After YiBo left, he called Zhuo, but he didn't answer. Instead, Zhuo stood up and followed him out, clearly heartbroken. He found YiBo standing in the main living room, staring ahead. Zhuo just stood there as well, not saying anything. Finally, YiBo said, "This isn't the right time for that conversation, considering his condition. You need to stop it, please; it's not good for his health."
Zhuo couldn't bring himself to respond, just watching YiBo, who then turned and left the room. Zhuo didn't return to Paa's room but headed slowly to his own, feeling like he was in a nightmare.
Seeing Paa's tears, Grandma burst into an anguished cry, full of bitterness. "Bing, you've wronged us all. You've destroyed us! Despite all his efforts to give his children a good upbringing, to guide them right... you ruined everything".
"First, that video circulating in town, then the disease brought on by…you know exactly what I'm talking about. How could you live with that guilt, Bing? I'm telling you now, this is the end. I can't bear to see you here, and I doubt he can either... not with the damage you've done. For his health, you should pack up and leave!"
Aunty Bing said nothing, just clutched her head and sobbed, while Ren couldn't even lift her own head, tears streaming down her face. Zhan, meanwhile, was in complete confusion. Lu Jie quietly left, unable to endure any more. Aunty Bing finally wiped her tears and stood up to leave, only to hear Paa's voice behind her say softly, "One more thing, Bing…"
She turned to look at him. He asked, "Tell me you had no hand in that video of Zhang."
After a few seconds, she swallowed her sobs and said, "Zhang already told you everything. I had nothing to do with it. The only thing I did was keep quiet once I knew it wasn't Zhan in the video…that's all."
Ren looked up sharply, while Grandma began pacing the room in disbelief. Paa's elder brother sat there speechless as Paa asked, "So, you asked him to hide it?"
Aunty Bing shook her head. "I didn't find out until after he did. I never told him to do that."
Paa sighed. "Very well, you can go. I forgive you. And if I've ever wronged you in any way, I apologize."
Wiping her eyes, she replied, "You never wronged me. May you find peace." With that, she turned to leave, and Grandma followed, still in tears. "Well, don't take too long, Bing! Pack your things and leave now before things get worse between us."
Paa then looked over at Ren, who was watching him through her own tears. Softly, he said, "I'm sorry. I never played my role well as a father. I'm sorry for breaking this family…for everything."
Paa's elder brother managed to say, "Don't talk like that, Didi. Everything that happens in life has a reason. Stop thinking you failed them. You never failed them. You've been and always will be a good father."
Struggling to speak, Paa said to Ren, "Call Zhang for me." Paa's elder brother put a hand on his shoulder and said, "No, not now, Didi. Not until you're feeling better. Let's leave it for now; you need to rest."
Paa nodded without saying more. Ren wiped her tears and quietly left the room. Zhan sat unmoving, crying softly, until he saw Paa looking at him. Then he gathered the courage to kneel beside him and said, voice trembling, "Paa, I'm sorry. This is all happening because of me. I'm the cause of everything. I'm sorry, Paa. Maybe you shouldn't have…"
He couldn't finish as he broke down. Paa simply watched him, unable to say a word, remembering how deeply he'd loved him since childhood. Of all his children, Zhan had always held a special place in his heart, a bond Aunty Bing had used to manipulate and ultimately hurt him and his family.
Seeing Paa's tears, Zhan couldn't contain his own. He laid his head on Paa's shoulder, voice shaking, "I'm so sorry, Paa. I'm so... so sorry."
Paa gently said, "I will always love and cherish you, Zhan. You'll always be my favorite. May you find peace in life, and know that everything has turned out in your favor."
Seeing how heartbroken Zhan was, Paa's elder brother helped him up, saying, "Come on, son, you need to leave." He escorted him to the living room door, then returned to Paa's side.
****
Almost until midnight, Zhan hadn't stopped crying, feeling as though everything was his fault. The condition Ren described about Zhang only worsened his anxiety, and he couldn't stop crying. With all the turmoil, he couldn't bring himself to go to Zhang's room, unsure of what to even say. It was still hard to believe that Zhang was his twin brother.
Ren stepped into the living room when her phone started ringing. Seeing YiBo's name, she answered with a quiet, "Hello." YiBo responded from the other end, "Mother, hope I didn't wake you." Ren replied, "No, I hadn't gone to bed yet." YiBo said, "I just wanted to let you know Zhan's medicine is in the suitcase." Ren said, "Okay, I'll go check."
With that, they said goodnight, and she ended the call. She got up, opened Zhan's suitcase, took out his medication, checked the prescription, and gave it to him. Not long after, Zhan fell into a deep sleep.
Throughout the night, Ren couldn't bring herself to sleep; peace was nowhere in sight. She periodically checked on Zhang in his room before returning to watch over Zhan with the twins beside him. No matter how YiBo tried to convince them to sleep somewhere else, they wouldn't stop crying until he finally let them stay with Zhan.
Meanwhile, Grandma was in Paa's living room, where she refused to leave and insisted on staying overnight. She barely slept, praying for her son's recovery and resolving that she'd make Aunty Bing leave if that's what it took to bring him peace.
As for Aunty Bing, she passed the night just as she had the day... restless, without a wink of sleep. Her blood pressure felt elevated, and in those dark hours, she bitterly regretted every one of her past actions. She kept thinking back to Grandma's words, realizing she had never lacked anything from Paa and had let her own selfish desires ruin everything. Though Paa never showed his love for Zhang openly, he'd always provided for them without fail. Zhang never asked him for anything directly, preferring to go through Aunty Bing, while Zhan would always go to Paa and, without hesitation, Paa would always respond to his requests.
