The Downfall of Zhan Zheng Xi

Chapter Forty Nine - Quandary

After everything happened with Jian Yi's heartfelt confessions, they all seemed to get back to some sort of normalcy. Exam time arrived for everybody, Zhan Xi and Jian Yi both scored well in their exams moving them high on the list, but they weren't top.........that spot had been reserved for He Tian, who was obviously some sort of freakish alien. Mo Guan Shan passed, which he was satisfied with as his mother would probably cuff him around the head if he had failed.

The summer was finally coming to an end. The baking hot, sweat inducing humidity was waining and the endlessly rainy days were mellowing into bearable autumn weather. Zhan Xi was currently on He Tian's couch in his ridiculously huge apartment. As he looked around he remembered when he first started coming here, when the rooms used to be empty of character and furniture. Now when he looked around he noticed that the room had morphed into somewhere human beings could live, and there were little stamps of Mo Guan Shan around too. A coat hanging up, shoes by the door, a guitar in the corner, the kitchen was looking "used" now and the bed area was set up for two, each bedside table had stuff on them for He Tian And Mo Guan.

"Hey Zhan Xi, penny for your thoughts?" Xi jumped when He Tian's voice finally got through his musings, and he accepted the bottle of water being waved in front of his face.

"Shit, sorry I was miles away." Xi accepted it and cracked the bottle open, taking a long swallow.

"...........................". He Tian drank tea and gazed out of his massive windows at the Beijing skyline.

"............................". Zhan Xi looked at the view too, as silence stretched out between them. He supposed without their noisy other half's here, their normally taciturn personalities meant they really had fuck all to talk about.

"As much as I enjoy these long brooding silences, was there a reason why you invited me here with explicit instructions not to invite Yi?" Zhan Xi arched an eyebrow at He Tian. They had come here straight from school, Jian Yi had a counselling session and Mo Guan was having dinner with his mother.

"I know, I know, let me get to it in my own time. I have new manhua for you, I think you will like the ones I've got for you, are you still 'researching'?" He Tian got up and grabbed a pile of books from his bedside table, handing them to him with a grin.

"Yeah I'm still researching." Zhan Xi took them and stashed them in his school bag. He didn't mention that he had stopped reading BL for research and now read it because he liked it.

"How is Jian Yi doing?" He Tian sat back down and met his eyes.

"Better I think, he's talking more, I guess it's easier to say stuff now." Zhan Xi's eye's were warm, he was being careful these days making sure to listen if Yi needed it.

He Tian nodded his face was contemplative, it was always weird seeing this 'off' He Tian in comparison to the usually smiling, over the top He.

They fell into silence again and Zhan Xi left it, He Tian obviously had something on his mind which he couldn't say to Mo or Jian Yi, what made him the lucky guy to listen who knew?

"Just fucking spit it out He." Zhan Xi grew impatient.

"Shit you're such a douche." As Xi watched He Tian transformed, his face creased with worry and his hands raked through his hair pulling at it.

"Come on.........". Xi scowled at the boy across from him, seriously what was this all about? He was getting a weird vibe.

"Shit, shit, shit....................I've decided I don't want to stay in my current line of business anymore, I've had it with this shit controlling my life. Who's to say someone won't get hurt next time just because of this bullshit. Fuck." He rested his head in his hands.

"So.......are you going to be beaten if you leave?" Zhan Xi knew He Tian was into some shady shit, but He had always acted like he was happy with the way things were.

"Fuck, I don't know, maybe it will be worth it to get a normal life." He Tian shrugged he looked lost, Xi had never seen him like this before.

"So what do you want to do?" Xi felt like he was going to be no help at all.

"I've decided to apply for a University in Hong Kong." He Tian looked at him and he could see the determination in his eyes.

"Does Mo know?" Zhan Xi clasped his hands together and pondered over the bombshell He Tian had just dropped.

"No. Shit we've talked about what we want to do after school ends, I know he wants to go to a local college here. I put him off by saying I was thinking about going to Beijing University, but I've never committed to it." He Tian flopped back in his chair his head rested against the back and his eyes closed, he looked defeated.

"So what's the problem? Can Mo not go to Hong Kong with you?"

"His mother's health isn't the greatest and he wants to stay close to her, so he's there if she needs him." He Tian's face finally softened and he smiled. "He's a fucking good guy under all that latent hostility."

"Yeah I know. So you're fucked." Zhan Xi shook his head.

"You're not helping." He Tian's voice was loud in the quiet apartment, he looked at Xi with anger in his eyes.

"You have to fucking tell him, it's not something I can do for you. Trust that you can sort it the fuck out together. I am finding that honesty is the best way to deal with hard shit." Zhan Xi got his stuff together, and stood up. He walked to where He Tian was sitting looking shattered and he grasped He's shoulder in solidarity.

"Trust him?" He Tian looked sceptical.

"Trust him. You can think of a solution together, instead of you planning all this behind his back. He's gonna be pissed." Xi put his bag over his shoulder and walked over for his shoes.

He Tian swore as Zhan Xi left him with a lot to contemplate.