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1
The first time Liu Sang sees him, he thinks, Why do I have to guard this one? because Kan Jian’s muscles are very large and his hair is cut very neatly and the square shape of his jaw would make anyone think twice about crossing him.
Then he watches how Kan Jian’s eyes grow wide and lovely, and his smile breaks forth when he sees Liu Sang, and realizes, Oh, he has no self-preservation instincts, does he?
This is all before Kan Jian has even spoken a word to him. Liu Sang is very good at making deductions about people, and he knows things about Kan Jian just watching him walk up, Liu Sang’s handler from the National Protection and Security Services leading the way.
“This is Liu Sang,” Bai Haotian says to Kan Jian. “He’ll be your new bodyguard, according to the terms laid out in the contract that you and your father both received.”
Kan Jian nods, then sticks his hand out. “Hi. I’m Kan Jian.”
“Kan Xiangsheng,” Liu Sang says, bowing slightly at the waist before shaking his new employer’s hand.
Kan Jian winces. “Do you have to call me that?”
Liu Sang stares at him. “In front of my supervisor? Yes.”
“Oh.” Kan Jian sends a sheepish look towards Xiao Bai. “Sorry.”
Xiao Bai rolls her eyes, but it’s so quick that Liu Sang is pretty sure he’s the only one who notices. Pretty sure. “Liu Sang is one of our best agents. He’ll make sure to keep you safe.”
Kan Jian laughs, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Right. Good.” He turns to Liu Sang again. “Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Liu Sang feels the corners of his mouth press downward. What inconvenience? He’s getting paid. And quite a bit, too, if he remembers correctly from the contract signing (which he does. He reads the payment stipulations very carefully).
“No inconvenience,” he says stiffly. “It’s my job.”
Kan Jian nods quickly, like he’s worried he offended Liu Sang. “Of course! I wouldn’t… I mean, that’s why you’re here. Why I’m here.”
“Okay,” Xiao Bai says. “I’ll leave you to it. Liu Sang will get you situated with your equipment, and then you’re both free to go.” She fixes Liu Sang with a pointed glance. “Don’t jinx this one.”
Liu Sang feels like he should be annoyed by that, but Xiao Bai is gone before he can retort.
He walks Kan Jian through their standard tech, and surprisingly, Kan Jian is much better mannered than most of the young heirs to conglomerates Liu Sang has worked with. He actually pays attention to what Liu Sang is saying about earpieces and security trackers and things like that, and asks questions. It’s surprising, though Liu Sang won’t admit that to him; he still hasn’t gotten a full read on Kan Jian, and he’ll refrain from getting too friendly with him until he does.
(A voice that sounds suspiciously like Xiao Bai’s says, Your brand of friendly means that you’ll talk to him for longer than five seconds, and Liu Sang tells her to shut up.)
They finish more quickly than Liu Sang had expected, and he motions for Kan Jian to head towards the exit of the NPSS building, making sure to remain exactly three steps behind him, though that seems to make Kan Jian uncomfortable. Well, he’ll have to get used to it, because until Liu Sang gets fired or replaced, he’s going to do his job and do it well.
He’s already been put in contact with Kan Jian’s driver, so he tells them that they’re ready, and they stand on the curb, waiting. Kan Jian isn’t a high-level alert, so it’s safe for him to be out in the open for a little while, as long as Liu Sang is watching him closely. It was raining a little while ago, but the sun is out, sparkling off the puddles of water left in the gutters. Liu Sang makes sure that won’t cause him visibility problems, though that’s not even much of a concern; his hearing is so good that he could still protect his client while nearly blind.
“So,” Kan Jian says, “What do you—”
He doesn’t get a chance to finish, because at that moment, Liu Sang’s ears pick up on the roar of an engine—throttle fully accelerated, going too fast in a restricted zone—barreling toward them, and he grabs Kan Jian by the shoulders, twisting him around and placing his own back to the street, right as a car speeds past and douses him with dirty rainwater.
Liu Sang flinches as the cold water seeps into the back of his jacket, but he doesn’t have time to mourn his loss of comfort. He pulls back, examining Kan Jian. “Are you alright?”
Kan Jian is gaping at him, his eyes wide and startled. “You… what?”
“Are you alright?” Liu Sang demands.
“I… it’s water,” Kan Jian says, obviously confused. “Even if some got on me, it’s not a big deal.”
Liu Sang frowns, because in his experience, a few drops of muddy water is a big deal, especially to people whose outfits cost more than he typically makes in a month.
“I should be asking you that,” Kan Jian says, looking over Liu Sang shoulder and frowning at his soaked clothing. “You’re the one who got wet.”
