Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this next chapter :)

Beta & Co-author: jeangirlmy

- Chapter Start -

"Hey Pang Zi," Wu Xie says in a low voice. "Take a look at Jiang ZiSuan."

Pang Zi obliges, looking over at where he and Jia KeZi are supporting Li JiaLe. When he sees Jiang ZiSuan's arm around Li JiaLe's waist, his eyebrows shoot up so fast that Wu Xie grins.

"Now that's a sight I never thought I'd see, Tianzhen."

"I know, right? He likes to hide that caring side of him."

"Huh. Too well if you ask me."

"Not as well as A-Ning used to. After all, he did save Xiao Bai, Liu Sang and those two at Thunder City."

Pang Zi squints at him.

"So you think we can trust him now?"

Wu Xie's grin widens.

"I know we can."

- o -

After a hot shower, Jiang ZiSuan makes his way to Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe's room. Unlike their usual accommodations, these are larger and twin sharing. Leaning against the open door, he watches in fond amusement as Jia KeZi towels Li JiaLe's hair dry. Or attempts to since Li JiaLe keeps pushing his hands away.

"Stop fussing. I'm fine."

Smiling, Jia KeZi loops the towel around Li JiaLe's neck and looks over at Jiang ZiSuan.

"Why're you standing there? Come sit down."

Jiang ZiSuan pushes off from the door and goes to sit beside Li JiaLe on the bed. Jia KeZi sits on the other one, facing them.

While none of them are injured by the bronze shrapnel from the exploding coffin, Jiang ZiSuan and Li JiaLe's arms and legs sport purpling bruises left by those snake-like creatures. Huo DaoFu assured them that the marks will fade in a few days before going off to check on the others.

"Thanks. You saved me again." Li JiaLe nudges Jiang ZiSuan's shoulder with his own.

"Don't mention it. How do you feel?"

"Much better." Li JiaLe turns to face him. There's more colour in his face now and the swelling on his lips has lessened. "If you hadn't pulled that thing away, it would've gone inside me." He swallows. "I mean it - thank you."

"It's fine." Jiang ZiSuan resists the urge to squirm. He's not used to being thanked, let alone twice. "KeZi, what did you want to tell us earlier?"

It's an abrupt change of subject, but Jia KeZi doesn't call him out on it.

"I heard Pang Zi calling Xie YuChen 'Tianzhen' at Ganyang section."

"He did? Wait, he's Wu Xie?" Li JiaLe asks. "No wonder he seems familiar."

"You should know. You held a grudge against him for a month when he first worked here," Jia KeZi teases him and gets a glare in return.

"He tasered me. Twice! And stole my uniform," Li JiaLe argues.

"He had me tasered too, in Tianlin Hotel," Jiang ZiSuan says shortly. "He also stole my clothes to impersonate me so he could enter my room."

Jia KeZi exchanges a guilty look with Li JiaLe.

"What?"

"It... wasn't Wu Xie who stripped you that time," Li JiaLe admits.

Jiang ZiSuan frowns.

"Pang Zi?"

He gets a shake of the head.

"Huo DaoFu?"

"Nope," Huo DaoFu says, stepping inside the room.

Then who - Jiang ZSuan blanches when he recalls that Bai HaoTian was there too. Surely not! Then he sees Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe trying very hard not to look at him and almost rolls his eyes.

"At least you left my underclothes on," he says, striving to look as deadpan as possible, one eyebrow raised.

Huo DaoFu turns aside with a polite cough while Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe both turn red. Jiang ZiSuan exhales and lets the matter drop. He hadn't pulled his punches when he fought them that time.

"Forget it," he says. "Of course Wu Xie would want to be here. He just forgot to tell us."

Li JiaLe and Jia KeZi nod, looking relieved.

"He also mentioned something about going undercover while we were at Wusanju yesterday," Jia KeZi says. "I don't think the others know either apart from Pang Zi and Director Bai. Unless Liu Sang also overheard something?"

"Overheard what?" Huo DaoFu looks between them.

"Xie YuChen is Wu Xie in disguise," Jiang ZiSuan tells him.

"He is?" Huo DaoFu stares at him, eyes widening behind his glasses. Then he frowns, the corners of his lips turning down. "And he didn't tell us? After all I - we - did for him?"

In the face of his mounting annoyance, Jiang ZiSuan finds his own one fading away. Just then, Liu Sang taps on the open door and sticks his head in.

"Huo DaoFu, that sea woman wants a word with you," he says and ducks out. Then he sticks his head in again. "By the way, I do know. I just didn't tell anyone."

With a smirk at Jia KeZi, he ducks back out.

"Just ignore him," Huo DaoFu tells an embarrassed Jia KeZi and turns to Jiang ZiSuan. "We're roommates again by the way."

"Fine with me since you don't snore," Jiang ZiSuan replies.

"And if I do?"

"Then I'll room with HongHong," Jiang ZiSuan says without missing a beat.

