Ignore any grammar mistakes or misspelled. 😂
When Yi Bo returned to the hotel, Zhan had already been asleep for a while. He was lying face down with just a towel wrapped around him after his shower, with no clothes to wear, as he hated the ones he took off and couldn't bring himself to put them back on.
Yi Bo placed down two bags he was carrying—one was small, and the other had a set of clothes he bought for Zhan. He didn't make any movements that would wake Zhan, quietly pulling out the injections he had brought and preparing two syringes. Then, carefully, he climbed onto the bed.
He gently pulled the towel slightly away from Zhan's waist and, with expertise, administered the first injection. It wasn't until the second one that Zhan stirred a little before opening his eyes. Yi Bo quickly removed the needle and looked at him with a straight face.
In his sleep, Zhan felt a slight sting on his behind, and as he opened his eyes, he saw Yi Bo kneeling on top of him. Quickly, Zhan rolled over onto his back, eyes wide open, and sat up, startled.
"What are you doing? Are you planning to do something inappropriate?" Zhan demanded. Yi Bo rolled his eyes and stood up with the syringe still in his hand.
Zhan widened his eyes even more when he saw the syringe. He touched the spot where he felt the sting and asked, "Did you give me an injection?" He quickly jumped off the bed, tapping his foot on the ground to check if he could still walk.
When he realized his legs were still functioning, he glared at Yi Bo and said, "Are you insane, or are you even a doctor? Do you even know how to give an injection properly? I can't believe this!"
Yi Bo shrugged, then discarded the syringe in the trash bin, smiling smugly. "Don't worry, I looked it up on Google and saw how to do it before giving you the injection. You needed it because you weren't taking your medicine."
Zhan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How dare you practice injections on me? What if I end up limping for the rest of my life? Do you even know which vein to inject? Whatever happens to my legs, I'll hold you responsible, or I'll make sure yours are ruined too."
Yi Bo chuckled. "Relax, nothing bad will happen to you. You'll just feel better." He pointed to one of the bags, "Here are some clothes if you need to put something on." With that, he headed to the bathroom.
Zhan sat back on the bed, deep in thought. After Yi Bo came out of the bathroom, Zhan picked up the clothes and went in to shower.
In the morning, Zhan was sitting on the bed waiting for Yi Bo to come out of the bathroom when he heard Yi Bo's phone ring. He looked at the mirror in surprise, as he hadn't noticed the phone before and had never heard it ring, only vibrate. Slowly, he got up and walked over to the mirror. The name "Mom" was displayed on the screen. He had just picked it up when Yi Bo suddenly opened the bathroom door and rushed toward him, saying, "Hey!"
Startled, Zhan turned around with the phone in his hand, only to see Yi Bo standing naked, covered in soap suds. Zhan's eyes widened, and he let out a scream before kneeling on the floor, covering his face with his knees in panic. Yi Bo walked over, grabbed the phone from his hand, and went back to the bathroom. Even though Zhan heard the door close, he didn't dare look up.
After about a minute, Zhan slowly lifted his head, noticing the soap bubbles still on his hand from where Yi Bo had snatched the phone. He pouted, got up weakly, and went to the other side of the bed, lying down with his back to the bathroom door. He could hear Yi Bo come out about fifteen minutes later, but he stayed silent until Yi Bo left the room.
By around eight o'clock, Zhan had grown tired of lying down and got up to take a shower. After drying himself, he put on the clothes he had taken off earlier. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning his head back against it, staring at the TV though his mind wasn't really focused on it. Yi Bo opened the door and entered the room. Zhan glanced at him once but didn't look at him again. He noticed that Yi Bo had changed his clothes, but Yi Bo didn't glance in his direction either. He picked up the towel that was lying on the bed and went into the bathroom.
Yi Bo then came out and threw the medicines he had bought for Zhan the previous day onto the floor beside him, frowning. "So you're perfectly fine, and I ended up wasting my money at the pharmacy?" he said.
Without looking at him, Zhan replied, "It's my father's money, after all." Yi Bo stared at him without blinking, then said, "True, it's your father's money. So why don't we head back to my village for breakfast at my house? That way, you can say it's my father's money, not someone else's."
