-14- Chaser

Even three days later the dark blue Honda followed Zhan. Wherever he went, the car followed him. Again and again he had tried to catch a glimpse of the two passengers, there are two, he already knows that much. But unfortunately he did not manage to make out a familiar face.

To make sure it wasn't crazy Luna Li who was following him for whatever reason, Zhan checked her online appointment calendar. According to it she is currently in Rome for a modeling assignment and is not expected back until next week. To make sure Luna Li is really abroad, Yu Bin helped him. He called the model agency of Luna Li and asked them where she is currently located. And they confirmed that Luna Li has been abroad since a week. First Paris and now Rome.

Since Zhan could think of no one else who might be following him, Chuyue, with whom Zhan had spoken the night before, suggested something. He would follow Zhan and the dark blue Honda in his car. Zhan would lure his two pursuers into a quiet side street and then he and Chuyue would wedge the car between their two cars.

The plan was now in place and only needed to be implemented. But planning is something different than actually doing it. After all they both don't know who Zhan's pursuers are and if they could possibly be dangerous. At the same time, Zhan didn't want to be persecuted by them anymore. So he had to summon up all his courage and go through the plan with Chuyue.

And as soon as Zhan has got rid of his pursuers, he wants to go to his grandmother. She is still unreachable and even Zhan's parents are already worried. Never before had she been unreachable for so many days in a row. And if she did stay away for a longer time, she had at least informed the family.

When Chuyue came out of his room, he told Zhan that he was ready and that they could start their plan now. Zhan nodded, but immediately felt even more nervous than he already did. No one had ever followed him before and he had never been in a situation whose outcome was so uncertain. Would he perhaps be better off letting the police investigator know and letting him take care of the matter?

But probably the investigator would not help him either. He'll probably have more important things to do than finding out who's after Zhan. After all, they've only been following him and never tried anything else.

Nervously Zhan went to his car, sat down in it and started the engine and as soon as he had started driving his car, he saw the dark blue Honda again. Between the two cars was another car. But already at the next intersection the other car turned off and the Honda was right behind him again. And behind the Honda, Chuyue was driving.

Through their hands-free kits in their cars, Zhan and Chuyue talked to each other. Zhan received instructions on where to drive from Chuyue. They drove almost three-quarters of an hour across the city until they were just before an industrial area and Chuyue told Zhan to take the next left turn and stop there.

Zhan only had to drive five hundred meters, but it felt like miles to him. Sweat was pouring off his forehead and his hands were shaking. What if his pursuers are armed?

When Zhan stopped his car in the middle of the road, in a place where it was impossible to pass on either side, the dark blue Honda stopped too. And because Chuyue parked his car directly behind the Honda, the two passengers were trapped with their car. If they escaped at all, they could only escape on foot.

Zhan and Chuyue got out of their cars at the same time and walked towards the Honda. Chuyue on the passenger side and Zhan on the driver's side. His heart was racing like crazy and he was still not sure if this was really a good idea. Nevertheless his curiosity was greater and he finally wanted to know who had been following him for days and why.

Carefully Zhan knocked on the window on the driver's side and a visibly nervous young man, lowered the window and looked at Zhan anxiously. "Who are you, and why are you following me?" Asked Zhan as calmly as he could.

The driver answered and Zhan rolled his eyes. "Come on. You're not going to tell me you don't understand me, are you?" Zhan said to the young Korean.

"Alright. I'm sorry. We followed you. But only because we wanted to learn more about you." Said the Korean who introduced himself as Seungyoun. The passenger introduced himself as Wooseok. Wang Yibo's friends which Zhan had been trying to reach for days.

"We wanted to see if you were a trustworthy person." Explained Wooseok.

"And why? And how did you get the idea to know my trustworthiness by following me around in a car for days?" Zhan wanted to know.

"We know you are looking for Yibo. And we wanted to make sure you weren't one of the people who wanted to hurt him. And we' re looking for him too, and we were hoping if we followed you, that maybe we could find him." Seungyoun explained.

"Why didn't you just talk to Zhan? Then you would've known everything you wanted to know. And then you wouldn't have had to follow him." Chuyue replied.

Since Zhan didn't want to talk about Wang Yibo in the open street, he invited them to the flat share. He felt there were things that others might not listen to. Because even though they are close to the industrial area and there are only a few houses here and there, there are a lot of people walking around.

When they reached the apartment and they all sat down in the living room, Zhan started to tell the two Koreans what he knew. Starting with the bracelet he found, up to the motorcycle keys. "Well, and like I said, I keep in close contact with the family." Zhan finally said.

"You better not. Even if Yibo's big brother is really kind and wants to find Yibo, you shouldn't tell him anything more. Because everything he finds out, he tells his parents too." Explained Wooseok.

"And what's so bad about it if they find out?" Zhan asked confusedly. He got to know them as worried parents who just want their son back, or at least want to know what happened to him.

"Yibo's parents have been trying to get rid of him for a long time." Said Seungyoun in a very serious tone.

"What? What do you mean? Can you explain it to me?" Asked Zhan.

"Alright. When Yibo turned 15, he confessed to his parents that he is gay. His parents completely freaked out and even tried to kick him out. Hai Kuan prevented this and mediated between Yibo and his parents. And although his parents said they respected that Yibo liked men, they often showed him their true face, their rejection." Seungyoun explained.

"Yes, and soon after he confided in his parents, everyone in the village knew about it. And then suddenly, Yibo's father got sick at his eyes and even lost his job. The little money Yibo's mother earned was of course not enough to pay the running costs, buy food and pay the medical bills. And even with the money Hai Kuan gave them every month, it wasn't enough. And they believed that if they sent Yibo away to relatives, they would get along better. They kept telling Yibo to move out. But Yibo is a fighter and he would rather get a job. He went to school, trained and worked. And all the money he earned, he gave to his parents. But it still wasn't enough for them. When Yibo was almost ready to give in, his relatives turned against him when they found out that he is gay. And Yibo had nowhere else to go. But still, his parents kept telling him he had to leave." Said Wooseok.

"And because Yibo continued to refuse and even looked for a second job, and they were dependent on his money, he could stay. But no sooner had he finished the school at the age of 18, the theatre started all over again. The church offered to support the family and collect money. Then Yibo's mother asked if that was even possible when she had a gay son. The pastor then told her that we are all God's children, no matter who we love. The operation on Yibo's father's eyes could be financed thanks to the many donations, including those from the villagers. Unfortunately it went wrong and the eye problem got even worse. Yibo decided not to go to the university and worked three jobs to support his family financially. And he thought that finally they would stop looking down on him. Then suddenly, just a few months later, Yibo had the accident and disappeared." Seungyoun explained.

Zhan was completely speechless. Because what the two Koreans told him didn't even match half of what the Wang family told him. And he wondered how these people can even call themselves loving parents. When he heard all this, he suddenly wasn't so sure anymore if he really wants to reunite Wang Yibo and his family.

Did the parents really have anything to do with the disappearance of Yibo? Will Zhan finally get to see a picture of the young man? And what is actually going on with Zhan's grandmother? Where is she?