Prologue
"Good afternoon, Professor Ning." A woman's voice came through the phone, "I know you're busy, but there's a student from the department of..." Her voice faded as she seemed to have pulled the phone away and a young man could be heard speaking vaguely. The woman's voice became clearer the next second, "..right, he's from the department of finance. He said he wants to meet you about a project, do you want me to let him through?"
Ning Yushen pushed the golden-framed glasses back up the bridge of his nose. A lit cigarette sat wedged between his slender fingers as he flipped through some papers on his desk. Hearing the woman's question, he reached over to the old school landline and picked up the handset. "Hi, Amanda. Good afternoon to you too. Please ask him what kind of a project a finance major needs to discuss with a physics professor?"
He put the handset aside but remembered to turn on the speaker. His attention went back to the thesis of a PhD student of his while the murmurs coming from the landline seemed to break the tranquillity of the office.
Amanda's clear voice came through the speaker, "Professor, he says he's been working with another student you seem to know, Miss Jenny Wang, on the, um... real-time price variation of financial intermediation in the morga-"
"Who did you say he's working with?" Ning Yushen had already picked up the handset, although the phone was on speaker. His expression was unusually serious, completely different from the previous relaxation.
"Uh... Jenny Wang." Amanda seemed to be taken aback by the urgency in his voice but still answered quickly.
"Send him in, please."
"Alright, Professor Ning." Amanda cut the call and flashed a trained smile towards the rather handsome-looking Chinese student, "You can go ahead. His office is on the second floor, third room to the right." She pointed towards the staircase with a well-manicured nail painted with a bright red nail polish.
The tall, well-built young man didn't bother giving her another look. With a black case in hand, he made his way upstairs. Dressed in a black, chic leather jacket and dark trousers, he fit the part of a broody teenager perfectly. Though he was not one.
The smile on Amanda's face froze. She rolled her eyes and slumped back in her swivel chair, muttering to herself, "You're welcome, asshole."
Ning Yushen was leaning against his desk, looking to be immersed in his thoughts. He snapped out of his daze when someone knocked on the door. "Come in."
A young man, looking to be about twenty-two, entered the room and their eyes met. He was quite tall, Ning Yushen noted carelessly. The hustle and bustle of life could be heard as soon as the door opened, breaking the peaceful atmosphere inside the room. Once the young man was inside, the door closed, restoring the room's tranquillity while isolating it from the outside. It was perfect for a private conversation.
"I didn't catch your name." Ning Yushen spoke first, trying to break the ice in the shortest time. He had more pressing questions to ask.
The boy didn't answer. He walked deeper into the room, as discourteous as if he owned the place. His dark eyes surveyed the room and a mocking smirk emerged on his face. "This is it?" His voice sounded unusually deep.
Ning Yushen blinked in surprise, "Pardon?"
He watched the young man approach with his arms folded over his chest, looking relaxed and approachable until the young man came to stand in front of him.
The young man, however, clearly did not seem to read his friendly body language. He looked down at him condescendingly, "Is this all you got, old man?"
The 'old' man who barely looked a day over 25, blinked in surprise again. "Excuse me?"
The young man ignored his response and spoke, "Considering all the times she cried after hearing your name, I thought you were either some poor bastard who'd died or..." his eyes scanned Ning Yushen grudgingly as if trying to find a flaw in his appearance, unfortunately, he wasn't in luck. "some rich and powerful bastard who broke her heart.
"Turns out you're much worse."
Ning Yushen still leaned against the mahogany desk with a brow quirked in amusement. He'd never seen such a daring student - he actually had the guts to enter a professor's office and talk about random things?
The young man continued without a care, his voice tinged with mockery, "Turns out you're just some nerd with a tiny office sitting around grading test papers."
Ning Yushen raised his eyebrows at the sheer absurdity of the situation. As an honorary professor at one of the premier institutions in the world, a Nobel prize nominee for his research achievements in physics at the young age of 31, he could not understand anything this young man was saying. This brat dared to tarnish the profession of teaching right in front of a professor?
