Sometimes even the emptiness you feel has a shape. — Yibo
~ * ~ * ~
Yibo sat in one of the waiting-area seats at Hong Kong Airport, his boarding pass resting loosely in his hand as he waited for the boarding call.
Earlier that morning, after finally reaching the Professor by phone, they had exchanged brief greetings. Yibo told him he wanted to discuss something important, and the Professor immediately gave him room to speak. Yibo began explaining what had been weighing on his mind day and night over the past few days.....but he hadn't even gone far when the Professor cut him off.
The CMO, the Professor said, had already briefed him on everything while he was away. Not only that, the ministry that had sent the young man had also been contacted, and they confirmed they had already been informed.
Yibo stood there holding his phone, mouth slightly open, listening. Anyone who saw him at that moment would have sworn he'd frozen in place. Beyond the shock of the revelation itself, what hit him harder was the realization of how carefully the CMO had played them. He had sworn he wouldn't take any action until the Professor returned... yet behind the scenes, he had already reached both the Professor and the ministry. So the document sent that morning wasn't new at all. It had reached them long ago. The talk of "waiting for approval" had been nothing more than a cover.
Why, then, was the CMO so determined to push this through? What exactly did he gain if that young man was forced out? What did he stand to gain if Zhan lost his job?
Yibo asked himself the question and answered it just as quickly. This was never really about Zhan. The CMO was known for inserting himself wherever there was a chance to gain visibility or leverage. That ambition was precisely what had earned him the position in the first place. Even this entire program was under his direct control. What he wanted now was simple.....to shine brighter in the Professor's eyes, and in the ministry's as well. Perhaps he was hoping his "decisiveness" would be noticed and rewarded.
Yibo swallowed hard as the Professor called his name again, noticing the silence on the line.
"Yibo…"
"Yes, sir," he replied quietly. His throat tightened, his Adam's apple moving as he spoke.
"This is the first time since you started working with us that you've ever called me about a staff member," the Professor continued. "So even though I've read the CMO's report, I'll give you a chance to speak before I have my final discussion with the ministry."
Yibo said nothing, only nodding instinctively, one hand gripping the back of the chair in front of him. His mind was racing, but the Professor's words outweighed every other thought.
"I'm currently on my way to Beijing," the Professor went on. "A close friend of mine....an old schoolmate....passed away yesterday. I'm going to pay my respects. Later today I'll be flying to India for a conference. My flight is at 8 p.m. If you can, we can meet at the memorial before I leave. The conference will last five days, and by the time I return....probably Monday....the ministry will likely contact me about this issue."
Yibo listened silently, nodding along, never mentioning that he himself was nowhere near Beijing at that moment.
The call ended. Immediately, his fingers flew across his phone as he searched for any flight that could get him to Beijing that same day.
A crushing weight settled into his chest, draining the strength from his body, leaving him feeling almost hollow. He had to sit down when he realized that every single flight he checked was fully booked. One after another, the screen told him the same thing.
Almost an hour later, luck finally shifted. One flight showed three remaining seats.
He didn't hesitate. He booked immediately, despite the fare being nearly double the usual price. For a brief moment, he even considered booking the remaining seats as well....just to eliminate any chance of error.
From there, everything happened quickly. He showered, packed his things, and left the apartment....an apartment he had barely stepped out of since returning from the surgery that brought him to the city in the first place. Even outside, he waited a long time before the taxi he'd ordered finally arrived and took him straight to the airport.
Now it was just past 12 in the afternoon. Boarding was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. If everything went smoothly, he would land in Beijing with enough time to stop by his place, collect the documents and evidence he'd gathered, and meet the Professor before his evening flight.
Yibo looked down at his boarding pass again, relief washing over him at having secured the flight at all. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this kind of pressure....this heavy, suffocating weight in his chest. All he knew was that he had to get to Beijing before eight. He had to meet the Professor. He had to use the chance he'd been given.
He had made a promise.
A promise to Zhan.
If this opportunity slipped away....if the job was lost....he didn't know how he would look Zhan in the eye and explain it. He wasn't even sure his own heart could carry that weight alone.
He glanced at his phone, a sudden urge rising in him to call....to search for Zhan's number and press dial. The need to hear his voice was almost overwhelming. But he stopped himself, reaching instead for the same restraint he'd relied on these past two days.
He missed Zhan's voice deeply....the way it slipped into his ears, soft and steady, spreading warmth through places in him he hadn't even known existed until now. His mind was beginning to illuminate something unfamiliar, something he wasn't ready to name, let alone accept. Because when he had once planned his life carefully, step by step, laid out neatly like rooms on a blueprint, there had never been space for anything like this.
