Chapter 39

Aunty Bella looked at him and said, "When did you arrive, I Bo?"

He replied, "I just got here. Good evening, Aunty."

Smiling, she said, "All is well. How was the trip?"

"It was good," he responded, turning to his mom, who had been watching him.

"Good evening, Mom," he greeted her.

With a sigh of relief, she said, "You came back safely?"

"Yes, everything's fine," he answered and then stepped out of the living room.

Aunty Bella said, "I'm heading home, sister. Tomorrow, before I leave, I'll bring Zhan here along with his things."

With that, she stood up, adjusted her clothes, and made her way to the door, saying, "See you later." Lily, who had been watching her, was at a loss for words and simply followed her with her eyes until she left the living room.

Aunty Bella, upon entering the main living room, since she didn't believe in sneaking around through her sister's side of the house.... especially since she wasn't afraid of the people there—saw Aunty Yu sitting in the living room with her daughter, Xia. Aunty Yu said, "So, you've been at the house Bella?."

Aunty Bella replied, "Yes, I was there. Enjoying the air conditioning, I see."

With that, she headed for the door. Aunty Yu gave her a sharp look, pursing her lips, while Xia lowered her voice to say something just as YiBo walked into the room. He didn't even glance at Xia or her mother as he followed behind Aunty Bella.

Aunty Yu held her chin and followed him with her eyes, saying, So, he doesn't even greet me anymore?

Xia, frowning, said, "Well, he doesn't greet Fen's mom either, so it's not just you."

Aunty Yu replied, "She told me the same thing the other day. Don't bother me with that brat. I'll soon teach him a lesson."

By the time Aunty Bella got into her car, she was waiting for YiBo to catch up. He leaned against the car, running his hand through his hair before saying anything. But before he could, she said, "Get in, let's just go to my house."

He walked around to the other side and got in, and she started the car. The security guards at the gate quickly opened it for her. After they left the neighborhood, she said, "Well, I managed to convince your mom, though it wasn't easy. I didn't even wait for her opinion before I left."

Quietly, YiBo asked, "So, Zhan will be staying at the house while he goes to school?"

Aunty Bella replied, "Exactly. He'll stay in the guest room in your mom's wing. This way, he won't be in their way, and they won't harass or bully him. If he wants to see them, he can, but I've noticed he's quite reserved and keeps to himself."

YiBo smiled slightly. Aunty Bella continued, "Even Min hasn't managed to draw him into her endless chatter. He's very composed."

YiBo calmly said, "He's even more reserved than you've seen. What happened to him has started to teach him some lessons, which is why he's become so quiet. But…" he trailed off with a smile and didn't say more.

Aunty Bella said, "I figured you two weren't on good terms anyway, given all your time at their house."

YiBo nodded, "Yeah, you know I don't tolerate disrespect. He's arrogant, and so am I. I just pretend he doesn't exist in the house. Besides, he's his dad's favorite."

Aunty Bella laughed and said, "You live in their house, and you're still giving him the cold shoulder?"

YiBo chuckled lightly and said, "I don't want to talk about that, Aunty. But I get along well with his sister, Xuan Lu. She's nice."

Aunty Bella said, "Ah, so because he's his dad's favorite, they conspired against him out of jealousy."

YiBo replied, "Yeah, he's the only one in the house attending that elite university, and he gets everything he wants, no matter how expensive. I've never seen anyone as manipulative as his aunt, Bing. She really fooled them all. No matter how much you try, you'll never realize she doesn't truly care for him. At first, I thought she was his mother when Yang told me about her, the way she always defends him."

Aunty Bella shook her head, filled with sympathy for Zhan. "Poor thing," she muttered.

YiBo didn't say anything, and Aunty Bella remained quiet until, after a while, she spoke again. "There's a neighbor of ours in the U.S. You probably wouldn't remember her since it's been so long since you were there, maybe since you were 20. This woman has a son about your age. He travels a lot, and the boy's incredibly wealthy. He frequently visits China, and whenever he does, he always comes to my house. He's never been in the country without visiting me. We've become like family, although he never visits Lily's house because of your strict security at the Palace gate."

"His name is Ryan Jun, half American and half Chinese, and he's also bi, like you. He's always dreamed of finding a Chinese woman or man to marry. The thing is, he only speaks English. When I mentioned him to Sister Lily once, she told me no, she didn't want to send her children far away. Besides, I don't think Emily and the others my daughters are at the age for marriage yet, and their father probably wouldn't want them going far from him. Otherwise, I would've suggested they move back to the U.S., since their grandmother is already there."

"Anyway, since that didn't work out, I thought maybe I could introduce Ryan to Zhan. After all, who in that country would know or care about what happened to him, or any rumors about that video?"

YiBo just looked at her, then laughed, shaking his head without saying anything.

