Thread That Binds Us

Chapter-8

Yo!😎 Still alive? Me too! Serving updates as promised!😎

This chapter is all over the place. I had such high hopes for it and wrote mindlessly, thinking that I would edit everything before posting. Then this afternoon I realized that today was Saturday and no time for me to clean up my word vomit. So, forgive me, sensei!😖🙏

Love and hugs and free sanitizers to those who commented and voted! You've made a quarantined poor soul very happy! Well done, you!

SabyyaButt kissy kissy for ya, with mask, of course!😘😘

Take care. take precautions. it's okay to go stir crazy and wanting to go out but not okay to endanger others. Stay alive 'cause who will support these poor excuse of stories otherwise?

My prayers for you and your countrymen. My utmost respect for your medical staffs and all those who are helping to make all our lives survivable in this situation.

The photo manip on the header is done by- 麦兜白 (on weibo)

Now, off with the read!

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IMPORTANT: 'Gē Gē' is a Chinese term meaning 'elder brother'. We asians do not call our elders (no matter how small the age gap is) by names. It's considered disrespectful. We use such terms to signify the relations, i.e. Ge Ge, Hyung, Senpai, Dada, JieJie etc. These can be used in an affectionate way depending on the relationship between the persons. If you're asian (from whichever part you are) you are probably familiar with this. If you're not, it is to clarify why YiBo keeps calling Zhan 'Ge' in the story.

Chapter-8

Late at night. Zhan was in his basement turned working studio. Trying to convince himself that he was indeed working and not just brooding and questioning his life choices. His eyes went again to the silent baby monitor sitting innocently at the table top.

Did he do the right thing running to that lawyer? Xuan was out of station for a promotional work at the moment and Zhan didn't dare to inform him either. He was pretty sure his manager would go ballistic the moment he knew.

He doubted that YiBo would actually act on his threat about a legal custody battle. He had always been like this, throwing tantrums, saying things that he didn't mean or would regret later. Zhan had gone through this routine several times in the past but even so, he couldn't take the risk in this particular case.

Maybe it was because of his sense of guilt, the undeniable fact that he had indeed wronged YiBo, that had shaken him so much hearing that threat. Because guilty or not he wouldn't let anyone, anyone, take Xing away from him. This fear almost left him paralyzed of all coherent thoughts every time it occurred.

Going back and forth of such morbid thoughts he was zoning out when the intercom connected to the main outer entrance of the house buzzed. Zhan's soul almost left this mortal realm at the sudden harsh sound, eyes automatically going up to the wall clock. 1:20am, it read.

Who on earth could be banging on his door at this godforsaken hour?!

Zhan didn't have security guards. It was a posh, solitary neighbourhood where no one bothered about other residents. And he mostly worked from home, making his acquaintance circle even smaller.

So, this night intruder must be a thug or a drunk. In between his sudden worry the bell kept buzzing. He quickly turned to the screen that showed the CCTV footage around his house. And there it was. A man standing just outside the gate, head bent to rest against the iron, left hand on the bell.