“Don’t you think of lying to me,” Zhao Yunlan spoke with a voice as though it was not his own. The clump of pressure in his throat grew. “What did you do to heal my eyes?” he demanded to know.

His Black Cloak Ambassador, his kindred spirit... Shen Wei, the quiet man that he was, would never speak more than he should. But how he had refrained from voicing disclosed more than the uttered words themselves. Zhao Yunlan’s intuition was never wrong. Even before Shen Wei revealed his true identity, he already knew his Dark Knight was the gentle, soft-spoken Professor Shen Wei ---the guardian angel who appeared by his side whenever danger called.

From the beginning, after they used the Longevity Dial, Zhao Yunlan had his suspicion. Yet, he never knew the extent of one’s tenacity.

To protect. To hold. Even to lie.

Shen Wei had hidden his condition from day one. Why else would Shen Wei place a shield around him otherwise? Figuratively and literally. His nature was more controlled. But it was not what gave him away. No. In fact, it was Shen Wei’s vibrant smile with a subtle lining of sorrow hidden within his eyes that drew Zhao Yunlan’s suspicion. Shen Wei, his Dark Knight he had never asked for, was now paying the consequence that was not his to bear. Little did Zhao Yunlan knew how unsettling the price would become.

The price of Zhao Yunlan’s recklessness. His ignorance. His heroic gesture would hurt the one he had grown to care, the one he had held most dear.

Still avoiding his gaze, Shen Wei tried to retreat.

“You used the Longevity Dial,” Zhao Yunlan declared, no longer a question but a fact.

The Professor stopped in his tracks.

He was right. Yet, the truth did not relieve the crushing of Zhao Yunlan’s chest. Nor the anger in his blood.

Zhao Yunlan made his way beside Shen Wei. “You shared your life force with me. You used your power to neutralize my erosion. Didn’t you?” he asked.

“I…I…,” Shen Wei muttered, his eyes now red with unshed tears. “The energy structure in my body has suffered a severe blow,” he tried to minimize the gravity of the situation. Yet he couldn’t lie, “I need to exchange all the energy in my body.”

Zhao Yunlan closed his eyes momentarily. Glancing back, he stared at the scar on Shen Wei’s delicate wrist. His beauty, like a timeless painting, was now stained -- all because of him. Zhao Yunlan did this to The Professor.

“It must have hurt a lot,” Zhao Yunlan pointed out.

“Fortunately...” Shen Wei smiled as he raised his wrist to heal the cut. Such a painful smile was so heart-wrenching, Zhao Yunlan wanting nothing more than to comfort Shen Wei. But at that moment, he could only helplessly watch as Shen Wei held back his strained expression to heal his wound. “Fortunately, I’m used to getting injured,” Shen Wei reassured with a smile.

“I do not deserve what you are doing for me,” Zhao Yunlan stated as he felt the rise of the fury of helplessness. How could he, the designated Guardian, the protector, be this ignorant?

“You’re worth it,” Shen Wei replied, his eyes burned with intensified longing. The Professor had looked at him with the same self-devoted expression before. An emotional attachment Zhao Yunlan still couldn’t understand. Why him? What had he done to deserve such devotion?

“Then what do you want me to do!?” Zhao Yunlan blurted with the anger he couldn’t reign in. His composure shattered as his world collapsed. “Be indebted to you? Bow down to you?” he asked forcefully. “You are not an immortal,” his voice broke. Just the realization Shen Wei could die at any time brought him more fear than facing thousands of demons alone. “Why should I so casually owe you a life?”

“This life…,” Shen Wei took a step closer, his words weaved with hidden meaning, “...is what I am returning to you.”

For the life of him, Zhao Yunlan still couldn’t decipher the code of the man who refused to tell him the truth. He could only return with a dumbfounded expression, followed by a short silence.

“You should rest,” Shen Wei said, shutting off once more. As Shen Wei turned to leave Zhao Yunlan grabbed his arm, reflexively.

