Chapter 42

At night, Ru was sitting in her mom's living room, busy with her phone after dinner with Zhan. One glance at Zhan, and you could tell he was in a bad mood, clearly uncomfortable being in the house. Tin walked into the living room, looked at Ru, and said, "Hey sis, Dad's calling you." Ru responded, "Okay," stood up, and looked at Zhan. "I'll be back," she said. Zhan nodded, and she left with Tin following behind. Zhan watched them leave, then slowly leaned back in the chair, missing his own father.

Outside, Tin glanced at Ru and said, "I don't like him." Ru widened her eyes and asked, "Why?" Tin replied, "Haven't you noticed the way he looks at people? And he doesn't greet anyone, just stares. Who does that?"

Ru smiled. "But he's nice. He just doesn't like to talk," she explained. Tin scoffed. "Well, who is he showing his silence to? What's the point of him staying here? I thought he'd leave after a couple of days." Ru simply shrugged, continuing to walk without saying more.

Meanwhile, Zhan stood up and headed for the door, ready to leave the living room. Just as he reached for the handle, the door opened, and he found himself face-to-face with YiBo. Zhan stepped aside without looking at him, waiting for YiBo to pass. YiBo entered, watching Zhan as he left the room without even glancing his way. YiBo followed him with his gaze.

Zhan went back to his room and picked up the phone YiBo had given him earlier. His thoughts drifted to YiBo's words, and he sighed. He remembered Ru's advice and checked his phone, seeing a missed call from a foreign number. He stared at it for a moment, and just as he was about to put the phone down, the same number called again. He answered without speaking.

The caller's voice, with a British accent, said, "Hello?" Zhan replied, and the caller asked, "Is this Zhan, please?"

"Who am I speaking to?" Zhan asked.

"I'm Ryan Jun. I got your number from Aunty Bella," Ryan said.

"Oh, okay," Zhan responded.

"So, how are you?" Ryan asked.

"I'm fine," Zhan replied.

"Can we chat on WhatsApp, please?" Ryan asked. Zhan agreed with a simple "Okay," and Ryan thanked him before ending the call.

Zhan didn't even know if WhatsApp was installed on the phone, so he checked and saw that it was set up with his number, though no chats had started yet, except for a "hello" from Ryan a few hours ago. Zhan replied, and Ryan began introducing himself in perfect English. He explained that he was the first son in his family, with two younger brothers and a sister. He also shared that he was from the UK but now lived in the US, where he studied accounting.

Zhan read the messages without responding for a while, remembering that he hadn't chatted with anyone in about five weeks. Noticing the silence, Ryan asked, "Are you there, Zhan?" Zhan replied, "Yeah."

"Good," Ryan said. "Tell me more about you."

After some hesitation, Zhan briefly introduced himself. Ryan responded enthusiastically, saying, "Wow, that's nice. I'll be flying to China soon to meet you. I'm already feeling comfortable with you." Most of the conversation was led by Ryan, with Zhan only replying with "okay" or staying silent until Ryan asked if he was still there. Ryan seemed jovial, very friendly, and sophisticated. They chatted for almost an hour, with Ryan sharing a lot about himself, even sending photos of his family. Zhan saw that they were all beautiful, looking like models. Ryan then requested a photo of Zhan.

Zhan had never felt self-conscious before, but recently, and now especially with Ryan's request, he hesitated. When he didn't respond, Ryan asked, "Zhan?" Zhan put down the phone and lay back on the bed slowly.

About fifteen minutes later, his phone rang again. He picked it up, looking at the screen, then answered silently. Ryan spoke, "Did I offend you in any way?"

"Not at all," Zhan replied.

"Okay, sorry for asking for your picture," Ryan said.

"It's fine," Zhan said quietly.

"I won't ask again," Ryan added.

"Good," Zhan responded.

Ryan continued chatting, but Zhan glanced at the clock, which read past eleven. "I'm going to bed now," he said.

Ryan said goodbye, thanking him for the time they spent chatting. Zhan waited until the call ended, then lay down and fell asleep almost instantly.

***

The next morning, Ru was getting dressed in her room when there was a knock at the door, followed by it opening. She looked up to see YiBo enter.

"Good morning, bro," Ru said. "How are you?"

"Cool," YiBo replied. "Do you have lectures today?"

"Yeah, today's the first day back," she said with a small laugh.

"Is it Fudan or New York?" YiBo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ru chuckled. "Come on, Bro. How could you forget which school I go to? Tin goes to Fudan, but Fen and I are at New York University."

"Right, I remember now," he said. "Do you know when Gaokao is happening this year?"

"Registration is still ongoing, but the exams will be soon," Ru replied.

