Wangji didn't think the attraction between them was fake, nor planned.
Words were easy to bend and twist. Anyone could lie. But the body's response was much harder to fake. Lan Wangji raised his fingers to his nose, the scent of Mo Xuanyu's arousal still clinging to them. That was not fake. The way he had responded to Lan Wangji's touch had been real.
But that did not necessarily mean they weren't enemies.
Torture implied that the Yiling Laozu had been seeking information from Su She, which meant his organization could be compromised. Su She didn't know a lot, but he knew some. What was the Yiling Laozu's end game?
The omega had removed his mask, both physically and metaphorically, when he'd told Lan Wangji he didn't want to be his enemy. Had it been just part of a ruse? If so, to what end? The Yiling Laozu had not asked him for anything. Even when he probably could have.
For some reason, that thought made Lan Wangji even angrier.
Lan Wangji called his brother back on the way to the hotel. There was a point he needed to check, even though his instincts were already telling him what the answer was.
"What did you say the estimated time of death was?"
" Our doctor puts it at about twelve to fourteen hours ago ," Lan Xichen replied.
Twelve to fourteen hours was plenty of time for the killer to get from Gusu to Qinghe. Plenty of time for them to find a spare uniform of a server and show up here.
" Wangji. Where were you? The guards didn't know, and no one saw you leave."
"I was meeting with someone," Lan Wangji replied, not really answering.
He should tell his brother. It was clear that Lan Wangji could not trust his own judgement and behavior when it came to the Yiling Laozu. His brother's silence expressed the man's displeasure, but - in the end - Lan Wangji did not need to answer to anyone. But that also meant that the consequences of his action would fall completely on him. If he put his family at risk due to his fascination with the Yiling Laozu, the fault would be entirely his own. His mess to clean up.
"I am on my way back to the hotel. I will shower, then we can meet to discuss the news from Uncle."
The moment Lan Wangji entered his hotel room, he knew someone had been inside it. He always placed the 'do not disturb' sign on the door when he stayed to keep hotel staff from entering. He did not like anyone touching his things.
But the small suitcase that he had placed on the wrack at the foot of the bed was crooked by a slight angle. Lan Wangji always left it perfectly aligned. He stepped slowly into the room, his eyes scanning for any sign of the intruder.
There was a familiar scent in the room and it had the coiled tension in his body sparking hotter. The Yiling Laozu had been in his room. Possibly was still there. As he stepped in through the narrow hallway to the bedroom, he noticed the white silk pouch that he used to store the jade token was on the bed. The pouch had been in his suitcase before he left for the Nie gala.
He slid the closet door open with his foot, finding it empty. He then moved to the bathroom, which was equally barren. The bed was on a platform, so there was no place beneath it to hide.
The Yiling Laozu had been there, but had already gone.
Lan Wangji felt the frustrated disappointment twist in his gut as he moved to the bed, though he was not surprised. He carefully picked up the pouch, its weight immediately telling him that the collar had been removed. But it wasn't completely empty. He opened it to find a messily scrawled note on the hotel stationery, along with a thumb drive.
Hanguang-Jun
I know you have no reason to believe me, but I meant it when I said I don't want to be your enemy.
This is a program that you can use to hack into an iPhone and recover deleted texts and call logs. I highly recommend using it as soon as you get back. Disconnect your laptop from the wifi, then plug this into the USB port. Connect the phone to the same laptop it will automatically trigger the app to run. I'd also be careful of who you let know about this app, or the phone. You have no reason to take my word for it, but Su She was a security risk, and he might not be your only one.
P.S. Since you took my collar, I decided to take yours. If you want it back, you'll have to ask me nicely.
Lan Wangji breathed out a huff of air. Ask him nicely? The next time Lan Wangji got his hands on the Yiling Patriarch, there was not going to be anything 'nice' about it. Based on the man's taunts, that was likely the reaction he was going for. It made Lan Wangji wonder, again, what the man's end game was.