She continued, "Oh, you think it's funny? You think I'm joking? I'm dead serious! I'm sure Ryan would marry him in a heartbeat. He's been fixated on the idea of marrying a Chinese Origin. Once they're married, they could leave the country and go live in the U.S. permanently. Besides, Zhan is so cute and beautiful... oh, I mean handsome."

She laughed at herself, and YiBo chuckled too.

YiBo smiled and said, "That's true."

Aunty Bella replied, "When I get home tonight, I'll chat with him, and if needed, I'll send him a picture of Zhan tomorrow. After all, he's everyone's son, especially considering the trouble he's gone through."

YiBo looked at her and said, "But shouldn't he focus on his studies first, Aunty?"

Aunty Bella said, "Of course, he'll continue his studies. But if he's ready to marry now, he can do that, and once he's there, we'll find him a school. After all, didn't we all study abroad?"

YiBo nodded, "True."

Aunty Bella added, "That way, Zhan's aunt will be forced to swallow her pride out of sheer jealousy when her schemes are exposed to the whole world."

YiBo remained quiet as they reached Aunty Bella's house. She parked the car, got out, and so did YiBo. Zhan had been outside with Owen since his mother left, and as soon as he heard her car, he ran to the compound to meet her, without even noticing YiBo.

YiBo took one glance at Zhan, who seemed to glow with a light that had been dimmed by all the suffering and hardship he had gone through. Aunty Bella, holding her son's hand, asked who had bathed him before heading toward the living room. YiBo followed closely behind. Zhan finally noticed him as Aunty Bella approached, and he greeted her.

Aunty Bella smiled and said, "Good thing you bathed him before I got back. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let anyone do it. Have you finished cooking?"

Zhan replied, "Yes, we've finished."

As Aunty Bella entered the living room, Zhan glanced quickly at YiBo before following her.

YiBo stood there for a moment, watching him in surprise. Aunty Bella noticed Zhan hadn't greeted YiBo and said, "Did you greet him, Zhan?"

Zhan hesitated, then quickly turned and said, "Oh, I didn't see him. Good evening." He said this hurriedly before leaving the room, with YiBo watching him closely.

Aunty Bella sat down in the living room and began responding to Min's greetings. YiBo joined them, and soon Min brought him a bottle of water. Meanwhile, Zhan had already gone to his room. Aunty Bella looked at YiBo and said, "I see you're looking even fresher since you came back. Is it cold in Korea?"

YiBo just smiled as he opened the bottle of water, took a sip, and then pulled out his phone. He tried calling Zhan's mom, whom he had been trying to reach since they arrived in Shanghai. Fortunately, the call connected this time.

After greeting her, he asked how she was doing and how Aunty An and her children were. Then he said, "Here, let me pass the phone to my aunt so you two can talk."

Zhan's mom said, "Alright."

He handed the phone to Aunty Bella, and they exchanged greetings. Zhan's mom thanked her profusely, as if she already knew about the situation at hand. Aunty Bella reassured her, saying, "It's nothing, sister. Zhan is everyone's child. Just be patient, everything will settle down soon. Just keep praying for him."

Zhan's mom felt comforted by Aunty Bella's words, and after they finished talking, she felt more at peace. They said their goodbyes, and Aunty Bella handed the phone back to YiBo.

She told him, "Give it to Min so Zhan can greet his mom. He tried calling her earlier from my phone, but the call didn't go through."

YiBo stood up and went to Zhan's room. Without knocking, he opened the door. Zhan turned around quickly, as even Aunty Bella and Owen knocked before entering. Seeing YiBo, he simply resumed playing on Owen's iPad.

YiBo walked into the room and redialed Zhan's mom. When the call connected, he handed the phone to Zhan. Zhan, seeing his mother's number on the screen, quickly put the phone to his ear. You could tell how happy he was to be speaking with his mom, and his mother, in turn, was relieved to hear her son sounding so lively. She gave him some advice, reminding him not to worry too much.

When she finished, Zhan replied, "Thank you, Mama."

She said, "Make sure to greet everyone at home."

Zhan said, "Okay, Mama. Please say hello to Mei for me."

After ending the call, Zhan handed the phone back to YiBo without looking at him. YiBo crossed his arms, didn't take the phone, and stared at Zhan for a moment before saying, "So, you're still carrying on with your usual disrespectful attitude towards people, huh?"

"And let me remind you, I hope you know by now that I'm not on your level anymore in any aspect."

Zhan rolled his eyes and replied, "I never said I stopped."

YiBo stood there, shocked by Zhan's boldness. Zhan threw him a sharp look and added, "And as for the way you were puffing your chest at me two days ago, I noticed it's not you but your father who's rich. It's your father's house, not yours. All these cars belong to your father, not you. The security guards? They're here for him, not you. So, you can save your attitude until you make your own money before you start acting like you're above me."

