The hues of the sky mingled beautifully with the dawn. The Sun was teasing the clouds with playing hide and seek. The coquettish wind was so seductive that nothing could ruin its charms.

"CURSE YOU ALL! FUCKSHITS!"

"He's lively." Xiao Zhan greeted Caihong with his twinkle smile.

At least they had Xiao Zhan by their side to liven up their days.

"Poor An Bai, she's in charge of him." Caihong sighed, feeling for her friend. An Bai – the nurse – was responsible for massaging his legs, bringing his food and making sure he took his medicine. How much she actually succeeded? Nobody wanted to point out.

"Would you mind, if I look after him?" Xiao Zhan requested.

"But Zhan...you can't come everyday."

"I know, I will manage somehow."

"Are you sure? Your deadline is pretty close by."

"No worries, Caihong. If I can't manage, I will inform you beforehand." Xiao Zhan reassured.

"Okay. But don't force yourself too much. Its not an obligation for you."

"I know. Thank you." Xiao Zhan said and went to that room again. If he had to be honest, he didn't want to go there and hear all the insults. But at the same time, he didn't want somebody else to hear them as well. It's rather him than anybody else. It's the least he could do to pay them back for their kindness.

He knocked the door and knowing he would not receive any permission, he stepped inside.

"Hello – mph!!!"

A pillow landed on his face.

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU BACK?! GO BACK INTO YOUR SEWER!!"

Good thing, it was just a pillow.

"If only I were a ninja turtle." Xiao Zhan said and went back to the chair. This time he picked 'The Silent Cry' by Kenzaburo Oe.

He's gonna do this every day?

The youngster was baffled. They never sent the same person twice. Except An Bai; who had no other choice.

Let's see how long he stays.

And the youngster opened his unfiltered mouth. He started small as a warm up and by the time he used big maligning words, he had already included the great grandparents. He truly outdone himself. Even he himself had no idea, he could construct such calumniating words.

Yet this Xiao Zhan person seemed not to care. He threw his pillows and now he was lying uncomfortably on the bed while sending daggers at the ceiling.

That didn't work.

Just like yesterday, after many hours had passed the youngster finally got tired and gave up. The sound of the flipping of the pages were all they could hear. It was peaceful to say the least.

His mind began to wander, back to the time where he was moving happily. He could feel the wind, soaring through his hair. His friends were there too, smiling with him, or were they really?

'We'd make it till the end.'

No, it wasn't here to begin with.

'We got your back buddy.'

After all, his father bought their friendship for him.

And when their loyalty was in question, they took advantage of his misery and left him strangled in the cold icy place. No, they created the misery for him.

They hurt him. Betrayed him. Denounced him. Impaired him.

They broke his heart, crushed his soul and left him all alone.

"Ngn!"

"What happened?" Startled, Xiao Zhan rushed to him.

He went too deep, in the pitiful hole of anguish and torment. Those memories shackled him and strangled him till he could breath no more.

"Here drink water." Xiao Zhan saw the youngster almost had a panic attack. Everyone who come here, always have a story to tell. And that story was never a pleasant one.

Xiao Zhan brought the glass of water near his lips while carefully lifted him up to drink it. He was tending to him so prudently that the youngster almost fell for it.

No. it's the same trick. They are all liars.

He swung his head back in full force and banged into the elder behind him.

"Ouch!"

"..." except he hurt his head too.

Xiao Zhan rubbed his aching chin and asked,

"Is your head alright? That was a quite the hit."

"..."

Xiao Zhan brought back the pillows and made the youngster lean on it comfortably, though the youngster made sure to make it very hard for him.

He could sense the aura of the younger changed.

Maybe he remembered something bad?

He shouldn't push him like that. Everyone has their own pace. But Xiao Zhan didn't except to hear what came next out of that mouth.

"You guys are hypocrites."

He begun. His voice seething with hatred. Bloated with utter resentment.

Rehabilitation center? What a joke!

They make up beautiful lies to blind the patients. They urge them to chase after the light on the golden ride. They carry the fakest smiles of being the saints. But everything is merely a façade, an illusion they create and lip services they deliver.

"Hm?" Xiao Zhan had no idea where that statement come from. No clue what had been going in that head. He wasn't around for 3 weeks. So, he had no idea what the youngster went through to declare something like that.

"You claim to help people but would you really help them if the money wasn't attached to it?

They knew who his father was. They knew he got big chuck in his bag. All they have to do is, put extra butter and their futures would be sealed in gold.

"If I give you more money, how far are you willing to go for me?"

He hated it. He abhorred all the people who smiled for no reason. And this Xiao Zhan, he loathed him the most.

He didn't even have any pride. Who would bear such defaming curse launched right at the face. He's the most shallow of them all.

"What is wrong with earning money through what we love?" Xiao Zhan asked. He observed every change in the expression of younger. He could feel every essence of detest in his voice. But more than that, he could sense the cry of help, screaming to be saved. His smile only turned into gentle nudge of affection.

"If I earn money from what I love, isn't that wonderful?"

Wonderful? Doing something you love was the most fulfilling part of life, something he wanted to do, something he worked hard for.

But just because you grinded your whole life for something, didn't mean you could obtain it.The feeling of being wronged bubbled up more anger in him and snarled.

"You're just fake people. Smiling everyday giving false hope to everyone!"

Since he was coming clean, might as well put everything on the table. What's worst would they do to him?

Nothing! They could do nothing to him. Even the sentiments like pity would be eradicated for him. They would hate him just as much he would hate them. He just had enough of everything.

"That's incorrect. We don't give hope to the patients." Xiao Zhan corrected.

"Then what do you do? Sing them sutras and they magically heal?"

"We don't do that either. In fact, we do nothing."

Infuriating. That smile of him was so infuriating that he wanted to wipe it clean and tear it apart.

"As I thought, you just hog all the money out of the patients and when you can't handle them you send them to the main branch."

Oh? So, he knows that he'd be sent to the main branch this week. He whole heartedly believes he's a lost cause?

It was just a small glimpse. A little peek into the isolated person's heart. And that glance was enough for Xiao Zhan to make a decision.

It was too lonely, too cold. He wanted to hold him and bring him warmth. But right now, he had no power to do so.

"Not at all. We don't help anyone. They help themselves. They cure themselves. We just become the first ones who believe that they can." Xiao Zhan disclosed.

No matter how much one blackened their souls, the cure for heart has always been love. And love doesn't start from the world. It starts from within.

"And this is not my job." Xiao Zhan revealed.

He wasn't paid to be here either. He wasn't even obliged to be here. But he was. Because he wanted to.

I am just a volunteer."

The smile that was casted on those lips, suddenly looked so vivid. It almost looked like as if he was glowing bright.

- - -

Sorry for errors and Thank you for reading.