2015
March
Xiao Yan to Zi Wei
22:58 CST
PLEASE COME OVER!
NOW!
I HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE OR I'LL EXPLODE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT ON THE PHONE! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Zi Wei stared the abundance of exclamation marks on her friend's text message and didn't know whether she was supposed to feel excited or alarmed. She knew Xiao Yan was capable of getting very over-excited, but this exclamation mark abuse was a whole new level, especially when the text was sent this late.
She gave the message one last bemused stare before gathering her things and headed out to her car to go over to Xiao Yan's apartment. She couldn't deny that she was curious, of course, considering she knew that Xiao Yan had just gotten back to Beijing from a work-related trip to Xinjiang; she couldn't begin to imagine what could have happened there to get Xiao Yan this excited.
When she arrived, Zi Wei had barely touched the door when it swung open to reveal a Xiao Yan who was practically bouncing.
"Are you all right?" Zi Wei asked, but at the same time, she was chuckling at the breathless, wide grin Xiao Yan had on her face.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Xiao Yan cried, pulling Zi Wei inside by her hand. Then, she threw her arms around Zi Wei. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, you won't believe what happened!"
"What happened?" Zi Wei asked, laughing and wincing as she pulled away from the high-pitched sound of Xiao Yan's voice. Whatever it was that brought Zi Wei here at eleven o'clock at night, it was something that obviously was making Xiao Yan almost manic with happiness, and it filled Zi Wei with an odd, floaty feeling of joy too, despite the ringing in her ear, though she didn't even know what was going on.
"Come in, I'll show you," Xiao Yan exclaimed, still unable to put away that impossibly wide grin. Then, she pulled Zi Wei into the living room, where Zi Wei sat on the couch and Xiao Yan shoved a piece of paper into her hands.
At first glance, the chart on the paper looked very familiar. Zi Wei had definitely seen something like it before; but this was different from the chart that contained her information which she first saw four years ago.
The title on top of the sheet was the same – DNA Test Report – though that itself made Zi Wei glance up at Xiao Yan, frowning in confusion. Her friend, however, was clearly too giddy to speak, as she only gestured impatiently for Zi Wei to continue reading.
Zi Wei looked down at the chart and saw, unlike her own test results which had two columns comparing her DNA to that of her father, this report compared the DNA of "Mother", "Alleged Sibling One" and "Alleged Sibling Two". Just as with her own results, the following list of numbers were meaningless to the untrained person, but the interpretation at the bottom was in plain enough language.
Combined Siblingship Index: 23,249
DNA testing was done to determine siblingship of alleged siblings. Based on the results obtained from the analyses of the DNA loci listed, the probability of full siblingship is 99.995%. The likelihood that they share the same biological father is 23,249 to 1.
"Xiao Yan, what is this?" she asked, looking up at her still grinning friend in astonishment.
"I have a brother!" Xiao Yan nearly yelled, as if she had been holding back this declaration all this time and was finally able to say it out loud. "Zi Wei, I have a brother!"
Before Zi Wei could reasonably react, she found herself engulfed in a crushing hug by her friend, who was still babbling.
"I have a brother! A brother! Oh my god, I have a brother! Can you believe it, Zi Wei?"
Though Xiao Yan had yet to tell her how this extraordinary development come about, Zi Wei found herself laughing and putting her own arms tightly around her friend.
"No, I can't quite. How did this happen?" Zi Wei asked, smiling just as widely as Xiao Yan now when she pulled away to look at her friend.
Between breathless, wondrous exclamation of "I have a brother!", Xiao Yan told Zi Wei about Xiao Jian, how they met at work, and how he eventually came to believe Xiao Yan was his sister.
"Of course, we couldn't quite allow ourselves to believe it, no matter how desperately we wanted for it to be true, until we've done a DNA test. At first, I didn't think it would work, because I remembered when we were reading up on DNA testing way back then for you, and it said that tests between siblings without a DNA sample from a parent wasn't always conclusive. I mean, our parents died years ago, so short of exhuming them, it didn't seem like we'd have a DNA sample from either of them. Honestly, I'm still not used to the fact that I can talk about 'my parents'. Anyway, then Xiao Jian's adopted parents told us how years ago, they used an extracted wisdom tooth from our mother to do a DNA test for Xiao Jian to ensure that he was who he was. Apparently neither our birth parents nor our adopted ones were able to throw anything out because they still had another tooth from my mother left, here, in storage with the rest of their possessions, so we were able to send that to be tested with our DNA samples. The results came this morning to my email, but I was in Xinjiang without internet, so I didn't get to see it until now when I got home! Xiao Jian's still in Xinjiang, and I just got off the phone with him when I texted you, but I still can't believe it!"
