Zhan sat down quietly beside him, gently pulling the blanket down from over Yibo's head. Their eyes met.
Yibo suddenly sat up in shock, wide-eyed, scrambling backward as he cried out, "Nainaiiii!" Just as he tried to get off the bed, his whole body trembling, Zhan quickly reached out and pulled him back, holding him close. He clamped a hand over Yibo's mouth, afraid he would scream.
Yibo struggled with all his strength, tears streaming down his face, but he couldn't break free. He refused to look at Zhan, turning his face away. Zhan, on the other hand, just stared at him, then slowly removed his hand from Yibo's mouth and wrapped him in a tight embrace, whispering lowly, "Yibo…"
Yibo broke into sobs, pushing at him. "I don't want this, Gege, let me go, please! What are you doing? Let me go, I said I don't want this…"
Suddenly, Yibo felt the warmth of Zhan's lips against his neck. Eyes wide in shock, he screamed again, "Nainai!"
From the sitting room, they heard Nainai's panicked voice. "I swear, I've never seen a more troublemaker boy than Quentin's son! What did I ever do to deserve this? I was sleeping... Yibo? What's going on? Come out right now! You're not sleeping in that room! Out, now! And you...scaring me like that...seriously!"
Zhan quickly let go of Yibo and moved back, seeing how Yibo was struggling to breathe. He leaned against the bed, watching him. "Hey… just breathe, relax…"
Yibo wouldn't look at him. He tried to calm his breath. Zhan stood, switched on the fan, then returned to lift Yibo's chin. "I said, relax."
The door handle rattled violently as Nainai shouted from the outside, furious. "Open this door! Get out of that room right now! What's wrong with you? I swear, from today, don't you dare come near this place again. I'll make sure you never sleep in my room, you ungrateful boy!"
Yibo just kept breathing heavily, tears silently falling. He suddenly stood up, wiping his face, trying to rush to the door... desperate to escape. But Zhan grabbed him, dragging him back to the bed.
Yibo burst into tears, trembling. "Nainai, please tell him to let me go… Let me open the door!"
Still standing by the door, Nainai's eyes widened. "What? Who's in the room?! Who's inside?"
Yibo, voice shaking, whispered, "Gege…"
Nainai paused, confused. "Gege? Who's Gege?"
Yibo said nothing more, just wiped his tears as his heart pounded. Zhan stared at him unblinking, his eyes unreadable.
Nainai's voice turned icy. "So it's Zhan, the arrogant fool who dares sneak into someone's room in the middle of the night while they're asleep? What is wrong with you? Were you high when you came here?!"
Zhan stood up with a faint smile, running his hand through his hair as he went to open the door.
Yibo had never hated anyone so deeply in that moment. He didn't want to see Zhan, didn't even want to hear his voice. His entire body felt sick with loathing.
When Zhan opened the door, Nainai looked him up and down, then glanced at Yibo, who was huddled in the corner, crying.
"How long has he been in here?" she demanded.
Yibo didn't answer, only sobbed harder.
Nainai looked back at Zhan, fuming. "So this is what you've become...sneaking into people's rooms at night like some lowlife? Well, guess what? We're going to Zong's place right now. You're signing those divorce papers. Give them to your father...the same one who arranged this farce of a marriage. Yibo can't handle you. Even if he could, you're too much for him. Just look at the poor boy. And that boy, Sen Wen, came back earlier...it turns out he wasn't acting on his own."
She added bitterly, "Let's go. We've only been waiting for you."
Zhan smirked. "You can sign the papers yourself and hand them over."
Nainai stared at him, blinking slowly, then without a word, turned and walked out. They heard her lock the door and remove the key from the outside.
Zhan turned back to Yibo. When he saw him about to run for the bathroom, he quickly grabbed him.
Yibo screamed, shaking. "Please, Gege, let me go, you're scaring me, I don't know why... I'm scared of you!"
Zhan gently laid him on the bed again, pulled the duvet over his trembling body as Yibo sobbed uncontrollably.
Looking at him, Zhan said calmly, "Listen to me now…"
Yibo refused to stay still, backing away while crying.
Zhan's voice darkened as he scowled. "I said stay still."
Reluctantly, Yibo stopped moving, sensing he wasn't joking anymore. But he still wouldn't look at him. Tears kept falling, and his heart raced with anxiety.
Zhan's eyes lingered on Yibo's lips before he spoke again, voice soft but laced with frustration.
"Isn't this all your fault, Yibo? Your foolishness?"
