Unsaid Love Story

Chapter 57

Zhan wakes up feeling restless in his chest, staring at the ceiling. His hand unconsciously rubs his chest, trying to soothe the unknown pain that has come from somewhere, but nothing helps. He turns to look at the window, where the light from the rising sun streams through the curtains. The atmosphere should create a comfortable sensation, but instead, it raises his heartbeat almost to the point of pain.

It isn't new! He feels like this at every concert and can understand that something wrong will happen. Also, it is the most significant final concert everyone is waiting for, so there must be a vast plan going on behind their backs to ruin everything. He's not surprised. Not only him but his bandmates as well. Everyone is becoming aware of all possibilities and making sure nothing goes wrong.

Flinching, he rubs his chest and bites back the pain to control it. He feels a weird, strange feeling in his chest. It isn't new, but it differs from before. He doesn't know how to get rid of it when he doesn't know what it is. He feels like something will happen that can hurt his heart because he's now fraught with anguish and anxiety. To prove the point, a lone tear leaves his eye.

It gets worse. He should be strong because he needs to focus on the concert. "Y-Yibo will take care of..." The words halt in his throat when more tears spill from his eyes. He can't complete the sentence because his whole body is trembling suddenly. He can't understand the meaning of it. He takes several slow breaths to calm himself by saying that there's nothing unusual to justify his concern.

As he regains control of his body, the voice on his emotional side reignites his worry. He remains motionless, dwelling on his worries, until three sharp knocks at the door interrupt his thoughts. He lets out a sigh and wipes away his tears before rising from the bed. It is essential for him to stick to their planned routine, as they are scheduled to visit the arena in the morning for their final rehearsal before the concert that night. This way, they hope to avoid any potential issues that may arise.

In just a few minutes, he gets ready and gathers all of his necessary belongings before sending a quick text to Yibo to meet him at the arena. With so much on his mind, his heart refuses to rest as he anticipates feeling energized once he sees and smells him.

Taking a long, deep breath, he walks to the door but stops when his eyes land on the mirror. His heart skips a beat. Changing the direction of his feet, he walks over to the mirror and tugs away the collar of his shirt to see the mating mark. His fingers brush over it as he shuts his eyes and thinks about something. "I will tell the world about our unsaid love story!" he says confidently before opening his eyes and looking at himself in the mirror. Suddenly, all the worries in his body fly away through the window.

His fingers reach out to his glasses, and he removes them, realizing he doesn't need to wear them anymore. He doesn't want to blind anyone with his things. By throwing the glasses away, he gets rid of another unnecessary thing in his life. Feeling satisfied, he steps out of the hotel with his bandmates. The rays of sunlight bathe him and encourage him to follow his heart's desire.

Everything is going more calmly than necessary during the ride to the arena, like a calm before the storm. But none of them notice, especially Zhan, who should care the most. Until he steps foot off the bus and makes eye contact with Yibo, who is already waiting there. Instead of smiling brightly, a lone tear escapes his eyes and forces him to freeze in place. All his worries return to him and fill him to the core.

Tears stream down his cheek as he gazes at Yibo, wishing to disappear with him before something happens to... Unable to finish his sentence, his mind grows fuzzy with each passing second. He reaches out toward Yibo, disregarding his bandmates. Understanding his need, Yibo quickly approaches him and pulls him into a comforting embrace, soothing his back.

Zhan clings onto Yibo's shirt, inhaling the soothing scent of sandalwood and nuzzling against his chest. "I-I feel..." he begins.

"Shh," Yibo shushes by pulling Zhan back and pressing a finger to his lips. He leans so close that he can feel Zhan's breathing and looks him deep in the eyes. "You don't need to fear anything when you have the magical power to spin everything around. I trust you, and I know that this is the day everybody's going to remember forever because we're going to leave a mark on their hearts—you and me, together, just like we want."

Hearing that, Zhan can't contain himself and hugs Yibo tightly, as Yibo also closes his arms around Zhan, tightening the grip. Yibo strokes Zhan's hair with his hand as Zhan whispers into the nape of his neck. "God! What would I do without you, Yibo? I could never make it through this four-month tour if it weren't for you by my side. Thank you. Will you always be there for me?"

Yibo lifts Zhan's head to look him in the eyes and gives him a small smile before he says, "You and me forever."

They stare at each other, their hearts full of love and hope for the future. Their moment is interrupted by Ji Li, apologizing for taking up their time, as he has no other choice. They have a rehearsal to prepare for a better homecoming concert, so Zhan needs to focus on that matter for a few hours, whether he likes it or not.

Zhan heaves a sigh, gives one final hug to Yibo, and breathes in his scent before going with Ji Li.

The rehearsal goes smoothly for a couple of hours as everyone indulges themselves in the song, knowing it's about Zhan's unsaid love story. The one who is the other part of this unsaid love story stares at Zhan the whole time with lots of love in their eyes because this song contains each and every emotion of their lost ten years and has the audacity to attract everyone.

Smiling softly, Zhan locks eyes with Yibo and communicates silently with him while rehearsing. As time goes on, a mix of emotions swirls in his mind, making him oblivious to the sudden shift in Yibo's demeanor as he rushes toward him, shouting something. Perplexed by Yibo's behavior, Zhan stands still, straining to hear his words over the background noise but unable to make sense of them.

The stage shakes slightly, and he tries not to frown as he sees the heavy set around him. As inconspicuously as he can, he looks over at Yibo again, whose eyes are also on the heavy set towering above his head. Suddenly, the realization kicks in. He needs to get away from the set because it doesn't seem to be... And then he's flying off the stage and crashing onto the concrete below amidst a rumble, unlike anything he has heard before.

His ankles, knees, and back all jolted at the shock and pain of his landing, his back stinging where Yibo had shoved him. He whips around as the stage continues to shake, and the set is in pieces piled on top of where he had just been standing.

Horror, unlike anything he has ever experienced, overwhelms him as he jumps onto the stage. There is no sign of Yibo, and the set is dangerously sparking. "Yibo!" He shouts, fueled by pure adrenaline. His brother and bandmates hold him back as security and technicians work frantically to clear the debris. Tears stream down his face as he continues to call out for his alpha. "Yibo!"

People are everywhere, shouting as helpers lift the shattered screen, smoldering slightly, and move a piece of metal. There lies Yibo on stage, unconscious, with blood matted on the top of his head.

"Yibo!" Zhan cries and moves to dive to his alpha's side, but Cheng holds him back as the medical personnel swarm Yibo. His eyes watch the scene unfold while he tries to loosen Cheng's grip on him.

His heart is beating frantically as his mate is taken away. Everyone who knows him surrounds him, but the one he needs the most, Zhan, stays away and cries pathetically. "It's not right. I should be with him now. I should..." He wipes his tears away and turns to look at Cheng with red-rimmed eyes, tilting his head. "Do you still think it's right to keep me away from Yibo?"

Cheng looks into Zhan's eyes and understands the painful truth before breaking his grip on him and keeping his hand at his side.

Not waiting a bit after that, Zhan races along the side of the stretcher as Yibo's unconscious body is wheeled out of the arena and into the ambulance. He shoves his way into the ambulance and takes the only available seat while nodding at his bandmates, who promise to follow them. As the door closes, he grabs Yibo's hand and puts it on his cheek while crying his heart out. It seems their unsaid love story remains unsaid at last.