It occurred to Zi Wei that she had actually never seen Xiao Yan so overflowing with this kind of pure abundance of emotions, the foremost of which was joy, so much of it that tears were leaking from her eyes. This was a different kind of happiness from anything she'd ever seen in her friend. This was Xiao Yan's dream literally come true, and Zi Wei suddenly felt as bursting with light as Xiao Yan looked.
Her own throat felt rather constricted, Zi Wei laughed shakily and pulled Xiao Yan into a tight hug. "Oh, I am so, so happy for you," she said sincerely. "This is just wonderful, Xiao Yan!"
As they pulled away, both of them were laughing and crying at the same time. Zi Wei squeezed Xiao Yan's hands affectionately. "No one deserves this more than you," she whispered.
"I'm so happy. I mean," she said a little hoarsely and had to stop to clear her throat before continuing, "I am sad to have to learn that my parents have passed away...but at least now...now I know that all the worst case scenarios I came up over the years about how they abandoned me weren't true. And I still have my brother. And his adopted parents. And I just feel like I'm walking on clouds, but at the same time I don't know what to do with all this..."
She was gesturing wildly with her hands. She was laughing through tears, but at the same time, she looked overwhelmed and no less lost than she had always been.
"It's weird," Xiao Yan said croakily, "it's like I'm so happy, happier than I ever thought was possible, but I'm sad too, and terrified at the same time. Oh god, it's all just crashing down on me now..."
She gave Zi Wei a helpless look, to which Zi Wei could only smile sympathetically.
"I know the feeling, you know," she said, giving Xiao Yan a comforting hug. "Just give yourself time, and it will all sink in, and then you can sort out your different emotions." Zi Wei pulled away only to press her forehead against Xiao Yan's, whispering, "It's going to be all right. I promise."
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded profusely, as if Zi Wei's words were the only thing she could cling to that made sense. She inhaled deeply and shook her head, as it to shake away some of the abundance of emotions currently engulfing her, which she could not take all at once. Zi Wei realised this was why Xiao Yan had asked her to come so urgently. Even if they weren't best friends, Zi Wei was probably the only person aside from Xiao Jian who might be able to even begin to understand the emotions she was experiencing.
"I didn't think it'd feel like this," she confessed with a self-deprecating laugh. "I mean, I expected to be happy, and I am! I am! I didn't realise the happiness itself could be this overwhelming, let alone everything else! Oh Zi Wei, how is it possible to feel all this at once?"
Zi Wei could only smile affectionately.
"So when do I get to meet him?" she asked.
"Well, he comes back from Xinjiang day after tomorrow. Do you want to have dinner with us and Liu Qing and Liu Hong? I have to tell them too, of course. I haven't, and I probably should tell them in person. It's too much to go over on the phone."
"You're right. And of course I'll have dinner with all of you."
"I'll figure out the details and tell you later," Xiao Yan said with a grin.
"You said Xiao Jian has adopted parents who were your birth parents' friends?" Zi Wei asked. "Have you met them?"
"Not yet. I mean, they live in America. I have spoken to them on the phone and Skype and stuff. Xiao Jian is finishing up at the office soon, so he's going back to America by the end of the month as it is. I might see if I can get time off and go with him to see them for a week or two."
"I think that'd be a good idea," Zi Wei said.
"I'm sorry for dragging you here this time of night, by the way," Xiao Yan added with an apologetic, sheepish smile. "I sort of screamed when I saw the results and called Xiao Jian, but I had to tell someone who didn't know already. I hadn't dared before we got the confirmation, but once it came, I was bursting."
Zi Wei smiled and answered with mock sternness, "Do not apologise, Xiao Yan. I would have been quite angry if you hadn't thought to tell me immediately after you found out."
Xiao Yan grinned. "Stay, won't you?" she begged. "I mean, I'm sure I'm going to keep you up because there's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight, but I need someone to flail about this with. Please, please stay with me."
Zi Wei didn't need her friend's exaggerated pleading pout to say yes, but she laughed at it nonetheless. "Of course I'll stay."