Lu Jie and Zhuo spent the entire night with their father in his room. YiBo occasionally checked on him, then went back to stay with Zhuo. Ren wanted to go see Paa, but couldn't bring herself to do so, knowing Grandma was in his living room and Zhuo was in his bedroom.
Around 2:30 a.m., YiBo went back to check on Paa. After monitoring his heart rate and blood pressure, he turned to leave, but Paa grasped his hand. YiBo looked at him, concerned, and asked, "Father, do you need anything?" Paa slowly opened his mouth and said, "Please, YiBo, just give me a Pavulon injection. I don't want to live, please."
YiBo's eyes widened as he took a step back, staring at Paa in shock, as if he'd seen a ghost. Summoning his courage, he finally said, "Only a coward would do that, and Father, you are not one. I know you're strong. Think about your family." For the first time, Paa broke down and repeatedly begged YiBo, leaving him no chance to say no.
YiBo somehow managed to convince Paa that he'd go get the injection, and as he stepped out, he called Zhuo and Paa's elder brother aside. After their conversation, YiBo stepped outside the mansion, dialing his dad's number, hoping he'd answer if he wasn't asleep.
His dad answered, his voice stern, "Is something wrong for you to call me at this hour?" YiBo replied, "I'm sorry, Dad, but I really need your help…like right now, in the middle of the night…"
****
At just after 4 a.m., Ren managed to fall asleep, exhausted. Around 4:30, YiBo came out of Zhuo's room and headed toward Paa's quarters. Even though he'd checked on him an hour before, he wanted to see him again. He found Grandma asleep in the living room, lightly snoring, though she'd been awake the last time he checked. Walking gently to avoid waking her, YiBo entered Paa's room. Earlier, only Zhuo had been sleeping while Lu Jie was still awake, but now both were sleeping on the floor.
YiBo approached Paa's bed and noticed he wasn't lying in the same position. Leaning down, he carefully administered an injection and, in a soft voice, asked, "Paa, how are you feeling?"
Paa didn't respond. YiBo gently adjusted his pillow to ensure his neck wouldn't hurt, then felt his pulse. He spent more than 20 seconds carefully observing him, then quickly repositioned him and removed the pillow, checking every pulse he could find. YiBo felt his legs weaken beneath him and, without realizing it, sank to his knees. "No... this injection shouldn't work this quickly," he thought, dread sinking into his heart. He whispered, "Please, not now." Tears began to stream down his face.
Just then, Zhuo stirred, saying, "Oh, I must have drifted off..." but YiBo couldn't bring himself to look up. Zhuo sat up, moved closer, and asked, "Did he manage to sleep?" Still crying, YiBo couldn't respond. Zhuo glanced at Paa, then at YiBo, his heart sinking with sudden fear. Kneeling by Paa, he gently shook his hand, calling, "Paa… Paa…" Paa remained motionless.
Lu Jie, startled by Zhuo's loud voice, quickly rose. Zhuo pressed his head to Paa's chest, checking for any heartbeat, but heard nothing. Seeing this, Lu Jie approached, her face contorted with worry. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice.
YiBo remained unable to lift his head, weak and overcome with tears. Zhuo dropped his head against the bed, weeping silently. Grandma, desperate and unable to contain her emotions, left the room and ran to the main living room, screaming and crying.
Ren was the first to come out, panicked, quickly followed by Aunty Bing and Zhan from Ren's quarters. Upon seeing Ren, Grandma screamed, "Ren, my heart is shattered! Tell me this isn't true…" With that, she collapsed onto the floor.
Aunty Bing, trembling, couldn't bring herself to enter the room. Ren, without a second glance at Grandma, rushed to Paa's quarters, Zhan following closely behind her. Just as YiBo stood up and pulled a sheet over Paa's face, Ren entered, seeing Zhuo and Lu Jie both weeping. The shock hit her like a wave, and she fainted, collapsing to the floor. Zhan, with a loud cry, also sank down beside her.
At that moment, YiBo's phone rang. He saw it was the General calling, and, upon answering, he heard, "We're outside the gate. Bring him out." With a trembling voice, YiBo replied, "Dad, something went wrong…"
~~~~~
By dawn, Paa's home was filled with people. Friends, relatives, neighbors, and even colleagues who had heard the sad news gathered, overflowing the parking lot and surrounding areas. Those he'd helped throughout his life arrived, many moved to tears, each bearing witness to his generosity and kindness.
Yang, overcome with grief, retreated to a secluded corner of the house, crying uncontrollably. Sheng and Yin joined him, each of them visibly shaken. Around 3 a.m., General and five of his friends arrived with Lily and Ru. Lily was in shock and, unable to look Ren in the eye, quietly found a seat in the packed living room.
Lily kept replaying her last conversation with Paa, his calm and dignified manner as he spoke. Aunty Bing's cries echoed through the room; she was inconsolable, visibly broken. Ren, also unable to say a word, just wept silently as Aunty An and four close friends tried their best to comfort her.
At that moment, Ren fully realized that she had lost her husband forever, and the grief was too much to bear. With Aunty An's support, she returned to her own quarters. Lily approached YiBo in the courtyard, asking about Zhan, as she hadn't seen him since she arrived. Unable to lift his head to meet her gaze, YiBo said, "He's at the hospital with his Grandmother…"
Lily, watching him quietly, said, "I hope he's alright?" He replied, "I'll head to the hospital now; he was given a sedative around 6 a.m." She could see how much pain he was in and, sympathetically, whispered, "Go ahead. I'll be here. May he regain his strength soon."
YiBo nodded, turned toward the gate, and left for the hospital as Lily reentered the house, her heart heavy with grief.....
The remaining of morning chapter.... 😎
Zhanxianyibo, ♥️💚💛