A Lie, A Secret
[📘 Content Warning:
This story contains Boys’ Love (BL) themes. Reader discretion is advised. Please read the disclaimers mentioned in the Instagram post.]
Saturday evening fell slow and golden.
The sun was setting, its light casting a soft glow across Yibo’s face as he stood just outside his garage.
The air was still, almost expectant.
His phone was pressed to his ear.
“Zhan-ge.”
His voice was quiet.
“I need you to call her.”
“What?! Why?”
Zhan’s voice rose slightly, caught between confusion and hesitation.
“I want you to ask her to meet you tomorrow evening at that riverside restaurant, the one we always go to, in Deqing.”
Zhan went still.
“Why would I…?”
“Because we need to put an end to this mind game she’s playing. The more you hesitate, the more power she has.”
Zhan stared at the phone in his hand, heart racing.
“I don’t want to see her, Yibo.”
“You won’t have to deal with her alone. I’ll be there. Just ask her to meet you. I’ll take care of the rest.”
After a long silence, Zhan finally nodded, even though Yibo couldn’t see.
“Okay.”
————————————————————-
He dialed Su Mian just past dusk.
Her voice answered quickly, almost breathless.
“Zhan?”
“I…”
He swallowed.
“Can you meet me tomorrow evening? The riverside place.”
There was a pause, then a delighted gasp.
“Of course! I thought… I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me anymore.”
Zhan closed his eyes for a second, a flicker of anger tightening his brow.
“Just be there. Around six.”
“Sure, I will.”
She said, her voice soft with a kind of happiness that made Zhan’s stomach twist.
As he ended the call, the sky darkened into deep indigo.
And the river was calm, unknowingly waiting for the storm.
———————————————————–
The open-air restaurant by the river shimmered with warm lights strung above in lazy loops, their reflections swaying gently over the rippling water.
The breeze carried the scent of grilled meat, river moss, and something sweet, maybe roasted peanuts from a nearby vendor cart.
Zhan arrived just past six, shoulders stiff, jaw locked.
The sky behind him glowed in soft orange hues, but none of it reached his eyes.
Su Mian was already there.
She sat at a table meant for four, dressed neatly, face lit with expectation.
The empty chair beside her remained untouched.
Zhan, without a word, chose the seat directly across from her instead.
Her smile widened, sugary and confident.
“I knew it, Zhan. You always make the right decisions.”
She said, folding her hands delicately on the table.
“I knew you’d come around eventually. So… are we finally ready to talk about the wedding?”
Zhan didn’t answer immediately.
He just stared past her, then slowly met her eyes.
“Just… wait a few minutes. We’ll get clarity today. Then we’ll decide accordingly.”
Su Mian frowned a little, confused.
“What do you mean…?”
Her voice trailed off.
From the far side of the restaurant, Yibo appeared, hands in pockets, a black backpack slung over one shoulder.
He looked calm, collected… but his gaze was sharp as a blade.
Su Mian visibly stiffened.
She blinked once, too slow to hide her surprise.
She hadn’t thought he’d come.
His presence wasn’t just unexpected, it was unnerving.
Yibo walked straight toward them, his eyes flicking once toward Zhan, a quiet smile passing between them and then landed on her.
His smile turned sardonic.
He pulled out the chair next to Zhan and sat down, stretching his legs casually.
“What… what is he doing here, Zhan?”
Su Mian asked, her voice strained.
Yibo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
“Without me, this meeting would be incomplete, Su Mian.”
Zhan stayed silent.
Yibo tilted his head slightly.
“So… You’re pregnant. Carrying Zhan-ge’s baby?”
“Wow. Congratulations. Must be quite the miracle, right?”
Su Mian swallowed hard.
Her voice was low but steady.
“I assumed your Zhan-ge told you everything by now. I wouldn’t have to explain myself if he had.”
She looked at Zhan for a moment, eyes softening falsely.
“All I did was help a man who… God knows why suddenly collapsed that night. No one else helped, so I stepped in. But instead… I ended up here. Being blamed.”
