Zhan had just come out of the bathroom when he saw YiBo sitting at the edge of the bed, his phone in his hands, completely engrossed in it. A mix of shock and fear surged through him. He had no idea how long YiBo had been there. Zhan had just come back from getting a charger from Ru, plugged in his phone, and taken a shower.
Walking slowly, Zhan reached for his top and put it on, as he was only wearing a towel. He glanced at YiBo, who didn't seem to notice his presence, too focused on his phone. Cautiously, Zhan moved toward the end of the bed, trying to peek at what YiBo was doing.
YiBo was on WhatsApp, scrolling through all of Zhan's chats with Ryan from the very beginning. Zhan's heart sank, and he panicked, trying to figure out what to do. While the chats weren't explicit, Ryan had a habit of sending flirty messages because he was quite bold. Zhan looked at YiBo's face, noticing the neutral expression as he slowly scrolled through the chats.
Anxiously, Zhan walked over to the door and turned the knob, only to realize it was locked, with no key in sight. He turned back, looking at YiBo as if on the verge of tears. His heart raced, and just as YiBo finished reading the entire chat, he put the phone down and stared blankly at the wall, still showing no emotion.
Zhan's anxiety grew. He wished the door was unlocked so he could flee to YiBo mother's living room. For the next two minutes, YiBo didn't even glance at him, lost in thought. Then, YiBo stood, pocketed the phone, and headed for the door. Watching him go, Zhan quickly asked, "Where are you going with my phone...?"
Before he could finish, YiBo turned around, intent on slapping him hard. Zhan dodged just in time, but the slap still grazed him. He clutched his cheek in shock, staring at YiBo with wide eyes. YiBo's eyes had turned red with anger. Abandoning the idea of leaving, YiBo grabbed Zhan and shoved him against the wall, his voice low and menacing as he said, "I thought the nonsense you pulled before was enough for you."
"I thought it was over, but I guess I was wrong. Now you continue your filth through your phone, picking up where you left off..."
Zhan struggled to hold back his tears, his lips trembling, and his eyes filled with unshed tears. He stammered, "I've...never... done anything wrong, I'm not... that kind of person..."
YiBo roared in anger, his voice shaking Zhan to the core, causing his stomach to clench in fear. "What don't I know about you? Tell me, what part of your disgusting past am I unaware of? You lie to people, pretending you're innocent...have you no shame? You turned yourself into a taxi cab for men, leaving the house at night and returning at dawn. I found drugs and condoms in your bag. What were you doing with them?"
"You've even taken drugs... there's no hotel or club in Beijing that you haven't been to. Sometimes when I think about your past life, I regret ever agreeing to marry you just to please your parents. I regret it so much. You disgust me before, and I want you to know that I wouldn't care if we weren't married. You're not worthy of being with me. I'm better than you in every way, and I will never feel comfortable introducing you to anyone as my spouse. The only way I find peace is by ignoring the fact that we're married. No decent person would ever be proud to have you as a life partner."
"You have a filthy past, and yet here you are, texting some random guy and telling him you've never kissed anyone or been touched. Aren't you ashamed of lying? You, of all people, who gave away your dignity in hotel rooms. Isn't that how someone got a video of you that was shared with the world? I know you're uncomfortable right now without a man because that's what you're used to. That's why you're texting another man, even while you're married, talking on the phone because you don't respect our marriage."
Zhan lifted his head, refusing to let the tears fall, and looked at YiBo. "I've heard enough. Just sign the divorce papers and give them to me. Just fucking divorce me because, yes, I really hate you."
YiBo yanked him closer, glaring at him with fury. "Who are you to tell me what to do? I won't give you the divorce. If you have the guts, sign it yourself!" With that, he shoved Zhan so hard that he nearly fell. YiBo stormed toward the door, flung it open, and left the room in a rage.
***
Fang sat in the living room with Aunty Yu, who was eating a fruit salad. Fang said, "Have you ever heard of a wedding dowry costing a hundred millions, plus all the expensive stuff? It completely baffles me."
Aunty Yu put her bowl down and replied, "Well, it's no surprise with that one. Lily would demand it. But as for me, I don't care about this wedding. If it's this wedding, I can assure you it won't happen. I'd rather YiBo stay single than marry into that. If it's for show, then it's best he stays as he is."
Fang pursed her lips but said nothing. Aunty Yu continued, "And as for that other man, if he stops his foolishness, he'll be the first to marry in this house. It's not too late for him to settle down and have his own wedding."
