THE CURVATURE

'Are you ready?' Shen Wei glanced at the tensed man who stands beside him.

'Mhm...' Zhao YunLan nodded firmly.

Shen Wei lifts his hand, concentrating his energy to unlock the enormous gate in front of him, and after a few moments, the gate is opened. 'Let's go...' Shen Wei said as he walks inside the portal.

'Lord Black Cloak...Lord of the Guardian...Welcome...' The Regent greeted them politely as always.

'We come here to ask you some question...' Shen Wei is not kicking around the bush, 'Do you already notice that Zhao YunLan comes from different space-time?'

The Regent looks startled by the question but then lowers his head, 'No, Sir...Too bad, I don't know any idea what do you talking about...'

'Are you sure about that?' Shen Wei asked, straightforwardly as usual.

'I am...' The Regent bows, 'As I said before that calling him Lord of the Guardian is because he is your partner...'

'His partner?' Zhao YunLan frowned, somehow the wording is unusual.

'I meant that...You are the new head of the new department...' The Regent corrected the word.

Zhao YunLan clenches shut his eyes in deep irritation, the Regent is indeed loved to make them run around the circle. That old man is already like that since a long time ago, suddenly Zhao YunLan halted as an idea comes up in his brain. 'Haaa, Shen Wei...Shen Wei...I don't think I'm right. It seems that the Regent doesn't know anything...' Zhao YunLan pats Shen Wei's shoulder.

'After you worked hard to convince me, now you just want to retreat?' Shen Wei asked incredulously.

'Well, he doesn't know anything...It can't be helped...' Zhao YunLan said, 'Besides, the Regent in the present time is very different from the Regent in my time...'

'What?' Shen Wei frowns so that the Regent, 'How can they be different?'

'Well...' Zhao YunLan lifts his both hands and points around with his palms, 'Can you see the tidy surroundings? The present Regent is a very diligent person...' Zhao YunLan praises the man, 'Very different from the Regent in my time...That man is very messy and clumsy...'

'Messy and clumsy?' Shen Wei frowned.

'Mhm...' Zhao YunLan nodded, 'You will never believe me but the Regent in my time is pushing all his work to the DiJun...That poor man is aging just in a few years since he worked as a DiJun...'

This time, Zhao YunLan could see that the Regent start to make a reaction although the man hide it very well. Shen Wei on the other hand does not make any 'too much' reaction, just frowns and glancing at the Regent as he is thinking.

'Trust me! That old man is very lazy...He even dared to reveal your secret...' Zhao YunLan state the matter-of-fact but Shen Wei is quite shocked.

'My secret!?' Shen Wei repeated, his face muscle is starting to crack makes the Regent nervous.

'Right...Do you know, as the Black Cloak Envoy you should pay attention to the HaiXing land? For that purpose, you mingled with HaiXing people and hide your real identity in the process...But that old man almost opens your secret, luckily you were there and everything could be kept under control...' Zhao YunLan exaggerated the story deliberately, 'And do you know what the worse?' He looks at Shen Wei seriously, 'He lost the DiJun booklet...' He whispered.

'What!?' This time, Shen Wei is enraged. 'DiJun booklet was lost!?'

'Yes!' Zhao YunLan points his finger, 'He lost it and too lazy to search for it...Finally, it was you and me who looked for the booklet. And do you know where did I find the booklet?' Zhao YunLan asked, glancing at the flustered Regent.

'Where?' Shen Wei asked.

'Burned in the corner of an alley...' Zhao YunLan provokes Shen Wei's anger.

'What do you say!? Burnt in the corner of an alley!?' Shen Wei is shouted.

'And-'

'Lord of the Guardian...Please, stop that...' The Regent quickly holds Zhao YunLan's words, 'Lord of the Guardian...Why do you make up the story?' He asked nervously.

'I don't make up the story...' Zhao YunLan pretends to confuse.

'But all that you just said is not what truly happened...' The Regent sounds panic, 'Lord Black Cloak...I don't ask you to disregard what Lord of the Guardian said but the story is not like that at all...' He is lowered his head.

'Do you want to say that you know the right story?' Shen Wei asked expressionlessly.

'Lord Black Cloak...The DiJun indeed has a lot of work but I was not the one who pushed those jobs to him. The DiJun himself was a hardworking person...' The Regent explained as he lowered his head, 'About the palace's messiness, it was not because of me but because we all live in the dark at that time, nobody can clean the old palace just like presently when we all live under the sun...And about the DiJun booklet, it was stolen by Ding Dun...'