Zhan turned his head away, his chest tight.
He couldn’t listen to it. Not again.
Yibo gave a slow, dry nod, his tone bordering on sarcastic.
“Impressive. You’ve got a big heart, Su Mian. Seriously. Very noble of you.”
He glanced at Zhan briefly, then looked back at her.
“But I think we need to clear a few things up, don’t you? I mean… you’re saying you’re carrying Zhan-ge’s child and planning to marry him. That’s not exactly something you brush under the rug. Things like that should be… crystal clear.”
Su Mian folded her arms, lips curling in defiance.
“Clarity? What more clarity do you need than a doctor’s report? I already gave Zhan proof that I’m pregnant with his child.”
Zhan didn’t speak.
His jaw clenched slightly, but he kept his gaze down, expression unreadable.
Yibo let out a small breath, then smiled: tight and unreadable.
“Yeah, right. The report.”
He leaned back a little, folding his arms.
“The thing is, Su Mian… some of it isn’t adding up. Here and there, small things. But I’m sure you can help sort it out. For me. And for Zhan-ge.”
Su Mian scoffed, eyes narrowing at Yibo.
“And who exactly are you to question me, Yibo?”
“This is between me and Zhan. None of your business.”
Zhan’s head turned sharply.
His voice was cold. Final.
“You don’t get to decide that, Su Mian. You don’t get to say who’s involved or who isn’t.”
He looked at her directly now, eyes sharp, no softness left in them.
“Yibo has every right to ask. If you want to deal with me, then you answer him first.”
Su Mian pressed her lips together and looked away, silent now, like someone suddenly unsure of their footing.
Yibo’s lips curled into a slow, mocking smile.
Not smug—just satisfied.
As if to say, Thought so!
He tilted his head, voice calm but cold.
“So let’s not drag this out. Why don’t we go back to that night and start from the beginning, shall we?”
Yibo leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on her with cool intensity.
“Tell me, how exactly did Zhan-ge pass out when he barely drank anything? And the only drink he had was the one you handed him.”
Su Mian blinked, her confidence cracking for just a second, then she straightened in her seat, voice rising in defense.
“How would I know? Are you trying to suggest I had something to do with that?”
Yibo’s smile vanished.
“No. I’m saying… you had everything to do with it.”
His tone dropped an octave.
Flat, hard, and cold.
Su Mian let out a short breath, lips curling faintly.
“I have nothing to prove to you, Yibo. Say whatever stories you’ve cooked up, doesn’t change the truth.”
Yibo’s expression didn’t shift much, but his eyes glinted.
“Then maybe you’ll need to prove it somewhere else.”
His voice calm, cold, razor-sharp.
“To the authorities. I trust you understand what I’m saying.”
Su Mian froze.
The color drained ever so slightly, her fingers curling tighter around her purse.
Zhan turned sharply.
“Yibo… what do you mean? She… she had something to do with it?”
Yibo didn’t answer.
He simply reached into his backpack and pulled out his phone.
Tapped the screen.
Turned it toward them.
A shaky, zoomed-in CCTV recording played out.
The footage was grainy, but clear enough.
There she was… Su Mian, handing a wad of cash to a bartender.
Moments later, the man slipped something from under the counter and poured it discreetly into one of the glasses.
Then came Su Mian again, balancing a tray, offering drinks to the small group that had gathered around Zhan.
And placing that specific drink in front of him.
Su Mian’s face went pale.
Zhan watched the video like he was watching himself drown.
“That was you…”
He said, voice quiet, hollow.
“You… drugged me?”
Su Mian opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Yibo’s voice cut in like a knife.
“It doesn’t stop there… does it, Su Mian?”
He swiped to another file.
“And that sacred little pregnancy you kept waving around like a shield?”
He looked at her coldly.
“Yeah. That was a lie too.”
Zhan turned toward her, stunned.
“What…?!”
“She’s not pregnant, ge.”
Yibo said firmly.
“The hospital she got the report from, her friend works there. They forged it. We confirmed.”
Su Mian’s mouth parted slightly, color draining from her face.
