To Be A Star - ZhanYi

Chapter - 1

The plot of the story is purely fictitious, any similarity to the reality is purely coincidental.

2016

It hadn't been even less than a day since Mrs Tong's funeral was conducted, Xiao Zhan wanted to sell the house. Mrs Tong, his grandmother who had taken care of him all these years, passed away naturally when she was asleep. You've worked hard, it's enough. May your soul find the rest it deserves is what Xiao Zhan thought when he tried to wake her up.

No tears were shed, and he received no assistance. He was now left with only her memory, the sole ray of hope that had now faded away. Selling the house in Tianjin and moving to Beijing, as his dear friend and brother figure Tang Jia had suggested even before his grandmother's passing, seemed like a wise decision. At the age of nineteen, Xiao Zhan doubted his ability to support his grandmother as she had supported him since he was thirteen.

Until the age of thirteen, he had lived with his parents in Nanchuan, where he recalled a happy and contented life. Both his parents worked as tailors and ran a successful business, or so he had believed. Their apartment was fully furnished, unlike the home they had in Tianjin.

When Xiao Zhan turned thirteen, his mother became pregnant. He was excited at the prospect of having a sibling, but his parents didn't share his excitement. They planned a short trip, a vacation he had been longing for. The night before their departure, Xiao Zhan sneaked out with his friends and indulged in copious amounts of fast food, unknowingly setting the stage for a twist of fate.

His parents had initially promised to start their journey early in the morning, but they changed their plans and drove throughout the night, claiming that they were going to visit the Luohan Temple. They were exhausted and decided to check into a hotel to rest. Before resting, his mother served them a cup of tea, at that time he didn't question why it tasted more bitter than usual.

That was the extent of his memory. He had no recollection of what had happened or how he ended up in Yaoshang with his grandmother, whom he had never met before. As a result, he became the only survivor in Xiao's bloodline.

He pleaded with his grandmother to reveal what had happened, but for a whole year, she feigned ignorance. He could only continue attending school like a good, obedient boy, yet the turmoil within him refused to subside.

It wasn't until a year later that he learned the truth—his parents had planned to take their own lives, along with his, as they couldn't repay the mounting debts they had accumulated. His grandmother handed him a lengthy letter, written by his mother, which explicitly detailed their premeditated decision. The supposed tour they had planned was not meant for enjoyment but as a means to end their lives.

The plan succeeded, except for Xiao Zhan. The room service staff grew suspicious when there was no response to their repeated knocks on the door. They burst in and discovered the lifeless bodies of his parents, while Xiao Zhan clung to the last thread of his own existence.

He was swiftly taken to the hospital, where immediate treatment for the poison he had ingested was administered. The doctor who attended to him remarked, "If he hadn't eaten that heavy meal, he too would have passed away."

Xiao Zhan remained in a comatose state for a week, during which time the police struggled to locate his relatives. It was a challenging task since he had none. Nevertheless, his sixty-seven-year-old grandmother eventually arrived to collect him. The shop his parents owned in Nanchuan was sold to settle their debts.

Upon hearing all this, Xiao Zhan was consumed by survivor's guilt. He experienced a whirlwind of emotions - guilt, frustration, worry, and a myriad of other feelings, all intertwining within him.