13

Ziyi kept blushing with the dress she wore that covered her shoulders halfway and flowed down into a graceful plunging neckline. It's a relaxed fit that covers her breasts but does so without making it look awkward or messy. It only covered her arms to a few inches below her shoulders. which not only helps stress her gorgeous skin, it also keeps the focus on other parts of the dress. The dress's waist is narrow, but it's a slim fit. A cloth ribbon has been wrapped around her and tied in the front.

The dress widens at the waist and has a bell-style. The dress reaches all the way down, almost covering her feet, and is longer at the sides and back of the dress.

She's wearing wedges, gorgeous on their own, an ideal match in combination with the dress. To top it all off, she's wearing an ornate necklace and an embroidered bracelet.

The food was delicious, and everyone ate to their hearts' content. As they waited for Mrs. Bin, they all sat in the living room.

Zhan's grin spread across his face as he thought, "I bet this is your last decent meal," he mused.

Haikaun called Zuocheng and asked, "Now that we have everything we need, how do we catch him?"

We are doing it today at Zhan's place, just waiting for his call. Zhuocheng said and blushed as he continued his conversation with him, feeling tingles in his heart and toes. Both of them laughed and felt strangely connected.

Oh, let me make you laugh. Zuocheng muttered

Okay. Haikuan said his ears turning red.

Zhan said, "I wish I knew where Yibo was." I would have invited him to come and I will propose to him in front of them before we put him in jail. They were both gigglings.

We should prank Zhan. Haikuan laughed when he said that.

Zuocheng remarked in a low voice that his heart couldn't take it.

We must remove Mr. Bin from Yibo's path. Haikuan commented.

Kaun, don't go too far. Cheng forewarned, "He flushed profusely." "He enjoys it when Cheng refers to him as Kuan." I'll call you when everything is finished. Cheng mused before he hung up the phone.

He became irritated and texted Zhan, "What's taking so long?"

"You may be on your way," Zhan said.

He saunters out of the house into his car with the file in one hand. He jingles his car key in the other, humming, excited that Yibo would be back to where he belonged with his daughter, gets into his car, and drives off.

He was singing along with the music on the radio when a car suddenly pulled out in front of him. The car screeched its brakes, and he cursed them under his breath before he could get out of his car. Three armed men with guns rammed into his car.

Can I have the file? One of them spoke. His voice was icy.

What file are you talking about? I was screaming and running away in my head, away from these godforsaken people, but I kept my composure.

I won't ask again: where's the file? His voice was sharp and deep this time.

Can we just kill him and take the file? One of them said, "No killing," the first guy replied.

Can we break something? He asked again, pressing his shoulders.

Yeah, but don't go too far, the first man replied.

"You don't have to break anything," he explained, "just tell me what you want and I'll do it." Cheng blurted out.

The time for cooperation has passed; he doesn't repeat himself, the third man said.

"Please, we don't have to do this," he said. Before Cheng could talk again, he got a jab from one of the guys on his shoulder, and he screamed in pain.

Another guy hit his head with the bottom of the gun, and not able to move or struggle, they rummaged through his car and took the file. With one last look, the second guy shot him in the thigh, and they left him for dead.

Zhan was getting restless waiting for Cheng. It's unlike him. He never misses his calls or does not reply to his messages.

Mrs. Bin came in quickly because there was no point in waiting any longer; two weeks is plenty of time to get everything ready for the wedding. Mrs. Xiao baked cookies and cake with ice cream since it was Ziyi's favorite. When everyone was done, they bid goodbye and left.

Zhan was getting furious, but he knew something had happened to Cheng. He'd never leave him when he needed him the most.

A few minutes later, his phone rang, jolting him back to reality. It was a call from LI. What did he want? He paused before picking up the call.

Yes, what do you want? sounding irritated.

You need to come to the hospital right now. Li Bowen yelled through the phone.

Hospital: Why, what happened? He asked again, sounding indifferent.

I called Cheng an hour ago, and a nurse picked up the call and told me a passerby rushed him to the hospital.

Not listening to LI, Zhan ended the call and ran out of the house and into the car, driving out like he was being chased by a ghost.

When he got to the hospital, his heart sank when he saw Cheng, his head wrapped in a bandage, a gunshot to his thigh, and a dislocated shoulder. He brawled and wailed when a nurse rushed to him and asked him not to disturb the peace of other patients.

He swallowed his tears and rushed to see the doctor. Luckily, he was also coming out of his office to see Zhan.

How is he? Zhan asked, and his voice sent shivers down Li's spine. He looked at Zhan and shook his head.

The doctor assured them that in an hour or two, he'd be awake. His head injury was not serious, and they fixed his shoulder. His thigh will take a little longer to heal, as the wound is deep, but he will survive.