YiBo stared at him in disbelief before composing himself and saying, "And why didn't you wait until you made your own money before strutting around here with your father's wealth, acting all high and mighty?"

Zhan pout, saying, "Well, I'm just a teenager. I don't really know what I'm doing." YiBo reached out as if to pinch Zhan's lips and said, "No, you're a baby, not a teenager." Zhan quickly stepped back, watching him cautiously.

YiBo frowned and said, "I've done everything I could for you, out of respect for your mother and father, but not because you deserve it. You don't. Now, you need to understand that you're living in someone else's house, not your own. Lower yourself and realize you are now a nobody. You're in a house where you don't belong, and your level isn't even close to theirs. You're lucky if all you do here is the dishes, and even that's by chance.... we hire only degree-holders to work for us."

Zhan, furious at YiBo's harsh words, felt a surge of strength and pushed YiBo against the wall.

Still fuming, Zhan pressed both hands against YiBo's chest, pinning him to the wall, and said, "Even if I'm supposedly beneath your family's servants and a nobody, I still can and have the right to do this..."

Before YiBo could register Zhan's words, he suddenly felt Zhan's soft lips on his, kissing him. YiBo's eyes widened in shock as Zhan bit his bottom lip gently, then pulled away, wiping his mouth with a mischievous smile.

Just then, the door opened, and Aunty Bella stood in the doorway, asking, "Haven't they finished their conversation yet?" Zhan handed the phone back to YiBo, still wearing that sly smile. YiBo took the phone, stunned, while Zhan turned and headed for the door.

Aunty Bella said, "Please feed Owen. He won't eat if I give him the food." Zhan nodded and said, "Alright," before leaving. Aunty Bella glanced at YiBo and said, "What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost." Then she follow behind Zhan.

YiBo finally snapped out of his shock and left the room too. In the living room, Aunty Bella added, "By the way, Ryan messaged me earlier when I was talking to you. I just saw it on WhatsApp."

YiBo just nodded and sat down, then said, "I'm heading over to Nia's place. Good night, Aunty." Zhan, who was feeding Owen some noodles, glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

Aunty Bella said, "Send her my regards." YiBo stood up and replied, "She'll hear them," before walking out the door.

***

By Sunday, YiBo had already returned to Korea without going back to Aunty Bella's house. Before leaving, he forwarded Zhan's admission letter and all the relevant documents to her email. Aunty Bella was overjoyed to see that Zhan had been accepted into New York University, Shanghai.

She walked into the living room, smiling, and said to Zhan, "Congratulations, dear, here's your admission letter."

Zhan took the phone from Aunty Bella, staring at the name of the school as if he couldn't believe it. After a moment, he asked, "Aunty, which university is this?"

Aunty Bella smiled and said, "New York University, my dear."

Zhan was in shock, realizing that it was indeed New York University on the screen. With some effort, he asked, "Aunty, who paid for this?"

Aunty Bella, still smiling, replied, "YiBo. He paid for your tuition and everything. It's all because of the kindness your father showed him that he's now repaying that kindness by sponsoring you at one of the most expensive universities."

Suddenly, Zhan didn't feel like going to the university anymore, but he didn't say anything to Aunty Bella. She added, "I'll call him later so you can thank him."

That night, Aunty Bella brought the phone to Zhan's room. He took it, and she left. Before Zhan could say a word, YiBo said, "I don't need your thanks. I didn't do this for gratitude, and you certainly didn't deserve it."

Zhan responded calmly, "I wasn't going to thank you anyway. Just calm down and listen to what I have to say before you make any conclusions. If you're lucky, they might refund your payment. Let them know... I'm not going."

***

Mr. Xiao was sitting in his living room while Aunty Bing sliced some fruit for him. He asked, "Has Lu gone back to her husband's house?"

Aunty Bing replied, "She left about a week ago. It's been almost seven days since she was last here."

Mr. Xiao nodded and said, "When i am  came in. Her husband called me earlier."

Aunty Bing put down the knife and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door, and both turned to look. Aunty Bing got up as Mr. Xiao's mother entered the room. Aunty Bing greeted her warmly, "Welcome, Mother."

Zhan's grandmother stared at her for a moment, then she clicked her tongue in frustration and ignored Aunty Bing, turning to Mr. Xiao. "Zhen, call your new driver immediately and tell him to take me to my grandson's house. No one has cut him off yet, and I won't abandon him because of some baseless rumor. It's just slander, and there's no proof he did anything wrong. Some people have been exposed, but he hasn't been shown doing anything indecent in those videos. Anyone with eyes could see it wasn't him."

She continued, "He's done nothing wrong, and yet we've tied him to that mess. We've married him off to someone we barely know... who could be a murderer, a kidnapper, or part of the Mafia for all we know. And yet we stand by and do nothing?"

"Well, I have come to my senses, take me to see my grandson right now. I want to know what's really going on with him".

Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