Chapter 21

Zhuo lifted his head, still holding the phone and turning it over in his hands. Yi Bo entered the living room, placed the water and cup on the table, and avoided eye contact with him. "Oh, it must belong to the neighbors who stopped by earlier. I didn't even notice it until now," Yi Bo said.

Zhuo stared at him, unblinking, and after a long pause, asked, "Who are you, Lee?"

Yi Bo froze but quickly regained composure. "I don't understand what you mean."

Zhuo stood up, placed a hand on Yi Bo's shoulder, and said, "Tell me what your mission is. What's your real reason for being here? Who are you really?"

Yi Bo finally looked up at Zhuo, but said nothing. Zhuo pressed on, "From the start, I knew you weren't who you claimed to be. You lied to us. Are you here for revenge, spying, or something else? You can't keep denying it."

Yi Bo shook his head slowly. "I have no mission. I came here for work, nothing more."

Zhuo studied him carefully before asking, "I want to know more about you."

With a deep sigh, Yi Bo sat back down and said, "Everything I told you before is true. I'm no one special. I was fortunate to go to school and become literate. I completed a diploma but haven't found a job yet. That's all there is to it. You can call Ling to confirm."

Zhuo frowned. "Then why did you say you only finished high school?"

"I thought I'd lose the job if I told the truth," Yi Bo replied quietly.

Zhuo eyed him for a while longer before asking, "What did you study?"

"Business Administration," Yi Bo answered without looking at him.

Zhuo sat back, deep in thought, while Yi Bo watched him out of the corner of his eye, hoping he'd finally convinced him. Zhuo eventually sighed and said, "Fine. We'll talk to Paa. I'm sure he'll help you find a job that fits your qualifications."

"Thank you," Yi Bo replied softly.

After a few moments of silence, Zhuo asked, "Where's Zhan?"

Yi Bo hesitated. "I don't know where he went."

Zhuo looked confused. "Isn't he supposed to be under your care?"

"I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen," Yi Bo said quietly.

Zhuo's frustration grew. "And you just let him go?"

Yi Bo remained silent.

Meanwhile, Zhan and Zan Jin had just arrived at the gate. Seeing Zhuo's car parked outside, Zan Jin panicked. "What are we going to do now? Zhuo's here!"

Zhan scowled. "I just came from school. We'll go inside; it's no big deal. It's not like I was out partying."

"But you know your brother is unpredictable. What if he gets me involved?" Zan Jin fretted.

"What can he do to you? Just sneak around the back and wait for me there. If he leaves, I'll come get you."

Reluctantly, Zan Jin agreed, and they entered the house. Zhan, trying to steady his racing heart, walked confidently toward the living room as Zan Jin hurried to hide at the back.

Zhan opened the living room door and put on a brown as he approached Zhuo, bowing slightly. "Good afternoon, Gege."

Zhuo abruptly stood up and slapped him hard across the face. "Where the hell have you been?"

Zhan burst into tears and tried to run, but Zhuo grabbed him by the arm. Shaking, Zhan stammered, "Gege, I... swear I... was just at school! You can call them and ask!"

Zhuo slapped him again. "Who gave you permission to leave?"

Yi Bo, initially unwilling to interfere, realized Zhuo was serious about hurting Zhan. He couldn't stand by. He stood up and pulled Zhan behind him. Both Zhuo and Zhan stared at Yi Bo, shocked. Yi Bo's intense glare warned Zhuo to back off. Zhan, still trembling, clutched Yi Bo's shirt tightly.

Zhuo clenched his fists, shouting, "I told Aunty Bing before I left! She said I could go. Call her if you don't believe me!" Zhan pleaded from behind Yi Bo.

Zhuo lunged forward again, but Yi Bo blocked him, taking the hit himself.

"Who cares about Aunty? Does she have authority over you now?" Zhuo spat, but Zhan only sobbed harder. "I'm sorry, Gege! It won't happen again, I promise!"