"I don't even know what you want anymore. Are you mad because I left for two days without telling you? Or is this some weird idea of you suddenly growing up? Are you okay? Like... mentally okay? Or do you just enjoy messing with me like this? I don't understand any of what you're doing. What now? I thought you missed me. I thought you'd be happy when I came back. I thought you wanted me back. Or… do you really not want me anymore?, if that's is the case, then I will go far away from you..."
Only then did Zhan turn to look at him sharply, his eyes wide with panic as he shook his head and said, "No, don't leave me, please. Gege, maybe this is fate, but I'm so confused... I don't even know what's right or wrong anymore. I think we were meant to be only brothers, not husbands. Beyond that, there shouldn't be anything else between us. I feel so ashamed and scared now… people are already looking at us as a married couple. They'll think we're having… sex. Gege, it's humiliating…"
Zhan didn't let him finish. He gave Yibo the shock of his life by crashing his lips against his in a sudden, fierce kiss. Yibo was completely stunned...so much that he almost stopped breathing. Zhan pushed him away eventually, whispering in a hoarse voice, "Am I still your Gege? Hm? Back when you drugged me and forced yourself on me... did you feel ashamed then? Do you even hear yourself now? Maybe it's better I just go back to the UK like I originally planned. Yibo, you're pushing me to my limit. What a stupid and reckless way of thinking."
The shock of Zhan's words rendered Yibo speechless... his whole body trembling uncontrollably. And just then, the door to the sitting room opened…
Nainai stepped into the room, staring at them both as she said, "Zong, he is still here."
Zhan straightened up, stealing a glance at Yibo who was frozen in place, silent and unmoving. He walked out and found Zong standing by the doorway. Zhan lowered his gaze, and before he could speak, Zong asked, "Where have you been all this time?"
Softly, Zhan replied, "I've been around, Papa…"
Zong said, "Let's go then." Nainai moved toward the door, intending to leave, but Zong turned to her and asked, "Where are you going, AYi?"
She looked surprised. "Aren't we going to talk? He needs to let go of my grandson. Zong, I told you that boy came here yesterday, crying like he was going to die. I'm sure Beiting told you everything. I swear this wasn't his doing. And whoever is responsible, we'll find out the truth... even if it takes everything."
Zong sighed, "Please, just get some rest. It's late. Tomorrow morning, we'll sit everyone down and talk things through properly."
Nainai frowned. "Tomorrow or now, what difference does it make, Zong? I just want us to talk now and end it here. I don't want anything bad happening to Yibo. This marriage...he never wanted it."
Zong eventually managed to calm her down and convince her to wait until the morning. Meanwhile, Zhan stood quietly, head bowed, though his mind was consumed with the words he had said to Yibo. He never thought he'd go that far. Without realizing, he let out a small, broken smile as he ran a hand through his hair. He then heard Nainai mutter, "Now he thinks I'm crazy. He's even laughing at me, isn't he, Zong? Fine. Let him release my grandson. If Yibo doesn't love him, no one will force him."
Zong muttered, "Let's just make it to morning," before turning to Zhan and saying, "Let's go."
Zhan glanced one last time at Nainai's bedroom door before quietly following his father. They walked side by side in silence, and after a while, Zong broke it.
"You don't seem happy… Is it regret? Have you changed your mind?"
Zhan looked at him and answered in a low voice, "Not at all, Papa."
"Then where have you been these past two nights?"
Zhan smiled faintly, lowering his head. "I stayed at a bachelor friend's place. I didn't want to bring more tension to the house."
Zong nodded. "That makes sense. Yesterday, Beiting came to me. She told me everything about what happened with that boy, Sen Wen. You know Beiting doesn't usually care about people, but the fact that she listened to him at all… it means there's more to this. Your mother still hasn't accepted this union. Even your grandmother.... we don't even know what she's up to anymore. Honestly, she's always been a bit of a troublemaker. And Yuting left the house because she doesn't support this marriage either. We caused this mess, Zhan. We didn't consult anyone or consider their opinions. So maybe calling off the marriage is the only way to bring peace back into this house."
Zhan listened quietly, head down. Zong nodded slowly. "Tomorrow morning, we'll gather everyone. Even Yuting will be called in, and we'll settle everything in front of them."
Zhan said nothing until they reached their apartment. Zong said, "You'll spend the night here. Tomorrow morning is the meeting."
Zhan nodded, his voice soft. "Alright."
Zong headed to the sitting room, while Zhan climbed the stairs, walking slowly.
