Warning: Possible offensive language.

“You!” a voice screeched the moment Yixing stepped inside the Palace, dread filling his every bone when his eyes locked in on the expressions of his half-siblings’ face. Bi Ren stomped up to Yixing, who hadn’t even taken more than 3 steps into the living room, and jabbed him hard on the shoulder. “I knew you were trouble. What exactly are you planning?”

They knew.  The reporter must have called them too. Yixing swallowed thickly and hurriedly shook his head. “I didn’t… I didn’t tell anyone.” The only people who knew were his foster family and Luhan and Zitao. They wouldn’t leak out something like this.

“Liar,” Zhi Ren snarled, stepping forward to stand next to his sister. Yixing wanted to shrink into the wall behind him when the two of them were glaring at him with such venom in their eyes but he forced himself to look at them. He wasn’t guilty… why should he shy away from them? “You think by letting the public know of your existence, you will get a share of our money? “

 “I swear I didn’t—”

“Enough.”

The quiet, stern voice caused Yixing’s stomach to lurch. He looked away from the siblings, almost afraid when he saw the grave look on his father’s face. Immediately, Yixing shook his head again and barely took two steps when Zhi Ren held him back. His gaze flickered in confusion between his older half-brother and Uncle Heng, hating that he didn’t know how to fix this mess. Why didn’t they believe him?

“P-Pa, it wasn’t me,” he said pleadingly, fully aware that this was the first time he called Uncle Heng his father and that it really wasn’t the best time for it. True enough, Zhi Ren scoffed and wrenched Yixing’s arm hard so he’d look at him.

“Aren’t you a sneaky one?” Zhi Ren said sarcastically. “Trying to appeal to us now? You think my father will believe you?”

But he’s my father too, Yixing wanted to burst out. He bit his tongue and fixed a desperate gaze at Uncle Heng, chest tightening at the way the older man didn’t hold his gaze. “Pa…”

His hopes that Uncle Heng would take his side were dashed when he stood up. “I’m tired,” Uncle Heng said gruffly, even though it was 10 in the morning. “We’ll talk about this later.” Hurt crushed Yixing like a hand pounding his heart into a pulp when Uncle Heng didn’t look at him as he retreated from the living room.

Zhi Ren shoved Yixing hard, causing him to stumble a step backwards. “If you have any shred of decency left, you’ll leave this house,” hissed his half-sister before stalking out of the mansion after Zhi Ren.

Yixing bit hard on his lower lip until droplets of blood seeped into his mouth. He stared blankly at the carpeted floor, feelings of abandonment resurfacing. Was he just an eyesore to everyone? Was he that difficult a person to live with? He just wanted a family that will love him… was that really impossible for him? It wasn’t his fault for being an illegitimate child, was it?

It was obvious he couldn’t stay here any longer. All along his half-siblings thought he came to the Palace for the money and, face it, treated him like crap but he had tolerated it because he thought Uncle Heng wanted him here. Now that a potential scandal was popping up, Uncle Heng didn’t want to listen to his explanation. The older man was so quick to jump to conclusions like Bi Ren and Zhi Ren; so why was Yixing bothering to stick around if nobody in the house trusted him at all?

He dragged his feet slowly up the stairs, back to his spacious room with the gigantic king-sized bed and the glittering chandelier, and headed straight to the walk-in wardrobe, pulling out every shirt and every pants that he brought when he first came to the Palace. It barely made a difference in the wardrobe, what with 3 quarters of it were clothes Uncle Heng had already prepared for him before he came. Hugging the clothes to his chest, Yixing took a step back and examined the wardrobe dejectedly. It looked like he was never there at all and the past few weeks had been just a figment of his imagination.

With his purple MCM backpack packed to the brim, Yixing left his room cautiously but he needn’t have worried because nobody seemed to care for his existence in the house. He tightened his hold on the backpack straps and walked out of the mansion determinedly, ignoring the little pangs in his chest as he left his blood-related family behind.

Unfortunately, Yixing hadn’t thought ahead of where he could go. Qiuyue’s was out of the question. He really didn’t want to see Luhan. The wider the distance between them, the better it would be for everyone. He contemplated going to Kris’, but last he heard Kris’ girlfriend had moved in with him. It wouldn’t be convenient.

Kai would take him in, wouldn’t he?

***

A droplet of perspiration made its way down the side of Luhan’s face to his neck. Under the harsh studio lights, the idol felt like he was in a sauna. But who was he to complain, when he was finally working again? At the film shoot of a tablet PC commercial, no less. Ad campaigns of electronics were so sought after, only second behind cars. For that he was willing to shower in his own sweat.

