My Way To You [PingXie Fanfiction]

Chapter 9 - Leave

After fleeing from Zhang Qiling's room with a shade of red still visible, Wu Xie runs into Fatty at the stairs.

"Tianzhen, why is your face red and looking flustered?" Fatty feels that Wu Xie is kind of acting strange.

"It's nothing." Denial is a must; Wu Xie must not let Fatty know that he just watched Zhang Qiling changed! Then diverts his attention elsewhere. "Why are you here?"

"Don't you need back up when talking to your Uncle Three about letting Zhang Qiling stay?" It was Wu Xie who asks Fatty to come up with good reasons for the persuasion.

The only thing that went wrong is the timing. Wu SanXing came back earlier than expected. So, the explanation and persuasion were already done by Wu Xie himself.

"Uncle Three already skinned me alive last night." Wu Xie sighs when thinking back on the conversation with his uncle.

"Oh? Then, how did it go?" Fatty is curious of how the overprotective uncle's reaction when his dearest nephew wants to keep a man!!!!!!!!

(A/N: Fatty is a simple minded > keep a man = friend ... okay?)

"Do you even need to ask? With my speech, how could Uncle Three not be moved by it?" Since Fatty wasn't here, Wu Xie can comfortably brag.

"Unbelievable!" Judging from his understanding of Uncle Three, Fatty is sure that it was not from Wu Xie's words ... but maybe Uncle Three knew something or is currently planning for something. From his personal experience, it took a lot of verifications before Fatty himself could go in and out of the Wu's mansion freely like today. Thus, for a man with no background like Zhang Qiling, there must be some reason of why Uncle Three lets him stay. So, he'll keep an eye out, just in case.

"Hmph!" Wu Xie innocently puff out his chest to show his proudness.

"By the way ..." Now that one matter was over, Fatty moves onto the next with the change of his tone becoming a whisper as he grabs Wu Xie's shoulder to huddle together. "I overheard some guys talking about a place with hidden deep in the forest down south."

"What sort of place?" Wu Xie subconsciously whispers back.

"They mentioned treasure." Fatty's eyes literally glow at the last word.

"Oh? What kind of treasure?"

"Maybe jewelries, diamonds, or even gold!" Fatty is too excited when answering to not notice that the question was not from Wu Xie. "So how about it? Do you want to sneak out together?"

"Of course, when do we leave?"

"How about 2 days after?" Fatty approximates the time to depart then feels that something is rather off and finally looks at his friend. "Tianzhen, how come you agree so easily?"

Blink with pursed lips ... is the answer from Wu Xie.

And right on cue, another arm is swing over Fatty's shoulder. The owner could only be ... Uncle Three who has accidently encountered the two inconspicuous people huddle and whispers back and forth by the stairs. One would not need Sherlock Holmes to know that they are up to something. So, he just tip toe and silently joins their conversation.

"Un-uncle Three ... you're home! How are you today?" Fatty shivers from being caught red-handed but still stubbornly direct to daily conversation attempting to cover up everything just now.

"I'm fine but you won't be since you're trying to sneak my nephew out on this secret expedition to find treasure!!!" Wu SanXing roars and pulls Fatty by the ear ... dragging to him to the office and plop him onto the sofa. "Now, elaborate ... or you don't leave this house alive!"

For fear of being torture during interrogation, Fatty spills out everything he has heard when he was visiting an antique store in town.

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Contrary to the chaotic group, Zhang Qiling is in his room and thinking of what he should do. So far, everything is done by Wu Xie; from bringing him into the Wu's Mansion to giving him a room without the real owner's consent, though agreeing in the end. And Zhang Qiling just let it be. Now, he should carefully consider the situation and his future ...

Future?

Is there still future for someone like Zhang Qiling?

With no recollection of the past, whether who he really is, where he could go, or what he should do ... he knows nothing of the sort. He can only remember the gossip of the staff in the confinement compound ... his family sent him there. At first, he thought that maybe it was a lie, something these people made up for some reason. Perhaps he may have been in denial. Then, when deliberate on it, there was no reason for those people to do so. There was no gain from it. In the end, he accepts it as the truth that he was abandoned and sent over to be a lab rat which no one cared whether he lived or not.

Now that the compound has been destroyed ... Zhang Qiling has nowhere to go. That night he just ran out with Hei Ye with no destination in mind. Miraculously, there are strangers nearby and he was able to survive ... then what?

His benefactors are rather harmless people, especially Wu Xie. This person is really pure and innocent just like how his friend called him tianzhen. Zhang Qiling would subconsciously and secretly observe Wu Xie when the latter is nearby which can be approximate as most of the time because Wu Xie would always seem to be around him doing either this or that. It is rather a strange but good feeling though. Despite suffering from amnesia, Zhang Qiling feels that he has never felt like this before. Even if one cannot remember the memory, but one should be able to tell if some feelings nostalgia ... and this warm feeling of having someone to care about him ... it's new and nowhere near nostalgia.

The thing Zhang Qiling deeply fear without himself knowing is if he stays here and receives these warm feelings only to lose them afterwards ... he would not want it. Truth be told, he does not even know if there will be people hunting him down.

When a lab rat escape ... wouldn't the scientist hunt them back to continue their experiment?

Without the knowledge of who these people are and their true intention, Zhang Qiling is afraid that his existence would pose threats or dangers to the people in Wu's mansion. Most importantly, he truly does not want anything to happen to Wu Xie.

'I should leave tonight ... to avoid getting caught.' Zhang Qiling decides when he thinks of the danger he could attract. At the same time, his heart is somewhat sad to leave ... but there is no other choice.

Since there is not much time left, during dinner, Zhang Qiling's eyes would be on Wu Xie most of the time. Well, he has nothing on him, no camera, no phones, and he definitely cannot draw, therefore he needs to remember every detail from his observations then carves it into his unreliable memory unit. However, he would cast his gaze edown before Wu SanXing and Fatty could catch him staring at Wu Xie.

On the receiving end (i.e., the person being stared at), despite having slow awareness, could feel that he is being watched, but Wu Xie would look up to find no one paying him attention.

'That's strange ... why do I feel like someone is watching me?' Wu Xie is puzzle at this feeling and tries to analyze the possibilities. 'Is Uncle Three keeping a close watch? No, no, he's more interested in the place that Fatty just told us. Then ... could it be Fatty? Aye, this lad is only interested in food, women, and treasure. Could it be ...?'

Wu Xie takes a peek at Zhang Qiling who is sitting diagonally from him and wonders if Zhang Qiling is maybe, just maybe, the person who is peeking at him?

Deep into the night, Zhang Qiling cracks a small gap from his room to check the dark corridor. At this time, everyone should be sound asleep. Silently, Zhang Qiling tips toe and making his way to the stairs, only to find Wu Xie walking up. Thus, he backs up to avoid getting caught but stops midway ... unfortunately, Wu Xie clumsily trips on air after successfully climbing to the top.

'I should go back to the room ...' This thought floats through Zhang Qiling's mind yet none of the words reach his body as he finds himself heading towards Wu Xie.

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A/N

Should Xiao Ge help Wu Xie or knock him unconscious to flee???