Remember me...

11. I am worried about him..

"Zhan, you shouldn't go", said Yubin for the hundredth time and Zhan rolled his eyes like he had done every single time the suggestion was made. "I have already said yes to Kuan-ge and Cheng will be there, Binbin." "And so will that poisonous viper Haikuan calls 'uncle'. You know he will create a scene there, A-Zhan." Zhan turned to his friend and saw the frown lines marring Yubin's face in concern. Yubin was right. Wang Yi Lun didn't like him one bit and the man had been too vocal about that fact everytime they were in a room together. Zhan was no stranger to his hostile behavior and while Zhan wanted nothing more than giving the elder a piece of his mind, he had abstained from doing so for Wang Yibo. Yibo looked upto his uncle and Zhan also knew that Yibo's uncle loved both his nephews. The man had never married, had denied himself the simplest of pleasures because he had two children to take care of. He had given them a good life and never had he compromised over his nephews' well being. Yibo and Haikuan never forgot that fact and Yibo had expected the same from Zhan. "He just had a hard time coming to terms with Yibo's relationship, Yubin. I don't like him but I won't go there asking for trouble. I am going there as Haikuan's friend. Yibo is still engaged and his uncle won't mess with me this time. He won't risk Yibo's health." Zhan's voice was more confident than he felt and Yubin could see it. Yubin also saw how serious Zhan was about going. He expected nothing else after what Zhan had told him. "I know you are going because of Yibo. You are worried, Aren't you?",he asked and Zhan slumped on the sofa staring at the suit jacket placed carefully beside him. "He is hurting, Yubin. That night, the way his voice cracked as he said those things, I have never seen him that way before. I just...just want to see for myself that he is alright." It had been five days and Zhan had not heard a peep from Yibo. Zhan had a weird feeling in his gut ever since Yibo left his house. Zhan had stayed home and waited but there was no news from Yibo. It worried Zhan. Haikuan was being deliberately vague with his answers and as much as Zhan was going crazy, he knew he couldn't reach out to Yibo himself. Going to the party meant he could see Yibo and get the answers he wanted. "Fine. Go but make sure you stick close to Cheng." Zhan nodded at his friend's words giving him a small smile. He appreciated how his friends and family were trying to protect him. It was just that Zhan didn't want to be protected. Not from Yibo.

"The Wangs manage to make each party more lavish than the last", said Xuan Lu admiring the grandeur of the Wang mansion and both her brothers nodded their heads. The Wangs were a big name and their way of life was something many people wouldn't even dare to dream about. What amazed Zhan was how humble Wang Yibo and Wang Haikuan were despite of having so many people at their beck and call. Spending almost half a year with the Wangs, Zhan had found that both brothers enjoyed simple things in life. Both brothers might be the leading names in the country but they were grounded and it was a quality that Zhan had fallen in love with. Zhan entered the hall and looked around for Yibo from the corner of his eyes and his shoulders dropped when he didn't see him.  Zhan fixed the lapels of his jacket as he walked in and heads turned when Zhuocheng and Xiao Zhan passed a table. It wouldn't have been a big deal if  Xuan lu wasn't teasing them about it. "Everybody is looking at us. My brothers are so handsome." Cheng's face turned a faint shade of pink and Zhan laughed seeing it. It was only Xuan lu who could make Zhuocheng embarrassed like this. "A-Jie!", Cheng whined lowly and Zhan patted his back. "Shijie, you know how allergic Cheng is to compliments. You don't have to be polite and lie to him." Cheng glared at Zhan at his words and Zhan just for the sake of it, stuck his tongue out at his brother. They were two grown men in their twenties and attending a party that only selected people got to come to and yet, the two brothers were childish enough to tease each other and glare at one another. Xuan lu shook her head at their behavior, laughing but came to a sudden halt when she saw Cao Yuchen across the hall. "A-Jie?", Zhuocheng called her and she turned her eyes away giving him a small smile. "Are you okay?", Zhan asked scowling, finally noticing the bastard and Xuan Lu placed a hand on his chest to ease him. "I am fine. I was just startled." "We can leave right now if you are uncomfortable, Shijie", Zhan said seriously but she shook her head again. "It's fine, A-Zhan. Let's just enjoy ourselves." Both brothers heard her words but were not convinced. How could they after seeing the reason for their Shijie's sadness laughing mere feets away from them? The two brothers never liked Cao Yuchen and maybe it was because they always saw the ugliness beneath all that gold and glitter. The man was a snooty, obnoxious asshole who had abandoned Xuan Lu when she needed him the most. The young man had been engaged to their sister for an entire year when Wang Yi Lun deceived them into signing off the family shares. Left with nothing, Xuan Lu had needed the man to support her and the bastard had insulted her and thrown the ring at her face, cutting off all ties with her. It was never about the money, Xuan Lu had only needed her lover to stand by her but she had been called a series of names and left alone. Zhan had seen how terribly heartbroken Xuan Lu was. She used to break into heart wrenching cries when she looked at Yuchen's pictures but Zhan and Cheng had made sure to stay strong and support her. Xiao Zhan had even gone to the man to knock some sense into him but he had seen how little Yuchen cared for his Shijie. Her suffering, her love was worth nothing and Zhan and Cheng had decided that their sister was better off without Yuchen. They did nothing to hide their hate and anger towards the man and with the way the man was avoiding their eyes, they knew Yuchen had seen them.

