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Zhang Shi leaves him in peace for the most part. Da Qing speaks to him for work related purposes and nothing else, and usually keeps his eyes firmly locked onto the wall over Zhang Shi’s shoulder whenever they have to interact. He hasn’t looked them man in the eyes since the first moment he took control of Zhao Yunlan’s body, and doesn’t think he’ll ever manage to again.
Lao Chu takes his orders and makes his reports, but there’s none of the snark he’d given Chief Zhao, none of the quiet respect that had marked their interactions toward the end. They’d have been friends now, if Zhao Yunlan had lived, Da Qing is certain of it. But he hadn’t, and they aren’t, and if Lao Chu feels anything when he looks at Zhang Shi, he doesn’t show it. Lin Jing can’t meet Zhang Shi’s eyes and stinks of guilt whenever they interact. The new recruits fall over themselves at first, then settle into a pattern of trust and respect.
Xiao Guo is respectful, but he lets Lao Chu do most of the reporting and keeps a careful distance from Zhang Shi whenever he politely can. When they have to interact, there’s always a hint of sadness in him. “My powers don’t stop working around him,” he told Da Qing once. “Everytime he comes too close, I get Chief Zhao’s last wish and. And it’s good!” he adds quickly, but his breath is shaking in his throat and his eyes are already bright with tears. “He was thinking of us, and of the people of Dixingren. He just wanted to protect everyone.” His smile drooped a little. “But he wanted to see Shen Wei again, beneath all of it. More than anything else, he wanted to see all of us again before he died. And he died alone.”
Lao Chu takes his orders and makes his reports, but there’s none of the snark he’d given Chief Zhao, none of the quiet respect that had marked their interactions toward the end. They’d have been friends now, if Zhao Yunlan had lived, Da Qing is certain of it. But he hadn’t, and they aren’t, and if Lao Chu feels anything when he looks at Zhang Shi, he doesn’t show it. Lin Jing can’t meet Zhang Shi’s eyes and stinks of guilt whenever they interact. The new recruits fall over themselves at first, then settle into a pattern of trust and respect.
Xiao Guo is respectful, but he lets Lao Chu do most of the reporting and keeps a careful distance from Zhang Shi whenever he politely can. When they have to interact, there’s always a hint of sadness in him. “My powers don’t stop working around him,” he told Da Qing once. “Everytime he comes too close, I get Chief Zhao’s last wish and. And it’s good!” he adds quickly, but his breath is shaking in his throat and his eyes are already bright with tears. “He was thinking of us, and of the people of Dixingren. He just wanted to protect everyone.” His smile drooped a little. “But he wanted to see Shen Wei again, beneath all of it. More than anything else, he wanted to see all of us again before he died. And he died alone.”
