Work Text:
August 5, 1997, Chongqing.
Xiao Zhan is drawing in a quiet and cool corner of his room. Outside, August's heat is hitting and although the little boy was sweating profusely, he didn't complain, absorbed in his world of bright colors, enjoying his brand new crayons as new drawings emerged, filling the paper with characters from Doraemon and Dragon Ball.
Five-year-old Xiao Zhan's short life is placid and happy, full of curiosity and adventure... whenever and wherever he can get it.
There is nothing special about this day, just another one in the hot summer, this summer that gave Xiao Zhan time to do the things he likes the most without earning a scolding for getting lost in his own world. What's more, adults greatly appreciate that Xiao Zhan can disappear for hours in his room, unlike other children… sometimes, because Xiao Zhan can be quite annoying when he is in the mood, but not with this torrid heat, not this hot summer. Today, Xiao Zhan is feeling somewhat uneasy. The thought does not even surface in his consciousness, but the signals could be perceived by an attentive observer, if someone could be bothered to do it in this heatwave.Oh, yes, the signals are pretty clear: The way the lines of the drawings do not quite fit together, the nervousness when he erases again and again until the paper breaks, the way Xiao Zhan rubs his nose in disgust.
If Xiao Zhan could articulate his feelings, he could tell that he gets nervous by a certain expectation. That kind of tense calm that precedes an important event. But what can be important for a five-year-old boy? A new chapter of his favorite anime, buy some sweets at the store at the end of the street, some celebration. But his birthday will be in exactly two months, and that's a long time for such a young child.
Suddenly, Xiao Zhan feels like he can't take it anymore and angrily, he tears up the paper he was working on and clenches his fists. He does not know what to do because, in his short experience, this uneasiness, this weird discomfort, it's something new. It is then that distant thunder is heard, the first moments of a summer storm, which will pass with noise but without leaving a single drop of water or refreshing the slightest bit.
Xiao Zhan, surprised, more than scared, feels that something has happened... outside and also inside himself. As if the world had completely changed. As if something or someone is waiting for him out there. Somehow, at some point, something important will happen and this is the moment when it all begins. Xiao Zhan can't help but burst into tears, wordlessly giving way to everything he doesn’t know how to express.
Far from there, in Luoyang, the cries of a newborn join those of Xiao Zhan.
December 31, 2000, Chongqing
Although Xiao Zhan was still young, he was already more than used to the spiciness of Chongqing food. Therefore, any excuse to eat hot pot in any of the street stalls was always very well received by the little one. Nine-year-old Xiao Zhan cared little about the “turn of the century” but there are red envelopes and the promise of fireworks ahead and those things are more than enough for a proper celebration. Besides, Xiao Zhan is not going to argue about any celebration that led him to enjoy his favorite food... and taking advantage of the fact that adults did not pay much attention to him, engrossed in their meaningless chatter, Xiao Zhan has eaten his fill and now, a little beyond satisfaction and one step away from indigestion, he begins to get bored.
Although it is Sunday, tomorrow he doesn't have school, so this untimely dinner out, to wait for twelve o'clock at night and fireworks, has him quite excited, but with a full belly and nothing to do, Xiao Zhan would rather be in his bed. So now, he is wandering between the tables, wishing he had his notebook and his pencils, and noticing small details, like the smiling faces of the elderly couple at the table next to him. Or the sour faces of a couple who avoided looking at each other. Or those parents with a small child, who were trying to give him small bites of a double hot pot. Because of their accent he can tell they are not from the area, and the couple's laughter at the little one's grimaces caused by the new flavors attracts the attention of Xiao Zhan, who stands a short distance away from them .
The toddler, Yibo seems to be his name, has big chubby cheeks and glassy eyes, and looks completely red. It seems that his parents have been teasing him by giving him bites of the spicy part of the hot pot. So now he is pouting to the delight of his parents and Xiao Zhan can't help but smile at the kid. Almost instantly, as if a spring had snapped, little Yibo's gaze fixed on him and a plump hand lifted.
“ Gege… ” Yibo called him, smiling.
Xiao Zhan leaned closer, drawn to the cutie and Yibo chuckled when his little hand touched the cheek of a fascinated Xiao Zhan as Yibo's parents fondly watched the scene. Time seems to stop, Xiao Zhan and little Yibo staring at each other.
A little commotion has risen and small firecrackers go off, but it is not something that seems to be of any importance to either Yibo or Xiao Zhan. But when the big fireworks start by the river side little Yibo seems too surprised even to cry as he's still staring at Xiao Zhan. And suddenly, the fireworks stop and someone puts a hand on Xiao Zhan's shoulder, who turns around in surprise.
“ Xiao Zhan, time to go home, do you know it is a new century? ” his father says, smiling at him.
Xiao Zhan has no idea how to answer this, as it is not something that he even understands completely. But he turns to the toddler, who is now pouting again.
“ Gege! ” he calls Xiao Zhan, opening and closing his little fist, at the verge of crying.