“I’m fine,” Liu Sang mutters, releasing Kan Jian, satisfied that he hadn’t gotten wet. He rolls his shoulders to try and unstick the wet fabric from his back, but that doesn’t do much. “The car’s here.”
“Huh?” Kan Jian’s face changes from confusion to amazement when his driver pulls around the corner a second later. “How did you know?”
Instead of answering, Liu Sang just opens the door for him, placing the back of his hand against the top of the door so that Kan Jian doesn’t knock his head getting in—it’s a gesture that’s mostly reflex at this point, but Kan Jian seems like the type that needs the extra precaution. Once his charge is safely inside the vehicle, he goes to sit in the passenger seat, making to take off his dirty jacket first; if he gets fired for ruining the upholstery in a several-million-yuan vehicle on his first day, he’ll never hear the end of it from Xiao Bai.
2
“Pay attention,” Liu Sang hisses into his earpiece.
From across the room, Kan Jian makes a face at him. His father notices and shoots him a glare, but none of their other business associates seem to see the exchange, which is good, because Liu Sang doesn’t know if he’ll be able to handle another grumpy old rich man berating Kan Jian for not listening during the fifty millionth meeting about stocks or trade finances or whatever.
It’s been a few months since he was first employed to take care of Kan Jian, and Liu Sang has learned a lot since then. He knows Kan Jian’s favorite food and favorite color and favorite tv show. He knows the temperature he likes to shower in and that he likes spending time outside. He knows that Kan Jian actually hates business, but as his father’s only heir, has no real choice in the matter.
He’s also learned that that’s the reason why Kan Jian’s life has been put in danger as of late; people have started to catch onto the fact that Kan Laoban only has the one son, and have begun sending said son death threats and ominous emails. Part of Liu Sang’s job is to screen all of Kan Jian’s incoming correspondence, and he only really tells Kan Jian about maybe a fourth of the messages. There’s no need to stress him out further.
Anyway, that’s why Liu Sang was hired; Kan Laoban’s regular security detail didn’t have anyone to spare to watch over his son, but Kan Jian is apparently not important enough to require more than one bodyguard. Liu Sang has some private thoughts about that, but at the same time, is grateful that he’s Kan Jian’s only security, because it means that he’s the only one who knows all of these things.
He and Kan Jian have become something like friends, now. Liu Sang has never made friends with any of his previous clients, but Kan Jian had seemed so uncomfortable with Liu Sang calling him xiansheng and acting like a good little bodyguard, and had eventually worn Liu Sang down by looking so miserable that Liu Sang had given up, and started to address Kan Jian more familiarly. It’s… not bad. Liu Sang has to admit that he likes it, though he would only do so under pain of death.
Kan Jian is now staring out the window of the high-rise skyscraper this particular meeting is being held in, obviously only half-hearing the conversation, which is why Liu Sang isn’t surprised when Kan Laoban suddenly says, “What do you think, Kan Jian?”
“Huh?” Kan Jian snaps back to the table abruptly, startled. “What do I think?”
“About this year’s economic fallacy plans,” Kan Jian’s father says drily, obviously meaning to teach his son a lesson about daydreaming during business meetings, but Liu Sang likes Kan Jian, so that’s not going to happen.
“I think that this covers all of our previous investments well,” Liu Sang whispers into his communications channel without moving his mouth, “But I would like to know what security measures we have in place to protect our employees’ interests.” He’s been paying attention, and so far has heard nothing about what the group plans to do for their employees if stock suddenly plumets.
Kan Jian blinks, but repeats, “I think that this covers all of our previous investments well, but I would like to know what security measures we have in place to protect our employees’ interests?” Not as confident as Liu Sang would like, but it’ll do.
Kan Laoban’s mouth pulls tight. “What would you suggest?”
“I would suggest that we set aside a small percentage of shares to divide among employees should we be unable to pay them their regular salaries,” Liu Sang murmurs, and Kan Jian repeats it. It’s a useless suggestion, really, because he knows that none of the business heads would agree to giving up any amount of shares to those under them, but maybe putting the idea out there will cause them to at least think about the people they’re responsible for.
Kan Laoban looks as though he’s swallowed something terrible. “We’ll consider your suggestion,” is all he says, and then waves for the meeting to continue, unable to scold his son this time, which Liu Sang thinks is probably what he’s most disappointed about.
Kan Jian glances over at Liu Sang and mouths, Thank you.
Liu Sang gives him the barest nod and goes back to staring straight ahead, though he does feel strangely pleased with himself.
Yeah. He’s a good bodyguard.
3
“Big muscles don’t mean that you can effectively defend yourself,” Liu Sang, who had once eviscerated a man with dental floss, says.
