Sunday morning was filled with lazy kisses and cuddling, just being together and finding a rare sort of peace in that.

Little did they know how precious it would be.

Wen Qing and Wen PoPo arrived at precisely ten in the morning.

Both A-Yuan and JingYi had finished with breakfast, and that reminded Wei Ying to ask Lan Zhan if he was "hungry". It was a benign, ordinary question, and Lan Zhan shook his head after checking.

The problem was, he didn't know when it was going to strike, like the last time, when his head had begun to ache all of a sudden. The good thing was, he knew what to look out for, now.

"Where are you going, Baba?" A-Yuan asked, just as they were getting ready to leave.

Wen PoPo was standing just behind him and JingYi, but Wei Ying recognised the look on his son's face. He came back with an apologetic smile.

"Sweetheart, I know today is Sunday...I know it's family day. But JieJie has got something to show us and it's really important." He crouches down, pulling A-Yuan into a hug.

A-Yuan's bottom lip came out.

Lan Zhan has to look away.

What is it about these boys and their pouts? Only, this is worse because A-Yuan is only six, and it's very real to him. He's upset, and he doesn't know how to deal with it.

"Is it about Baba?" A-Yuan asks then, and all the adults stare at him.

How he is that astute is inexplicable...

Wei Ying nods, hugging him again. A-Yuan plants a big kiss on his cheek and tries to smile.

"Me and JingYi will make something good for Baba." He says bravely.

JingYi comes along and holds his hand, smiling and wanting to make his friend feel better.

"PoPo can help! Let's go!"

Wen PoPo hurries after them with a wave.

Lan Zhan has already cooked their lunch and shown Wen PoPo where it is; she only has to heat it up for the three of them, in case Wei Ying and himself are late.

"We should go. The faster we get this over with, the faster you can get back." Wen Qing tells them.

Wei Ying nods, feeling dejected. This is the first time he's not at home with his son, on a Sunday.

Lan Zhan takes his hand and gives it a squeeze, pulling him closer to give him a kiss at his temple. They follow Wen Qing out.

"We're taking my car." She says curtly, unlocking it.

Lan Zhan folds himself in the back, his long legs slightly cramped. Wei Ying throws him a sympathetic glance before getting in the passenger seat next to Wen Qing.

"Listen up. It's a government facility, and security is tight. Today is Sunday so that's good; the regular security guys aren't on duty, and I can get you past the guards at the front. Once inside, you Do Not Talk. Only if I ask you a question, and then, try to limit to yes and no. Regulations demand everything is recorded, both audio and visual...except in a few limited places. Wen Rouhan has thrown enough money at it to ensure no mistakes are made." She drives in a ruthlessly efficient way, maintaining her directions while she navigates the quiet roads.

Sunday morning means most people are still in bed, and not out and about.

"Wen Rouhan?" Lan Zhan asks sharply. "The Press magnate?"

"The very same." Wen Qing throws him a look, despite the fact that she should be looking straight ahead. "What do you know about him?"

"Not much, except that he has two sons, one of whom was up for the Architect of the Year award. That's in two weeks, the awards ceremony."

"Oh, really?" Wei Ying turns around in his seat, looking back at him. "Architects...does that mean you and XiChen-Ge are nominated for that, too?"

Lan Zhan is immensely glad that his ears no longer betray him now, as he nods. But he cannot maintain eye contact with Wei Ying, because he's too embarrassed, so he looks down.

Unfortunately for him, Wei Ying has spent a lot of time watching his face for the slightest nuances to indicate what he's feeling. So he turns around instead and begins to Google Lan Zhan, letting out a loud squeal when he's successfully found him and his brother.

It also earns him a thump from a spooked Wen Qing, who is already stressed about where they're going, too focused on the road.

"Lan Zhan! Five award nominations!!! Oh my God! I'm in love with a celebrity!" His enthusiasm is no less curbed by being hit; on the contrary, he's even more excited. "And XiChen-Ge got two!! Wow!" He scrolls down some more. "The ceremony is being held in the Plaza...in downtown Denver. That's...like, really prestigious." He's suddenly quieter. Wei Ying turns around to look at Lan Zhan. "Are you going to go?"

"I don't know." Lan Zhan answers truthfully. "I was...before. It's important for our business...every year, it creates enough of a buzz to add significantly to our revenue." He sighs. "Brother will expect attendance...so will Uncle."