That night, he couldn't sleep. Neither could Yibo. The words Zhan had said kept echoing in his mind. Every time he remembered, his chest tightened and he sat upright to calm himself. That kiss...it still felt so fresh, so vivid. And when he recalled what Zhan had said, he felt a wave of panic hit him. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Was this really the Gege he had known all his life?
His heart began to race with a deep fear.
▫️▪️🔸🔹
It was around nine in the morning when Yuting entered the house. She had been called earlier by Zong through Wei Po. Zihan was already seated in the sitting room, while Yichen appeared deeply anxious, clearly overwhelmed by worry. Yet, she found some relief knowing that Zhan had returned and was expected to sign the divorce papers today.
Zihan greeted Yuting, who found a place to sit. Yichen, however, refused to even glance at her. Shortly after, Seth walked in, holding his car keys. He greeted his uncles and aunts politely before sitting down. Zong entered next, followed by Quentin, and both men took their seats.
Quentin acknowledged Seth's greeting and asked about his wife. Then Uncle Hanba walked in, and soon everyone was waiting for Nainai and Yibo, and finally for Zhan. The door creaked open as Nainai entered, with Yibo trailing behind, his head bowed. He sat down near Nainai without making a sound.
Zong and Quentin greeted Nainai, as did Uncle Hanba and the rest. She replied faintly, her eyes scanning the room searching for Zhan. Yibo greeted Zong and the others politely, though Yichen still refused to look at him, her eyes glued to the door in anticipation of Zhan's arrival.
Nainai muttered, "This is something else… Where is that boy? I haven't even finished cleaning my room yet, and now I'm here, Zong..."
Just then, the sitting room door opened. Zhan walked in, and his eyes locked with Yibo's. Yibo immediately lowered his gaze, heart pounding, and shuffled closer to Nainai like someone afraid of being taken away. Zhan wore casual clothes, his head also lowered as he quietly walked over and sat beside Seth. Without looking up, he greeted everyone in the room.
Silence fell like a heavy cloud.
Yichen kept staring at him, shocked by how fresh and composed he looked. Her anxiety only grew...did he really not care at all?
Uncle Hanba cleared his throat and turned to Zong. Zong exhaled deeply, then said calmly, "A lot has happened since I arranged this marriage without consulting anyone just a few days ago. I want to sincerely apologize to everyone here for the distress and confusion it's caused. But today, I would like to hear everyone's opinions regarding this marriage, so we can decide what to do next. Gege, Uncle Hanba, and I won't speak yet; we'll wait to hear your views first. However, before that... yesterday, Beiting brought something to my attention that requires careful consideration."
Nainai tapped her foot impatiently. Zong turned to her and said, "AYi, we'd like to start by hearing your opinion on the marriage between Yibo and Zhan."
Nainai cut him off immediately. "What do you want me to say, Zong? You want to hear it from me, like how? Well, here it is....Yibo doesn't want this marriage. That should be enough. What's the point in forcing someone? Forced marriages have been abandoned for generations now. If he doesn't want it, then there's no point. I don't want to lose him unnecessarily. Zhan should divorce him immediately. He knows what's best for him. It's not that I'm against the marriage...I love both of them...but look at what this has done to my grandchild. He can't sleep, he barely eats. This isn't right."
Zhan stared at Nainai from the corner of his eye, while Yichen was practically rejoicing over Nainai's words. Beiting didn't even glance at Nainai, knowing this was only the beginning. She may say later that... "There's no marriage more sacred than that of Yibo and Zhan."
Zong let out a soft sigh and looked at Beiting. "And what do you think, Beiting?"
Beiting remained quiet for a moment, then said gently, "Barrister, if the couple doesn't want this marriage, then separating them would bring the most peace. Family bonds are not a game. We shouldn't let this marriage destroy them."
Zong nodded in agreement but said nothing. Then he turned to Yichen. "Yichen, what's your opinion?"
Yichen wiped a tear away and said, "This marriage is pointless. The boy doesn't want it, and neither does the boy's mother. What kind of marriage is that? I..."
Zong interrupted. "So you don't want it either, do you?"
Yichen said nothing, just wiped away more tears and whispered, "Ending the marriage is the best choice for everyone's peace."
Zong turned to Zihan. "Zihan, your view?"
Zihan sighed. "Whatever the heavens has planned is right, Gege. Whether to end the marriage or let it continue…"
Zong then looked at Seth. "Engineer?"
Seth gave a faint smile but didn't respond. Zong turned to Yibo, whose head was still bowed. "Yibo, you don't want this marriage, do you?"
