Heyo! Update time!😎

I think I am having a food poisoning.😖

But oh my god, I am completely blown away by the concern and support I have received after my last chapter!🤧 You guys......you hold a piece of my heart.🤧 Thank you for giving me courage constantly.😭 I'm overwhelmed. I...I have no words.😭

Thank you for all your comments. Keep dropping them, darlings!😍

Thank you for all your votes. They are the little touches of love.😘

Now, off ya go!

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Chapter-28

When Zhan got out of the bath it was past midnight. He must have dozed off for a while in there. Every muscle in his body felt lax, as if he was a mass of blob. He had been working continuously for the past few weeks. The physical strain along with the emotional whirlwind took a toll on him. Their new line would be released tomorrow. So, for now his work was done.

His phoned dinged. Towelling his hair dry he went to check. Must be Xuan; he was still at the office.

I called but you didn't pick up either time. Just checking if everything is okay. –WY

Eyes widening, Zhan quickly checked his call log to see that indeed there were two missed calls from YiBo. He looked at the clock again. Would it be all right if he called this late? Or should he just send a text? But......but he wanted to hear his voice. They had been talking every day. Conversation still stilted but was better than before. Due to the work pressure Zhan didn't have a moment to rest his back today, let alone chit chatting. And while not even a moment ago he was ready to drop dead on his bed, now the need of hearing that voice spread through him.

Feeling guilty at his own desire but not enough to deter himself, he called back. It was picked up almost immediately.

"Hey!"

"Hi. Sorry for calling back so late," he apologized.

"No worries. You can call me anytime you see fit. I- I called twice before."

"Yeah, I just saw. Sorry. It was such a hectic day today. My phone wasn't with me most of the time. It's not- not that I didn't pick up on purpose," Zhan explained while pulling at a thread of his towel that slung around his bare neck.

"I know!" YiBo readily accepted, "I didn't think you were avoiding me. I guessed you must be busy. So, everything's prepared?"

"Hopefully. I mean, there is always something that's left to be done at the last moment but when I left, Xuan was giving everything a final run over. He almost kicked me out of the office."

"Your manager is very efficient, don't worry. Will you attend tomorrow?"

Zhan sat at the foot of the bed, "No. Except for a few, nobody knows who I am."

"I have heard," YiBo paused, "However, I don't know why."

He wasn't sure if it was the right moment to tell him the actual reason. "I don't like the attention. The media pressure, the reporters....it's too much for me to handle," he explained.

The other end went silent for a moment and when Zhan opened his mouth to change the topic, YiBo spoke first. "You were hiding from me, weren't you?"

Zhan stared at a spot on the floor. What would he say? What could he say? "Yes," he told the truth quietly. While he did not want to make YiBo upset, there was no point in lying either.

"You won't have to hide anymore. From me. From anyone or anything else."

"It was my decision. You didn't force me. Please, don't blame yourself."

"I know but I was the reason anyway."

"YiBo....the things happened between us-"

"Zhan Ge?"

This call was probably Zhan's biggest weakness; he could never resist it. "...........Hmm?"

"You don't have to be scared anymore. I can't say I will never make mistakes again but I promise I'm going to try my best to make you feel safe."

Zhan's nose twitched; he inhaled deep and long through it. "Don't I have to promise anything back?" His voice was a whisper, soft and faint like a swirl of smoke. Hesitant and tentative. Startled and hopeful.

"..........No. I won't ask for anything that you don't willingly give me. Just.......just don't leave.........at least, not without saying anything."

Every time YiBo asked him not to leave again, every time his voice sounded that fearful, Zhan's heart broke a little more, trying to realize what kind of pain YiBo had gone through after he left.

"I promise."

The silence that followed was aloud with both of their unsaid words.

Not to leave things on an awkward note, Zhan then asked about YiBo's day and things soon began to divert on lighter grounds.

YiBo ended the call with wishing him luck for his launch tomorrow and Zhan thanked him and wished him a goodnight.