“Okay, Luhan, take a 15 minute break,” the director called from behind the monitor. “We’ll do some close-ups of the tablet and come back to you.”

The assistants on set immediately came up to him with a towel and a bottle of water. Luhan sat down on the chair where his jacket was draped over, leaning back as he took a sip of water. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through the notifications, a little surprised to find 3 missed calls from an unrecognisable number. As he was contemplating whether or not to return the call (since he often received prank calls), his phone rang again, flashing the same number.

“Hello?” he spoke, cautiously putting his ear to the phone.

“Is this Luhan?” a female voice asked, her voice loud and clear despite the noise in the studio. “I’m Guo Simin, a reporter from China Daily. I received a tip that your foster brother Zhang Yixing is actually the son of Zhang Heng, your future father-in-law. Is it true?”

Even before the reporter finished her sentence, Luhan was sitting at the edge of his chair, looking as if he was ready to flee his seat. How did she find that out? Yixing couldn’t have told her. It was highly unlikely that any of the Zhangs would have let it leak out to the public like that. Worry crept into his chest. Yixing... was Yixing okay?

He didn’t bother to reply the reporter, choosing instead to end the call rudely. If the reporter could directly call his mobile without first going through Zitao then he had no doubt that she would try to contact Yixing... if she hadn’t already. Even for someone who was practically tracked every minute of his life as an idol, Luhan wasn’t used to it. He couldn’t imagine how Yixing was going to handle having his privacy invaded by those dogs more commonly known as reporters.

Quickly searching his phone book, Luhan jabbed the ‘call’ button at Yixing’s contact but a full minute passed before the idol came to the conclusion that he was avoiding him. Either that or something had happened. He wanted to curse himself for not getting the Zhang’s landline number.

With some hesitation, Luhan dialled Bi Ren’s number. He hoped the Zhangs wouldn’t place the blame on Yixing but from what little he knew of them, he knew it was impossible.

“If you’re calling to ask about him, don’t bother,” was the first thing Bi Ren snapped when she picked up the phone. “He’s gone.”

Luhan’s eyes widened in alarm; his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it ringing in his ears. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”

“You shouldn’t be so concerned about the ,” Bi Ren snarled edgily, “Don’t forget I’m your fiancée.”

Fa – his blood boiled in his veins; it was churning his stomach so much he felt like exploding. Luhan ground his teeth together. “Well, you forgot your fiancé is one too,” he shot back and promptly hung up, worry and agitation only multiplied after the call.

Pushing aside the eager assistants surrounding him, Luhan rose abruptly from his chair and stalked towards the exit of the set. When Bi Ren said Yixing was gone… did she mean he left their home? Did they kick him out? What sort of father was this Zhang Heng man? He was the one who insisted Yixing live with him – shouldn’t he do his fatherly duty of protecting him too? These questions were giving him a headache.

“Where do you think you’re going?” . Zitao.

“I have something urgent to attend to,” Luhan told him. It wasn’t technically a lie. Yixing was an urgent something.

His manager narrowed his eyes as if he knew what Luhan was thinking. Hand tightly gripping onto the idol’s shoulder, Zitao navigated them back towards the set. “You can’t just run off the set like that, Luhan,” Zitao said through gritted teeth. “You’ve been in the industry for so long. You ought to know what’s right or wrong.”

“I just—”

“No.” Zitao glared at him. “Wherever you are going can wait, okay?”

Luhan hoped that was true.

***

“I don’t understand. Why?” asked Kris, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked up at Yixing from the pristine white envelope. Yixing fidgeted uncomfortably in his stare, taking his time to compose a response while he glanced around the office. It felt odd to be here, knowing that his father and half-siblings didn’t want him around the company. Knowing that there could very well be a reporter waiting for him outside the building. Knowing that he was this close to letting the entire Audiobeats office find out his identity.

“I’m just not... cut out for this job,” Yixing replied slowly. It was the truth, even if it wasn’t the reason behind his resignation. An awkward smile formed on his lips. “This doesn’t mean you will get to see any less of me, alright? Just because I’m not as hot as Nana doesn’t mean you can’t spend more time with me.”

Kris at least had the decency to blush. The taller man walked around his work desk and enveloped Yixing in a tight embrace. Yixing found that his heart no longer skipped a beat when his best friend’s presence was near him. He was really over him, wasn’t he? It was a pity the person he was in love with now was even more skilful when it came to breaking his heart.

