The mansion was filled with people that day.It was YiXing's 21^st birthday party.Family members,family friends and other anonymous individuals whom YiXing do not know were invited to the party as well.YiXing descended the staircase in his best suit slowly,taking his time as he glanced at the crowd in the hall.

People were talking about business matter and politics ,laughing on some lame jokes and gossiping.YiXing stood in the middle of the hall,holding a glass of Bloody Mary in his left hand.The loud roar of laughters and blaring sounds of people talking hit on his eardrums like bullets painfully.

YiXing thought he found peace among the crowd when no one seemed to take notice of the main character’s presence. However,he was wrong.A few family friends of his made their way towards the birthday boy who stood out like a sore thumb in the crowd.YiXing tensed every inch of his muscles and felt  panic rushing through his slender body.He tightened his grip  on the Old Fahsioned glass as he tried his best to mask up his nervousness.

“Oh dear,you’ve grown up so beautifully.”

“You look really gorgeous in this suit.White does look good on you.”

“Darling,it’s been a long time.How are you now?”

“Look,you have your mother’s eyes.Those eyes will definitely draw the attentions of young ladies.”

“What do you plan to do in the future?Are you going to take over your father’s business?Tell me about your future plans.”

People swarmed around YiXing like bees , throwing various questions at him. It almost left  YiXing no space to breathe.He was not fond of being the center of attention.In fact , he detested it.The crowd surrounding him was  suffocating him.

“I’m sorry , please excuse me.I have to leave for a while.”YiXing faked a smile towards them.

YiXing left the hall quickly and made his way to the garden terrace for some fresh air.He relaxed as soon the magnificent view of the garden entered his eyes.He took a stroll in the garden and eventually settled down on a wooden bench.It felt nice to get away from the crowd.At that moment,he felt at serenity.It has been a while since he felt calm and safe.For all those years , YiXing has been a caged bird.He soared for freedom but he failed due to his own personal reasons.People constantly watched him , judged him and made comments on everything he did.It was painfully stressful and annoying.No one understood how YiXing felt like to be watched by others like a vulgar eyeing a piece of dead meat.He had to keep his image perfect all the time , no flaws were allowed to be shown.It was tiring.

It was a clear October night.A cluster of  twinkling stars were seen in the ink blue sky , as if they were greeting me.Soft breeze caressed YiXing’s face lightly as he let out of a sigh.Nostalgic memories came flooding his mind all of a sudden , drifting him away from reality.Time flew back to seven years ago , when YiXing was fourteen years old.

Since YiXing was young , he was never enjoy  socializing and getting along with others.As a child , he never liked to play with other children and he rather spent a lot of time on playing the piano.Alone in the study.YiXing is an introvert.He has always preferred keeping things to himself rather than sharing with others.Burdens , worries , happiness , anxiety and sorrow.No one knew how YiXing actually thinks or feel.He lived in a world of his own , until YiXing met him.

A young guys who brought colors to his dull worlds.For those years , he lived his life like a lone wolf.Friends were just friends.They never crossed the boundary set by YiXing himself except him.He was totally different.He held YiXing’s hands and led me out from my world to his world of excitement.

YiXing’s life changed the moment his world collided with his.His name was YiFan.

YiXing first met YiFan when the latter paid a visit to his family with his parents in a summer.YiXing felt butterflies in his stomach when YiFan laid his eyes on him.YiXing blushed deeply when YiFan made the first move to approach him when It was dinnertime.YiXing felt weird.

“Hi,I’m YiFan,”YiFan introduced himself.

“Hello.I’m YiXing”YiXing gave a curt reply and lowered his head.

“How old are you?I suppose that you are younger.I’m fifteen.What do you like doing during free time?I like drawing a lot.”

“Fourteen.Playing the piano.”

“Oh.Too bad, I couldn’t play the piano.Hmm...I’d like to explore around your mansion.Would you bring me around your mansion?”

YiXing bit his lower lip and nodded as a reply.YiFan excused the both of them from the dining hall and left.

“Well,where are you bringing me to?”

YiXing led YiFan to the garden without muttering any word.

“Are you abducting me?,”YiFan stated playfully as the both of the walked to the garden.

YiXing quickened his pace upon hearing YiFan’s words and hung his head lower.

“Whoa,wait for me.I was just joking.Are you offended?I meant nothing.I’m sorry,”YiFan sounded apologetic and jogged after YiXing who was a few feets ahead him.

“That is my favourite spot when I spend time.Alone,”YiXing pointed at a wooden bench which was situated south wing of the garden.

“Nice spot,”YiFan sat on the bench and gestured YiXing to sit next to him.

“It is.”

“The garden seems to emit some kind of mysterious aura under the dim moonlight.Just like you.

YiXing played with his fingers as he was feeling nervous upon YiFan’s words.

“Look at the sky.Do you see the stars over there?”YiFan pointed at the sky.

“Yea.”

“I believe that we’ll be one of them when we die.Do you?”

“Maybe.”

YiXing felt strangely safe and secured when YiFan was around him.YiFan’s warmth and kindness melted his heart a bit by bit.

As the Zhang’s and the Wu’s have business relationship , the two families meet each other quite often.

As days became week , weeks became months , YiXing opened up his heart to YiFan.YiXing had allowed YiFan to enter his world of his own , which was once forbidden to everyone except himself.Kris became the first person to see the inner self of YiXing. For the first time ever,YiXing cried in front of YiFan when his pet dog,George died of old age.George had been going through a lot with YiXing and a great companion to him , who liked to be left alone most of the time.