The minutes before sleep came were spent imagining how it would have felt having a public relationship with YiBo, attending the show together, appearing on the paper side by side.......holding hands.

XOXOXOX

With a bunch of toys, colouring books and that Lego set Zhan sat Xing down beside him and logged into the livestream link. The launching show would be streamed and Zhan would be able to watch it in the privacy of his home.

Xing was very restless today; refusing to listen to his Papa, whining, getting cranky. Having given MeiLi a few days off for her hard work for the past few weeks, it was entirely up to Zhan now to pacify the Terrible Two Tantrums and watch the show in peace.

In the middle of responding to his son's tireless chatter the started. While it wasn't a full on runway show, it wasn't a small event either. There would be some big names in attendance this evening, Talu being the main one among them. He was he face and co -owner of Yiling, after all.

Expensive cars began to come and stop at the red carpet entrance as the celebrities arrived one by one. They stood in front of the flashy cameras briefly, all glitters, smiles and waves, then entered the venue. Talu's arrival was signalled by the screaming fans. A hoard of teenage girls waved and screamed their lungs out when Talu stopped to shot them his special cheeky smile.

Xing was startled by the sudden screams but the moment he saw who it was on the screen, he screamed louder than those girls, clapping in absolute glee.

"LULUUUUUUUUU! LULU! Papa, Lulu! Luluuuuu! Luuuuluuuu!"

"Yes yes, that's your Uncle Lulu. Now, stop screaming or your throat will hurt."

Zhan chuckled as he ruffled Xing's downy hair; his friend was such a charmer. Talu's filming wasn't over yet but he took a couple of days off only to attend today's show. He winked and finger gunned at the fans, waved at the cameras and went inside.

A reputed traditional Chinese singer arrived next. She was one of Yiling's known patrons. As she was about to enter, a Lego block went flying to the other side of the room.

"O noh!" Xing exclaimed with hands clamped over his mouth, as if he wasn't the one who just flung it over. Zhan looked down at him with exasperation, "Really, Xing?"

That imp opened and closed his fists, looking sorrowfully at that thrown block, "Wan. XingXing wan."

Sighing, Zhan got up. Being a working parent was hard. He hopelessly hoped for Xing to stay still for the next hour or so. His back ached as he bent down to pick up the plastic brick; age was catching up to him.

"DADDY!"

"Yes, your Daddy should see you like this. His angel of a son-"

"DADDY! PAPA, DADDY! DADDY!"

Zhan turned, eyes automatically going to the big screen and froze like a block of ice.

YiBo!

The camera shutters went crazy. A few fans started screaming in the background.

Looking drop dead gorgeous, YiBo stood in front of the reporters for a brief second to give them some non blurry shots and a smile, then sauntered away towards the door.

And all the while Zhan stood there wide eyed, barely breathing.

After his initial excitement, when Xing did not get any reaction from either of his parents, he started whining. Patting at the moving figure of YiBo on the screen. "Daddy? Daddy. Hewooo, Daddy. XingXing Daddy!"

"He can't see you, sweetheart." Finally getting back to his senses, Zhan spoke faintly and picked his son up. "Daddy is on the TV; he can't see you like you do," he told his son, who looked heartbroken for not getting his Daddy's attention.

"Daddy see noh?" He shook his head to emphasize.

"No," Zhan confirmed and hugged him, breathing his baby smell, trying to anchor his suddenly chaotic thoughts. "He will come to see you soon, okay?"

"Mmm," Xing put his head on his Papa's shoulder and hugged his neck.

Eyes on the screen and thoughts miles away, Zhan tried to figure out what was going on. Why was he there? As far he knew YiBo was not even formally invited. Then, why? Before that wedding suit, YiBo had never worn anything from YIling at all. Then, why? Calling Xuan at this moment was out of question and he doubted asking YiBo would make any difference. And his main reason to panic wasn't even because of YiBo showing up out of the blue, oh no, it was much more serious than that.