When Xiao Yan arrived with her brother (three days, and she still could not stop feeling a rush of surreal joy whenever she thought about those two words) at Hui Bin Lou a few nights later, she found that Liu Qing, Liu Hong and Zi Wei had already gathered in a private dining room, waiting for them.
"You guys are early," Xiao Yan remarked, upon entering the room.
"Well, we own this place, so I don't think the idea of early applies," Liu Hong said, laughing, "but yes, Zi Wei was early."
Seeing as Liu Qing and Liu Hong had already met Xiao Jian, the only introduction Xiao Yan had to make was to Zi Wei.
"Zi Wei!" she squealed, pulling on her friend's arm, "this is my brother! Xiao Jian! Brother, this is Zi Wei."
Zi Wei smiled widely and shook hands with Xiao Jian. "Hi, it's really nice to meet you. You should know, she hasn't stopped smiling or talking about you in the last few days."
Xiao Yan had always found it impossible for anyone to meet Zi Wei with anything less than a smile, and was pleased to see that her brother was no exception.
"It's nice to meet you too," he said. "I have to say, Xiao Yan had told me quite a lot about you as well."
"Where's Er Kang?" Xiao Yan asked Zi Wei as they finished up the greetings and began to sit down around the round dining table.
"He's working tonight," Zi Wei answered. Turning to Xiao Jian, she asked, "So Xiao Jian, how are you getting used to the idea that you found your sister?"
"It's all a bit unreal, honestly, considering I didn't even remember having a sister until I saw the resemblance between her and my mother's photo."
"Really? How did you come to not remember?"
Xiao Jian explained a little about the situation surrounding the deaths of their parents and how brother and sister came to be separated. Some of this, Xiao Yan had already told Zi Wei before, but she still looked intrigued at Xiao Jian's explanation.
"Honestly, it was very disorientating, finding out that I have a sister, and I've been around her for weeks without realising," Xiao Jian concluded.
An amused smile blossomed on Zi Wei's lips. "I think I might understand that feeling more than anyone ever could."
"Could you?"
They talked a little about the similarities between Zi Wei finding her family, and Xiao Jian and Xiao Yan finding each other. Despite Xiao Jian's previously expressed disgruntlement with the monarchy, Xiao Yan was glad to note that he was as animated in talking to Zi Wei as he ever was with anyone else he met and liked. Then again, she supposed, liking Zi Wei was easy enough.
As they ate, the conversation between the five of them progressed, friendly and comfortable.
"Xiao Yan mentioned that your adopted parents live in America now?" Liu Qing asked.
"Yes, they migrated there when I was six and we became citizens a few years later."
"I've managed to get some leave from work so we're going to go over there to see them," Xiao Yan said. "My boss, Grace, wasn't entirely happy that I was taking so much leave at once, so I kind of had to tell her what was going on."
"My parents could have come here, of course," Xiao Jian said, "but honestly I think Xiao Yan just wants a trip to America."
"Why not?" she asked, grinning at him.
"It's really funny," Liu Qing said, laughing. "You know when you were spending lunar new year with us, I thought you two must be dating."
Xiao Yan rolled her eyes. "And didn't I tell you that you were wrong?" she asked, laughing.
"She did," Liu Qing said to Xiao Jian. "But her logic wasn't exactly 'we are related', so excuse me if I wasn't entirely convinced."
Xiao Jian laughed. "Well, to be honest, I found myself very drawn to Xiao Yan from the beginning. It's not any kind of attraction...just a kinship that I couldn't really place. It's strange how life works sometimes."
"Xiao Yan would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Liu Hong asked.
Xiao Yan was still too happy with everything to even mind the teasing.
"So what now?" Liu Hong continued. "Are you changing your name back to your birth name?"
"I actually haven't thought too much about that," Xiao Yan admitted. "I mean...on the one hand, it would be fitting, but I keep thinking I'd probably never remember to answer to it. It would be weird if every time I need to say my name I'd have to actually pause and think about it."
"I've told you, Xiao Yan," Xiao Jian said, "you don't have to. The fact that we found each other is more important. In case you haven't noticed, I don't actually go by my real name either."
"But that's different," she protested. "I mean, it's just a nickname. In all legal matters, you are still Fang Yan."
"And changing your legal name – not just part of your name, but both your given and family names – will be a massive hurdle," Xiao Jian pointed out. "You don't have to do it. I am sure both our birth and adopted parents would be happier about finding you at last and wouldn't really think much about that."
