Chapter 28

Zan Jin sat on the kitchen floor, drenched from his waist down, soaking wet. He threw his hands in the air, closed his eyes, and yelled, "Oh no! I'm doomed, I'm completely burned! Please, someone get me emergency help!" Next to him, a pot of boiling water sat on the kitchen floor. YiBo rushed into the kitchen, asking, "What happened?"

Zan Jin opened his eyes, still screaming, and said, "Please help me! The boiling water spilled all over me, from my stomach down to my legs. I was trying to pour it over the noodles, and it spilled. Please help before my skin peels off!"

YiBo watched in shock as Zan Jin screamed and flailed his legs and arms, crying, "It was boiling hot! Help me, my body is burning with pain!" YiBo glanced at the kitchen door when he noticed Zhan standing there but didn't make eye contact. He turned off the stove, walked over to Zan Jin, and extended his hand. "Get up," YiBo said firmly.

Zan Jin immediately grabbed YiBo's hand. As YiBo helped him to his feet, Zan Jin let out another loud cry, "Oh no! It's burning, I'm dying! What can we put on it to stop the pain?"

YiBo led him toward the door, still avoiding Zhan's gaze. Zan Jin didn't look at Zhan either, instead crying louder and shaking his head with his eyes shut tight. YiBo looked up for the first time and finally met Zhan's eyes. Zhan stood there, arms crossed, watching them. "Move out of the way," YiBo said.

Zhan shot him a sharp look, turned, and quickly headed to his room. Zan Jin glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and said, "Please help me before my skin melts off! If we need to go to the hospital, let's go." He then slipped out of YiBo's grip, collapsing onto the floor and rolling around in agony.

YiBo headed to his room and came back with car keys. He stared at Zan Jin, who was now crawling after him, crying, "Please, hurry! Let's get to the hospital before I die. Every part of my body is stinging!"

YiBo opened the back seat door for him, and Zan Jin quickly climbed inside. As YiBo started the car, Zhan came out into the living room, watching them through the window. Once YiBo opened the gate and got back into the car, Zhan walked outside, heading straight for the front passenger seat. He got in, locked the door, and YiBo, looking at him, asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

Without looking back, Zhan replied, "To the hospital with you." YiBo scanned him from head to toe, then said, "You're really going to the hospital like that?" Zhan's face hardened as he replied, "Wait here while I get some proper clothes." He stepped out of the car, while Zan Jin, still writhing in pain in the back, begged, "Please, just drive! I can't feel my body; my skin is going to melt!"

YiBo didn't respond and waited in the car. After a few moments, Zhan returned, now dressed, and got into the passenger seat. YiBo finally started driving, and after locking the gate, they headed to a hospital nearby.

At the hospital, nurses rushed out as they heard Zan Jin's screams even from the gate. One nurse, looking at YiBo, asked, "What happened to him?"

"He says he's burned," YiBo replied from where he stood at a distance. Zan Jin was immediately taken to the emergency room, where nurses grabbed scissors to start cutting away his clothes. Zhan remained seated in the hospital reception area, as though they weren't together. YiBo stood near the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Zan Jin screamed at the nurses and doctor, "Please, call my brother! I might be dying; call him!" One nurse stepped out and called for YiBo.

"What do you expect me to do in there?" YiBo asked, unimpressed. Annoyed, the nurse replied, "Even if you're not close, he's asking for you. Considering his condition, you should at least be there."

Sighing, YiBo followed her into the emergency room. Zhan glanced over at him from the reception, though YiBo didn't notice. From the door, YiBo watched as Zan Jin, arms outstretched, called for him to come closer, begging for help. The doctor, now done cutting Zan Jin's clothes, turned to YiBo and asked, "What kind of water spilled on him?"

YiBo blinked and said, "I don't know. By the time I got there, the water had already spilled."

One of the nurses looked at Zan Jin and asked, "Was it boiling water or just warm?"

Frowning, Zan Jin snapped, "Do you think I'd confuse warm water with boiling? It was boiling hot! Only I know the pain I'm feeling right now!" He broke down into sobs again.