YiXing had never showed much emotions or spoke much in front of others.He disliked exposing too much of himself to others. He’d rather hold in all his changes in mood than displaying them. He felt vulnerable and weak if he did.

YiFan became the first man to see him crying for the past four years.YiXing had ceased crying since his mother died of terminal illness when he was ten.Since then, he had never let a single drop of tears to escape his eyes.He had always managed to composure himself.YiXing didn’t know why he acted like that.He felt astonished by his breakdown too.He hadn’t known YiFan for less than a year then.

Why would he cry in front of a friend?

The time YiXing spent with YiFan was most probably the happiest time he ever had.YiFan taught the stoic YiXing to smile sincerely at others,laugh heartily at something funny instead of keeping a straight face and whimper like child or cry his heart out when it is necessary.Through YiFan , YiXing learned that showing emotions is not revealing one’s weakness.It is  how a normal human being should be.Emotions should not be hidden or kept away.They should be showed and expressed.

Life was wonderful with YiFan’s presence.YiFan gave YiXing the chance to reborn as a brighter person.

It was a late autumn when YiFan went to visit YiXing again.YiXing was playing the Grand piano when YiFan came.YiXing was too absorbed in playing the piano that he did not notice YiFan’s presence.

“You played well,”YiFan stated.

“Oh , were you here for a long time?I’m sorry.I didn’t know that you were here,”YiXing was caught off guard when he saw YiFan standing by the door , staring at him ,with an unreadable expression.

“No.I was here for just a while.What were you playing?,”Kris walked towards YiXing who was still seated in front of the Grand piano.

“Piano Sonato No.14 or also known as Moonlight Sonata,by Beethoven,”YiXing gave YiFan a small smile.

“I see.You look beautiful when you smile.You should smile more.”

YiXing chuckled.

“I mean it.”

“Right.”

YiFan stopped coming over to YiXing’s mansion after eleven months since they first met.YiXing questioned himself why but he never asked others.YiXing assumed that YiFan was busy but he never came since then.

YiXing always sat by the window,staring out at air.At the bottom of his heart , he was hoping that YiFan would drop by again.Teardrops rolled down his cheeks as he thought of YiFan who were always by his side,now has gone missing.He wanted to see YiFan.

Slowly and steadily , YiXing regained his old self after a year of waiting without realizing it. He withdrew himself from others.He kept minimal contacts with others.People started to notice YiXing’s change in behavior and questioned him.Once again , he showed no emotions on his face and ignored them.YiXing’s heart turned into cold hard stone once more.He locked his emotions and feelings in a chest buried deep in his heart.He treated others coldy.The warm YiXing disappeared along with YiFan.

At that moment,YiXing realized how YiFan weighed in his heart.He wanted to tell YiFan but he couldn’t.YiFan had never showed himself.YiFan’s whereabouts were unknown.Their world disconnected from each other.

Things were resumed to how they used to be.

YiXing passed his free time in playing piano.Alone.

YiXing gave up on coloring his life and world alone.It was unbearable.The loneliness and dead silence.The two elements were part of YiXing’s life.Now,they seemed so unfamiliar to YiXing.He has grown too used to YiFan’s bubbly sides.

When YiFan was here,his trademark laughter and deep voice rang in YiXing’s ears like music.YiXing was left with nothing after YiFan disappearance.

Slowly , YiXing cringed into his shell.He built a tall wall separating himself from others.He shielded himself from others.YiXing refused to meet new people and know them better.He pushed them out from his own little world without a second thought.YiXing wanted to be left alone.Just like he used to be.

YiXing was hurt and lost. He refused to accept the truth that YiFan had left him.

YiFan abandoned YiXing,leaving YiXing in his own world.

A soft tap on YiXing’s left shoulder startled him.He was instantly brought back to the reality from his reverie.YiXing turned to his left and a shocked expression crept onto his porcelain face.He gasped subconscious mindedly and left his mouth agape.

 It was YiFan.It has been seven years since their last encounter.

YiXing thought that he would never see him ever again.He had stopped putting faith in meeting YiFan.Yet now , YiFan was standing in front of him , with the same dazzling smile which he missed so much.

Mixed feelings surged through YiXing’s body.He was angry with YiFan for leaving him without leaving any word behind.Yet he was overjoyed that YiFan came back.

YiXing stared at YiFan with a dazed expression written all over his face.

How could YiXing forget YiFan?

YiFan’s everything was deeply etched in YiXing’s brain.His voice , smile and gestures.Despite time had passed ,it did not erase YiFan from YiXing’s memory.

YiFan studied YiXing with an amused look on his face a few moments before he asked , “Why are you crying?It pains me.”

Without uttering another word , YiFan lifted his right hand and wiped away YiXing’s teardrops with his thumb gently.

“Please.Don’t cry.It suits you more when you smile.”

YiXing’s heart shattered into pieces.It was exactly the same thing what YiFan said when he first cried for  George’s death in front of YiFan.The same worried expression , tone and gesture.

It was really YiFan who disappeared from YiXing’s life seven years ago.

~~End~~

Words count: 1996

Maybe I should continue or leave it ending here?

Comments are very much appreciated.

The story has not been beta-read yet.Please forgive me for the grammatical or spelling mistakes done.I'm still struggling with tenses...==