Wei had finished eating and was now watching Yunlan eat in silence.

Yunlan was lost in thought and didn't notice him staring, only lazily pocking at his food without much enthusiasm.

He finally gave up and set the plate aside. He wasn't hungry anymore.

"Are there more?" he asked. "Are these the only ones living with you?"

Wei looked at the discarded rice with a frown. There was still fish in there, it seemed a sin to let it go to waste.

"Usually yes. I also see Jay every day, but he always stays at the company. He only cares about numbers," Wei said bringing the rice closer.

"Occasionally I meet someone new." Wei took a bite then considered if it would be wise to tell Yunlan that Nari was staying with him at his house without his knowledge.

He decided it was best to leave it at that for now.
"Those are my friends, yes," he concluded.

Yunlan watched him while he finished his food wondering how could he be that hungry without getting fat.

"What about normal friends?" Yunlan asked before he could think twice about it. "I mean, friends that are actually alive?"

Wei shrugged. "I don't have any."

"Isn't it a bit lonely, having no friends?"

Wei raised his eyes. "I'm never alone."

Yunlan sighed and said nothing more. He wanted to, but for once the words got stuck in his throat and refused to come out.

They were having a peaceful, open conversation, and Yunlan was enjoying it. He wanted to know if Wei would make an exception for him, accepting one more friend in his life, letting him get close, but he knew how these things always ended up.

He didn't want to break what they were having. There was something about Wei's demeanour that had fascinated him from the start, and he didn't want to risk it.

Once Wei had finished eating, they silently got up and Yunlan headed for the door.

"Wait, what about the bill?" Wei asked.

"I paid already, let's go."

Wei thanked him feeling embarrassed that he had paid for him again, but followed him out without another word. They got in the car and this time Yunlan drove them home.

Since he was driving, Yunlan kept his eyes on the road while he addressed the topic that mattered the most at the moment.

"I know you went to see that man. What happened? He didn't wake up or I would have been informed by now."

Wei lowered his head. "I'm sorry. He'll have to wake up on his own. I could only help with... with his problem."

"I'm not blaming you, I just want to know what happened. What is this problem? Do you really need to be so vague with me now?"

Wei sighed. It seemed silly to hesitate after everything he had already told him, but he couldn't help it.

"Come on Wei, tell me."

Wei lowered his eyes and spoke.
"The man has come in contact with the Shadows. His body was saturated with dark energy."

There was silence while Yunlan digested those words.

"How did that happen?" he finally asked.

"I guess a Shadow took over his body. I don't know why. I never saw it happen before, the man's body was full of it."

He paused a moment. He murmured to the air, "He knows already... oh, alright."

Wei cleared his throat and addressed Yunlan again. "Qing helped me clear him out of most of it, so it will be easier now for his body to react."

They kept silent the rest of the way, until they were only a few minutes away from Wei's apartment.

"I need to drive to the station, Hong took my car when she came back," Yunlan told him, then he paused in thought. "Would you mind coming inside? You could take a look at the other missing cases."

Wei turned to him with his mouth open. "More people missing? How many?"

"During this last week, thirteen people disappeared just like that. Only one has been found yet, and you saw him today."

Yunlan parked the car in front of the police station and they both got out.
Wei hesitated before following him. He felt nervous about meeting other people who now knew who he was, but he kept a straight face. After all, it wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

They went in and they were greeted by Ling. "Two more disappeared today. One of the first, a young man who went missing five days ago, has been found. Same condition as the other one."

Fifteen people missing and only two had been found, barely alive. Zhao cursed. What was going on all of a sudden?

"No children?" Wei asked.

Ling seemed to notice his presence only now. "Oh, the ghost guy! Can you help us find them like you found the kid?"

Wei stiffened instinctively but there was no malice in Ling's words, so after a second he relaxed his shoulders a bit.

"Yeah, he could ask his invisible friends to help us all!"

Hong's bitter remark was different though. There was nothing friendly in her tone.

"I'd ask them myself, if I was... you know." She touched her head making it clear that she meant 'crazy'.

