In between love and death《Yizhan version》

Chapter 3

X POV

Let the game start . . .

***

Xiao Zhan's POV

My head felt stirred up, and I tried to open my heavy eyelids, but my thoughts drifted away every time I tried opening my eyes, and that was the moment when an old memory popped up, one I wished to erase.

"Just who do you think you are?! Staying here for free?!" He shouted right into my face while I was frozen into shock.

"Please I just lost my apartment, I'll have nowhere else to go, I can do anything, please! Just please don't kick me out on the streets," I kept begging with tears in the back of my eyes threatening to fall.

"I don't care even if you cried blood," He spatted the words right into my face, not knowing how deep it had cut.

"I'm begging you, please, sir," I was kneeling but knew that it would make no difference to him.

The restaurant manager I worked with for years, already pushed me without a sorry out the backdoor, I winched painfully, falling on the tar road while the rain trickled down from heaven touching my face.

The 50-years old man tossed my bag filled with clothes and some small belongings into the puddle of dirty water before talking again, "if I ever see your face here again, I'll call the cops on you! And now get lost!"

And just like that my life crumbled into nothingness, no family, no job, no friends, and no home . . .

I just kept walking down that dark alleyway without end nor destiny roaming down the lonely cold streets, clinging onto any slim glimmer of hope, but to be honest, I just wanted to end it all already...

And again the darkness clouded my vision...

"Mister please, wake up," a soft, but cold voice was calling me that somehow sounded like a melody inside my ears.

"Uhhhh . . . "

"Mister, can you hear me, please wake up," again that annoying voice, but this time it sounded somewhat familiar?

I just wanted to sleep, so badly letting the darkness take me over, but the voice kept getting me back, the voice from the man sounded from a distance but became louder and louder.

With a soft flutter, my eyes slowly went open, the first thing I saw was an attractive young man, but why did I feel like I had seen him somewhere before?

I could see that his face was in a total panic, and in less than a second, I shot up almost colliding with him while rubbing my eyes hard and trying to take in my surroundings.

What?! How am I back in the alleyway again . . . ?

Was it after all just a dream . . . ?

But-

It felt so real . . .

"Mister, a-are you alright . . . ?" I slowly turned my head back to look at the man, his eyes were wide in shock, and I was in such a daze that it took me a long while to recognize the attractive stranger.

THIS IS THE FAMOUS ACTOR WANG YIBO!

I quickly rushed to stand up, hoping the sudden rush would wake me from this long and feeling horrible real nightmare, just what is wrong with me tonight?

But then it appeared that the strange night did not stop there, suddenly Lily appeared out of nowhere next to Yibo with a small mysterious smile plastered on her face, my wide eyes were looking between her and the famous actor.

When I wanted to open my mouth to say something Lily shook her head lightly, placing a finger on her lip which held a secretive small smile.

"Don't worry, he can't see me, only you can," she gave me a small precious smile while winking at me, my eyes darted between her and Yibo who looked the other way giving me the chance to talk.

"H-How . . . ?" I murmured softly under my breath hoping Yibo didn't hear me, and maybe if he did, he didn't show any signs. Lily was still smiling while she shrugged her shoulders, "You seem confused." Her words were followed by a soft chuckle while she said, her dark eyes caught mine.

"This man here," she pointed at Yibo with a sad smile on her face, "is the reason you died a few minutes ago." Lily nodded at something behind my shoulder, I turned to see an expensive-looking car with the engine still running and a pair of bright yellow headlights lightening the dark and frightful alleyway.

Now I turned around to study the fear-stricken look on Yibo's side profile. When I met Lily's eyes next, she only gave me a small yet assuring nod that made me breathe out into the cold winter night.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do or say, but if you want my advice," I unconsciously nodded at her words, "why don't you start living your life the way you want for a change?" In an instant after her words she vanished into a thin layer of air, solving into nothingness, only her words and playful wink stayed with me.

"Mister, are you hurt anywhere? I can take you somewhere to heal any injury . . ." In an instant, I snapped back to reality and eye the nervous man. He approached me hesitantly as if he was afraid I might run away at any moment.

But what did he mean with "somewhere?"

I shook the thought away sighing deeply, "for your information, I'm not hurt anywhere, but even so, shouldn't you be calling 991 by now?" I looked up and at the mention of 991, I could see him turn paler than he already was in the dark moonlight, even though he tried to look calm, I could still see how much his hands were trembling at his sides.

Thinking about it, was he planning to leave me for dead all along?

I started to look around the empty alleyway and then down to myself.

"Please don't misunderstand, I really do want to help you, just tell me if you need anything," I looked at him, straight in his eyes, something was stirring inside me, something I've bottled up for so long.

A hundred more days to live, eh? Lily's words kept ringing in my head as if they were an alarm telling me I hadn't much time left, and through the deadly silence my doubts slowly grew, it was as if I could feel something snapping inside me.

That's it!

This is the last time someone thinks I can be discarded easily, from this day on, I am going to do whatever I want!

I should be tired, but for the first time in years, I'm not. Suddenly I felt a rush and much more alive than I ever did before, there was sudden energy running through my veins that I couldn't explain, I squared up my shoulders, confidently, in front of the tall man who turned out to be a famous actor. And I opened my mouth as if on command, to say the words that will change my life for the next to last upcoming hundred days . . .

"You want to help me, right?" I stopped for a second to take a breath before continuing where I left off, "then take me home with you right now!" Silence fell down before I picked up the thread once again, "Or I will tell every single media outlet outside there that you ran over me!"

" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "

The words died away into the silence of the night, disappearing without a trace of existence. 

Word counts: 1313 words