The second blow came just after a few days.

(Flashback)

*sizzle*

Zhan was busy cooking when he heard the sound of opening  door

"Yibo?" he said not even looking at the  visitor "You're back early, how was your day?"

"..."

"Well,freshen up and have a seat. Give me a few minutes ,the dinner will be ready. I'm just finishing up your favourite caramel pudding."

Wordlessly a pair of arms embraced him from behind.

"Yibo?"

Something was not right. Zhan's heart skipped a beat as he noticed Yibo's palms"

"Yibo?how did you hurt yourse ... Yibo?" 

He gasped as he turned and saw Yibo's scraped knees and cut lip.

"Yibo how did you get these?"

"..." 

"Did you fall down or....Oh my God dont tell me you got into a fight?"

".....I...I -just fe...Wait don't go online!"

But before he could do anything Zhan had picked his phone up.

As expected, there was a video going viral now, it was titled"Man angers Wang Yibo by  verbally abusing Xiao Zhan."

The video showed a man pushing Yibo from behind causing him to fall while  making a rude sign to him. And  as Yibo was trying to get up he said something throwing a punch at him.Yibo reacted to it by trying to punch him back and was pushed back  by his own bodyguard at the last moment.

"..."

"I am sorry, I am really sorry " mumbled Yibo "but  he was calling you names Zhan ge. How can I not react to it?"

Apology? Was this really this boy's fault?

Had he acted a little more careful with him during interviews, during  the Bts of the untamed, During their promotional fanmeets and concerts would the haters know what in the world would trigger Yibo the most? 

From the very first day he was the one who roped him in, just because he found throwing stones at his cold, distant shell a very funny pastime. He acted cruelly, teasing him, torturing him, bullying him...How much could he have endured? After all he was just a kid.All his restraints broke under Zhan's merciless attacks and rendered vulnerable. Zhan's cruelty did not even stop at this. He even went on shamelessly flirting with him with the feeble excuse that he was only getting into the character of Wei Wuxian.  Not only that even after everything ended he responded to Yibo's childish confession and even let himself be carried away into the dream of being together forever. 

And now that it has come to this, Yibo is to blame? Wasn't it his own duty  to act more mature  because of his age?

And the situation was much worsened by the stand of Wajijiwa. Zhan knew that not only will the company refuse to support him they might add fuel to fire by saying that the hater was actually one of his fans who got frustrated due to romantic behaviour of his idol and endangered the life of another idol of China.

Softly he removed  the locks from Yibo's face and touched his bruised lips with his thumb.

"What an useless person are you Xiao Zhan..." though you have to see the dearest person to you getting hurt because of you and yet you don't have the power to fight for him?"

That night by dinner he had made up his decision.

"Yibo..."he said quietly after sometime"I'm tired."

"It's okay Zhan ge, you can take a rest I'll do the dishes" 

"Not that way little fool." said Zhan smiling"I'm tired of this life as an idol. I think I should leave the stage now and start a new life."

*Clack*

The chopsticks fell down from Yibo's hands.

"Zhan ge I swear I will issue a public apology tomorrow for losing my cool" he said 

"Zhan quietly shook his head. 

"Time has come Yibo," he said "I need to choose any one path. We have both lived in the dreams too much. It's best for me to retire now."

"But why Zhan ge? what about our promise? how can you forget what we had promised together? our promise of  retiring together? Your dream of buying a small cafe in a remote area where you will be the manager and I'll be the delivery guy? and---"   

"Forgive me Yibo" said Zhan reaching across the table and holding his hand lovingly."I know I had said all that. But that summer of love has passed. I have given everything I could offer to you, my heart,my body, my soul... and if I had anything more I 'd give it to you without hesitation. But please take look at your gege now, he really doesn't have the strength to push forward anymore.If all those things never happened--- "

"Are you sad that I came to your life? did I ruin it for you Zhan ge?"

"That's not it Yibo...human beings are controlled by situation. Not by their choice. You are too young to understand this now but someday you will."

"Zhan ge" said Yibo desperately "Will you make a gift of promise to your Didi ? Both the New years are just round the corner... will you please wait  till the spring festivities are over to announce your retirement?

                                                          ***********************************************

A phone screen in a dark room comes back to life as it showed the following words :

Xiao Zhan:1 new message.

A female hand picks up the phone, She looks for a moment at the notification and then stretches her hand to give it back to Yibo

"Are you sure about this now?"

Yibo swipes the photos Zhan sent and the poem at the end. He grips the phone tightly. 

"Yes. this is the only way.

"You sure about it?" the woman responses. "You've chosen a very dangerous..."

"Anything, as long as everything returns back to normal."

"Yeah"  the woman sighs "I guess you are right, it's too late to turn back now."

                                                                     ******************

Although Xiao Zhan had promised himself to not look at any social medias during this vacation he found it very hard to stick to it.First of all, his curiosity wouldn't let him be away from his accounts and secondly it has become his habit to check them so often, so much that it nearly became a second nature to him. So today, Although he had been restraining himself  for a long time  he couldn't resist himself and decided to take a sneak peek at the most popular sites.

Once he delivered the baskets to kitchen he sat down a chair on the sprawling verandah and took out his phone meaning to check his weibo account.

"Zhan Ge will you help to write the Fu Calligraphies and wishes on these papers? Jie said you are really good at it."

