#jc-t

Shen Yi leaned on the rooftop railing, the city sprawled out below him. The dim glow of streetlights dotted the night, while the cool breeze played with his hair. Du Cheng stood a foot away, his arms crossed, watching him intently.

"So, what’s your plan?" Du Cheng asked, his voice low but edged with worry.

Shen Yi turned his head slightly, his gaze distant. "Fang Kai is planning something in three days. He invited me to finalize the research. It’s the perfect setup to make him confess."

"Are you sure about this?" Du Cheng’s voice grew sharper.

Shen Yi offered a faint smile. "He thinks I’m still undecided, that I’m drawn to his world but unable to let go of this one. That gives me an edge."

Just as Du Cheng was about to respond, Shen Yi’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen—Fang Kai. Answering, his voice turned professional, friendly. "Yes, I’ll be there. No, I didn’t forget."

He hung up and met Du Cheng’s worried gaze. "Looks like he is sticking to the previous plan we had. Today and tomorrow for review, day after tomorrow, the research finalization. If I cancel now, he’ll be suspicious."

Du Cheng sighed, pulling out his phone to set a timer. "Alright, 9 PM. You call me, no excuses. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll be there with backup."

Shen Yi nodded with a smile and left.

Shen Yi entered Fang Kai’s lab. The sterile white walls seemed to hum with a quiet menace. Fang Kai greeted him warmly, his eyes glinting with something unsettling.

"Shen Yi, right on time," Fang Kai said, his voice smooth. "Let’s get started."

Shen Yi nodded, following him to a desk piled with documents. For the next hour, he reviewed the findings, his trained eyes scanning every detail. Fang Kai stood nearby, watching intently.

"I was thinking," Fang Kai said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I’m more of a carver than a painter. Would you mind if we tried carving today instead?"

Shen Yi looked up, masking his unease with a smile. "Why not? But, do you have any tools here?"

"Of course," Fang Kai replied, grinning. "I’ll set everything up in my office while you finish. Have you done wood carving before?" “Yes. I find it interesting.” Shen Yi responds and gets back to the documents.

Shen Yi had just closed the last folder when he felt an arm snake around his neck. Before he could react, a cloth pressed against his face, and darkness swallowed him.

When he woke, his body ached. The cold metal against his skin sent shivers down his spine. He was half-naked with only briefs on, bound to a table angled at 60 degrees. Metal restraints pressed into his arms, chest, waist, and legs covering all the vital points. So he does not have any intention of killing me. That’s good I guess. He tried to move, but the bindings bit into his skin. His mouth was taped shut. So much for talking my way out.

His mind raced. It was 6 PM when I passed out. Du Cheng will realize something’s wrong at 9 PM. I just have to hold on.

Fang Kai entered, holding a box of surgical blades. His smile was eerie, a smile that he had never seen before. "Made a slight change from wood to flesh. Hope you don’t mind. Tonight, Shen Yi, I’m going to carve my masterpiece. The first in my collection of criminal legends."

Shen Yi’s heart sank. Any hope that Fang Kai might be rational was gone. He braced himself as Fang Kai picked a blade, stepping closer.

"Let’s start with your arm," Fang Kai whispered, dragging the blade over Shen Yi’s skin, skipping the palm. The cut wasn’t shallow. Pain started, sharp and burning. Shen Yi squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing growing ragged through his nose.

Fang Kai worked methodically, carving intricate patterns. Blood trickled down Shen Yi’s arm, pooling on the floor. His chest heaved as he struggled to endure the pain. Focus. Just focus. I’m okay. It’s just pain. The clock will tick. Du Cheng will come.

After what felt like hours, Fang Kai stepped back, admiring his work. Shen Yi’s left side was covered in deep, bleeding patterns. He felt light-headed, his breaths shallow.

Fang Kai frowned, noticing Shen Yi’s labored breathing. "You’re no good to me unconsciously. Let’s fix that."

He ripped the tape from Shen Yi’s mouth and poured a bucket of cold water on him. Shen Yi gasped, coughing as air and water rushed into his lungs. Fang Kai leaned close, his voice cold. "Try to speak a word, and I’ll cut your tongue out."

Shen Yi stayed silent, glaring at him. Fang Kai chuckled. "Scream, though. I know it hurts. That’s the whole point. To make you feel what I felt each time you rejected your criminal side, each time you…rejected…ME."

He resumed carving, this time on Shen Yi’s chest. Shen Yi bit down on his lip, turning his screams into muffled grunts. He continued till he covered the whole left side to his hip. Fang Kai’s disappointment was palpable. "Aw, Shen Yi…you’re no fun." Then he left. 

