16 years ago:

Chéng Xīnyán looked up from the archway of the building and sighed. The sky was dark and swollen. Ready to burst at any minute. And here she was without an umbrella. It was her first day and she had been so busy arranging her classes that she had only remembered the error as the final bell rang. 

She hated having to transfer schools her senior year, but there had been no other choice. Her father's illness meant frequent doctor's visits.  Dragon City had a teaching hospital known for their progressive research achievements. Since her family still owned her childhood home, it simply made sense to move back.  She had actually been looking forward to it.

Although now you could barely tell by her expression as she glowered at the sky.   She was ready to wish away the rain but caught herself.  Wishes were quite valuable nowadays.  It would be beyond selfish to waste one when the region was in the middle of a drought. She looked down; it is not as if her new shoes would have stayed dry under an umbrella anyway. She still had to walk home.

She pulled up the hood of her jacket, tucked her hands in her pockets, and took off towards home. She had made if several blocks before having to stop at a traffic light.  As she paused, the rain seemed to fall harder causing her to hunch her shoulders even more. The little white man appeared and she launched herself off the curb.

The rain on her hood drowned out most sounds. Her hood also obscured her peripheral vision. She did not see the car as the driver braked too late and too hard, then began to skid across the intersection.

Out of nowhere, someone grabbed her by the collar and yanked her backwards.  She hit the ground hard but she felt nothing as she watched the car fishtail in front of her and come to an abrupt stop. The vehicle was inches from her. It was so close that if she thought it a mirage, she could have reached out and touched it. If she had taken two more steps she would have...

"I am so sorry, are you okay?" A panicked voice asked. "I really didn't mean to pull you so hard!"

Chéng Xīnyán felt the rain stop along with her heart. She looked up from the car tire to the phantom hand thrust into her face. Her eyes followed an open palm to a slim wrist that disappeared into a white sleeve.  They immediately jumped to the face of the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

He stood under a brightly coloured umbrella. His damp wavy hair fell playfully over his forehead.  His smooth skin made him appear to be a jade statue. His eyes were coal black and wide with concern.  Visibly shaken, Chéng Xīnyán reached for the extended hand.  However, the instant her eyes met those of the man in front of her, she snatched it back as if she had been burnt.

"I am sorry, I didn't meant to frighten you", the man stuttered, his look of concern deepening.

People were gathering and Chéng Xīnyán watched as the offered hand began to withdraw.  Her eyes remained locked with his.  She thought she saw the smallest bit of pain flash behind his eyes.  An irrational fear overcame her paralysis and she grabbed for the withdrawing hand.

"Can you stand?"

His melodic voice was one that Chéng Xīnyán would never forget.  However, at that moment, she was having a difficult time recalling her own. She nodded. As he helped her to stand, she grasped onto him. Her hands wrapped like vices around his arm. She pulled close to him and pressed her cheek into the outer angle of his shoulder, her head towards his back.

The man stiffens at the unexpected embrace.  He awkwardly attempts to keep the umbrella above her head and pull away from her at the same time.  He stops when he realizes the woman is shaking uncontrollably.   When he heard the first sob, he courteously lowers the angle of the umbrella to hide her face from view.

An old vendor woman hurried from her stand and pushed through the small crowd that was forming. "A'Yán!" she called, reaching for the girl. "A'Yán, are you okay? A'Yán!"  The young man felt the young woman's grip tighten on his arm.

"A'Yán, come dear! Come with Ayi.  Let's get you out of the street." The vendor strokes her back gently.  Eventually she manages to pull the young girl under her own umbrella and into her arms.  "Thank you, young man!" she says over her shoulder. "Thank you so much!"  

"A'Yán, you poor dear, you must have been so frightened!" the vendor woman cooed, steering Chéng Xīnyán toward a nearby bench.  Chéng Xīnyán nods and sits.

The woman pulls out a kerchief and begins wiping the water from Chéng Xīnyán's face and hair.  Chéng Xīnyán sat quietly, soaked to the bone, and outwardly shaken.  She was not sure why she reacted they way she did. Just standing beside the man had made her feel the safest she had felt in a long time. She had only let go of him because of social decorum demanded it. She felt sorry because he had looked like a deer in headlights.

Now he was standing on the sidewalk not too far away from her, speaking with a uniformed police officer. A very official looking man in a suit joined them.  Her rescuer explained how he had been crossing the street when he saw the car lose control approaching the intersection. He said he panicked and perhaps pulled too roughly when he saw the student not move out of the way.  He had not meant to hurt or frighten her. 

The official, an older gentleman with a round face and sharp eyes, listened without interrupting. Although he looked as if he could be quite stern at times, when he began to speak, he gave a smile that spread easily. He patted the young man on the shoulder, "What was your name again?"