"Good. That boy... he got into your school, but he needs to submit his Gaokao results. So take him with you today. I used his transfer letter to get him admitted, but they said he has to pass Gaokao before he can start."

"Okay, but that'll be after my lectures, maybe around 2," Ru said.

"Fine. Just don't tell Mom about the registration. I'll give you his admission letter, and you can just tell her you're taking him to school," YiBo instructed.

"Got it," Ru said, and YiBo left the room.

After Ru finished getting ready, she headed to Zhan's room. He was already dressed and sitting silently on the edge of the bed, still looking moody. It was clear he wasn't happy being in the house.

"Good morning, friend," Ru greeted him. "Brother said we're going to register you for the Gaokao today, but first we'll go to school because I have lectures. After that, we'll go for the registration."

Zhan looked at her and nodded. "Okay," he said, and Ru left the room.

They had breakfast together in the living room with Ru's mom. Afterward, Ru informed her mom that she and Zhan would be heading to school together. "Which school is he attending?" her mom asked.

"The same one as me," Ru replied, showing the admission letter.

"Really?" her mom said, surprised.

"Yes," Ru confirmed. Afterward, Ru and Zhan left the living room and almost ran into YiBo. YiBo glanced at Zhan from head to toe. Zhan was wearing ripped jeans and a stylish top that, though oversized, looked great on him—Aunty Bella had bought it for him, saying it would fill him out since he had lost some weight.

"We're leaving now," Ru said to YiBo.

"Okay," he responded. Zhan walked past him, and Ru followed, but YiBo watched them leave. After a few steps, YiBo called out, "Hey, Ru!" She stopped and turned around, but Zhan just paused without looking back. The only reason Zhan had stopped was that he didn't want to walk alone to the main living room.

YiBo walked over and said to Ru, "Can you grab my phone from my room?"

"Sure," Ru said, handing her laptop to Zhan. "Hold this for me, please." Zhan took it, and Ru left to fetch the phone.

YiBo waited until Ru was out of sight, then turned to face Zhan, who was standing with his back to him, avoiding eye contact. YiBo walked around to stand in front of him, his expression serious. "Do you have any sense? You're going out dressed like that?"

Zhan didn't realize when he exclaimed, "Why shouldn't I go out like this??" YiBo looked at him intently and replied, "Because you carry a mark, and wherever you go, people will recognize you unless they don't know your story."

Zhan fell silent, staring at him without blinking. It was clear from his posture that YiBo's words had shaken him.

YiBo extended his hand and said, "So, however you choose to dress is your business, not mine. I noticed that Aunty Bella even packed you a face mask in your things, but because you're used to showing off, you can't wear decent clothes and cover your face, right? Well, this isn't the place where you can do whatever you want without anyone watching you."

Zhan lowered his eyes and said, "My dressing, my choice!" With that, he turned his back on YiBo. YiBo just stared at him, unmoving. At that moment, Ru returned, and YiBo quickly approached her, took his phone from her, and said, "Thank you." He then turned and headed towards his mother's living room.

As Ru reached for her laptop, Zhan gave her a small smile and said, "I'll hold it for you." Ru replied, "Oh, thank you," and they continued walking. Luckily, the living room was empty as they passed through the compound. The driver who was going to take Ru to school had already arrived, and as she started to get into the back of the car, Zhan followed her. The driver started the car, but when Zhan didn't close the door, Ru said, "The door."

Zhan looked at her and then said softly, "Could I just go back inside for a few minutes?"

"Did you forget something?" Ru asked.

Lowering his gaze, Zhan replied, "I'm not comfortable with what I'm wearing."

Surprised, Ru looked him up and down and said, "What's wrong with it? You look handsome, dear. There's nothing wrong with your outfit. Or is the top too big?"

Zhan smiled faintly and said, "I'd prefer to change."

Ru nodded, "Okay, we'll wait."

Zhan got out of the car and quickly returned to the house, rushing through the main living room and up the stairs to Lily's section, where he entered his room.

He wasn't changing because of what YiBo had said; rather, he feared being recognized, just as YiBo had pointed out. Zhan swapped his jeans and put on a face mask and a hoodie. Now, only his bright, large eyes with long lashes were visible, just as Aunty Bella had advised him to wear a face mask whenever he went out.

He hurried back down to the living room. Aunty Yu, who was climbing up another set of stairs, noticed him. Nobody else in the house ever wore a face mask, so she called out, "Hey!"

Zhan quickly turned but didn't stop. Aunty Yu descended the two steps she had climbed and approached him, making him halt, his heart pounding.

When she reached him, she snatched off his face mask and demanded, "Who brought you into this house?"

