Yibo closed his eyes when he heard the name Zhan called. His body went cold. He opened his eyes and walked slowly until he reached him. Zhan kept backing away until he stopped crying....not out of fear, but because of what was in his heart. Yibo sat close to him until they could hear each other's breath.
Zhan tried to stand up quickly. Yibo tried to hold him, but Zhan burst into tears, his body trembling.
Gently, Yibo pulled him into his arms and embraced him. Zhan swallowed his tears. Yibo could feel Zhan's heart pounding against his chest as if it would burst out. Yibo closed his eyes, and tears fell from his eyes.
In a trembling voice, Zhan said, "Attorney, please turn on the light. I don't like the dark, please. Switch the light on."
His voice low, Yibo said, "Meilin..."
For thirty seconds, the voice Zhan heard echoed in his head. Slowly, he pulled his body away from Yibo's and looked at his face in the darkness of the room, just as Yibo looked at him. Zhan reached his hand to Yibo's face and looked at him, struggling to gather the courage to say, "Yibo?"
Yibo embraced him again as if to press him back into his body, in a trembling voice he said, "Yes, Meilin. I beg you... don't say no to me, please. This is our fate. I have suffered for you in life, Meilin. I have suffered more than you think. Loving you alone hasn't killed me. For six good years, I have had no peace, no comfort. Forgive and forget the past, please. Attorney Yang-Yang..."
He couldn't continue. After a moment, he went on, his voice breaking. "I owe him... He gave up for me. He left you for me, Meilin. For God's sake, have pity on me. Don't make me suffer..."
It was as if his molding had been shattered. Zhan's body went stiff. Yibo's words swirled in his head. He was still trying his best to understand all that he was saying. Zhan fell silent. Yibo lifted his head, his body trembling. The tears that had been trapped in Zhan's eyes fell as he looked at Yibo.
Zhan burst into intense crying, as if he had received news of a death. Yibo sat down on the bed in confusion, kneeling on his knees beside him, and said, "Meilin, for God's sake, don't torment me. I have already had enough. Don't say no to this marriage. Don't say no, Meilin..."
He couldn't continue.
Slowly, Zhan moved back and fell onto the bed. Yibo stood up quickly and held him, calling his name, but his eyes had already closed. Yibo lifted him and embraced him, tears streaming from his eyes. "Why, Meilin? You so quickly forgot the good I did for you in life. You only held onto the evil in your heart. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my doing. I am not a traitor. All your time in our home, I never imagined there would come a day when I would hurt you..."
He couldn't continue. He lowered his eyes, holding Zhan close, as the night wore on.
Around four in the morning, Zhan opened his eyes slowly. Yibo, who had been sitting on a chair, stood quickly and came to his side, looking at him with concern. Zhan tried to get up, looking at his body. He was wearing a light PJ's instead of the suit he had put on at home.
Yibo sat gently on the edge of the bed, watching him. Zhan tried to get off the bed. Yibo wanted to hold him but was afraid of what would follow. Summoning courage, he said, "Meilin, you are not strong. Where are you going? Wait..."
Before he knew it, he had grabbed Zhan as he stepped back and nearly fell. He tried to lay him down, but Zhan pulled away and said, "Let me."
Yibo held his head. Seeing that Zhan was about to get up again, he held him tighter. Zhan pushed his hand away, his voice trembling. "Do you have to hold me? I said I don't want to."
Yibo didn't listen to him; he refused to let go. Zhan burst into tears and said, "I want to use the restroom. Let me go..."
Yibo stood up immediately, lifted him, and headed toward the bathroom. When they reached the bathroom, Zhan pulled away, went inside, and closed the door. Yibo slowly returned to the edge of the bed and sat down, his whole body cold.
When Zhan came out, he headed for the exit door. Yibo stood quickly and said, "Meilin." Seeing that he didn't even turn around, Yibo rushed and reached the door before he could. He closed it and lock, looking at him.
Zhan stood by the door, curling up with his knees to his chest, sobbing. His heart ached with a sharp pain. Now he realized that everything had been Yang-Yang's deception. Why would he betray his trust and have him married to Yibo? Of all people, why Yibo? The beginning and end of his problem. The person who shattered his life. Why would he have him married to him?
He cried weakly, feeling that the whole world had let him down. He felt angry at everyone, even Xixue, because he knew she also knew but had hidden it from him.
Slowly, Yibo removed the key from the lock and took it out of the door. Hearing this, Zhan stood up, furious, tears streaming, his heart pounding. "Open the door and let me out. I don't want to see you. I don't want to..."
