Afterlife Department

Normal World.

"Xing-ge…" Hao Baiyun called before he opened his eyes. He saw that the other side of the bed is empty and cold. He bitterly smiled before he closed his eyes and a tear fell.

The door opened and Gu Xingfeng walked out half-naked. He's drying his hair with a towel. "You woke up?" he asked when he heard Hao Baiyun's voice.

Hao Baiyun's eyes snapped opened and he abruptly sat up on the bed. He sharply turned and was surprised to see Gu Xingfeng. "Gu… Xingfeng…" he muttered under his breath as he gaped at him.

Gu Xingfeng saw Hao Baiyun's surprised reaction and he found it cute.. To tease him, he walked towards him and leaned down to kiss him. "Good morning." He said and licked Hao Baiyun's lips. He was surprised to see Hao Baiyun's tears. "Xiao Yun. What's wrong – mm!" he exclaimed when Hao Baiyun suddenly wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back.

"Mnmm." Hao Baiyun moaned when Gu Xingfeng slipped his tongue inside his mouth and licked his tongue. "Haa… ha… Gu Xingfeng." He called as he catches his breath. His face is also flushed. "What… what did you just call me?" he asked. "Wah!" he exclaimed when Gu Xingfeng pushed him on the bed and locked him on both sides.

"Xiao Yun." Gu Xingfeng called as he stared at Hao Baiyun's face. "Did you feel it last night?" he asked.

"W-what?" Hao Baiyun asked, still dazed before his mind finally cleared. "That…" he said and took a deep breath. "Yes…" he answered and lowered his gaze. He felt Gu Xingfeng held him tight last night.

Gu Xingfeng caught his chin and raised his face for him to look at him. "Xiao Yun." He called. "I don't care what was that last night." He said.

Hao Baiyun's eyes widened before he teared up. As if Gu Xingfeng really liked him to hug him. He thought and bitterly smiled. He's disgusted with him. He hates him –

"But know that I like you." Gu Xingfeng said.

Hao Baiyun was stunned and he sharply turned to Gu Xingfeng. He saw him gently smiled before he tenderly kissed him. So soft compared to the kiss they shared earlier. Gu Xingfeng… he thought as he stared at Gu Xingfeng who was also staring at him. Then, he closed his eyes before he kissed him back.

S City Amusement Park.

(Trigger warning: non-con ahead)

Yi Bing looked at Huo Ling silently watching the children play in the merry-go-round while laughing with their mother or siblings. If Huo Ling was alive, he would've already given him a cotton candy or any snack. However, he is now dead and souls cannot touch solid things except if it is of nature's – like water and the leaves.

Suddenly, they heard a child loudly cry. "JIE JIE!!!" he screamed. The next thing they knew and they heard a loud noise of tires screeching followed by a car rushed like the speed of light and disappeared in the intersection. "JIE JIEEEEE!!!!" the child cried as he sat on the ground.

"What happened?!" some passersby asked.

"I saw a woman was taken into the car!"

"It happened so fast! I couldn't react!" they people said while the other visitors comforted the child and started to call the police.

Huo Ling gasped in shock. He turned to Yi Bing. "Did you see what happen?" he asked him.

Yi Bing shook his head. "I didn't notice." He answered as he looked at the child being comforted by the people. He was staring at Huo Ling earlier so he didn't notice the surrounding. Also - "Even if I did, I cannot interfere." He looked at Huo Ling. "Us grim reapers cannot interfere in life matters. Only death's." he explained.

Huo Ling's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!" he exclaimed. "But, I told Mo Shi before to make Hao Baiyun go home." He said and explained what happened to Yi Bing. "Isn't that interfering?" he asked.

"That's a trivial matter." Yi Bing answered.

Huo Ling froze when he realized what Yi Bing meant. "You mean to say…" he said and stared at him.

Yi Bing nodded. "Something big will happen and it's related to the child's sister." He answered.

Huo Ling gaped at him. "So, this is – " he said.

"Fate." Yi Bing answered as they walked towards the crowd.

"Child, hush, hush." A woman said as she patted the child's back.

