Yunlan didn't know what to say to that, should he start arresting shadows now?

He tried to not show his scepticism.
"Shadows are bad. Got it."

Yunlan was never a good actor.
Wei's expression was hard and serious, the amusement of a few moments before had vanished and Wei felt angry again. He rose to his feet.

"Are you mocking me? I don't appreciate being patronised as if I was crazy. Think what you want but I am NOT crazy!"

"No no, I don't think you're crazy, but you're talking about nice ghosts and evil shadows, I mean, if the world is full of these why have I never noticed anything, it does sound a bit, you know, weird..."

Wei began pacing the room in anger.

Yunlan stood up as well. "I admit that shadows are strange things but to call them evil..."

"Stop patronizing me! I've had enough of that! I've been told that I was crazy all my life. My parents hoped dr Wang would cure me, as if there was a cure to this. It's just who I am, there's nothing they could do about it, and neither can you."

"I never said that you're crazy." His previous encounter with Mr Song, when he had said that Wei had mental problems, flashed through his brain, but Yunlan ignored it.

"I can see it in your face, you think you need to handle the situation tiptoeing around the subject. You're just like them, you think I should be locked up, don't you?"

"No! Listen, I understand that you're angry at everything that happened to you, but your mom and dad only wanted what was best for you, they were probably worried..."

Yunlan was trying to reason with him. Wei was slowly raising his voice more and more, he was clearly upset, but honestly, what parent wouldn't have been worried having a child like that?

Yunlan had not been there but that article was a clear example. A kid had fallen down the stairs and Wei had blamed an invisible friend.

Wei stopped his words with newfound bitterness.
"Worried? You think they were worried?"

"Of course, as your parents I'm sure they loved you and..."

Wei interrupted him again, and now he was practically shouting.
"Love? If they loved me so much why did I never see them again? Why did they leave me?"

As the words shot out of his mouth, Wei froze. It was the first time he actually confronted his parents disappearance.

Yunlan caught it again, the pain behind the anger.
"You do, you blame them for abandoning you! As if they had a choice. They died, Wei!"

"So what! They could have stayed behind..."
It was painful to talk about it now. For ten years he had been wondering why he had never seen either of them.

"You should wish peace for their souls. If they could they'd be here with you now, I'm sure they never wanted to die and leave you behind."

"You don't understand. They knew I would have been able to see them. After all I went through, I could have finally proved it to them, that I was never crazy!"

A tear threatened to fall out of his eyes, so he turned his head away abruptly and summoned his anger to the surface as a way of defending himself, a barrier from the outside world.

Yunlan finally heard some words that made sense to him.
"Evidence, now that's something I can understand alright. I don't wish to die to find it though. Try to be rational, please. It wasn't their choice..."

"Oh, you'd like to have proof, wouldn't you? I have learned a few things over the years. If you want proof, I can give you proof."

Yunlan was out of his comfort zone, he had met crazy people before but never one he actually cared about, and he didn't know what to do.

He moved a step towards him. Wei raised an arm. Yunlan instinctively stopped. Wei grinned.

"Luca!" he called.

Yunlan took a step back while Wei pointed a finger at him.

Suddenly he felt like Wei's anger was pressing him and he found himself a few feet away from where he was before. He could see Wei standing still, he hadn't moved an inch, and he wondered what was going on.

Yunlan tried to move but he realised  that he couldn't. Just for a moment, he felt an unusual rush of panic: for a man of action like him this feeling of being immobilized was the worst thing that could happen.

Wei finally moved.

"What is it? You've got nothing to say now? Aren't you curious anymore?"

Wei kept his voice cold.

"Maybe you're tired, you should lay down for a while."

Yunlan watched him while he did it again. This time Wei called the name Huan and Yunlan felt himself be thrown by an invisible force onto the couch.

Yunlan tried to get up but once again he realised he couldn't.
"What are you doing? What's happening?"