Not even a shadow of it.
Yibo drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose, trying to chase the thought from his mind entirely. He didn't want to waste time on something that might never happen. Just then, their flight number was announced. He stood up at once and headed toward the gate, his heart and mind already crowded with calculations of how the day might end.
✨✨✨
The sitting room was vast....one look was enough to tell how much wealth had been poured into it. Everything inside, from the furniture to the curtains and the thick, luxuriously soft carpet spread across the floor, spoke of expense. The lights glowed brightly everywhere, and the cool air-conditioning flowed gently through the room, mixing with the various perfumes worn by the people seated inside and those moving in and out.
Important figures filled the space, each dressed in suits that reflected both status and affluence. These were the kind of people allowed inside to offer condolences. Outside, in the compound, large canopies and elegant mats had been set up to receive others, making it obvious from the very entrance that the loss was that of a highly respected family....the family of Brigadier Su Tang, whose passing had been announced the night before.
That was why, aside from senior figures from across the country, even distant relatives of the deceased were people of means. The sitting room itself was crowded with such men....family members, associates, and old friends, including classmates from long ago.
Their seating area was toward the far left of the expansive room, carefully arranged with three full sets of sofas and tall curtains framing the windows. About twenty of them sat there, all men of roughly the same age....well into maturity and edging toward old age. Each wore a suit, each carried the lingering scent of cologne. Despite the grief that had brought them together, there was an undeniable warmth in the reunion, the kind of connection that rarely happened except on occasions like this.
For the umpteenth time, Mr. Wang Haozhi lifted the bottle of water in front of him, took a long drink, and finished what was left before setting it down.
Professor Fan Shutong, seated beside him, glanced over and nodded slightly.
"You still drink water like that?" he said with a faint smile. "Some habits never change."
Another man, sitting a short distance away, leaned closer and added,
"I was just about to say the same thing. I remember back in school....there was a day I kept a big water bottle under my bed. I woke up to find half of it gone. He told me he'd forgotten to fetch his own water, so sometime between night and dawn, he drank half of mine."
Dr. Anas, seated between them, shook his head with a smile.
"But at least one of your children picked up that habit too, didn't he?"
At once, the smile on Mr. Wang Haozhi's face faded. Dr. Anas's words brought their lighthearted exchange to a halt, replaced by an image that flashed across his mind.... one that no day ever passed without reminding him of it.
Yibo.
Among all his children, he knew only one had inherited that habit.... only one who drank water the way he did. And beyond that, there were countless other traits that made it impossible to deny the truth: among all his children, Yibo was the one anyone would look at and say, yes, that one is truly his son.
So he merely nodded at Dr. Anas without saying a word. At that moment, five men from their old class stood up to take their leave, exchanging farewells.
And just like that, his thoughts drifted to a place he had tried hard to avoid.... a place he had been resisting for nearly a month now, ever since his wife returned from Zhenyang. It had become clear then that she hadn't traveled where she claimed she would; she had gone looking for their son instead.
Over the many years since the day Yibo walked out of that house, Mr. Wang Haozhi had known....deep down....how devoted Qiaoxi had remained to him. Given how much she loved that child, he knew it could not have been easy for her to endure all those years without him.
And yet, that knowledge only fueled his anger and resentment....anger toward every trait and circumstance that had allowed Yibo to continue living his life, wherever he was, without looking back.
Sometimes he felt a flicker of pity for her. But then he would see what he considered her foolish persistence....still holding on to a son who had walked away from them all nearly twelve years ago. He told himself he had driven Yibo away, yes....his own words, spoken in anger....but weren't they still his parents? Did they not deserve at least a glance back, a single apology?
If a person truly didn't need parents in life, then why did life itself bind children and parents together at all? Why not let everyone simply live alone, as Yibo had chosen to do?
And so, whenever thoughts of Yibo crept back into his mind, he buried them beneath that single conviction. If there was anyone at fault, he told himself, then it was Yibo....who had always followed whatever his unyielding heart demanded of him.
That was why, even after hearing what Qiaoxi had gone to do in Zhenyang....and what happened to her when her hopes collapsed....his heart filled with emotions he could not separate: grief tangled tightly with anger.