Zhan quickly glanced at him, watching as he gathered his things. He summoned the courage to ask, "Which village are you taking me to for breakfast?" Without answering, Yi Bo headed for the door, saying, "I'll be waiting outside." Zhan shouted, "There's no way you're taking me back to that village. Don't you fear what might happen to me?" Yi Bo turned around, arms crossed, leaning against the door, and replied, "Well, we'll see."
Zhan said, "I'm not going, and that's final. Didn't you say we'd only stay there for two days? You can't force me to go back."
Yi Bo said, "Alright, I'll show you that I can. And when we go back, we'll stay for a month before leaving. That way, you won't complain about me spending your father's money anymore."
Zhan, in a state of panic, said, "Please, I'm begging you to stop saying that. If you take me back to that village, I'll die for sure."
Yi Bo replied, "Well then, let's go and see how many days you can last before that happens."
Zhan pleaded, "Please, have mercy on me."
After a few seconds of silence, Yi Bo said, "Alright, I won't take you back to the village. But on one condition."
Zhan asked, "What is it?"
Yi Bo stared at him for about thirty seconds before saying, "I know that no matter what, we'll eventually part ways. So when the time comes, I want you to promise that, no matter what happens, you'll tell your parents it was your decision to break up, not mine."
Zhan, still staring at him in disbelief, said, "Then why don't we break up right now? There's no one to tell anyway. No one will know except the two of us."
Yi Bo tilted his head, asking, "So, how do you think we'll part ways now?"
Zhan shifted his position and responded, "We'll just sign the divorce papers. No one will know but us."
Yi Bo raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think will happen if we do that?"
Zhan shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing. You live your life, and I'll live mine. I might even leave you the house, just swing by to grab my stuff. You could rent it out and keep the money if you want."
Yi Bo gave a small smile, adjusting his posture. "So, you'll just go back to your reckless lifestyle, right?"
Zhan shot him a look, offended. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm being reckless? Are you calling me irresponsible?"
With a bitter smile, Yi Bo replied, "I'm not going to do what you want right now, but just know that time is coming, sooner than you think."
Zhan pouted, his voice sharper. "For me, the time you're talking about and now are the same."
Yi Bo shrugged. "Better to wait until it's the right time."
Zhan fell silent, but in his mind, he thought it wasn't such a big deal. His goal was to part ways for good. He looked back at Yi Bo and asked, "You're promising we'll part ways, right?"
Yi Bo nodded. "I promise. If you want us to separate, we will."
A wave of relief washed over Zhan. "Then when the time comes, I'll be the one to tell my parents it was my decision. Nothing to do with you."
Yi Bo agreed, "Okay."
Zhan continued, "But I have my own terms. If you want me to do what you ask, you have to meet my conditions too."
Yi Bo leaned back. "I'm listening."
Zhan listed off, "First, I want to keep going to school. Second, you can't stop anyone from coming to see me—not my friends, not anyone. Third, I want a spare key to the house. And lastly, I want to keep my phone."
Yi Bo observed him for a moment. Zhan widened his eyes, adding, "Come on, these are minor things. They won't cost you anything. Your demands, on the other hand, could get me disowned by my family. But I've agreed to them."
Yi Bo replied calmly, "I'll agree to two of your requests. If that's not enough, then we'll just keep living the way we are. And everyone will continue knowing you as the husband of your family's driver."
Zhan grimaced. "Alright, which two?"
Yi Bo said, "No school for you, and no phone."
Zhan thought for a moment. He'd still get to have visitors, and he'd get a spare key. Finally, he sighed. "Fine, I accept."
Yi Bo added, "One last condition, just as important as the others."
Zhan asked, "What now?"
Yi Bo met his eyes. "You won't look or touch my phone until the day we part ways."
Zhan scoffed, "What do I care about your flashlight phone?"
Yi Bo nodded, satisfied. "Alright." With that, he turned and left the room. Zhan grabbed his bag of medicines and followed him out. At the reception, Yi Bo handed over the room key before heading to the parking lot. Zhan followed closely behind, when a hotel cleaner approached them.