Ning Yushen finally straightened up and pushed him away, ending the brat's ridiculous monologue. "First of all, tell me your name, kid."
The young man's mean expression broke, "I'm not a kid, don't think your insults would work against me."
Ning Yushen stood tall, his expression remained stern. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Perhaps the aura of a teacher finally had an effect. The young man stared at him as if trying to gauge his intent, before replying curtly. "Song Han."
"Alright, Mr. Song. Let me get this straight," Ning Yushen spoke, "I'm sure you're not here for whatever project you said it was. You keep talking about a woman and you believe I have somehow caused her distress, is that correct?"
Song Han remained silent but his glare remained undiminished.
Ning Yushen took it as a sign of agreement and continued, "Would it be... correct to assume this woman is Jenny Wang? Or Wang Baihe?"
Song Han's expression finally changed. He stepped even closer in an attempt to intimidate the older man, however, given the fact that Ning Yushen was taller, it did not work much. "Don't you dare say her name!"
"Who, Jenny Wang?" Ning Yushen asked, confused at the flow of their conversation.
"That's it, you're done!" Song Han's face darkened and he reached out to grab Ning Yushen's collar.
Ning Yushen had had enough. He grabbed the insolent brat's outstretched arm, turned it around and affixed it behind his back before pushing him face-down against the desk, earning a painful hiss from the younger man. "I've had enough of your disrespect, Mr. Song. Either you communicate like a civilised person or this situation can escalate enough to affect your academic record. Do you understand?"
Song Han's arm was painfully clamped behind his back and the pressure kept mounting on his shoulder. He tried to struggle free but the older man proved to be absurdly strong. He couldn't move an inch. His face was pressed painfully against the smooth mahogany table.
Song Han's face distorted hideously as he dropped the black case and freed his other hand before forcefully striking the man holding him. Unfortunately, being unable to see or even stand properly, his strike did not land. Instead, Ning Yushen grabbed the other arm as well and held him down while ensuring as much pain as possible. As a warning, of course.
"You don't know how to respect your elders, do you, Mr. Song? Looks like you want to get rusticated." Ning Yushen looked down at him sharply, his angled facial features appearing even sharper under the sunlight pouring in from the windows. "I can get you deported back to China in just fifteen minutes, Mr. Song. This institution is not a place you can just barge into and threaten a professor. You'd better cooperate."
Sweat trickled down Song Han's forehead, mostly cause of the pain. He panted, "Fuck you, you bastard!" He groaned in pain as Ning Yushen twisted his arm. "Fine, fine! We'll talk but you have to release me first!"
Ning Yushen eyed his expression coldly and let go.
Song Han slumped against the desk, then stood up staggeringly. Ning Yushen did not offer to help.
"Speak. Where is Wang Baihe?" Ning Yushen asked while folding his arms over his chest. His tall frame towered over the young man, showing no mercy at his rather miserable state.
Song Han did not speak immediately. He rubbed his shoulders to ease the pain and picked up the case lying on the floor. "Somewhere she doesn't want you to be." He ridiculed, "Ning Yushen, you like to pretend you're all prim and proper. What would everyone think if they came to know you're just a beast who likes taking advantage of his students?"
Ning Yushen's brows furrowed, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Song Han smirked at him as his eyes widened in excitement, "I'm saying that you're a rapist and a predator, you don't deserve anything you have. You take advantage of your position of authority by coercing female students into sleeping with you."
Ning Yushen's face had long since turned serious as Song Han kept speaking, "I think you've made a mistake, Mr. Song. I have never-"
Before he could speak further, Song Han lunged towards him. Ning Yushen immediately ducked and rushed towards the landline on the other side of his desk.
Song Han scowled in anger and followed after him, swiping the things lying on the table causing the room to be filled with sounds of chaos as everything fell.
"Song Han, have you gone mad?!" Ning Yushen shouted.