"Me?" Wei smirked eerily. "I didn't touch you, I wasn't even close, why are you asking me?"

Yunlan struggled to move but the force holding him down was too strong.

"Do you believe me now?" Wei asked. "Do you still think I'm crazy?"

Yunlan didn't know what to believe. It was all too weird and he couldn't think anything at all other than wanting to get up and move freely.

He kept struggling for a while until he gave up. There was no immediate threat after all so he forced himself to calm down.

He wasn't afraid of Wei, he didn't believe for a second that Wei would hurt him, but he reasoned that even if he was wrong there was nothing he could really do right now so it would be better to save his strength in case he needed that later.

Wei could clearly see Huan holding Yunlan down, and not for the first time he wondered how his life would have turned out had he been like any other kid, unable to see them or hear them.

The past was the past though, and it was useless to think of it.

He had wished to keep his past a secret from Yunlan, he hated how people looked at him differently after learning about it.

It wasn't his fault if he was like this. He couldn't help it. There was a time when he wished for it to end and he stopped talking to them, stopped calling them, but they would always find him.

All of them.

Wei had never tried to find a ghost, they would always find him. After all these years, he knew they'd never leave him alone, and he grew very fond of them. Especially Gelan.

They were his only companions, and he needed them as much as they needed him. They would do anything for him, and he swore he would never try to shut them off ever again.

Wei had been lost in these thoughts and Yunlan was growing impatient. "Whatever you have in mind, can you get on with it? I'm tired of lying here like a puppet."

Wei finally came back to his senses and his eyes focused on the figure on the couch once again.

Yunlan spoke and his voice sounded different from what Wei had imagined.
It sounded concerned.

"I thought you were a good guy, what's gotten into you?"

Wei laughed bitterly. "You thought I was a useless, defenceless fool, a poor lunatic you should pity, didn't you? You really believed I would bring a stranger to my house if I had no means to protect myself? Did you think I was an idiot?"

Yunlan didn't say anything. He remembered the first morning he woke up in that house very well: how ashamed he had been, in need to be rescued by a stranger like a homeless drunkard. He had acted so cocky to cover up his embarrassment, but he had felt safe, healthier than he ever was. He had been grateful and even more surprised.

"Why did you do it? Why did you help me?"

"I wanted to ignore you but Gelan insisted."

Yunlan felt something unpleasant inside hearing those words.

"Why didn't you call an ambulance then, it would have saved you the trouble of carrying me here."

"Calling the ambulance, explaining everything, waiting for them to arrive, more talking... it was easier this way. Besides, I only carried you to the elevator. There was nobody here at that hour, so I asked my friends' help to carry you inside."

Yunlan rested his head down and closed his eyes.
"I understand. Sorry for causing you troubles."

He rested like that for a while. Neither of them spoke a word until Yunlan felt something strange and opened his eyes again.

Wei had been spacing out for a few seconds, until he felt something pass through  him. He looked at Yunlan again and saw it too.

"Stop it DongMei! He's not a guest, he's not going to sleep here!"

Yunlan's body was floating above the couch and his jacket was gone. His shirt buttons were being undone under his astonished gaze.

Wei raised his voice. "Stop it, I said! Not this time, DongMei, where are your manners?"

Yunlan's shirt was almost gone and Wei resorted to his last weapon.

He sighed. "I'm very disappointed in you, DongMei, you should remember your position and your status."

He saw her floating figure stop, she lowered her head in shame and retreated, letting Yunlan's body down.

Wei regretted using that tone with her but he couldn't let her undress Yunlan again. He had tried many times to change her servant ways, but eventually he had to give up. There was no changing the nature of a ghost.

Now Yunlan realised he could move again. He sat up and proceeded to button up his shirt. Wei handed him his jacket and turned his back on him.
"I think it's time for you to go home."

Still distressed after what had happened, Yunlan shot a glance at his back, then he got up and walked to the door.

Wei didn't say another word, Yunlan opened the door and left.