Fang asked, "Isn't he supposed to be arriving tomorrow?"
Aunty Yu nodded, "That's what he said." Fang remarked, "Well, he won't tolerate YiBo's new antics when he arrives. You know they've never really gotten along."
Aunty Yu chuckled, "Exactly why I pushed him to come back. Do you think Leo will go easy on him? Unless I'm not the one who gave birth to him."
Fang burst into laughter. "When he arrives, make sure to push him to propose. Since it's wedding season, let him get married too."
Aunty Yu smirked, "Just watch. At least Leo is ready for marriage. YiBo, on the other hand, is just wasting money without any plans for a wedding."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and they both fell silent.
Meanwhile, in her room, Aunty Bing was talking to Zhang. She said, "If you're going to talk, then speak up properly. What's with mumbling replies? Are you not feeling well?"
Zhang sighed, "I told you, I received it earlier."
Aunty Bing responded, "Alright then. Just make sure to call Zhuo to double-check. He barely gets anything these days. Who knows where he is?"
Zhang stayed quiet, and Aunty Bing pressed further, "I know you tend to hide your feelings. If you're not well, come home for treatment. Don't go making things worse. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
Zhang replied, "I'm fine, really."
"Good. Have you heard from Zhan?" she asked. Zhang shook his head and said, "No."
She sighed, "That's life, I suppose. It's like he just disappeared, and now even the driver's phone isn't reachable?"
"Yes," Zhang confirmed.
"Alright, you seem tired. Goodnight then," Aunty Bing said softly.
"Goodnight," Zhang replied, his voice barely above a whisper before she ended the call.
She then dialed Zan Jin's number, eager to hear how Zhan was doing in the village where the driver had taken him. As soon as the phone started ringing, Zan Jin picked up. After exchanging pleasantries, Aunty Bing remarked, "It's been a while since you visited us."
Zan Jin responded, "No, it's not like that, Aunty. I've been unwell myself. I spent a few days in the hospital, and they were about to operate on my eye, but they canceled it. I've only just started going out again, and even now, if I go out during the day, the pain in my eye is unbearable."
Aunty Bing was concerned, "Oh no, I'm so sorry. If I had known, I would've come to check on you."
Zan Jin reassured her, "It's alright, Aunty. How's everyone at home?"
"They're all fine. I just thought to call and ask if you've heard anything about your friend Zhan. It's been a month since anyone's seen him, like he just vanished," she said.
Zan Jin sighed, "Actually, Xin and I were just talking about that yesterday. Do you know something strange?"
Aunty Bing asked, "No, what happened?"
Zan Jin explained, "Before they left town, they came to visit me in the hospital. And the driver, Lee... his English was perfect, like a native speaker."
She was silent for a moment before responding, "English? Really?"
Zan Jin replied, "Yes, perfect English."
"Well, he did say he went to high school, so it makes sense. If he's not a dumb , he should know some English. But I'm sure his education stopped at high school," She remarked.
Zan Jin stayed quiet before adding, "Now, aren't you going to ask Paa to reach out and..."
She cut him off quickly, "No, don't even mention it. Just talking about it will raise his blood pressure, which is why I've stopped bringing it up altogether. I was just wondering where they could be."
Zan Jin replied, "Leo called He Peng two days ago, asking about Zhan's whereabouts, but we told him we didn't know either."
Aunty Bing was quiet for a while before saying, "Well, even if they don't get married, there's no way leo's parents will ever approve of him marrying someone like Zhan."
Zan Jin agreed, "That's true."
She concluded, "We'll just have to see how things unfold. In the meantime, keep searching for Zhan."
"Will do, Aunty," Zan Jin replied before they said their goodbyes and ended the call.
In the morning, Ru finished getting ready for school around 10 a.m. After saying goodbye to her mom, she looked at YiBo, who was sitting in the living room scrolling through his phone, and said, "Big brother, I'll be back later." He looked up and asked, "Isn't your friend going to class?" She replied, "I saw him lying down. He said he's not going, and I don't think he's feeling well." YiBo didn't respond as she left the living room. Not long after, Tin entered to greet their mom before leaving as well. She looked at him and said, "Big brother, aren't you going to see Nia today? You know you didn't do right yesterday. She made everything you asked for, but you didn't show up. You really upset her." He replied, "I'll go." She said, "You better, because she's very upset." He remained silent as she left the living room.