Talu was there. YiBo must have known that too. Was he going to make a scene? Were they going to lock horns and fight? Zhan hadn't said anything to Talu yet, not about how he and YiBo had decided to give their relationship a go. His friend did not know anything and might think YiBo was there to ruin things for Zhan!

His only hope was Xuan. He had blind faith on his manager's managing skills and that was the only thing kept him from going into anxiety override.

Frustrated beyond measure, Zhan decided to sit tight for now and pray for the show to be over as soon as possible.

XOXOXOX

YiBo would rather die than admit it but he was scared shitless. The moment he had learned about Zhan working on a new line, he had decided on helping him, supporting him in some way and this was what he had come up with. But now that he was actually here, he feared Zhan would be angry at him for appearing uninvited.

And then there was Wang Talu.

Though he had given Wang HaoXuan a heads up of his coming and made sure it would not affect the show in any negative way- to which Xuan had assured him that it would not- he was uncertain till he entered and Xuan himself came to greet him.

"Does he know?" Was the first thing YiBo asked.

"Not yet. I don't think it's the right time to inform him."

"Will he be watching the show?"

"Of course. As far I can tell he is already watching it."

"Shit," YiBo did not mean to curse aloud but his nerves got to him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Wang, it's all right. He'll understand. Please, come with me."

And he went with Xuan to sit on the right side of the isle.

Right opposite him, on the other side, was Wang Talu.

When the eyes connected, the shock was clear as day on the man's face. He even opened his mouth but quickly and visibly control himself, probably remembering what time and place he was in. They both held their gazes. While YiBo did not come here with any adverse feeling towards this man, he could feel a vague kind of hostility through the other man's stare. Then Talu took his eyes off him, looked at Xuan and they must have communicated as Talu looked a bit relaxed after that. Just a tad bit.

The showcasing was amazing. Every piece of item was tasteful and catered to most of the age groups. Others were there to see, to evaluate, to judge; YiBo was there to be impressed. He was determined t be blown away. Biased? Well, he was allowed to about the father of his child.

While his personal style leaned more towards streets, he absolutely loved some of the formals infused with traditional touch. But what he really was looking forward to was the scarves. He searched for the scarf he was gifted toand when couldn't find it on any of the models, realized that Zhan must have designed it specifically for him.

The happiness he was awashed with brought forth by that realization was incomparable. Knowing that he was still loved was a feeling he could cherish with the deepest part of his soul.

Anyway, the show went wonderfully well; he could hear murmured praises from the guests and felt immensely proud on behalf of Zhan.

And throughout the show he and Talu kept making blazing eye contacts.

The real challenge came when the show ended and it was time for the after party. There was some reputed fashion magazine representatives that were invited to do the interviews and they almost all flocked around YiBo as his appearances was the most unexpected one of that evening.

"This was the first time we are seeing you in one of Yiling's showcases. Can we, the fans, expect you to be the next face of the brand?" Asked one simpering journalist, her cheek highlighter almost blinding him in the process.

"Why can't I enjoy a good show just like anybody else? I mean, I personally love Yiling's style. And the brand already has the best face any brand can ask for," YiBo replied with his usual ambiguous flare and seemed like the reporter bought it. He hoped that they publish it just the way he said. He wanted Zhan to see he was making efforts to mend things with Talu.

Talking about mending things, after a while YiBo saw Talu talking to someone, back turned towards him and approached, with heart in his mouth. He was not a person to be afraid of someone else but the things that had happened involving all three of them, the things he had accused the man of, made him fear for the reaction Talu would throw at him.

The guy Talu was conversing with must have told him something as he turned back, saw YiBo and his eyes widened in surprise but concealed it real quick. He excused himself from the person and faced YiBo properly.

YiBo extended his hand with a tight, uncertain smile.

After short yet deep look at YiBo, Talu grabbed it with his patented joviality, "Hey, man! How you doing?" He then pulled YiBo into a half hug and said under his breath, "If this is something to harm Zhan, I will crush you into dust."

They separated and Talu patted YiBo's back.