"A-Jie, let's go", said Cheng leading her away and Zhan was right behind them when he heard Haikuan's voice. "A-Zhan. You came." Cheng nodded at Haikuan and both brothers communicated with their eyes thinking it was better to let their sister gather herself first. Cheng led Xuan Lu away and Zhan was engulfed in a hug. The warm welcome had Zhan smiling and he laughed over Haikuan's shoulder. "A very happy birthday, ge." "Thank you, Zhan. I was waiting for you. This means a lot to gege." Zhan merely smiled at the words and Kuan grabbed his hand. "Come on, there are people waiting to meet you." Zhan was dragged to a table where he saw a few familiar faces and a bright smile formed on his lips. "Xiao Zhan!!", exclaimed JiLi loudly, jumping at him and Zhan laughed seeing JiLi's older brother shooting daggers with his eyes as people turned to look at them. "You are still out to give Yi Zhou-ge a heart attack, JiLi." The man merely pulled back with a huffed laugh saying, "Everything riles him up. Ignore him. When Kuan-ge told me there was a surprise, it never came to my mind that it could be you. So happy to see you, Xiao Zhan." Zhan smiled at his words and pretty soon he was swarmed with questions from all directions. Where was he? What was he up to? Was he okay? He tried to answer every question directed his way because all of them came from a good place. These were the people who genuinely cared for him and Zhan had missed them. "It's good to have you back", said YiZhou and Zhan smiled. "It's good to be back, ge." "Enough of this, We have met after so long let's have a drink." At Haikuan's call, drinks were brought and pretty soon every one was nursing a drink, chatting like the old days. Zhan tried to keep up with the conversation and found out what everyone was doing these days. They were soon joined by Zhuocheng and a calm and collected Xuan Lu and Kuan greeted them with utter respect. Zhan never for even a second felt out of place. It was as if he had never left. Everyone talked about how things were great with him here and JiLi started rattling off his plans for a holiday with everyone.

A real smile was on Zhan's lips for most of the evening and he laughed along with his friends over silly things. It didn't escape his notice that everyone steered clear of anything related to Yibo and he knew it was Haikuan who was the reason for it. No one mentioned anything that would make him uneasy and despite of feeling Yibo's absence, Zhan was glad he had come to the party. It was a chance to rewrite a few parts of his story and as everyone welcomed him with open arms Zhan felt relieved that coming to Beijing wasn't a lost cause. He was laughing at JiLi's jokes when a sharp voice was heard from behind him and just like that the smile was wiped off his face. "Haikuan, Are you planning to spend the entire evening here? There are more important guests looking forward to meet you." Heads turned and Wang Yi Lun was found staring at Xiao Zhan, his eyes reflecting his displeasure loud and clear. "You have some explaining to do, nephew." That was all the man said before turning away and Zhan looked over to Haikuan who nodded his head at him. "Excuse me and Zhan for a moment, guys. We will be right back."