Yibo awoke by the sound of an engine. His hand rummaged to the side to find a cold and empty space.
"Zhan ge?" He called his bae with a sleepy voice.
When he didn't find Xiao Zhan there, he got up abruptly.
"Argh!" He grunted,feels the sharp pain sting at his lower back. He recalled what had happened earlier. Then a sheepish smile formed on his lips.
He flinched when someone unziped the tent entrance roughly. And he sighed when he saw Hai Kuan.
"Yibo! Are you ok?" Asked Hai Kuan.
"Y-yeah... I'm fine. Only... Urgh! My back is pain!" Said Yibo.
"Can you walk?" Asked Hai Kuan again.
"I guess not..." Yibo replied in a low voice and then blushed.
"Come! I'll help you!" Hai Kuan grabbed Yibo's arms.
"No! I mean... Wait! Where is Zhan ge?" Yibo asked his brother.
Hai Kuan stuned. He gazed at Yibo. Lips quivering. Yibo felt his breath hitched.
"Brother! Where is he??" Yibo screamed.
"I - I also don't know. He called me earlier and asked me to pick you up here..." Hai Kuan voice was trembled.
Yibo couldn't hold his tears.
"What else did he say??"
"That's all! He said he needs to go. That is all! He didn't let me ask him, either..!"
"Why? Why, Zhan ge? Why???" Yibo got into his outburst.
Hai Kuan could only watch him with the ache in his chest. Yibo cried his heart out. The thing that had happened in the past has come again knocking at Yibo's hopeless longing. He just got his life back after he burried it with Xiao Zhan's disappearance. And now, he has to long again and burried it one more time for until when.
"You promise me to never leave me again, Xiao Zhan...! Why are you so selfish? Where can I find you now??" Yibo's whines brought Hai Kuan back to sense.
"Yibo... Let's go home..." Hai Kian grabbed Yibo's arms and helped him to get up.
"Why, Brother... Why did he leave me again?"
"He'll be back... I know he'll be back again, Yibo... He must be has something to do, that's why he left you."
"No! He supposed to bring me along with him! Brother! We are soulmate! We're inseparable!" Yibo began to rant while his brother supported him to walk to the car.
🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
Xiao Zhan walked into the dark forest. Only in the moonlight illuminated the path he walked on. The sound of night creatures could be hear, accompany every step Xiao Zhan made.
He recalled the night before...
He was sleeping in Ah Liang's room. He wanted to spend a last night with his niece. He recieved a call in the midnight.
"Hello?" Xiao Zhan answered the call with a low voice, scared if he will wakes Ah Liang up.
"Hello, Xiao Zhan.... Remember me?" The voice across the line made Xiao Zhan shivered a bit.
"Yo Ning... " He hissed
A laughter answered Xiao Zhan.
"Don't ever touch my family, you bastard..!"
"Xiao Zhan... Xiao Zhan.... Don't you remember you're the one who killed my beloved brother?"
"It was a war! It's either killed or to be killed. And your brother choosed the second option. That was not my fault!"
"Of course it was yours! You're killed him!"
"What do you want now?"
"I want you to surrender yourself to me...!"
"What if I don't?"
"If you don't?"
No sound for a while. Only the sound of footsteps and cloth material rustled, signed the person was walking to one direction.
"Talk!" The man across the line scolded. But the voice was sounded afar from the phone speaker.
"Xiao Zhan!" A familiar voice brought Xiao Xiao Zhan into a shocking jolt.
"ZhuoCheng....? Xiao Zhan shivered.
"Help me, Xiao Zhan..!" ZhuoCheng's voice pleaded.
"Where are you?"
"I - I don't know. This guy is ruthless...!"
"Are you hurt?"
"They beat me badly...! Help me , Xiao Zhan!"
"I - I will... I'll come to save you , ZhuoCheng. Don't worry...! I'll come!"
"Please... I can't take it, Xiao Zhan..."
"Don't worry... ZhuoCheng, don't speak against them,.ok? Don't..."
"Come to me, Xiao Zhan... Give yourself in..." The voice was from the man earlier
"Yo Ning! Don't ever hurt him!"
"If I do, what can you do, Xiao Zhan?"
"Just don't touch him!"
"Ok... Fine. But you have come to me tomorrow night,3 Am in the forest near the lake. If not.... Not only your beloved friend will lose his life... Your another love ones also will be in danger...!"
"I'm coming! Just don't touch them! You can do anything to me, but let them go!"
"Ok. I'll wait for you in the end of the forest tomorrow night, Xiao Zhan..."
Click! The line ended.
Xiao Zhan body was trembled. His legs were feel weak. He dropped himself into the couch. Shivering.
Xiao Zhan reached the end of the forest, when his phone rang.
"Do you reached already?" The previous night voice spoke through the line.
"Yeah... Where are you? " Xiao Zhan asked.
"Walked forward. About 100 steps, you'll find a hut. Enter it."
"I get it."
Xiao Zhan walked again a few meters more. And in the dimmed of .moonlight,he found a hut. Slowly Xiao Zhan walked closer to it. His heart's pace beats faster. He opened the door. A cracking sound echoed in the empyt and silent night. It was pitch black inside. Slowly, Xiao Zhan dipped his hand into his jacket's pocket, and fished out a folding knife. He switch his phone's flashlight, and suddenly a punch landed in his face, then someone hit his nape near to the ear. And everything turned black which already is, and Xiao Zhan lost his consciousness.
Xiao Zhan sat on a wooden chair. His head was hung leftside. Eyes shut. And his body was being tied to the chair.
"Wake up, asshole!"
Somebody splashed the water to his face, made Xiao Zhan gasped and got back his consciousness. He.lifted his head and.looked around.
"How are you, Xiao Zhan,my friend?" A voice made his heart ache senselessly. He looked up to the voice's owner.
"ZhuoCheng... Why?" Xiao Zhan asked with a hoarse voice.
The man, his dearly long time friend, ZhuoCheng chuckled. He leaned on the counter with hand folded on his chest.
"At most of the time, jealousy is the ugliest reason for somebody to commit the crime, Xiao Zhan...!" ZhuoCheng commented.
"But, why...?" Xiao Zhan really couldn't understand. Tears rolled down his cheeks. And ZhuoCheng remained unmoved.