The doctor removed his gloves and said, "Nurse, get him some medication." He walked out of the room, followed by the nurse, who returned with the bill for YiBo. He handed her his ATM card, and after processing the payment, the nurse came back with medications for Zan Jin.

Zan Jin, still in pain, asked, "Isn't there anything you can apply to stop the burning?"

The nurse replied, "You've been prescribed medicine. I wish you a speedy recovery." She left the room after handing the prescriptions to YiBo.

YiBo glanced at Zan Jin, who wiped his tears and slowly got off the bed, moving cautiously as if afraid to aggravate his injuries. His clothes were mostly torn, with only his pants remaining intact, though his torso was exposed. YiBo started to leave when Zan Jin cried, "I can't walk! Can you send Zhan to help me?"

YiBo was already halfway out the door but returned to help Zan Jin up. Zan Jin clung to him, limping along as they made their way out of the hospital and into the car. Zhan didn't join them. YiBo waited by the car for about five minutes, but Zhan still didn't show up. Irritated, YiBo went back inside to find him.

"You're keeping us waiting," YiBo said, face tight with frustration.

Zhan didn't even look at him, staring instead at the TV in the reception area. "I'll give you the money for a cab. You can go home whenever you're done here," YiBo said, handing him some cash.

By now, the nurses were whispering, speculating whether the two were in some kind of relationship. Zhan finally stood up and walked out, face set in a scowl. YiBo followed him out to see Zhan get into the front seat. They drove off, and as they hit the main road, Zhan asked, "Do you want to be dropped off at your dorm or somewhere else?"

Zan Jin said, "You surprise me, Zhan. I got burned in your house, and you couldn't even say 'sorry'? Now you're just asking if I want to be taken back to the hostel?"

Zhan replied, "I told you to let me cook, but you refused. What if something worse had happened, and Mama and Paa found out? They specifically told me not to bring anyone to the house. What did you expect me to say to them? For now, we're taking you back to the hostel. It's late already."

YiBo then chimed in, "You know it's late, and you're sending him back to the hostel now? You already knew he'd have to stay the night."

Zhan gave him a sharp look and said, "He never told me he'd stay. If something worse happens at home, what do I say then? It's better he returns to the hostel, and I'll take his bag to him tomorrow."

YiBo just watched him silently. Zan Jin said, "Well, I'm not going back to the hostel. My bag and ID card are at your house. And besides, I came here out of love, not for any other reason. Why didn't He Peng and Xin come? But it's fine. Thanks for your 'hospitality,' Zhan."

YiBo turned the car towards home. When they arrived, Zhan got out and went inside, followed by Zan Jin. YiBo watched them before leaning against the car, shaking his head slightly.

As Zan Jin entered Zhan's room, he broke down in tears, saying, "I never expected this from you. If someone had told me you'd treat me like this, I wouldn't have believed them. All because this mere driver helped me get to the hospital, and now you're mad, Zhan?"

Zhan responded, "Why wouldn't I be mad? A man I don't even talk to... you humiliated me by accepting his help. What do you expect him to think? That I owe him something now? I'm not happy about this at all. You should have just called me so I could get help from outside. But this driver, who hates me as much as I hate him, is the one you chose to let take you to the hospital?"

Zan Jin replied, "When someone is in pain, they don't think of anything else. All they want is relief from the agony they're in. That was my situation. But even I didn't expect a mere driver to help me."

Zhan remained silent. Zan Jin continued, "Fine. Since you've practically kicked me out, I'll leave now. I'll find a hotel to stay in because I already told the hostel I wasn't coming back tonight."

Zhan said, "I didn't tell you not to stay. I'm just annoyed about that driver, which is why I suggested taking you to the hostel." He stood up and added, "I'll boil some spaghetti now, and after that, I'll clean up the kitchen."

He headed to the kitchen, where he found YiBo mopping the floor. Zhan frowned. As soon as YiBo saw him, he put the mop down and left the kitchen, heading to his room.