“Yunlan?” Shen Wei turned his head with an expression of confusion.

But Zhao Yunlan had reached his limits. His mind told him to let go. Wait for the truth, as the Professor had said many times over. But his heart… His heart which was about to burst, couldn’t wait any longer. Instinctively, Zhao Yunlan’s thumb traced the invisible scar that should be there, where Shen Wei had erased the evidence of his injury, his suffering.

How much had he suffered for staying by his side? How many times had he endured?

Flushing from the intensity of the intimate touch, Shen Wei tried to pull away, but Zhao Yunlan held firmly. Their eyes locked. At a standoff, there was no going back. Zhao Yunlan was tired of being manipulated, sheltered. Protected. Unbeknownst to him. Like some damsel to be saved.

“Tell me how many were there were.” the Guardian demanded as he released his grip on the Professor.

“What do you mean?” the Professor queried with a hint of disappointment when the other pulled back his hand. Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help but to notice Shen Wei unconsciously touch the spot Zhao Yunlan had caressed.

“Your scars, the ones you erased from my views.”

Seeing Shen Wei’s startled expression, his predatory instinct took over. Like a possessed man, Zhao Yunlan began to stalk his prey. “All those times you were injured because of me. All those times you had healed yourself, without a soul in sight.”

Guiding the nervous Professor until the back of his knee hit the corner of the leather couch. “Xiao Lan…,” Shen Wei gasped. With nowhere to retreat, the prey was trapped. The predator didn’t wait to pounce. They fell back with Zhao Yunlan on top of Shen Wei, their legs tangled, intimately so. Blushing fiercely, Shen Wei tried to push Zhao Yunlan off, but to no avail. They both knew Shen Wei couldn’t harm him.

He never could.

Zhao Yunlan lifted his body, his hands on both sides of Shen Wei’s head. His heated, passionate eyes bore into the Professor’s. Since the first moment they laid eyes on each other, the fiery flame began to flicker, spreading like a wildfire that could not be contained.

“The pain you suffered. The tears you shed.” Zhao Yunlan said, his voice lowered with desire and longing. “I want to see every last one of those wounds you had endured because of me.”

“Yunlan, stop.” Shen Wei’s placed his palms on Zhao Yunlan’s chest, asserting only slight pressure of resistance. “Let me up. There are no scars left for you to see!” Shen Wei pleaded, but the Chief would not and could not let him go.

“That’s rather fortunate…,” Zhao Yunlan whispered dangerously, his expression darkened. Not from anger. No… He was beyond angry. Hungry will be a better description for this insatiable appetite. Who knew he had been starving since the moment they first met.

His Professor’s struggle momentarily ceased by the response. “What do you mean?” Shen Wei asked nervously as Zhao Yunlan pulled off the Professor’s glasses and placed it on the table beside them.

Shen Wei’s breath was caught further when Zhao Yunlan closed in. Lips to his earlobes, he felt the Professor nearly jumped from the hot breath on his ear. “Then, I’d have to taste every inch of you until I know I got them all,” Zhao Yunlan whispered.

When those wicked words fell into place, Shen Wei went still until panic sat in. He tried to rise. But Zhao Yunlan tactically straddled his waist and held his wrists above his head. As his gripped tightened, Zhao Yunlan held the Professor down with the weight of his body.

“Xiao Wei,” Zhao Yunlan plead tenderly. Though Shen Wei was still heavily injured, his colors had returned. And they both knew Shen Wei could still escape if he genuinely wanted to. Eventually, Zhao Yunlan released his hold on the Professor, and his hand traveled to cup the side of Shen Wei’s reddened face. The Chief didn’t want to frighten him, but his sanity would slip if he wouldn’t have at least a taste. “Don’t fight this,” he said with a hoarse tone. With his head lowered, barely maintaining his thundering heartbeat, “I…,” his lips paused, a hair breath away. “We need this,” he finished before finally capturing the Professor’s quivering lips.

