All That We Held Dear - YiZhan (COMPLETED)

Arc VI - The World In Between - Part 9

The sound was so sharp and clear that this, more than the sting on his cheek, was what startled him. In front of him, his mother stood, her arm still extended at the end of her swing. She stared at her hand, the disbelief on her face mirroring the one he felt. This woman who'd never struck him, who'd cried whenever his father had spanked him as a child, had, for the first time in her life, just slapped him.

Agape, Xiao Zhan watched as tears brimmed and then spilled out of her eyes. Lifting his trembling hand, he hesitantly touched his cheek with the tip of his fingers. It was burning hot.

"How could you..." She said in a whisper, avoiding his gaze.

Xiao Zhan's world shattered.

"Mom?" He asked, his voice quivering.

She didn't reply immediately. Xiao Zhan held his breath, praying she would come around, apologize, and embrace him. Instead, however, she refused to look at him.

"Leave," she said in a low, emotionless voice.

It was as though the air had been sucked out of the room. Suddenly, he was drowning on dry land. And there wasn't anyone to save him.

Xiao Zhan tried to speak but only let out a strangled noise.

"Leave, Xiao Zhan. Now," she said in the same tone.

He grabbed his phone and, dizzy, got to his feet. With the very hand she'd used to strike him covering her mouth, his mother turned her back to him. He stared at her rounded figure for a while, still hoping that, against all odds, this had all been a misunderstanding. But she didn't budge, making it clear that there was no room for redemption.

This had been a mistake. But it was too late now.

Xiao Zhan threw one last look at his father. The man was still sleeping peacefully.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before leaving the room.

Too flustered to remember how he'd made his way here and unsure of where the exit was, Xiao Zhan began roaming aimlessly. He could have gone to the nurse station, but he didn't want to be seen with a swollen cheek and red-rimmed eyes. He also didn't trust himself not to burst into tears the moment he opened his mouth. What had for months been an emotional black hole in his chest now felt like it was ready to expel all the darkness it had sucked in. Had he known that all he'd needed to feel again was for a loved one to reject him, he might have confessed earlier and saved himself all the trouble.

Xiao Zhan wandered around, panic and fear stuck in his throat, until he found an unoccupied patient room at the end of a deserted corridor. Making sure that no one was looking, he walked in and closed the door. Finally safe, he leaned back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. Drawing his knees to his chest, he grabbed the back of his head before letting out a shuddering breath. He didn't want to consider the ramifications of what had just happened. It was too painful, and he didn't believe he had the strength necessary to deal with it at the moment. If he repressed it, and if he kept his mind blank, then maybe he would manage to calm down enough to leave this place.

However, his brain had other plans. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he was struck by an idea. If he'd blocked Yibo's number, then it would be on his blocked list, wouldn't it? He could just go in there and unblock it! Why hadn't he thought of this earlier?!

Animated by an unexpected ray of hope, Xiao Zhan quickly accessed his phone's settings and went through the various menus. It only took him a moment to find what he was looking for. And once he had, he selected the number, copied it, then removed it from the list.

Although he couldn't ease the loud hammering in his chest nor the sound of his blood rushing in his ears, Xiao Zhan nonetheless took a few deep breaths to try and compose himself as best he could. He knew this was his last hope at redeeming himself. Once this call went through and he spoke to Yibo, he would arrange a new meeting place and tell him everything. And, maybe, just maybe, something would go right in his life.