Temple of Truth

Chapter 31

Even though he was immensely happy, that Zhang had decided to tag along - Wu Xi hadn't forseen him talking.

"You sure?", he asked. First, Wu Xi wondered why, Zhang should have a pretty good idea, what he was doing. He wasn't the type to ask, when he already had an idea himself.

It took Wu Xi a few seconds, before he noticed that Zhang was worrying if Pang Zi could untangle the situation in his mind in time.

Sure, Pang Zi didn't like complicated relationships, he preferred to keep it simple. Either like or don't like and normally he would not mess around too much with complicated relationships. If things got too out of hand to him, he just let Wu Xi deal with it.

Wu Xi was already used to the yarn ball like mess of relationships, due to his family and the other families. He knew very well what he could expect of people. And while Pang Zi certainly liked to keep it simple, and as much as Wu Xi loved to call him one now – he wasn't an idiot. He would just need a bit more time.

"Pang Zi, will come around." Wu Xi answered plainly, sure of the matter.

"But your still mad?" It was more of a question than a statement. As if Zhang wasn't a hundred percent sure, as if asking if he was really still mad and why that was the case.

Wu Xi stopped in his tracks, to look at Zhang. He was still – kind of angry. But how did Zhang know? Normally he didn't do empathy too well, and Wu Xi was pretty sure that he had covered it up. He had no reason any more now, but that didn't mean he was okay with the situation.

Being left alone, left behind like that had made him feel dejected, that was also one reason why he got angry about it. He would prefer to keep it at - he just didn't like being left alone.

"Why? How?" Wu Xi didn't really know what to say – what to ask. How come you even know this?

"You only use his real name when your mad at him." Zhang points out, what he had noticed over the time they had spend together. Actually, Wu Xi would almost never use the real name of people he considered his close friends.

There was only one person Wu Xi trusted that he had never called by the nickname he had given him. He knew it created some distance between them, and it was good that way. The distance was what kept him from devastation over all this time.

"I guess I am" Wu Xi said, quietly not looking to Zhang anymore but staring in the distance. "You could say I'm not exactly thrilled about it. I know he would never leave me behind when push comes to shove but – when he leaves too then –" Wu Xi's mumble grew quieter and quieter, the last part was possibly already lost in the small breeze.

Wu Xi took a deep breath and answered properly to his friend. "I just don't like it."