Remember me...

4. Back to Beijing...

Zhan got off his train and the familiar place brought back memories that hit him hard. The place was exactly the same as before. Zhan even recognised the bench where he sat for hours and cried bitterly three years ago. He had stayed here and had hoped Yibo would come for him. Yibo had not. Yibo had been on the other end of the city in his house, getting engaged to someone else. Something had died inside Zhan that night. Loving and trusting someone too much was dangerous. He had done both with Wang Yibo. Given his everything to the man only to be abandoned at last. Yibo had not even apologised. "It has to be this way, Zhan. You have to leave." That's all. All the promises they had made to each other curled up together were washed away in a span of ten days. Yibo had told him to leave but Zhan had begged Yibo to not let him go. Cried and reminded Yibo of the things they had said to each other but the man didn't even bat an eye over the words. Zhan never knew his lover was a cold man. Yibo had walked away without saying anything and it hurt. Hurt that Zhan wasn't even worth a few words of goodbye to Wang Yibo. Being reminded of how he was treated in the past had Zhan questioning his decision. Why was he so hell-bent on punishing himself? He knew nothing good would come of this decision. He was only going to get hurt and this time, knowingly. Zhan almost turned back but then his legs froze. He couldn't leave. If only he didn't love Yibo more than himself, Zhan would've left Yibo in this condition. Zhan pinched the bridge of his nose and was about to walk towards the exit when he felt a man come up close behind him.

"Can I help you?", Zhan asked and the man handed him a black card with Haikuan's name and number on it. "Sir asked me to pick you up. He arranged a place for you to stay and asked me to drop you off there. He will see you in the evening." Zhan texted Haikuan telling him he could manage on his own and Haikuan responded immediately. "I know you can, Zhan. That place is close to our house. Let me do something for you. Please, just go there." The message was a plea and Zhan found himself agreeing to it. Zhan nodded at the man before him and followed him to the hotel silently. He passed the streets he had walked through once and turned his eyes back to his phone, texting Jiyang that he had reached. The man told him to take care of himself and not to worry about anything. Said he would take care of everything behind him and Zhan was thankful. The man who had come to receive him was named Ying Pei and he assured Zhan that Haikuan would come see him and told him to just call the front desk if need be. Zhan thanked the man and walked into the room eyeing the luxurious suite with wide eyes. "Kuan-ge, you went overboard." Sighing, Zhan crawled on the bed and lay down, catching up on the sleep he couldn't get last night.

"Yibo, I need to go out. Let Shuang know if you want anything." Haikuan fixed the collar of his shirt and Yibo raised a brow. "A date?", he asked and Haikuan shook his head. "I will come soon." Haikuan grabbed his keys and walked away smiling not noticing the frown Yibo had on his face as he left. Yibo grabbed his phone and decided to go to his nightclub to get some work done. It was better to stay there and be productive rather than being bored in the house.
Haikuan reached the hotel at seven and knocked on Zhan's door. The door opened and Kuan smiled seeing Zhan. "Were you sleeping?", he questioned taking in Zhan's messed up hair and crumpled shirt. "I didn't sleep much last night",the man said softly and invited Haikuan in. "Do you need anything more? Are you comfortable here?", Haikuan asked and Zhan laughed. "You could have booked me a smaller place, ge. You can fit three of my houses here. It's too much." Haikuan smiled seeing Zhan laugh. "Thank you for coming, Zhan." "It's him. There is no way I wouldn't have come."
Haikuan nodded at Zhan and patted the younger's head. "You've become more handsome and mature over the years." Zhan smiled again and Haikuan couldn't stop himself. "Gege has missed you, Zhan." "I missed you too", Zhan responded and Haikuan looked away seeing Zhan's misty eyes. "Is he home?", Zhan enquired, clearing his throat and Haikuan nodded. "Ying Pei will follow you around. If you need anything, just tell him." "I won't run away, Kuan-ge",Zhan teased but Kuan's face turned grim. "It's for your protection, Zhan.  The one thing the last year has taught me is that I need to watch over the people I care about. Ying Pei has been with me for ten years. He will keep an eye on you from afar. Have you thought of how you will approach Yibo?" The words had Zhan stiffening immediately but Zhan forcibly relaxed his body. "I can't just go there and say hello to him. I was thinking of bumping into him somewhere. I still don't think he will remember me." "We have to try",was all Haikuan said and Zhan nodded. "I have something for you", saying this Haikuan took out a set of papers from his bag and handed them to Zhan. Zhan frowned seeing the papers and his eyes widened as he read through its contents. "You are giving the shares back?", Zhan asked with a lump in his throat and Haikuan nodded. "Uncle wronged them. I got complete control over the company last year. I wanted to return what was theirs as soon as possible." "Is this a bribe, Kuan-ge?",Zhan asked in a hollow tone and Haikuan shook his head.