Wei Ying is sharp enough to hear resignation when he hears it, especially from his man. Maybe it's best to table the reasons why Lan Zhan doesn't want to go until they are alone, when they can talk about it properly, later.

"Did you go last year?" Wei Ying says, as they pull into the empty parking lot of a mall that hasn't opened yet.

"Mn. It was embarrassing." Lan Zhan admits.

"Why?" Wei Ying persists, even though Wen Qing is tapping her nails against the steering wheel.

"Brother's date was MingJue...I had to go with Uncle." He replies, as Wen Qing gets out of the car, slamming the door.

Wei Ying titters. "Poor you!" He's about to say more, but Wen Qing comes back.

She thrusts a plastic bag at both of them. "Get changed."

*********

Inside the bags, they find white, plastic disposable hazmat suits, the kind with the hoods. There are also plastic goggles, face masks and lanyards. Wei Ying's one says "Wen Li Pao" and Lan Zhan's reads "Wen Mu Xin".

Wen Qing is pacing outside and trying not to rush them.

The cramped conditions inside the car aren't helping, and neither Wei Ying nor Lan Zhan were expecting this, but they comply as fast as they can, putting the rustling plastic garments over their clothes.

Wei Ying taps on the glass to catch her attention, and she gets back in the car.

She scrutinises both and nods once, before putting the car into drive, and pulling out of there.

"Wen Rouhan has got his fingers in a lot of pies. We don't want to catch his attention. So, when we get inside, you're going to follow me to the labs, and you're not going to ask any questions. Am I clear?" She didn't wait for them to answer, either. "Do not look around, it will raise suspicion. Security inside the building is even tighter than the outside."

"Why are we going there, then? Can't you show us somewhere else?" Wei Ying whines.

She shoots him an irritated look.

"The Wen Institute of Hematology is world renowned. We have access to state-of-the-art technology and every day, our teams are making breakthroughs in the scientific world." It's almost as if she's quoting from a brochure.

"But...you're a doctor." Wei Ying states. He's looking at her as if seeing her for the first time.

Wen Qing pulls up to a huge building only just visible behind two sets of barricading bars, manned by two sets of three security guards, all armed. There is a twelve foot high wall surrounding it, preventing anyone without access from entering.

Wen Qing replies, "And while I work in the hospital, I also supervise research in specialised fields here. It also helps that Wen Rouhan is my Uncle."

************

Wei Ying is trying to get his head around that, and the fact that he's just had a man pull a gun on him.

Nerve-wracking is an understatement.

One guard checked their ID's, while another patrolled around the car. But it was the third guy who pulled out his gun and aimed it at Wei Ying. Lan Zhan tried not to freak out; he had to keep his mouth closed because when he saw the gun, and who it was pointing at, his instincts to protect Wei Ying were triggered and his canines were out.

Wen Qing slammed the door as she got out to argue with them; newbies were way too enthusiastic about following the rules, and she had to threaten them with reporting them to her uncle, before they reluctantly let them pass.

This was just at the ostentatious wall; a further two checks were carried out inside near the main building. All this despite Wen Qing's security clearance on her lanyard.

It was past eleven when they finally parked in her spot.

"Does it usually take this long?" Wei Ying murmurs as they exit the car.

"No. The normal ones know me...that's why I wanted to do this yesterday." She sighs, retrieving her briefcase from the trunk. "However, the building is mostly empty on a Sunday, therefore, less chances of being disturbed." She throws back her shoulders as Wei Ying adjusts his face mask. "Remember what I told you." Is the last thing she says, before striding ahead of them in her four inch heels.

Wen Qing is intimidating anyway, but at work? She's like another Boudicca.

Wei Ying resists the urge to grab Lan Zhan's hand as they meekly follow Wen Qing inside the darkened windows of the facility inside the facility, a huge foreboding structure clearly marked with a sign out front that says Research Laboratories.

They stare straight ahead, and follow Wen Qing, both glad of the anonymity provided by what they're wearing, shielding them from unfriendly eyes. Wei Ying thinks this is far worse than being supervised by Su She in a snit.

Even inside the elevator, when Wei Ying opens his mouth, Wen Qing clears her throat noisily, preventing him from actually talking.

It isn't safe.

There's yet another security station outside a room marked Level 6 Clearance. Here however, Wen Qing waves her lanyard and is immediately granted access.