First was the realization that she had been secretly following every possible path to find Yibo, all without his knowledge. All that time, he had been watching her, believing she was trying to be a dutiful wife, rewarding her with comfort and a life filled with everything she could want. Over the years, Qiaoxi had lacked nothing....his wealth was hers, his resources at her disposal. Anything she desired would be given to her even before she asked. And yet, it was that same wealth she had been using to search for Yibo, deliberately defying his wishes.
Second was the deep frustration and resentment that came from her inability....her refusal....to ever see fault in their son. She could not accept that if Yibo's heart had not softened enough to come looking for them after all these years, then perhaps there was a reason. Why, then, should they be the ones chasing after him?
That was why, when she returned, he completely withdrew from her, hoping...at least....that she would understand her mistake. But instead, he began to see something unsettling: her heart had started to resemble Yibo's. The same hardness, the same emotional dryness Yibo carried toward anything he had chosen to shut out now seemed to have settled into her as well. The way she withdrew from him entirely, without even attempting a real conversation since her return, shocked him deeply.
He knew time was catching up with them.
Both of them had reached a stage where they should have been gently preparing to conclude the remaining chapters of their lives together. But what had not been done before would not suddenly be done now. If she believed he was no longer someone she needed to listen to, then he would follow that path with her....right up to the silence where even death might eventually claim one of them. What he had refused to do in his youth, no one would force him to do now.
The ringing of his phone pulled him out of his thoughts.
He glanced at the caller ID....it was his driver. The previous day, he had sent him to Shanghai to deliver some items to his brother's house, where his family lived. That was why, when Professor Fan Shutong....who had taken it upon himself to inform their classmates of the Brigadier's passing....called to announce the death, he had initially declined to attend that same day, explaining that his driver was away. Professor Fan had replied that he himself would be traveling by car, not by plane, and suggested they go together instead.
That was how they ended up traveling side by side, chatting along the way....catching up after so long, since real connection these days only seemed to survive through brief phone calls unless work forced people together.
After ending the call....his driver informing him that he had arrived at the gate of the mourning house....he turned toward the seat beside him where Professor Fan had been sitting, only to find it empty. Someone nearby explained that Professor Fan had stepped out briefly and would return soon.
Haozhi said his goodbyes to the remaining classmates and stepped outside, intending to find Professor Fan and say farewell, since Fan was heading to India that same day. As for him, he planned to find accommodation and rest....he had a few personal matters to handle in Beijing, which was why he intended to stay for two nights before returning.
Outside, someone confirmed that Professor Fan was nearby, and his driver was also waiting. As he approached his car and spotted the driver standing beside it, his eyes drifted across the line of parked vehicles and the people moving back and forth.
Then, from the left side, he saw him.
Professor Fan was standing beside their shared car, listening attentively to a young man who had spread several documents across the hood and was explaining something in detail.
The moment he lifted one foot to walk toward them, the young man turned around.....
He turned fully away from the documents to face Professor Fan.
And in that instant, the world seemed to freeze.
Yibo.
Yibo… Yibo… Yibo…
Yibo.....the son he once knew.
Yibo.....the boy who had become the center of so many turning points in his life and the life of his family.
Yibo.....the son he had not laid eyes on for years.
Yibo.....the one life itself had never given him enough reason to forget, no matter how hard he tried.
Yibo.....the one he had already judged, condemned, and sealed away in his heart.
He stared, slowly lowering the foot he had lifted. His eyes remained fixed on Yibo, studying him in silence.
He had grown.
The boyishness was gone, replaced by the bearing of a fully grown man.....someone mature enough to stand confidently in any sphere of life.
Wang Haozhi's chest tightened. His head throbbed with a feeling he did not welcome. Slowly, he inclined his head, then turned away without looking back. His steps carried him straight to his car. He barely acknowledged the driver's greeting as the door was opened for him. He got in, and the car pulled away.
"Nanjing," he said quietly.
"Take me home."
Those were the only words he spoke during the entire journey from Beijing to Nanjing.
✨✨✨
Some people leave, but their presence never does.
— Zhan
"Come on, Nainai. I'm grown now... how can you put me with the kids?"
Bai said angrily at Nainai.
Beside them sat Aunty Shui, pen in hand, carefully writing the list for Yufei's wedding attire. The wedding date had been set very close after repeated requests from the groom's family, so preparations had begun immediately. Thankfully, most things would be easy. Uncle Elder's wife had explained that she had a close friend living in Duan's city, along with all her relatives, so she would handle the tailoring and preparation of Yufei's clothes there, buying everything according to instructions without much stress.