A few minutes after Zhan left, Zan Jin peeked out from his room, scanning the living room for any sign of YiBo. Not seeing him, he went back, changed out of his torn clothes, and put on some boxer briefs and a pair of three-quarter pants before stepping out again. He stood for about ten seconds, staring at the door he assumed led to YiBo's room. Finally, he turned the knob and opened it.

YiBo looked up as their eyes met. Zan Jin quickly lowered his gaze and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Standing by the door, Zan Jin said, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me today. I really appreciate it... And please, I'm also asking for your forgiveness for what happened the other day. I apologized, but you didn't say anything."

YiBo just stared at him. After a while, he set down the can of soda in his hand and said, "Okay, so your friend sent you to ask for forgiveness on his behalf?"

Zan Jin's eyes widened, "Whaaat? No! That's the difference between him and me. If it were him, he'd never apologize. You know how stubborn and prideful he is. He doesn't even know I came here-he wouldn't have allowed it. But believe me, ever since we did that wrong to you, I haven't been able to find peace. It's not who I am."

YiBo said, "Oh, I thought you all conspired to mistreat us poor people." Zan Jin clutched his chest and walked further into the room, exclaiming, "What? He gets that attitude from Aunt Bing. You know he does whatever she tells him. But they don't realize that both the poor and the rich are the same. Look at me, I'm not from wealth either... back in Foshan, my father sells melons. I'm nobody, which is why I respect human dignity."

YiBo responded, "Oh, I thought you were from this city."

Zan Jin laughed and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm a Foshan boy through and through. He Peng and Xin are the ones from Beijing."

YiBo added, "But your school seems to be for the rich."

Zan Jin explained, "Yeah, an older woman I have fun with pays my tuition. Xin is in the same situation as me, but He Peng's parents pay for his schooling because they're wealthy."

YiBo nodded. "I see."

Zan Jin sat at the edge of the bed and said, "But I pity you living under the same roof as Zhan. The way he hates you-he curses you all the time at school, saying you're just a driver trying to act superior. After the wedding, he even declared he'd kill you, even though you helped him. Don't you use social media? Or do you not have a smart phone?"

YiBo shook his head. "I don't have one."

Zan Jin nodded. "Oh, well, keep an eye on him. Don't let his hatred push him to do something he might regret. I promise you, next time I visit, I'll bring you a better phone."

YiBo thanked him and then asked, "Does your friend not have a boyfriend?"

Zan Jin rolled his eyes. "Him? It's more like he stuck with the guy, not the other way around. Ever heard of General Wang?"

YiBo replied, "Yeah, isn't he a retired high-ranking officer?"

Zan Jin leaned closer, touching YiBo's thigh mischievously. "Exactly! His only son Zhan is obsessed with him. At first, Leo ignored him, but then...bam! Suddenly, they were together. We think Zhan gave in....as in with his body you know? He wink at YiBo, just to get close to him, especially after we noticed Leo started calling him instead of the other way around."

YiBo lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact. Zan Jin continued, "Since then, he's been paying more attention to him, but don't get it twisted...he doesn't go to the guy's house. No, every time they meet, it's at some random spot or hotels in Beijing, and after hanging out, Zhan leaves. A while back, Leo supposedly went to meet his parents, but Zhan didn't even tell us. Suddenly, we saw Zhan's explicit video circulating everywhere. It was humiliating. What hurt the most was that it happened right after we had hopes to all hung out with his friends. We still don't know how the video got out, but we suspect it was taken during one of his outings."

YiBo didn't say anything, though his mood noticeably changed. Sensing the shift, Zan Jin gently patted his thigh again and looked into his eyes. "It must feel awful knowing your partner's explicit video is out there for the world to see, huh? You must feel betrayed."

YiBo gave him a look, then smiled weakly as he slowly moved his hand away. Zan Jin said "Thanks for the talk. I think I'll go take a shower now."