Like Yin to his Yang, they could not exist without the other. Zhao Yunlan was dark, and Shen Wei was light. He was rough while Shen Wei was delicate.

Not in a thousand years would Zhao Yunlan had thought it was possible -- to hold Shen Wei in his arms, to feel him trembled beneath him. Zhao Yunlan kissed him like he was an innocent, the most cherished precious porcelain that could shatter if he asserted too much pressure. He wanted to woo the Professor, to teach him the pleasure of the flesh. To have him respond to his touch, his kiss, with the same hunger, and desperation.

His lips were softer than Zhao Yunlan could ever imagine as he sucked the delectable nectar, taking in every drop like a delicacy. Once Shen Wei’s lips parted, Zhao Yunlan eagerly investigated with the circular stroke of his tongue. When a groan escaped the Professor’s lips, his nerves screamed for more.

Everything about Shen Wei was perfect, the unimaginable beauty that was now quivering beneath him.

Without reservation, Zhao Yunlan started to reach for Shen Wei’s sweater vest. But a hand caught him when he tried to take it off. The Professor had tensed up again, Zhao Yunlan realized. With eyes of an anxious doe, Shen Wei’s shyness only heightened Zhao Yunlan’s primal need to possess.

“Xiao Wei…,” Zhao Yunlan whispered softly. A voice which couldn’t possibly be his own, a rugged man that he was. “Don’t be nervous. I won’t hurt you. I won’t do anything you won’t like. Tonight,” his breathing caught as though he was running for miles, “...tonight, I just want to hold you in my arms.”

For an agonizing moment, which had felt like an eternity, Zhao Yunlan thought all was lost. Then he felt Shen Wei’s grip loosened and immediately shut his eyes.

******

Warning - NSFW

Just when Shen Wei resigned to surrender fully, he heard laughter from Zhao Yunlan. His eyes snapped open. Zhao Yunlan, with a wide smirk on his face, is now making fun of him! Shen Wei glared up at the Chief angrily.

“For a Dark Lord, you’re rather shy,” Zhao Yunlan began to tease after removing the sweater vest. The heartless cad the Chief was, he continued, “Could this be your first time?”

Am I your first? His eyes spoke but couldn’t utter.

Shen Wei remained silent. He tried to turn away, but Zhao Yunlan cupped the side of his face. The Chief’s eyes softened from amusement to love.

“But that’s why I have always been drawn to you,” Zhao Yunlan said affectionately, his hands reaching for the buttons, “Your purity, your virtue, despite the darkness you may possess... You are the moon in my sky.”

Releasing each button with calculative precision, his seductive words drew Shen Wei, like a prey, helplessly into his lore. “Without the blackness of night,” Zhao Yunlan paused, his eyes never taking off Shen Wei’s as he pulled off his shirt, “We can never see the celestial beauty that rose to the sky for poets to admire.”

Shen Wei was so mesmerized by the skillful manipulation, combined with his distraction of the Chief’s God-like physique. His flesh looked so hard yet so warm. Sculpted with refining muscles, the Chief’s body gleamed like marble statues. Shen Wei only realized, a moment later, that he was also shirtless -- bare for Zhao Yunlan’s attention, and his sensual gaze.

Zhao Yunlan, the Chief, Guardian of the Living World, looked more of a starving Wolf who was more than ready to devour the feast before him.

And Shen Wei was his feast.

Shen Wei’s breathing trembled from anticipation. He wanted to touch him, to taste him, but he didn’t dare to move. In fear, the illusion will scatter once he makes a move. True to his character, the Chief was not done with his seduction. He laid his rough palm over Shen Wei’s beating heart with a smile that could melt even the worst of winter.

“Xiao Wei,” Zhao Yunlan’s voice drawled with a touch of wickedness, “Let me admire you tonight.”

Blushing from the intensity of his gaze, Shen Wei found himself succumbed entirely to his fate. Just this once, he wanted to forget. Just this once, he wanted to live. Falling… drowning, even burning all at once. Shen Wei didn’t know what gave him the courage, but he couldn’t stop what he had dreamt of all those years. Like a moth to a flame, his hands reached, then clutched the Chief’s neck.