Yibo didn't let him finish. He pulled him into his arms, embraced him, and closed his eyes. No matter how hard Zhan struggled to free himself, he couldn't. Finally, he gave up and just cried.
Softly, his voice low, Yibo said, "Please, tell me how many days will it take you to finish this drama?"
Zhan lifted his head and looked at him, his heart heaving. Gently, Yibo said, "I just want to get prepared. Just tell me how long it will take you to finish it, and, God willing, I will endure."
Zhan's face hardened. "Let me go."
Slowly, Yibo let him go. Zhan stepped back and held out his hand to him. "Give me the key."
Yibo handed him the key from his hand. Zhan turned, opened the door, stepped out, and slammed the door.
Yibo clicked his tongue, turned slowly, returned to the bed, and lay down. His head was aching from the sleep he hadn't gotten. Even when dawn came, he hadn't let sleep take him. He got up, went to the bathroom, and came out.
He found Zhan lying on a three-seater in the living room, sleeping, curled up in one spot because of the cold. Yibo turned off the air conditioner, then headed to the door, opened it, and left.
When he returned, Zhan was no longer in the living room. Yibo went upstairs, gently opened Zhan's bedroom door, and peeked inside. He didn't see him. He turned quickly and opened another room. There he saw Zhan sitting on a chair, leaning against the wall.
When Zhan saw Yibo, he hardened his face and pouted. Gently, Yibo closed the door and entered his own room and lay down. Only then did sleep take him.
By daybreak, Zhan stood up, his body numb from the chair he had been sitting on. He opened the door and came out. He opened his bedroom door gently, looked inside, and seeing no one, he entered and closed it. He went into the bathroom, bathed, and came out. After getting ready, he lay down on the bed, his head aching badly. Sleep took him again.
He didn't wake until the doorbell rang downstairs. He sat up with difficulty and looked at the clock. His head still hurt terribly. He saw it was almost nine o'clock. He got off the bed and went out. Slowly, he opened the door and saw Baby standing there holding a basket of food, smiling as she looked at him.
Zhan felt deeply frustrated. He turned and went back inside. Baby watched him go, thinking to herself, "You will finish this." She set the basket down in the living, turned to leave. Zhan followed her with his gaze until she went out and closed the door. Only then did Baby start laughing quietly.
Zhan, who had followed her with his gaze, sat down on a chair. Tears filled his eyes. He felt like running after her and saying something but couldn't get up. So even she knew who he had been married to but hadn't told him.
He stood up, went upstairs, entered the room, and fell onto the bed, crying in frustration. After a while, he got up, picked up his phone, and started calling Yang-Yang. Three times he called, but Yang-Yang didn't answer. He put the phone down, wiped his eyes, and lay down, his heart heavy.
He lay there for a long time until the headache became too much. He wanted to take medicine. He stood up slowly and went out. Downstairs, he saw the food Baby had brought, still sitting where she had left it. He looked at the clock and saw that it was almost eleven. He looked upstairs. He stood for more than five minutes before heading to the door he thought was the kitchen. He went in, got a cup and spoon, made tea, and returned to sit on a chair.
He couldn't drink the tea. He set the cup down, his hand trembling, and went back upstairs. Gently, he opened the room he thought was Yibo's. He saw Yibo lying on the bed, his eyes closed. Zhan looked at him for a while before entering, like someone afraid of stepping on the tiles. He reached close to him and paused.
The only person who came to his mind at that moment was little Rouxue. His body went cold. He kept looking at Yibo without blinking.
Suddenly, Yibo opened his eyes. Zhan stood up quickly, looking around frantically, as if searching for something, completely flustered.
Yibo sat up and looked at Zhan. "Did you come to check on me?"
Zhan pursed his lips. "Because your are, Roulan?"
Yibo touched his head and said nothing. Zhan turned quickly and headed for the door. Yibo followed him with his gaze until he left. Only then did Zhan sigh, annoyed at himself for entering the room. He went back to the living room and picked up the tea he had made. He could barely drink it because his mouth felt completely unpleasant. He felt like he might vomit.
He stood up, took the remaining tea things to the dining area, and went to the kitchen to wash the cup since he hadn't been able to drink it. As he was about to set it down, he felt someone behind him. He turned quickly, and they nearly collided, their eyes meeting. He frowned and looked away.
Yibo gently reached out his hand. "Give me the cup."
Zhan said, "Just because you want the cup, you had to stand behind me?" He didn't wait for a reply. He set the cup down and left the kitchen. Yibo followed him with his eyes.