With that, he got up and headed to the door. YiBo didn't look at Zan Jin again until he left the room. He almost bumped into Zhan in the hallway. Zhan stared at him up and down before Zan Jin stiffened and said, "He told me the medicine isn't in his room, and I didn't find it yours either."

In a low voice, Zhan responded, "It's not in my room," and walked into his own room. Zan Jin went back to the living room to retrieve his medicine and returned to Zhan's room.

Zhan sat on the edge of the bed, and Zan Jin asked, "Did the pasta not ready?" Only then did Zhan glance at him and reply, "Let's go check."

"Okay," Zan Jin said as he got up and left the room. Zhan followed him, stopping in the living room while Zan Jin entered the kitchen. Slowly, Zhan opened the door to YiBo's room and peeked inside but didn't see him. He glanced at the bathroom door but decided to lock the room's door. He looked toward the entrance, not seeing YiBo's shoes, then approached the window and quietly pulled back the curtains. YiBo was sitting on the balcony, his arms crossed. From his expression, it was clear he was in a bad mood.

Zan Jin came out of the kitchen and asked, "What are you looking for outside?" Zhan replied, "Nothing. Have you served the pasta?"

"Yes, I already plated it. You even took it off the stove," Zan Jin said.

"Alright, bring it, and let's go back to the room," Zhan said. Zan Jin fetched the plates, and they headed back to the room. After eating, Zhan left with the dishes and glanced outside again. YiBo was still sitting where he had been, staring into space.

When Zhan returned, Zan Jin had taken out some drugs from his bag, which he took before lying down. Zhan sat at the edge of the bed, wanting to shower but feeling too sluggish to move.

Around 11:30 p.m., Zan Jin got up, and Zhan asked, "Where are you going?"

"To get some water from the kitchen," Zan Jin replied.

Zhan grabbed a bottle of water from the bedside table and handed it to him. Zan Jin took it, sat back down, and sighed softly. He'd been feeling horny all day because his boyfriends weren't in Beijing. Eventually, Zan Jin lay back down, closing his eyes despite not being able to sleep.

At 12:30 a.m., Zhan got up and went to the door, locking it and then removing the key. Surprised, Zan Jin sat up and asked, "Why are you locking us in and taking the key, Zhan?"

Zhan replied, "I do this every night."

