PAST STANDS BEFORE YOU
Wang Haikuan P.O.V
It is him. It's really him. He's really here. He's standing right before me. And he has a son? He has a bandage around his head and a cast on his right hand.
"Zanjin!" My voice came out unsure.
Never have I ever, in a million dreams I expected to see him like this. Injured, distressed and distant.
"I'm sorry I met you here, Haikuan. Let's not cross path ever again."
He tried to go around me and leave the room. And I just stood there frozen. I didn't know how to face him. I didn't know how to face the past. I didn't know how to face a friend who I didn't help while clearly knowing how much of a danger he was in.
I felt a jab at my rib. Yibo was signalling me to go after him. Thank you baby brother.
I instantly rushes out of the room following Zanjin.
When I caught up to him he was already in a hospital room.
"Zanjin, please listen to me." I hurriedly held his unharmed left hand to prevent him from slipping away again. "Please Zanjin."
"Mr. Wang Haikuan. We might have known each other once. But now we're just strangers. So please let go of my hand."
"Zanjin, please."
He looks at my face. His face cold. His eyes emotionless. He looked so distant that it hurts.
"What do you want?" His voice dripped icy chill.
"Don't you want to know why I didn't go to you that night?"
"What do I care, Mr. Wang?"
His words were like knives cutting through my heart. I know I have no excuse. But I still wanted him to know. He snorts.
"I was dying. I literally bled that night. But trust me Mr. Wang Haikuan when I say I don't care if you came or not."
"Zanjin."
"Please leave. At this moment, my son is in the ICU. So I have other important matters to worry about."
"Zanjin that night Yibo would have been harmed or worse kidnapped if I left." I had no other option than beg for forgiveness.
He smiles a cold smile that sent chills down my spine. "Of course."
I didn't know what came over me. I just stripped off of my shirt and turning around, showing the dangerously long scar at the side of my stomach. I couldn't say anything. I just stood there. Vulnerable. Open. In front of his eyes. Showing him a part of me that not even my another best friend Yizhou knew.
I heard a faint gasp. And then. "Hai... Haikuan.... This...."
"This is what I got that night. They got to us. It was Yibo's butler from childhood who betrayed us. He sold himself to our rival company. They knew Yibo was the weakest link. If they could hurt Yibo they could break us however they want. That night mom and dad were out negotiating terms leaving only me and Yibo home. No one was home. No one else."
I just stood there without my shirt on telling Zanjin everything. The burden of ten years felt like slowly lifting off of my shoulder.
"When you called me that night Yibo was there. When I refused you he saw it and hated me forever for that. I know it was crazy to avoid the obvious and trust on a gut feeling instead and I admit I was wrong. I didn't want you to face what you faced. But I'm a coward. How could I show the courage to go to you when I was scared so much?" Warm drops of tears started dropping from my eyes. I let them fall. I needed to. I just told Zanjin everything without caring about anything else because above everything else I wanted his forgiveness. I needed his forgiveness. "Zanjin. Will you tell me what happened to you that night?"
Zanjin looked at me. His face showing unexplainable emotions. Overflowing. Clearly that night changed everything. For me. For him. For us.
"That night I just wanted hang out with few of my other friends. You remember I was a bit wild at that time, right?" I just nod and let him continue. "I was at the café with them. But when I was leaving, someone caught me. I was dizzy and didn't know anything until I woke up in a shabby place tied up. It was the drug dealer I stood up against. They wanted to take revenge on me. They beat me up. But surprisingly left my phone on me. I called you first, because you were always the first to know. But you never came."
"I'm sorry." I whisper.
"It's ok. I needed help. And you and Yizhou were the only two I could depend. Yizhou couldn't reach me in time either. The one who saved me is the one who I live with right now. Me and Wei have been living with him for ten years now. He takes care of us."
Zanjin saying it sent a stab straight to my heart. I blurt out randomly. "Did you know I liked you more than a friend back then?"
Zanjin looked at me. His face expression didn't change at all. I became a bit sadder. "I knew it."
"You.... Knew?"
"I did." He slowly shows me the smile he used to have back then. The one showing his dimples. "I just didn't know how to react to that fact. But that night you not coming to save made me realize I liked you too. But they tainted me. I didn't want to taint you. And after that night I didn't get any news of you for a while. So I thought you hated me."
"I could never....."
"I didn't know that, did I?"
I sigh. How can I tell him now? He has someone in his life. He has a son. Either way I can't be with him. Even I love him. Even the 'like' from all those years ago turned into love over time. It's not possible anymore. So I give him my most possible smile. Not to let him know that it's still there. The feeling is still there. He comes near me and traces his hand over the scar on my stomach. Starting from the side of my stomach to right below my belly button. His face has an amused innocence. Why was he talking about being tainted though?
"Did it hurt too much?"
"You bet it did." I couldn't help but smile a pathetic smile. "They slashed me with a knife. I knocked them out with Yibo's baseball bat and locked them up in the guest bathroom with this wound on me."
"And Yibo?"
"I locked him up in his room beforehand. He doesn't know anything about it." I still remember everything clearly about that night. "Mom and dad found me passed out in front of Yibo's room drenched in blood. When I woke up two months has already passed. But Yibo hating me at that time helped a lot. He wouldn't come to my room after that."
"Haikuan! I didn't know."
"It's ok, Zanjin. I have been carrying this for ages. It's a relief that you forgave me. You did, right?"
"Yeah!"
But we both were startled when we heard a sound of a door opening and there stood a Yizhou with an overbearing aura scaring us both with a nurse by his side. I instantly covered myself up with my shirt. But it a bit too late.
Fuck!
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Hello there! Yayyyyy! Double update! This update is specially because of Scarlet97yizhannie request... You said 'pretty please' and I just couldn't ignore you! Because you're a constant supporter of my work, this update goes to you...
Now now... I finally cleared up what happened between Wang Haikuan and Zhu Zanjin.... If you find it unrealistic I'm really sorry.... This is a fanfiction anyway, so.....
So I hope you enjoy and keep supporting my work...
All the love
C 💕
Also please vote before you leave! ⭐