"Ah, Mr. Xiao! Long time no see! How are your friends?" the cleaner greeted.
Zhan smiled. "All good. How's work?"
The cleaner glanced at Yi Bo, who was walking away. "Oh, so you're here with your..."
Zhan quickly interjected, "No, he's just the family driver. He brought me here to pick something up."
Yi Bo, already at the car, smiled slightly without turning back. The cleaner, now unsure, didn't greet Yi Bo further and said, "Oh, I thought he was your partner. You look so alike! Well, regards to your friends."
By then, Yi Bo had already gotten into the driver's seat. Zhan opened the back door, got in, and locked the door behind him.
~~~~~
They drove home in silence. Once they arrived, Yi Bo got out, locked the gate, and unlocked the front door. Zhan followed him into the living room without a word. Zhan sighed and headed straight to his room.
Zhan slept soundly after reaching his room, waking around 11:30 AM, hungry. He showered and brushed his teeth before emerging, only to find the living room empty. Hesitating in front of Yi Bo's door, he decided not to knock and sat down on a sofa to wait for him to come out.
The front door opened suddenly, and Zhan turned to see Yi Bo entering with a bag in hand. After a brief glance, Zhan looked away. Casually, he said, "Give me the keys. I'm going out to buy some food. Later, I'll head to the market for clothes since I donated mine in your village."
Yi Bo shook his head. "That wasn't part of our deal. Whatever you need will be bought and stored for you."
Zhan glared at him. "Fine. Then go get me ingredients for a meal. As for the clothes, if you know my size and designers, feel free to buy them."
Yi Bo smirked. "Only when I feel like it." He then headed to the kitchen for a plate. Zhan quickly snatched the bag of food and locked himself in his room.
Inside, he found shrimp fried rice with lots of meat and side dishes. He laughed, settled down, and started eating.
Around 3 PM, Lu Jie called Yi Bo. After a brief greeting, she said, "I plan to come today. Can you pass the phone to my brother?"
Yi Bo responded, "I'll let him know. See you soon."
Zhan, who had been locked in his room since snatching the food, remained silent after eating, catching up on sleep.
By 5 PM, Lu Jie arrived. Yi Bo opened the gate for her, "Good evening Mrs. Cao I hope you are doing okay" he greeted her. She smiled and said, "I'm fine, but drop the formalities, please. Just call me Lu Jie."
"Alright, Lu Jie," Yi Bo responded as they entered the living room.
"He's in his room. You can go in," Yi Bo said.
"Could you ask him to come out?" Lu Jie requested.
Yi Bo shook his head. "No, just go in."
With that, she walked over and gently knocked on Zhan's door. Zhan, surprised by the knock, opened it to find his sister. His eyes widened as he hugged her. "When did you get here?"
"Three days ago," she replied with a smile.
Zhan's face darkened, and he turned back into his room. Lu Jie followed, closing the door behind her.
Zhan said, "Since you left, you haven't even asked about me. Every day you call that driver and chat with him. Have you forgotten about me, Jie?"
Lu Jie replied, "I called, but he wouldn't let me speak to you. He said you didn't want us talking."
Zhan smiled. "Well, we've already sorted things out this morning, and we have a plan."
"What plan?" she asked.
"You don't need to know. Where is Aunty Bing?" Zhan deflected.
Lu Jie handed him her phone. "She said you should call her when I got here."
Zhan smiled, took the phone, and called Aunty Bing. When she answered, she asked, "Lu, are you at the house already?"
"Aunt, it's me," Zhan replied.
"Oh, Zhan! That annoying man always takes the phone, thinking he can control everything, huh?"
Zhan scowled. "Exactly, Aunt."
"We'll see about that," Aunty Bing said. "I'll bring you a new phone, and I'll make sure he hands it to you himself."
"Aunt, do you know what he did to me?" Zhan asked.
She widened her eyes. "What did he do?"
Zhan told her the story of how Yi Bo took him to the village and how he almost died.
Aunty Bing, clearly furious, said, "That man married you and now thinks he can act high and mighty? He's nothing but a villager!"
Zhan added, "Aunt, I didn't fully despise him until I went to that village. Now, I despise him completely. They don't even have electricity there, and the food... I can't describe it. I was so sick, almost dying, before he finally brought me back to the city."