He ignored the thought of the collar that Mo Xuanyu had been wearing, which was sitting in the drawer of his nightstand by his bed.
He looked down at the note, studying it. The writing was atrocious. Sprawling and undisciplined. Again, no surprise, considering the author.
An image flashed through his mind of punishing the Yiling Laozu for his sloppiness. He would very much enjoy disciplining the man to teach him to be properly careful with his strokes. He had the feeling that the omega would require all of his focus, to ensure the lesson was properly learned. His lips parted slightly at the thought of how the man would likely only make his penmanship worse, just to prove a point. Lan Wangji's dick began to grow heavy with interest.
The memory of the taste of the man's mouth and the scent of his arousal flared through him. The kiss had been a mistake, the taste of Mo Xuanyu now embedded in his blood, impossible to shake. The Yiling Laozu had already caused Lan Wangji to break so many of his own rules. It made him even more determined to not let him get the upper hand a third time and finally work this madness out of his system.
In order to find him, he needed to get more information. Everyone had a weak spot that could be used to control them. He just needed to find out what the Yiling Laozu's was.
There was no signature at the bottom of the note. Lan Wangji examined the thumb drive. He didn't know much about hacking, other than the general concept. But he knew that someone could enter one system on a network, and then use it to access the others. So the tip to disconnect his laptop from the wifi was a good one, and would protect him from any viruses that were on that thumb drive, as well as prevent anyone else from finding out what he recovered from the phone, in case the Yiling Laozu wasn't the only hacker in play here.
It was interesting that he had given him an app for hacking an iPhone. None of the members in his crew were supposed to have any flavor of smartphone. Too much information was tracked and stored by them, making them a liability. He wondered whose phone this was intended for. He had a feeling he knew. There was no chance to discipline a dead man, but if anyone in his crew were going to violate the rule about the type of phones they were allowed, it would have been Su She.
Lan Wangji opened his suitcase to examine it for further signs of trespass. The knives he had brought were both there, shifted slightly from their original positions, as though they had been picked up, examined, and then put back. Nothing else was missing, nor added. He felt along the lining of the suitcase to make sure, but there was nothing.
He took one of the long knives out along with a change of clothes and went to the bathroom, turning the shower on to heat. If he had any unexpected guests, he would be prepared to properly greet them.
He pulled off his clothes, and went to put them in the small laundry bag he carried with them. He noticed that his shirt from the day before that he had put in his bag was missing.
That was… interesting. It made him hopeful that - perhaps - he was just as embedded in the Yiling Laozu's blood as the omega was in his.
"What if I said I wanted you to finish what you started back at your club?"
Lan Wangji ruthlessly shoved the arousal down before it could stir yet again. There were too many variables for him to know what the Yiling Laozu's game was.
He thought about the fluid way the man had been able to pull himself up through the skylight, or the flexibility and strength required to do so.
He wondered if the Yiling Laozu took the collar as part of the game. He shouldn't trust him. He should call his brother and let him know that he has a picture of the Yiling Laozu. He should turn the thumb drive over to the police and let them run the prints and DNA to see if there are any hits, or any relatives in the system. He should absolutely not use whatever app the Yiling Laozu left for him.
He did none of those things.
His brother texted him to let him know the next flight would depart at 5:55 am the next day. It was already nearing midnight.
They spoke on the phone briefly, getting confirmation that their uncle was on-sight at the club, but there was no new information.
His last act before going to sleep was to go online and purchase a new laptop, to be delivered to him at the club the following day. It would have no personal information, so would minimize the risk of any surprises the gift from the Yiling Laozu might contain.
He would return to Gusu, and see what the situation on the ground. And then he would turn his full attention to finding the Yiling Laozu..
Lan Wangji sat next to his brother in first class on the plane ride back to Gusu. The noise of the plane allowed them some degree of privacy as they discussed the situation. There had been no further incidents, no demands, and no release of information to the press about any Lan involvement.
"Is there someone you've been seeing, Wangji?" Lan Xichen asked. "I know you never have, but… you seemed… distracted last night."
