Remember me...

9. I will know him..

Haikuan was in middle of finishing his dinner when Yibo joined him. He wiped his mouth as he saw his brother fill his plate with things he liked. "I went to see you at your club today. You weren't there." He prompted but his brother simply shrugged, focusing on his food. It was funny how someone could sit right across you and still be miles out of reach. Haikuan felt the distance between him and Yibo increasing every single day and it hurt Kuan. They had been really close growing up and this was why the distance was so hard for Kuan to bear. Haikuan missed his brother. Missed their talks on the nights just like this one and missed being comfortable around his brother. These days, Kuan couldn't even say what he wanted to because he had no idea what that would make Yibo feel. His brother had changed completely, it was like he became an entirely different person and it made Haikuan doubt if he ever really knew his brother. 'You say your brother is behaving differently but you have to know that he is still Yibo, Mr. Wang. Maybe he was always this way and now that all of his reservations are gone, he is doing what he always wanted to do. His life is a blank sheet. His instincts are writing his story now.' These were the words Yibo's doctor had said to Haikuan and Kuan was slowly realising the truth in them. It was a brutal truth but Haikuan still believed he would get Yibo back one day. Until then, he had to protect Yibo.

"Yibo, you aren't getting involved in those things again, right?" Haikuan didn't know why he asked. Yibo had made it no secret that he wanted to hunt down the people who were responsible for his attack and the look Yibo had on his face right now, it was clear Yibo was still very much looking for answers. "You shouldn't ask questions you don't like answers to, Kuan-ge", said Yibo tonelessly and Haikuan sighed. "I have a right to know if you are doing something dangerous. Yibo, gege just wants to be there for you. Don't put yourself in danger. Please just...just think of me." Kuan was frustrated at the circumstances. All he wanted was to keep Yibo safe but Yibo was hell bent on chasing after a phantom. An uncomfortable silence fell upon them and Haikuan swallowed his food without really tasting it. Fortunately, breaking the silence his phone rang and seeing Zhan's name flashing on the screen he immediately picked up the phone. "Zhan...I was waiting for you to call", he said sneaking a look at Yibo and noticed how Yibo's spoon paused mid-air at the name. "Yingpei gave me the invite today. Ge...I don't think-" "It will mean the world to me, A-Zhan." Haikuan cut him off and heard Zhan sigh on the other end. "Ge, everyone will be there. We both know I won't be welcome there. I don't want you unhappy on your birthday." Haikuan heard the uncertainty in Zhan's voice and promised himself this would never happen again. "Just this one thing, A-Zhan. Please come. You trust me, right? I will fix everything." Haikuan knew Zhan would come. The man had a soft heart and Zhan would want to do this one thing thinking he couldn't do much for Haikuan. Haikuan wasn't proud of what he was doing but the thought of losing Yibo was far worse than wounding Xiao Zhan. Guess he was just as bad as his uncle. He was putting Zhan through misery but Haikuan saw how much Zhan still loved Yibo. It wasn't just his brother, even Xiao Zhan was incomplete without Yibo. Haikuan was going to help them and return their happiness back to them. He was going to make it clear to his uncle that he was serious. It was important that people knew what Haikuan intended to do. His uncle and Yifei needed to know what Zhan's place was in Yibo's life. He was going to give Zhan his respect back. "Say yes, Zhan. I will make sure you have a good time and Cheng will also be there. If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave." He heard the hum of agreement a few moments later and smiled. "Thank you. I will see you this week then. Take care, A-Zhan." He heard a faint "good night" from Zhan and disconnected the call. He resumed eating and surprisingly, heard Yibo's voice.

"I went to our company today. Uncle said he had some things to discuss." Haikuan raised his eyes to Yibo and a small knowing smile crept on his face. He realised what Yibo was doing. Offering him an olive branch because he wanted something in return. "That's good." He said and Yibo softly cleared his throat. "This Xiao Zhan, have I met him before?" Haikuan was expecting Yibo to ask about Zhan but masked his smile with a confused look on his face. "You said you met him in the club." "No, I mean before the attack." Haikuan looked at Yibo and if Haikuan didn't know his brother as well as he did, he might have let that look of indifference fool him. Yibo was trying to find a connection between him and Zhan and he wasn't being subtle about it. Not as subtle as he would like to be. It would be so easy to tell Yibo that Zhan was his everything but Haikuan stopped himself. There was a chance Yibo wouldn't believe him. He would think this was another attempt of Haikuan to remind him of his past and Yibo would push Zhan away. Just like he had pushed Yifei away. So, Haikuan did what he never thought he would. He lied to his brother. "You haven't met him. Zhan doesn't live here and I met Zhan because his elder brother is a friend of mine."

Yibo knew his brother was lying. That straight face and unblinking eyes belonged to a liar and Yibo could recognize that look from a mile away. But why? Why was everyone telling him that he didn't know Xiao Zhan? Why Yibo could know about everyone but Xiao Zhan? Yibo had seen so many faces after he woke up from a two month long coma. Met people who were saying that Yibo was dear to them and Zheng Yifei had even claimed that she was the love of his life. Yibo didn't believe it. He felt nothing for the woman. There was no sense of recognition and no familiarity when he touched her or even when he was around his family. All Yibo knew was that he was attacked and there was no one he could trust. For an entire year, Yibo had not been able to put his guard down. He had been guarded around everyone but all his defences cracked with a glimpse of Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan felt familiar. Yibo didn't remember his face or his voice but something in him knew that the other man was someone to him. Someone important. Yibo had relied only on his instincts this past year and while his gut told him to be wary of some people there was something primal in him that wanted to pull Zhan into his arms. This feeling couldn't be baseless. There had to be a reason. The way Zhan reacted the first time they met and the way he was so adamant at keeping Yibo at a distance only confirmed his suspicions. So why was he running from Yibo? Why was Haikuan lying to him?

"You said Zhan doesn't live here. Why did he come back?", was what he asked and Haikuan's eye brows furrowed. "His family lives here. He came to see them." "Not to meet you?", Yibo ground out through clenched teeth and Haikuan sighed out loud. "I told you Yibo, Zhan is a friend." Yibo clenched his fists under the table and pasted a look of indifference on his face. "Really? You don't have to lie to me, ge. I mean, clearly you guys are close. He doesn't look at you like a friend. I see something more when I see you guys together. You said I knew everything about you but feels like there are few things you hid from me. For an entire year, I have not heard of this name and now it seems as if he is all you can talk about." Yibo paid close attention to Kuan's features and saw his brother's eye twitch. "He is a friend, Yibo. He had left Beijing a few years ago and has recently come back. He is like my younger brother and I care about him. Don't think too much about this." The explanation was supposed to be enough but it still wasn't. "Maybe you should make new friends, Haikuan. Xiao Zhan wasn't here when you were struggling with taking care of me. He isn't a good friend or a caring younger brother." Yibo was a bastard for saying the things he did but he just wanted Kuan away from Zhan. The dark feeling in his gut was making him crazy. "Zhan is a good man, Yibo. He is better than all of us and you shouldn't talk about him this way. You don't know him."
Haikuan got up from his chair and walked away leaving Yibo with his thoughts and the anger he felt. He picked his phone and called Haoxuan, speaking in a curt tone and telling him to find out where Zhan lived. 'You don't know him.' The words echoed in his head and Yibo slammed his fist hard on the table. "I will know him, Haikuan and he will get to know the real me. I won't let you take him away from me."