"Shěn Wēi. The 'Wei' like 'Jasper and Jade'."

"Indeed?" the man replied, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Well Xiao Shen, I am Bāo Zhěng, the Dragon City Police Commissioner. I was at the coffee shop across the street and caught quite a view of the scene. I figured I would come over to make sure you two young ones were alright." Bāo Zhěng leaned as if sharing a secret. Shěn Wēi instinctually followed suit. "Don't you know the leading man is supposed to catch the leading woman before they hit the ground? How else are you to win her heart?"

Shěn Wēi immediately straightened, flustered, and spurted, "Oh! I am not trying to win her heart at all! I don't even know her!" a deep crimson crept up his cheeks.

"Really?" replied the Commissioner, looking back at Chéng Xīnyán who was pretending not to be paying attention to the conversation, "You two looked as if you knew each other quite well." The Commissioner's voice took on a more serious note. "You two are wearing the same uniform are you not classmates?"

Shěn Wēi shook his head.

"You are walking the same way home from school and you two have never met?"

Shěn Wēi shook his ahead again.

"You have never even spoken to one another?" Bāo Zhěng's growing suspicion, evident in his voice.  "Can you explain?"

Shěn Wēi continued to shake his head. "This was my first time," he stuttered.

Chéng Xīnyán had been startled from the fall, but not frightened.  She was terrified when she realized what had almost occurred but then she recognized the strangers face.  Her tears were a mix of joy and relief.  She had thought she would never see this man again and yet here he was.  She knew his name.

She desperately wanted to talk to him.  She only had to get him away from the Commissioner first. But how without rousing suspicion? Chéng Xīnyán burst out laughing causing everyone to look her way.

"Wei gege, you are so shy!" she said, coming to his side. She tucked herself beneath his umbrella and grabbed his sleeve lightly. Her easy smile and body language made it appear as if she was very familiar with him.

"It is okay. I am sure it is more than obvious that we know each other." She said with a shaky smile. Shěn Wēi tried to pull his arm away but Chéng Xīnyán gripped it tighter with a look that said 'just play along and I will get you out of this.'

"I am sorry, Commissioner. Shěn Wēi and I have only just started... well, we are friends, but he is also a bit... old fashioned," she said shyly. "He is a firm believer that 'Men and women should keep their distance' even in this day and age.  I think I embarrassed him when I started crying."   Chéng Xīnyán lowered her head and pretended to be embarrassed about having shared such personal information.

After a moment, she peaks at the Commissioner through lowered lashes. Bāo Zhěng's facial expression had not changed. Chéng Xīnyán was not sure if her tactic was working, so she decided to kick it up a notch.  "Today is really important and I am a bit nervous. You see, today I am introducing Shěn Wēi to my mother. We were just headed that way."

"So why didn't you say that you were just headed to her house?" the Commissioner asked Shěn Wēi directly but Chéng Xīnyán had been ready for that.

"No sir. We were not headed to my house; we are going to Dragon City Columbarium."  Chéng Xīnyán felt Shěn Wēi stiffen at her side.  Bāo Zhěng remained silent but his expression softened around the edges.  'Gotcha!' Chéng Xīnyán thought triumphantly. Now she just needed to turn the screw one last time.

"We had a bit of a disagreement because I had forgotten my umbrella and refused to take his. Wei gege didn't want me to catch cold, but I wanted him to be presentable the first time they meet. I told him that my mother is used to seeing me in such states, but he needs to make a good first impression."

Bāo Zhěng scrutinized the two in front of him. Both, with their own secrets, pretended to squirm under his glare.  The situation was indeed laughable and he hoped to bring it up to them in the future.  But for now, he had to let their stories play out. "Here, you can take my umbrella." Bāo Zhěng offered.

"No thank you, Bāo zhuānyuán. The entrance is right over there." Chéng Xīnyán pointed to a gated entrance about half a block over. "I think..." she paused, looking at Shěn Wēi's clouded expression, "I think we are going to be okay."

"Well Xiao Chéng, Xiao Shěn, I think it best you two get there quickly and safely." 

"Thank you Bao zhuanyuan." Chéng Xīnyán grabbed Shěn Wēi's arm and pulled him towards the entrance of the cemetery.  She whispers under her breath, "Let's go before he decides to ask you some more questions."

"A'Yán?" the vendor woman came to Chéng Xīnyán's side and handed her a small bag. "Are you sure you are okay?" stroking her hair gently.

