Encircle

Chapter 2

The dining hall was packed as was expected for this time of day. Yiqin had gone ahead to get a table leaving Jingxi to keep Xiao Zhan and Yibo company.  They made their way at a turtle's pace to accommodate for Xiao Zhan's injured state.

Xiao Zhan was more than grateful for their kindness. The fact that their slow pace would increase the time he and Yibo would remain in close physical contact was sweet torture. He would be lying if he said he was not enjoying being in close proximity with Yibo.  The mix of bergamot, verbena, and sage emanating from Yibo brought him a sense of comfort and calm, but it also served as a reminder of what was not meant to be, and the knowledge of that fact pierced Xiao Zhan's heart painfully.

He stole a glance at Yibo's profile. As usual, Yibo gave nothing away, his expression so unreadable for almost everybody, except of course for Xiao Zhan. He knew that Yibo was experiencing something similar, the immeasurable glee of being so close, and the hurtful regret of knowing that it was impossible for them to be together as long as they were fighting a war.

It was inevitable when they finally reached the dining hall's entrance that they needed to separate. Although Xiao Zhan yearned to keep Yibo close, he was cognizant of the eyes that would be on them.  Xiao Zhan wasn't really hungry, he was there for two main reasons: One, because their roommates were absolutely right and he needed food to speed his healing process, and the second was for image purposes. He was a proud man and an even prouder warrior and he was definitely not going to give Lin Xueling and Chen Xian the satisfaction of knowing they were the indirect cause of his diminished physical condition.

Yiqin waved at them to catch their attention and to direct them to the table he had secured.   Xiao Zhan wished the table was closer, but without complaint, he focused on getting to the table without betraying any weakness. Yibo seemed to sense his discomfort at being seen as feeble and refrained from reaching out to help him.

The physical effort of moving without his partner's support was threatening to make him pass out. Maintaining his perfect posture while strolling towards the table was taking most of his energy. For a brief moment, he regretted the fact that his pride outweighed his common sense. He should have stayed in their room, it would have been the sensible thing to do. Xiao Zhan was tempted to reach out to Yibo for help when Lin Xueling and Chen Xian intercepted them.

"Well, well Xueling. Look who we have here. Isn't he the mighty Xiao Zhan in the flesh? I thought he was bedridden," Chen Xian addressed his partner in a mocking tone obviously directed at Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan didn't need to even glance at Yibo to perceive the fiery outrage that infused through his partner. The fact that these two bozos had caused so much trouble for them was unforgivable. Normally able to keep his emotions in check, Xiao Zhan struggled to keep his cool demeanour. It was partially due to his current undermined health, but mostly because their behaviour could have ended up hurting Yibo. That in itself was making it really hard to restrain himself from beating the crap out of Chen Xian. His anger was overriding his pain and he was about to act out his desires when Jingxi decided to intervene.

"Look what we have here, a pair of sore losers." The smirk on his face did nothing to hide his intention of fully ridiculing Lin Xueling and Chen Xian.

"Who are you calling sore losers?!" Lin Xueling interjected, furious.

"You and your partner, obviously," Jingxi answered.

Xiao Zhan stood and watched as Jingxi carried on as if he was intent on pissing her off to the max. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Yiqin stood from the table and approached them. As always, the two always had each other's backs.

"They beat us because they cheated!" Lin Xueling insisted, fully enraged at the way the confrontation had taken a turn.

"Are you implying that Elder Wan is perhaps wrong? Even worse, are you saying that he lied about the results of the test?" Yiqin questioned her, having just joined his partner and his mentors.