“I still look threatening, though,” Kan Jian, who had once cried about how fluffy ducklings were, responds.
Maybe Liu Sang would have agreed with that at first, but now he knows that Kan Jian doesn’t wear a shirt to bed, just pajama pants made out of train print fabric, so he doesn’t find him threatening in the least. “I still have to come.”
“It’s just a walk!” Kan Jian protests. “I’m barely going to leave the grounds. I’m just going to the store. Please?”
“No,” Liu Sang says firmly. “I’m your bodyguard. I have to come.” At Kan Jian’s disappointed expression, he sighs. “No.”
“Liu Sang!” Kan Jian whines, and Liu Sang dutifully ignores how he feels about his name in Kan Jian’s mouth. “Why not?”
“Because you’re still being threatened!” Liu Sang says. “There are probably people watching the front gates, and as soon as you step outside, they’ll know.”
Kan Jian groans. “I hate being rich.”
Liu Sang rolls his eyes, which Kan Jian doesn’t see, because he’s flopped over the couch arm, face down. “Comes with the territory.” He considers their options, then says, “I can stay twelve feet behind you.”
“No,” Kan Jian sighs. “If you’re coming, you might as well just come. I don’t want to pretend like you aren’t there.”
Liu Sang nods. “Let me grab my coat.”
Kan Jian grins mischievously at him. “Hold on. If you’re going to come with me, you can’t look like a bodyguard. It’ll give me away.”
Liu Sang stares at him for a moment. “No.”
As usual, Kan Jian doesn’t listen to him, which is how Liu Sang finds himself in joggers and a hoody that don’t belong to him, one of Kan Jian’s baseball caps pulled low over his face. Luckily, he’d been allowed to wear his own tennis shoes, but he still feels incredibly out of place in casual clothes. He hasn’t worn anything less than slacks and a button-down in years.
“Stop looking so awkward,” Kan Jian whispers to him as they leave the front gate, walking in the direction of the convenience store. “How do you go undercover if you can’t even wear clothes normally?”
“All my undercover assignments have been upper-class,” Liu Sang gripes, tugging uncomfortably on the legs of the sweatpants. “My clothes for those missions were even nicer than my regular outfits.”
Kan Jian shakes his head, laughing. “You’re wearing name-brand athletic gear right now. How is that low-end?”
“This is for working out.”
“Exactly,” Kan Jian says. “No one will expect the Kan Group’s heir and his bodyguard to be wearing things like this. It’s the perfect disguise.”
Liu Sang doesn’t know about that, but he keeps his mouth shut.
The walk to the convenience store isn’t very far, and in all honestly Kan Jian probably could have gone by himself, but Liu Sang is not about to let something like a slushie get in the way of his track record of keeping Kan Jian safe. Besides, part of him had wanted to go with Kan Jian, especially like this; not looking like a bodyguard and his client, but as two normal men. Friends, maybe.
Kan Jian goes for the slushie machine once they’re there, while Liu Sang wrinkles his nose at the fake, sugary Cola flavor that comes out of the spigot. Kan Jian starts drinking it immediately, before they’re even out of the store, as he browses through the candy bar selection, picking out three and then putting one back.
“What do you want?” he asks Liu Sang, who has mostly just been following Kan Jian around.
“I don’t need anything,” he says immediately.
“We came all the way here,” Kan Jian insists. “You have to get something. My treat.”
Liu Sang sighs, going over to examine all of the drinks in the refrigerators, keeping one eye on Kan Jian as he finally selects a bottle of water.
Kan Jian looks dismayed when he brings it over. “Water?!”
Liu Sang doesn’t say anything, just sets it down next to Kan Jian’s selections on the counter and steps back as the cashier checks them out. Kan Jian mutters about stuck-up health nuts, but pays for everything all the same.
They head back, walking down the street as Kan Jian explains every detail of the neighborhood that he knows—it’s not a lot, because apparently he hadn’t been let out much as a child, but Liu Sang listens about the cat that used to sit on the brick retaining wall anyway.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he sees a glint from the bushes, and he immediately pushes Kan Jian down before sprinting across the street and pulling a man and his camera out of the foliage. The man screams, legs wheeling as he tries to break free from Liu Sang’s grip.
Liu Sang’s brain registers the noise his ears had heard several seconds after he had actually heard it—33MP APS-C enthusiast mirrorless camera, Kodak, probably—and glares down at the reporter. “Who are you working for?” he demands as the man shakes and tries to pull away.
“Sunlight!” the man shrieks. “The Sunlight Times!”
