Facets of Fate

Chapter 4: Eighteen

Xiao Zhan is turning eighteen tomorrow.

A month had passed since Yibo broke the news to him that Yu Bin was his soulmate. After the party, their days passed by normally. It was just like before, the only change was that Yibo pays more attention to Yu Bin now when he didn't even spare him nothing but a single glance in the past.

Xiao Zhan tried really hard to convince himself that he was happy for Yibo, but deep inside he knows that although he was happy that Yibo can finally have what he deserves - a bright and social person like Yu Bin who will treat him well - he secretly wanted them to not get along and separate.

He's pathetic like that.

He sighed and stared at the chirping birds perched just outside the windowsill of his room, there are two and they look really lovely. Xiao Zhan bets they are a couple.

Ha, even birds have their own soulmate.

Lucky them.

"Student Xiao, looks like the birds are more interesting than my lesson hm?"

Xiao Zhan turned his head away from the window of the classroom of 3-C and raised his head to meet the eyes of one Teacher Wu who is looming over him while wearing a dark smile, his white hair glaring at him and the cane the old teacher is holding looks like its ready to beat him until he's not human anymore.

Why is Mister Wu suddenly in his room?

Wait...he looks around him, meeting the gazes of his classmates who are watching the rare spectacle with much interest. Some girls are giggling and the other boys are smugly smirking, probably finding the situation of Xiao Zhan extremely hilarious.

"A-Ah?" He unconsciously blurted out, angering the older man more.

Mister Wu gritted his teeth and gestured at the board, "Can you tell me the molecular geometry drawn on the board, student Xiao?"

He gulped and swept a gaze over the board, groaning when he sees the confusing model.

Of all the subjects he should have ignored, why did it have to be Organic Chemistry?

He stood up and tried to remember their past lessons, face twisting into confusion and slight terror. He almost bore a hole on the white board at how much he is staring, hoping an answer will pop out from it to no avail. He gulped again and shifted his gaze from the board to Mister Wu who looks like he is ready to smack the life out of him.

Not good.

Okay, he has to breathe properly. He can do this.

He looked at the model again before he made a decision.

"...umm...I think it's a trigonal bipyramidal?" He tentatively answered, yelping when Mister Wu poked him on the foot with his cane before strictly correcting him, "Wrong. It's a square bipyramidal. Make sure to listen to my lessons next time."

The whole class bursts into laughter and Xiao Zhan groaned before slumping on his desk.

He wants to go home.

»»————-　♡　————-««

Xiao Zhan banged his head (quite hard, ouch) on the cafeteria table, sending the other students in shock at his action. He did not pay them any attention, frowning and not removing his head from the metal table. It's cold, cold enough to calm his mind from the earlier happenings.

Zhuo Cheng noticed his distress and removed the earphones on his ears before he sat down across him, an eyebrow raised in question. "Is something wrong?" His tone was laced with, 'I haven't seen you in a month and this is how you behave?' but maybe it was just his imagination.