By noon, Zhan had not come out of his room again. At one point, he started feeling very hungry but couldn't bring himself to eat. He had grown tired of the room. He kept crying, thinking of calling Xixue but remained silent. He missed Roulan deeply. Everything piled up and became too much. He put his head on the pillow, wanting to cry, but couldn't.
Yibo sat in the living room reviewing some articles. After a phone call with Yang-Yang, who said they were on their way, Yibo returned to the living room and sat down. He put down the paper, took a pain reliever from the center table for the second time in two hours, popped two pills, took the table water nearby, drank the medicine, put the water back, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. He couldn't figure out why he hadn't found relief after the dose he took earlier. He was starting to fall asleep when the doorbell rang.
He opened his eyes, stood up, reached the door, and opened it. Baby stood there holding lunch. Seeing him, she smiled. "Brother, how are you?"
He touched his head gently. "I'm fine."
Worried, she said, "Are you sick?"
He opened his eyes slightly. "What do you see?"
She said, "You look so..."
He smiled. "I'm alright."
She didn't say anything else. She came into the sitting room, full of pity for him, set down the food, turned to look at him, and said, "Did you even eat breakfast, brother?"
He said, "I did. How is Mumy?"
She sat down. "They send their greetings."
He sat as well. "Take the food up to him."
Baby widened her eyes. "Uh, that's not my problem. I don't want to imagine going to him now."
Yibo didn't say anything. She looked at him gently. "You just have to be patient, Yibo-ge. Soon, I know he will give in. Don't worry, my brother. I know it will only be a few days."
He smiled. "Okay, may God make it so."
Full of pity for him, she said, "Amen."
He said, "Please bring Roulan when you come back later..."
She said, "Yes, he's at their house."
He said, "Ah, pick him up from there. I am lonely..."
"Okay, brother, I will bring him."
His phone rang. He picked it up and saw Yang-Yang calling. He answered. Yang-Yang said, "We're outside."
"Alright, come in."
Baby looked at him after he hung up. "Who is it, brother?"
"The Attorney and Dr. Luo, I think."
Baby said nothing. The living room door opened, and Yunxi entered first, followed by Yang-Yang. Yibo stood up. After they all exchanged greetings, they sat down.
Baby looked at Dr. Luo. "How are you?"
He said, "Fine, how are you?"
She said, "I'm fine."
She looked at the Attorney, just as he looked at her. He said, "How are you?" She widened her eyes, then laughed. "How are you?"
He said, "Oh, I thought you weren't going to greet me."
Yunxi smiled, looking at him from the corner of his eye, but said nothing.
Yibo looked at Baby, worried about going up to Zhan's room. "Baby, talk to him. He's in the room."
Baby stood up, not because she intended to, and went to the room, her heart sinking. Zhan, who had been lying down, lifted his head when he heard the door open. Seeing it was Baby, he sat up and looked at her.
Softly, he said, "So earlier you didn't speak to me, you just left, Baby?"
Baby said, "Hmm, I was afraid of you, Meilin."
Baby sat close to him. Zhan took her hand gently. "But Baby, you knew who I was married to, and you hid it from me. If everyone hid it from you, you shouldn't have done this to me. Now here I am, trapped, trying to survive. Nobody cares about my happiness..." His eyes filled with tears as he finished speaking.
Baby said, "In the future, you will understand the meaning of what was done, Meilin. Just give my brother a chance... Meilin, forget what happened in the past. Calm your heart with my brother Yibo. You won't regret it. I give you my word..."
Zhan kept wiping the tears that fell but said nothing. He knew he could never calm his heart with someone who had heartlessly disfigured him.
Gently, Baby said, "Be patient, Meilin. I swear I didn't know it was my brother the marriage was arranged with until we left the house yesterday evening."
Even then, Zhan couldn't say anything. He just kept wiping his eyes.
Baby said, "Let go and come greet the Attorney. They're in the living room."
Zhan looked at her quickly, pursed his lips, and shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. They are nothing but a group of deceivers..."
No matter how much Baby coaxed, Zhan refused to come out, even crying. Baby didn't know what to do. Finally, she stood up and returned to the living room. Yibo saw her face and knew how difficult things were.
Baby forced a smile. "He's asleep, and I didn't want to wake him..."
Yang-Yang smiled, gently stroking his head. "That's nice. Thanks for covering for him. But we're not strangers, and we won't be upset if you said he refused to come out. Maybe he will come out, and we'll see him."
Yunxi laughed, looking at Baby, who was so flustered she was biting her lip. Yibo smiled but said nothing. Yang-Yang looked at her and said, "Sorry, just relax. I didn't do that to confuse you."
