innocent lotus flower

forever scars

The twinkling bell announced the presence of a guest. Both Wen Qing and Wang Yibo shared a look before walking down the stairs to the cafe. In the middle of the cafe stood a man with a youthful face, pale skin, and round eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. His face was well-defined, as if sculpted specially. He wore a white suit that accentuated his body, making him look lanky but not awkward—more otherworldly and unapproachable, like a muse to be seen and felt but not touched. The spell was broken when Wen Qing started speaking, walking forward.

"Xiao Xichen, I'm so glad you are here. I'm sorry to call you on such short notice," she said apologetically.

Xiao Xichen smiled and hugged her. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind. Besides, Xiao Zhan is also a friend of mine and a patient, even if it was only a short while." As he smiled, his aura changed, making him look more approachable. He looked at Wang Yibo, who had been quietly watching their interaction all this time. Wen Qing noticed and introduced Wang Yibo.

"This is Wang Yibo. He is Xiao Zhan's friend from back then," she said.

This caused Xiao Xichen to raise an eyebrow, but he did not comment, knowing Wen Qing or Xiao Zhan would explain everything later. As he was the therapist, he needed to know everything. He followed Wen Qing up as she led him to Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo following behind them. Wang Yibo did not argue with the term "friend," as he felt even that was generous to describe him. After all, he was one of the main culprits that caused Xiao Zhan's mental health to deteriorate, although he would have liked the term "like a Yuan father" or "Xiao Zhan's husband." He knew he did not deserve it.

Wen Qing told Xiao Xichen everything about the situation and produced the vial, which he confirmed to be a drug that aggravated the effects of dissociation. He ushered everyone out of the room except Wen Ning.

"Hey, Xiao Zhan, how are you doing today? As for me, I'm feeling great as we have great weather today. The sun is shining, not too hot but gently, like a lover caressing another's skin. Do you want to feel it?" he said as he got up, moving towards the windows and opening the curtains, not too fast but gently so the sun could spill inside.

As Xiao Zhan felt the temperature of the sun on his skin, his eyelids flickered, and he twitched but went back to not moving. Xiao Xichen moved closer to him on his bed.

"Can I hold your hands?" he asked, getting just a blink from Xiao Zhan. He smiled gently, putting his hands in Xiao Zhan's. "Can you feel this? Because the weather is warm, my hands are also warm. Holding your hands makes it warmer," he said as he gently squeezed Xiao Zhan's hands, trying to let him feel the temperature. He gently repeated this for a few minutes before Xiao Zhan responded, squeezing his hands back.

Xichen smiled. "Can you also hear that? The sound of cars moving, bikes, ha," he said as a chime sounded, but a little muffled. "It seems Wang Lian has opened her flower shop and oh, the smell of Granny Meng's strawberry cake is wafting in. It smells so good, right?" he said, receiving a blink and a tighter squeeze in return. "Do you want to see it? I bet it smells as good as it looks. It's just a few steps right outside the window, and we can hear the sounds and even smell it better. The wind will caress you. Do you want to see?" he said gently, as if cajoling a child.

For a few moments, Xiao Zhan had no reaction, but Xichen showed no impatience until finally, Xiao Zhan blinked and tried to come down from the bed. Xichen immediately guided him to stand up and led him to the window, his hands still holding Xiao Zhan's. He signaled Wen Ning to come forward and told him to put his hands over Xiao Zhan's ears, not too tight but just enough to dampen the loud sound, as he opened the window, extending Xiao Zhan's hands outside so he could feel the breeze as it blew gently, reflecting the sun. Xiao Zhan blinked rapidly as he took in the scene outside his window and the feeling of the wind and sun caressing him. Xichen signaled Wen Ning to let go of his hands. The sounds became jarring as Xiao Zhan tightened his hold on Xichen's hand but slowly relaxed it as he came to his senses.

"Xichen," he said, seeming confused. As he took in the situation and puzzled it out, he continued, "Did I...?" He didn't need to finish the sentence as Xichen nodded. Xiao Zhan took it in stride as he was gently led back to his bed to rest. This was not the first time he had dissociated, and he knew what it felt like. He just hoped he had not lost a lot of time while dissociating.

Xichen went to open the door, meeting the agitated faces of both Wang Yibo and Wen Qing. He smiled. "He is fine now. He is better," he said. Both their expressions changed to that of relief as Wen Qing went inside, but Wang Yibo stayed outside, unsure. He hesitated, walking to the balcony. He was unsure how Xiao Zhan would react to him and was afraid that if Xiao Zhan did not welcome him, he would be unable to bear that. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. He turned, seeing Xiao Xichen.

"Are you not going to see him?" Xichen asked, and Wang Yibo shook his head.

"I don't know how he will react to me," Wang Yibo admitted.

They stayed in silence for a while before Xiao Xichen spoke again. "I am not really sure about your relationship with Xiao Zhan, but it is a fact he allowed you to know his place. He would not do that to just anyone. Letting you in means he accepts you. Believe me, if not, Wen Qing would have dragged you out already. And I'm assuming you know about A Yuan too. All this shows that he trusts you, even though you might have hurt him in the past. From what I have seen of his life, he has always been very private ever since he moved here. The closest guy he has next to him is Wen Ning. When he first got here, he avoided everyone and only allowed his employees to run the cafe, preferring not to interact with anyone. But during this past year, he has become more open, and his personality is shining through. It might be out of line to tell you this, but I consider Xiao Zhan a friend and not just a patient. He had strong walls built up, but he accepts people easily too, and I can see he has broken down part of it for you. So Wang Yibo, if you know you are not ready or you cannot do this, let go now and he can mend. A mental illness is not something that can be cured sometimes. Patients relapse, and not everyone can stay strong at that time. It is nothing to be ashamed of, but if you cannot promise forever, don't make a scar that will last forever."

Hi everyone,

Resurrects from the depths of silence; I can't express how sorry I am for the delay. Please forgive me. Quietly hides in a corner.

oh also my Z is not working but am too tired tonight so i will correct it to xiao zhan tomorrow.byeee