Yi Bo remained a silent shield between them.

Zan Jin, hearing the commotion from his hiding spot, bolted for the gate, escaping before he could be dragged into the conflict.

As Zhuo moved to grab Zhan again, Yi Bo caught his wrist. His glare was even fiercer this time. "Don't touch him again."

Zhan let go of Yi Bo's shirt and ran to his room, locking the door behind him, sobbing uncontrollably. Zhuo smirked and yelled after him, "Next time you even think of stepping outside, I'll make sure you regret it, traitor."

Minutes later, Zhuo said goodbye to Yi Bo and left. As Yi Bo walked him to his car, Zhuo turned and said, "Don't go easy on him. If he disrespects you, put him in his place."

Yi Bo frowned. "I'll never lay a hand on him. He's still a teenager… and my husband."

Zhuo grinned, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll handle him for you."

Yi Bo's expression darkened. "No thank you."

Zhuo chuckled, then drove off.

Yi Bo returned inside, sat on the sofa with a heavy sigh, then got up, went to his room, and placed his phone on the desk.

Zhan heard Yi Bo open the door and quickly emerged from his room, checking the shoes by the entrance to see if Zhuo-Ge had really left. Confirming Zhuo was gone, Zhan wiped his tears and stormed into Yi Bo's room, shoving the door open with force. Standing in the doorway, defiant and angry, he glared at Yi Bo and said, "So what now? You called my brother, and for what?"

He continued, "You thought I'd break from his punishment? You think I'll stop going to school or doing what I want? You're wrong. No one can stop me from going wherever I want. Not tomorrow, not ever. And for getting me beaten, I won't forgive either of you!" His eyes burned with hatred.

Yi Bo shook his head calmly. "There will come a time," he said, "when you won't even have the right to stand at the door of my room, let alone disrespect me like this. Not just my door, but my entire space will be off-limits to you." His voice was low and firm as he stood up and walked toward Zhan.

Zhan's heart raced seeing the seriousness on Yi Bo's face, but he braced himself, refusing to back down. Yi Bo stopped inches from him. "Do you know why I never react to your bad manners?" he asked coldly. "Because I don't consider you important. You're not even a man in my eyes. I see you as a street rat...a good-for-nothing. The only reason I accepted your father's proposal was out of respect for him. Otherwise, no amount of wealth could make me marry you. We are not in the same league....I'm way above you."

Zhan's eyes widened in shock. He grabbed Yi Bo's collar, seething with rage. "Did you just call me a street rat?"

Yi Bo roughly pinned him against the door. Zhan let go of his collar immediately, his heart thudding in his chest. Yi Bo glared at him. "Let me give you some warning," he said, his voice icy. "Never lay a hand on me again. If you do, you'll regret what I'm capable of in this house." He released Zhan and shoved him out of the room, slamming the door shut.

Zhan stumbled, catching himself before falling, his anger boiling over. From outside the door, he shouted, "You think you can give me advice? Next time, you'll be giving it with a broken voice! Who do you think you are, anyway? I'm not a street rat! I'm privileged—I have my family's wealth! And what about you? You're just a driver!"

He stormed into his room, threw himself on the bed, and cried bitterly. It was Paa's fault, making him endure such humiliation from their driver.

As the evening wore on, Zhan sat up, wiping his tears. He heard Yi Bo moving around and felt nothing but hatred for him. Despising him. He stepped outside, looking for Zan Jin in the backyard, but it was empty. Frustrated, he returned to his room, pulled out his phone, and called Aunty Bing.

When she answered, Zhan immediately began crying. "Auntie, Zhuo-Ge came home and beat me just because I went to school."

Aunty Bing gasped. "Zhuo did that?"

"Yes, Auntie," Zhan sobbed.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with him. How dare he hit a young man like you! Just because you're slim and tall doesn't mean they can treat you this way. We'll sign you up for the gym so you can bulk up and get those muscles. Once you have six-pack abs, no one will dare bully you again!"