“When Lele and Chen confronted her friend, she cracked.”
Yibo added.
Yibo swiped the screen.
“Here, see for yourself.”
He hit play on a video recording.
The footage was grainy.
The camera shook slightly before settling.
A young girl wearing white lab coat over pale blue scrubs, her hospital ID still clipped to her pocket, stood in the frame, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
Her eyes darted around, wide and anxious, lips trembling as she tried to speak.
Chen and Lele stood stiffly beside her, both with their arms crossed.
Behind the camera, Yibo’s voice could be heard—low but firm.
“Tell the truth. Unless you want to be the only one who gets caught.”
The girl swallowed hard, then opened her mouth to speak, her voice breathless and shaky.
“Yes… I helped Su Mian. She was panicking… said she needed a fake report to make a guy stay. I didn’t think it’d go this far. I just printed what she told me…”
Su Mian’s eyes widened.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
No words came. No excuses.
She was caught.
Red-handed.
Completely exposed.
She stared at the phone like it had turned into a weapon… cold, sharp, and aimed straight at her.
Then slowly, her eyes lifted to Yibo…
Like he had just shattered the fragile sandcastle of dreams she’d been quietly building, dreams of a life with Zhan that were never hers to begin with.
Zhan looked between the screen and her frozen face, like the air had been knocked out of him.
“So… she’s not pregnant?”
He said slowly, almost to himself.
“Then… that means I didn’t do anything? All this time… I wasn’t wrong?”
Su Mian’s lips moved, but no sound escaped.
And this time, she didn’t even try to lie.
Zhan stared at the screen, like the air had been knocked out of him… not from panic, but from a wave of crushing relief.
Yibo looked at him gently now.
“Zhan-ge… you didn’t do anything wrong. That night, it was all her plan. She set you up.”
Zhan’s eyes flickered with confusion, pain still clinging to his features.
Yibo’s his voice steady, soft, but certain.
“And those injuries… the nail marks, the cut on her lip, you mentioned, remember?”
He paused for a breath, meeting Zhan’s gaze.
“I can explain those too.”
Zhan looked at him, startled.
“She got hurt while trying to drag you inside her house. She lost her balance and hit the stair railings.”
He turned to Su Mian, eyes narrowing.
“And I don’t think I need to explain who tore her dress… right, Su Mian?”
Her jaw tensed, but she didn’t say a word.
Yibo’s voice cut through the silence.
“The cab driver that dropped you off, he saw everything. He even helped her carry you inside.”
His voice was low, deliberate.
“She told the people at the party that she was taking you to the hospital. But once she got into the cab, she gave the driver a different address… her place.”
He looked at Zhan, eyes dark with controlled fury.
“Everything was planned, ge. Every step.”
A stunned silence fell.
Su Mian’s expression drained of color.
There was nothing left for her to say — no lie, no excuse.
She had finally run out of stories.
Zhan just sat there, the truth settling into him like slow, quiet thunder.
Then he turned toward Su Mian.
Zhan’s voice came suddenly: low, shaken.
“Why, Su Mian?”
She didn’t answer.
Zhan’s hands curled into fists on the table.
His voice rose, cracking with fury.
“WHY?!”
The table rattled as he slammed his palm down, making nearby diners turn their heads.
Su Mian flinched, finally curling into herself, her voice barely a whisper.
And the silence that followed was deafening.
———————————————
The silence stretched heavy, broken only by the distant clink of cutlery and soft jazz playing through the restaurant speakers.
Su Mian’s shoulders trembled as she buried her face in her hands, her voice cracked and barely above a whisper.
“I… I didn’t mean to fall for him… but I love Zhan.”
Zhan’s breath caught, not out of surprise, but sheer disgust.
His expression hardened.
Next to him, Yibo didn’t move, just stared… cold and quiet.
Su Mian looked up, eyes red and glassy.
“But I knew… he doesn’t feel the same way. He never did.”
She sniffled, hands twisting the strap of her purse.
“So I thought if I could convince him to marry me through this plan… I could have him. And after marriage, even if I said I lost the baby, it wouldn’t matter. We’d already be married.”