Moments later, Fang Kai returned with a white canister. Dipping his hand inside, he withdrew a fistful of something white. Without warning, he rubbed it over the wounds. Shen Yi’s scream tore through the room, raw and hoarse. The pain was indescribable, like fire searing his flesh.

It’s salt!!! Shen Yi’s mind swirls. 

Fang Kai smiled. "Now that’s more like it."

Shen Yi’s composure shattered as waves of excruciating pain surged through his body. Every cut stung like fire, the salt embedding itself into the raw flesh. It wasn’t just the surface that burned—the salt seemed to seep deeper, igniting nerves and intensifying the agony tenfold. His breaths came in short, frantic gasps, his chest heaving as if his lungs couldn’t keep up.

Each grain of salt was a needle, pricking and tearing through the open wounds. Shen Yi felt his vision blur, his body trembling uncontrollably against the restraints. “Stop…stop…” he begged hoarsely, his voice cracking with desperation.

Fang Kai’s grin widened, savoring the moment like a maestro enjoying his symphony. "This is art, Shen Yi," he murmured, dragging his fingers over the carvings again, causing fresh screams to erupt. "Pain enhances “feelings”. Salt, you see, dehydrates the exposed tissue, making every nerve raw and hyper-aware. I enhanced the concentration, just for you. That’s why it hurts so exquisitely."

Shen Yi’s mind struggled to focus on anything but the pain. His lips quivered as he involuntarily cried out again, his voice barely recognizable. Fang Kai tilted his head, feigning disappointment. "Don’t break too soon, Shen Yi. We’re just getting started."

Fang Kai’s grin widened, savoring the moment. He rubbed salt over every inch of Shen Yi’s carved flesh, each scream feeding his satisfaction.

At 9:03 PM, Du Cheng’s phone remained silent. A chill ran down his spine. He called Shen Yi. No answer.

"Damn it," Du Cheng muttered, leaving a short voicemail to maintain appearances. He quickly gathered his team, his heart pounding. "We’re going to the lab. Now."

As they sped through the city, Du Cheng silently prayed. Hold on Shen Yi. Please let it be that I’m overacting.

Du Cheng sat in the passenger seat, his jaw tight as he checked his watch. The convoy moved swiftly but silently through the darkened streets. He turned to the team. "Fifteen minutes out. No sirens. Keep absolute stealth. We don’t know what state Fang Kai or Shen Yi is in. We can’t risk provoking him."

The officers nodded, their faces grim. Du Cheng leaned back, running through the plan in his head. "Jiang Cheng and I will go inside. Weapons concealed. The rest of you, cover the exits and restrain the security. Move quietly but quickly."

As they neared the lab, Du Cheng counted every second, his stomach twisting with unease. 

Inside the lab, Fang Kai’s blade glided over Shen Yi’s exposed right arm moving towards his shoulder and chest. The intricate patterns carved into his skin glistened with fresh blood. Shen Yi’s body trembled, his eyes half-closed, sweat streaking his face. His whimpers filled the room, each sound breaking under the weight of pain.

"Beautiful," Fang Kai murmured, stepping back to admire his work. "Do you feel it, Shen Yi? This is art—a moment preserved forever."

Shen Yi didn’t respond, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. His mind teetered on the edge of consciousness, clinging desperately to the hope that Du Cheng would come. Just a little longer...

Du Cheng and Jiang Cheng crept up the staircase. The muffled sound of a scream stopped them in their tracks. Du Cheng froze, his heart pounding. That scream…it didn’t sound like Shen Yi. His mind raced with possibilities. Is Shen Yi torturing someone under Fang Kai’s orders? Is Shen Yi beating Fang Kai?

Nothing had prepared Du Cheng for what he was about to see. As they reached the door, Du Cheng peered through the crack. The sight made his blood run cold. Shen Yi was strapped to a table, his skin carved and bleeding, the floor beneath him stained with red. Fang Kai stood nearby, back turned to where Du Cheng peaked, dragging the blade across Shen Yi’s right side.

Du Cheng’s grip tightened on his gun. Every instinct screamed to storm in and end it, but he forced himself to steady his breathing. One shot. One chance. Don’t hit Shen Yi.

Fang Kai  stopped for a second to straighten his back, but before he could touch Shen Yi’s again, Du Cheng fired. The bullet struck Fang Kai’s arm, the blade clattering to the floor. Fang Kai turned, eyes wide, but another shot pierced his thigh earning a scream, dropping him to his knees. A third bullet hit his shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

"Move in!" Du Cheng commanded at Jiang Cheng, who rushed in to restrain Fang Kai. Du Cheng sprinted to Shen Yi’s side. Shen Yi’s broken whimpers tore at his heart.