As for the wedding planning itself, she had decided to hand everything over to professional event planners. She wanted all her children's weddings handled this way, starting with her youngest, so she could finally rest. Nainai had tried to wave the matter off, but she still scolded lightly about how much money Uncle Elder would end up spending, since everyone knew his finances weren't what they used to be.
But since he raised no objections and agreed with his wife, no one said anything further. They simply continued with the preparations. As was now family tradition, the ceremony would be held at the family house, with Uncle Nanjing covering the expenses. He would also take responsibility for all the wedding attire.
Aunty Shui was assigned to organize everything and keep records, since accounting was her area of expertise even at work.
Nainai nodded and looked at Bai.
"Look at this brat. You're telling me you're grown now?"
Aunty Shui burst into laughter.
"Mama, this boy....when he enters senior high school, I honestly don't know how we'll cope with him."
Bai, as if deaf to them, continued sulking and begging Nainai not to put his Yufei's wedding clothes with the children. He insisted he was grown. Nainai, however, was firm. Even Uncle Ruobing's Fang, who was older than Bai, wasn't placed among the senior.....so there was no way Bai would be.
Aunty Shui teased them, saying today she had finally seen what always made Nainai and Bai argue.
Zhan listened from the side as he sliced orange for Nainai using the ones Aunty Shui had brought earlier. He had been part of the conversation at first, but his thoughts drifted away. Now and then, he felt like speaking, only to realize the topic had already changed. Quietly, he used the tip of the knife to pull his phone closer from where it lay on the fridge.
With his left hand still holding the knife, he unlocked the phone. Apart from the time display, there was nothing....no missed calls, no messages. He turned on his data, something he had found himself doing unconsciously over the past two days. A few messages trickled in, but he ignored them all and scrolled straight to Yibo's name....still not at the top, still without any sign of a new message.
Yibo hadn't called him since that night. Since the night they spoke on the phone. Zhan told himself a thousand times there was no reason for Yibo to call again, yet he didn't understand why his heart kept hoping to see Yibo's name appear....either as a call or a message. Even if they were chatting for just ten minutes, his hand would automatically reach for his phone afterward, checking again.
The question Yibo had asked him that night replayed endlessly in his mind. Each time he remembered it, the heaviness in his chest returned. That was why he hadn't been able to answer back then....he truly didn't know what to say, or how to say it.
He had felt relieved when the conversation shifted and they continued talking as though the question had never been asked.
And now, he couldn't even tell whether he missed the phone itself or something else entirely. The phone felt useless without Yibo's calls.
When Zhan noticed the battery was nearly dead, he wondered what the point of charging it even was....since no call from Yibo would come anyway. At most, it would just be Peng calling.
Peng had gotten his number only yesterday and had already tried calling nearly ten times without success. Eventually, he sent a text message that Zhan hadn't even opened; he'd read the preview and dismissed it.
"Zhan, there are some things at Noni's room. Once you're done here, go and collect them for me....she already garder them."
Nainai said this when she saw he was almost done slicing the oranges.
"Alright, Nainai,"
Zhan replied, lifting his eyes, his long lashes casting shadows.
He set the phone down, handed the oranges to Nainai, and went downstairs to Noni's room. The items turned out to be some old belongings of Nainai's that had been stored in the old garage. Slowly, Zhan packed them into boxes and carried them upstairs.
After that, he sat with Aunty Shui, helping her complete the accounting she hadn't finished. From there, they drifted into casual conversation until evening began to fall.
Yufei called Zhan to update him on new arrangements she had made with her best friend, Huixi. As always, she told him everything.... even though Zhan had noticed Huixi didn't seem particularly fond of him.
Zhan didn't look at his phone again until around 8 p.m., and even then, it was only to plug it into the charger. Aunty Shui, who planned to spend the night, asked him to bring the phone so they could recheck some figures she felt were off.
When Zhan picked up the phone and turned it on, intending to open the calculator, something completely unexpected appeared....so unreal it felt like a dream.
Two missed calls.
Both from Dr. Yibo.
Zhan froze in the middle of the room. His fingers trembled as he tapped the screen to confirm it.
It was real.
There was even a short message that had come in after the calls:
"Welcome back, Zhan."
A simple message. Very short. Yet overflowing with meaning....meaning vast enough to unlock countless events waiting ahead.
Because without doubt, if Zhan were ever asked what set everything in motion.....what triggered the chain of events he couldn't yet measure....then after the day he first held his job appointment letter in his hands, this message would be the second turning point.
Tues, 30 Dec.
2025
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