Liu Sang sighs. The Sunlight Times is a local gossip magazine, not even one that security agencies typically keep on their radar, because they aren’t much of a threat. They post outrageous stories most of the time, but every so often someone will get caught in a scandal or an affair, and then their publicists have to take care of it and everyone is grumpy for a while. They’re more of an annoyance than anything else.
Liu Sang motions to the camera with his head. “What pictures did you take?”
“N-not many!” the man says. “Only two! Just of you and your…” He glances across the street, and Liu Sang has to physically yank his focus back. “Whoever t-that is.”
“Uh huh,” Liu Sang says. “And what are you going to do with those photos now?”
Luckily the man seems to get the hint, because his eyes widen and he hurriedly reaches for his camera. “I’ll delete them, I’ll delete them right away!” He does so while Liu Sang watches to make sure that he actually does, and then makes him flip through the film to ensure that he isn’t lying about the amount of photos he has.
When he’s finally satisfied, he lets the man’s collar go. “Go back to your office. Stop trying to get pictures of people’s private lives, no matter who they are.”
The paparazzi nods fervently, bowing for good measure, and then dashes off down the street. Liu Sang watches him go until he’s out of sight, and then turns to go find Kan Jian.
His charge is right where Liu Sang left him, obediently still crouched low to the ground in case there was an actual threat, but he seems to have gotten bored and is quietly eating one of his candy bars. He looks up eagerly when Liu Sang approaches. “You’re back!”
Liu Sang nods, motioning for him to stand up. “It was just a photographer.”
“Still,” Kan Jian says, placing a hand on his chest, “You saved me. If my picture had gotten out, my father would have killed me.”
“I told you leaving the house was a bad idea,” Liu Sang says.
“Nah,” Kan Jian tells him. “I got to spend time with you! So it was good.”
Liu Sang’s ears flush, and he averts his eyes to the ground, trying not to let Kan Jian see that his words have caused any reaction. “Let’s go,” he says gruffly, nudging Kan Jian to start walking again, which he does.
He has to admit, though, that Kan Jian was right. Their outing was, for the most part, good.
4
Liu Sang’s Ouxiang is standing at the edge of the banquet hall, eyes like a guardian dragon, sweeping across the dancefloor with ease and confidence.
Liu Sang hesitates before going over to him. He adjusts his tie, more from his nerves than because it actually needs adjusting. Zhang Qiling (codename: Xiao-ge) was his mentor back when he was first starting with National Protection and Security Services, and even though Liu Sang is a fully fledged agent now, there’s still a part of him that’s nervous and starstruck around Zhang Qiling, who is arguably the best bodyguard there is.
He deems himself presentable and steps forward, coming to Zhang Qiling’s side with his hands folded in front of him, the neutral bodyguard stance. “Ouxiang.”
Zhang Qiling barely seems to register that Liu Sang is there, but Liu Sang hears the breath that Zhang Qiling releases when he sees him, and knows that that means hello.
“Enjoying the party?” Liu Sang asks, and is rewarded by his Ouxiang’s eyes flashing over to him for a brief moment before returning to their duty. “Yeah, me neither.”
That’s true. Business parties and banquets are a standard part of a bodyguard’s job, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t spectacularly boring. Liu Sang doesn’t even like parties normally, but when all he does is stand still and do occasional perimeter checks and make sure that Kan Jian isn’t getting so drunk that he embarrasses himself or his family, they’re really not his thing.
He finds Kan Jian, just for good measure, and sees him talking eagerly with one of the hosts—Zhang Rishan, Liu Sang’s brain supplies; he didn’t know that Kan Jian knew him that well, but his client has apparently taken a liking to President Zhang.
“Mine’s over there,” he says, waiting for Zhang Qiling’s eyes to find Kan Jian and spark recognition, and then asks, “Where are yours?”
His question is answered by the sound of laughter from the corner of the room, and they both look over to see Wang Yueban twirling his husband, Wu Xie, into a dip.
Wu Xie is the heir to Wushanju Corp., and Zhang Qiling is his bodyguard. Now he technically also guards Wang Yueban (codename: Pangzi), who had been Wu Xie’s bodyguard along with Liu Sang’s Ouxiang at one point, and then left NPSS and married his client, which was decidedly unusual and had given the entire office something to talk about for weeks.
Liu Sang is… jealous, a little, if he’s being honest. He has no idea where Pangzi got the bravery to leave his work and his life and be put into the spotlight like that. Liu Sang is close enough to be caught by cameras sometimes, and he’s still a bodyguard. He has no idea what would happen if he married the man he was meant to protect.