Shaking his head, Huo DaoFu leaves the room, trying and failing to hide a smile.

- o -

Later that evening, Jiang ZiSuan, Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe make their way to the canteen for dinner. Xie YuChen, Huo DaoFu, Pang Zi and HongHong are seated at a corner table.

It's disconcerting, seeing Xie YuChen smiling at them in greeting and knowing it's Wu Xie behind it. Jiang ZiSuan wants to glare at him just on principle alone.

"Those two are in their early twenties! How can they prefer sleeping over eating?" Pang Zi asks HongHong. "Pang Ye is forty and still very much wide awake! Hungry too, but that's beside the point."

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I saw," HongHong protests, on the defensive.

"What happened?" Jiang ZiSuan asks.

"I went to tell Liu Sang and Kan Jian that it's time for dinner, but they're both sleeping soundly," HongHong says sulkily. "Pang Zi makes it sound like it's my fault."

"I didn't-"

"It's alright, Pang Zi," Xie YuChen cuts in with a quick smile. "Let them sleep. I'll check up on them after dinner."

- o -

A few hours later...

If anyone had told Jiang ZiSuan that he'd willingly spend a night in Wu Xie's company, he'd think they were crazy.

Yet here he is in Wu Xie and Pang Zi's room at one in the morning, only instead of doing anything inconceivable, he's sitting at the desk, keeping an eye on the open laptop in front of him and cracking groundnut shells between his teeth.

Over the next two hours, he learns that Wu Xie is a quiet sleeper, Pang Zi isn't, and that these two are mad to leave themselves so vulnerable in his presence.

Have they already forgotten that just six weeks ago he was hellbent on killing Wu Xie?

He steals another glance over his shoulder at the two figures sleeping in their respective beds; Wu Xie sans mask and on his side, Pang Zi flat on his back. Shaking his head, Jiang ZiSuan turns back to the laptop which shows HongHong's room. The man went to bed an hour ago and hasn't moved since then. He'll likely remain like that until morning and Jiang ZiSuan will have lost three hours of sleep for nothing.

It's his fault for agreeing to help in the first place. He'd been about to go to bed when someone knocked on his door. He thought it was Huo DaoFu who'd gone to help out at the hospital wing - and voluntarily too - but it wasn't.

"Jiang ZiSuan, sorry to disturb you so late," Xie YuChen - Wu Xie - says with a charming smile.

Jiang ZiSuan nods.

"What's up?"

"HongHong is behaving suspiciously and we want to keep an eye on him," Pang Zi says. "We installed a CCTV in his room" - Jiang ZiSuan's eyebrows go up - "hey, it's for his own good! We just want to make sure he doesn't do anything to hurt himself."

"Do you think you can take turns keeping watch with us?" Xie YuChen asks.

Jiang ZiSuan is too taken aback to come up with a reply.

"Huo DaoFu's busy in the hospital wing, but you could ask KeZi and JiaLe to help if you like," Xie YuChen suggests.

Jiang ZiSuan shakes his head.

"No need to disturb them. I've pulled all nighters before."

"Thanks. The three of us will take turns to keep watch."

"Just SuanSuan and I are enough, Tianzhen," Pang Zi tells him and winces when Xie YuChen gives him a sharp frown.

"SuanSuan?" Jiang ZiSuan echoes in disbelief.

Pang Zi gives him a jovial grin that's just a bit forced.

"What? It's cute and gives a certain warmth to your face," he tries to joke.

"No," Jiang ZiSuan tells him. "And you can drop the act, Wu Xie. We already know it's you behind that pretty mask."

"You know? How?" Wu Xie asks.

"KeZi heard Pang Zi call you Tianzhen earlier too. So he, JiaLe, Huo DaoFu and I know. Liu Sang knows as well."

"Ah. Right." Wu Xie gives a deprecating smile. "So, help us out?"

"Lead the way," Jiang ZiSuan tells him.

- o -

The next morning...

When Jiang ZiSuan and Huo DaoFu go to the canteen for breakfast, the others are already seated there except for HongHong.

"I can't believe Liu Sang is missing," Kan Jian says. "HongHong came to our room yesterday with two flasks of liquor and asked Liu Sang to drink a toast with him. Liu Sang doesn't like alcohol so he shared his with me. I fell asleep after that. When I woke up later, his bed was empty."

He looks so upset that Jia KeZi reaches out to pat his shoulder.

"We'll look for Jinx, don't worry," Pang Zi says. "Xie YuChen and I suspect HongHong's the one injured by the bronze shards. He's showing the same symptoms as the runner who dealt with the original cargo."

"What symptoms?" Huo DaoFu demands.

"Nervousness, skittish behaviour, head tipped to one side like there's something sitting on his shoulder. Oh, and he also drew a black shadow."

"He's also coming here right now and he's singing." Jia KeZi frowns and turns his head a little. "His heart is racing and it sounds oddly muffled. Like there's something blocking it?"

