Evanescent Dreams

25. A promise to forget

Ye Zhen was Weng Bai's neighbor and grademate for many years during elementary school. 

Weng Bai was quite a lively kid at that time, but never really got to know or talk to Ye Zhen. His family did not encourage Weng Bai to make close relationships with him because there were many rumors regarding Ye Zhen's family. His dad, said to be a nasty and cold person, was never home, and his mother was said to be diagnosed with depression. 

"The dynamics and atmosphere of that family is just too odd," Weng Bai's mother used to comment.

Ye Zhen himself also did not have many friends. He played with worms and bugs during break time and was always mute. 

The only interaction the two had between themselves was at a local hospital when it was the time to take mandatory flu shots. All of the children at the hospital had their parents besides them, calming them down from the fear of taking shots. That is, everyone except Ye Zhen. 

Ye Zhen sat alone in the hospital, looking out the windows. He might have been in fear of taking a vaccine alone in a cold hospital room, but he had to pretend he didn't care. He had to pretend that he was confident and used to being alone. It was a self-esteem he had to protect.

Weng Bai saw this, and while his parents went to take the bathroom, he went over to Ye Zhen and handed him a strawberry lollipop. 

The act startled Ye Zhen.

"No, thank you," he tried to push it away, but his eyes glimmered at it. His eyes glimmered at Weng Bai.

Weng Bai frowned, "Hah? Who doesn't like lollipops? You must try one!"

Weng Bai dropped the candy on Ye Zhen's lap and swung away.

The next time Weng Bai wanted to find Ye Zhen to finally get to know him better, Ye Zhen had moved away. According to Weng Bai's mother, Ye Zhen's parents had divorced. Ye Zhen's sister, Ye Xue, went with her mother, and Ye Zhen moved away with his father.

Then, two years ago, Ye Zhen's father moved back to the neighborhood alone and found a new girlfriend. The two had just married recently when Ye Zhen was called to come back. Apparently, when Ye Zhen's father came back two years ago, he hid the fact that he had a son to establish new romantic relationships. His new wife recently found out about Ye Zhen's existence, and wanted to see Ye Zhen to make sure he was not the type of person that would cause any trouble to her and her marriage in the future. Hence, Ye Zhen's stay in X City was temporary, and he would soon be kicked out to the American boarding school again.

---

Weng bai finished telling Lin Xingren about his limited knowledge of Ye Zhen's past and current situation. 

"The time Ye Zhen moved away from your neighborhood...was around seven years ago, right?"

Weng Bai nodded, "yeah...but how did you know?"

He turned around after hearing no reply, and was surprised to see her with teary eyes.

She squeezed her fists on her lap. "He experienced all that, and is experiencing all this, yet I...I..."

I only cared about my own feelings, my own situation, so much that I consciously ignored the fact that everyone had their own feelings, their own situation.

"What are you guys doing over here?" Chen Siyun came back with three bottles of water.

"Thanks, Siyun!" Weng Bai gulped down some of his water, "ahhh, I'm refreshed."

He stood up, "let's go find Ye Zhen now."

"Wait," Chen Siyun tugged on the corners of his shirt.

"Why?"