Zhang Qiling has a small, soft smile on his lips when Liu Sang glances back at him, and he wonders, not for the first time, if Zhang Qiling has something with the other two as well. It would be much harder for him to leave the agency, considering the number of missions that he’s gone on, and the top-secret intelligence he’s been privy to over the years. It’s a poorly-kept secret that as soon as the agency decides that Zhang Qiling has outlived his loyalty to NPSS, they’ll make sure to…
Liu Sang knows that Pangzi and Wu Xie would never let that happen, but he also knows that NPSS is ruthless, and if they have to lock Zhang Qiling up so that the secrets never get out, then that’s what they’ll do.
Anyway. Zhang Qiling may be in love with Pangzi and Wu Xie, but Liu Sang doesn’t know if that matters. Their situation is too impossible.
This is what he had come over to ask his Ouxiang about, though, so he musters up his courage and murmurs, “How did you know? That you were in love with them?”
Ouxiang doesn’t even try to deny it, knowing that Liu Sang will be able to tell the lie from his heartbeat. He watches Pangzi and Wu Xie for a moment longer, then sighs gently and says, “They became more important than the work.”
Liu Sang is very glad he had the foresight to turn off his comms system before he came over to talk to Zhang Qiling, because that alone would probably have gotten him removed from any and all positions he could possibly have. “Oh.”
Zhang Qiling doesn’t look at him, but he does say, “Is that what you’re feeling?”
Liu Sang should have known that he would be seen through immediately, but it still leaves him hesitant and embarrassed. Out of reflex, he finds Kan Jian again, and his stomach sours as he watches him laugh at something Zhang Rishan has said, even though Liu Sang knows for a fact that Zhang Rishan doesn’t tell jokes.
He swallows thickly. “Why didn’t you… you know. Do they know?”
Zhang Qiling nods, nearly imperceptibly, and Liu Sang feels a pang of grief. Whether it’s for himself or for Ouxiang, he doesn’t know.
“I’m sorry,” he says, because he really has nothing else to say.
“I’m not,” Zhang Qiling says fiercely, even though it’s just as quiet as everything else.
Liu Sang is still trying to figure out how to respond when he hears familiar footsteps, and turns to see Kan Jian rushing towards him, half a glass of wine in his hand and a panicked expression on his face.
“Liu Sang!” he hisses. “Help! The aunties are—”
He yelps and dives behind Liu Sang, who looks in the direction that Kan Jian had come from to see two older ladies tittering behind their hands, their eyes sharp and fearless, obviously on the hunt for eligible young men to match their daughters or granddaughters with. Liu Sang and Zhang Qiling nod politely to them as they pass, and then Liu Sang nudges the curtain behind him.
“They’re gone.”
“Thank God,” Kan Jian breathes, coming out. His wine, miraculously, is still in his glass. “I thought I was a goner.” He smiles at Liu Sang, and Liu Sang can tell that he’s a little tipsy by the way his words are slightly slurring, and the uptick of his pulse. “You’re my hero.”
Liu Sang sighs, but it’s fond, and he knows that Zhang Qiling knows it’s fond, but he can’t help it. “Yes, yes, okay. Don’t you have networking to do?”
“Don’ wanna,” Kan Jian says, clutching Liu Sang’s arm and pouting. “I want to hang out with you.”
That goes directly to his chest, and Liu Sang tries not to let his heart get too caught up on the words. He glances apologetically at Ouxiang. “I should get him out of here before someone sees.”
Ouxiang nods, but is distracted from their farewell by Wu Xie and Pangzi bounding over, bubbly and light like crystal champagne.
“Xiao-ge!” Pangzi says, unable to get rid of the habit of calling Xiao-ge by his codename. He spots Liu Sang. “Jinx! Hi!”
“Is he alright?” Wu Xie asks, smiling at Kan Jian, who is resting his head on Liu Sang’s shoulder and muttering into his earpiece.
“Fine,” Liu Sang says, trying not to be distracted by the song lyrics that Kan Jian is beaming into his brain. “But we should probably go, before someone alerts his father.” He nods to Wu Xie and Pangzi, says, “Ouxiang.”
“Where are we going?” Kan Jian asks as Liu Sang leads him towards the door, already alerting the driver.
“Home,” Liu Sang says.
“Oh,” Kan Jian sighs happily. “Home with you. Oh, good.”
Liu Sang’s heart is a traitorous bastard.
5
Most of the time, bodyguards will never have to be in an active combat situation. Their job is de-escalating conflicts, making sure that they never even begin in the first place. Liu Sang is better at this than most, because he can hear people coming from a leagues away, and usually has enough time to get his client to safety and call for backup before preparing to engage.
Usually.