"Well, I am thinking about it," Xiao Yan said. "Though let's be real, even if I do change it legally, I'd still ask you all to call me Xiao Yan anyway. I think I've been Xiao Yan for far too long to change now."
"Exactly," Xiao Jian said. "I'm just saying there's no pressure, Xiao Yan."
She smiled. "I know."
"So, Xiao Jian, tell us about your parents. Your birth parents, I mean. What did they do?" Liu Qing asked.
"Honestly, I don't remember much about them. But our father taught Classical Chinese at Yong Le University, actually."
Xiao Yan was intrigued. "Really? It's interesting that I ended up there as well. I mean, it's a totally coincidence, of course, it's not like some force of nature told me I had to attend Yong Le or anything."
"An interesting coincidence, yes," Xiao Jian agreed, smiling. "Our mother was a doctor, which was how she first became friend with my adopted parents both; they were at medical school together."
"So your adopted parents are both doctors?" Zi Wei asked.
"Yes. They did hope I would follow the same path, but in all honesty, I never took to the idea..."
To Xiao Yan's continued delight, the rest of the dinner and evening passed in the same wave of relaxed conversation, with everyone so obviously and genuinely happy for her and her brother both. She had been almost afraid, at one point, that someone would during the conversation make Xiao Jian more aware than he should be of Xiao Yan's connection to Zi Wei's brother, but even that remained untouched for the moment. She knew that she probably should let him in on it now. It wasn't like she was consciously keeping it a dark secret from him before; she only preferred that he did not know when it had nothing to do with him at all. But it had some things to do with him now that she knew they were related, did it not? Surely at some point, it would come out. She was still in too much contact with Yong Qi, and not merely through Zi Wei, for her to pretend like it was all completely in the past. Certainly Xiao Jian should be told about something like this by her, not by the internet.
Still, she maintained that this wasn't the time, yet. They were still too new to this role of brother and sister, and she couldn't yet predict how Xiao Jian would react to a discovery like this. After all, they were off to America to see his adopted parents – she was supposed to train herself to think of them as hers, too – and surely the huge, complicated story of her and Yong Qi could wait for the time being.
NEW LOVE FOR XIAO YAN?
AIRPORT REPORTS SHOW SHE REALLY MAY HAVE MOVED ON FROM RONG QIN WANG
21 March 2015
Xia Xiao Yan has sparked many rumours when she was spotted at Beijing Capital International Airport arm in arm with a mysterious man.
Could it be that Xiao Yan has finally moved on from a certain prince?
Xia Xiao Yan first became known to the public in July 2011 as the friend of Zi Wei Ge Ge, herself famous for being the long lost daughter of the Emperor. Xiao Yan reportedly first met both Zi Wei Ge Ge and Rong Qin Wang at Yong Le University in September 2010. Speculations that she was dating her friend's new-found brother Rong Qin Wang fuelled reports for many months until it was finally confirmed by the Imperial Palace in November 2011. Their relationship ended in December 2013, despite expectations and speculations of an engagement. Since then, both Xiao Yan and Rong Qin Wang have been linked to several different prospects, but none were confirmed by either. They were reported to still remain friends and in contact after their break up.
Rong Qin Wang is currently undertaking a six-week diplomatic tour of European kingdoms, widely believed to be his first challenge in the international arena. In his departure press conference on 26 February, the prince only smiled and remained tight-lipped when pressed on the possibility that he was leaving a lady behind.
Meanwhile, it would seem that over a year is enough for Xiao Yan to move on from her royal love. The above candid shots were snapped of her and an unidentified man at the check in counter for an international flight to New York at Beijing Capital International Airport. Reports posted on social media observed that Xiao Yan and her new man were all smiles and seemed "particularly close", with Xiao Yan being very comfortable linking arms with the man and leaning her head on his shoulder.
The man, despite his Asian looks, was allegedly using an American passport. There is, unfortunately, no other information on what his name might be or where the couple might have met. Sources close to Xiao Yan was unable to be contacted for insider information.
Weibo user with nickname "StrawberryCherry2387" claimed to have sat across the aisle from the couple on China Airlines flight from Beijing to JFK Airport, New York City. She posted that the duo spent a significant portion of the flight with their heads together in hushed conversation, and even spotted the former royal flame being pecked on the cheek by her new man. According to "StrawberryCherry2387", Xiao Yan spent much of the flight looking "radiant" and "giddy".