"They're with me." She barks at the poor security guard, who cowers in her presence.

Wei Ying doesn't blame him. Wen Qing here, is a far cry from the JieJie that A-Yuan hugs whenever he sees her.

Inside, it still isn't safe. Wen Qing glances in the corner, and when Wei Ying surreptitiously looks, he sees the red blinking light of a security camera.

They are standing outside a glass wall, looking into a white laboratory. Wen Qing flicks a switch, and they see a fine mist released from the sprinklers in the ceiling.

Lan Zhan thinks it's some kind of sterilisation spray.

Then she opens the door to a narrow walkway with a closed door at the other end, and drains on the floor. That's the only warning they get as they are sprayed with the same sprinklers, the smell of acrid bleach stinging their noses, despite their masks. Even the goggles don't prevent their eyes from burning.

Wen Qing marches past singular tables with a vast array of assorted high-tech microscopes, all different and presumably to see different things. She goes straight to another section. Here, there's less security, and with a wave of her ID, they follow her into another lab.

There are two people already working here, one of whom is Wen Ning. Wei Ying recognises him from his build, because his is familiar and prominent. He doesn't recognise the smaller framed second person, and it's difficult to tell if they are a man or a woman.

No one speaks.

The only interaction is a slight tilt of Wen Qing's head as she walks past them, when she catches Wen Ning's eye. He waves enthusiastically because he's a sweet soul, and goes back to what he was doing. The second person stares back though, and it feels like more than a passing interest.

They don't say anything until they pass yet another locked door.

Wen Qing breathes a sigh of relief and smiles at them; that's how they know it's safe to speak freely now.

"Who's that, working next to A-Ning?" Wei Ying whispers, just in case. He doesn't want to get chewed out for making a mistake, this far in past all that security. He feels thoroughly sick of all the guards and endless checks, and wonders how Wen Qing endures all of that, on a daily basis.

"Mo XuanYu. He's a new hire, A-Ning's assistant." Wen Qing says, switching on several machines. She puts on a pair of disposable gloves, handing a pair each to the other two. Then she goes to a refrigerator and pulls out two petri dishes. They are covered, and she shakes them slightly.

Wei Ying watches as she places the red one under the microscope and grabs a pipette to syphon a few drops of the yellowish fluid into a test tube. She has to do this quickly, because the yellowish fluid quickly burns through the rubber. Luckily, some of it is already in the tube and she disposes of the rubber part quickly, throwing it into a metal container marked BIOHAZARD.

"Look!" She says, excitedly, waving them over.

They take turns to see what she wants them to see, but Wei Ying knows he will need further explanation.

Lan Zhan also looks equally puzzled.

"This is your blood." Wen Qing explains slowly. "And this came out of you." She looks at Lan Zhan.

"That's not helping." Wei Ying tells her. "Sometimes I think you forget we're not doctors. Explain like we're stupid, and we might get it." He gives Lan Zhan an apologetic look.

"Mn." Lan Zhan however, completely agrees. He comes over to hold Wei Ying's hand.

"Fine." Wen Qing tries not to roll her eyes. "So what do you know about blood?"

"It's red?" Wei Ying blurts out.

Wen Qing levels a withering look at him, and continues.

"Your blood, everyone's blood, is made up of liquid and solids. The liquid part is made up of water, salt and proteins. The solid part is made up of three things: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Bear in mind, I'm simplifying as much as possible." She cautions.

"With you so far." Wei Ying reassures her.

"Mn."

"Okay, so let's ignore the liquid part for now." She's visibly excited. "All three things of the solid part have very specific roles. The red blood cells contain haemoglobin, and their job is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the different parts of the body. The white blood cells fight infection. Their job is to find and identify parasites and destroy anything not friendly. Sometimes, they can produce an allergic reaction like sneezing, etc."

"And the platelets?" Lan Zhan asks. He's suddenly very interested.

"They contain megakaryocytes and help form blood clots, they stop bleeding and help wounds heal faster." Wen Qing replies, almost vibrating now.

Wei Ying shakes his head. "Still lost. What did we just see?" He glances at the microscope they just used.

"The venom from him, when injected into your blood, is actively helping the white blood cells. It's giving them a boost, so to speak." Wen Qing explains. "But that's not all. It's doing something else."

"What?" Wei Ying is almost scared to ask.

"I need more of your blood to find out."