This time, though, they had been waiting for them amidst someone else’s guards, after a business meeting, the first one that Kan Jian had been trusted to handle on his own, and Liu Sang had just counted the extra heartbeats as the other businessman’s. And then they’d escorted them to the back to wait for the car, and they’d grabbed Kan Jian and stuck a needle in his neck and Liu Sang—
Well.
They shot Liu Sang.
“Drive,” he gasps, one hand pressed to the gunshot wound in his gut, the other pointing forward. “We can’t lose them.”
Li Jiale, another NPSS operative, had been on the roster for driving duty tonight, which Liu Sang is glad of. Li Jiale is very good at taking direction, by which Liu Sang mostly means that he doesn’t question anything Liu Sang says, and just drives.
Liu Sang presses his comm link again. “Do you…” He draws in a sharp breath as the pain spikes, and presses his fist tighter, even though it makes him want to black out. “Do you have their location?”
“They’re headed towards the packing district,” Xiao Bai reports over the intercom, businesslike and professional. “You’re about half a mile behind them.”
Li Jiale steps on the gas when he hears this, and Liu Sang is pressed back into the seat with a grunt of pain.
“Jinx,” Xiao Bai hisses. “What’s your status?”
“Fine,” Liu Sang grits out. He undoes his tie, wrapping it around his fist, and presses it back onto the wound, biting his lip to keep from screaming. “Are you sending backup?”
“They’ve deployed already,” Xiao Bai says. “They should be there in ten. The car’s stopped,” she adds, and Li Jiale skids into an alleyway, bringing the car to a halt.
Liu Sang doesn’t see the vehicle they were chasing, but that’s probably for the best; it means Li Jiale stopped them a ways away so that they would still have the element of surprise. Liu Sang checks to make sure that his gun is safely holstered at his hip, and then puts his hand on the door handle.
“Wait,” Li Jiale says, “Are you sure—?”
“Stay here,” Liu Sang orders. “Wait for backup. Tell them where we are.”
“You’re hurt,” Li Jiale says.
Liu Sang just shakes his head. “I…” He looks Li Jiale in the eyes. “I have to get him. I can’t… I have to go.”
Li Jiale doesn’t look thrilled by this, but he just nods, getting out of the car and jogging towards the alleyway entrance, probably to flag down their backup when it arrives. Even though he’s a damn good driver, Li Jiale isn’t combat certified, and sending him into an active hostage situation would be stupid at best, and cruel at worst.
Liu Sang inhales deeply, then shoves his own door open. The moment his feet hit the ground, the bullet in his abdomen shifts, and he staggers a little, but keeps himself on his feet, drawing his gun and moving forward. Adrenaline starts to numb the pain, and he’s concentrating so hard on listening for the kidnappers that it’s easy to compartmentalize.
He hears voices coming from beyond a metal wall. “Make sure he’s tied up well. I don’t want to have to chase him down if he escapes.”
Another man snorts. “He’s a pretty boy heir. What’s he going to do?”
If Liu Sang focuses, he can hear a familiar heartbeat, though it’s slowed considerably, probably from whatever drugs they’ve put into his system. Kan Jian.
“What do we do with him now?” someone asks.
“We make the hostage video, and then we kill him,” the first man says simply.
“We’re not waiting for the ransom money?”
“The boss doesn’t want the ransom money,” the first man says. “He wants to bring down Kan Group, starting with its pride and joy. The video is just to gloat.” There’s the sound of a boot impacting with a body, and Liu Sang bites down on his lip. He needs to get Kan Jian. He needs to get him now.
He slinks through the shadows, coming up on the entrance to the shipping container the bad guys are apparently hiding out in, which makes sense if their operation is supposed to be as short as they claim. There are two of them posted at the door, and even though Liu Sang is walking wounded, he was trained by Zhang Qiling, and he quickly takes the two guards out with a few well-aimed punches and a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Once they’re down, he readies his firearm and tears open the door, bursting into the storage container, already shooting.
He’d mapped out the place from outside; there are four men, two busy tying Kan Jian to the chair, one supervising, and another setting up video equipment, presumably to use for filming a hostage video. Liu Sang takes out the camera man first, then aims towards the leader, but the quick movement throws him off a bit, and it’s not a kill shot like he means it to be. The man still falls, however, and then it’s the other two who are rushing at him, which is what Liu Sang had wanted.
When they’re far enough from Kan Jian, Liu Sang shoots them both, quick bursts to their heads, and keeps his gun up, making sure that no one else is going to come up and surprise him. When he’s ensured that there are no vital signs other than Kan Jian’s and a dying man’s, he lets his weapon drop, rushing to Kan Jian’s side and scrambling at the knots.
