I'll Tell You Every Day

"You can have me without the tea too!"     

Daiyu laughed before motioning for him to come inside her room. He then set the tray down before sitting on her bed.     

Daiyu sat beside him before pouring them both a cup of tea.     

When the calming hot liquid slid down her throat, she let out a huge sigh.     

"Feel better?" He asked and she nodded.     

Liu Jin placed his cup down before wrapping his arm around her waist. He brought her closer to him and gently kissed her forehead.     

"I'll go look for a better teacher for you. So don't go to that guy anymore, okay?"     

Daiyu nodded. She didn't want to see that man either.     

"If he ever bothers you when I'm not around, just turn around and walk away. Don't engage him in any sort of talks. A man like that is dangerous."     

Daiyu paused.     

"Do you know something I don't?" She asked.     

Liu Jin looked her in the eye.     

"I don't."     

"Jin, tell me." She urged.     

"I'm not lying. I really don't. But I have a bad feeling about him."     

Daiyu paused before nodding.     

"I believe you." She said as she rested her head on his chest.     

"Maybe he's a pedo."     

A vein started throbbing on Liu Jin's head.     

"Why are you here?!"     

"Why not?!" Zhihao said as he took Liu Jin's cup and drank his tea.     

Daiyu giggled.     

"Are you okay, Xiao Yu?" Zhihao asked.     

Daiyu paused.     

"What do you mean?"     

"The forums. There's someone there saying that your choir mentor is preying on you."     

Daiyu immediately faced Liu Jin, her brows furrowed in worry.     

"It's okay. I'll handle this." He said as he tried to calm her down but his left fist was clenched in anger.     

How did anyone know about what happened tonight? Everyone should have already left the academy.     

"Zhihao, stay here and accompany her."     

"Gotcha."     

"Jin…" Daiyu held onto his shirt as he stood up.     

"It's okay babe." He then kissed her forehead gently.     

"I'll be right back." With that, he left the room to look for Butler Tang.     

---     

The next day, Daiyu skipped school under the insistence of Liu Jin. And thankfully, she did. Right now, her mentor was throwing a fit in the principal's office, saying that Daiyu was defaming him on the online forums.     

Liu Jin predicted as much so he had asked Daiyu to stay home. He didn't want her to hear the lies that the man was spreading, more so the rumors now circulating at the academy.     

"Jin, have you heard? They're saying that Daiyu's causing up a ruckus just to gain attention." Zhihao said with a sigh.     

Liu Jin balled his fist but did not reply.     

"What's your plan?" Zhihao asked.     

"I don't have one for now."     

"Huh?!" Zhihao's eyes widened.     

"… I used my skill on that man. But I didn't understand what I saw. I asked Butler Tang to check it out for me."     

"What do you mean?"     

"My skill doesn't tell me directly what a person's fear is. It shows me images, like memories. As for that man… I saw some terrible things but I don't know what to make of them…"     

"… What did you see?"     

"… A child screaming in pain…"     

"Huh?!"     

"I don't know. It looks like… like he was hurting her."     

"… Fuck!!!"     

Liu Jin closed his eyes and sighed.     

When he first started doubting that man, he immediately used his skill on him. The image he saw, that of a screaming child, looked odd but he didn't think much of it. He just thought that maybe that guy had a bad trauma.     

However, last night, he used his skill again to have a clearer look. It was only then that he noticed that the child was not only screaming. She looked in pain, her arms bruised, and there were light strangulation marks around her neck. The image came from a first person point of view and it looked like the man was on top of her.     

He clenched his fist. He should have been more careful.     

"W-what are we gonna do?!" Zhihao panicked.     

"We'll keep Daiyu away from that creep. Meanwhile… let's hope Uncle Tang finds something."     

---     

After class, Zhihao and Liu Jin went over to the Wang Mansion to visit Daiyu. Just then, Butler Tang had also arrived home.     

"Jin." He called.     

Liu Jin turned his head. Ever since he returned from military school, Butler Tang had dropped the 'young master' title and started calling him by his name upon Daiyu's insistence.     

"Uncle Tang." He greeted back.     

The three of them then sat down in the living room and began to talk.     

"Here. Investigation files from eight years back." Butler Tang said as he handed Liu Jin a thick folder.     

"Investigation files???" Zhihao asked.     

"That man used to work as a music teacher for children. Eight years ago, he was accused of kidnapping one of his students, a child named Hao Mingxia. This is her."     

