In Between Us || Zhanyi

Zhan stepped out of the washroom, the cool air of the bedroom pressing against his damp skin. He had changed into a fresh set of clothes, but the exhaustion clung to him like a second layer. His gaze immediately sought out Yibo, still lying motionless on the bed. A deep exhale left his lips as he walked over, his hands instinctively adjusting the blanket over Yibo's frame. His fingers brushed against the younger man's skin—still a little cool.

"Rest," he murmured, though Yibo couldn't hear him.

He stood there for a few moments longer before finally forcing himself to step away.

The living room felt unnaturally quiet. The weight of exhaustion pressed against his temples, but he had no time for it, efficiency took over. His phone buzzed with updates, and he handled them with his usual precision. As expected, the hostel and campus were running smoothly. Not a single word of the incident had slipped beyond closed doors. The staff had obeyed his instructions without question. His authority remained unchallenged. Yet, for the first time, it brought him no satisfaction.

He informed the management of his absence for the day, answering few urgent emails with swift responses. It was routine, mechanical—yet the weight pressing on his chest didn't lift.

He was middle of typing another mail when a quiet nudge at his side drew his attention.

Dajo, his ever-reliable butler, stood beside him, holding a plate of light food.

"Master, you should eat something," the older man said, his tone gentle but firm.

Zhan barely glanced at the plate. "Not hungry, Dajo"

Dajo didn't move. His silence was heavy, patient "Please, have little."

Zhan clenched his jaw. Hunger was the least of his concerns. His stomach twisted not from lack of food but from everything else—the image of Yibo unconscious in his arms, the stark contrast of his warm skin now to the blood-stained hands of yesterday.

"I'll eat later," he dismissed, standing up.

Dajo sighed but didn't push further. He had served Zhan long enough to know that when his master made up his mind, nothing could shake him—except, perhaps, the unconscious man lying in the other room.

And maybe, Zhan himself didn't realize just how much that had already changed him.

Dajo was about to take his leave when suddenly................. "Da-ge!!!!"

Dajo, who had been standing nearby, stilled.

Zhan sat in silence, his fingers curling into fists on his lap, his thoughts a relentless storm. He had always been a man of principles, a man who upheld justice and discipline—yet he had failed at his own standards. Failed himself.

His voice came out quieter than he intended, almost hesitant.

"Do you think I'm a bad person? Insensitive? Aloof? Ignorant? Taking people and their emotions for granted?"

Dajo stilled at Zhan's question, momentarily caught off guard. He had served the Xiao family for decades, watched Zhan grow from a bright-eyed boy into the man he was today—strong, respected, unyielding. To hear such uncertainty from someone who had always carried himself with unwavering conviction... it was jarring.

For the first time in years, he saw not the formidable man the world knew Zhan to be, but the boy he had watched grow. The boy who had never known how to be anything but strong. The boy who had become a man far too soon.

And now, that man—who had held everyone together, who had given everything—was questioning his own worth.

Dajo felt something tighten in his chest.

He stepped forward, his voice firm yet trembling with emotion.

"Pardon me but From young master Zhanzhan to Master Zhan... how could I judge you? How could I judge the man who, on a single phone call from a servant——"

Zhan looked up sharply, his lips parting, as if to dismiss it—but Dajo wasn't finished.

"He drove through a storm to save my son? Who didn't hesitate, didn't think twice—just acted, because that's who he is? Who brought my son to the hospital, gave his own blood, paid the bills without a word, and then took on the responsibility as if it were his own burden to bear?"

Zhan looked away, his jaw clenching, but Dajo wasn't done. His voice rose—not in anger, but in the sheer weight of the truth he had carried for years.

"How could I judge the son who never shed a tear at his own pain, but stayed awake countless nights at his father's bedside when his health failed? Who stood like an unshaken wall when his mother cried behind closed doors, never letting her see his own fear, only his strength...... Who unspoken, undeclared took everything on himself be the pillar of the family when it was on the verge of breaking..when all the people showed their back, even blood relatives were ready to stab, leaving his father, mother and sibling to struggle on their own"

Zhan flinched, but Dajo pressed on.

"How could I judge the elder brother who, when others called him strict, was the same one who made sure his siblings never tasted the hardships he endured? Who made sure his brother and sister get everything which he couldn't? Who scolded them, pushed them, forced them to be better—not out of cruelty, but because he would rather they hate him than ever know failure?"

Dajo's voice trembled now, but his words were unyielding.

"Each member of Xiao household didn't just call you Master Zhan out of obligation, we know....how many times have you fought for others, stood in the shadows while they walked ahead in the light? How many times have you given, protected, sacrificed? And in return, did you ever once ask for gratitude?"

Zhan's throat tightened, his hands clenching into fists.

"You have built lives, Master Zhan. Not just your own, but everyone's around you Not just your family but every person who came to your contact. And yet here you are, condemning yourself, as if a single incident undoes a lifetime of who you are."

Dajo took a step closer, his voice softer now, but no less powerful.

"Pain has a way of revealing a person's true strength—some let it consume them, while others use it as fuel to rise even higher. Master, you can not blame yourself to choose resilience over defeat, turning adversity into a source of self-empowerment.

Yes, you are strict. Yes, you are harsh. But not because you don't care. It's because you care too much. More than anyone. More than you should. "

Dajo took another careful step forward, his voice quieter now, almost pleading.

"But you are human too. Even the strongest men have limits. Even you."

Zhan's gaze dropped to his hands, the same hands that had gripped Yibo too tightly in anger, that had held his lifeless body in horror. He swallowed. "And what if my limits cost me the one person I—" He cut himself off.

Dajo sighed, an almost fatherly gesture, and placed a hand on Zhan's shoulder.

"You have spent your life ensuring standing strong. But maybe, just maybe, you need someone to look at you—not as the untouchable pillar of this house, but as a man. A man who also deserves to be seen beyond his mistakes, beyond his own walls. A man deserved to be cherish with his flaws"

Silence stretched between them. Zhan's throat tightened, something fragile and painful lodging itself there.

For once, he had no answer.

...TO BE CONTINUED

🙏Hope all readers have seen the message posted by our author. She is not going to be active for a while because she is busy with some personal emergency, details on her profile. Meanhile only the story 'BITTER-SWEET || OMEGAVERSE || Zhanyi' will receive regular update and as a complete story..it wil end soon too.

Thank you for everyone's cooperation and pray for author's well being,  she will back soon.🫡