Lan Wangjii ignored the question. His brother had given up asking about his personal life years ago. It was not a topic Lan Wangji wanted reopened. His brother frowned, studying him.
"If there were a problem at the club, or… any other type of problem, you could talk to me about it."
"There is no problem. I will handle the Su She situation."
Lan Xichen nodded in that way he used when he did not agree and was not happy with how the conversation was going, but was not willing to have a direct argument over it.
"Of course. I received a message that the Jin are suggesting we combine intel about the Yiling Laozu. They have already been speaking to the Wen about it, and have reached out to the Nie as well. With all of the major families aligned, the man will not be hard to track down."
"You informed the Jin about our situation?" Lan Wangji asked sharply.
"I… no, of course not," Lan Xichen said. "Word had already spread. My contact reached out to offer assistance. He has offered to have someone meet us at the club to help with the investigation. They have information about the death of Jin Zixun that might be helpful."
Lan Wangji frowned. "We have not even confirmed it was the same person. We do not need outside assistance."
"Wangji-," Lan Xichen began, but Lan Wangji cut him off.
"Do you not find it concerning that your contact has this information? Only two of my men know. The authorities have not been notified."
"I understand your distrust of the Jin, based on things that have happened in the past. But things are changing now, and my contact has many connections. You can't keep these things quiet, Wangji. I trust my contact. We should consider his help. You could take his subordinate to the apartment with you to aid in the investigation."
...be careful of who you let know about this app, or the phone. You have no reason to take my word for it, but Su She was a security risk, and he might not be your only one.
Lan Wangji had no reason to trust the words of the Yiling Laozu, especially not when it was likely that he had just killed one of his men. But the caution was a good one, no matter where it came from.
"If you wish to meet with them at the club, you may, but my men will not speak with them and the Jin will not be involved in the investigation."
Lan Xichen clearly disagreed, but - in the end - Lan Wangji was the head of the family, and his word was final.
Lan Wangji arrived at Su She's apartment mid-morning. He had never been inside, but the place reflected its owner.
It was relatively simple, with few signs of personality. He looked through the small desk, but there was nothing of interest. There were no photos on the wall, no art or decorations of any kind. The only thing that made him pause was the man's closet. Su She had a closet full of expensive clothes that looked disturbingly familiar to Lan Wangji, many with their tags still on. They were the exact same brand, color and style of things Lan Wangji had in his own closet. Most of them were in Su She's size, but there was a small section that contained clothes in Lan Wangji's size. All of them were unworn, with their tags still on.
He frowned, searching through them. He checked the pockets but there was nothing. No threatening notes, no phone numbers, no drugs. He searched the night stand, but also found nothing unusual.
He returned to the living room to examine the body. He had confirmed with his people that no one else had entered Su She's apartment since Lan Wangji had told his men to keep watch, other than the operative who discovered the body and the Lan family's personal physician, who determined the rough time and cause of death.
Not that the cause of death was difficult to discern. His killer had been skilled with a blade, knowing exactly where to cut to inflict pain, and where to cut to end a life. It was the work of a professional.
Su She had no family, so there was no one who would report him missing. Disposing of a body was nothing new to Lan Wangji. It would reduce complications to do so. Usually, if someone made a move against his family or his organization, Lan Wangji prefered to deal with them himself rather than bringing in a third party, like the police. Once the police were involved, it tied his hands a bit. They would notice if one of their suspects went missing or showed up dead.
He might not personally have liked Su She, but the man had been a part of his organization and was therefore under his protection. Killing him was a strike against the Lan, and must be answered for. Organizations didn't last long if they couldn't protect their own. He had been able to contain the news to a certain extent, but it would eventually get out.
How had information about the killing been leaked so soon?
He crouched down, examining the body more closely. The man was tortured, but not for more than a few hours. Whoever did it was either in a hurry, impatient, or they got what they were looking for.