Edit: After this article was published, we were contacted by a reader who is a taxi driver and claims to have driven the couple to an address in - Street just over a week ago. The driver, who requests to remain unnamed, said that he recognised Xia Xiao Yan right away, however she tried to deny this. Her companion claimed that she was his sister, however it is widely known that Xiao Yan does not have any family.
See more photos of the couple strolling through Beijing Capital International Airport below.
Yong Qi was in Amsterdam when he first saw the photos.
It wasn't that he was in the habit of trolling the internet for poorly-shot paparazzi photos of his ex. In fact, none of the above could ever categorically be said to be true.
But being overseas also meant more reliance on the internet to catch up with news back at home. The news app on his phone were only lines of code; it didn't know that he really didn't have the kind of self-restraint required to ignore it when it dangled a gossip article with Xiao Yan's name in the headline under his nose in the "Trending" section.
Curiosity won over, of course. So he looked.
And he had no idea what to feel after reading the article.
On the one hand, it was more than obvious that he should be taking the whole report with a fistful of salt, considering the gossip sheet it was published in.
On the other, there were the photos.
Grainy, badly focused, shot surreptitiously by a phone as they might be, they still showed clearly enough Xiao Yan making her way through the airport beside Xiao Jian, their arms linked.
Undeniably, Xiao Jian made a rather strong impression when Yong Qi visited the Lumos office, in part because he was one of the few men in the team, but also because a considerable part of the meeting was spent talking about the evaluation work he was currently in China to conduct. Yong Qi remembered now someone obviously of great intellect and competent at his job. The short encounter in a professional setting did little to show Yong Qi how he might be outside the office, and certainly not how he might be with Xiao Yan in a less formal setting.
However, judging by these photos, they were obviously friendlier than just colleagues, especially if she was going on vacation with just him half way across the world. That wasn't even yet mentioning the fact that it was the middle of March. It wasn't exactly a normal holiday season.
It took a sharp pain in his mouth before Yong Qi realised that he was clenching his teeth at this idea and had accidentally bitten his tongue in the process. He flexed his previously clenched hands but found himself more agitated than ever. Shoving back the ornate antique chair he was sitting in, Yong Qi left the table, feeling unable to even continue to look at his phone on the desk even though by now the screen had turned itself off. At the window, Yong Qi stared out of his guest room at the Dutch palace and found little distraction in the bustling and busy Dam Square outside.
Xiao Jian was only employed as a part-time consultant, not based permanently at the Lumos Beijing office; he was to come and go as his work dictated. Yong Qi gathered that he must be finishing up his first visit and would probably be returning to Boston, where he normally lived. And here Xiao Yan was, going with him. As far as New York, at least. Even Yong Qi couldn't convince himself to believe her final destination was not Boston.
Why?
The question nagged at Yong Qi, more intensely than he knew he had the right to anymore.
Even if Xiao Jian and Xiao Yan were together (Yong Qi swallowed with difficulty the bitter taste of that possibility), was it possible that in such a short amount of time, things had progressed to the point that she would take such a trip with him?
Xiao Yan had never allowed him to take her anywhere outside of the country. A wave of disgruntlement swept over him with the comparison. She had always fought against him spending that kind of money on her, and in the end, she usually won.
Perhaps that was why.
Perhaps if she had been financially comfortable and independent enough when they were still together, they could have gone around the globe together if they so desired, because then she would have persuaded him into allowing her to share some of the expenses, so that she did not feel so completely kept by him. Those were, of course, always her arguments.
Except, this kind of financial freedom might have been harder to come by for her if they had remained together. Even if they managed to dig in their heels and resist the nosy pressures and expectations of marriage from practically every source around them except the ones that actually mattered, she might still not feel free enough to build her life and career around what she wanted, instead of what was expected of someone so intimately connected to him.
After all, hadn't he himself thought it better to let her go explore life without all the restrictions that being with him imposed on her? It had seemed the sensible thing at the time, especially when he had so little time for her that it was clearly unfair to trap her so, when she was at a crossroad and should have been free to make her choice without being held back by him.
And yet, he didn't realise until now how freeing her then meant opening the way to other men to enter her life. Men like Xiao Jian.
