In Between Us || Zhanyi

✒️Last worked: 09/08/2024

✅Improvement required before publish: work on character development. it is a typical arrange marriage scenario of two people pole apart, brought up in different places with different believes and approaches.....so communication gap as well as the clashing dynamics are inevitable.....try to enhance those elements

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Back to Present time...........

At Zhan & Yibo's apartment.........Night Time~~

The soft clink of dishes filled the quiet apartment as Yibo moved around the small dining table, setting down plates and bowls. He glanced at Zhan, who was seated on the couch, his eyes focused on the laptop on his lap, occasionally going through the scattered papers on the small coffee table. It was a familiar sight—Zhan absorbed in his work, barely acknowledging Yibo's presence. Normally, this routine didn't bother Yibo. He had come to expect the silence, the coldness that defined their interactions. But tonight, it weighed on him more than usual.

When Zhan returned, it was all normal from his side as if nothing happened earlier. Yibo first handed Zhan a glass of water, slowly removed his coat, neatly placing it along with Zhan's shoes, socks, bag and other belongings. Inside the washroom the tub was already filled with lukewarm water as per Zhan's liking. Clean towel on the bathroom hanger, night suit on bed neatly folded. Zhan's evening tea was getting boiled inside the kitchen..............everything was spotless and punctual.

The clock was striking 9pm, Yibo quietly placed the last dish on the table and stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. His stomach churned with unease, and the thought of eating made him feel nauseous. Without a word, he served Zhan who was already seated, then turned away and headed towards the kitchen to clean up, leaving Zhan to eat alone.

"Yibo!!" Zhan's voice cut through the quiet, halting Yibo's movements. He froze in place, his back still turned to his husband. It was rare for Zhan to address him like this, especially during dinner. Yibo waited, unsure of what was coming next. Did he make any mistake? Was there any dish Zhan didn't like? What went wrong? Did he missed anything???? water, spoon, salt, paper???............Yibo's mind raced

"Won't you eat?" Zhan asked, his tone neutral but with a hint of concern. Yibo caught off-guard, clearly not expecting this question

"ahh!! I'm not hungry," Yibo replied softly, tilting his head slightly, keeping his back to Zhan. He wasn't lying—his appetite had disappeared completely. The weight of the day, of everything between them, made eating feel impossible. He started leaving the place hurriedly but stopped again.

Zhan was silent for a moment, clearly not satisfied with the answer and when he saw Yibo leaving just like that, he felt offended....... "You just can not go empty stomach whole night. It's not good for your health," he said, his voice rising slightly.

Yibo turned slightly, his eyes flickering to Zhan before looking away again. He could hear the concern in Zhan's voice, but it felt strange—almost forced, like something Zhan was obligated to say rather than something he truly felt or like others Zhan was just ordering, wanting him to just follow his decorum. Yibo's heart twisted at the thought. After months of cold distance and routine, this sudden concern felt jarring. It disrupted the fragile balance they had built—the silence, the distance that Yibo had come to rely on for stability.