Zhan couldn't help but laugh through his tears. "Aunty, are you complimenting me or making fun of me?"

She chuckled. "You'll see. And don't listen to Zhuo... he's not your parent. He can't stop you from going to school. Go wherever you want tomorrow, and I'll handle him."

Zhan smiled weakly. "Okay, Auntie."

"And don't waste your tears on this nonsense, alright?"

"Alright," Zhan whispered, feeling reassured.

Later that night, around 9 PM, Zhan had calmed down but couldn't stop replaying Yi Bo's words in his mind—calling him a street rat, claiming his father had offered him up. Furious, he left his room again.

In the living room, Yi Bo sat watching TV. Zhan glared at him. "Of course, you're watching TV, since you don't have one in your own house," he sneered.

Yi Bo didn't respond.

"And since you say my father offered me to you, why don't you just sign the divorce papers and be done with me?" Zhan spat.

Yi Bo finally looked at him. Zhan's face was twisted in anger. "If you can't arrange the papers, I will. Just sign them."

After a moment of silence, Yi Bo said, "Oh, so you do acknowledge that you're married to me?"

Zhan sneered, "Whatever."

Yi Bo nodded slowly. "Don't worry," he said, "there's time. I'll wait until you understand fully that you're not in my league before I let you go."

Zhan's temper flared. "That's nonsense! I already know we're not in the same league. You should let me go now!"

Yi Bo didn't respond. Zhan stormed back to his room, grabbed his phone from under his pillow, and dialed Leo's number.

Zhan couldn't reach Leo because Leo hadn't saved his number. Frustrated, he called He Peng. "He Peng, please call Leo and send him my number so he can save it. I need to talk to him."

"Okay," He Peng replied and hung up. After a while, He Peng called Zhan back. "I sent him your number. He said he'll call you."

"Thanks a lot," Zhan said, lying back on his pillow, waiting anxiously for Leo's call. Soon after, his phone rang, and seeing Leo's name, Zhan's heart leapt with happiness. He quickly sat up and answered softly, "Hello."

"How are you?" Leo asked.

"Good," Zhan replied in a low voice.

"Are you okay?"

Tears welled up in Zhan's eyes. "No," he whispered.

"What happened?" Leo's concern was clear.

Zhan couldn't hold back his tears any longer. "I can't stand living with this driver anymore. He insulted me earlier."

"He insulted you?" Leo's voice sharpened.

"Yes," Zhan said, his tears flowing freely. "He called me a street kid, trash, and said that Paa arranged my marriage to him."

"Wait," Leo said, shocked, "the driver said that?"

Zhan nodded, even though Leo couldn't see him. "Yes."

Leo was silent for a moment before saying, "He called you a street kid?"

"That's what he said," Zhan confirmed, his voice shaking with emotion.

Leo sighed deeply. "Don't worry. Calm down. I'll be back in China soon, and everything will be sorted out."

Zhan wiped his tears. "Thank you."

"And stop crying. He'll regret ever insulting you," Leo added firmly.

Zhan's voice wavered as he said, "I even asked him to divorce me, but he refused."

"He will," Leo assured him, "because you're not meant for him."

Zhan managed a small smile, feeling reassured. "Are you on WhatsApp?" Leo asked.

"No, but I'll open it now," Zhan said.

"Good. Once you're on, call me," Leo said.

"Okay," Zhan agreed and hung up.

Feeling much calmer after Leo's comforting words, Zhan opened WhatsApp, and they had a long video call until almost 1 AM. Afterward, Zhan finally slept peacefully, his mind at ease for the first time in a long while.

In the middle of the night, Zhan felt someone lifting his pillow. He opened his eyes quickly but saw no one in the dark room. His heart pounded as he was certain someone had moved his pillow. He sat up, reaching for the light switch, but his hand touched someone else's.

