Present time......
BOLD ITALIC illustrates Yibo's subconscious mind, where he engages in conversations with his late grandfather, Lan Xie Yun.
"Not even my parents knew this place!"
In his shock, Zhan dropped the diary, which fell onto the table with a thump. He turned, feeling a pang of guilt, towards the direction of the voice.
Yibo was standing on the landing of the stairs with his face grim.
"This is a very private place, Zhan," Yibo said furiously as he stepped down the three remaining steps.
Zhan opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again when he found himself speechless. He didn't know what to say. He was intruding, and Yibo had caught him in the act. And anger was visible on Yibo's face.
Zhan gasped when Yibo violently grasped his arm. And with shining eyes: "I have announced to the world that you are my fiancé, yet that does not give you permission to be in this place!"
Zhan looked at Yibo's arm, it was glistening with fine sweat and he silently winced at the sight of Yibo's fingers, resembling steel, that almost pierced his skin. His line of sight gradually moved up to Yibo's wet sports shirt.
"Y-you're h-hurting me..." Zhane managed to catch his voice at last.
"You deserve more than this," Yibo said angrily but loosened his grip on Zhan's arm. "How did you learn about this place?"
Zhan tried to free his arm from Yibo's grasp and succeeded because he let go of him. Zhan let out a deep sigh and sat on the stool behind him.
"I-I am sorry. I-I didn't mean to find this..." Zhan looked around the room. "This basement." He raised his eyes to Yibo who didn't move but kept looking at him with burning eyes.
Zhan cleared his throat and continued to explain. "I-I have no idea how I came to on the other side, the shelf just spun around—"
"You entered my room!" Yibo snorted.
He was still angry. All his life, no one else had ever entered this basement room. He even thought that Zhan passed through the secret tunnel behind the villa and accidentally pushed the stone door. Like how he had discovered it during his childhood.
And in the back of his mind now, it would have been okay if Zhan entered his room, if only Zhan had not discovered this specific place. He would have gladly welcomed Zhan at any time in his room... more specifically in his bed. However, he could not extend that same invitation in this basement.
"I-I was looking for you..." Zhan replied.
"And you got curious because you learned it was Lan Xie Yun's room? And I could guess, you reached for his picture above the shelf." A note of sarcasm laced Yibo's tone as he shook his head in disapproval.
Zhan finds himself incapable of countering Yibo's remark. The anger was still in Yibo's voice when he spoke again.
"I'm surprised by the things you do just out of your curiosity about my grandfather, Zhan. From bribing the stable boy to-"
"Are we going back there again?" Zhan interrupted what he was going to say.
"Because I don't understand why you are so interested in Grandpa!" Yibo snorted again. "And I caught you reading his diary which I have not even touched. That diary and this place has been kept secret to anyone for many years! And I am uncertain whether my parents are even aware of this place!"