"Glad to see you in your usual happy self," YiBo replied, all cheery smile, then sobered up, "I'm here to support him."

Talu's laugh was hearty and relaxed, "Really? That's amazing! I don't trust you even a tiny bit!"

"Really," YiBo nodded in agreement, lips stretched in a wide smile, "I'm mean, crazy, right? Not my headache though."

There was music blaring in the background. Talu used it to murmur into YiBo's ear, "If this is some kind of a dirty trick of yours-"

"Your life might be a circus," YiBo cut him off, speaking just as softly, "but not everyone is a trickster. I'm doing this to repent for the sins I've committed."

Talu leaned back to stare at him more. "Oh boy! I don't like you. Zhan does but I don't," his smile was toothy, like a shark.

"He's the only one that matters. And the feeling is entirely mutual," YiBo grinned

They both were trained actors. To outsiders it would look like two old acquaintances meeting after long but the truth was only known to them....and to Xuan.

However, their 'greeting' did not go any further as a couple of reporters approached them.

"Ooh! Both of my favourite Wangs in one place! We're definitely getting a double treat this evening because if I'm not wrong, this is the first time we're seeing you together interacting. Will we be blessed to see this twin charms on screen as well? A new project maybe?" Asked a coquettish female reporter.

"Good things don't and shouldn't come so often or they lose their novelty," Talu replied while resting a friendly hand on YiBo's shoulder. "But personally, I do hope to work with this amazing guy someday. It'd add another feather to my hat."

"Oh no no no, please. You flatter me too much. I'm not worthy of such praises from a veteran like you. I'm just honoured to even share this space with you."

"Look at you two, all sweet and humble. The fans are going to swoon. So, as we all know the mysterious owner of Yiling, Mr. Sean Xiao is a close friend of Mr. Wang Talu, is he a friend of yours as well, Mr. Wang?" She addressed YiBo.

He knew why this question was asked. He had never endorsed or wore Yiling publicly before and now suddenly appeared on their show out of the blue. This question was bound to come along his way sooner or later. He chose his words carefully. Already risking his chance by coming here, YiBo did not want to anger Zhan any further.

"Of course, he is definitely a good acquaintance. He's the reason I'm here tonight," he answered with all sincerity. While he could not show any overt closeness because then the paps would hound him more to snoop about the Yiling owner, not acknowledging their connection was not something YiBo was capable of doing. Hence, he went for what he thought to be the middle ground.

He could feel Talu's focussed stare on him.

Thankfully, a more subject oriented reporter jumped in. "I see you both are wearing Yiling tonight. What are your opinions about the new line? Any favourite? Any word for the designer?"

And thus they were saved from handing out any more gossips material. During the impromptu interviews Talu's assistant came to steer him away somewhere else and after that YiBo was free as well. He stayed a few more minutes, sipped on a flute of bubbly champagne and exchanged a quick word with Xuan.

There was no need for him to stay anymore, so he left.

Once inside the car he dialled for Zhan. He could hear his heart thudding with each ring; he was scared.

"Hey."

"Hi, did I wake you up?"

"No, I wasn't sleeping."

"Oh, okay. Um....did you talk to Xuan?"

"I did. YiBo-"

"I know, I know what you're going to say but please, hear me out first, all right, please?"

"........Okay."

YiBo licked his lips in nervousness. "I wanted to help. I know, I do that you don't need any from me. YIling is already a big name but I wanted to show my support any way possible. You know when we celebrities buy something from a big brand get a token gift and an informal invite for such events? I received one too from your company. So, if someone questions, Yiling won't have to give any other explanation. I just wanted to show my appreciation for your efforts. I had no ill intention."

"I never thought you had any ill intent towards Yiling and I want you to know that your support means a lot for the brand...........and for me."

The relief YiBo felt was so soothing that he almost went boneless.

"But was that the only reason you went there for? I mean, Talu was there..." Zhan asked the question YiBo had been waiting for.

".........You guessed right. I went there to meet Talu as well."