Zhan lowered his head. Furious, Aunty Yu said, "Can't you hear me talking to you?" Gathering his courage, Zhan muttered, "I'm here to study."

Aunty Yu, shocked, asked, "Study where? Who brought you here to study? Are you related to Ru's mother?"

Zhan hesitantly nodded, indicating 'yes.' Aunty Yu eyed him suspiciously from head to toe. Ru entered the living room, noticing that Zhan hadn't returned. She greeted, "Good morning, Aunt."

Aunty Yu asked, "Which school is he attending?"

Ru responded, "We go to the same school."

Aunty Yu fell silent, deep in thought. Could it be that her brother had been paying for this boy's tuition? Had they brought him here just for her brother to take care of him? Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Where is he from?"

Ru shrugged and said, "I don't know, Aunt. Only Mom knows."

Aunty Yu pressed further, "Have you ever met him in your family?"

Ru replied, "We have so many relatives I don't know, so he might be one of them."

Aunty Yu finished her evaluation and glanced at Zhan one last time before leaving. Ru took Zhan's hand, and they left the living room.

The day was exhausting for Zhan, who couldn't remember the last time he had gone out. NYU exceeded his expectations, and it had always been his dream school. He had even told his father about it, but his father had said that New York was too far and suggested Tsinghua University instead, assuring him that he would like it. No one knew about that conversation, except for Aunty Bing, whom Zhan regretted telling.

Now, Zhan was on his way to his dream university, but he didn't feel any joy about it.

Zhan spent most of the day at school, talking and chatting with Ryan, killing time while Ru attended her lectures. They had been talking on the phone for a while, and though Zhan was initially reluctant to answer, Ryan's teasing made him respond.

Eventually, he began to enjoy the conversation, as Ryan was very friendly and cheerful. While still at school, Zhan also received a call from Aunty Bella. They talked for nearly fifteen minutes, during which she reminded him not to mistreat Ryan and to give him a chance. She warned him that he'd regret it if he didn't. Zhan replied, "Okay, thank you, Aunty."

Before hanging up, Zhan added, "Say hi to Owen for me."

Aunty Bella replied, "Okay," and ended the call.

It wasn't until after 4 p.m. that they finally returned home. The moment the driver parked the car, YiBo, who was sitting under some trees that adorned the massive compound, watched the car. Ru got out, smiling, and greeted him, "Good evening, brother."

YiBo replied, "How are you?"

"So tired. We've finished the registration. The exam is in two weeks," she said.

YiBo nodded, "Oh, okay."

Ru turned and said, "Let me go in and take a shower," then noticed that Zhan had already reached the entrance. She quickly followed behind him.

They first entered the living room to greet Lily. Zhan glanced at Nia, who was sitting there with Tin, but immediately looked away and left the room. Nia looked at Tin in surprise and asked, "Who is he?"

Tin was speechless and shocked. "You didn't even knock. You came in, saw people sitting in the living room, didn't greet them, just stared and walked out like it's nothing." Ru sighed and said, "He's tired. We just got back, it's been a hectic..."

Tin cut her off with a sharp tone, "Please, get lost! You didn't even excuse yourself when you came in. No greeting either? And him? How dare he? Who does he think he is?" Ru remained silent, not daring to respond. Tin continued ranting as if she'd borrowed extra words from someone. Nia sighed and said, "Calm down, Tin. Maybe, like Ru said, he's just exhausted. Give him the benefit of the doubt..."

Furiously, Tin replied, "I will not! If I ever see him come in and repeat that nonsense, I won't take it lightly!" Ru, realizing the situation was only escalating, peeked into their mother's bedroom, found it empty, and quietly left the living room. Tin was still fuming, and Nia pleaded, "Please, Tin. Let it go. It's over, right? Stop nagging."

Tin scoffed, "No, it's not over. If he tries that again, I might just slap him, and nothing will happen to me."

Nia asked, "But who is he? I saw him at Aunty Bella's house the other day." Tin rolled her eyes. "How should I know? I don't even care who he is. He's not my concern. I just heard Aunty Bella tell Mom that when YiBo was in Beijing, he stayed with this boy's family. Apparently, they were kind to him, did this and that for him. Now, the boy wants to study here, and they don't want him in a hostel. So, somehow, he's staying here, even though Mom initially refused. But Aunty Bella insisted, giving all kinds of reasons until Mom finally gave in and let him stay."

Nia stared at her without blinking, then hesitantly asked, "But who brought him here?"

Tin turned away and said, "He showed up the day after brother came back. So, they must have come together. Yes, they arrived together." Nia swallowed hard and said, "Together?" Tin nodded and added, "Yes, and you know what?"