'Ding Dun?' Shen Wei frowns.

'Lord Black Cloak...Ding Dun in the present time is indeed a good person but in another space-time, he was a criminal and he died in your hands because he hurt the lord of the guardian order....' The Regent is keep going with his story as he lowered his head.

'So you want to say that you tell the exact story?' Shen Wei asked.

'Yes...' The Regent replied.

'So you already know that this Zhao YunLan does not come from our space-time?' Shen Wei asked again.

'Yes...' The Regent replied but then halted, his eyes widened in panic as he just realize his stupidity. The Regent glances at Zhao YunLan only to find the man hiding his laughter, it seems Zhao YunLan told the fake story intentionally.

'So you want to say that you deliberately lie to me!?' Shen Wei is roared, even the palace is shaken by his power. Zhao YunLan gulps, although he already sees this coming he does not expect that Shen Wei will be this angry.

'My mistake...My mistake...' The Regent slapping his cheeks just like the old-time to Zhao YunLan dumbfound, 'Lord Black Cloak, I don't deliberately lie to you...'

'Then why did you say that you don't have an idea what we asked for!?' Shen Wei is refused to spare the old regent.

'That because I'm not sure that the Lord of the Guardian is still the same...' The Regent replied.

For Zhao YunLan the answer is understandable but Shen Wei is not someone who lets a single lie escape without punishment, 'No matter what do you think about him, you should tell me the truth when I'm asking you! Dare to lie to me, you should be prepared for the consequences...'

'Alright...Alright...' Zhao YunLan holds the furious man, somehow he understands why everyone is so afraid of Shen Wei. 'You can't blame him for being cautious...What he just said is not wrong-'

'Not wrong!?' Instead of understands, Shen Wei is shouted, cuts Zhao YunLan's word. 'He dares to make blatant lies in front of me, how can I trust him about another thing!?' Listen to the shout, Zhao YunLan is startled but after several moments, he snorts. 'What?' Shen Wei asked confusedly.

Zhao YunLan waves his hand, 'No, nothing...' He said amidst his laughs, 'It just...This such thing also happened in the past...'

'What?' Shen Wei frowns.

'Well...You scolded him this way too when he lost the DiJun booklet...' Zhao YunLan answers the confused face.

Shen Wei looks at the frightened regent who nods as he heard Zhao YunLan's answer, sighs softly. 'Alright, now tell me everything that I need to know...' Shen Wei's words' tone is softened.

'Yes...' The Regent is lowering his head.

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'So Zhao YunLan comes from a different space-time?' Shen YeZun asked. Spend some time snuggling with each other after the fiery intercourse, Zhao MingAn is decided to tell everything to his lover.

'Mhm...' Zhao MingAn nodded, 'He said, in his version of time, he doesn't have a brother...So, when the first time he saw me, he was shocked...' He muttered.

Shen YeZun lifts his eyes to look at the young man he leans on, Zhao MingAn looks so sad. Well, it can't be helped. Zhao MingAn grew up with an elder brother figure that he looks up to and lost the figure once. Now, the cruel fact hit him hard. The man that he thought of as an elder brother who finally returned, turned out to be 'someone else'.

Shen YeZun takes the young man's face to look at him, 'MingAn...Zhao YunLan, no matter the old him or the new him, I'm sure that they are both love you very much...Besides, no matter what happens, I will always be here with you...' He tried to cheer the sad Zhao MingAn.

Zhao MingAn looks at the man in his hug, his heart is warm for some reason. He pits their forehead softly, 'Professor Shen, no matter what happens in the future, please remember one thing...You are the most beautiful gift I receive in my whole life and I love you very much...' He said before kissing his lover's lips tenderly.

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'Honestly, I don't know idea how everything is started...' The Regent said soon after they moved to a closed chamber, 'I just remember that I went to sleep that night and in the following morning when I wake up, everything is already changed...'

'What do you mean by "changed"?' Shen Wei put down his teacup.

'The time is moved back as if has been reset...' The Regent lowers his head, 'I woke up as my young version, three months before the meteor hit HaiXing planet...'

'Then, what happened back there?' Zhao YunLan could care less about the food and drinks in front of him.

'There is nothing special happened but exactly a few weeks before the meteor hit our planet, HaiXing people representatives come to our realm along with the Yashou tribes' leaders...' The Regent shook his head, it seems that he can't comprehend many things as well.

'For what?' Zhao YunLan already has a picture of who the representatives of the HaiXing people the Regent talked about.

