5 years later

"So, Yibo, this new single of yours, Bu Wang, already topped the chart for one whole year, some said that it's your personal experience, is that true?" The interviewer asked Yibo about his triple platinum song.

"In a way, yes." 

"Will you elaborate more?"

"I think the words itself were quite clear."

Sensing the mood of the superstar was going downhill fast, the interviewer changed the direction of her questioning.

"I heard you will be participating in French MotoGP this August?"

"Yes."
 

He finished the interview in a slightly worse mood than he felt at the beginning. 

Bu Wang. 

The world passes by but I remember only you.

Where are you, ge? 
 
 

Yibo spent almost every break he could wrung out of his schedule, going to Europe. He had feelings that Xiao Zhan was somewhere there. He looked into every cafe, every Chinatown, every city, but always came back empty handed and heavy heart. And then he wrote Bu Wang, out of his restless feeling.
 
"Ay, Yibo, heard you're going to France this August?" Ji Li, his co-star in his new drama, sat beside him.

"Yup."

"So, I have this favor to ask, my soon-to-be sister in law, is going to have her wedding in France in August, well, she lived in France anyway, so, where was I, oh yes, she is a huge fan of yours, and when she found out that I worked with you, she asked me to invite you to sing at her wedding. No expenses will be spared for you to be able to come, she can afford it, and since it's few days before your race, I thought, maybe if you want to..." he tilted his head, waiting for Yibo to answer.
 
France. The City of Love.
 
He scoffed. "Okay, Ji Li, why not? I could use the distraction."

"Good, because if you refused, I had her permission to kidnap you!" Ji Li laughed.

Yibo only looked at him incredulously.
 

August should not have come so fast, but here it is...

He was picked up by a limo, and when the chaffeur opened the back door, there he was, Ji Li, with champagne in hand, and all the glory of a young master.

"If you're this loaded, why bother becoming an actor at all?" Yibo asked him when he already sat with drinks in hand.

"I wanted to make new friends, and of course collecting gossips straight from the source wouldn't hurt." He grinned.

Yibo only shrugged and drank his champagne.

Weird one this Ji Li, but he's a good friend, and seemed like he had no bad intentions.
 
 

Their limo went straight to the tarmac, where a private jet was waiting.

"So, you are this rich, huh?" Yibo looked around inside the private jet.

"Well, it's my brother's, I just borrowed this to impress you, and because my jie strictly told me to whisk you away as soon as possible." Ji Li's sulked now.

"Did your brother lived in a castle?" Yibo asked, couldn't contain his laugh.

Ji Li threw a pillow to him.
 
 

They've landed about 9 hours later, enough for Yibo to catch on his sleep. He never slept more than 3 hours after...after.

Another limo picked them up, and brought them to the apartment they're going to stay. Right in front of Eiffel Tower.

"So, Yibo, I will be going to meet my brother, would you like to come? Or you want to do some sight-seeing by your own?" Ji Li asked him, when he was already settled on his room.

"You go, I'll be fine, when was the wedding tomorrow?"

"We should probably go there before 10. Okay then, I'll let you settle down first, have fun! Oh, you should try the restaurant near here, The Savoy, the chef was brilliant!" Ji Li winked at him, then left.

In the end, Yibo decided to go outside, craving a good hot chocolate and croissant.
 
-----
 

He walked around the bustling city, full of tourists, and the smell of coffee and croissants were permeating the air around him. He wore his mask and hat, because he'll never know when he will be recognized by his fans, since he was going international few years back. 

He found the restaurant Ji Li mentioned, it's cozy, and boasted about the best homemade food in this side of the country. He found a seat, and ordered a hearty meal of beef noodles soup, their specialty, and hot chocolate, and when it arrived shortly after, he devoured it to the last drop. 

He felt a familiar pang in his heart, the one that he always felt when he ate beef noodles soup, especially as good as this one. That's why he rarely want to eat it anymore, eventhough it was his favorite meal...before.

He stood up, paid, and told the waiter to give the chef his regards. "Ce repas était vraiment très bon."  This meal was really very good. The waiter's face lit up, "Merci beaucoup! Je ferai savoir au chef!" Thank you very much! I will let the chef know!
 
He walked outside, and decided that he will turn in early, as he wanted to wake up early and go to the fresh market, as he often did in the past, just walked down a memory lane when he was with Xiao Zhan. But before that, he went and grabbed some croissant to snack on the apartment.

The waiter walked back to the kitchen area, and looked for the chef. "Sean! There's a very handsome customer praised your beef noodles! Wow, you should looked at him, so handsome, like a greek god! Très beau!!"

He laughed, "That's the nth time this week you've praised our customers très beau, Marcél..."

"But Sean, this was different...he was a chinese guy like you!"

He stopped doing what he was doing, and looked at Marcél.

"Did you see where he's going?"

"He walked to the direction of Eiffel Tower, probably just another touriste, although his french is très bon."

Could it be?

He ran outside, but unfortunately there was no trace of the male god that Marcél described. He chuckled to himself. 

What are the odds?
 
-----

 
Yibo woke up at 6.30am, and he went venturing the nearest wet market, Marché Saxe-Breteuil. He's grown to love the smell of raw ingredients, he learnt how to choose the freshest meat and seafood, and most of all he learnt to cook simple meals by himself.

Wang Yibo, the king of cooking disaster, now can cook for himself, what are the odds.

He chuckled.

He walked around, and picked a fresh baquette, cheese, ham, and a dozen eggs, he will make breakfast for himself and Ji Li. But when he was considering to buy the fresh strawberries or not, he caught a glance of a familiar, tall, lanky figure with a tuft of black hair, just turning into a corner. He felt his throat's constricted, but he did not run toward him, eventhough he wanted to. It took years for him to learn that self control, and not just grabbed any random person that slightly resembled his Zhan ge. He closed his eyes, massaged his temple, and decided that he needs coffee.
 
He went to the nearest coffee shop, and brought triple hot americanos, and iced caramel frapuccino for Ji Li, and he headed back to the apartment.

 
"Jesuschrist, Yibo, you're freaking me out! What were you doing outside in this wee hour?" Ji Li, just woke up from his sleep, accepted the frapuccino and drank it straight away.

"I just went to the wet market, you should come with me next time, we could get the freshest ingredients there." He put aside his stuffs, and get the pan out to cook.

"You're cooking?" Ji Li looked over his shoulder. "You really are a multitalented superstar! If I was not this rich, I'm going to envy you all the way!" 

Yibo only scoffed at him. "This is called a basic survival dude, it's not like I'm cooking a gourmet or anything."

"Speaking of gourmet, have you tried The Savoy? Great beef noodles right? I heard the chef is chinese man, that's why it tasted so authentic."

Yibo stopped his knife before it almost sliced his finger.

"Oh by the way, I should tell you this, Ji Li was my actor's name, my real name is Nie Huaisang, so, please don't forget to call me by my right name later, okay?" He patted Yibo's back, and sat on the table. "I'm starving, what's for breakfast?"