In Between Us || Zhanyi

|| 38 ||

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"Him?" Zhan frowned, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. "You are saying......." 

Kuan nodded. "Hmm...its Yibo, it took me 4 months to prepare him, I even outsourced sponsors, because I knew he had the potential to win the title. But......"

Zhan felt as though the ground had shifted beneath him. He couldn't find words, the revelation leaving him momentarily speechless.

"He dropped out," Kuan continued, his tone grave.

Zhan's heart dropped, the weight of the revelation hitting him like a blow. "Why?" he managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper. "And did you let him even do that? Why didn't you talk to me? Just why?"..............though Zhan asked an unknown possibility clenched his heart.

Kuan's gaze turned somber "Sorry, That time you were on leave, so I didn't consider to contact you and honestly I was almost blank, when just the day before our flight Yibo came to me and informed, he can not join us. I thought it must be his family threatening him, I tried to stop him — even I was ready to confront his family — but...." Kuan's voice broke slightly. "He begged me on his knees, Xiao. Said he couldn't go against them. On the day of the event, when we were heading to airport, Yibo was supposed to be walking down the aisle."

Zhan's breath hitched, his chest tightening painfully. No....No....No........Zhan was screaming inside his head.....as the image of their wedding day flashed in front of his eyes........the timid posture of his husband, head hung low, quietly walking towards the aisle. That day, Zhan felt it was his husband's shyness, not realizing the pain he was carrying. The path that was covered with rose petals who would have known, for his husband it was like a bed of thrones which he walked all alone, bleeding...........Yibo... why didn't you tell me for once?

Kuan frowned deeply, shaking his head. "His uncle and aunt arranged his marriage.... I don't know who the hell he married, but I can imagine the type. Probably some wealthy, affluent one.........the engagement ring, he showed looked bit expensive.......I am sure his uncle and aunty must have seen this as a good opportunity to get rid of him. Isn't it obviously a deal—an obligation, nothing more. What could someone like that possibly want with Yibo?"

Zhan sat frozen, his mind reeling with the weight of Kuan's words. The image of Yibo kneeling, begging not to be helped, clashed with the confident, determined facade his husband always presented. Zhan felt his chest tighten. He had assumed Yibo was willing in their marriage, that everything had been a choice on his part. But now, hearing this from Kuan, the truth was dawning on him. Yibo had been forced into it, not by Zhan, but by his family.

Zhan's voice was low, barely concealing the storm of emotions bubbling under the surface. "So... Yibo didn't want to get married?" Zhan whispered the words as if for each word he died for once, his mind filled an uncertain insecurity that he had no way to give solace

Kuan shrugged, his expression one of sympathy. "I don't think it was ever about what he wanted. I doubt he even had the guts to take stand for his rights or maybe I should say.....he didn't even think he deserve anything..." Kuan with a heavy sigh continued. "You know, from that day one thing about Yibo that always gnaws at me," he began, his tone dropping to something more solemn, almost bitter.

Zhan stiffened but kept his gaze neutral, masking the swirl of emotions threatening to break through. "What is it?" he asked, though a part of him wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"His damn resilience," Kuan said, walking back to the sofa and sitting down again. "The kid takes everything life throws at him—sacrifices his own happiness for others—and still won't let you realize what he is going through. As much as he earned my respect for being that selfless, I loathed him for having so low self-esteemed"

Kuan leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his voice dropping to a disgusted murmur. "Honestly, it makes me sick to think about. Yibo is a walking masterpiece—beautiful, young, full of potential—and yet, he's trapped in a marriage where he's being drained and treated just as trash"

"Aren't your accusations too strong.......without evidence? You himself shared that you don't know much apart from how his life was with his parental family, that too you assumed only from the conversations happened between his and your mother. Afterwards, his actions and decisions made you believe that your assumptions are right. You have no solid prove that the whole scenario is same as you consider. Then how can you make such strong judgement about his marriage when you don't even know the opposite person, how he treats Yibo or what he-----" Zhan was speaking, his voice dangerously calm, but still he couldn't complete as Kuan cut harshly

Kuan shrugged, unaware of the storm brewing beneath Zhan's composed exterior. "I don't" Kuan exhaled sharply, his voice taking on a harder edge, "I don't know him and that punk should be thankful for that. Trust me Xiao, if I got my hands on that mother*cker, I will beat him black and blue....bloody rich, filthy bu*tard!!!!!!" Kuan gritted between his teeth, Zhan felt as though he had been punched in the gut. Kuan had no idea that he was talking about Zhan himself—Yibo's husband.

Though the conversation was supposed to be between two professors but here Kuan was extremely sympathetic to Yibo and taking thing bit too personal aware under the cover opposite character was present in the discussion. Other hand, Zhan's interest here wasn't as a professor at all...........he couldn't help but found himself only as Yibo's husband throughout the discussion.

Zhan clenched his fists tightly, the leather of the sofa creaking under his grip "Why would you say that?"

Kuan continued, his voice filled with frustration. "Let us not be kids. What else could it be? A man like that—rich, controlling—it would be kidding if you are saying he would marry Yibo out of love or even respect him. Even that the case you wish to argue, tell me, being married to someone wealthy, Yibo wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore, right? But it's like... nothing changed. He's still working himself to the bone, still trying to keep up with everything. taking up tutoring jobs, paying for his own expenses. You know what.......he covered his hostel fees recently all by himself?....you know na, how much our university charges as security deposit......"

Zhan felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. His mind blank for a moment.......wasn't he had given every access of his wealth to Yibo? Yibo had three cards, two bank accounts under own authority? He had f*cking given his power of attorney to Yibo? Were all he did was joke to Yibo? What the hell Yibo wanted to establish by pulling all these stunts????  Zhan blinked, stunned. "He paid for the hostel fees by himself?" He stopped himself, as he didn't find any word to clear his confusion.

...To Be Continued