Butler Tang pushed a picture of the child towards Liu Jin.     

"Familiar?"     

Liu Jin looked at the photo and shook his head.     

"I can see similarities but the child I saw… is much older."     

"… Maybe she has grown."     

"Huh?" Zhihao looked at Butler Tang, confused.     

"That child has remained missing ever since. The last her mother saw of her was when she had left their home to attend practice with that man, Hou Bingwen."     

Lui Jin clenched his fist.     

"So until now, she's still with him…?"     

"… Fuck!" Zhihao's eyes widened in horror.     

"… We don't have evidence to hold him accountable." Butler Tang stated.     

"Can't the police just raid his house?!" Zhihao asked.     

"Not without a warrant. And we need evidence to get one." Liu Jin replied.     

"Then what do we do?! We need to help her!" Zhihao panicked.     

"Calm down. We don't know for sure that the child is still alive. Maybe… maybe we're already too late…"     

"Wha… what do you mean?"     

"Maybe that's why he's aiming for Xiao Yu." Liu Jin said bitterly.     

Butler Tang immediately turned his head to look at Liu Jin, his eyes widening.     

"Uncle Tang. Can we send Xiao Yu away for a while? At least, until this has been settled with." Liu Jin suggested.     

"That's not a problem. But I'm not sure how to convince Master Wang."     

"… Yi Jie's birthday is coming up. Why not have the old man visit her with Xiao Yu?"     

Butler Tang paused before nodding. Yi Jie was turning eighteen. It was a perfect time to plan a surprise visit for her.     

"Then I shall go ahead and plan accordingly."     

Liu Jin nodded.     

"How bout this psycho? What do we do???" Zhihao asked.     

"Zhihao… can we ask Bob for help? Maybe he knows someone who can look into this…"     

"Jin, let us not bother young master Bob any longer. He has turned over a new leaf." Butler Tang interrupted them.     

Liu Jin paused before nodding. He was right. It was selfish of him to even think about dragging Bob back into the underworld.     

"Can I ask Zhichen?" Zhihao suggested.     

"Huh?"     

"He's good with computer stuff. Maybe he can help us find something on the net."     

"Alright. Nothing to lose." Liu Jin nodded.     

"I shall continue my search as well. In the meantime, do be careful." Butler Tang said before standing up.     

When he had left, Liu Jin turned to face Zhihao.     

"Can you ask your brother to hack into the academy's CCTV cameras?"     

"Huh? Why?"     

"I want to know if someone's been watching Daiyu as she practiced. Then we can find out who started the rumors online."     

"Oh. Then let's spy on the music room camera too. Maybe we can dig up dirt on that Hou Bingwen creep." Zhihao suggested.     

"Good idea." Liu Jin nodded.     

---     

After their talk, Butler Tang went ahead and suggested the idea of visiting Yi Jie to the old man and Wang Jing immediately agreed. As such, Daiyu began preparing for her trip to America.     

While the two girls kept in contact with each other through letters, they have not seen each other since the time Yi Jie had left. As such, while Daiyu would miss a few days of class, she did not hesitate to agree to the visit.     

"Do you want me to get you anything while I'm there?" Daiyu asked Liu Jin who was lying down on her bed, watching her pack her bags.     

"I want new shoes."     

Daiyu giggled and nodded. She liked this honest side of him.     

"Do you think she'd like my gift? There was little time to prepare." She asked with a pout.     

"She'd love it… Actually, I'm not sure since I don't know her at all. But judging from the letters you've been exchanging, I'm sure she'll appreciate it."     

Daiyu smiled and looked at her gift. She had bought matching bracelets for both of them.     

"Jin, what's going to happen to my mentor?" She asked upon remembering.     

Liu Jin paused.     

"Xiao Yu… I think that man's a creep. While you're away, Uncle Tang and I will work hard to get him out of your life."     

"… Is it that serious?"     

"If our suspicions prove to be correct, it is."     

Daiyu paused.     

"Be careful."     

"I will." He nodded.     

Daiyu zipped up her bag before lying down beside him. She carefully wrapped an arm around his waist and gave his lips a light peck.     

"Whatever you do, no more getting hurt."     

Liu Jin smiled and kissed her.     

"What happens if I get hurt?"     

"I'll take care of you until you're better…" She said as she gently stroked his hair.     

"And then I'll jab you straight in the nut so don't even try." She glared.     

Liu Jin gulped.     

"Yes, boss."