Zhuo was perplexed as he parked exactly where YiBo had told him to wait. He watched the soldiers stationed across from him, though they were a distance away, and his mouth hung open in confusion as he scanned the area. "Where exactly did YiBo ask me to come? And why would he tell me to wait here?" he wondered. He noticed three of the soldiers approaching his car quickly, and he had no idea what to say to them when they arrived. In the distance, he finally saw YiBo coming toward him from the direction where the soldiers had created barriers.
The three soldiers reached him and signaled for him to get out of the car, their faces stern and unforgiving. Zhuo calmly turned off his car, stepped out, and greeted them. Instead of returning his greeting, they sternly asked where he was from and what he was doing there. Zhuo mustered the courage to point at YiBo, who was approaching, and said, "I was waiting for him."
YiBo quickly exited from behind the barrier when he saw the soldiers stopping Zhuo. He waved to the other soldiers who were sitting nearby and headed toward Zhuo. As soon as the soldiers in front of Zhuo saw YiBo, they turned and went back to their positions.
Smiling, YiBo said, "Sorry to keep you standing. Welcome."
Zhuo stared at him, still surprised. Finally, he asked, "Where exactly are we, YiBo?" YiBo circled around to the other side of the car, clearly avoiding the question, and said, "Let's go inside. We can't stay here."
Zhuo got back into his car, still puzzled, while YiBo said, "Let's move ahead." Zhuo glanced at him with a curious expression and asked, "Where are we going?"
YiBo pointed towards the barriers where the soldiers were stationed, indicating that they would pass through. Without looking at him, YiBo said, "We're going forward; it's the way." Zhuo asked, "Do you mean we're going past those soldiers?" YiBo replied, "Don't worry. I told you, it's the road everyone uses." After a few seconds, Zhuo started the car and carefully drove forward, noticing the soldiers lifting the barrier as he approached. He drove through, still cautious.
As they entered, Zhuo glanced at YiBo and asked again, "So, where exactly are we?" YiBo pointed ahead and said, "Just a little further; it's not too far." Zhuo continued driving carefully, as the security around them was no joke... very tight, with stern, unsmiling faces all around.
As they drove, Zhuo kept glancing at the surroundings, taking in everything. After a few minutes, YiBo pointed out a gate and said, "Honk at that black gate over there."
Zhuo turned to look at YiBo, who avoided eye contact and honked the horn himself. The soldiers nearby approached the car, but as soon as they saw YiBo, they returned to their posts, and the gate was opened. YiBo said, "Drive in," and Zhuo pulled the car into the compound. YiBo directed him where to park. From the look on Zhuo's face, it was clear he was completely baffled. He was more than confused.
YiBo got out of the car and walked around, looking at Zhuo. Zhuo also got out, staring back at YiBo but unable to say anything. With a slight smile, YiBo said, "It's been a while. It's a pleasure to meet you again." Slowly, Zhuo responded, "Now tell me, why did you choose to hide your identity? Why?"
YiBo lowered his eyes and said, "I had no choice, Zhuo. But the best part is, I meant no harm to your family. Some things are better left unsaid. And remember, this is my father's house, not mine. A man doesn't boast about his father's house. Everything you see here belongs to him, and I am not him in any way."
Without waiting for Zhuo's response, YiBo grabbed his hand and said, "Let's go inside." They left the spot, but Zhuo couldn't stop watching YiBo. The main question on his mind was, "What exactly is YiBo doing here at my house? What's his purpose in coming and insisting on driving? Driving??"
From the beginning, Zhuo knew there was something mysterious about YiBo, and today, he felt like he had uncovered some of that mystery.
When they entered the living room, YiBo released his hand. Fen, who was sitting in the living room, watched them as they walked, but neither YiBo nor Zhuo paid her any attention as they headed upstairs. Zhuo couldn't hide how impressed he was by everything he saw, and he felt genuinely happy for his younger brother. When they reached the upstairs living room, YiBo looked at him and said, "This is my mother's section. You will meet her."
Zhuo smiled and said, "Sure." They entered the first room and then the second. Nia, who was sitting alone and scrolling on her phone, looked up when the door opened. Zhuo knocked before entering, following YiBo's lead. Nia glanced at YiBo and then at Zhuo. YiBo smiled at her and said, "Meet my friend, Xiao Zhuo."
Nia greeted Zhuo warmly, and he responded with a calm smile before sitting on the couch. YiBo went into his mother's room, and after a few minutes, he returned with her. Lily greeted Zhuo with a warm smile, and Zhuo couldn't help but notice how much she resembled YiBo. YiBo sat next to Zhuo, looked at his mother, and said, "Mom, this is Zhan's older brother. His name is Zhuo."
