Chapter 76 - 76

Author

I know I said till tomorrow, but I wasn't busy as I thought... So let's continue. 😅

Early in the morning, when Zhan walked in, he found Yibo already awake, sitting on the bed. Zhan smiled and sat down at the edge of the bed, watching him. Yibo didn't move or look at him.

In a quiet voice, Zhan said, "Remember when I told you my kids would never have flaws in speaking English?"

Only then did Yibo look at him, silent and confused. Zhan smiled, gently rubbing his own head. "Now do you understand what I meant?"

Yibo just stared at him, clearly puzzled. Zhan moved even closer and said softly, "Did you sleep well, sweet husband?"

Yibo lowered his gaze without saying a word, frowning slightly. Zhan stood up and walked out of the room while Yibo followed him with his eyes.

After a while, Yibo got up, entered the bathroom, and prepared his bath the same way Zhan used to do it for him. He showered, brushed his teeth, came out, and dressed in simple trousers and a shirt. After moisturizing and spraying some cologne, he lay back down on the bed.

Around eight-something, the sound of the doorbell ringing downstairs woke him. He sat up as the bell kept ringing nonstop. He got off the bed and walked out of the room just as Zhan was stepping out of the sitting room. Yibo looked down, avoiding his gaze.

Zhan said, "Go back to bed. I'll check."

Yibo didn't respond but followed him quietly. He found Zhan standing by the window, peeking through the curtains. When Zhan refused to move away from the window, Yibo walked downstairs until he stood behind him... just as Zhan turned to leave, nearly bumping into him.

Zhan pulled him gently into his chest and Yibo leaned in close. In a low voice, he asked, "Who is it?"

Zhan replied, "I don't think it matters…"

Yibo's heart skipped. He looked up at Zhan, eyes wide with concern. Zhan took his hand to lead him out of the sitting room.

Yibo yanked his hand back and said, "Please, who is it?"

Zhan went quiet, staring at him for a moment before finally saying, "Your rival."

Yibo's eyes widened in shock. Without another word, he turned and stormed upstairs. Zhan watched him go with a slight smile, then looked back at the door, where the knocking had grown louder.... now turning into full-on banging instead of ringing the bell.

Zhan stepped to the door and said, "Who's that?"

A loud voice snapped back, "Your father! I said it's your father…"

Zhan chuckled. "You're getting older by the second standing there like that. People are still asleep this early, and here you are banging on their doors. Is this how it's done where you're from?"

Furiously, Nainai said, "Anyone who disrespects me has disrespected the world itself. I don't just show up for nothing! How could you leave me stranded outside this cursed door, unable to attend to important matters?"

Zhan, smiling, opened the door and said, "Well, we didn't ask you to come this early, did we? You're the one who showed up at dawn."

She nearly shoved him aside as she barged into the sitting room, face tight with irritation. He watched her, still laughing. She slipped off her shoes and scanned the sitting room with a critical eye. "If I didn't absolutely have to check on my grandchild, what on earth would bring me to your useless house, Zhan? What do you even offer me? I only came here today because of Yibo. His father treated me with such respect....something I'll never forget till I die. Go call him for me. I need to see him and leave immediately."

Zhan walked closer, still smiling, and sat beside her. "Oh, so I'm not your grandchild now?"

She threw her hands up. "Don't drag me into that nonsense! What connection do I have with you?"

Zhan stood up. "Alright, I'll go call him. Once you see him, kindly be on your way. Otherwise, I'll have the security guard escort you out."

Without waiting for her response, he headed upstairs.

He found Yibo sitting on the bed, staring at the door. Even he didn't realize how at ease he felt just hearing Nainai's voice. For a moment, he even thought it was Ning Li, just like Zhan had told him before.

Zhan walked in and sat beside him. Yibo looked away. With a gentle smile, Zhan turned his face back toward him and said, "Come down and greet your rival."

As he said this, he stood and took Yibo's hand. As they reached the doorway, Zhan see how Yibo's limping he asked, "Should I carry you?"

Yibo frowned. "Why?"

But Zhan lifted him up like he had the day before. Yibo's eyes widened in panic as he clung to him. "Gege, please put me down! I really don't like this."

Zhan didn't listen. As they entered the sitting room, Nainai stood up in alarm. "Heavens! What happened to him, Zhan?!"

