6 months later

He was back in China, after working his ass off, travelling the world, making connections, with the help of notorious Ms. Xuan Lu and her girlfriend, Meng Ziyi.
 
They were the best thing that ever happened in his life, aside from his bar, Purgatory.
 
He left the bar in the capable hand of Ji Li, and he turned the bar into some kind of a young hipster's hangout, with live music and handsome bartenders, and single nights out, ladies night, couple nights, and whatever nights he could think of. And it flourished. 
 
Now Purgatory was the 'it' hangout place for youngsters and young executives.
 
But he didn't get back to his loft, nor tell anyone that he's back. Instead he stayed in one of the rooms Xuan Lu provided for her employees, before he went back to the chaos waiting for him.
 
He took the card from the front desk, and walked into the room and cursed.
 
It was a fucking honeymoon suite, complete with red bedsheets and rose petals and tealight candles… reminding him of one unforgettable night, a lifetime ago.
 
He sighed. 
 
There's no way Xuan Lu knew about his first birthday with Xiao Zhan. Unless he asked for her help. 
 
That was possible because Xiao Zhan had no fucking clue about anything as he later found out.
 
Xiao Zhan.
 
He wondered, how was he doing? Was he eating regularly? Was he still… waiting for him ?
 
He shrugged the thought of Xiao Zhan on his first night back, instead he thought about the two women that changed his life.
 
He knew Xuan Lu was trying to mess with him with her wicked sense of humor. But he loved her like a sister.
 
Funny how things turned out.
 
He was so jealous of Xuan Lu, without knowing her. And after he knew her, he quickly became close to her, and became one of her trusted people.
 
He chuckled and put his bag down and went to the bathroom to take a shower and washed the grime from the plane away. He thought about going out to eat, but he was tired and maybe he just ordered in instead.
 
He went out from the bathroom only wearing a towel when the doorbell rang.
 
He opened the door to Xuan Lu and Ziyi bringing food.
 
"Well, isn't this a dejavu." Xuan Lu eyed him like she did six months ago.
 
He chuckled when he let both women in. "Did you guys come here to have a ménage à trois? How kinky…"
 
"You wish." Xuan Lu put the food on the table. "We know you are tired and won't be able to go out, so here we are, bringing food." She gave him a once over. "And you're welcome to not wearing clothes." She winked.
 
"Ha ha, funny you should mention it. As if you're getting turned on by penis." He walked to the bathroom and put on some clothes, then walked back to the dining table. "Wow, dumpling and noodles. I missed this so much."
 
"Yeah, we know, we heard that at least twice a day for the last three months." Ziyi gave him an extra serving of dumplings. "Eat that. It was specially made for you."
 
"Hmm? What do you mean, specially made for me? Did you make this? I didn't know you cooked." He took one dumpling and put it in his mouth. 
 
The burst of flavor was a familiar one. 
 
It was not the usual commercially made restaurant dumplings, instead it was a homemade one. The one that he ate almost every weekend five years ago. The familiar taste triggered something inside of him.
 
He swallowed the dumpling, and felt the overwhelming emotions in his heart.
 
He put his chopstick down, and looked at the two women in front of him, and they looked back in a patient gaze. They knew what happened, and they sympathized with him. 
 
He kneaded his head, and he knew it's time to face the truth now, he couldn't delay it any longer.
 
"Where is he?"

Xuan Lu knew how stupid Xiao Zhan was, it was his first serious relationship after all. She also knew how heartbroken he was, but that stupid fuck was so stupid she couldn't help but knocking his head against the wall and hoping he got smarter after that and didn't screw up. Again.
 
She had hope, because after all, he did change. 
 
Gone had his shyness, and his indecisive ass, to become this charismatic man that was loved by many. But he needed to really open his eyes to look at this incredible young man, and treated him as his equals, before everything was too late.
 
She lived with this extraordinary young man for six months, and from what she gathered, they couldn't take this man lightly. He had an aura of an untamed beast, and an unflappable work ethic, ready to conquer the world on his own.
 
She wondered what was his background, to be able to have that kind of confidence. She was pretty sure he was not just an ordinary bartender, but that was another problem for another day.
 
Right now, she just wanted both of them to reconcile. In peace. She knew it would be hard because Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan had something in common.
 
Stubbornness.
 
If they could get past that? She was pretty sure they could conquer the world as  easily as taking candy from a baby.

She just hoped everything went well this time around.

-----

He slowly walked the familiar street to Purgatory, inhaling the scent of stale cigarettes and wet leaves. It should have turned him off, but strangely he felt the familiar pang of home. 
 
He noticed the weekend crowd, and let out a satisfied grunt before he opened the door to Purgatory.
 
He felt the change in the atmosphere straight away.
 
It was alive and vibrant with sounds, and the smell of barbecued wings and alcohol were teasing his nose.
 
He walked straight to the bar to find Ji Li entertained a couple of giggling young women, when he noticed him.
 
He let out a surprised gasp, and excused himself to get out from the bar and gave Yibo a warm welcome hug.
 
"Welcome home, boss… I missed you so much!"
 
"I miss you too, especially your unholy concoction. No one could ever make the stuff like you did..." he laughed at the punch Ji Li gave him.
 
"Does he know…?" Ji Li looked at him questioningly, and without so many words, Yibo understood.
 