Zhan took a deep breath, thanked the doctor, and walked back to where Cheng was. He messaged everyone to inform them about what had happened.

Although Mrs. Xiao, Mrs. Wang, Haikuan, Nana, and Lu knew what had happened to Cheng, they kept the rest of the family in the dark and told them it was rubbery.

That afternoon, Haikuan flew to Beijing. His heart was in his hands, praying that nothing awry would happen to his crush.

When it had been over two hours and Cheng still hadn't woken up, everyone was terrified.

Is it okay if I take him to Shanghai? It shocked everyone, including Zhan, except Nana, who had listened to Kuan whine about Cheng.

A few minutes later, one nurse told them he was awake. Kuan didn't wait for anyone; he sauntered into the ward and hugged Cheng.

"You scared the fuck out of me," he said tearfully.

Kuan, I'm okay. Cheng whispered to him.

I would appreciate it if you followed me to Shanghai. Please let me take care of you. If you are here alone, my mind will not be at rest. Kuan coaxed him.

"Let the boy rest," Nana said, holding Kuan's shoulder.

Cheng's mother believes he should remain with Kuan until they settle the situation.

Cheng felt considerably better after a week, but he still could not walk. Kuan placed him in a wheelchair before driving him to the airport.

Mr. Jiang hired a private investigator to look into his son's case, but Zhan knew where the attack came from. He took matters into his own hands and vowed to deal with everyone involved.

Lu, Yibo, and Mrs. Wang moved to Canada. Cheng's experience has taught them all to be cautious.

Mrs. Xiao calls them every day, and every time she sees her granddaughter, her heart melts. Mrs. Wang flew back to Shanghai to avoid raising any suspicions.

Zhan didn't know what else to do two days before the big wedding because they didn't have any evidence.

During a conversation with his mother in the kitchen, she asked. Are you planning to buy her an apartment or will she move in with us?

There's no way she can sleep in the bed Yibo and I shared. Zhan mumbles.

His father replied, "Great," because we already bought a house for both of you and I don't want to hear that boy's name from your mouth ever again.

His mom felt a pang in her heart for her precious son.

A picture of Yibo with a sheepish smile caught Zhan's attention as he was scrolling through social media.

When he looked at the picture again, he zoomed in.

"An engagement between a billionaire son and the hottest boy on campus."

His heart broke when he saw all the pictures and videos posted unanimously. Streams of tears flowed down his cheeks.

Nothing is clear. He can't make sense of anything. He feels light-headed, yet his head is too heavy to lift. The paradox: This is not the right time. He shut his eyes. This is too much for him.

He can't.

He won't.

He will not make it.

He can't be saved, it's too late. It's far too late.

He is going to die. Oh no,

He's going to die! Please, not yet.

He doesn't want to die.

He doesn't.

Everything is swirling and he can't focus.

With one or two eyes, it makes no difference which direction he looks; the world keeps spinning.

He is unsteady

He feels dizzy.

Even with his eyes closed, he is dizzy.

He was in excruciating pain and wailed out, but he passed out before his parents could get to him.

He woke up before they got to the hospital and asked them to turn back.

This was a moment of weakness, and it will not happen again in the future.

What happened to that sweet boy who promised never to love someone else?

What happened to the boy who chased him everywhere?

What happened to his husband, who promised he would be loyal?

His heart wailed and struggled, but his appearance was as cold as ice.

I did everything I could to keep you safe, and all you could do in return was agree to marry some sick person you didn't know from Adam.

His mind and heart were in chaos, but he shrugged it off, and that was it. His appearance became cold.

I'm sorry, baby. Mrs. Xiao thought to herself. This was the only way to keep him and your daughter safe, after what happened to Cheng.

To achieve his goals, that sick man would stoop to any level. When they got home, the house seemed cold and different.

This wasn't the plan. In his mind, Mr. Xiao wondered what kind of torture he had subjected his son to.

Maybe after moving on from that boy, he will learn to love her.

No one knew what happened to Zhan. His parents never spoke about it, even between themselves.

I'm not planning to describe the wedding. Y'all should use your imagination. ❣️❣️❣️❣️

The wedding came and passed; Cheng flew from Shanghai to Beijing with Kuan and left the following day.

He is still struggling to walk but is a lot stronger than when he left.

He told Zhan that he and Kuan were now a couple,

to which Zhan replied, "Happy for you, brother."

Since the incident, Zhan has changed. There is no smile on his face anymore, just a cold demeanor.

Cheng and Kuan knew it was because of the pictures he saw online. Unfortunately, that had to be done, no matter how sorry they felt for him.