Something strange clicked inside Shen Wei. He had felt so good earlier, talking to Yunlan about his life, saying things he had never once said out loud, and now he realised that he was tired of denying who he was. His ghost friends were important to him, an important part of his life, and Hong's hostility annoyed him terribly.

"It's better if I ask them, they only react to kindness."

Wei had kept his tone of voice normal, but it caused the reply to have even more effect.

Yunlan smiled brightly, angering her even more than Wei had. Ling laughed, joined by Chu who had come closer.

"Good one, man."

Wei smiled, very much surprised. He was the outsider, so he kind of expected them to side with her. This day was turning out to be full of surprises.

"You don't mind what you read about me? Don't you think I'm weird?"

Chu shrugged. "People say I'm weird too, because I talk to dogs."

"Many people talk to their dog," Wei pointed out. It was nothing strange, people got attached to their pets and treated them like part of the family. Wei liked that, it showed they cared.

Yunlan laughed. "He doesn't have a dog. It's not 'his dog' he talks to, it's every canine he meets on his way."

Chu shrugged again. "I like dogs."

"Dogs are real." Hong put her word into the conversation. "Real and alive, not crazy fantasy."

Wei fully turned to her this time. Even if all that mess with people missing and the involvement of Shadows scared him and worried him, it had still been one of the best days of his life, and her attempts at ruining it were pissing him off.

"Sometimes one takes a look at real people and decides that fantasy is better."

She was still fuming with anger but he ignored her, now turning his attention to Ling. "When did it start?" he asked.

"Little Yang was the first, but we don't know if the things are connected. He's the only child, the others are men and women of all ages but they are all above twenty."

"Actually the boy wasn't the first," Hong added. "You were the first one to vanish on us." She pointed her manicured finger at Yunlan.

"What are you talking about? I didn't..."

"The night we went all out drinking. We were having fun and suddenly you disappeared and nobody heard from you for hours."

"I didn't disappear! I was... unwell." Yunlan was getting angry. Still, he hadn't told anyone that he passed out on the street and he'd be damned if he spilt it now.

Hong's face twisted, and she let out her anger. For as long as they had known each other, he had never paid her the attention she craved, and now he only had harsh words to offer. She was furious.

"More like drunk as a skunk! You didn't even notice you left your badge on the table!"

"My badge?" Yunlan's eyes widened and his voice lowered in surprise, but inside him, anger was beginning to take control. How long had she known about this? Since that night?

"You know where it is and said nothing?"

She laughed making a devilish sound.
"You drank so much you bet your badge that you could win against them at any challenge of their choice. I tried to talk you out of it but you ignored me! No surprise there, huh? You always ignore me."

She planted a firm look on his face and continued with a steel voice. "You just put your badge on the table then walked to the bathroom and we didn't see you until the next day. The guys started bets on when you would remember about it."

Silence followed while all eyes turned on him. How could he leave his badge behind? That was unheard of, no self-respected cop would risk their badge on a bet.

"It was a safe bet. Whatever they can do I can do better."

Yunlan had spoken through gritted teeth. He had forgotten all about that. Even now, he could only recall vague images. He had definitely drunk too much, why did he accept to go out for this kind of meetings knowing very well that he would get so annoyed he would end up drinking to make it bearable?

He couldn't remember much of that night, but this was one thing he had no doubts on. He was damn sure he would have gotten his badge back, if a sudden pain added to all the alcohol hadn't turned his stomach upside down and his brain into a pulp.

"Who has it now?" he roared very quietly.

She smirked, then she opened the bottom drawer at her desk. Under his disbelieving eyes, she took the badge out and handed it to him.

"I guess I won. You didn't remember at all."

Her voice was lower now, but still very bitter. She had been tempted many times to give it back, but every time his cold behaviour towards her got the best of her.

She knew it had been wrong, but there was a pain in her heart that was easier to deal with if she turned it into anger.

Yunlan felt ashamed knowing that everyone at the station would now know that he had lost his badge so carelessly, and he furiously snatched it from her hand.

He wondered what would Wei think of him now, but he didn't have the time to say anything. Hong spoke again.

"Since you met this crazy guy you have lost your badge, you forgot about it and vanished for hours, then a child and fifteen people went missing!"

She turned to Wei. "Mock me all you want, but I say it all started with you."