Past? Vic...

Small children ran all over the place. Some from different countries, some with different disabilities, some with different horrible pasts. Despite that the orphanage was full of cheerful voices as kids recited along with few volunteers whose number was never enough to take care and give enough attention to these children.

Among those sat a silver haired child who was sitting on the sidelines observing them. But he never spoke or sang along. Volunteers at first thought it was a language barrier as the kid was a foreigner in country A. But the translator shattered their expectations. They looked at his hollow eyes that didn't seem to have life but at the same time they couldn't bring themselves to remember the scene of his rescue.

His mother a tourists seemed to have committed suicide in the house they were temporary living in. And the child was left in the same house, he didn't cry, he didn't ask for help. He stayed in the same room till the neighbours finally realised things were wrong. The child had no apparent family back in his home country, entered the orphanage. Since some volunteers found his name too hard to pronounce he was later renamed 'Celyn'.

Celyn looked at the familiar surroundings and his small hand but he had no words. He quickly got up, surprising the volunteers who were singing children songs. His light blue eyes suddenly scanned the children in the crowd before being disappointed.

His small feet quickly moved as he ran to the corridor. The volunteer tried to stop him but he had already left. Celyn roamed in the corridor searching for the familiar figure.

"What are you doing out here?" An irritated immature voice came from the front.

Celyn looked in the direction, his round blue eyes growing large. "Vic…!!!" Celyn quickly leaped forward hugging and grabbing the 10 year boy in front of him. The boy didn't push him back but touched his round head full of soft hair. That was right, even though the little guy never spoke to him. Nothing prevented him from clinging to the older boy calling his broken name with a soft voice.

"Did anyone bully you?" Vic… asked, bullying wasn't uncommon in their orphanage especially for small children like Celyn. Celyn nodded his head in 'No' and kept hugging in daze.

"Vic…, it's time for your medicine." An adult voice was heard across the hallway breaking Celyn's reunion with Vic…

He clinged on to Vic… tighter remembering the truth behind this medication. He needed to stop them before things went too far. But things didn't go as he thought. Vic… moved past Celyn's own eyes, he tried to stop him but the scene in front of him started turning transparent. and Celyn was only able to catch air.

A fog engulfed everything around him, it was cold. Cold enough to freeze a person to death. The youth walked but the fog was never ending. It was hard to even see what was in front of him.

"Celyn…wake up." A familiar voice rang in his ears. Making him turn around but there was nothing except white fog. He walked forward once again the mist was now disappearing. The scene in front of him was too familiar. His nine year old self was being woken up in the middle of night by Vic… who was just a 14 year old teen. Skinny, blood dripping down his lips and clear palm print on his face.

Celyn could only see as the teen and his past self ran away from the orphanage with nothing. His hand moved towards his chest where his heart was hurting. But a smile hung on his lips and tear drops formed in his eyes. He was simply in contradiction right now.

'Thank god…thank god he trusted and followed Vic…'

The fog once again engulfed him but before he could react…

______

"Ah'Jie!" Jian Tang's sweet clear voice ranged in the monotonous hospital room. She entered with a few fruits and dinner. Li Jie had been in a coma for two days straight and had been only awake for half a day now. Doctors had no idea what was wrong as all the tests and vitals were fine except the signs of a heat stroke at start.

"I brought dinner." Jian Tang talked with a smile on her face as she prepared the dishes. But her son's mind seemed to be preoccupied with something after he woke up. She looked through the same window Li Jie had been staring out of in daze. But there was nothing much to see.

"Are you okay?" She placed her hand on his chick worried but the youth shifted quickly out of reflex as not wanting her to touch him.

"Mother…that…" Right now Li Jie had no words to explain to Jian Tang. His mind was clearly not in the right place. Ever since that dream he could only think of Vic… While he is alive in this world, what about Vic… he was dead and Li Jie himself was the culprit. He was unable to save Vic…

"Let's not talk right now." Li Jie told Jian Tang and started helping her close the dinner box lead one by one.

"What about your dinner? Things will be cold." Jian Tang asked firmly, only to get a negative answer. Li Jie could see her heartbroken expression but after waking up his priority seemed to have suddenly shifted. From Jian Tang to Vic… a person whose full name, face he couldn't remember. And that person probably didn't exist in this world. 'He was simply a terrible human being, a terrible son, a terrible partner and a white eyed wolf.'

Jian Tang hugged the dinner box observing Li Jie as she was leaving. Something about her son seemed wrong as if there was a wall between them. She had just walked out of the room when an unexpected visitor came along.