His mom said, "Oh, you are welcome, son." YiBo smiled, gratefully patting Zhou on the shoulder, and said, "They are the kindest family I've met so far. They made my stay with them unforgettable, and I felt completely at home the whole time. I owe them for that."
Zhou just smiled. His mom added, "That's so lovely to hear." Zhou wished he could express how happy he was for his little brother at that moment. His constant hope for Zhan was that he would find happiness after everything he had been through. Zhou prayed that Zhan's marriage to YiBo would bring him lasting joy. He saw Zhan as a strong young man. If it had been someone else going through all of that, he knew they would have broken down, but Zhan endured it all.
While YiBo was speaking about the kindness he received in Beijing, Zhou's mind was elsewhere. Everything felt like a dream. YiBo's mom had already called the housemaid to bring drinks and small snacks. Ru entered the living room, holding her laptop, intending to grab the charger she had left behind. She smiled at Zhou and said, "Good evening."
With a smile, Zhou replied, "Good evening, dear."
After picking up her charger, she was about to leave when YiBo called out, "Can you please call your new friend?"
Ru paused and asked, "You mean Zhan?"
"Yeah," he replied.
She nodded and said, "Sure," then left the room.
She found Zhan lying on the bed. As he turned to look at her, she noticed something off and asked, "Are you okay?"
Zhan just nodded and sat up. Ru, noticing the tears in his eyes, asked, "But why are there tears in your eyes?"
Zhan shook his head, trying to hold himself together, and said with forced strength, "I'm fine, it's just a headache..."
Concerned, Ru replied, "Oh, I'll get you some medicine. By the way, you're being called to the living room."
Zhan swallowed the lump in his throat and, with great effort, said, "Okay." He assumed it was Ru's mom calling him, so he got out of bed and slowly followed Ru out of the room.
On the way, they bumped into Tin. She was dressed to go out. Ru asked, "Are you heading out, big sis?"
Tin ignored her, brushing past them, almost bumping into Zhan. He watched her walk away without saying a word. After Tin had passed, Ru lowered her voice and said apologetically, "Sorry... she's probably upset with you because you barged into the living room earlier when we came back from school. You didn't knock, and you didn't acknowledge them, which wasn't right."
Zhan looked at her and said, "How could I have entered without knocking? They probably just didn't hear me, or maybe I didn't knock loudly enough. Besides, they were busy talking. How could they have heard me?"
Ru replied, "You just need to raise your voice, and they'll hear. And why didn't you acknowledge them?"
Zhan raised his eyebrows and said, "Do I have to?"
"Yes," Ru answered. "As long as you walked in and saw them there, you should acknowledge them."
Zhan shrugged and said, "I'll greet your sister, but as for the other one, I don't know her, so why would I?"
Ru sighed and said, "But she's my brother's fiancée."
Zhan's eyes widened slightly, "Oh, so she's just the fiancée?"
"Yeah," Ru replied. "And she's going to be his wife soon."
Zhan said flatly, "Then I'll wait until she's actually his wife, if that's possible, before I acknowledge her."
Ru frowned slightly and said, "Now admit you were wrong, Zhan."
Zhan nodded slightly, "I admit it, but only about your sister."
Ru shrugged, "Alright, then. Can I ask you one more thing?"
Without looking at her, Zhan said, "Okay."
"I noticed you don't greet my brother. Why?"
Zhan looked at her in surprise. After a pause, he replied, "But you told me I should avoid him entirely."
Ru stopped in her tracks, her mouth open in shock. Then, she burst into laughter. After a few moments, she said, "But you never told me it was you! You said it was your friend."
Zhan's eyes widened, and he stammered, "Oh, oh… I... I meant to say..."
He trailed off, feeling embarrassed. Ru continued laughing, "You're so funny, Zhan! I didn't tell you not to greet him, I just said to avoid him. But that doesn't mean you should ignore greeting him."
Zhan remained silent, refusing to respond. Ru tilted her head and said softly, "My brother is really kind, you know. You just misunderstood him. Try being friends with him, and you'll see what I mean. He's simple and sweet. Please, give it a try."
Zhan remained silent and continued walking with Ru following behind until they reached YiBo's mother's living room. Zhan only saw YiBo sitting on the couch, along with Nia, who was also in the room. He didn't even notice Tin standing on one side. Zhan turned to look at Ru to ask who had called him, but just then, his eyes locked with Zhuo, who stood by the door with his arms crossed, smiling warmly at him. Zhan froze in place, feeling like he was dreaming. He stared at Zhuo without blinking. Seeing this, Zhuo walked toward him, smiling, and embraced him.
