Winter Wind (YiZhan)

38. Fester

"Guilt for what?" he dares her to lay it out and she doesn't back down.

"Guilt for what his company did in March."

At this, Xiao Zhan's heart begins to race. "You want to be amongst the jury now? Casting blind judgements and assumptions?"

"Laoban," she shoots back. "With all due respect, you're the one who is making blind judgements and assumptions. If this was any other actor you would have considered all the possibilities, but because it is Wang Yibo you have been downright unwilling to dig into this as thoroughly as is needed."

Just then his phone begins to ring. He feels the vibration in his pocket as the soft tune fills the room, but he just keeps his gaze on Nini.

The thing is that he doesn't even realize that he is doing it until she calls out to him.

"Xiao Zhan,"

He blinks then and lowers his gaze. His phone.

He is almost reluctant to retrieve it since he is expecting that it is Wang Yibo, and he is not, he realizes, ready to speak to or even hear from him.

When inhaling and exhaling deeply does nothing to calm his nerves, he shakes his head and goes ahead to look at the screen.

It is not Yibo.

He is disappointed, he realizes, but the emotion is soon replaced by a deep sadness as he stares at his mother's name on the screen.

Now this is a call that he most definitely isn't ready to handle so he doesn't answer it.

He does however know that this is too cruel to her, especially if she has heard about all that has happened so far so he goes to his wechat, and instead sends a message.

"Ma, I'm in a meeting. I'll call you back soon."

Afterwards, he can't help but notice his chat room below with Yibo, and the fact that there are no new messages. He heads into it and presses down on the last one that he sent.

"What's my contact saved as on your phone?"

The recall function is no longer available which means that Yibo has already seen this message.

He exits the chat room and returns his attention to Nini.

"What if the rumors are indeed true that his company is involved in all of this? Then what? How do we get the needed proof to back up such an accusation?"

At this, her gaze finally falters. "You will have to ask Wang Yibo. He might truly not be involved, but it's hard for me to believe that he is completely oblivious and unaware of all of it. He saw the speculations and accusations then and he is seeing it now. Was he the one that just called?"

Xiao Zhan cannot help but grit his teeth. "I've told you that he's busy."

She sighs. "Aren't you just making excuses for him? No matter how busy he is there's no way that he hasn't heard of what's going on, and there's no way that he can't find the time to send a quick message to make sure that you're okay. Did you both part on bad terms this morning?"

"Nini," he growls in warning, although he isn't exactly sure of what he is warning her about.

Prying too deeply perhaps? Or voicing out the same grievances that he currently holds but doesn't want to yet acknowledge.

"Xiao Zhan, I'm not accusing Yibo, but his prolonged silence does make me suspect that guilt is what is keeping him away."

Xiao Zhan turns his gaze away from her, but Nini isn't done. "Ask him," she says. "If you're so confident in him then ask him. Once again this is your life that is at stake, amongst other things so you cannot afford to be complacent especially if it is on behalf of someone who doesn't deserve it."