Fateful Consequences: A Guardian Story

Shen Wei put back the cushion in his hands.  He had spent half an hour turning his hotel room inside out, but his cellphone was nowhere to be found.  He thought back to when he had seen it last.  It must have been just after Zhao Yunlan had called.  He had put it down on the table in the meeting room, but he couldn't remember picking it back up, and he hadn't been anywhere else other than his room, having skipped dinner that night.  He looked at his watch.  It was just after 11.40pm.  Chances were the hotel conference centre would be closed by now.  He would have to stop by first thing in the morning.  At least Yunlan was unlikely to call again before tomorrow.

A knock at the door made him look up.  He frowned.  It was a little late to have a visitor.  He opened it to find himself face to face with one of his graduates.

"Student Zhong, how can I help you?"

"Sorry to bother you so late, Professor Shen, but after everyone left the meeting room earlier, I found this.  I've been going around the group trying to figure out who it might belong to, and you're the last one."  He held out a cellphone, and Wei took it gratefully.

"Yes, that's mine.  Thank you so much for returning it."

He gave Zhong Yu a warm smile and looked down at the phone.  He pushed the button on the side, but the screen stayed blank.  That was odd. He had made sure it was fully charged after lunch.  He glanced up.  His student was still standing in front of him.

"Was there anything else?" he asked.

Zhong Yu's lips curved upwards in a predatory smile.  It was an expression Wei had never seen on the young man before, and it instantly made his hackles rise.  His grip on the door tightened but, before he could close it, a powerful force slammed into his body, driving him back into the room, as a strong hand came up to cover his mouth.

***

Lin Jing put the phone down.  When he had first called, over an hour ago, local police had agreed to send an armed response unit.  However, the hotel was miles away from the nearest station with officers licensed to carry weapons, and by the time they had processed his official request for assistance and mobilised, precious minutes had been lost.

He looked at the two pictures on the screen in front of him.  Now that they knew the truth, it was so obvious.  Zhong Yu's face was not dissimilar to that of his biological father, Wen Kai, the man he had murdered so brutally.  It was an attractive face.  Open.  Trustworthy.  The victims would never have suspected a thing until it was too late.

Lin Jing looked down at his watch.  Based on the update he had just received, the armed police weren't too far away, but they were unlikely to reach the professor before midnight.  It looked like Zhao Yunlan was Shen Wei's best hope.

***

Shen Wei flung open the door of his hotel room and turned left without a second thought.  He remembered the location of the emergency exit sign.

Breaking free of Zhong Yu had been down to luck and sheer desperation rather than any skill on his part.  The young man's hold on him had been like iron, but then he had already experienced that same strength back in the museum café all those days ago when he had burned his hand.

Fortunately, however, Wei had sensed an opportunity when the student had been temporarily distracted as he reached for something in his inside jacket pocket.  Wriggling like an eel, he had managed to work the hand holding his cellphone free of the other man's grip and bring the edge of the device down sharply on Zhong Yu's temple, missing his left eye by millimetres.

It wasn't enough to cause serious injury, but it was sufficient to disorientate his attacker for a moment, giving the professor the opportunity to make it to the door.