"Mother!?" Jian Tang closed the door behind her. It was her last attempt to save Li Jie's affection for his grandmother. "You are here to see Li Jie?"

Mrs Li nodded ready to enter the ward but Jian Tang didn't seem to notice her movement as she stood in front of the door not budging. Mrs Li scowled. She was a woman who never heard a no in her entire life. She was born into an aristocratic family. Even when she married into the Li a business family she was the wife of the head making her the sole authority after him.

But things changed ever since Jian Tang, an entertainer set foot in the Li household.

"Jian Tang, move out of my way. Even if you fail to do your duty as a mother, don't stop me from doing mine as his grandmother." Mrs Li tried to remove Jian Tang's hand from the knob. She was already furious at the rumour she heard a few days ago about her grandson. But seeing Jian Tang's behaviour made it worse.

"Mother….he is sleeping." Jian Tang said in a hurry. There was no way she was going to let anyone create a scene to sully Li family's name.

"Mom?" Li Feng stood not too far from them; he was holding a pink dessert box. Mrs Li looked guilty but soon recovered her arrogance on the other hand Jian Tang was calm. The three of them soon entered the patient room.

Li Jie was scrolling through his tablet with a fixed cold expression in his light blue eyes. As the door opening noise sounded he looked on side only to see Jian Tang back with Li Feng and an old woman. He was too late in changing his expression sending a shiver down Mrs. Li's spine. Li Feng looked at his wife for an answer to know what happened to his son for him to make a murderous expression but he got ignored.

The youth put his tablet upside down on his side before calling out Mrs Li with a fake smile. "Grandma, you are here to see me?" His cuteness was too powerful, making Mrs Li forget about Li Jie's murderous gaze earlier.

Li Feng took the opportunity to sit down on the sofa while taking the dinner box Jian Tang was holding. But his moment paused. The box was still heavy, he glanced at Jian Tang before taking it and helping her sit down beside him.

"He didn't eat anything?" Li Feng whispered in a low voice but even if he didn't with Mrs Li's loud voice no one was going to notice his whispering. Jian Tang nodded with a heavy heart. She felt the change in Li Jie after waking up was more significant than his refusal to eat dinner.

But soon Jian Tang and Li Jie had to shift their focus. With a loud bang a soup container spilled on Li Jie's bed making him dodge but his movements were still a bit slow. Some hot soup burned his legs but everything else was fine. But Mrs Li's scolding was going on.

"How can two men…? You are the only grandson of the Li family. How can you like the same sex…? Do you not even feel a bit ashamed…? Today I came here for you to debunk the rumours, but you're telling me you like men with a straight face.

How can my Li family have such a disgusting grandson…"

"MOM! ENOUGH!" Li Feng was quick to step up as he stood in front of Li Jie's bed and Mrs Li. He didn't get what triggered Mrs Li to lash on the grandson she so much spoiled. Until now Li Feng never commented on Li Jie's sexuality. Because to him it didn't matter, it wasn't like the Li family was some royal family which couldn't do without a successor. As for the public opinion, he was a businessman, he only cared about money while Jian Tang worked to make connections.

Li Feng frowned and looked at Mrs Li once again. And warned her in a cold voice but no matter how much he cared for Jian Tang and their son, Mrs Li was his mother he could help but be a little spot. "Mom, I and my wife don't care about his sexuality, you shouldn't either. Unless you never want to see him again. And that includes never seeing me again too."

Mrs Li gritted her teeth at the words of her son. She had seen more monsoon and winter than her son who couldn't understand what not having a successor could do. But she was still aggravated so her firearm turned towards Jian Tang who she deemed as the reason for Li Jie caughting this disease.

"You…" She pointed at Jian Tang who was checking whether Li Jie was burned by the soup. "It's because of you, entertainer. You taught him all of this."

Jian Tang rolled her eyes, focusing on Li Jie. But she missed the murderous gaze of Li Jie directed at Mrs. Li which left her cold all over.

"What are you looking at? You still have the face you dirty fa-"

Mrs. Li could speak further as she saw both Jian Tang and Li Feng's faces turning dark.

"At least my son won't impregnate an intoxicated 19 year old." Jian Tang crossed Li Feng who stood in a stance of protecting them. But at the same time restricted her movement. It wasn't hard for her to grab Mrs. Li's wrist was pampered all her life and drang her outside the room.

*Click*

Jian Tang closed the door behind her and the screaming sound from outside stopped. She sighed at walked to her son. The father-son duo both looked at her in a different light.