His phone began ringing. He glanced at it and saw that it was Lu Jie. She had tried calling the night before to check on them but he had been on another call and hadn't called back until now. After their usual greetings, YiBo noticed she sounded off and asked, "Are you okay, Lu Jie? You sound stressed." She responded, "I'm fine. I just woke up. How's Zhan?" YiBo said, "He's alright. When are you planning to come visit us?" She hesitated before saying, "There's still time." He asked, "Are you sure you won't go home for the weekend to see your parents? Or would you like to come visit your brother instead?" She paused and then said, "I'd love that." YiBo responded, "Alright, I'll talk to Zhuo about it later. If he agrees, I'll come to Guangzhou tomorrow to pick you up." She replied softly, "Okay, I appreciate it." He ended the call, saying, "Take care, Jie." She responded, "Sure."
Lily walked in, and YiBo asked, "Mom, are you going out?" She replied, "Yes, I'm going out with Fang. We're attending a condolence..." YiBo asked, "Okay, will you be gone long?" She said, "Not too long, but I might stop by Nia's place." He nodded and replied, "Alright." She added, "I have something to discuss with you when I get back." YiBo looked at her and asked, "What's it about, Mom?" She said, "You'll find out when I return."
YiBo watched her leave the living room and heard them exiting the house with the escort about fifteen minutes later. He stood up and left their part of the house, heading to his room. Lying down, he was deep in thought when a call from Nia came through.
He stared at his phone until the call ended, then picked it up and called her back. Sounding drowsy, he said, "I'll call you later, Nia. I'm still in bed..." When he heard her say nothing, he asked, "Hello?" She responded, "Okay." He hung up and sat up in bed. After five minutes, he glanced at the clock, which read 10:30 a.m. He stood up, grabbed Zhan's phone from the mirror stand, and left the room.
Ryan had called five times the previous night, and again this morning, but YiBo had ignored the calls. He headed straight to Zhan's room and opened the door. Zhan was still lying in bed, completely covered by the duvet. YiBo walked over, pulled off the duvet, and tossed the phone beside him. With a stern expression, he said, "Call him right now and tell him not to call you again. Do it immediately."
Zhan didn't open his eyes or acknowledge him, so YiBo's frown deepened as he demanded, "Are you ignoring me?" Zhan got up, intending to head to the bathroom, but YiBo grabbed him. Zhan burst into tears, pushing YiBo away with a shaky voice, "Leave me alone! Why don't you tell him yourself? Why do I have to do it?"
YiBo gave him a hard stare and asked, "Are you talking to me like that?" Zhan shouted through his tears, "Yes, I am! Tell him yourself and stop bothering me! Or better yet, call Aunty Bella and have her tell him!" He started crying harder, sinking to the floor. YiBo watched him quietly until Zhan stood up to leave.
YiBo grabbed him again, but Zhan swatted his hand away and cried, "Let me go! I won't spend another night in your house. I'd rather go to my grandma's. I know she'll accept me. It's not like I don't have anywhere to go!"
YiBo stared at him and said, "With whose permission will you go to her?" Sobbing, Zhan said, "I swear, if you don't let me go, I'll tell everyone in this house that we're married! You heard me... I swear it." YiBo stared at him in shock, mouth slightly open. As Zhan tried to free himself, YiBo tightened his grip and said, "So, you're aware we're married, yet you keep entertaining some random guy on the phone and even telling him you love him?"
Zhan swallowed hard and, through his tears, responded, "And what about you? You're entertaining some random woman. Why shouldn't I talk to someone else?"
Despite finding the situation amusing, YiBo forced himself to maintain a stern expression. "Oh, so you think you'll keep talking to him?"
Zhan retorted, "You can't stop me. I never accepted this marriage, not even for a second. I know Ryan would never raise his hand to hit me. You'll have to divorce me so I can marry him because I'm starting to love him."
He tried to pull away again, but YiBo refused to release him, his gaze unwavering.
Zhan, frustrated, started hitting YiBo's chest. Without hesitation, YiBo picked him up and threw him onto the bed. Zhan quickly stopped crying, eyes wide as he watched YiBo's serious expression. YiBo said, "I'll show you who your husband is today, and there's nothing you can do about it. I'm tired of you acting like you're not married. Today, I'll make sure you understand that you are."
Zhan watched in shock as YiBo walked over and locked the door. He made a desperate leap toward the bathroom, but YiBo was quicker and caught him before he could reach it...
Do not skin me alive please... 😂😂 I swear the whole fighting chapters is getting on my nerves too, I know it is too much and annoying ... So tiring and boring, but what can I do🤷 that's how the story is. But.... But.... But... No spoilers 😛🏃🏃🏃
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