Zhan sank back into the chair, jaw clenched, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.
“Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through since that night?”
His voice was low, but every word hit like a whip.
“I thought I’d done something unforgivable. My family is hurting too, watching me slip away and not knowing why. My freelance project nearly collapsed. And him…”
Zhan nodded toward Yibo, his throat tightening.
“…a good friend of mine, I nearly lost him too. I’ve been drowning in guilt and shame… the kind that made it impossible to even look my own sister in the eye, all because you twisted everything.”
His voice cracked, anger and betrayal rising in his throat.
“And you did all this… just for yourself?”
Su Mian couldn’t hold his gaze.
Her head dropped, tears dripping onto the table.
Yibo finally spoke, his voice calm but sharp like broken glass.
“Su Mian… you’re just Twenty-One. And yet you planned something that could’ve destroyed not just your life and Zhan-ge’s, but both your families.”
He leaned forward, tone still firm.
“Do you really think if someone is forced into marriage, they’ll ever love or respect you? You wouldn’t be a wife… you’d be a burden. A lifelong shadow he resents.”
Su Mian bit her lip hard, trembling now.
“This isn’t how love works.”
Yibo continued.
“You don’t trick someone into it. You earn it. If Zhan-ge didn’t return your feelings, you should’ve walked away. Found someone who would love you back. But instead…”
He shook his head.
“You stooped this low… and without hesitation, you framed an innocent man, said he raped you and got you pregnant when you knew damn well he would never even look at you with bad intentions.”
There was no more fight in her.
Just the sound of her breath hitching between sobs.
Zhan stared at her, expression blank, but his voice cut through the air with quiet finality.
“I see you just like my Yue, Su Mian. Nothing more. I can’t even imagine anything else beyond that.”
He exhaled deeply, the weight of everything pressing down on his chest.
“Now… I don’t even know what I feel when I see your face. I’ve never hated anyone in my life, but today…”
He paused, jaw clenched.
“You take the first place.”
Su Mian’s lips trembled as she looked at him, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Zhan, I… I’m sorry…”
She whispered, voice barely holding together.
Zhan met her gaze – cold, unwavering.
“I don’t want your apology, Su Mian.”
He said flatly.
“What you’ve done… can’t be undone with a simple ‘sorry.’”
Yibo sat quietly beside him.
He said nothing more, not because he didn’t have anything to say, but because Zhan deserved to speak.
And she deserved to hear it… from him.
Then, Zhan’s phone buzzed on the table.
He glanced at the screen — the call was from his publication house.
He sighed and looked at Yibo.
“I have to take this. Can’t skip it.”
Yibo gave a nod.
“Go ahead ge. I’ll wait.”
Zhan stood and walked a little further out of earshot, his voice low as he picked up the call.
Yibo sat back, his eyes falling briefly on Su Mian.
She was still crying.
He quickly looked away, jaw clenched.
And then, with a cruel sort of quiet…
“You haven’t told him yet… have you?”
Her voice cut through the silence.
Yibo turned his head sharply.
Su Mian was watching him now, eyes red but suddenly sharp, something cold glinting behind the tears.
The trembling in her voice was gone – replaced by a tone that was sharp and deliberate.
Yibo frowned.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Her expression shifted.
Tears still clung to her lashes, but the broken expression was gone and replaced by a slow, calculated smile.
“That night at my place…”
She said, her tone calm, almost too calm.
“…when he was drugged, barely even aware of where he was. He said something.”
She paused, eyes locking onto Yibo’s.
Her smile didn’t falter.
“Something you haven’t been able to forget, I’m sure. But him…?”
Her voice dropped lower, almost gentle.
“He doesn’t even remember. Not when he’s sober… right, Yibo?”
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming.
“I bet it haunts you, doesn’t it?”
Yibo’s heart thudded once, hard.
A flicker of panic moved behind his eyes.
She leaned in slightly, her tone wicked.