"I wouldn't stoop that low and put a price tag over your care and love for my brother. I am doing what I should have. I couldn't do much back then. This is me atoning for my sins. I have fixed a meeting with Xuan Lu and I plan to give everything that was taken away from your family. Do you want to meet her?" Zhan's eyes welled up at the mention of his sister and he nodded. God knew he did. He just wasn't sure if he was strong enough to ask for her forgiveness. The two brothers talked for an hour catching up. Zhan asked Haikuan about his life and answered Haikuan's questions about his shop. It was like the good old days. Haikuan had always considered Zhan a brother and seeing his younger brother talk about his shop and his future plans filled Haikuan with pride. No matter what challenges life threw Zhan's way, he always rose above them brighter than before. It was a quality Haikuan admired. This light was what Yibo needed in his life. His brother's life had been too dark and this ray of sunshine could pull him back from that darkness. The hour turned into two and Haikuan had laughed more in these hours than the last year. He hugged Zhan again and patted his head saying thank you. "Take care of yourself, Zhan. I will call you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything." Zhan nodded against his shoulder and Haikuan ruffled his hair before leaving.

Haikuan reached home late and the scene before his eyes had him freezing at the threshold. Yibo was hovering over a woman kissing the life out of her and Haikuan looked away. This was another habit Yibo had picked up after losing his memories. Picking up random woman and bringing them home. Yibo had always been someone who treated women with respect but his recent conquests complained of Yibo treating them unfairly and Haikuan had to clean up after Yibo. His brother was never a womanizer. He was a good, kind man but all of that was ripped away from him. Haikuan knew Yibo lost everything the day Zhan walked out of his life and there was a void in Yibo that he tried to fill with these  reckless deeds. Unfortunately, nothing but Zhan could take that place. Haikuan walked into the house and pulled Yibo away from the woman. "Yibo, take this to your room",he reasoned and Yibo lost his balance crashing into him. "Hey! You are back!",Yibo spoke and Haikuan supported his brother feeling a headache creeping up his temples. The woman who was drunk out of her mind called Yibo back but he didn't pay attention to her focused solely on his brother. "Where were you, Haikuan?", Yibo spoke smiling but there was a hint of something else in that voice. Anger? Suspicion? "I went to see a friend" ,supplied Haikuan and Yibo leaned towards him surprising Haikuan. Taking in a long breath, Yibo raised his brows and snuggled deeper into Haikuan's jacket. "What's that smell?", he rasped against Haikuan and Haikuan bunched the fabric in his hand taking a whiff. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for a foreign, faint scent on his jacket. His brows furrowed but then it hit him. Xiao Zhan. The name popped into Haikuan's head and his eyes widened when he realised what Yibo was talking about. "My friend. He hugged me. What about it?",Haikuan pressed hoping for something but Yibo curled his lips. "Tell him to buy something better. This smells awful", said Yibo breathing even deeper and Haikuan took the jacket off. He handed it to Yibo saying, "I will." He walked away and didn't turn around when Wang Yibo brought the jacket to his nose and buried his nose in it.
His lover for the night didn't like being disregarded and stood up, swaying due to the alcohol in her body and snatched the jacket away from Yibo. "Don't ignore me." She hissed at Yibo and a second later found herself sprawled on the couch. "Don't touch me." Yibo said icily and the change in him sobered her up. "Why are you being this way?",she whimpered but Yibo was done with her.  "Shuang!! Take this woman away." "You Asshole!" The woman screamed but Yibo didn't look back and walked to his room clutching the jacket in his hand. The faint pure scent was tainted by her floral perfume and Yibo didn't know why he was getting so angry over it. He threw the jacket on the table and glared at it. He took his phone out and called Haoxuan. "Find out who my brother met tonight."