In Between Us || Zhanyi

A Silent Resolve

✒️Last worked: 15/08/2024

✅Improvement required before publish: Something evil is required

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The next morning, Yibo awoke to the glaring sunlight filtering through the curtains. His head felt heavy, and his eyes were swollen from the tears of the previous night. Panic gripped him as he glanced at the clock on the wall—it was late. Much later than usual.

He scrambled out of bed, almost stumbling his feet, his body aching from the restless sleep and the emotional toll of the previous night. As he rushed through the hallway, heading toward the living room, his heart pounded in his chest. Zhan had always been strict about punctuality, and missing breakfast was an offense he'd never dared commit.

But as Yibo entered the living room, it was eerily silent. No sound of ruffling newspaper, no stern reminders from Zhan about how the day was already halfway wasted. Instead, the room was empty.

On the dining table, a single piece of paper lay neatly folded. Yibo's breath hitched as he reached for it, recognizing Zhan's precise handwriting:

"I have work. Can't wait around all day. So, I'm leaving. No need to bother with my whereabouts"

The note was brief, almost indifferent, as if Yibo's absence meant nothing. His chest tightened as he read the words again, the emptiness of the house amplifying the emptiness he felt inside. No goodbye. No explanation. Just a cold, distant message left on the table, as if Zhan couldn't be bothered to say it in person.

Yibo's heart churned, the pain from last night still fresh, but now there was something more. The realization that maybe this was it. That maybe Zhan had truly given up on him. The note was a confirmation that Zhan didn't want Yibo to be part of his life anymore—at least not in any meaningful way.

He clutched the paper tightly, his knuckles turning white as a mix of hurt and determination washed over him. His mind began to spiral. What could he do to fix this? How could he make Zhan see him again, not as a burden, but as someone worthy of respect?

That was when the decision formed. He needed to change things. If he couldn't win Zhan's affection as a husband, maybe he could at least regain his respect as a student. He had already failed Zhan in their household, he could not afford to embarrass Zhan in their professional territory as Yibo was well aware, it was Zhan's pride and he wished maybe for once, it would be him to bring that pride to Zhan.

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Later that day at the university, Yibo found himself standing outside the administrative office, filling out the forms for a dorm room. The decision wasn't easy. The dorm was an escape, a place where he could focus on his studies and reclaim the glory that had once made him stand out. Also as Zhan was angry with him and didn't want him close........this arrangement would help.

He would be Zhan's top student again—nothing less. If that was all he could be, then he would devote himself to it. It didn't matter how much it hurt to leave the apartment they had shared; it wasn't truly a home. Not for him.