Du Cheng knelt, lightly patting Shen Yi’s cheek. "Hey, it’s me. It’s me. Look at me."

Shen Yi’s eyes fluttered open, glassy with pain. "Took… you long enough," he muttered, his voice barely audible. He winced as a fresh wave of pain hit him. His head turning to the side, veins visible, grunting at pain.

Du Cheng swallowed hard. "Let’s get you out of this." He examined the table, finding the release mechanism underneath. Slowly, he loosened the restraints, starting with Shen Yi’s arms. Each movement drew pained grunts from Shen Yi.

"Stop…just…a second," Shen Yi gasped, tears streaming down his face. Du Cheng waits.

"I know. I’m almost done. Just a few more Shen Yi ah." Du Cheng urged, his voice steady despite the knot in his throat. Finally, the last restraint came free. Du Cheng slowly lifted Shen Yi into his arms, cradling him as Shen Yi cried out in agony. He sat him on the nearest couch, wrapping his arm around him to keep his shivering body close to him. Du Cheng cursed looking at blood coating his arms and seeping to the couch.

Jiang Cheng had already called for the medics, who rushed in with a warming blanket and emergency supplies. One medic pressed gauze to Shen Yi’s wounds while another prepared a saline drip. "He has lost a lot of blood. Notify the hospital for an immediate transfusion."

Du Cheng moved closer to Shen Yi as the medics worked. Shen Yi’s head rested limply on Du Cheng’s shoulder, his breaths shallow, each one hitching as if struggling against the sharp, lingering pain. Du Cheng felt how his body trembled uncontrollably, a mixture of cold and trauma. Du Cheng wrapped the blanket tighter around him, his voice low but firm as he murmured reassurances. "You did well. Just stay with me, okay? You gotta stay awake." He kept repeating, unable to find the right words. Damn it! I’m so bad at comforting people!

Shen Yi’s skin was pallid, the sweat from agony slicking his forehead and chest mixing with blood. His eyes fluttered open briefly, glazed and distant, as if teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. Every slight movement seemed to elicit a wince or a faint moan, his body reacting involuntarily to the aftermath of what it had endured. Blood loss and the rawness of the wounds had left him fragile, his usual sharp wit and calm demeanor replaced with vulnerable exhaustion.

"Hurts…," Shen Yi rasped, his voice cracking as he tried to form words. Tears streamed down his cheeks, unbidden, relentless, a reflection of both pain and relief of seeing Du Cheng.

Du Cheng’s grip tightened ever so slightly, his hand gently smoothing Shen Yi’s damp hair. "I know," he said softly, his throat tightening at the sight of his partner’s suffering. "You are going to be okay. That’s what matters. So, keep those eyes open for me."

Shen Yi managed a faint nod. "Still…so…bossy," he rasped.

Du Cheng smirked through his worry. "Always."

At the hospital, the doctors assessed Shen Yi’s injuries. The cuts are not that deep but deep enough to leave scars. Du Cheng stood outside the room, running a hand through his hair. He was going to make sure that Fang Kai suffers. 

When he was finally allowed in, his heart clenched at the sight of Shen Yi’s bandaged body. Only his left leg was untouched.

Shen Yi’s eyes flickered open, focusing on Du Cheng. "Hello," he whispered.

“Hello to you too, you little troublemaker.” Du Cheng sat beside him, guilt etched on his face. "I’m sorry. I should’ve gotten there sooner."

Shen Yi shook his head weakly. "Not your fault. None of us could’ve predicted this."

Du Cheng hesitated before speaking, choosing his words carefully. "I’ll make sure your research gets the support it needs to study criminal minds. You’ll have the tools to help identify risks before they escalate, but there’ll still be checks and balances. That’s how we ensure justice, not just outcomes."

Shen Yi managed a faint smile. "Don’t force yourself. Just…stay as you are. You’re my anchor, Du Cheng. Without you, I might’ve crossed the line long ago."

Du Cheng stared at him, his throat tight. "So…You’re thanking me for being a pain in the ass?"

"Yes," Shen Yi said softly. "Thank you for being my partner."

Du Cheng leaned back, a rare smile breaking through his usual stern expression. "You’re welcome. But next time, don’t make me save you like this."

Shen Yi chuckled weakly, his eyes closing. "I’ll try."

#tanjianci #jct #檀健次