He didn't even really understand – or perhaps he was unconsciously preventing himself from understanding – why the idea of a Xiao Jian so gnawed at his nerves, when others rumours that he had then known to be true never managed it. It had been easy before to dismiss Zheng Hao Ran because he so obviously was the last kind of man Xiao Yan would consider. But despite her joking remarks, not all the men Xiao Yan attracted were more interested in being able to boast having gone out with her than her as a person. As for Xiao Yan herself, she didn't do anything by halves, and that included falling in love.
Yong Qi had thought, recently he and Xiao Yan had managed to reach that tentative balance of friendship of two people who still cared more than platonically for each other. He had hoped – even if only in some small secret corner of his heart – that this might open up the road for them to find their way back to each other. Had he read it all wrong? Had it only indicated the opposite, that she was so thoroughly over him that she could now simply relax? Were these photos merely the proof of that conjecture?
He turned abruptly from the window and strode the length of the room, grabbing his phone from the desk. Finding and staring at a blurry photo, he couldn't help wondering why, in romance stories and novels, tension always came from nefarious outside forces keeping the couple apart, and when it came to them, it was just the two of them stumbling in their own way.
Was this photo, the one showing Xiao Yan's arm looping around Xiao Jian while she looked up smiling so widely at him, the universe's way of telling Yong Qi he should be moving on as well?
"So, how's…Holland?" Er Tai asked Yong Qi over the phone several hours later.
"Yeah, I'm in Amsterdam," Yong Qi replied to the questioning tilt in his friend's voice. "It's raining. And there are too many cows in this country."
"Hah!" Er Tai laughed, but there was something slightly forced about it, as if his mind was on something else rather than the numerous cows of the Netherlands.
Yong Qi pulled the phone slightly away from his ear to look at the time and did a mental subtraction. "Are you just up exceptionally late or did you wake exceptionally early?"
"Up late. Haven't slept yet," Er Tai answered.
"Er Tai, it's five in the morning at home. Do you plan to sleep?"
"Not sure. We'll see. It's Sunday anyway so who cares?"
Yong Qi couldn't help frowning to himself as he asked the next question, "And the reason you're calling me at five in the morning is…?"
"Just want to touch base," his friend said, unconvincingly casual.
Yong Qi sighed exasperatedly. Sometimes, it really was a pain to know your friend so well. "You want to know if I've seen the photos?"
"What photos?" The fake innocence was telling, even on the phone.
"What photos," Yong Qi repeated mockingly. "The ones of Xiao Yan at the airport."
"Er…maybe? Possibly? I mean, they went a bit viral last night."
"Apparently so," Yong Qi said dispassionately.
Er Tai apparently was expecting him to speak more, because a long silence ensued between them, made even longer by the dissonance of an international phone connection. After a long while, Er Tai finally said, "Okay, so I asked Zi Wei about it, right?"
"What exactly did you ask Zi Wei?"
"Oh, you know, nothing too…obvious. Just generally who the guy was and stuff…It was all conversational, of course."
Yong Qi laughed incredulously, "Conversational? You think that's not obvious? Good god, Er Tai."
Er Tai ignored the implication that Yong Qi was less than impressed, and simply continued over him. "Zi Wei didn't exactly gossip, of course. I mean, from the way she was speaking, I'm sure she is keeping some sort of confidence for Xiao Yan. But she did mention that Xiao Yan and this guy – "
"Xiao Jian," Yong Qi supplied, unsure why he felt the need to do this. His knowledge startled his friend.
"How do you know his name?"
"He works with her. I've met him, when I visited her office."
"You did?"
"Yeah. What did Zi Wei say?"
He couldn't quite keep the note of anticipation out of his voice, and Er Tai noticed. Yong Qi could practically hear his smirk. "Despite your disapproval, you clearly want to know what your sister said."
"Er Tai."
"Okay, fine, in the interest of pulling you out of your epic bout of brooding – "
"Who says I'm brooding?"
"I do," Er Tai replied matter-of-factly. "I know you. I know you're brooding. Do you want to know what Zi Wei said or not?"
Yong Qi sighed but said grudgingly, "Fine, go on."
"Apparently, Xiao Yan and this Xiao Jian are by no definition and in no way whatsoever a romantic couple."
"Zi Wei said that?"
"Yes. And you know she would not say it in such an obvious 'tell-Yong-Qi-this-so-he-can-stop-angsting-about-it-on-the-other-side-of-the-globe' way if it wasn't true. And before you doubt either your sister or your best friend, Zi Wei did also add that there is a reasonable explanation why Xiao Yan suddenly decided to fly to New York with this guy, but it wasn't her place to say."