"Maybe. I don't know. Is he here?"
 
Ji Li nodded.
 
"Yeah, but you might have to wait until he… finished." Ji Li took his arm and put him down on the empty table near the stage, hidden from the crowd but had the straight view to the stage. "Just stay here, and listen."
 
He nodded, understanding what Ji Li meant.

Not long after, the music slowed down, and there he was.
 
Xiao Zhan.
 
Standing at the stage, preparing to sing, like he did every weekend which Ji Li religiously sent him every recording of his performances.
 
Still as beautiful as ever, with a hint of sadness in his eyes.
 
He gave the signal and the band played the familiar tunes of the love song he was so familiar with, now with a deeper meaning, because of how close to the truth it was for them.

Still remember the summer of that year
The ocean side occupied by coconut trees
The eye-piercing vibrant rays of the sun
You kissed my face softly
The airplane flew above the ocean
Leaving light trails curved like a smile
 
In that instant, between you and I
There was a distance as long as a century
The rapidly passing time couldn't take away
The scenery within the memory
 
You are the most beautiful scenery of this life
Made my heart break, but still kept me intrigued
Even if this world becomes disrupted
I would still have the courage to smile despite the misery
 
You are the most beautiful scenery of this life
That is why I still remember to this day
Having loved someone in this way
Is such an event of happiness
 
We meet again some time later
Although we had become a little more matured
Our smiles were still the same
In that instance, many feelings surged powerfully
Obstructing my vision
You did not say a word
Yet this tight embrace was filled with meaning

I thought that time could
Like the sand and tides, wash away the traces of memories
If we had not separated
I would not have discovered
Going back to the start, I still love you the most…

Somehow, Xiao Zhan's eyes found his, and it held his gaze softly, overflowed with love and never he felt that the lyrics of the song was meant for him personally.
 
Finally Xiao Zhan finished the song, and ignoring the encore, he walked straight to where Yibo was sitting, and sat in front of him.
 
"You're back…" 
 
Xiao Zhan spoke in a low, intimate tone, and he felt that the voice caressing his inside and making him tremble.
 
"I'm back… but I guess you knew already since you sent me your dumplings and noodles."
 
Xiao Zhan chuckled.
 
"Well, about that, I might have some inside info."
 
"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."
 
"So, how are you, really?" Xiao Zhan's voice got serious, and he leaned forward to get a closer look at Yibo. "You look thinner. Did Lulu not feed you well? I told her to take care of you…"
 
"Relax, Zhan-ge… she treated me very well. She was like a sister to me."
 
Xiao Zhan seemed surprised with the way Yibo called his name like he used to, before… everything, and his eyes softened.
 
"I'm glad both of you are getting along well. You are the most precious people in my life after all." Xiao Zhan moved his hand to touch Yibo's but changed his mind midway and retreated.
 
Yibo noticed that and he took the initiative to touch the older man's hand, and squeezed it softly.
 
"Thank you… for giving me time."
 
Xiao Zhan did not answer right away, instead he squeezed Yibo's hand back.
 
"Anything for you. You know that."
 
"Yes, I know. That's why I want to ask you for something."
 
"Tell me."
 
Yibo looked at Xiao Zhan for a long time, before he continued.
 
"I don't want to continue our relationship from where we left it. Let's just leave it at that, and close the book."
 
He heard the sharp inhale from Xiao Zhan's direction, and the tightening of his grip on his hand.
 
"Yibo… please, I-I promise I will change… I will do anything… but please… don't leave me…I can't live without you, hell I barely survive this six months, knowing you're out there, making your mind about… us."
 
He felt Xiao Zhan's hand tremble, and he gripped it tight, pulling it close to his heart.
 
"Who said I want to leave you?" He wiped the tears that fell down from the older man's eyes with his other hand. "I said, I want to end our old relationship, not leaving you, you dumdum…" he flicked Xiao Zhan's forehead, then pulled him closer so they sat side by side.
 
"But what… how…"
 
"I want to start anew. I want us to start from the beginning. To know each other properly. I want to know what's on your mind. I want to know your problems. I want you to talk to me, and share your thoughts. Not making your own decisions like I was one of your subordinates. I want us to start on equal footing, and most of all, I want you to start treating me like an equal partner. Can you do that? Can you promise me that? If you can, I will stay by your side. For as long as you want me to."
 
Xiao Zhan lost his voice for a full minute, before he answered him with happiness shown on his face.
 
"Yes… I promise I will talk to you, I will share my thoughts and burdens with you, and I will treat you as my equal, start from this second." He kissed Yibo's knuckles one by one, as he recited his promises. "I promise I will honor you, and love you, and respect you, in sickness and health, until death do us part."
 
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?" He chuckled, and put on his most stern voice. "Besides, Lulu will kill us if we get married without telling her. And I'm not that kind of a man to marry a stranger without a proper date and a lot of woo-ing."
 
"Then, what about your thoughts on kissing on a first date?"
 
"Hmm…" he looked at the most beautiful scenery in front of him. "I guess I'll make an exception for this once."
 
Xiao Zhan chuckled and he pulled him closer, his lips were hovering near the other, when he whispered softly to him.
 
"I love you, you're my soulmate, and I'm glad I found you in this lifetime…"