"Jie jie…" the child cried for his sister.

"So it was his elder sister who was kidnapped…" someone from the back muttered.

"Lately, there has been kidnapping." Someone said.

"But, wasn't it the children who were being taken?" somebody asked.

They started to whisper while the child continued to cry. Not long after and the police finally arrived. They started to question the witnesses and the onlookers. A female police officer took the child to question him.

Yi Bing and Huo Ling stood on the side and watched. Suddenly, they heard someone screamed and a loud thud. They all turned and saw a phone lying on the ground and some voices was coming from it.

More and more people checked their phone and their face suddenly paled in fright.

"You bastards! Let go of me!" a female voice said.

"Ahahahaha…" the male voices laughed from the background. The next scene shaken them all since the woman in the video was tied up while she kept shouting. Then, her mouth was covered by a handkerchief while the men were slowly tearing her clothes.

They all immediately turned off their phones when the sex toys started to come into view. The voice of the woman shouting also disappeared. Then there was a deafening silence in the park.

"Jie jie…?" the child called when he recognized his elder sister's voice. "JIE JIE! Where's my jie jie? It was her, wasn't it? Where is she?" he asked as he grabbed the female police officer in front of him who was now crying as she looked at him full of pity. "Hey. Where is my jie jie? Why are you crying? Why aren't you answering me?" he asked and suddenly he choked in his sobs. "Jie jie… she was screaming… they hurt her, didn't they? Answer me!" he said as he pushed the female officer. The other police officers immediately pulled the child away from her.

"No… way…" Huo Ling muttered under his breath as he looked at the first phone that was dropped on the ground. The video was still playing but in a low volume. He saw various objects inserted on the woman's body including the men's organ. They also made her drink something. The next second and the woman's eyes started to become hazy and her face and body flushed red.

She was drugged, and it was highly potent since it immediately started to take effect.

Yi Bing saw Huo Ling's horrified expression and he snapped his fingers. The phone started to turn off. "Huo Ling." He called as he immediately raised his hand to cover Huo Ling's eyes. However, it was too late. He didn't know where to put his hands now. "Huo Ling." He can only call his name. Like in the previous world, he doesn't know how to comfort him. Thus, he did what he had done before.

He raised his arms and pulled Huo Ling towards him, then held him tight.

Huo Ling was startled and was pulled back from his thoughts when Yi Bing suddenly hugged him. "W-w-what are you doing?!" he asked in surprise. "Wait… you can touch me?!" he asked.

"I can if I will." Yi Bing answered before he let go of Huo Ling. Then, he stared at him. Huo Ling's soul is warm in contrast with his cold body – and cold soul.

"Oh…" Huo Ling muttered at a loss.

"We don't know what will happen to someone, but we only know that it is fated." Yi Bing said. "If we are ordered, then we will interfere. But since I wasn't ordered to, and you are my only assignment…" he explained.

Huo Ling fell silent. Yi Bing meant, he will act if it's related to him. He smiled when he suddenly felt warm. "Thanks." He told him.

Yi Bing felt the tip of his ears burned when he saw that familiar bright grin. "It's perfunctory." He answered. "You are my assignment." He explained.

Huo Ling giggled. An excuse or may not, he still feels happy since Yi Bing helped him. "You grim reapers don't act like one at all." He said.

"Why?" Yi Bing asked.

"Before, Mo Shi followed me and helped Hao Baiyun." Huo Ling said. "Now, you're comforting me." he said.

"… that's because you're my assignment." Yi Bing said and looked away. "The grim reapers' main task is to help the souls." He added to explain Mo Shi's actions.

Huo Ling started to laugh when he saw Yi Bing was averting his gaze. He's surprisingly shy. He thought and looked at Yi Bing. His eyes are shining because they're filled with amusement. "You're no grim reaper." He said and grinned. "You're an angel!" he told him.

Yi Bing froze and his pupils shrank when he heard the familiar words. He sharply turned to Huo Ling and saw he was giggling. Did he remember…? He thought and felt his soul was resonating. He was referring to the previous world where Huo Ling also told him the same words.