“If you won’t tell him, I can do it. With pleasure. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to learn what slipped out of his mouth that night on my bed…”
Yibo sat up straighter, jaw tightening as anger bloomed in his chest.
“If this is some kind of trick, you’re wasting your time.”
Su Mian tilted her head, mock innocence in her eyes.
“Oh come on, Yibo. Let’s not pretend. It wasn’t the first time, was it? Drunk… drugged… confused. Remember your birthday night?”
She gave a mocking sigh.
“The party. The drinks. The drug. You taking him home afterward… and…”
She paused, eyes glinting.
Their eyes locked.
A flash of something crossed Yibo’s face.
Fear, maybe.
Or guilt.
But whatever it was, he masked it with fury before she could see.
His voice dropped, sharp as glass.
“Just shut your bloody mouth!”
He turned to check if Zhan was still on the call – he was, facing the other way.
Then Yibo turned to her again, jaw tight, eyes burning with quiet rage.
His voice dropped to a harsh whisper, cold and precise.
“One more word, and I swear, you’ll regret it.”
He leaned in just slightly, his tone razor-sharp.
“You can’t blackmail me the way you did him. Got it? This isn’t going to work on me, Su Mian.”
She let out a low, amused chuckle.
“Blackmail?”
Her brows arched.
“Who said anything about blackmail?”
She tilted her head, voice soft and syrupy.
“You should be thanking me…”
Her eyes flicked toward Zhan, then back to Yibo.
“…for not telling him anything. Not until now.”
She smiled, slow and venomous.
“I kept your little secret safe all this time. So really, Yibo…”
She whispered.
“…where’s my thank you?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw.
His nostrils flared, chest rising just a little faster.
She leaned forward, voice low and poisonous.
“I’m just trying to help your little friendship end faster. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Her voice was light, but her eyes burned with spite.
“You screwed up my plan, Yibo. So now I ruin what matters to you. Tit for tat. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?”
She smiled, but there was nothing kind about it.
Yibo’s face didn’t flinch.
He leaned in, eyes blazing.
“You… dare to say one word to him… just one. And I’ll personally send every file, every dirty trick you’ve pulled… straight to your father and brother. Don’t test me.”
Su Mian’s smug, victorious smile vanished in an instant.
Her gaze dropped, the flicker of confidence gone.
She looked away, jaw clenched tight, as if swallowing back a curse.
Because deep down, she knew Yibo meant every word.
He wasn’t bluffing… and he’d do it without hesitation.
She didn’t answer.
Yibo’s voice was low, furious.
“So, even after knowing the truth… you still went ahead with this disgusting plan? You accused him of something he didn’t do, just to trap him into staying with you?”
Su Mian didn’t flinch.
There was no remorse in her voice.
“Yeah. I knew the truth. And that’s exactly why I did it.”
She leaned back slightly, voice cool and bitter.
“Because I saw it coming, Yibo. And I knew if I didn’t do something, I’d lose him forever. So, I made sure he had nowhere else to run. I took away his choices. All of them. Including you.”
She smiled faintly, voice cold.
“You think I cared about truth? I cared about keeping him. That’s all. I’ve loved him. But love doesn’t win, Yibo… leverage does.”
Her tone was quiet: cruel, but steady.
“And I was so close to winning. So damn close. If he hadn’t come running back to you again… The guilt I planted in him was supposed to be enough to make sure he’d never have the courage to tell anyone, especially not you. But I guess I underestimated him there.”
She let out a bitter laugh.
“Even drowning in shame, he still chose you.”
A pause.
“Call it selfish… but I was tired of always being second, because of you. This was the only way I’d ever come first.”
Yibo stared at her… a strange twist of emotion tightening in his chest.
Pity? Disgust? Maybe both.
How could someone fall so far…
How could anyone call this obsession “love” and still sleep at night?
He didn’t yell. He didn’t curse.
He simply said, voice low and final.
“You failed. Completely Su Mian.”
“But more than that you’ve fallen so low in Zhan-ge’s eyes, he doesn’t feel a thing for you anymore. Just disgust. And that’s something you’ll never recover from.”
“He’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.”
