Winter Wind (YiZhan)

40. Sting

Xiao Zhan wonders if he was wrong.

Perhaps he should have still mentioned what had happened to Yibo when he had called the previous night, but Yibo had been too tired.

But now that his outburst at his manager is now circulating, Xiao Zhan wonders if it would still have been best either way for the notice to have come from him the previous evening.

There is a knock on his door, and this immediately pulls him out from his mind.

He almost doesn't want to respond to it, knowing now that Nini going out of her way to get in touch with him rather than just waiting for him to return, cannot mean anything good.

He sighs, takes one last look at their chat room and then rises to his feet.

"What is it?" he asks the moment he opens the door.

Her gaze is filled with worry. "I think we need to release a statement."

"Why?" he asks. "Now?"

She gives a brief glance at the lawyers, and then she turns to head back to the table.

Xiao Zhan goes with her and soon they are taking their seats.

"People dug up some more photos," she says and at this, his chest contracts once again.

"What photos?"

"There are three. The first one is of Yibo in Shamian about two months ago. Do you remember? He was spotted at a grocery store and I sent you a message asking if he had come there to see you?"

She pauses then, something akin to a question in her gaze.

"Are you asking if he was there to see me?" Xiao Zhan asks, and she nods in response.

"He was," he replies. "But what does this have to do with anything?"

"There's a theory that's going around. The second photo is of you arriving at Shamian after your audition in Beijing, and then there is the video of your...um, your reactionat the airport. When you were furious?"

"Okay. And?"

"So they connected the dots and the news now is that you both have actually been on bad terms for months. That Yibo came to see you in Shamian as a good friend, and mentioned the script to you. But because you liked it you then immediately went to Beijing behind his back to lobby for it, and then Yibo found out. You both had a fight and that was why you were so out of control at the airport."

"They're saying that since then you both haven't spoken to each other, and since you were successful with stealing the role from him you have been busy with filming. Plus Yibo didn't want to see you. But then yesterday, he finally agreed to speak to you so you found the time off from set and quickly rushed to Beijing. They're saying that because Yibo is so benevolent, he forgave you but then his manager was upset and felt too sorry for him. Because he works so hard and yet people keep taking advantage of him, and because he is so kind he keeps letting them. She couldn't stand it so she was the one that opened the Windfox account yesterday and posted the 'evidence' that you indeed lobbied for the role."

Xiao Zhan's headache intensifies so much that he cannot even respond. He just stares at her.

"Oh yeah, the third photo. It's of Yibo on a motorcycle yesterday in Yuelu. He was with Luo Jin as they filmed the day day up episode."

This time around he can't stop himself from groaning. "And what does that have to do with this?"

He sounds so bitter that the room goes silence fora little while before Nini speaks again.