Zhuo understood that Zhan was in shock and hadn't expected to see him at that moment. Zhan clung tightly to him and burst into tears, wanting to speak but unable to say anything. YiBo and Nia just watched, as did Tin, who remained standing silently. Ru, who was smiling, realized this must be Zhan's older brother. Tin couldn't move from her spot either, watching Zhan cry. Zhuo softly asked, "Aren't you happy to see me, little brother?"
In a shaky voice, Zhan replied, "Please, don't leave me here, Zhuo ge. I can't stay here. Take me back home. I'll beg Paa to forgive me." Only Zhuo could hear what Zhan was saying. Zhuo spoke softly, "You're a married man now, Zhan. You have to stay where your husband is."
Zhan cried harder, clinging to him. Zhuo took his hand and led him to sit on the couch, wiping away his tears that refused to stop. YiBo silently watched them. Zhuo said, "Now stop crying, or I'll leave. And I'm serious."
Immediately, Zhan began wiping his eyes, looking at Zhuo, trying to stop crying. He rested his head on Zhuo's shoulder.
~~~~~
Zhan hadn't felt this happy in a long time. They were sitting outside the house, he and Zhuo, after leaving Lily's living room. Zhuo watched Zhan, noticing how much healthier and more handsome he looked, though he had lost some weight. Zhuo couldn't wait to return home and tell their mother the good news; maybe she would finally have some peace of mind.
Zhan spoke quietly, "Zhuo-ge, do you think Paa will ever forgive me? I didn't know anything about what happened."
Zhuo widened his eyes, trying to comfort him. "He'll forgive you, little brother. But you have to live peacefully with your husband… I'm assuring you, that's the only way Paa will forgive you. He told me that himself."
Zhan was silent, staring at Zhuo. Zhuo continued, "Yes, that's what he said when I begged him on your behalf. So, try to live peacefully with your husband and accept him."
Tears filled Zhan's eyes. "But he doesn't love me, Zhuo-ge. We don't even like each other."
Zhuo shook his head. "If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have brought you to his family's home. You're the one who doesn't want peace, Zhan. Even if he doesn't love you, teach him how to love you." Zhan only continued to cry, saying nothing. Zhuo added, "I know it's hard, dear, but be patient. Everything will work out, and one day, you'll be happy to be his spouse."
In a trembling voice, Zhan said, "But he keeps looking down on me just because his family is wealthy."
Zhuo laughed. "Well, didn't you do the same to him when you were at your place?"
Zhan frowned. "No, I didn't. And he's the one who keeps teasing me."
Zhuo replied, "Well, it's not about that anymore. All I want from you is to love and accept him, Zhan."
Zhan pouted, not saying anything. Zhuo continued to give him advice, and although Zhan listened, he felt like he wouldn't be able to do most of what Zhuo suggested.
After YiBo gave them at least 40 minutes alone, he came out to join them, along with Ru. Eventually, the driver and Tin took Nia home. Nia didn't mind leaving since YiBo had a guest. Ru, on the other hand, was surprised by Zhan, as she had never imagined he could talk and even laugh like that. YiBo, however, just glanced at him from the corner of his eye occasionally. As night began to fall, they all went back inside.
Zhan and Ru returned to YiBo's mother's living room, where the maid brought Zhuo's dinner to the living room. Ru looked at her mother and said, "Mom, brother said I should take it to his room."
Her mother replied, "Then take it there."
Ru stood up, looking at Zhan. "I can't take all of this alone."
Zhan, as if waiting for this moment, quickly stood up. Ever since they had come inside, he had felt uneasy, even though Zhuo had assured him he wasn't leaving. He grabbed a tray and followed Ru to YiBo's room.
When they entered, only YiBo was there. Zhan avoided making eye contact as he knelt down, carefully placing the tray of food on the table, glancing around the room. Ru said, "brother, here's the food for our guest."
YiBo asked, "What guest?"
Ru stood up, staring at him, while Zhan remained kneeling on the floor, also staring at him without blinking. Finally, YiBo said, "He's already left."
Zhan didn't even realize when he sat down on the cold floor tiles and began crying like a child.
YiBo glanced at Ru and said, "Go make me some coffee."
Ru, feeling a chill run through her, replied, "But he could have at least said goodbye," then slowly left the room, gently closing the door behind her....
Not long enough, manage it I don't feel well yesterday but I'm good now 😊
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