Chapter Thirteen – A Different Point of View

“Zitao. Get the car ready and go get Yifan.” Luhan’s voice, though calm, was loud in the large room he and Zitao were in.

Zitao, upon hearing that, stood up straight and he resisted the urge to just sigh and roll his eyes because his master was just so excited about this. “Yes, master.”

“And don’t talk to him.” Zitao stopped and turned to look at Luhan, who was on his chair, reading something he was always reading. It was a brown notebook, with pages as old as time, and Zitao just sighed because he knew who that notebook belonged to.

It belonged to the person he was about to get right now.

“Yes, master.” He answered, and he opened the door and went outside to get inside the car, driving away.

Zitao just felt bad about everything.

Huang Zitao was six when he met Luhan.

At a tender age, he already experienced the worse experiences in his life – specifically losing his parents.

Young Zitao couldn’t stop crying because his parents were dead. People killed them, saying they were monsters, and their house was burned down to ashes, and there was nothing else and nowhere else for him to go.

“What are you doing here?” He heard a voice behind him say, and his little head turned to look up who it was.

It was a girl, tall, with short blond hair, and eyes that were kind and mischievous all at the same time. Zitao was scared.

“I’m not supposed to - talk to a girl...”

At that, the girl got surprised and stood straight; looking down at the little boy that Zitao wished the world would just open up and eat him because heck he was scared.

“I am not a girl. My name is Luhan, and I am a man.”

Zitao’s eyes were wide because he was so sure that she was a girl. “But-“

Just then, there were people from the village that were taking orphans to their home to take care of them, and Zitao stood up, his wobbly feet betraying him. Even though he was scared, he still clung onto this Luhan’s leg, hiding behind it.

“Is he the son of the couple living here?” One asked, eyes trailed at Zitao.

He didn’t want to go with them. Even though they told everyone that they were going to take care of orphans, there was just something off about it, that little Zitao didn’t want to think about.

Luhan looked at them, then at Zitao.

It was silent for a while, and Zitao’s heart was beating loudly in his chest.

But then the blond man smiled and said, “Yes, unfortunately. But I’m his cousin, and I came here to get him.”

The men just looked at each other and they stared Luhan down, but the latter wasn’t even affected by it.

“Are you sure? Because the kid looks like he doesn’t know you – “

“Well, he wouldn’t be hiding behind me if he doesn’t know me, would he?” Luhan said cockily and Zitao found himself nodding, hands tight on the pants the tall man was wearing.

The men just nodded in understanding. “Okay then.” And they walked away, giving occasional glances at Zitao before they completely disappeared from sight. Zitao found himself sighing.

“Come with me.” And the little boy looked at Luhan.

“W-what?”

“You don’t have anywhere else to go to, right?” Luhan asked, and Zitao couldn’t answer that because it was true.

“Okay then. You can come home with me. I need some company, anyway.” He held out a hand, and Zitao just looked at it, then at Luhan, then at the hand again.

Luhan, upon knowing that the boy was still hesitating, just took it to himself to grab it, and he pulled him and carried him, much to Zitao’s surprise.

“Where are you taking me?!”

“To my home.”

“But I don’t want to!”

“Would you like those people to take you instead?” Luhan looked at the boy in his arms, staring and Zitao just froze.

“They’re taking orphans because they are killing them, Huang Zitao. You are a son of witches, so they say. And you know our generation right? They kill monsters. Do you ever wonder why those kids they were taking weren’t even showing up anymore?”

At that, Zitao whimpered and only made Luhan laugh.

“You know, I’m not a bad person because if I was, I would have just let them take you. So just stay quiet and stay still because my home is really nice. Why are you even scared?”

“I – didn’t even see your house yet.” And this made Luhan laugh. At that, Zitao relaxed in his hold.

“How about this? You keep me company and I’ll let you stay with me? I’m completely harmless by the way, I swear.”

Luhan just looked so sincere and good and Zitao found himself nodding, head resting on the tall man’s shoulder.

As he grew up, though, he realized Luhan’s young face was because of immortality. The blond man wasn’t even becoming old. When he asked him, Luhan said it was because someone cursed him with it.

Luhan should be angry at witches, at monsters, but he asked him as to why he took him when he was still a child and saved him – and Luhan smiled and said that he didn’t hate helpless ones.

Luhan was someone Zitao looked up to, so he just didn’t care about anything anymore. Luhan saved him.

It occurred to him that when he was little, Zitao didn’t say his name to Luhan.

He was driving towards Yifan’s home, head thinking about all the things happening.

Just why did everything have to be like this? He felt bad. Really, really bad, and he just wanted everything to stop.

Luhan really loved Yifan. Really loved him, and his hands gripped the steering wheel tight as he was thinking of something else.

Why did it have to resort to this?

Why did it have to resort to something Zitao really despised?

Since when did everything resort to lies?

“Come on. Master Luhan asked me to get you.”

“Who are you to talk like that to my master?!”

“Shut up, small man. I’ m not talking to you.”

Junmyeon was becoming red right now. “Why you little-“

‘That’s enough.” Yifan stood up from his chair, properly dressed as always, and went out of the house.

The sun was blinding, even though snow was falling, and he could hear Zitao and Junmyeon’s voices as they quarrelled.

“Why are you coming?-“

“Because I’m master’s butler.” Junmyeon seethed, and Zitao just rolled his eyes.

“Are we going or not?” Zitao heard that and rolled his eyes once again. He opened the car door and before Yifan could get inside, the tan boy gripped his arm tight and pulled him back.

“You’re a fool. That’s what I’d like to say.” He hissed, and Yifan just rolled his eyes because everyone was always like that ever since.

Zitao released his grip and Yifan went inside. Junmyeon glared at Zitao before entering too.

Really, a fool, Zitao thought. And he started the engine and drove off.