A dark-haired man supported a blonde while he tried to navigate through the pitch-black room.
When he finally found the switch for the lights, he exhaled.
He felt so relieved.
Han Zhixin cursed his younger brother as he laid him on the bed.
Who asked him to drink till stupidity?
He blamed himself as well. Since he was immersed in his worries, he didn't bother with his brother, who was draining glass after glass of wine.
When he finally came back to his senses, there were five empty wine bottles and a blabbering drunk brother.
**************************************
Han Zhixin sighed while he tried to put the comforter on his brother when suddenly he was pounced on by his idiotic brother and fell on the bed with the latter on top of him.
The younger brother, who was completely drunk, saw a familiar silhouette. He squinted his eyes only to be mesmerized by a beautiful woman with a seductive smile gently tucking him in the bed. He couldn't help but pounce on her.
"Xi'er!! I-I miss y-you. W-why are y-you ignoring m-me?" Han Zihao slurred.
The older brother was stunned.
When he came back to his senses, he was fuming on the inside.
His gaze was filled with pure disgust.
Han Zhixin tried to push his younger brother, which only made the latter tighten his hold.
"NO!! I w-won't let g-go this t-time," Han Zihao answered to the constant pushing.
"ZIHAO, YOU IDIOT!!! IT'S ME!!!" Han Zhixin yelled in fury.
He gritted his teeth while he tried to push him again.
'How did his sweet mother and smart father give birth to an idiot like him?' He cursed under his breath.
He whacked his younger brother's neck, which caused him to lose consciousness.
The blonde man fell on his brother, who furiously pushed him and quickly got off the bed.
Han Zhixin assured himself that he wasn't being a bad brother but was saving himself and his family from an awkward and uncomfortable silence at breakfast tomorrow.
However, he was furious at the thought of almost losing his chastity.
How was he supposed to face his future wife after being taken advantage of like this?
The more he thought about it, the more disgusted he felt.
He felt bad for his younger brother when he saw him so heartbroken. So for once, he tried to be a gentle older brother and tucked him into bed.
But who would have thought he would be taken advantage of like this?
He glared at his younger brother once again and kicked him before leaving the room.
'THUD'
Han Zihao, who had no idea about the things he did in his drunkenness, was mercilessly kicked out of bed.
*****************************************
Mother Han, who was worried about her eldest, arrived in front of Han Zhixin's door with a bowl of tomato egg noodles, which were her son's favourite.
But she didn't dare to knock.
She was contemplating what to say and how to clean up the mess her stupid husband had created.
"Dear God, please bless my stupid husband with some brain." She prayed under her breath.
She was worried that someday this husband of hers would cause all types of havoc with that stupid pea brain of his, which only worked for his patients.
She breathed out and mustered up some courage to knock on the door.
"Mom?"
Mother Han halted in her actions and turned toward the corridor, where she found her eldest walking toward her.
"Z-zhi'er? " She stammered when she took in his disheveled form.
Her lips twitched.
"Cough!! Cough!!" The woman tried her best to hide her smile but was still caught by her son.
Han Zhixin felt so embarrassed that he wanted to revisit his brother and beat the hell out of him.
A simple kick was not going to suffice.
'I will see to it if you still have the energy to pounce on people after tomorrow.' Han Zhixin evilly smiled.
The little brother, who was in a deep slumber, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"C-cold," he shivered as he pulled onto the blanket that fell along with him.
**********************************
The two people sat on the lounge chairs placed on the balcony, whose railings were sparsely covered in vines of the white roses that climbed up from the pot.
The blue-eyed man had a serene gaze while he gracefully poured the tea and put it in front of his mother.
Mother Han took a sip and paused.
The young man noticed the sudden halt in her actions and asked with concern,
"Mom, is the tea not to your liking?"
This was his mother's favourite tea. He always made sure to have some in his room since it had been a kind of tradition between them since his childhood.
Mother Han stared at the young man beside her and couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her charming face.
"The tea tastes the same as it did ten years ago." She tenderly whispered
And her son has grown so much since then.
The sweet teenager who would search for his mother when he felt conflicted about something was not here anymore. Instead, in his place was a mature young man who learned to make his own decisions and solve his problems without her help.
When she remembered the way they parted nine years ago, her smile faded.
The bittersweet memory she had of her eldest son when they sat together and spoke for hours made her sigh.
Han Zhixin softly gazed at his mother and gently held her hand. When he felt the warmth of her hand, he couldn't help but reminisce about all those moments when she had him in her arms.
Their laughter at that point in time still echoed in his ears.
"Mom, I.." Han Zhixin found it difficult to explain; he still felt like a little boy in front of his mother.