That sounds... strange.

Jiang ZiSuan gets to his feet. He shakes his head at Li JiaLe's enquiring look and moves away from the table.

"The pond was full, and the rain stopped~

Loaches is everywhere in the mud of the field~"

HongHong strides into the canteen singing loud and clear, arms swinging by his sides. He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. The others stop eating to stare at him in surprise.

"He doesn't look nervous to me," Huo DaoFu says, deadpan.

"I am waiting for you every day~

"Waiting for you to catches loaches with me!"

"HongHong, are you okay?" Pang Zi asks.

"My big brother, let's go catch the loaches together!"

HongHong stops in front of their table and looks around, grinning widely. Jiang ZiSuan starts making his way around the canteen slowly, skirting the walls.

"Guys!" HongHong raises his arms. "We've known each other for quite some time now. It's like fate. So there's something I want to tell you out of our bond."

He starts unbuttoning his camouflage long sleeved shirt.

"What're you doing, HongHong?" Pang Zi asks.

"It's very simple," HongHong continues. "I just hope everyone," he opens his shirt, "dies knowing what kills you."

Jiang ZiSuan can't see what's on display, but judging from the others shouting and scrambling away, it can't be good.

"Don't move!" HongHong shouts.

Everyone freezes. By now, Jiang ZiSuan is out of HongHong's sight so he continues inching around behind him.

"Calm down," Pang Zi tells everyone.

HongHong holds up a detonator in his right hand, thumb hovering over the red button. Jiang ZiSuan's heart lurches, his gaze snapping back to Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe's alarmed faces. Huo DaoFu is standing behind them, a restraining hand on each of their shoulders.

"HongHong!" Wu Xie, wearing Xie YuChen's face again, runs inside the canteen, holding out a hand towards him. "You can tell me if something happened to you. Don't act impulsively. Calm down."

His eyes go to Jiang ZiSuan and back to HongHong with no change in expression.

"Take it off," he tells HongHong.

"Back off!" HongHong snaps. Then, "Why are you here? I wanted to spare your life. I think you all look so afraid of death. Don't you think I'm afraid of death?"

He sounds tearful. Jiang ZiSuan takes a step closer to him.

"I know you must feel bad now," Pang Zi says. "Don't do anything stupid. You can tell us what's bothering you, right? There must be a way to solve it."

"I don't want to kill you," HongHong says, "but I can't control myself. I have to do this. Don't blame me. I'm apologising to you guys! Sorry!"

He dips forward in a low bow.

"No, it's okay," Pang Zi tells him. He glances at Wu Xie, making Jiang ZiSuan wonder if they plan to rush HongHong together. They wouldn't be in time, not with HongHong's thumb already on the button.

"It's okay," Wu Xie echoes. "HongHong, you-"

Jiang ZiSuan leaps forward, left arm going around HongHong's neck and right hand gripping his wrist, fingertips digging into the nerves until the detonator falls from HongHong's numb fingers. It clatters to the floor and skitters behind them.

"No!" HongHong throws himself after it, bringing both of them crashing to their knees.

"Hold still!" Jiang ZiSuan snarls. His left hand is twisted in HongHong's shirt, but the latter just wriggles out of it like an eel.

Dropping the shirt, Jiang ZiSuan flicks out the hidden knife in his belt. He decided to arm himself after Li JiaLe was attacked by the snake-like creatures last night. Slashing through the rope around HongHong's waist, Jiang ZiSuan flings the bomb behind him just as HongHong grabs the detonator.

"Bye bye!" HongHong screams and presses the red button.

The explosion that rips through the canteen seems to shake the very walls. White hot pain bites into Jiang ZiSuan's front and side as the shockwave sends him flying.

He lies on the ground, stunned, ears ringing and head throbbing. He's dimly aware of pained groans around him and the vibrations of approaching footsteps.

"ZiSuan!"

"Jiang ZiSuan!"

Hands grab at him and turn him over, giving him a moment of deja vu. Forcing open bleary eyes, he sees Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe's white faces staring down at him.

"I'm fine," he tries to say. Everywhere hurts, even when he breathes.

"That's what you think!" Li JiaLe says, looking like he wants to punch him.

"ZiSuan?" Jia KeZi pats his cheek, looking like he's in pain. Oh, right. His ears.

"Are you alright?" Jiang ZiSuan tries to ask, but again, his mouth refuses to obey him.

In the distance, he can hear voices shouting. Wu Xie's in particular, calling Pang Zi's name over and over. But Wu Xie isn't here. Xie Yuchen is.

Wait. Xie YuChen is Wu Xie.

Right?

Everything just hurts too much now. Jiang ZiSuan closes his eyes and lets himself fall into darkness.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading!

In Episode 24, HongHong became a suicide bomber and that was it. Tbh, he was a bit annoying, but PZ did strongarm him into this mission so we decided to save his hide as well. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter :)