"Kris Wu." A voice calling his name sharply from the door stirred him from the sleep. Kris opened his eyes and tried to make sense of where he was by shaking his head slightly and blinking his eyes a few times. An unusual sight greeted him. He blinked again. 

Ah right. I'm on site. 

Kris Wu sighed and sat up on his bed with a groan. It had not been long since he had gotten back from a filming a movie, which was set to release in one year, which he still not realized why the post-production would take so long. After the movie, he was quickly ushered to another studio location to film a project with a clothing brand, a high end production, where the entire collection is centered around his personality and choices - the whole season entirely dedicated to him. It had been a few days since he started filming at the location site. The days were gruelling and filled to the brim with all the things he needed to go through the entire production. However, he is happy. Being able to do what he wants, however he wants, give him the high energy to get through days without feeling the fatigue. 

"KRIS WU." The voice got sharper and impatient. 

He put his face in his palms and breathed in. Sigh.. another day, Wu Yifan. Another day. "Coming!!" he shouted at the door to please the caller. He swiftly got off his bed and put on his fluffy indoor slippers. With the ease of a panther, he practically glided to the door and opened his room door, to see his manager. 

"Come on. Up up up," his managed spoke in a cheery voice and marched him like a soldier, "we have to go over a lot of stuff today." 

Kris smiled. This is another start to his day. 

~~~

"Thank you for your hardwork!" Kris smiled fondly at other cast and crew members just as they wrapped up the filming. It felt like a huge set of weight got lift off of his chest. He might have a few days before another project comes in. He might fly to Vancouver to see his relatives there. His footsteps were fuelled with happiness as he gathered his thing in his personal room into his weekend bag. 

"Bye everyone!" He left the studio with a bright smile just before he hopped into in his Aston Martin Vantage, his pride and joy - the small two-seater convertible that he decided to buy to go on drives, and sometimes a little escapades with his girlfriend - now ex-girlfriend. He drove away from the studio location and headed towards the mountain. His GPS on the car was switched off so that he could head wherever he wanted to. He just wanted to let his mind take a break from everything to refuel for his next project. 

It was a cool evening during early summer. His smile did not dissipate as he drove away into the distance towards the mountains with his V8 engine roaring as he stepped on the accelerator. He could see the sign boards on the highway but he could care less. The further he could get away from the noisy, bustling place, the better. He needs his down time like this. 

Suddenly, his phone started to ring and his manager's name appeared on the screen on the car. Kris sighed at the way his manager can be anxious about his schedule. 

"Kris Wu speaking," he pressed on a button on his steering wheel and answered the call. 

"Yifan..." his manager spoke from the other end. The manager sounded worried, which also worried him. The fact that his manager decided to use his Chinese name worried him even more since his manager rarely uses that name unless it's very important. 

Kris gulped and waited for his manager to continue. "Yifan..." his manager resumed, "there's a big trouble." 

"How big?" Kris's chest started to tighten with unknown fear. He hates things that make his chest tight, causing him to have difficulty in breathing. 

"Your ex-girlfriend...." the manager continued again and paused. 

Kris was already at the end of his sanity, "Manager. Can you please spill?!" he snarled at the receiver, "you know how I hate all the unknown!" he snapped at the manager. 

"Your ex-girlfriend just gave an exclusive interview to a very famous entertainment news outlet..." the sound of his manager his breath in could be heard. "Yifan... she is pregnant." 

Everything seemed to freeze all of a sudden and Kris suddenly forgot how to drive. His car went out of control for a while before he regained consciousness to take control of the car again to avoid accidents. Then, the car was swerved onto the side, the emergency line on the highway, so that he could talk to his manager clearly. 

"What do you mean she's pregnant? We broke up a couple of months ago." He stitched his brows and thought hard. 

"Yifan..." his manager's hesitant voice broke his stream of thoughts, "did you guys took preventable measures against that...?" his question was hesitant but valid. Kris closed his eyes as he leaned back onto his chair and sighed. There were definitely a few drunken nights with her when they were going through the rocky stages of dating. Those period were they time they fought, broke up, and made up - the cycle repeated a few times. Could it be....? He thought to himself. 

Kris sighed, "I don't know, manager..." He bit his lip in anger, "what does she want? How much is she asking for?" He knows of the world of celebrity dating too well. If someone's true intention was just to date him because she has feelings of love for him, she would not give such interview to expose the entire relationship to the media. The truth that his ex-girlfriend is also working in the same industry as a model does not help his doubts. 'Suspicious' is supposedly his middle name - as touted by the people around him. There must be some sort of motive behind her intentions. He needs to handle this well. 

"Two millions RMB as child support every month until the kid turns 18," his manager spoke bluntly. "And you need to declare yourself as a father. The Internet is crazy right now, Yifan. Your fan club is going absolutely ballistic." 

Kris groaned. It is evident that she wants money and wants to live in luxury without working much. She is getting old and her age is approaching the 'expiration date' of the industry that is famous for using fresh and young faces. "Have we appointed a lawyer?" 

"The CEO is on your case. This is really bad, Yifan..." his manager continued. 

"I'll be back in a few days," Kris spoke softly - as if he didn't have any more energy in his body. "Just give me some time to think straight..." Then, he didn't wait for his manager to reply before he hung up the phone. 

Just where I can find a place to relax and wind down.... Kris kept thinking as he drove further away. He didn't know how long he had been driving when he found a quaint little inn that could be seen at a distance from the main highway road. Without even thinking, he swerved into the lane, not even bothered about whether his Aston Martin will scratch his modified bottom of the car, since he lowered it. He was so stressed that he wanted to get away. As soon as he swerved in, his screen in the car flashed. It was his manager. 

"The clothing brand said they will halt the project until the entire controversy is resolved since the official launch date is yet to be announced. Yifan, you need to come back." 

More and more text messages poured in - all of them mostly asking what happened. Some of the people congratulated his misfortune. Some messages were from unknown numbers, cussing at him. He got so annoyed that he turned his phone off. He still have his another phone that he reserved for extremely personal use - such as calling his mother and extremely close friends. 

"I want a room," Kris asked the old receptionist at the desk, who didn't look like she was surprised or shocked to see him. She probably was not expecting to see him in thie far away inn from the city, not even when he gave her his ID. Maybe she does not know him. It's great that nobody knows him at this point. It gives him great sense of peace. 

Once he has settled into his room, he headed back out again. He needed to go out, get fresh air, stretch his leg, get his mind into order. He put on his rain jacket and started walking, and walking, and walking. 

"Where am I?" he asked himself the question after he noticed himself in a situation, where he couldn't figure out where he was. The night has fallen and he couldn't see where and how he got here. He couldn't remember the path he walked on. Frustrated at himself, he cursed lowly and started to walk forward hoping that he would find somewhere that could ask directions to return. 

As luck may have it, it started to rain - and a heavy rain at that - as he walked. He started to walk with hurried steps in the direction he had chosen. The rain did not show any sign of getting lighter soon. He squinted through the curtain of rain to see flickering light in the distance. That light is the best bet that he could think right now and he ran towards it. The flickering light was inside the compound of a two storyed stone-walled, european style house inside a compound with wooden fences and gate. He was quite taken aback by how the architecture felt different from a lot of houses he had seen in China. Nevertheless, he decided to walk in. 

As he was walking along the stone path, his head reeled. Only then he realized that he had not had any food for the whole day. The dizziness started to escalate as he walked. Kris gathered all of his strength to get to the front door of the house and knocked on the door. 

The rest was an absolute pitch black darkness. 

~~~

"Oh, you're up!" a soft-gentle voice greeted him as he opened his eyes. Kris's eyes opened wide and looked around. There was a girl, about his age, sitting on a chair beside his bed. He was inside an unfamiliar room. The room was painted with warm soft yellow and the decoration was sleek and minimal. 

He nodded and sat up to look at that girl. She looked about his age. Her skin emitted a soft glow and she has long dark wavy hair that contrasted greatly with the glow from her skin. She smiled, "You fainted at my door step yesterday and then you started to run fever so I took you in and put you in one of the bedrooms in the house. I hope you don't mind." 

"I should be saying thanks." Kris felt so tired and his body felt very weak, "Thank you for taking me in and taking care of me." 

"You're welcome," she smiled. Her smile was gentle and courteous. A faint sunlight entered the room via the window. "Would you like to have breakfast? I made porridge breakfast." 

Kris was suddenly aware of how polite and host-like the girl is. Maybe she knows who he is so that she is pretending to be nice? He wanted to slap himself for being so suspicious, "Yes please." 

The girl beamed again, "Would you like to have it here? Or downstairs in the kitchen?" 

Too nice. "Downstairs please," he answered and placed his feet on the hardwood floor. Then, he was aware of how he was in someone else's clothes, which were a bit too small for his 187 cm frame body. 

A faint twinkle of laughter appeared. "I'm so sorry I had to dress you in my father's clothes. It runs a little small for your frame but those were the only clothes I have," she spologized. 

Way too nice. Kris cannot shake off the suspicion, "It's all right. I think these are fine." She led him to the kitchen, where the food was.

The girl made him sit at one of the stools in the kitchen. The kitchen was nicely decorated with granite marble tops, dark polished teak as cupboards and sparkling steelware. She walked towards the simmering pot on the stove and stirred it a few times before adding salt in. Then, she ladled the bowl with the porridge before the bowl was in front of his face.

"What is your name?" she asked him.

Kris almost choked at her question. She does not know? Or is she pretending to not know? However, the sincerity in the girl's eyes made him confirm that she clearly does not know him. He found is surprising and oddly liberating. Call him egotistical but he greatly enjoys the fact that his face is recognized almost everywhere; except here, in this part of China, where he does not know the GPS coordinates. 

"Do you know me?" he asked, feeling very suspicious of her nonchalant self at his presense, which is very unsual for him. 

She shook her head, "No? Should I know you?" she asked again. 

"Kris..." he started, "Hu!" He didn't know how a wrong surname slipped out of his mouth. "Kris Hu," his intention of adopting a new identity started to burn strongly in his stomach. He didn't want the girl to find out his identity, to avoid implication in the future - in case something arises. Prevention is better than cure.

"Kris Hu," she smiled. "Tang Xia," she introduced herself. A long pause of silence took over the two of them after the initial introduction. 

"How did you get here?" she asked after a long time, "it is very strange that someone would visit here... it is very out of the way." 

"Oh really?" he was surprised, "what is this place?" 

She smiled again. She really likes to smile, he thought to himself. "Let's say it's a place where people come when they want a getaway from city life. It's a village... we call it Shujing village." 

"Shujing village," he echoed after her. It is something that he will not try to look up on the internet. 

"What are you doing here, Mr.Hu?" she asked again. 

"Erm..." he racked his brain. He didn't have anything to say. He gulped, "I'm..." 

"Yeah?" she smiled and looked at him. Suddenly, he felt encouraged to say something. 

"I got into a really terrible situation..." he started to speak, "I got out of a really terrible relationship and I needed a new life..." He was surprised at himself for trying to tell her about the stuff that he is currently going through without the details. "So I just wandered..." Wow, the girl is buying his story. His acting skills surprise him sometimes. Her facial expression softened and her browns turned downwards. The smile that was upon her face was completely wiped out. Kris continued, "So, I wandered and ended up here..." He ended the story abruptly, "Thank you for taking care of me for a night." 

"Please don't worry," she spoke to him as she ladled porridge for herself into a bowl before sitting in front of him. She took a sip of the porridge from the spoon. As far as he had been observing, the way this girl moves truly intrigues him. Her movements are fluid and swift, as if she was floating through air as she glides. It is quite pleasing to watch for him. She looked at him and smiled before taking another spoonful. 

They both dug into their porridge with gusto. Kris found her porridge to be quite delicious. "You should stay here for one more day, Mr.Hu," she told him as she put the dirty dishes into the sink, which she wrenched away from him as he offered to wash for her. "Your fever is not completely gone and you should take care of it. I'll talk to my family doctor to come have a look at you this afternoon." 

"Oh no, it's okay," Kris stopped her hastily, "it's fine. I'm sure the fever will go away. You don't mind me staying here for one extra day?" 

Xia smiled as she rinsed off the soap from the dishes, "it's always a pleasure to have guests around." 

"I AM BACK!!!" a voice appeared in the kitchen before a middle-aged woman appeared in the scene. "Xia, who is this?" 

"Aunty Zhao," she smiled and walked towards the woman to hug her, "this is Kris Hu. He magically appeared into our garden last night." She laughed. Kris bowed at the woman, who returned the favour. 

Aunty Zhao touched Xia's nose lovingly, "You naughty girl. I was gone for a few nights and you're inviting boys into your place already." Xia crinkled her nose and pouted. Kris wanted to chuckle. 

"Aunty Zhao is the manager of this house," Xia introduced the lady to him, "she takes care of things together with me, don't you, Aunty Zhao?" 

"Eh," the woman grumbled, "I can take care of things indoor but outdoors, I can't. Xia, the garden is turning into a mess. I can't find anyone else to do the job. They all complain that it's too far out. Have you found someone?" 

Xia shook her head, "Seems like we'll have to pay so much to ship a team in and take care of it. The garden looks atrocious." 

Kris frowned at the two women fussing over the small garden, which he remembered last night. It was laughable at how they were complaining about it. 

"Young man," Aunty Zhao tried to get his attention, "Errrr...." 

"Kris," he reminded her his name. 

"Yes, Kris," the woman smiled, "are you familiar with gardening work?" 

"Aunty Zhao!!" Xia stopped the woman, "what are you asking to our guest?!" 

"What? I'm only asking," the woman answered bluntly, "you can never tell. Kris, can you err..." the woman paused, "help us with our garden for a while during the period you're here? We need help. Desperately." 

A light bulb went off in his head. He wanted to stay somewhere for a period of time. He is at a place, where the people do not know his face nor care that he's a super star. Both women were looking at him with hopeful eyes, something that he has not seen for a long while - as if they needed him. He suddenly felt so needed, so wanted - in a different way from others. Their sincerity touched him. Gardening is not hard. He took trainings under a professional gardener at a landscaping firm to train for his award-winning role as a heart-broken gardener who dedicated his life to planting flowers that his deceased lover. He can do this. He can play the gardener Kris Hu, for a few days. 

Kris smiled, "Yes sure, I'll help." 

He didn't know why he said that, if he was to be completley honest. 

~~~

[Author's monologue:] Hello. Welcome to my 3 part special. Hi. I don't know why I started it but since I started it with an intention of actually finishing it. I want to do this. Yeah. 

My 3 part special short-fic. 3 shots! I hope you enjoy! Leave me a comment if you enjoyed it. It was not easy typing this out. Please love me. Ahahahaha