'For asking our help...' The Regent answered, 'They said that their talented astronomer found that there will be a huge meteor that hit our planet and they need DiXing people's power to help them stop the meteor from entering the HaiXing's atmosphere...'

'Is that even possible?' Zhao YunLan is confused, 'No matter how talented someone is, without any supporting technologies, how can that certain someone predict the exact time when a meteor hit our planet?'

'Lord of the Guardian...Every person's way of life tends to depend on their ability. For us, DiXing, we tend to use our power while HaiXing people tend to use their intelligence...About what you just said, I don't understand well...' The Regent replied.

'Then...What happened next?' Zhao YunLan decided to drop the topic.

'We choose several people who possess strong power and send them to the upper land, your ancestor is one of them...' The Regent said to Shen Wei, 'However, the tremendous meteor was too huge to handle. I was there at that time and I saw how our ancestors worked hard to repelled the meteor. With the help of the astronomer, our ancestors finally success to threw the meteor back to space...Thus the HaiXing people entrust our planet safety in our hands, DiXing people...' The Regent explained, 'That is how we can live in this peaceful time...'

'The astronomer...Who is he?' Zhao YunLan asked.

'We never know...' The Regent answered, 'Everyone was very concentrated on the problem in the heat of the moment...When the problem was resolved, the HaiXing people were busy accepting our presence in the upper land...Soon after, we found the door to another dimension. Our ancestors decided that we, DiXing people will stay in that dimension. As we were busy with everything, we never had a chance to know anything else...' He explained.

'Then...Do you know who the one that stays inside Zhao YunLan's physique these whole time in this version of time?' Shen Wei asked.

'I don't know...' The Regent is lowering his head once more, 'I'm sorry for can't help much, despite my long age, my knowledge is very limited...'

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'What happens?' Shen Wei asked. Several days passed since they visited the DiXing realm but Zhao YunLan seems to keep thinking about something.

Leans in the sofa at SID's headquarters, Zhao YunLan replies, 'I don't know why but I feel that many things in the Regent's story are kind of odd...'

Shen Wei sighs softly, 'To please you is indeed very difficult...'

'The mysterious astronomer is still bothering me...' Zhao YunLan keeps thinking, 'Who the h*ll is this person?'

'Then why don't you search inside HaiXing's world history record?' Shen Wei leans his head to his fist.

'I already have...I also asked Lin Jing, Sang Zan, Wang Zheng, and Zhu Hong to search for the astronomer but none of them can find who the person is up till now...' Zhao YunLan seems desperate. 'The head of the snake tribe indeed confirmed about the astronomer's existence but he doesn't know who the astronomer is...'

Shen Wei is lowering his gaze, 'Indeed it is so strange for the person with a huge role in the history for not recorded...Do you think-'

'The Blue Tree Meadow...' Zhao YunLan suddenly enlightens, 'Why don't we go and pay a visit to Madame Gwang?'

'Zhao YunLan...Are you seriously still have suspicion against her?' Shen Wei asked in discontent.

'I do not have suspicion against her...I just want to "ask some questions"...' Zhao YunLan replied meaningfully.

'Fine...' Shen Wei gives up, 'We'll pay a visit to her shortly...' He said makes Zhao YunLan smiles in relief. 'But tell me...Do I and YeZun exist in your version of time?' He asked.

'Of course...' Zhao YunLan replied firmly.

'Is that why you don't afraid of me?'

'Mhm...' Zhao YunLan nodded.

'Who am I in that space-time?'

'You are a bioengineering professor...' Zhao YunLan replied spontaneously.

'What?' Shen Wei frowned, 'Then YeZun?'

Zhao YunLan gulps as he heard the question, how should he answer this? Sighs a moment, Zhao YunLan says, 'Well...YeZun is your brother...What kind of person could he be? You know the answer to that the most...' He evaded the question.

Shen Wei lowered his gaze once more. Indeed, YeZun is his brother. What kind of person is he could be but the best. 'Then...What are we?'

Zhao YunLan freeze for a moment when he heard the question, 'Well...We are a very close friend...' Zhao YunLan said, hiding the real answer. However, he doesn't feel right to tell this man about their relationship in the past.

Shen Wei does not respond to the statement just stares at the man next to him carefully but then sighs softly as he says, 'I see...'

The curvature, the act of curving, the state of being curve. In geometry is the degree to which the curve deviates from a straight line, or a curved surface deviates from a plane. In social life, doing a maneuver is sometimes inevitable especially when one is not sure of what they will be facing in the future...

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Picture credit to researchgate.net