“ I’m sorry Didi, sorry, I must go. ”
The little boy's parents smile at Xiao Zhan and his father as they wave goodbye. Yibo is heartbroken and Xiao Zhan can't help but feel a small knot on his chest, but he shakes it off with a small grimace. Tomorrow is a whole new day in a whole new year, in a whole new century and he must go visit his grandparents and… Xiao Zhan is already thinking a lot of different things as he holds his father's hand.
August 5, 2006, Three Gorges Museum, Chongqing
Xiao Zhan couldn't shake off the sticky feeling of sweat and mounting anger even in the relative coolness of the screening room's interior. The large number of people in a confined space is the worst possible situation for a midsummer day, at least from Xiao Zhan's point of view. As the 360º projection begins, raising amazed ‘ oh ’s and ‘ ah ’s among the rapt people, Xiao Zhan can't help but wish he hadn't come. A Saturday at the beginning of August in the almost brand new Three Gorges Museum is the perfect attraction for any tourist who is in the area and, of course, the place is crowded even with it’s huge proportions, but when that amount of people have to enter a small space like the 360º projection dome…
Xiao Zhan thinks, for the umpteenth time, that he got too carried away by his group of friends and that he would have done better rejecting this crazy plan. He had been thinking the same thing during the more than two hours they were waiting in line to enter the projection room. At this point, knowing Xiao Zhan, his group of friends do not dare to get too close, much less even try to talk to him: Xiao Zhan is a faithful friend, funny, charming, witty... but there are times when his devilish character overcomes the barriers of his upbringing and this is a good example of those kinds of moments. All of Xiao Zhan's friends, classmates since the first years of school, have had contact at some point with the sharp tongue of the soft and polite Xiao Zhan and none of them want to suffer it again if possible.
Still, Xiao Zhan, who is not even 15, is not the kind of person who dwells too much on his discomfort and, although he still does not want to get close to his friends, he cannot help but be drawn to the projection. The truth is that the newly opened museum is amazing in its size and Xiao Zhan especially liked the Three Gorges gallery display, which reminds him of the huge construction works that are being done for what is supposed to be a submerged museum underwater in Baiheliang. At least, Xiao Zhan thinks wryly, his mindless friends will be dissuaded from stupid plans like this thanks to the nearly 200 km distance to that area.
Xiao Zhan's thoughts are interrupted by the muffled murmurs to his left. Xiao Zhan is not usually very inclined to eavesdrop, but at this moment, anything that distracts him from his discomfort is welcome, so he pays attention as he tries, in the middle of the gloom, to get a sense of the situation.
Next to him is a small family, who are clearly not from the area. An ordinary couple and their (supposed) son. The boy does not appear to be more than ten years old and, Xiao Zhan can't help but smile to himself, it seems that he is terrified of the dark.
“Aish! Bobo, please, could you let go of my t-shirt? it's so unpleasant to have you clinging to me when it's so hot!” The mother can't help but sound exasperated as she tries to put some distance from her obviously reluctant son as the father is clearly being ignored.
Xiao Zhan, forgetting the screen, struggles to get a good view of the indisputably overgrown-for-such-fears boy. The only things he can make out are rounded, boyish cheeks, a pouting mouth, and some kind of (OMFG!) animal-print tank top. Xiao Zhan, shocked by the top, struggles to catch more details. The brat, who has obviously tried to look cool but is such a cutie, shakes his head and gets even closer to his mother.
“There, there,” the woman is patting her son's head, “don't worry, Bobo, this is almost over, I'm here.”
These words coincide with the lights turning on, which marks the end of the projection and the start of the rush to empty the room as soon as possible for the next screening. In the confusion of the moment, Xiao Zhan has been torn apart from his friends and suddenly, he notices someone grabbing the hem of his shirt. Turning around, Xiao finds the plump cheeks and surprised ‘o’ rounded mouth from the boy scared of the dark.
The shocked expression turns into fear as the boy is looking for his parents and, Xiao Zhan realizes, the cool-cute boy is about to burst into tears.
“Hey! Hi, Didi! What’s your name? Are you lost?” Xiao Zhan tries to distract the boy while, taking advantage of his height, he tries to find a reference, the boy's parents, his friends, an information point, something!
“B… Bo… I’m Yibo, Gege” the boy stutters, staring at Xiao Zhan and, out of the blue, freezing.
Xiao Zhan stops and waits kindly for the boy.
“Are you ok? Do you need me to look for your parents?”
Yibo nods, shakes his head, tries to talk… his heart is racing and it is not only because of his fears… right now, he has forgotten about his parents and can only think that his hand is still tightly gripping this Gege’s shirt but he does not even intend to take notice, because then he should let him go, and that is not something that he wants to happen.
In the haze of his thoughts, he finds something to hold onto...
“I’m Xiao Zhan, by the way. How old are you? ”
His name is Xiao Zhan and if it weren't because he's so tall and Yibo has to bend his neck and look up at him, he wouldn't think he's much older than him. Gege's smile is so kind that Yibo can't take his eyes off. Yibo needs, impromptu, to look taller, bigger, he needs to be cool, and his hand fisting Gege's shirt doesn't help, so he lets it go as if burned.