The drugs must be wearing off, because Kan Jian’s head is lolling, but he murmurs, “L’Sang?” when Liu Sang drops down behind him.
“Yeah,” Liu Sang says, “I’m here.” His fingers are coated with drying blood, making them slippery, but he’s had knot training. “I’m here.”
“Hnngh,” Kan Jian mutters. “Are you—?” He makes a distressed sound and flops his head as far to the side as it can go. “They hurt you?”
He must not have been passed out yet. Liu Sang shakes his head. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” Kan Jian doesn’t really believe him, Liu Sang can tell, but at that moment he undoes the knot, and the ropes fall away. “Come on. Let’s go.”
He helps Kan Jian to his feet, but his charge sways dangerously, clearly still affected by the drugs, and falls into Liu Sang’s side. It is, unfortunately, his wounded side, and Liu Sang bites back a scream as he nearly topples over, barely able to correct their trajectory before they both end up knocked off their feet.
Kan Jian frowns. “What…?”
“Nothing,” Liu Sang says. “It’s nothing.” He musters his strength and grabs Kan Jian under the arm, swallowing down the pain that the strain puts on his abdominal muscles. “We’ll go slow, we’ll—”
There’s the click of a cartridge behind him, and Liu Sang has barely enough time to flatten himself against Kan Jian’s back before the shot goes off, and he feels another bullet pierce his thigh. He yells, going down to one knee, and sending Kan Jian sprawling. He glances back and sees the man he had failed to kill immediately propped up on one elbow, blood dripping from his teeth, a smoking glock held in one hand.
“Fuck you,” he snarls. “You’ll come with us.” And with that, he turns towards the pile of boxes at one side of the storage container, and Liu Sang knows what’s about to happen before it does.
He heaves himself forward, his injured leg and side protesting fiercely, barreling into Kan Jian, who had managed to make it to his hands and knees, dazed and trying to shake off the residual effects of the drugs. He goes back down, Liu Sang on top of him, and Liu Sang rolls them across the metal floor, as far away as he can get, his body screaming in pain, and when he hears the click of the gun, he presses himself over Kan Jian, hopes that this will be enough, hopes that if nothing else, Kan Jian will live—
The bullet strikes the explosives that Liu Sang had failed to categorize as a threat, and they go off, sending heat and fire and pain roaring towards them, and Liu Sang squeezes Kan Jian as tightly as he can, and prays—
+1
Ouxiang is sitting next to his hospital bed.
Liu Sang can tell before he even opens his eyes, because only one person regularizes their heartbeat like Ouxiang does. His hearing is always the first thing that comes back to him, which he appreciates, even though the beeping of the machines next to him (because of course he’s in the hospital) almost immediately starts to grate on his nerves.
He catalogs the rest of his body; there’s pain somewhere in there, but it’s soft and under the surface, probably being held at bay by a very nice cocktail of drugs, so Liu Sang pushes past the discomfort and opens his eyes.
It’s bright, almost too bright, and he has to squint at the ceiling for a bit before his eyes adjust and he can tilt his head over, very slowly, to see Ouxiang in the chair next to his bed, his arms folded, watching Liu Sang carefully.
“Mm,” Liu Sang tries, but his mouth is too dry to really get the words out. “O’xiang?”
Zhang Qiling reaches for a cup on the bedside table, bringing it over and using a pair of plastic tongs to place ice chips in between Liu Sang’s lips.
“Kan Jian is fine,” he says as he does, softly, and Liu Sang is grateful that Ouxiang knows what he needs. “He had minor injuries from the explosion, but he was discharged a while ago. You protected him well.”
Liu Sang closes his eyes in relief. He hadn’t quite gotten to the point of panicking, but hearing that Kan Jian is alright has done wonders to calm his heartbeat, and he almost thinks that he could go back to sleep.
“H’long?”
“You’ve been in a coma for three weeks,” Ouxiang says slowly, and Liu Sang’s heart monitor skips.
He stares up at the ceiling. Three weeks. He’s been out for that long? What’s happened? Why is Ouxiang here?
Zhang Qiling must be able to read some of the questions from his face, because he sighs and then says, “You’ve been dismissed from the agency.”
And. Wow. That… hurts, more than Liu Sang had expected it to. He had suspected, probably even knew it when he had gone in to save Kan Jian, but it still hurts.
He makes a questioning noise, and Ouxiang says, “You were gravely injured in the line of duty, and will need plenty of time to recover, and even then, the doctors are unsure that you’ll ever…” He stops, sighs. “You also failed to protect your client within the terms of your contract. You know how they are about success rates.”