Without work occupying his hours, Yixing had nowhere to go. Kai had been baffled earlier when Yixing showed up without a word with his baggage but he had been kind enough not to question it. He was really grateful the other man offered him lodging even though they weren’t exactly close; and although Kai had been adamant that he not pay a single cent, Yixing really could not impose on him like that. He had some savings on hand but the best thing for him to do was to find a job.

Somehow, his feet took him back to a place he missed and yearned for the most. His worries immediately melted away when the familiar Book Attic came into view. The corners of his lips tilted upwards to form a genuine smile. As long as he had the Book Attic, everything would be alright.

He pushed open the door happily but it was where things started to go wrong. His smile faded at the sight of the cashier looking harassed by a small group of men and women at the counter who on second glance did not look like customers at all. The cashier glanced up from them then and the slight widening of her eyes drew their attention. They sprung towards Yixing so quickly they knocked over a tall stack of promotional books and the crash prompted the rest of the customers to look over.

“You are Zhang Yixing, aren’t you?” one of them insistently asked, shoving a mini recorder into his face and missing his nose by a mere inch. Claustrophobia crept up to him when the group cornered him, not allowing him any space to walk, to move or to even breathe. His eyeballs dilated with each bursting flash of the cameras but he couldn’t turn away without having another one in his face.

“Are you really Zhang Heng’s son?”

“Have you done a DNA test?”

“Where are you living at the moment?”

“Any thoughts on your foster brother marrying your blood-related sister?”

Yixing in a deep breath but the recycled air of the reporters and the pushing and pulling were suffocating him. The two staff of the Attic were helplessly trying to pull them away from him but the group of reporters were far too relentless in their quest to break him down. Right before Yixing was about to lose it, the lights in the book café suddenly went out and the whirl of the ceiling fan at the café area stopped. There was a brief moment of silence in the darkness when all of a sudden, someone opened the Book Attic’s main doors and the weak stream of light from the outside street lamp fell onto the figure by the doors.

Luhan.

“The Attic is closed for the day!” he yelled at the group, forcefully pulling the two reporters nearest to him and shoving them out the book café. The Attic staff took the cue and did the same; even the few customers in the store helped to usher the reporters out. Relief overtook the initial shock and gratitude Yixing felt and he nearly collapsed onto the ground if Luhan hadn’t grabbed his shoulders in time.

“Not here,” the idol said, nodding towards the clear glass at the pathway where the reporters were still snapping photos of them from outside. The two Book Attic staff yelled out that they would do the closing as Luhan tugged him towards the storeroom. It didn’t feel too long ago where they did the same thing, only their roles were reversed and Yixing had been the one to rescue Luhan from the reporters.

He slid off the wall onto the ground the second they were alone, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head resting on them. Yixing felt Luhan move next to him to sit and had he been in the mood, he would have teased the idol for gracing the dusty storeroom floor with his precious .  

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out into his knees automatically. Yixing didn’t exactly know what he was apologetic for, except that he might have spoiled Luhan’s chance to make a successful comeback in the industry. Luhan didn’t need Yixing’s name attached to his; the reporters would definitely cook up some conspiracy theory of their shared mother and how Luhan’s newfound fame was tied to Yixing’s relations.

“Silly, there’s nothing for you to be sorry for.” Yixing looked up, momentarily surprised to see the tender expression on Luhan’s face. Smiling ruefully, Luhan bumped Yixing’s shoulder with his. “Are you alright?”

No, he wasn’t. How could anyone be, in his position? He wanted a peaceful life. He hadn’t wanted to destroy Uncle Heng’s family with his existence (his half-siblings probably did not know their father had cheated on their mother) nor did he want to be involved in the splitting of inheritance. He didn’t want to be related to a celebrity nor did he yearn for fame. He just wanted a normal life.

Luhan, noticing that Yixing didn’t respond, looked at him with concern reflecting in his dark brown eyes. He said nothing, which Yixing was thankful for. Instead, the idol merely scooted even closer to Yixing and sat a little straighter before he gently pressed Yixing’s head down to rest on his shoulder. All that could be heard in the cramped storeroom were the blast of the air-conditioner and the sounds of their even breathing.

He was so tired of everything he couldn’t even bring himself to push Luhan away. Luhan’s scent and presence was comforting, even if he was the cause of several of his heartaches. Unconsciously nestling his head deeper into the crook between Luhan’s neck and shoulder, Yixing’s eyes fluttered close.

They stayed in that position the whole night.

A/N: I hope this update wasn't too long a wait for you guys! Can anyone guess how the reporter found out about Yixing's relation to the Zhangs? =D