Su Mian didn’t answer.
Not right away.
Just one tear slipped down her cheek… quiet, defeated.
A rare moment of something real behind her mask.
She knew it.
Zhan was gone.
Not just from her life… but from ever looking at her the same way again.
But still, she turned to Yibo, scoffing through the sting of it.
“At least I told him the truth… twisted as it was. But you? you’re still hiding yours.”
Yibo’s jaw tensed.
Su Mian, wiping the tear from her cheek, but her eyes gleamed with something darker.
“You say he’ll never forgive me…”
She leaned in just slightly, her voice dropping to a low murmur.
“…but did you ever stop to wonder if he’ll forgive you, Yibo?”
She let the words hang, cutting and cold.
“You think I’m the villain. Fine. But when the truth hits him one day… let’s see how long you keep that place in his heart.”
Her voice low but laced with venom.
“If it’s me today… it’ll be you tomorrow. And that thought alone is enough to make me smile.”
Yibo’s throat tightened, the jab landing where it was meant to.
And then, as if on cue the crying returned.
Her face crumbled again, tears forming instantly, like flipping a switch.
Yibo blinked, thrown for half a second.
Because Zhan had returned.
He slid back into his seat, looking between them.
Something in the air felt wrong. Tense.
His gaze landed on Su Mian and this time, there was no confusion in his voice.
“So, if you’re done lying… manipulating… then just leave.”
His voice was razor-sharp.
“And don’t ever show your face to me again.”
His voice wasn’t angry.
It was cold and final.
He turned his face away from her, like even the sight of her pained him now.
Su Mian wiped her tears silently, picked up her bag with shaking hands, and stood.
She didn’t say a word.
But just before turning away, she cast Yibo a final glance, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
Yibo stared back, his jaw tight, hands clenching around the strap of his backpack… but he didn’t say anything.
She Just walked off, her steps uneven, swallowed by the evening crowd and fading light.
The moment she was gone, the world seemed to shift.
Zhan felt it, the invisible weight that had crushed his chest for months… gone.
All the shame, the guilt, the helplessness, it melted away with her departure.
For the first time in days, he felt like he could breathe again.
He turned to Yibo.
Yibo met his eyes but couldn’t quite read what was behind them.
Grief? Relief? Gratitude? Everything all at once?
Zhan said quietly.
“Thank you so much Yibo.”
And then, softer, with eyes cast down.
“And once again, I’m really sorry, Yibo… for that day. For the way I behaved with you.”
Yibo’s expression softened.
Even though the weight of Su Mian’s words still lingered in his chest like a shadow,
he pushed it down, because right now, none of it mattered more than Zhan.
“It’s okay, Zhan-ge. Please don’t be sorry. It’s just… if you had told me everything from the beginning, I wouldn’t have let it get this bad.”
Zhan gave a dry, almost bitter smile.
“Yue hasn’t talked to me in weeks. I yelled at her over nothing. My Ma’s been cold. And Ba…”
He trailed off, voice faltering.
“I don’t even remember when we last spoke properly.”
He looked down at his hands.
“I was so lost. If I hadn’t talked to you that day… I don’t know where I would’ve ended up.”
Yibo leaned back, his voice gentle now.
“It’s all over now. When you go home today… just say sorry. That’s all. I’m sure you didn’t do anything a heartfelt apology can’t fix.”
Zhan nodded, his lips curving into a small smile.
“Yeah.”
And for the first time in a long while, it actually reached his eyes.
Yibo felt a quiet relief settle in his chest as he saw that smile return to Zhan’s face.
But even in that warmth, a single echo rang in the back of his mind—
“But when the truth hits him one day… let’s see how long you keep that place in his heart.”
[To be continued…]
——————————————–
Author’s Note:
Heyyy, you made it to the end of the chapter! 😄
Hope you enjoyed it — and if you did, please don’t forget to like & comment on my Insta post. 💖
Think of it as your way of telling me, “Hey, I’m here, and I loved it!” — it means the world to me and truly keeps me inspired to write more for you! ✨
The Red Ribbon 