Torture implied either that the hit was personal, or that Su She was not the final target the killer had in mind. Lan Wangji looked over at the table, where an iPhone sat, presumably Su She's. He suppressed a flash of annoyance. Luckily, he hadn't sent the man on any missions, despite Su She's repeated requests. At least the GPS data from the phone would show nothing other than the location of the club, which was already widely known.
If he needed further confirmation that 'Mo Xuanyu' was the Yiling Laozu, he had it. He took a tissue from the box on the end table by the couch, and used it to pick up the phone and place it in his pocket.
Why would the Yiling Laozu waste his time with Su She? The members he had killed in the other organizations were at extremely high levels. Su She did not fit the profile. He wasn't high enough up in the Lan operation to know anything worth making an enemy of the entire syndicate. It was incredibly foolish to take on all 4 most powerful remaining crime families at the same time.
Lan Wangji stood. He didn't have enough information to make a decision. If this was an unprompted attack on the Lan, then he would not hold back against the Yiling Laozu. But he also wouldn't act rashly.
He would check Su She's phone. He would finish looking through his uncle's files. And he would re-watch every second of the video footage of the club from when the Yiling Laozu had paid him a visit.
He headed back to his club by mid afternoon, and called a cleaning crew to dispose of the body. There was nothing more to be learned from the corpse.
Lan Wangji had the footage of the week preceding Su She's killing downloaded onto his laptop. Not the new, blank one he had purchased to run the Yiling Laozu's app - which was safely disconnected from all wifi running on his nightstand. He had set it running before he left for Su She's apartment, knowing the algorithm would likely take hours to run, since hacking iPhones was evidently not something that was easily done.
He had asked the head of security for the footage, only mentioning Su She. He wasn't sure why he was keeping his contact with 'Mo Xuanyu' a secret from even his brother and top lieutenant. It was a violation of protocol. But his brother had already said that he wanted to join the other syndicates in an alliance to take down the Yiling Laozu. And he appeared to be influenced by his contact in the Jin. The same one that Nie Huaisang didn't seem to trust.
It wasn't that Lan Wangji didn't trust his brother. It was that he didn't trust anyone. Especially not the Jin or Wen. They had a history of encroachment into other syndicate's territories, and one or both of them had likely been behind the Jiang massacre.
Lan Wangji was not arrogant enough to believe he could never be fooled, but the expression on Mo Xuanyu's face when he told Lan Wangji he didn't want to be his enemy seemed… real. And it could be true that the man was his enemy, and simply wished it didn't have to be that way. Lan Wangji would feel the same, but it would not stay his blade the next time they met. But he could also have meant… that they actually were not enemies.
He spent the next two hours meticulously watching the footage, fast-forwarding it to the segments that had the Yiling Laozu on screen. The knowledge that he was watching the Yiling Laozu put everything in a new perspective. The fluid grace with which the man moved could be viewed as sexual. But it could also be the movements of a man used to stealth and fighting. Lan Wangji cursed under his breath. There had been something about Mo Xuanyu's movements that had drawn Lan Wangji from the very beginning. How could he have missed it?
The moment where Wen Chao had his subordinate bump 'Mo Xuanyu' into him caught Lan Wangji's attention. There was no way the man who had anticipated Lan Wangji's every move in the Nie breakroom hadn't sensed it coming. Why had he allowed it? Lan Wangji played it in slow motion, watching the omega closely.
When he 'fell', the Yiling Laozu slipped his hand into Wen Chao's jacket pocket, his hand held at an awkward angle as though he had something pinched between his thumb and forefinger. When he pulled his hand out, his hand was empty.
Lan Wangji rewound the video, watching Wen Chao to see what was in his pocket. It didn't take long to find out it was his phone. Now that he knew what he was looking for, it was clear that Mo Xuanyu had most definitely been at the club for Wen Chao. Not to seduce him, but to get access to his phone. He retrieved whatever device with an equally nimble sleight-of-hand as the drunken Wen alpha stumbled into him on the way to the bathroom.