Liu Sang nods jerkily, still too dazed to do much but stare at the ceiling. Inside, he can’t help but think, That’s not fair, but he knows that there’s nothing he can do. Even if he were to try and defend himself… they’ve probably already spoken to Kan Jian and to his father, and he failed them. He let Kan Jian be kidnapped, and then he almost let him be killed. Of course they wouldn’t want to keep a bodyguard like that.
Ouxiang places a hand on his wrist, drawing Liu Sang out of his thoughts. “Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t start thinking like that,” Ouxiang says. “You did your best. You did well.” He squeezes Liu Sang’s arm gently, then sits back. “Bai Haotian fought for you.”
Of course she did, Liu Sang thinks, because Xiao Bai is the best.
“I understand,” he says creakily, and as much as he tries to blink it back, a tear slips down his cheek.
Ouxiang stares at him solemnly, and Liu Sang almost thinks that he’s going to say something else, but before he can, there are footsteps, running down the hall, slightly unsteady, and then the door is flying open and Kan Jian is standing there, panting, his eyes wide and wild.
“They said you woke up,” he breathes. “They said you were awake, finally.” He remains in the doorway. “Liu Sang, you…”
“Kan Jian,” Liu Sang murmurs. “How’d you… where…?”
“Where are my guards?” Kan Jian finishes for him, glancing back down the hall. “I… may have run away from them.”
Liu Sang frowns at him.
“I know,” Kan Jian says. “But I couldn’t wait.” He hesitantly tiptoes to Liu Sang’s bed, and behind him, Ouxiang slips out, shutting the door behind him. Liu Sang knows that he’ll keep the other bodyguards—his replacements, though he tries not to think that—away for a while.
“Sorry,” Liu Sang murmurs as soon as Kan Jian is close enough to hear his wrecked voice.
“No!” Kan Jian exclaims, his face creasing with emotion. “Don’t. Don’t start. You saved me, and it’s stupid that your agency dropped you, and that you have to stop working, and—”
“You,” Liu Sang manages, even though it feels like his throat is swelling shut. “Deserve… safe. Not me.”
Kan Jian blinks rapidly, pressing his lips together and looking away. “Don’t say that.”
“K’Jian—”
“I was always safe with you,” Kan Jian insists quietly, turning back to Liu Sang, who can see the tears glistening in his eyes. “Always, Liu Sang.”
Liu Sang can’t do anything but stare up at him, his heart hammering in his chest.
“And…” Kan Jian pauses to take a breath, and Liu Sang frowns, because Kan Jian’s heartbeat has picked up, sounding like he’s nervous. “I… don’t know if you’d want this, because you’ll need a lot of rest, and you’re probably upset, so if you want to be alone, I understand, but…” He exhales, obviously steeling himself. “No one’s taken your room.”
Liu Sang is confused. He pinches his eyebrows together, staring at Kan Jian silently, hoping that he’ll explain further.
“So, if you want…” Kan Jian says. “I’ll… you can come back. Home. With me.”
Liu Sang thinks he stops breathing for a moment. There’s… why would Kan Jian want that? Liu Sang isn’t himself anymore, he doesn’t have anything for Kan Jian. Why would Kan Jian—?
His answer comes when Kan Jian kneels at his bedside, his hand stroking through Liu Sang’s hair. “You’ve taken care of me for a long time, Liu Sang. Now it’s my turn.”
Liu Sang gazes back at him. He has no idea exactly what that means, what Kan Jian’s saying—or at least, he doesn’t until Kan Jian leans forward and gently presses a kiss to Liu Sang’s forehead.
Liu Sang’s brain stops working, and he blinks up at Kan Jian, who pulls away, immediately flushing red.
“I-I’m sorry,” he says, “I don’t… I didn’t mean to… sorry, if that made you uncomfortable, we can literally just forget about it—”
It takes every ounce of strength in his body, but he lifts his arm up, grabbing Kan Jian by the collar and yanking him down, because his aim hasn’t diminished, even if his power has, and so he knows that his calculations are going to be correct, and they are.
Kan Jian’s lips crash onto his, and Liu Sang kisses him with all the words that he can’t say.
The moment lasts longer than he expected, but it’s still far too short when Kan Jian pulls away, his nose brushing against Liu Sang’s, his breath warm on his lips.
“Oh,” Kan Jian says, “I’ll… take that as a yes, then?”
Yes, Liu Sang thinks. Always. Forever. He reaches his hand out again, and Kan Jian takes it, pressing it over his own heart, so that Liu Sang can feel his pulse as well as hear it, and it’s more reassuring than anything he’s ever felt.
Liu Sang may not be Kan Jian’s bodyguard anymore, but that’s fine.
He’s guarding something infinitely more valuable now.