Taking the cue, the Chief descended his body entirely, seizing his lips in a wrenching fashion. But it was too gentle, too comforting. This time, it was Shen Wei who couldn’t hold back his needs. Once unleashed, the demon in him could not be contained. Like a wild beast, Shen Wei tried to kiss him harder, more savage than tender. Sitting up with the Chief straddling on his lap, Shen Wei greedily ran his cool hands all over the heated flesh, absorbing the fire of the man. His mouth slid and roughly dragged along the Chief’s throat, growling between his teeth when he bit into the flesh. Zhao Yunlan grunted in pain as Shen Wei tasted blood. He wanted more from the raw iron-rich liquid of life, to taste the raw flesh, to consume him whole. Nibbling, biting, sucking…The intended Prey had become the Wolf.

“Xiao Wei…” Zhao Yunlan gasped between heavy breaths and laughter. “Are you trying to devour me?”

But Shen Wei was beyond listening, grabbling to absorb more heat and blood. Aggressively moving forward, he pushed the Chief down, barely comprehending that it was not possible with their current position. They fell from the couch, hitting the floor with a grunt with Shen Wei on top of Zhao Yunlan. He’s not sure if it was due to the impact of his internal injuries or the sudden loss of blood to his head from the fall, but his world began to fade until darkness descended.

When Shen Wei came to, he felt the bed beneath him. “Xiao Lan?” He tried to sit up, but a hand pressed him down. Next to him, Zhao Yunlan laid on his side. It didn’t look like he had slept.

“I’m sorry,” Zhao Yunlan’s voice broke. “I shouldn’t have pushed you when you’re not well.” Zhao Yunlan caressed Shen Wei’s cheek. His face etched with deep regret.

“How long was I out?” Zhao Yunlan turned to his side, facing the Chief. Still, half-dressed, they were both covered with the duvet.

“Not even an hour. Go back to sleep.” But sleep was the last thing on Shen Wei’s mind. The room was dim with only the light from the half moon from the opened window. It was eerily quiet. Only the sound of the breathing could be heard. Under the shadows, Zhao Yunlan’s eyes illuminated like a majestic panther of the night.

When Zhao Yunlan retracted his hand, Shen Wei grasped it, not wanting to lose the contact. The Chief looked puzzled, yet he didn’t react.

Eyes closed, Shen Wei, pressed Zhao Yunlan’s palm over his lips without an ounce of shame, which was so unlike him. Maybe he was truly possessed after all. His mouth traced over Chief’s thumb, licking and nibbling, savoring the salty sweetness like it was hard candy. His eyes opened. Sparked with passion and longing, he captured Zhao Yunlan’s entire attention with his intense gaze. Zhao Yunlan drew in his breath, followed by a hard swallow. The Chief did not need a further invitation. With a swift speed, he climbed on top once more.

Poised powerfully above, the Chief stared down. His lashes lowered as a devil of a smile appeared. “To think I was going to spare you tonight...,” Zhao Yunlan chuckled before he crushed his mouth over Shen Wei’s, urging them to part his mouth by pulling his lips and tongue with his own.

Shen Wei’s raw senses were overwhelmed by the heat of Zhao Yunlan’s, magnetized by the richness of his masculine scent. A mixture of cedarwood with a salt and caramel touch was more potent than any aphrodisiac. And Shen Wei clung to him, welcoming the weight as Zhao Yunlan’s hips settled easily between his. With a slight nudge, the gentle movement sent a jolt of rapture through him. Aroused, his hip arch helplessly in clouded ecstasy. It didn’t take long for the Chief to begin to ride him with rhythmic patience. Slow at first, then the pace increased, driving his demand to an impossible peak.

Suddenly, their kiss abruptly ceased, so was the rhythm.

“Patience…,” the Chief’s voice was low and vibrant with unquenched desire, his body hardened like steel. “Or we’ll be done before we start.”