Zhan looked up to see Mei Xiu, his neighbouring uncle's  daughter , a little girl of ten years whom he had grown quite fond of during his stay here. Due to her lively nature this girl always reminded him of Jiang Yiting, the child actor who played his "Son" in the wuxia drama.

He put his phone down and stretched his hand

"Okay" he said with a smile "Give it to me"

As he prepared the ink Mei Xiu scrambled up on his lap.

"Zhan gege"

"What is it?"

"Am I beautiful?"

Zhan could not help but smile. 

"Yes of course" he said dipping his brush in the ink "you are the most beautiful princess in the world"

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then when I grow up will you marry me?"

For a moment Zhan was surprised. Then quickly he smiled.

"Ah? you wanna marry me?"

"Yes" said Mei Xiu "please? I promise to love you so much when I grow up."

"Oh, well I know that...but..." Said Zhan 

"But?"

"I already have someone I love dearie"

Mei Xiu pouted. 

"Ta bi wo hai piaoliang ma?"

"It's not about only being beautiful princess" smiled Zhan" It is like someone you can fight with seemingly no reason and yet even the slightest pain on his part is enough to make you upset ...laugh with him until your cheeks hurt and  yet when you again look at him in the eyes you feel like laughing again. You feel closest to him and yet the slightest of his touch is enough to make you shy.In your heart you will die to catch a glimpse of the person but when he will be near you you cant even look directly in his direction for a bit for the fear of him disappearing  suddenly.. It's like he completes you and you complete him"

"Oh? then I wanna see that person too. Now"

"Not now dearie" said Zhan helping her to stand up"later. Now Zhan ge has to finish a lot of work.Now please be a good girl and go to play okay?

though Mei Xiu was a little disappointed she obediently nodded and ran away. 

Zhan whipped out his phone once more. Talking with Little Mei Xiu made him suddenly realise something.  Something felt a little odd. Usually whenever he messaged Yibo he would get a reply within two hours . But today it was nearly lunchtime. Did he not get the message today?

Hi... just wanted to see if my sleepyhead at least awoke for lunch.🤭

 just kidding.I know you're busy but pls reply with a "hi" when you're free.

But when even after an entire hour nobody replied, Zhan began to seriously worry a bit.

"I'll give him a call" 

He dialled Yibo's number and put the phone on his ear

".................This number does not exist.. " the line was cut.

He tried again.

This time too it was the same result.

"Did Yibo change his phone?" Zhan thought himself. "but then...why didn't he tell me?"

The next moment he reasoned with himself "You are thinking too much Xiao Zhan. maybe he will call you later to inform about it. right now he is busy so...."

But at the back of his mind a tiny trace of anxiety bugged him as if a needle has been inserted into his vein.

                                            *******************************************

"Eat slower." Mrs Xiao mildly rebuked his son in a low voice at the dining table.

"Sorry..."

Zhan's grandpa laughed heartily. 

"It's okay. Let him eat in peace.Poor boy leads such a busy life in the city. It must have become habit for him to eat in hurry so as to not lose time.

Amid the mild murmurs of appreciation and adoring laughs from the other guests Mrs Xiao threw  her son another warning look.

But Zhan was finding it really hard to try and stick to the table manners tonight. The clock was ticking and the program marking the start of spring festivals was about to start. 

And Yibo was going to perform in it.

Zhan did not want to miss it for the world.Even though he could not watch him perform in front of his eyes at least he can watch it the same time he performs on stage. 

Just after his Grandpa and grandma left  the table he also excused himself and ran straight to his room.

The program had just started.

It was a grand event. Zhan could see the amount of fans who had gathered to see the performances. The banners of their respective idols shining as they held them up. There were a sea of banners depicting the names of Ayunga, Na Ying, Zheng Yunlong , Diliraba and many other celebrities of china. But strangely Zhan saw the complete lack of the flashing green banners depicting the name of Yibo. It seemed not a single fan had put up Yibo's name tonight.

"What is happening?" thought Zhan "Did the press make too much of the matter of him losing his cool over me?"

One by one all the performances came to an end. There was a huge bow from all the performing artists and then they left the stage.

Xiao Zhan was still waiting. 

He did not perform tonight?

But impossible... Yibo had himself showed him his schedule. This progamme was sponsored by his own company. Has he rescheduled it for some reason and Zhan was not aware of it?

With trembling hands he picked up the phone and dialled a number.

*ring ....ring...*

"Hello Fa Hua speaking"

"Fa Jie it's me Xiao Zhan."

"Ah Xiao Zhan... The golden boy of Wajijiwa. How can I help you?"

Something was definitely wrong.  Fa Hua was Yibo's manager. On many occasions they have talked to each other. She was the one of the biggest secret holder of their relationship and help to arrange their secret meetings with each other by arranging  Yibo's schedule . Yet she was behaving today as if they had met for the first time.

"Fa Jie can I talk to Yibo for a second? His phone seems switched off..."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Um...Yibo? Wang Yibo,the person who you work as a manager for?"

Fa hua laughed. 

"Is Mr Xiao Zhan drunk tonight? there is nobody called Wang Yibo in our company"

 ______________________________________________________________________________

Hello I'm back after such a long time. Yes It is me Kawaiisakura 1993.

Are you guys liking my story?Is it good?

Anyway Your comments are so motivating and thanks for voting it. 

And Thank you @MiraEri05, @ElaineChan505and @TrushaJifor your precious comments on the previous Chapter.

Thank you please take care and stay safe

Love, Kawaiisakura1993 💕