Yibo burst into tears, as if he had been waiting for that question. He shook his head yes and no at the same time, sobbing uncontrollably. Zong smiled lightly at the confused response and turned to Yuting. "Yuting?"
Yuting looked at him and said, "It's better to end the marriage, Barrister."
Then Zong looked at Zhan. "Son…"
Zhan looked at him and paused for about five seconds before quietly saying, "I can't let him go, Papa."
Everyone in the room stared in shock. Yibo broke into heavier sobs, burying his face into Nainai's lap as she stared at Zhan, her mouth slightly open. Zong and Quentin both watched him intently. Zong asked, "And why is that?"
Zhan lowered his head further. "Because I want to be with him."
Yichen broke into tears like a child. "You want to be with him, Zhan? What about Ning Li??"
Zong said nothing. Nainai exclaimed, "The world is falling apart. This is insane."
In a calm, low voice, Zhan continued, "I'm sorry, Papa, but I can't divorce Yibo. We married with his full consent. If nobody knew, then let me say it now... this is our second marriage. Yibo and I have been married for almost a year, and it was completely mutual. I never forced him."
"You can ask him if you think I'm lying. I'm just tired of hiding. Yibo still loves me, even if he's confused right now. And I love him, too. So I see no reason to separate. I'm sorry, but if anyone here disagrees with our marriage, that's their burden. I don't care anymore. We're adults... even Yibo will be nineteen soon."
"If you all care, then give me back my husband. He needs me right now...he needs my love and care more than anything. If everyone just stops interfering, things will settle down. I know how to calm my husband and stop these tears and this confusion. Please, I don't want to be disrespectful towards all of you."
He turned to his mother, who was staring at him in disbelief.
"Mom, all my life I've done exactly as you've said. I've obeyed you without question. I never loved Ning Li... that was your choice and your concern now, I don't care anymore. Because of you, Yibo didn't want this marriage. Because of you, he never let us go public. Because of you, he kept choosing people like Sen Wen over me. Because of you, I never found peace. Mom, it has to stop now. If it doesn't, you'll lose me forever. I'll take Yibo and vanish from this world."
With that, he stood up and walked out of the sitting room.
Uncle Hanba let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "What a tragedy…" he murmured.
Nainai stood up abruptly, tears streaming down her face. "Zong, this is all your fault!" she cried. "We were living our lives in peace, and you brought this disaster upon us. Just because of a foolish mistake, you went and married off my grandson to a mentally unstable person. Zhan has lost his mind! On top of that, he shamelessly declared that he won't divorce Yibo... that he wants to stay with him. So what if he wants that? I've seen enough today! But it's fine. He'll eventually get tired and leave him on his own. Because Yibo is not going to his house. What would he even do there? Yibo will packed all his things and came back to my side. I never agreed to this marriage in the first place. If Sen Wen hadn't come back, I might've let it go and allowed Yibo to stay with Zhan. But now he's back, and he said he can't bring himself to let Yibo go…"
As she spoke, she grabbed Yibo...who was sobbing....and stormed out of the sitting room.
Yuting wiped her tears and silently stood up to follow them. Zihan, who had been sitting there stunned, got up as well and followed Yuting quietly. Beiting let out a deep breath. "Maybe not ending the marriage is for the best," she said.
Quentin responded softly, "Let's hope so."
Zong sat in silence, unable to say a word.
Yichen came down to the floor, crying heavily. "What about the Sen Wen?" she asked. "I heard he came back. People are saying he's not well. Please… look into this matter seriously. Don't turn a blind eye just because it's complicated."
Uncle Hanba shook his head. "He'll have to be strong. Yibo has moved on. He's married now… In fact, they've been married for nearly a year already. Honestly, I think Zhan tried his best."
Yichen gasped and ran out of the house, still crying, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zhan. But he was nowhere in sight.
Meanwhile, Beiting had gotten Sen Wen's number from Seth and called him. They were all sitting in Zong's sitting room when he arrived. Quentin just stared at him... Sen Wen had visibly lost weight and looked completely drained. He quietly sat down and greeted everyone, who responded with silent nods, watching him closely.
With a trembling voice, he began, "I don't know what came over me, Uncle. This isn't like me. Please, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'm ready to marry Yibo now. Please don't separate us... I can't live without him…"
His voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes.
Uncle Hanba looked at him sadly and said, "Sen Wen, everything that happens in life is destined. And fate has made it clear... Yibo is no longer your partner. As I speak, he's already married to someone else…"
Sen Wen slowly raised his head to look at him, his heart pounding in his chest. The room seemed to blur and spin around him... and then everything went dark. He collapsed unconscious on the floor of the sitting room.