Shen Wei almost whimpered in protest until he felt Zhao Yunlan’s hot sizzling lips work his way down to the curve of his jawline. The scrape from the Chief’s prickly beard sent another wave of pleasure that shot down to his toes. A shaken breath escaped him, his head arch back against the pillow. Shen Wei grasped his broad shoulders, but the Chief was on a mission. His head lowered further, coaxing and teasing with his mouth and tongue. His teeth grazed lightly over the sensitive nerves of his stomach. Trembling, Shen Wei absorbed the sweet delight of pleasure that only Zhao Yunlan, who savored every groan and moaned from his lips, could give.

Shen Wei was still lost in the haze of bliss, of self-indulgence, when he felt the Chief had reached for the buttons of his pants, sliding inside them. His member was hot, the tip sensitive under his touch. Thickening even harder, as if it was even possible, Shen Wei locked his gaze with the Chief. Who looked back with an engrossed expression of fascination.

With a strength Shen Wei didn’t know he still possessed, he knew he couldn’t let the opportunity slide. Without breaking eye contact, fearing the moment will cease if they did, Shen Wei rose and reached forward. His hands opened Zhao Yunlan’s pants, breaking him free, and slid inside, just as Zhao Yunlan squeeze, sending Shen Wei shuttered back, as the Chief climbed over his body.

Zhao Yunlan anchored his free arm above his head between the wall. His sweaty forehead rested against Shen Wei’s, their breathing synchronized. They began their infernal mating dance. Sliding, grasping...caressing, both lost in their rhythmic pattern. As they are grown in sync, their body hardens, tightening...raging nearly over the edge. Zhao Yunlan’s immediately seized his lips in savagery, as Shen Wei recuperates with the same enthusiasm. Fusing, their mouths as though it would be their last. Without warning, a shutter of unprecedented wave traveled like lightning across his nerves - Shen Wei bit down Zhao Yunlan’s lips. His body arched, his essence released. Zhao Yunlan soon follow, as his body trembled, shook; with a groan, he collapsed.

This time, it was the Chief who fell into slumber.

*********

With the wave of his hand, the Professor used his powers to remove the memory of the last few hours that transpired. Their intimacy, their confessions -- was nothing but a forgotten dream. Yet, Shen Wei couldn’t bring himself to erased more, because it would be too much of a lie. He was tired of withholding the truth. But, he was powerless. For their future to exist, he couldn’t erase everything. Zhao Yunlan would only remember the moment Shen Wei turned to leave.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Lan,” Shen Wei apologized softy, before letting go of the hand of the sleeping man on the bed. “Tomorrow, you’ll forget. It’s not our time yet…,” he whispered before leaving the quiet apartment.

Unknownst to him, the Guardian had never truly slept. With a grimmed expression, Zhao Yunlan sat up from the warm bed they shared moments before.

“Shen Wei, ah Shen Wei…” Zhao Yunlan chuckled bitterly as he stared at the door. “When will you learn? Even if some tragedies are destined, I would rather share each moment with you in my arms.”

But little did Zhao Yunlan know, the other side of the door -- Shen Wei had heard those tender words. With fresh burning, tears swelled in his eyes.

He departed without a sound.

<<Previous Chapter:

Episode 21 "After 'Xiao Wei'"

Next Chapter:

Episode 26 "Don't go..."

Author’s Note: From the first grasp of their lingered handshake, to their subtle glances; from their word plays, to heated banters - every glance and every unspoken gesture, between the Professor(Shen Wei) and the Chief(Zhao Yunlan), I was hooked. Captured, like all the devoted Guardian Girls around the world. It was unfortunate the drama was pulled due to censorship(Re-editing - most likely to remove all these favorite moments we had come to cherish). But have no worries, because that's what fanfics are for. :)

~ MiniOrchid

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the story and the characters. The original Author is Priest who published the novel in Chinese. The characters are base on the Guardian; the Chinese Drama broadcasted in 2018.