Zan Jin didn't press further, though he pursed his lips and lay back down. Zhan slipped the key under his pillow and lay down on it.

~~~~~

Early in the morning, Aunty Bing's call woke them up from their sleep. Zan Jin answered the phone, hearing her voice, and said, "Oh, Aunt, good morning." Aunty Bing responded, "Doing well, Zan Jin. You still haven't saved my number, have you?" He replied, "I'll do that now, Aunt." She asked, "Where is Zhan?" Zan Jin handed the phone to Zhan and lay back down.

After Zhan greeted her, she asked, "So, have you found out the names of his parents yet, Zhan?" He replied, "No, Aunt, I was planning to today." She scolded, "You see how careless you are? I told you yesterday to find a way to make him tell you, but you didn't do it. Or do you prefer to keep living with that driver, Zhan?" Quickly, Zhan responded, "No, Aunt, I'll tell you today." Aunty Bing replied, "Good, but don't let Zan Jin leave the house until you find out and inform me through his phone."

Zhan answered, "Okay, Aunt." She lowered her voice and added, "Make sure you keep your secrets to yourself. That belly of yours isn't just for food. Even if a friend asks what we discussed, just tell them it was nothing important, just a simple errand I wanted you to take care of. Not every friend should know your business, who knows if they were involved in leaking your video to the world?"

Zhan reassured her, "No, Aunt, it's not like that." She said, "Alright, I'm waiting to hear from you later." Zhan ended the call. Zan Jin, watching him, asked, "What was that about?" Zhan replied, "Oh, it's nothing, she was just asking about some things she's sending me." Zan Jin responded with, "Oh, okay," then went back to lie down. Zhan got up and headed for the door while Zan Jin watched him leave.

When Zhan tried to open YiBo's door, he realized it was locked. He stood by the door for a minute before turning and heading to the living room to sit down. Five minutes later, Zan Jin also came out and joined him, trying to make small talk. Eventually, around nine in the morning, YiBo emerged from his room, not acknowledging either of them as he left the house.

After hearing YiBo drive off, Zan Jin turned to Zhan and said, "You have real patience to keep this man in the house for so long. Look at how he walked past us without even a greeting. What kind of person acts so high and mighty when he's just a commoner?" Zhan smirked and said, "Oh, did someone pass by here? I didn't see anyone."

Zan Jin burst into laughter, "Oh, really now." Zhan then said, "Shall we get up and fry some eggs with Irish potatoes? I'm starting to feel hungry." Zan Jin got up, and they headed to the kitchen.

By 4 p.m., YiBo had not returned. Aunty Bing called Zhan three times, each time he told her that YiBo wasn't back yet. On the final call, Zhan confirmed again, and Aunty Bing said, "Make sure Zan Jin doesn't leave the house. If he goes, we'll have no way of contacting him." Zhan looked at Zan Jin, who didn't seem like he was planning to leave anyway, and said, "Okay, Aunt."

Zhan shared some stories about YiBo's hometown, causing Zan Jin to laugh so hard he nearly fell to the floor. "You're saying you saw the real driver with your own eyes?" Zan Jin asked. Zhan replied, "Hmm... I wish you could see his village, Zan Jin. I swear, even if you had millions, you wouldn't stay there for 15 minutes. It's hell on earth." Zan Jin kept laughing. Just then, He Peng called, and since the phone was nearby, Zhan quickly answered.

Upon hearing Zhan's voice, He Peng said, "So, Zan Jin just left without telling us anything?" Zhan replied, "I wasn't happy either that you guys didn't come. But luckily, I haven't been lonely; we've been chatting all day." Zan Jin snatched the phone and said, "Well, I saw you guys were going out, so I didn't mention it. But no worries, next time, we'll all go together, it's no big deal."

He Peng responded, "No, but seriously, if you had told us you're going to Zhan's house, nothing would have stopped us from joining you. I'm not happy about what you did. We could still come with Xin since we have nothing going on." Zan Jin pretended to have network issues, saying, "Hello, hello," before ending the call, claiming the network was down.

He continued his conversation with Zhan, who then asked, "Time is passing, what should we eat for dinner, Zan Jin?" Zan Jin replied, "I'm going to pick up something, maybe we'll just have some noodles for dinner." Zhan, watching him, said, "Don't disappear on me, Zan Jin." Wide-eyed, Zan Jin said, "Why would I disappear? I've missed you, you know. I'll leave my phone here, but don't take it off flight mode until I return."

Zhan replied, "Alright." Zan Jin took his backpack and left the house. When he returned after nearly an hour, Zhan noticed he was empty-handed and asked, "Where's the package?" Zan Jin clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Apparently, I have to wait until tomorrow, so I wasted my money on the trip."

At 6 p.m., YiBo finally returned. Zan Jin, just out of the shower, applied some lotion to his face and said, "Is this what he does? Leaves in the morning and returns late at night like he's buying and selling in the market?" Zhan smirked and said, "Oh, so he's back." Zan Jin just chuckled. After finishing with his lotion, he asked Zhan, "Aren't you going to shower?" Zhan stood up, "I'm going."

While Zhan went to the bathroom, Zan Jin quickly opened the door to check the living room. No one was there, only a takeout bag from a local eatery. Zan Jin returned to the room, grabbed his bag, and snuck into the kitchen. Nervously, he pulled out a syringe filled with liquid, opened the drink container from the takeout, and injected the liquid into it. His hands were trembling as he carefully put the drink back into the bag.

Panicked, instead of returning to the room, he went back into the kitchen and stayed there for over 30 seconds before peeking out again. Seeing no one, he hurried back to Zhan's room, locked the door, lay on the bed, and started scrolling through his phone with a slight smile on his face...

2 to 3 more chapters to know who our YiBo is... 🤫😉

Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