“ Today is my birthday, I’m 9 years old. And I’m not afraid, for sure. My parents are waiting for me at the visitor’s desk, in the main hall.” And Yibo really hopes that is the case, because his parents, before going anywhere, always tell him where they are going to meet in case they get separated. Which is something that has never happened before.
“Oh, wow! Such a grown boy! So cute! I’m 14 years old.”
'14? He is so old! But… did he call me cute?' Yibo is torn between astonishment at the Gege's advanced age and offense at the Gege's audacity in calling him "cute." But some voices cut his thoughts off.
“ Yibo!” His parents are calling him. And, at this moment, Yibo only wants more time, but… well, Yibo doesn’t know what is happening. Yibo notices he is still staring at Gege.
“Mother! I’m ok. I’m 9 years old ! ”
Xiao Zhan smiles kindly at the couple and winks at Yibo.
“ What a charming and polite child, he was showing me the way to the entrance. I can't find my friends and it's getting late. ”
Yibo blushes and tries to look cool and grown up, just as this Gege said.
“ That’s great, because tomorrow we are going to visit Fengdu Ghost City.”
Yibo's mother looks like she wants to tease her son, who first looks scared and, just a second after, mortified.
Xiao Zhan can’t help but grin at Yibo.
“I’m leaving first, have a good day and tomorrow too! And Yibo, thank you very much for your help, your top is cool! ”
Every one of Xiao Zhan's neurons are screaming in pain at such a lie, but Xiao Zhan couldn't help but praise the cool/cute boy. Also, he is seeing his friends 20 meters apart and wants to rush to catch up with them and go home. As he walks, his thoughts return over and over to the lively boy, blushing at his compliment.
Autumn, 2011, Beijing airport
Xiao Zhan is in a rush on his way to his terminal. It is the second time that he has been lost in the immense airport and now, without knowing how, Xiao Zhan finds himself in the international terminal, a place where he certainly does not want to be. Through the speakers Xiao Zhan hears a stream of calls for the most diverse places, all outside of China and he begins to be desperate to find his way to his flight. It's not that he's late, at least not yet, because somehow Xiao Zhan could imagine this situation, so he had arrived at the airport a long time in advance.
For Xiao Zhan, even though he tries to look cool and experienced, this is all a bit too much. It is the first time that he has traveled to Beijing alone, and the interviews with potential clients for his design studio project have been satisfying but stressful. Right now, Xiao Zhan wants nothing more than to go back to his house and sit in the kitchen, watching his mother cook, and be able to get this business smile off his face. Xiao Zhan bites his lip, trying not to cry, he is so tired... if only he could finally find his damn terminal!
Xiao Zhan is so flustered that, without realising it, he has bumped into… someone. Xiao Zhan looks up from the ground nervously and apologising profusely to find a lanky teenager, with a crying mother behind him. The fancy youngster stares at him as if he is not there, obviously with his thoughts elsewhere. Xiao Zhan looks at the woman not knowing what to do and apologizes to her.
“I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. ”
“Don't worry, please, surely Yibo is partly to blame. I am sorry. This son!… he is going to Korea…” the mother pauses and to Xiao Zhan's shock she seems to be on the verge of crying… again. A man (the father?) approaches them from behind.
“Come on Ma, leave it now, Yibo has made up his mind and you know that he is going to achieve everything he sets his mind to, this son of ours is like that.” The man smiles at Xiao Zhan, and pride and fondness can be heard in his voice. “ He is going to be a trainee in Korea, to form a group, he dances so well! ”
Xiao Zhan is such a Koreaboo and he can't help but feel excited hearing those words. At one point he has forgotten that he has to catch the flight to Chongqing and looks at the young man in amazement.
“ Oh! Really!? Wow, you are so young… How old are you? Are you really going to Korea? How brave. ”
The boy, Yibo, looks at him without saying a word, and suddenly Xiao Zhan realizes how weird it is, a stranger in the middle of the airport babbling out of the blue.
“Oh, sorry, I’m leaving first, you, uh... my flight must be... Have a good trip and good luck. ”
Yibo is not a person of many words and at the moment, with all the nerves of the situation... Yibo cannot stop thinking about everything, going to Korea, to do what he likes the most, but Korea is so far and… Yibo doesn't even know Korean. And his mother is crying, his father is worried about him although trying to hide it... and all that has stopped the moment that weird koreaboo ran into him. And he is tall and looks so cool, and as the man talks, Yibo sees him blush, so flustered and can't take his eyes off him.
And the moment passes, the gege is already moving away, hurried and they are calling their flight and everything is happening so fast. Yibo’s heart is already slowing down, finding that moment of calm. He is where he wants to be and he will do what he wants to do. Yibo has worked hard to be where he is and he will not miss this opportunity.
Xiao Zhan has finally found his way to his terminal and, by looking at his watch, he can at least tell that he will be on time. For a moment, Xiao Zhan remembers the teenager's face and wonders if he has seen the first steps of a potential celebrity… should he have asked for an autograph? Xiao Zhan starts laughing, amused. He looked so young… and so determined. Although Xiao Zhan is barely 20 years old and he is not doing badly in the career that he has chosen even though he has not even graduated... he somehow envies the young man. But Xiao Zhan shakes the thought and his mind flies to other things.