"To meet him? Why?"

"Because meeting him in public was the only way I thought I could do it for the first time."

"Why did you want to meet him at all?"

YiBo bit the corner of his mouth, "Because I have amends to make. For the things I have done in the past."

In the silence that came after YiBo held his breath for what would Zhan's reaction be.

"You have nothing to make amends for, YiBo. What happened in the past were both of our doing and didn't you want us to move forward?"

"But if I want to stay in your life shouldn't I get along with the people important to you?"

"....................Thank you for being so thoughtful about me," Zhan's voice was quiet but YiBo could tell he was pleased.

"I always think about you, Ge, in one way or the other."

No sooner the words left, YiBo's cheeks felt warm. He was certainly the flirty one between them but this was not flirting, nor was he in the habit of doing it anymore.

He was wooing the love of his life all over again.

Zhan cleared his throat. "Did you like the show?" He asked, bypassing anything related to YiBo's interaction with Talu.

"I did. The new line is great! I particularly liked a dinner jacket."

"Which one? Let me know and I will send it over."

"Thanks. But..uh..I didn't see my scarf in the collection."

"Oh-um- that- that's because I- uh- that was an old design, yeah."

"You sent me something from the old dump?"

"No! That was, it was-"

YiBo grinned, "Kidding, Ge. I would have been happy even if you sent me a dish rag. I wore it while driving in that championship, you know."

".......Did you?"

"I did! There's a photo too. Haven't you seen it?" YiBo wondered because it was all over the Weibo for a whole week.

"Oh, okay. I'll- I'll check it out later."

"You don't have to," YiBo felt a bit silly telling him all that and wanted to change the topic, "How is Peanut? Sleeping?"

"Yes. He was upset because you did not respond to his calls."

YiBo sat up straight, "Peanut called me? When? My phone was-"

"When you appeared on tv," the smile was evident in Zhan's voice. "He was cooing at you when you came on the screen, then got upset because Daddy wasn't looking at him."

YiBo heart melted and he had to struggle suppressing the urge of going to Zhan's house right then and hug his son. "Tell him I'll drop by as soon as I have some time in hand."

"I will."

"So....uh..." still wanting to keep on talking but not wanting to overdo it at the same time, YiBo said, "I should let you sleep now."

"You weren't keeping me awake."

"Still, you need to sleep. You've been working like a horse these past few weeks."

"All right. Go home safe. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Oh, wait!"

YIBo was about to disconnect and hurried to press the device back to his ear, "Yes? What is it?"

"Um..I just- did you eat?"

Zhan was clearly embarrassed for asking such a private question. Oh, if only he knew how incredibly happy that simple query made YiBo feel.

"I did. Don't worry. I'm not going home hungry-"

"I wasn't worried," Zhan's reply was quick. Too quick.

YiBo grinned in silence, "Oh, my bad then. I thought you were worrying. But I did eat."

"Mmhm."

"Goodnight, Ge. Sleep tight."

"You too."

While speeding past the nightscape of the city, YiBo felt as if he had overcome a milestone tonight. He had something to hope for tomorrow. Life was suddenly worth living for once again.

XOXOXOX

On the other part of the city, in his bedroom, Zhan was ready to sleep the night away. His eyes were heavy, heart light. Despite his constant worry, everything went well. Everything. Xuan would come by tomorrow to fill in every little details of what happened, including the things Zhan was eager to hear about the most.

Sighing in relief, Zhan pulled the duvet over his chest and closed his eyes.

Only to open them in a frantic shock as his damned phone began to vibrate on the wooden side table, making a racket in the tranquil silence of the night.

It was Talu.

Groaning aloud and dreading what was about to happen, he thought of not picking up but then chances were his friend would keep calling through the entire night, considering tonight's events.

With hesitant finger, he tapped on the receiving icon.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?"

"Er..."

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Give my boi, BoBo, a medal!🤧

Also, the next update will probably be delayed as well. Sorry guys but just give me some time to get things together. 👉👈😣