"I cannot imagine what it might be," Yong Qi said, still unsure whether he should believe Er Tai's words or not. On the one hand, it went against every visual evidence before him. On the other, Er Tai was right; Zi Wei would not mention such thing if she didn't also mean for him to relay it back to Yong Qi and she would not give Yong Qi such information if it wasn't true.
"Neither can I," Er Tai said, "but let's face it, you of all people know how gossip works. How many times in high school did they bandy about the idea that you were in bars drinking at three in the afternoon and everyone in our class just found it hilarious because you were in fact in double Physics with us? Or the fact that my brother of all people, though he could be excused considering how he was in love with her, thought you and Zi Wei were a thing when you were meeting her to talk about the fact that you might be related."
"That thing between me and Zi Wei was an unusual situation though, even for us."
"Of course, but that just goes to show that there might be, as Zi Wei clearly believes there is, a completely reasonable explanation for those photos. The point is, you probably shouldn't worry about them."
"I don't think I have a reason to, in any case," Yong Qi said with a sigh.
"That doesn't mean that you won't be tempted to," Er Tai said. "If the curiosity is killing you that much, maybe you should just ask Xiao Yan out right."
"I can't do that!" Yong Qi exclaimed. "That would just seem stupidly bitter."
"How about being honest, instead?"
"About what?"
"About the fact that you never got over her?"
"Er Tai."
"Look, I understand why you thought it was a good idea to take a step back. I didn't agree with the logic, but I understand where you were coming from," Er Tai said patiently. "But Yong Qi, isn't the fact that you actually aren't over her and frankly clearly incapable of moving on from her saying something? And as a completely impartial observer, I'd say she's not that over you, either."
"I really don't think you count as impartial, Er Tai."
"I'm more impartial than either of you."
Yong Qi felt unequal to keep pressing this point and changed direction. "It doesn't matter if we're over each other or not. It's more complicated than that. The kind of life that she wants is one that I'm never going to be able to have with her."
Er Tai sighed audibly. "I know you're trying to do the whole 'if you love her you have to let her go' thing, but honestly, shouldn't it be her choice?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you broke up with her. Maybe it's a bit useless to say this now, but don't you think that when you mentioned the idea, you've in some way taken the choice away from her? You think you're doing her a service by letting her go, but what if that wasn't what she really wanted? Even if she did then, she could have changed her mind since, but do you think she'd tell you that now when it was you who broke it off? Your position puts you in an inherent position of power imbalance, and I know you don't want to exercise that power, but it exists. And as much as Xiao Yan acts fearless, I think she is a lot less secure when it comes to you than you'd want to admit. She's not going to be the one who suggests a reunion no matter how she might actually want it. And whatever you might think about letting her go for her own good, she deserves to choose whether it would be for her own good to be apart from you."
Yong Qi was rendered momentarily speechless by Er Tai's impassioned reasons. He was unable to deny, even to himself, that his friends had good points, and in many ways, he was grateful for Er Tai being straightforward enough to lay them out so plainly.
"I suppose, saying all this to you now is not very helpful," Er Tai admitted when Yong Qi did not answer, "seeing as you're in Europe and she's in America for who knows how long."
"Did Zi Wei say?" Yong Qi asked dryly.
"I don't think she knows."
Yong Qi sighed. "I see. I guess, in that case, it's as you said, it's not helpful to dwell on it."
"That's not what I meant," Er Tai said pointedly.
"I know," Yong Qi said blandly, but before his friend could say another word on the matter, he changed the subject. It really was unhelpful to dwell too much on Xiao Yan now, while he was here and she was there and neither of them having any chance of seeing each other face to face in the immediate future. "How have you been? How's Sai Ya?"
Er Tai hesitated a little, clearly seeing through Yong Qi's obvious diversion tactic. However, he also recognised that it was truly useless to dwell on a couple currently separated by an ocean, and was eventually persuaded to talk about how Sai Ya's sister was currently visiting from Australia instead.
A/N: This story will end up with close to 50 chapters. I am trying to steer the story to an end, because honestly this stype of story can just go on forever. But right now, I have 10 more chapters not yet posted, and I think I'll need at least a couple more to wrap up the arc I'm currently on. I don't think I'll actually get to 50, but it will be very close...