▫️▪️🔸🔹
Ever since Nainai heard what had happened to Sen Wen, she cried her heart out. She called AJi to see if she could visit that day. AJi replied, "Leave it for now, Shuyi. This is a serious matter. I'll be there early tomorrow. I just returned to town myself."
Wiping her tears, Nainai replied, "Alright, please come. Things are not okay, AJi."
She ended the call and sighed deeply, muttering, "Oh heavens, please protect Yichen and may she truly be innocent in all of this. If she isn't… then she has no place in this house."
Yibo lay quietly on the couch, numb. Ever since he heard what happened to Sen Wen and that he was in the hospital, he couldn't stop crying. The moment he remembered what Zhan had said, his chest tightened painfully, and his whole body went cold.
Nainai said, "I told you to stay calm. Zhan's only parading your marriage around like some trophy, but you will never truly live with that man. What do you even gain by being with him? What has he done for you? He'll eventually get tired and bring you the divorce papers himself and come apologize."
Yibo didn't respond. His heart ached, but that wasn't what troubled him the most. Right now, it was the strange sensations in his body and the heavy mood that consumed him.
Meanwhile, Zong stood silently inside the hospital ward where Sen Wen was being treated. Quentin sat beside him, along with Sen Wen's father and a friend, Mr. Wen Yo Lee. Wen stood over Sen Wen, watching him even as he slept, his eyes filled with deep worry.
Finally, he turned to Zong for the first time since they entered and said with concern, "Mr. Xiao, please… I'm begging you. I don't want anything to happen to my son. He's always had a heart condition...not critical, but in this state, it could become dangerous. I'm not asking out of pride or power, but please… help us figure this out."
Zong remained silent, just watching him. Quentin pulled a chair and sat down, leaning back and closing his eyes in stress. Eventually, Zong looked down and replied, "We'll do what we can. Please try to stay calm, Mr. Wen."
"Thank you," Mr. Wen said quietly.
Just then, Mochen entered the ward alongside Mian Mian's mother. Seeing Sen Wen, his mother immediately broke down in tears and couldn't bring herself to come closer. Mian Mian's mother walked toward him quietly and stood beside the bed, silently watching.
Outside the hospital, Zong tried calling Zhan to see if he could reach him. Luckily, the call went through.
"Zhan, I need you home now," Zong said.
There was a pause before Zhan replied, "I'm in a small town outside Beijing, Papa. I'll be home by evening."
"I'm expecting you then," Zong replied and hung up, slumping into a chair, whispering silent prayers in his heart.
Zhan smiled faintly before returning to work in his office.
Later that night, Yibo was sitting in the living room with a bowl of pepper soup Zihan had made for him. He hadn't even touched a spoonful. His mind was completely lost, wondering where Zhan had gone off to again. The memory of what Zhan had said to him the night before crushed his heart.
What if… what if Zhan-ge really had left him for good?
Nainai was in the bathroom doing laundry, having not had time to do it earlier that morning.
Suddenly, the living room door opened. Yibo looked up quickly... and there was Zhan.
Even though Yibo'd been thinking of him all day, seeing him now changed everything.
Yibo jumped to his feet like someone shocked with electricity, ready to run, but Zhan quickly reached out and grabbed him.
Yibo suddenly felt afraid, like every time they locked eyes, Zhan present would overpower him. Trembling, he burst into tears, voice shaking:
"Gege, please… stop. I don't want this anymore…"
Zhan turned him gently, holding him still and looking into his tear-filled eyes. He helped Yibo sit and sat down beside him. His voice was soft and low:
"Listen to me now, Yibo."
Yibo refused to look at him, his body trembling.
Zhan leaned closer and whispered, "You want me to let you go, don't you?"
Yibo finally looked at him and broke into harder sobs, nodding his head in confirmation.
Zhan was quiet for nearly ten seconds before he calmly said,
"Alright then. If that's what you truly want. But I don't have a pen here. Let's step outside, I'll grab one from the car, and we'll sign the divorce papers."
He stood up. Yibo stayed still, crying silently, watching him.
Zhan looked at him again. "Let's go. Isn't this what you want?"
Yibo slowly got up but then hesitated.
"Come on," Zhan said.
Yibo started walking, slowly. Zhan followed behind, smiling slightly.
Yibo walked silently as Zhan trailed him, watching. As Yibo exited the gate, Zhan briefly looked at there part of the house, then at Nainai's, and Zhan smiled again… then followed Yibo outside the gate.
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