Baby didn't know when she shot him a glare. She turned quickly to leave, smiling. Yibo said, "Bring them drinks." She went to the kitchen, got the drinks, and set them down.
Yibo said, "What about food?"
Yang-Yang said, "No, thanks."
Baby stood up, took the food, and went upstairs. She entered Zhan's room, glared at him, set down the food, and said, "Thanks for making me look stupid downstairs. And I'm done bringing you food unless you go to the eatery with your husband." With that, she left.
Entering the living room, she said, "Brother, I'm going back. Mumy said I shouldn't be long."
He said, "Alright then. Did you come with a driver?"
She shook her head. He said, "Then go upstairs and get transportation."
Yunxi said, "We're leaving now. The Attorney can drop her since it's on his way."
Yibo walked them to the car. After they left, he returned inside, went upstairs, entered his room, and lay down.
By afternoon, Zhan was still in his room. Even though he knew the house was quiet, he couldn't bring himself to take a plate and eat. He was thinking about how to leave when the bedroom door opened and Yibo entered. He looked at Zhan once, then turned his gaze to the food Baby had left in the room. He reached the food and said, "Aren't you eating this?"
Zhan didn't answer. Yibo opened the warmer and looked at the food. He picked it up, turned, and headed for the door. Zhan followed him with a certain look. Seeing him leave, Zhan stood quickly and followed behind him until he entered Yibo's room. Zhan entered as well. Yibo turned and looked at him.
Zhan said, "Did I tell you I wasn't eating this?" He spoke as if he might cry. Yibo laughed a little. "You never told me." Then he handed the food to Zhan. Zhan took it, turned, and left.
Yibo heard him go downstairs to get a plate from the kitchen, then return to his room. Only then did Yibo go downstairs to the kitchen and make tea. Even as hungry as Zhan was, he couldn't eat much. Finally, he stood up and went out. He carried the food downstairs, then stopped, gently opened Yibo's door, and saw him sitting there holding a cup of tea. Zhan lowered his head, entered the room, set down the warmer, turned, and left. Yibo followed him with his eyes.
:
:
Around six o'clock, Baby returned home with Roulan. She pressed the doorbell three times. Zhan stood up and went downstairs, not knowing that Yibo had also come out to open the door. As Yibo opened the door, Roulan smiled. Seeing him, full of joy, he said, "Daddy!"
He started to go toward him to hug him, then caught sight of Zhan. He smiled again. "Momy..."
Zhan smiled, opened his arms to him too. Roulan started to go toward him, then stopped, turned, and looked at Yibo, who was watching them. He ran back to Yibo. Yibo lifted him up, hugged him, smiled, and pecked his cheek.
The smile on Zhan's face faded instantly. Baby burst out laughing. Roulan wriggled out of Yibo's arms and ran toward Zhan. Zhan shot him a glare. "If I slap you..." Roulan stopped short and looked at him. Zhan pouted, turned, and went upstairs.
Yibo just smiled, went to the boy, lifted him up, and said, "How are you, sweetheart?" Roulan said, "I'm fine."
Baby set down the food. "How are you, brother?"
He said, "I'm fine."
She said, "The driver is waiting outside. See you in the morning."
He said, "Alright, greet Momy for me. Tell her thank you."
She smiled. "Okay, brother." Then she turned to leave, waving at Roulan.
Yibo carried Roulan upstairs, entered Zhan's room, set him down next to Zhan, and said, "Greet him now."
Gently, Roulan said, "Momy, good evening."
Zhan lifted his head, frowned, and said, "Evening."
Yibo picked up Roulan, and they left the room. Zhan followed them with a certain look.
Until around nine at night, Zhan didn't hear any movement from them. He bathed and put on his nightwear. Hearing how quiet it was, he put on his sleeve and went out. He stood for more than two minutes before gently pushing open the bedroom door. The room was dark. He looked around and turned on the switch. He saw Yibo and Roulan lying close together, both asleep. He turned off the air conditioner, switched off the light, left the room, returned to his own, and lay down.
He couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning until nearly midnight, when he heard the door open. His heart sank. He looked toward the door, even though the light was off. Yibo closed the door without turning on the light, reached where Zhan was, and stopped.
Zhan quickly rolled away. "What is this?"
Yibo said, "I came to check on you, just like you came to check on us."
Zhan widened his eyes, looking at him in the darkness. Yibo smiled, his voice low. "Sweet dreams." Then he left and locked the bedroom door.
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