Throughout all of it, the Yiling Laozu looked wary and alert, his mind likely processing scenarios and options as he found his mark. At first, Lan Wangji had interpreted this as an omega, nervous in the presence of so many alphas. Upon closer observation, it was evident that the Yiling Laozu was not once afraid that he was being cornered into some powerful alpha's lair. Lan Wangji watched how he easily sidestepped Su She's attempts to physically box him in.
Lan Wangji cursed himself under his breath. How had he missed the obvious signs that the man had been trained as a fighter? He scanned through the video again, noticing this time how the Yiling Laozu was searching the room, then locked eyes on Wen Chao. Mo Xuanyu had never been the prey. Mo Xuanyu had entered the club as the hunter. And he had been there for Wen Chao.
Lan Wangji felt a dark, possessive anger at the thought, but pushed it down.
The Yiling Patriarch was there to steal information from Wen Chao, not fuck him. He'd had the chance and emphatically turned it down. The disgust on the omega's expressive face at Wen Chao's advances was clear.
There had been no disgust when Lan Wangji had had him pinned up against the wall.
He wished he'd had a camera in the meeting room, so he could see the man's expressions and examine them as closely. He ran the video forward until Mo Xuanyu came out of the interrogation room. He paused it, taking in the slightly disheveled state of his hair, the angry glint in the Yiling Laozu's eyes. Had he been angry because Lan Wangji had walked away? Because of the choker? It was too bad he was wearing a mask. Lan Wangji wanted to see his full expression. He could see the slightly reddened marks on the skin of his wrists where Lan Wangji had pinned the omega's hands behind him.
He felt his blood heat at the memory, his hands clenching in the need to feel those wrists in his grip and not let go. Twice he'd had the man in his grasp. And twice, the Yiling Laozu had gotten away. He would not make the same mistake again. Now he knew the playing field. Lan Wangji thought back to the ropes he kept in the storage drawer by his bed. He had never used them. He never had been particularly interested in keeping any of his past omegas in his bed. Usually, he found himself impatient for them to leave.
He imagined of what the Yiling Laozu would look like, bound to the posts of his bed frame. He shifted his legs further apart as his dick began to fill at the notion. Handcuffs would be too easy to escape from. Even the novice members of his crew could do so. But there were ways of binding someone with rope that were impossible to escape from. He could keep the omega tied to his bed for hours. Days. As long as it took to get what he wanted from him, to work him out of his system.
He wouldn't lie to himself and say that the only thing he wanted was answers, even if he turned out to be his enemy.
It would take him time to find the man. But when he did, he would be prepared this time.
He played the video forward, watching the interaction between Su She and the Yiling Laozu. Putting himself in the omega's shoes, it was actually quite cleverly done. The man had completed his objective, and needed an exit that didn't draw attention to the data acquisition. Su She was an easy target to rile up. He saw the same sleight of hand on Su She's jacket as the omega had done with Wen Chao. But this time, the Yiling Laozu had not retrieved the device.
Lan Wangji had gone through all of the man's belongings. There had been nothing in the pocket of the jacket. It wasn't surprising. The Yiling Laozu would have had the opportunity to retrieve it when he killed Su She.
Even though it was clear that the beta had annoyed the Yiling Laozu, it didn't really explain his death.
His new laptop chimed, and Lan Wangji walked over to it to see what was happening. The screen flashed and messages began popping up on the screen. It took Lan Wangji a moment to be able to follow the threads, but then he began to read.
By the time he had finished reading them, it was nearing midnight, and there were three things he knew for sure:
1 - Su She had been a mole for the Jin, who were apparently wanting to make a move on the Lan warehouses.
2 - Lan Wangji would have killed him much more slowly, had he found out before the Yiling Laozu got to him. He was… displeased that he did not have the opportunity to question Su She directly.
3 - The Yiling Laozu was somehow tied to the Jiang.
Lan Wangji prepared himself for bed, his mind methodically planning out next steps. It was extremely fortunate that he had not taken his brother up on the offer to have the Jin operative get involved. He would have to find a way to let his brother know, without tipping their hand to the Jin.
