Do you believe in mer people COMPLETE

Chapter 9: Longing

Wang Yibo went out for his morning run as he had done every morning but it was a little different this time around. For a few days, he had met Xiao Zhan lounging by the sea but now, he was nowhere to be found. It had been days since he last saw Xiao Zhan and Xiao Zhan had not showed up again. Yibo had been waiting, giving him time to come to terms with everything. Deep down, he believed Xiao Zhan would come back.

Yibo had been remembering bits and pieces of his encounter with Xiao Zhan. He was sure they were friends, they spent time together but his memory was still hazy. How could he forget him just like that? He also noticed that empty feeling was no longer there. It turned out that Xiao Zhan was an important part of his life, he felt empty without him.

Yibo got tired of running. He had been coming out earlier these days in hopes that he would find Xiao Zhan. He sat at the spot where he usually saw Zhan lying. Xiao Zhan seemed to like it there. He wondered if every mermaid and merman loved being on the shore like Xiao Zhan.

"Merpeople cannot stay out of water for a long time, that's why I usually don't go too far from the water. If I find myself feeling strange, I'd simply jump back in".

"A-Zhan, we would not stay too long. I know for a fact that you can stay out for over 2 hours. We'd be back in just over an hour, I promise".

"Yibo, I really hate to refuse you but I'm afraid. I stay out for long but I'm just beside the water. I have never gone too far. Besides, what if people see me?"

Yibo recalled that piece of memory. Back then, his mother sent him on an errand to pick up some items at a stall not too far away and he wanted to take Zhan along. Of course, Zhan refused. He not only had to hide from others as he could not explain his identity, he also had to be close enough to return home if someone starts to look for him. Yibo remembered Zhan once told him it was a taboo to interact with humans so they both decided to keep their friendship a secret.

His parents were aware of his affinity to the sea but they attributed it to his love for nature. Whenever he had nothing to do, he spent all his time by the sea, even taking his meals there to eat. It was common among the people who lived nearby so no one paid him any mind.

'Ah, Xiao Zhan. What would it take for me to see you again? I have so many questions, you can't possibly be heartless right? You can't leave me confused, can you?', Yibo was deep in thoughts. He believed his partial memory loss had something to do with Xiao Zhan.

Yibo sat by the sea until it was dawn then went back home. He was sure Xiao Zhan wasn't going to come out when there were a lot of people around. He picked up his phone to check his email and realized one of the companies he applied to had replied. He was asked to come in for an interview and it was scheduled to hold in two weeks. Yibo had sent out quite a few applications but he was almost certain this particular company was going to give him a chance because he had done business with them while he was still in k country and they tried to poach him, asking him to come back home and work with them.

Yibo was excited to receive this mail. He didn't want to raise his hopes as anything could happen. He remembered when he tried to get another job in k country, no one would hire him as they didn't want to offend the chairman; his former father-in-law. He came back with enough money to set up a small business but he still decided to try getting a job first as per his parents advise. They asked him not to spend the money just yet and watch how things would go before he decided on what to do.

His parent's financial situation was a lot better because whatever they made, they kept for themselves, he no longer needed their support. Besides, he took over a lot of their expenditure as he was now more than capable to do so. He also felt sorry that he wasn't too helpful back when he was in k country and wanted to make up for it.