"Yes Ayi, I am fine," she said, giving the woman's hand a small squeeze. "Thank you. We will come see you after, okay?" Chéng Xīnyán assured the older woman. At the same time, Chéng Xīnyán held a death grip on Shěn Wēi's sleeve.  She was not letting go. The woman then turned to Shěn Wēi, placing a second, smaller bag into the empty hand below his captured sleeve.

"It has been a long time, young man." Her gaze was soft when she looked at him. "These are not the flavor you used to buy, but they are the same brand. I put an extra one in there for you."

"Thank you, Ayi." Shěn Wēi says with a slight bow.

Chéng Xīnyán and Shěn Wēi walked silently into the well-manicured grounds. The followed the main path up a small hill.  They passed by a large maple tree with a small bench beneath it.  Chéng Xīnyán noticing the nearly indiscernible hesitation in Shěn Wēi's step, pulled him gently along. 

"Don't stop here.  He is still watching. Wait until we get further inside." 

Shěn Wēi's eyes widened and darted to the girl's face. She was no longer looking at him but focused on her steps and the path before them. Her statement gave him pause so he looked more closely. She was definitely Haixingren, open to the world around her. However, thankfully, it seemed that she was still unaware of Dixingren existence.

Her karma sparkled with specks of royal blue, meaning she is someone who cares deeply for others. She seems quick-witted and observant. Shěn Wēi did not discern any negative intent from her. But he could not figure why she lied to the police commissioner? Moreover, what does she hope to gain by going through such lengths of follow-through? 

He was about to ask her about it all when she stopped walking and stood in front a simple placard.

In Loving Memory of

Cheng Yangxin

Soulmate & Mother

Shěn Wēi noticed that today was this person's Death Day.  He watched respectfully in silence. Chéng Xīnyán removed her book bag from her shoulder and pulled a soft cloth from the side pocket. She polished the nameplate using slow, deliberate strokes. Then she began rummaging through the bag the vendor had given her. She removed an incense holder; several incense sticks; and a container that held several food items. One of which was a small cake.

Chéng Xīnyán quickly set out the food.  She lit the incense and bowed three times.

"Hello, Mom! Sorry I am a bit late today. But you will never guess what happened!" Chéng Xīnyán spoke as she polished the framed picture in the placard. "Remember the 'Sad Gege' I used to ask you about?" she asked, her face beaming.

"I found him." She says and pulls a surprised Shěn Wēi forward.

Shen Wei comes face-to-face with what could be the older version of the same smiling face that stood beside him. Only the one in front of him was frozen in time. He was unsure as to what to do and was mentally running through the possibilities of making a swift exit when he noticed something off about the frame.

Just beyond its edge was the corner of what looked to be another image. He reached to adjust it but found that he would have to extract it completely in order to straighten it. He gently pulled and inspected the image.

It was a picture of a family.  A man who looked to be in his mid 30's, the woman who was smiling at him from the placard picture, and a little girl who looked to be the combined version of the two.  He was just about to return the picture to its place when he noticed the pink and yellow Hello Kitty stethoscope hanging from the girl's neck.

Shen Wei's hand shook slightly as he gently returned the picture. He then took a half a step back and bowed deeply "Ayi, my name is Shěn Wēi. The ' Wēi' like 'Jasper and Jade'. It is very nice to meet you."

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A/N: I am calling 'creative license' on this chéngyǔ (idiom). Generally, or so I have been told, chéngyǔ are simple phrases of four syllables/words that have deeper complex meanings. And I may have over thunk this a bit but...

Since the Kūnlún Mountains are often romanticized and called 'Towering Cliffs of Jasper and Jade.'  AND  since 委 = wēi  has such a flexible meaning from towering, to appointed, to commission AND since we know Kunlan gave Shěn Wēi dominion over his 'mountain' (read: dominion over his body since Kūnlún is technically the mountain right?) I ran with that idea for Shěn Wēi's introduction.

巍巍碧玉和玉

wēiwēi bìyù hé yù 

Towering Cliffs of Jasper and Jade.

That being said, we know that Shěn Wēi tries to be discrete. So he would not use a commonly known phrase that would easily associate him with Kūnlún and possibly out his secret.  That phrase is:

巍巍崑崙 萬山之祖

wéiwéi kūnlún wàn shān zhī zǔ

The Towering Kūnlún, Ancestor of the Mountain

or "The Mighty Kūnlún"

Thanks to a blog by Fox Ghost, I was able to delve deeper into "the few more strokes." *I am not sure if Fox Ghost is on Watt pad, but I will give them 'big ups' if I find out that they are. I have included the active link in the comment section.

https://foxghost.tumblr.com/post/178738331048/%E6%B2%88%E5%B7%8D-shen-wei-whats-in-a-name