All That We Held Dear - YiZhan (COMPLETED)

Arc IV - Little by Little - Part 4

Xiao Zhan's day had started at the crack of dawn and had been a series of perfectly orchestrated events. After returning home the previous night, he'd packed his suitcase and tried getting some sleep, but after the day's revelations, his brain had kept him awake for most of what had remained of the night. His mind, as if playing an unending game of ping pong, had kept going back and forth between Yibo's past, lost love and Yibo's future, potential love. Although there was a certainty in the former and nothing but hope in the latter, the thought that he'd requested his presence without even realizing who had been by his side was heartwarming. Plus, since Sunmi, unsure of how Zhan would react to his memory loss, hadn't told Yibo, who had kept him company, he would have the opportunity to tell him himself. He was well aware that, even without considering the barriers that had always existed, his chances at a relationship with Yibo were probably close to none. However, he felt that this chance, combined with the intimacy of those moments they had spent together, could provide a solid base to build anew.

His head filled with thoughts, he'd welcomed sunrise and gotten into the car that had taken him to the airport. This time, he'd taken the precaution of a hat and a mask, and although a few fans seemed to have been waiting for him, he'd managed to board the plane without disturbance. During his previous stay in Korea, he'd been emotionally distressed, which had led him to behave in a very unsafe manner. Now that he was thinking straight, he intended to take all necessary precautions.

His usual driver had picked him up at Incheon airport and was now driving him directly to the hospital. Chiyou, who he'd seen only once during his time in Beijing and had flown in a little earlier that week, had known that he wouldn't want to waste a minute before going to see Yibo and had arranged to meet with him for dinner that day before taking him to the apartment she'd rented for him. Technically, it had been set for the agency's future use and meant for him to use only for the duration of his stay, but he'd been quick to offer to share the space with Auntie Wang to save her some money since there had been no developments in the chase for Yibo's uncle. She'd refused at first, as he'd expected her to, but Chiyou, with her peerless negotiation skills, had managed to convince her. As for his manager herself, she'd booked herself at a hotel since she didn't intend to stay in Korea for long this time.

The car stopped in the hospital's employee parkade, and Xiao Zhan, entrusting the driver to take his luggage to his new place, only grabbed his messenger bag and Yibo's duffle bag before putting on a mask. As he got out of the car, he was surprised to catch sight of Sunmi standing near the hidden exit. She gave him a small smile and nodded once in salutation. He nodded back, relieved to see that even if they were going to be on better terms, at least her behaviour wouldn't do a complete one-eighty. As he got closer, she dug her hands into her jacket pockets and watched as he awkwardly readjusted the straps of both bags on his shoulders. She clearly had no intention of helping him carry any of it.

"Welcome back," she said. "Your eyes look much better. How's your stomach?"

He exhaled through his nose and shook his head.

"It's nice to see you, too. Did you have a nice holiday season?" He asked with a broad, fake grin.

Holding back a smile, she rolled her eyes and weakly punched him on the arm.

"Nice to see you. Happy holidays," she replied as if it was a single word. "Now, how's the stomach?"

"Better."

"Still taking your meds?"

"Still taking my meds, ma'am."

"Good. Come. Let me take you to Mr. Wang."

She turned around and headed inside. He followed suit.

"In your text, you said we would have a small meeting."