Yibo, still struggling, pleaded, "Please, Gege, put me down!"

Zhan gently set him down and studied his eyes for a moment. Yibo pouted and tried to adjust the shirt Zhan had crumpled. Nainai returned to her seat with a frown, resting her chin on her hand.

Yibo walked over to her, smiling, and curled up beside her. "Welcome, Nainai."

She pushed him away. "Yibo, you're nothing like me. Honestly, you have no self-respect. How can someone who hasn't even give you your wedding gift have this much access to you? You're just setting yourself up to be hurt. What's the point of him carrying you around like that?"

Zhan, who had been sitting nearby watching them, burst into laughter. Yibo said nothing. Nainai pointed at Yibo and said, "So all the things I've been telling you just went in one ear and out the other, huh?"

Yibo pouted. "Did I say I didn't hear you?"

Nainai shifted away from him. "I don't care. If I don't tell you the truth, who will? Zong, Quentin, and their wives are all lost causes. And truthfully, I left the house without even having breakfast. I'm starving."

Yibo stood up and quietly headed toward the kitchen.

Nainai squinted suspiciously at his leg as he walked. "What's wrong with his leg?"

Zhan stood and crouched beside her. "You always like to pry. What does his leg have to do with you?"

She gasped, continuing to watch Yibo as he disappeared into the kitchen. Zhan got up, still smiling, and followed.

He found Yibo standing at the sink, filling a bowl with water. Zhan approached and asked, "What are you doing?"

Without turning, Yibo replied, "She said she didn't have breakfast."

Zhan pulled him into a soft embrace and whispered, "Can you manage?"

Yibo inhaled the scent of him and stayed quiet for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Mm."

Zhan let him go, grabbed some potatoes, and started peeling them. He stayed by Yibo's side, helping him cook...partly just to keep an eye on him.

As Yibo began arranging the food on a tray, Zhan wrapped his arms around him from behind. Yibo's heart thudded in his chest. He tried to pull away. "I don't like it, Gege."

In a low voice, Zhan asked, "Don't like what?"

Yibo moved away with a frown. Zhan just kept smiling as he watched him. Then, Zhan picked up the breakfast tray and returned to the sitting room.

He found Nainai dozing off on the couch. Laughing, he placed the tray beside her. "You could've just stayed home and napped instead of waking up early to come sleep in someone else's house…"

She snapped her eyes open just as he walked away.

Back in the kitchen, Zhan and Yibo returned together with the tray. Yibo completely avoided eye contact with Nainai, while she kept stealing glances at them from the corner of her eye as she opened a milk tin.

As they headed upstairs, she shook her head and muttered, "God help us. I swear, if Quentin's son isn't cursed, I don't know who is."

Zhan sat Yibo on the edge of the bed and crouched in front of him, looking up into his eyes. "So, what would you like to eat, hubby?"

Yibo turned his face away. "Maybe later."

Zhan stood up. "Alright. I'll be right back."

He left the room, and Yibo followed him with his eyes. Not long after, Zhan returned with his laptop and phone, settled beside Yibo, and pulled him gently into his side. "I hope you're not feeling any pain right now?"

Yibo simply nodded, avoiding eye contact.

Zhan kept working on his laptop while Yibo silently watched the screen. They stayed like that for over 20 minutes. Then Zhan's phone started ringing. They both glanced at it....Ning Li's name lit up the screen.

Yibo stared at it, unblinking. Zhan, too, just looked at it for a moment, then silenced the call and went back to his laptop. The phone rang three more times with Ning Li's number, but after the first call, Zhan eventually turned the phone over and ignored it completely.

Still typing, Zhan stood up, picking up his laptop and phone. He looked at Yibo, who was now lying down. "I'm going to see Nainai for a bit."

Yibo said nothing. Zhan left the room, and after a few seconds, Yibo sat up, eyes following him to the door, a sudden heaviness in his chest.

About ten minutes later, Nainai stormed into the room, hand on her waist. "Did Zhan tell you both to stay upstairs and leave me sitting alone in that living room like some haunted old witch?!"

Yibo quickly replied, "He didn't come back down, Nainai."

Fuming, Nainai said, "Come back down where?! I've been sitting there alone like some forgotten ghost. Zong told me not to come here today and I didn't listen. See how I've been humiliated now? This is what I get for not listening. I never learn."