Startled, Zhan screamed and jumped off the bed. The room filled with light as the switch was flicked on. Yi Bo was standing by the bedside drawer, leaning casually against the wall. Zhan stood by the door, staring at him, confused and terrified.

Yi Bo lifted Zhan's pillow and took his phone from underneath it. Zhan's eyes widened, and he rushed forward, shouting, "Don't you dare touch my phone!"

Yi Bo glared at him coldly. "Don't come near me," he warned, his voice calm but dangerous. Zhan frowned and yell, "This phone isn't yours. You didn't buy it. It wasn't purchased with your money."

Without another word, Yi Bo headed outside, entering his room and went toward the bathroom. Zhan followed, pleading, "Give me my phone!"

Yi Bo filled a small container with water, tossed the phone in, and locked the bathroom door. Zhan stood there, speechless, staring in disbelief. Yi Bo walked past him, turned off the light, and went back to bed as if nothing had happened.

*****

Zhan couldn't sleep the rest of the night. He cried until he had no tears left, feeling utterly powerless. By morning, he was sure of one thing: he had never hated anyone as much as he hated Lee.

Around eight o'clock, he heard welding sounds from the gate. Weakly, he got up and went to the living room door, where he saw Yi Bo overseeing a welder and locksmith changing the gate's lock. Without a word, Zhan turned back and returned to his room. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Zhan tried to think of what to do next. After a while, he went to Yi Bo's room, opened the bathroom door, and checked the container where his phone had been. It was gone. Feeling defeated, he walked out, spotting Yi Bo's smaller phone lying on the bed. Without thinking, Zhan grabbed it and hurried back to his room.

He checked the call logs and saw a number saved as "Nia" with a love emoji. His jaw clenched as he stared at the number, then scrolled further, spotting Lu Jie's number. He clicked on the call details—it showed they had talked for almost ten minutes the day before.

Frustrated, Zhan dialed Lu Jie's number. When she answered, Zhan snapped, "You didn't care about me or what I'm going through, did you, Jie? It seems like you're happy with what's happening to me! Why else would you be talking to my enemy? What are you discussing with him? What is he telling you, and what are you telling him?"

Lu Jie tried to calm him. "Zhan, what are you talking about? If you knew why I was talking to him, you wouldn't be accusing me like this. You know I'd never be happy about your suffering."

"There's nothing you can say that'll convince me otherwise. I'll make sure you never talk to him again," Zhan retorted angrily.

Lu Jie sighed. "Fine. But when I call him, it's to ask him to hand the phone to you. Sometimes we discuss things about you and him. I might come by the day after tomorrow. We need to talk, Zhan."

Zhan didn't listen to her anymore and hung up. He now knew where he stood with everyone—Paa, Mama, Zhuo-Ge, Lu Jie—none of them truly cared about him. Tears streamed down his face again as he blocked Lu Jie's number and deleted her calls from the log.

He stared at the number saved as "Nia" with the love emoji, scoffing. Without hesitation, he blocked that number too and deleted it from the logs. He then remembered he needed to inform Leo about his phone being taken in case Leo tried to contact him.

As Zhan began dialing Leo's number, he had barely entered four digits when the number appeared on the screen. But it wasn't saved with a name. His stomach twisted with suspicion. Had Yi Bo copied the number last night?

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. His heart raced as he turned and saw Yi Bo standing in the doorway, staring at him. Panic seized Zhan. He quickly put the phone down beside the bed. Their eyes locked as Yi Bo slowly walked into the room.

Zhan backed away to the far side of the room, his heart pounding, though his face remained defiant. Yi Bo glanced at the phone, then back at Zhan. When Yi Bo reached for it, Zhan bolted toward the door, but Yi Bo was faster, grabbing him by the wrist.

Zhan blinked, his voice shaky. "Let me go. What have I done now? I was just trying to call my sister. I haven't heard from her in so long."

"Here's to another year of adventure, happiness, and making memories!"

Happy birthday Zhan-ge.

Zhanxianyibo ❤️💚💛