Wen Chao was likely to be the Yiling Laozu's next victim. The killing of Wen Zhuliu now made perfect sense. Su She had not been on his radar until the hit on the Jiang heiress had been ordered.
There had been rumors about a high level Jiang operative that had managed to get the two Jiang heirs out, and then disappeared.
He pulled up the app, seeing the photos again in a new light, now that he knew who he was looking at. He also realized that the photos very carefully did not show his full chest, nor his full back. If he had, in fact, been part of the Jiang, he might have kept the tattoos that signified his rank and position.
Something about the thought of another family's brand on the man's body twisted darkly inside Lan Wangji. Even if the Yiling Laozu had belonged to the Jiang at one point, they were gone now. If the omega was going to belong to anyone, it should be Lan Wangji.
He would spend the next day looking through the information on the Jiang again, now that he knew what he was searching for.
The Yiling Laozu had left him a message in the hotel. Lan Wangji decided to return the favor.
You have something of mine.
It was late, but Lan Wangji had a feeling that the Yiling Laozu was not a man who ran on a disciplined sleep schedule. He was not surprised when he received three messages back in reply.
I told you if you wanted it back, you'd have to ask nicely.
I don't think this is asking nicely.
Besides, you took something of mine, first.
There was a double entendre that was not lost on Lan Wangji, and it set his blood humming at the acknowledgement.
There are implications to taking my token. Are you prepared for them?
He didn't have long to wait for a reply.
I was prepared in the gallery. You were the one who opened the door.
Lan Wangji felt his jaw clench. Like he'd had a fucking choice.
You were the one who created the situation that required it.
There was a longer pause this time, and Lan Wangji wondered if he pushed too hard too soon. Right now, this was his only method of contacting the Yiling Laozu. If the omega deleted his account, Lan Wangji would be cut off. But he also had limited patience. He sent another message.
We have unfinished business.
This time, the response was quicker.
Hm. I know you definitely didn't get to 'finish'. Is that the business you're referring to? Or is it the business that came knocking at the door?
Lan Wangji responded.
I already answered you. Both.
The Yiling Patriarch responded after a short pause.
So what is er-gege asking?
Lan Wangji replied.
We should meet. My token will allow you entry into the club.
He knew the man wouldn't go for it, but it was better to start negotiations as a position you had room to move from.
I'm not stupid, gege. If I walk into your club, we both know I'm unlikely to walk out.
Lan Wangji replied.
Given your reputation, most would say I was still the one taking the risk. Neutral territory, then?
The response was faster again.
My reputation? Are you saying you know who I am now? Then I have even less of an incentive to meet in person.
The Yiling Laozu had told him to check Su She's phone. Maybe he should let him know that he'd done so.
Perhaps not so neutral ground then. What if I were willing to meet you in Lotus Pier?
Lan Wangji waited for a response. After several minutes with no reply, he started typing another message. But when he tried to send it, he received an error message.
The user's account had been deleted.
"Fuck," Lan Wangji cursed.
He was tired of being a step behind, letting the Yiling Patriarch call all the shots.
But there was one route that he had not yet explored.Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli were now fully legitimate, running their hotels completely above board. Lan Wangji opened his laptop, quickly reading the profile of the organization. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled up the website and booked himself a reservation at the flagship hotel in Lotus Pier. The one that the Jiang siblings ran, personally.
He was willing to bet that if Nie Huaisang was able to recognize the photo of the Yiling Laozu, Jiang Cheng or Jiang Yanli were likely to as well. And they might be more willing to tell him what the fuck was going on.
In any case, given how quickly Su She was killed when the Yiling Laozu found out about the hit on Jiang Yanli, Lan Wangji was willing to bet the Yiling Patriarch would respond to Hanguang Jun making a reservation at the Jiang home base.
Unlike Su She, Lan Wangji would be ready for when the Yiling Patriarch paid him a visit.
He had found the Yiling Laozu's weak spot. Now all he needed to do was push. If he couldn't find the Yiling Laozu, then he would make the omega come to him.