Yibo slowly slid off the bed, his voice soft. "Nainai, I had a headache—that's why I came up to lie down. I thought Gege was in the sitting room."

Nainai closed the door, walked over, and sat beside him on the bed, lowering her voice. "But have you actually been doing all the things I told you back home, Yibo?"

"What things?" he asked.

"Does Zhan sleep in this room?"

Yibo couldn't help the small smile that crept across his lips as he shook his head. "No, he doesn't sleep here."

Nainai narrowed her eyes. "Good. Don't ever let him share a bed with you unless you see your luggage on the floor."

Yibo nodded. "Okay."

"Good. At least you still listen sometimes."

Then she looked at him closely. "Have you been eating? You look like you've lost weight."

"I'm eating," Yibo said quietly.

Just then, the door opened and Zhan walked in. Nainai stood up. "Well, Zong told me not to stay long. I don't want to upset my son. I'll be going now, Yibo. If all goes well, I'll visit again the day after tomorrow."

Yibo's voice was low. "Why don't you stay until evening, Nainai?"

"No need. Who else tells me the truth like Zong? Look what Quentin has become. No one listens to me anymore."

She headed toward the door. Yibo stood and followed her but avoided looking at Zhan, who silently watched them. Zhan smiled and followed them both. "So, I don't even get a goodbye, Nainai?"

Nainai ignored him and continued down the stairs. Yibo followed closely behind. From the balcony, Zhan watched her whispering something to Yibo until she saw him watching. Then she fell silent and started walking again.

"Well, I'm off, Yibo," she said. "You've filled me up with potatoes—I'm satisfied."

Zhan burst into laughter and quickly caught up to her, gently taking her hand. "Let me drop you off, Nainai. Maybe then you'll bless me too."

She rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Yibo stood by quietly as Zhan opened the car's back door for her. Before getting in, Nainai looked at Yibo. "I hope you were listening to everything I said, hmm?"

Yibo nodded silently.

"Come on, let's drop her off," Zhan said.

Yibo pretended not to hear him and walked back into the house. Yibo stayed in the sitting room until he heard the gate close and Zhan's car drive off. Once the coast was clear, Yibo hurried upstairs straight into Zhan's private sitting room... the first time he'd entered it since they moved in.

He looked around but couldn't find Zhan's phone. Then he headed into the bedroom. The room smelled fresh and was meticulously clean. Yibo walked to the bed, spotted the phone, and picked it up. His heart thudded in his chest as he unlocked it and opened the call log. He saw Ning Li's name under the picked calls list.

His chest tightened.

He tapped on the call details to check the duration, but then the door creaked open.

Panicked, Yibo turned. Zhan stood there, staring at him. Without a word, he extended his hand toward him.

Yibo dropped his gaze to the floor, frozen in place. Zhan walked over calmly, took the phone from his hand, and left the room without a word.

Yibo didn't know when his knees hit the floor. He lowered his head to his knees, but the tears refused to come. He stayed like that for more than ten minutes before he finally stood, weakly, and left the room.

He sat back on the edge of his own bed, his heart still pounding.

🔸▪️🔹▫️

Yibo was in the kitchen washing the dishes he had used to prepare breakfast for Nainai when he heard the sound of Zhan's car pulling into the compound. Yibo didn't come into the sitting room right away. He took his time tidying up the kitchen first. When he was done, he went to the sitting room and sat down, resting his head on the back of the chair. Zhan glanced at Yibo and said, "Yibo, Yimei sent her greetings to you."

Yibo simply replied, "Oh, okay," and went upstairs.

He thoroughly cleaned his room, changed the bedsheets, lit a scented incent stick, and since he had already taken a bath and cleaned the bathroom earlier, he laid down. Even though he was feeling hungry, he didn't go back downstairs. Instead, he curled up on the bed, trying to calm his restless thoughts.

When the bedroom door opened, he quickly shut his eyes pretending to be asleep. Zhan closed the door and walked over to sit beside him. He brought his face close to Yibo's and asked, "Did you even eat breakfast, Yibo?"

Yibo, with his eyes still shut, started turning away but muttered, "Uhm."

