Do you believe in mer people COMPLETE

Chapter 5: So many pearls

Yibo couldn't get Xiao Zhan off his mind, he wanted to see him again. He figured they were almost the same size. Although Zhan was a little taller, his clothes would fit just fine. He decided to always put on an extra layer. Not that he hated seeing him undressed, he was definitely going to stand out that way and he didn't want other people's attention on his...new friend.

Yibo was going through his old stuff, these items were from before he travelled. Funny thing, some of the clothes still fit. He had better clothes now and didn't need them anymore. He figured he could give them to his mum to give others that might need them.

As he went through his items, he came across a purse. He couldn't remember owning this. He opened it and what he found inside made him surprised. He found a few sea shells and a lot of pearls. These pearls looked a little different, just like the ones his mother called 'mermaid's tears'. Why did he have so many of them? If they were really as valuable as his mother said, this was enough to cater for him and his parents for the rest of their lives. He never remembered owning a single pearl.

He thought of Xiao Zhan and had a feeling he had something to do with this. He didn't think too much about it. He was going to ask his parents if they left them in his room also, he hoped he could see Xiao Zhan soon.

............................................................................................................

Just as he expected, he found Xiao Zhan by the sea when he went out for his morning run. Good thing he came prepared this time as the only thing Zhan had on was the towel he had given him previously. He took of his track suit and handed it to Xiao Zhan, leaving him with a shirt and a pair of shorts.

"I know you must think I'm some sort of freak. No one ever comes here during this time so I have the liberty to dress however I want", Zhan took the clothes and spoke as he wore them.

"How do you even get here? I don't see any boats close by. Don't tell me you swim all the way here".

"I do, so what? There are people who can swim for long hours. I grew up surrounded by water so it's not a big deal for me".

"Mn. I'd like to see where you live someday. Am I invited?"

'No you're not!', Xiao Zhan wanted to scream that out loud but he just smiled and avoided answering the question. He decided to change the topic. "Why did you get divorced?"

Yibo was quiet for a moment. He sighed and replied, "Long story short, we didn't agree on certain things and our marriage was built on the wrong principles. So she left me".

"I want the long story", Xiao Zhan had unconsciously moved closer to Yibo, their bodies were almost touching as they sat side by side. Yibo felt Zhan smelled like lavender, which happened to be his favourite fragrance.

"I left to k country 6 years ago to study. During my break, I interned at several companies, one of which was xxx holdings. After graduation, xxx holdings sent me a letter to come work with them as they were impressed with my previous work. I have my parents to take care of and the offer was enticing so I took the job with my parent's blessings. XXX holdings is the biggest cooperation in k country and is a very prestigious place. Everyone knows the only heir is a female. We met a few times and she was attracted to my looks. We agreed to get married shortly afterwards".

"Soon, my wife wanted to control every aspect of my life. I was fully committed to the company and the marriage, I considered it a huge trust bestowed on me by the chairman but I couldn't stand being monitored. I couldn't travel to see my parents. Whenever I had such plans, something always came up to prevent it. I lost count of how many times I disappointed my mum and dad. Also, I had to give an account of how I spent my own money. Her father gifted us a lot of properties and she initially wanted them in my name. Soon, she attached her name and claimed ownership of everything. I was fine with that, they weren't mine to begin with. I was more than okay with my salary but she soon pulled strings and had my account blocked temporarily. I had to provide her signature to transfer money and my father was in a terrible situation, he needed surgery. I ended up taking a loan from the chairman as my ex wife was being stubborn, refusing to pen down her signature. I got fed up with the whole thing and we argued. She accused me of having someone else in my heart as I was always spacing out, not that she caught me cheating. She said she had to cut off my wings as it was her family who gave me all I had. I accused her of not trusting me and only being with me because she was attracted to my looks. This whole thing led to the divorce".

"I'm sorry about that but, weren't you sad?", Xiao Zhan looked more unhappy than the person who got divorce.

"I was at a point but mostly because I felt indebted to my parents. I hardly had time for them and in the end, I had nowhere else to return but to them. I tried to get another job in k country and a lot of companies wanted me to join them. Within a few days, they all rescinded their offer. No one could afford to offend the chairman".

"So you were left empty handed?"

"Not really. I came back with everything I earned, the chairman isn't unreasonable but I can't say the same for his daughter. Besides, fighting against the bigshots in a foreign country, I stood no chance".

"Now you're back, what do you intend to do?"

"Well, I have sent out a couple of job applications. I intend to find a job here. If that doesn't work out, I'd start a small business. I have some money saved up. I'm treating this time as a holiday".

"..."

"What about you Xiao Zhan, what do you do on that island of yours?"

"Not much, similar to what you do here".

Xiao Zhan hardly ever opened up and Yibo was fine. He would give him enough time to get comfortable with him.

"Since you're already here, why don't you accompany me home? My mum will prepare breakfast. Do you like roasted fish?"

Xiao Zhan flashed a smile exposing a perfect set of teeth, "Roasted fish is my favourite, we never have it back home."

Upon saying those words, Yibo seemed to recall the same words being said to him years back. Though he couldn't make out the person's face, he could tell the person gave him the same feeling Xiao Zhan gave him. Yibo could not deny it any longer. He felt attached to this person even though they had met just once. Deep in his heart, he felt there was more to this person, as if they had some sort of history. He decided to test him out a little.

"Xiao Zhan, there are a few things I cannot wrap my fingers around. I hope you'd be kind enough to help me out. You can choose not to answer but don't lie to me", he paused and took a deep breath. "First, I found the purse full of pearls, that's a lot of pearls. Where did you get them from and how come you gave them to me?"