"Bye, bye," called Tan Bowen to the greeter, rushing Mei Meili out of Soulmate.
They headed off down the canal street. Mei Meili could barely walk, and the pair meandered slowly from side-to-side.
"Here Mei Meili," he said, crouching down. "We'll never make it at this rate. Hop on my back."
"Oh yes, hooray!" she cried, clapping with delight.
Suddenly agile as a gazelle, she leapt onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, clasping her hands across his chest.
He was acutely aware of the pillowy softness that was pressing against his back, and he groaned as his body was suffused with unnatural heat.
"Why do you trust me so much Mei Meili? I've told you; I am but a mere man…"
"No, you're not!" she cried merrily. "You're a horsie! Giddy up horsey! Faster, faster!"
She smacked his bottom.
"Nooo!" He shouted. "You mustn't do that! Naughty girl! If you do that again I'll put you down and you can make your own way home."
She pouted, threatening to cry.
"Mean horsey," she whimpered. "If you go faster, I won't do it again," she said coquettishly.
"You little demon. You'll be the bloody death of me, literally," he muttered, as he started to run with her on his back.
"Weeee," she yelled as they bumped along. "Go faster horsey!"
She contented herself with kicking his ribs to encourage him to run faster.
"Don't let her brothers kill me, don't let her brothers kill me," Tan Bowen chanted to himself in a little mantra, as he ran along the dark streets.
And it was this scene that Bai Li, who was out on night patrol with his men, came across.
They were on a wide street not far from the Mei mansion. His lieutenant Ju Rong, had noticed that his Commander had been paying particular attention to the Mei mansion's security of late.
Bai Li recognised Tan Bowen first. Then he saw who was perched up on his back. He raised his hand firmly for his troops to stop.
"Keep patrolling Ju Rong," he commanded. "Head towards the palace," he pointed in the opposite direction from the Mei mansion.
Ju Rong nodded his understanding.
"Let's go," he shouted to the men, leading them away.
"Bai Li!" called Tan Bowen in utter relief.
This man would be angry with him, but he wasn't her five brothers, and it was a reprieve to have someone to help him with the intractable problem of how to get her back inside the mansion in the state she was in.
Bai Li waited for his soldiers to move out of earshot before he approached the pair. Here were all of his suspicions about what Tan Bowen was up to, made concrete.
"Commander Bai!" Meili cried happily. "You're here too. All my friends have gathered. And my horsey," she added mischievously, patting Tan Bowen's hair fondly.
Bai Li raised his eyebrows at Tan Bowen and Tan Bowen shuddered at what he saw burning there.
"Errh. I took her to Soulmate for a meal and she tried alcohol for the first time," he said sheepishly.
"How much alcohol," said Bai Li, expressionlessly.
"Well, I only intended to let her have a sip, but she drank a whole cup. And then she managed to pour some from the jug straight into her mouth. I don't really know how much, but it was clearly a lot…"
Bai Li's face turned even more thunderous.
"Tan Bowen!" he stalked forward and menaced the man, who shrank back.
Meili, who had been listening with interest, her head cocked to one side, now cried out. "Don't hurt my horsey Bai Li, he's a good boy really."
"Is that so?" asked Bai Li. "I'm afraid we'll have to disagree there. He's a bad boy. A wicked one, actually."
"What have you been up to horsey? Bai Li says you're wicked."
"Yes, yes, I've been wicked. I'll abase myself fully later. Right now, Bai Li, I need your help getting her back into the mansion."
"I should just throw you to the Mei brothers and let them tear you apart," Bai Li was stoney-faced, white hot anger just below the surface.
"I considered that approach myself, but if I turn myself in to them, Mei Meili will be punished too, when she hasn't done anything wrong."
"No, don't punish me," she cried fearfully. "But I have done something wrong Tan Bowen? I snuck out of the house dressed as a man and I went to the Beautiful Fragrance House men's-only club with you, and I drank some wine, and I took off my shoes, and…"
Tan Bowen clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph," she kept yabbering her confessions under his hand.
"You took her to a brothel!" Bai Li snarled. He grabbed the man by the collar, shoving his face into Tan Bowen's. The only reason he didn't punch him in the face was because Mei Meili was on his back.
"Not a brothel Bai Li," Meili said, "a men's-only club. And I got thrown out by Madam Lu before we could go upstairs."
Bai Li relaxed slightly at that, letting go of Tan Bowen's robes.
"I'll deal with you later," he warned the man. "Right now, let's get her back to Manni."
"I couldn't agree more," Tan Bowen breathed a sigh of relief. "What's the plan?"
"You scale the walls and drop into her courtyard. Find Manni and get her to open the side entrance for us. I'll take Mei Meili around there and wait for you."
"Good, good," said Tan Bowen, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Maybe he would survive this night after all… He still might get out of this mess with his handsome face intact!
He bent and gently placed Meili back onto the cobbled road. She stood for a minute, then started to sway.
"Oh dear," she said, "everything's spinning like a pinwheel".
She grasped at the air as she tumbled backwards, and Bai Li caught her in his arms.
"Get out of here," he said to Tan Bowen in disgust.
"I'm going, I'm going," the man raced off into the dark like a bat out of hell.