Zhan gently turned his face toward him. Yibo opened his eyes, his expression stern, and said, "I don't like this…"

But before he could finish, Zhan pressed his lips against his. Yibo tried to push him away, but Zhan held him tight, kissing him gently across his body. Yibo began to shake his head as if about to cry, whispering, "Gege, stop, please…" But Zhan didn't listen. He moved slowly, deliberately, taking his time.

They stayed like that for a long while until Yibo eventually gave in and relaxed into him. Zhan opened his heavy-lidded eyes and looked at him, and Yibo's eyes were still shut.

Zhan smiled softly, rubbed his nose against Yibo's, gently stroking his face. "Yibo," he murmured.

Yibo pouted and turned his back to him, eyes still closed. Zhan sat up, lifted him gently and held him close, whispering, "What are we having for breakfast?"

Yibo didn't respond or open his eyes. Zhan laid him back down with a smile and quietly left the room.

Later, when Yibo was almost asleep, Zhan returned with a takeaway box of rice and stew. He placed it on the table, climbed onto the bed, brought his face close and said, "Yibo."

Yibo opened his eyes quickly. Their eyes met briefly before he turned away and sat up. Zhan said, "Here's your food. I'm heading out now."

Yibo nodded, and Zhan left. Once he heard Zhan enter his room, Yibo checked the clock—it was already past noon. He got up, went to the bathroom, ran hot water, and took a long bath.

When he came out, the food Zhan had brought was still untouched. A little later, Zhan came into the room dressed casually. He glanced at the food and said, "But I told you to eat first, Yibo."

Yibo pulled the takeaway closer and said, "I'll eat now."

Zhan sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. "Did you take your bath?"

Yibo nodded without looking at him and started eating. Zhan stood up and said, "When you're done, come downstairs."

Yibo nodded again. After finishing his meal, he took the takeaway box downstairs. The TV was the only thing on in the sitting room. He went to the kitchen, dropped the empty container, and returned. Just then, Zhan's phone on the couch started ringing.

Yibo quickly approached and looked at the screen.... it was Ning Li. He froze, unable to tear his eyes away from it.

When he heard the upstairs door open, Yibo ducked behind the couch and crouched there. Zhan came down, picked up his phone, checked the screen, and answered.

On the other end, Ning Li's soft voice said, "I've been waiting, and you didn't call, Zhan."

Zhan looked up briefly and said, "I said later, not now, Ning Li."

Ning Li's voice trembled. "Please, Zhan, just call me. I'm waiting."

Zhan was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay, let's chat."

"Nooo, please just call," she insisted.

Zhan sighed. "Alright. I'll call you later when I'm outside."

Yibo stood up and walked upstairs without looking at him. Zhan watched him go, a bit stunned, and ended the call, dropping his phone onto the couch.

Inside his room, Yibo locked the door, placed the key near the mirror, and sat on the bed. He hadn't realized tears were falling until he felt them slide down his cheeks. He broke into a quiet sob, burying his face in the pillow, his chest aching.

He heard the doorknob turn. Quickly sitting up, he wiped his eyes.

"Yibo?" Zhan called.

"Yes," he answered softly.

"Open the door," Zhan said.

"I want to take my bath," Yibo replied.

Zhan paused before responding quietly, "Oh, okay."

Yibo lay back down. He stayed in his room the entire evening. Later that night, after taking a shower and stepping out in just a towel, he found Zhan standing by the bathroom door. Yibo pouted and tried to walk past him, but Zhan quickly pulled him close.

Yibo, on the verge of tears, whispered, "Gege, I haven't dressed yet, stop…"

Zhan lifted him gently. "Why did you lock the door?" he asked.

Yibo sulked. "Because I wanted to sleep. I even did sleep, didn't I?"

Zhan looked at him for a while. Yibo pouted and turned away, but Zhan suddenly pulled the towel from his body and hugged him tightly.

Eyes wide, Yibo said, "You're unbelievable, Gege."

Zhan closed his eyes and laid him gently on the bed.

At 1 a.m., Yibo woke up, slowly lifted his head and looked at Zhan. He carefully slipped out of bed, wore his pajama pants, and tiptoed to the door. He opened it and glanced at Zhan....he hadn't stirred.

Yibo went to Zhan's sitting room, turned on the lights, and looked around, searching for Zhan's phone. He finally found it on the bed in Zhan's room. Picking it up, he saw four missed calls from Ning Li and a message. He didn't even open the message before dialing her number.

She picked up on the first ring…

Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