Song Han grabbed the back of Ning Yushen's light-brown dress shirt and yanked him back. He wound his arm around the older man's neck and tightened his chokehold, his face distorted with anger.
Ning Yushen's eyes widened. He grabbed the arm around his neck and pulled but that didn't seem to work. He struck his elbow with force but Song Han, being in the more advantageous position, grabbed him by the hair and repeatedly slammed his head against the desk. Ning Yushen's perception became disoriented with each hit. During the scuffle, his glasses fell and the lenses cracked after coming under their feet.
"I have gone mad? Me?" Song Han sneered, "Maybe, but who the fuck wouldn't? You dare to lay your hands on my woman, you dare to threaten me with that measly authority of yours, who gave you the courage?!" He seethed, "You'll deport me? You? Do you even fucking know who I am?"
Ning Yushen had been caught off guard before. He gathered strength in his limbs and as the brat raised his head after slamming it against the desk yet again, Ning Yushen turned around with astonishing force and pushed the crazy man away.
Song Han stumbled back, still breathing heavily from his outburst.
Ning Yushen immediately struck and punched that insolent face. Song Han let out a sound that sounded something like a mix of a groan and a moan - what mattered to Ning Yushen was that this bastard was in pain. His strikes did not stop until he'd straddled Song Han's prone figure on the messy floor. Each punch sent Song Han's face snapping in the other direction, blood, sweat and even tears were sent flying.
Ning Yushen eventually stopped, his chest heaving with exhaustion. The blood flowing from his head had turned him half-blind and he could already tell he had a concussion.
He'd never expected a normal day at the office would turn out to be his first encounter with a lunatic. He couldn't understand a word of their conversation from the beginning, then it turned into absurd accusations, and then a straight-up assault case. The rocky start should have been a sign.
Song Han found it hard to breathe properly but he still laughed. His teeth were covered in blood, and the area around his eyes had already started turning black but he still laughed facing the dishevelled Ning Yushen. "Now-Now-" he coughed hard, "Now you fit the part."
Ning Yushen looked down at him from above and slicked his hair back from covering his face, revealing gorgeous features. He licked his broken lip and tasted rust, "I've been meaning to ask this from the beginning, are you high?"
"What?" Song Han asked in a breathy voice.
"Are you high?" He repeated. "I have no idea what you've been saying from the beginning. I can understand this as a side effect of being high but if you're sober... then perhaps you have some problems up here." Ning Yushen tapped Song Han's forehead twice.
Song Han turned his face away, not letting the older man touch him. He glared at Ning Yushen again, "It's your fault for daring to lay your hands on my woman."
"Wang Baihe?" Ning Yushen questioned. "She's dating you?"
Song Han tried to smirk, but his face twitched in pain. "Yes. You might be her first love, but I am her boyfriend and the father of her chil-"
Ning Yushen punched him hard.
Song Han was taken aback and yelled, "Wha-"
Another punch struck his face.
"What did you say?" Ning Yushen grabbed him and lifted him by the collar until they were face to face, "You made her pregnant?"
Realising the reason for his anger, Song Han's grimace turned into a grin. He burst out into laughter and said, "Yes! She's going to give birth to my child!"
"You bastard!" Ning Yushen punched him again, "She's only twenty! You want to ruin her life?!"
Song Han's bloody grin never went down even though his face had long since swollen up to resemble a pig's. "I will marry her and she'll be the mistress of the Song Family, what else does she need?" He laughed, "You still want her after she's slept with another man? No, right? I don't understand why she still cries for you, you are no saint. I have given her everything she wants, everything you can never even dream of achieving, Ning Yushen."
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Ning Yushen was seething. He couldn't believe everything coming out of this lunatic's mouth, but the triumphant look on Song Han's face could very well mean he was proud of the reality he'd built for Wang Baihe.
Ning Yushen's fists were shaking, wanting to end this smiling lunatic's life. But getting to Wang Baihe was more important. "Where is she?"