"That's what happens when a poor man tries to play rich. You've seen how he pretends in the city, but he's just a villager at heart. No way are you going back there," Aunty Bing reassured him. "I'll come in a day or two, son."
"Alright, Aunt. Don't forget the phone, and make sure he hands it to me in front of you," Zhan said.
"Don't worry, I'll be there," Aunty Bing promised before they ended the call.
Lu Jie, who had been watching, asked, "Do you know that Mama is sick, Zhan?"
Zhan looked at her, surprised. "Really? No one told me."
Lu Jie nodded. "She's sick. Should I call her so you can speak?"
After a brief pause, Zhan replied, "No, I'll call her later tonight."
"Alright," Lu Jie said quietly.
"If you're hungry, there's ramen in the kitchen. You can make it," Zhan added, dismissively.
Lu Jie left the room and, seeing ingredients in the kitchen, decided to cook a full meal instead. While chopping vegetables, she heard Yi Bo's voice behind her, "Good job."
Startled, she turned and smiled. "Thank you."
"When are you leaving?" Yi Bo asked.
"In about a week," she replied.
"Are you staying here with him?" he inquired further.
She shook her head. "No, I'll leave tomorrow. I don't want to overstay my welcome."
"You can stay as long as you like," he offered, smiling before leaving the kitchen.
***
Around 7 p.m., Yi Bo was sitting in the living room when Lu Jie came out to get food for herself and Zhan. Seeing Yi Bo there, she returned to Zhan's room and said, "Go serve your husband some food. I haven't served him yet."
Zhan, surprised, replied, "Why should I serve him food? Did you cook it with him?" Lu Jie didn't respond and left the room.
Zhan muttered, "Look at her care, asking me to serve him like he's my husband. He can starve for all I care." Frustrated, he attempted to call Leo again, but his phone was still off. Exhausted, Zhan lay back on his pillow, feeling on the verge of tears after his sister's visit and the continued failed attempts to reach Leo.
Meanwhile, Lu Jie served Yi Bo his food and returned to the kitchen to get her and Zhan's meals. Zhan barely ate, too preoccupied with his frustration over Leo. After eating, Lu Jie lay down on the bed and began scrolling through her phone.
By 10 p.m., noticing that Zhan still hadn't eaten much, she took the plate back to the kitchen. As she returned, Yi Bo asked, "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead," Lu Jie said, standing behind the sofa.
"That guy who came to the house the other day, how long have he and Zhan been together?"
"Leo?" Lu Jie asked. "Yes, Leo. Zhan doesn't care about anyone else but him. They've been together for nearly three years now."
"Oh, you know him well then?" Yi Bo asked.
"Of course," Lu Jie said, widening her eyes. "He's the only son of former General Wang..."
Before she could continue, Zhan stormed out from behind the corridor pillar, his voice dripping with anger. "What do you know about him? You're talking about his father as if you know them! What if this guy uses his village tricks against him?"
Zhan glared at Yi Bo. "You don't know him, and you never will. Did you come here just to gossip about me? I would've sent you away already!"
Lu Jie, shocked at his rudeness, stood speechless. Zhan, still fuming, continued, "Now you're trying to say I prefer Aunty Bing over Mama? They're the same to me. And as for gossiping, since when do men gossip?" He shot a glare at Yi Bo.
"And since you've seen what you came for, get your handbag and leave. You're not staying in my house."
Lu Jie, her face pale, walked to the room to collect her things. Zhan glared at Yi Bo but soon followed her. As she reached the door, Zhan grabbed her arm. "Where are you going at this hour?"
Tears filled her eyes as she pulled away and opened the door. Zhan quickly followed, pleading, "I was just joking. Where are you going this late?" But she was already outside.
Zhan, now feeling dejected, turned to Yi Bo. "Please, talk to her. I didn't mean it that way."
Yi Bo remained silent, forcing Zhan to run after her. He found Lu Jie sitting at the gate, crying. Tears welled up in his eyes as well as he knelt before her, saying, "Please forgive me. I didn't mean it. I wasn't upset with you; it was him."
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