"It's okay, I understand. I didn't stop you when you chose to study in the States, and I will never stop you from doing something that brings you happiness." She paused and warmly smiled at her son.
Han Zhixin lightly squeezed her hand to encourage her.
Mother Han's auburn gaze stared at her son before sighing.
"Zhi'er, I-i just miss that little boy who would talk with me for hours even when there was nothing to talk about. I miss the boy who would still run to me when he felt aggrieved. I know it was wrong of me to be upset with you when you chose to leave home." She felt guilty.
"Mom, It's fine. You shouldn't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. I was at fault. I should have been more understanding. The situation at that time, sis-" He didn't have the guts to continue.
Mother Han felt downhearted when she saw how difficult it was for him to talk about that person, even after a decade.
It was taboo to talk about her in their family.
Han Zhixin clenched his hands and exhaled.
"It was still selfish of me to drop everything and leave my family just to hide from reality. I can understand how difficult it would have been for you." He explained.
How could he ever blame the woman who always encouraged him to follow his heart and loved him without ever asking for anything in return?
"No, I shouldn't have been so childish. After all, you were still a child." She felt ashamed of her actions as a mother.
Han Zhixin lightly chuckled.
"Mom, I was eighteen, not a child." He clarified.
"Eighteen or twenty-seven, you are still a child to me." She lightly chastised him with a glare.
Han Zhixin nodded at her with a smile. The auburn-eyed woman stared at him before sighing.
"Zhi'er, no matter how old you get, I'm still your mother. For me, you are still the same child who would follow me everywhere, holding the corner of my dress. You can still talk to me if something upsets you or if you feel bitter about something. Just because you have grown up doesn't mean you have to hide your feelings or force yourself to smile in front of your family even when you are feeling miserable. We can still have a heart-to-heart conversation, just like in those days. You can still-"
Mother Han was stunned when her eldest suddenly hugged her.
Han Zhixin felt like a little boy when he was in his mother's arms. The familiar scent brought back all those memories that were very dear to him.
When he saw those tender auburn eyes and felt his mother's warmth, he couldn't resist his need for her.
The woman quickly recovered from the shock and lovingly patted his back.
She wiped the tears that fell and thanked the heavens that she could still hug her son after the rift in their relationship.
She was thankful that he didn't blame her for not being there for him, but she also felt guilty.
No matter what happens in the future, Mother Han promised herself to always be there for him from now on.
*******************************************
It was almost midnight, but the mother and son were still chatting. One was sitting and tenderly combing through his son's dark brown hair, and the other was lying on his mother's lap and enjoying all the warmth with closed eyes. There was occasional laughter that echoed through the room.
"Zhi'er,….regarding this girl…" She paused and gazed at her son, who still had his eyes closed while he listened to his mother.
"I'm happy you found someone you like, but I'm also worried for you. As a mother, I have the right to be worried about my child." She dotingly expressed.
"I know. Mom-" he sighed.
The dark-haired man held his mother's warm hand and sat up.
He somewhat understood his mother's worry since he had experienced similar emotions toward the little one.
"Mom, I will bring her home once the situation between us is better." He explained, pointing towards his current relationship with Tang Li Mei.
Mother Han stared at her son's warm gaze and gave up trying to persuade him.
"Fine, I trust you. I know you are not someone to be easily swayed by the wind." She nodded to herself as if assuring her heart.
"Tell me, what do you like about her? How is she any different from all those other girls who chased after you?" She teased.
When he saw the teasing smile on his mother's face, he chuckled.
"I don't know; she just amazes me. Whether it's when she is serious, or when she has that beautiful smile, or when she is trying to be strong, or how her small nose turns red when she feels aggrieved, or how cute she looks when she is angry." He chuckled when he reminisced about their flirty banter early that morning.
"Everything. I like everything about her mom. She is certainly different from other women."
When Mother Han saw him smile so tenderly, her heart warmed. She realized how serious her son was about this girl. There was no doubt that he was in love with her.
"Does being with her make you happy?" She gently asked.
Nothing else matters when it comes to her son's happiness.
Han Zhixin stared at his mother and gave her a firm nod.
"Yes, loving her and being a part of her life makes me very happy. Even if my love is one-sided I still feel very content."
"Her situation is a bit different. When I-" he hesitated and gazed at his mother, who had an expectant look,
He never hid anything from his mother, whether it was when he was a child or a teen. His mother is someone who would listen to what he has to say without judging him. Although his brother and father were also like that, he was not that close to them. But once he left for the States, he became closer to his younger brother than his parents.
The young man shared about how he was rejected and how he finally accepted her decision and tried to move on. And how he realized he couldn't give up on her like this after a fated encounter.
"Mom, I want to fight for my love, and- I wish to marry her one day." He conveyed it with determination, reflecting off his gaze.