Song Han lost his smile. He stared at Ning Yushen coldly, "Why do you want to meet her?"
"I will take care of her, she needs to get away from the likes of you." Ning Yushen answered. He stood up and pulled Song Han to stand up. "But first, you need to get behind bars."
Ning Yushen pushed him ahead, "Walk." He didn't care about Song Han any more and even ignored it when the younger man staggered and fell. He approached the landline and picked up the handset to make a call to the reception.
The reception's number was easy to remember and consisted of three digits - 001. Just when he was about to press the last digit, he felt cold metal touching his lower back.
Song Han's ragged breathing lingered in his ears as the younger man drew close. "Haven't you seen any movies? Never turn away from an enemy." He chuckled hoarsely, "Are you scared?"
Ning Yushen's finger hovered over the dial pad. The gun's muzzle dug into his skin. "No."
His eyes were darting around the room to find a way to counterattack or escape, but before that, it was important to stall for time.
Song Han laughed, "I knew you'd say that. The urge to be a hero even when your life is at stake, I can understand that feeling." The gun's muzzle dug deeper, making the older man bite his lower lip, "Disconnect that old piece of garbage right now, Professor. That phone."
Ning Yushen did as instructed and pulled out the wire. "You're young, Song Han. How old are you - 21, 22? You can't ruin your life like this, murder isn't worth it."
"Don't try to distract me with all that nonsense, I know what you're trying to do, Professor. Raise your hands." Song Han said, "You know, even if I shoot and kill you in public, nothing will happen to me."
Ning Yushen raised his arms. His eyes lingered on the paper cutter lying among other stationary items on the carpeted floor. He just needed an opportunity to grab hold of it. "Why?"
"Why? Well, of course, it's because I am the Song Han, Professor Ning." He continued, "Ah, I forgot, you've been living abroad for a long time. I guess you'll never know."
Ning Yushen's heart skipped a beat, he had a bad premonition. But before he could do anything, a searing pain cut through his consciousness making him buckle forward, falling right onto the small table with the landline. His brain went blank.
Another shot of pain exploded from his right shoulder, making him choke on nothing. He could hardly breathe as the pain took over his consciousness, his head became even heavier as he fell onto the floor.
What was that sound? He wondered, his thoughts completely stuck on a singular question. He couldn't think.
He gathered his diminishing strength to look back, feeble, as if his life hung by a thread.
Song Han's face came into view, standing with a gun in hand looking at him thoughtfully, "Professor, you're quite impressive. Two bullets couldn't take you out." He sounded impressed.
Fucking... bastard. Ning Yushen tried hard to keep his eyes open, but his eyelids seemed to have given up on him.
"I guess you gotta hit them in the head to end it quickly." Song Han thought out loud, "Watching them struggle sure turns boring fast."
He crouched down to observe Ning Yushen closely and their eyes met. The younger man smiled. "Isn't it quite poetic that the last person you'll see is me?" He reached over to push Ning Yushen back down, "Why are you trying to get up, Professor? You know, I gave you so many chances while talking. But you just had to get on my nerves."
The younger man sighed, "Ah, it's so boring." He stood up and pointed the muzzle on Ning Yushen's head, "Rest in peace, professor."
The third bullet was fired from the gun - ah, a silencer - Ning Yushen absentmindedly realised before all faded to black.
The room was in chaos with everything scattered on the floor. Even books from the bookshelf had fallen, perhaps they'd slammed against it during their scuffle.
Song Han observed the room, ignoring the dead man lying on the floor. He stepped over the dead man's legs and went around the table to pick up his black case. He dug out his phone from the pocket of his torn jacket and speed-dialled a number, "It's done, I ended up killing him. Come clean this place up and bring me a set of clean clothes. Ermenegildo."
He ended the call and wiped the corner of his bloody lips, "Bastard."
His dark eyes took a final look around the room where he'd made his first kill to protect his woman and their child till it came to settle on the table behind which lay that presumptuous love rival.
He chuckled, "What a pity."
--
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