Nia shook her head, curious. Tin continued, "Do you remember that viral video of a young boy in boxers last month?"

Nia was silent for a moment. Tin explained, "You know, the one all over social media, of the boy who wasn't wearing much?" Nia replied, "Yeah, I heard about the video but didn't bother watching it. So, I've never seen it."

Tin smiled knowingly, "Well, that boy was him."

Nia's eyes widened in shock. "Which boy?"

"The rude one who just left. He's the boy from the video," Tin replied confidently.

Nia gasped, "Are you serious?"

"I mean it. I don't have the video to show you, but Xia and Fen have it on their phones," Tin said.

Nia was beyond shocked. Struggling to process it all, she finally asked, "And YiBo stayed at his family home in Beijing?"

Tin nodded. "Yes, and he was once a student at Tsinghua University." Nia let out a deep breath, trying to absorb the information.

Tin sighed, rubbing her forehead. "It's been a while since I've been this worked up. My head's starting to hurt. That's why I hate talking too much, but this village boy has really pushed me. Anyway, as I was saying..." Tin continued her conversation, cool and collected like a seasoned socialite, but Nia was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't stop thinking about Zhan. The memory of their encounter at Aunty Bella's house flashed in her mind. Back then, she didn't think much of it, but now it was all coming together... he was the same person she had met at the mall in Beijing with YiBo.

Confusion and fear crept into her heart. Why had YiBo brought him all the way from Beijing to his parents' house? And why had he never mentioned that they had returned together? It had been three weeks, and not once did YiBo say anything. Tin, noticing that Nia's mind was elsewhere, waved a hand in front of her face. Nia blinked quickly, and Tin asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Nia said nothing, but her expression betrayed her. Anyone could tell something was bothering her. Tin gently took her hand and asked, "Tell me, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, Nia felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was prone to crying easily, and fighting the urge to break down, she whispered, "He never told me he came all the way from Beijing with him. Not even once did he mention it."

Tin widened her eyes and said, "Oh, that? What's there to worry about? You know you're going to marry him, right? In three days, they'll finalize the marriage, and in less than five weeks, you'll be married. So why bother yourself over some filthy boy all over social media half-naked? Come on, don't act like you don't know Brother's nature. There's nothing between him and that boy besides the fact that the boy's family let him stay here. Ever since he came back, I haven't even seen them speak. You know he has standards."

Nia sighed, wiping her tears but saying nothing. Tin continued, "Come on, chill, please. This isn't worth getting worked up about or shedding tears over. What could he possibly do with him? If there was anything between them, he wouldn't have brought him here in the first place. The reason he isn't staying in the hostel is because of the bad things he did. Maybe his parents requested he stay here. That's why you saw him around."

Nia just nodded silently as Tin kept talking to her, trying to calm her down.

By 5 p.m., YiBo was sitting in the compound, tapping away on his phone. He wanted to drop Nia off at home before heading to where he needed to go. His phone rang, and he glanced at the caller ID, hesitating before finally answering. After a brief greeting, Zhuo said, "I had some business that brought me to Shanghai today, so I'm heading back to Beijing tomorrow morning. I was wondering where you guys are?"

YiBo lowered his gaze and replied, "Oh, okay. So you're coming by tomorrow?"

Zhuo responded, "No, I've finished what I needed to do. I'm planning to leave early tomorrow." YiBo wasn't sure what to say at first. Zhuo asked again, "Hello?"

YiBo quickly replied, "Yeah, I hear you. I'll send you the address now."

"Alright, I'm waiting," Zhuo said before ending the call.

YiBo let out a deep breath and watched as Nia approached him, her face turned away. "I want to go home," she said coldly.

Sensing her mood, YiBo asked, "What happened, Nia? Are you okay?" She didn't answer. YiBo stood up, looking at her with concern. Her eyes filled with tears. Worried, he said, "Please, talk to me. What's wrong?"

In a trembling voice, she replied, "But you never told me you didn't come back to Shanghai alone."

"Shit... so what? What does it matter who I came back with? There's nothing going on, Nia. He's just here to study, and he didn't have anywhere to stay, so he's living at the house. That's all. Trust me," YiBo explained.

Wiping her eyes, Nia said, "Okay, I get it. I just want to go home."

YiBo protested, "No, not like this. Please, did he do something to you?"

Nia answered, "He just walked in, glared at us, and left without so much as a greeting or an excuse."

YiBo sighed. "But you shouldn't have taken it personally. He's... well, he's kind of a sociopath."

Nia pouted but stayed quiet. YiBo's phone rang again. Seeing it was Zhuo, he quickly answered, "I'm sending it now."

"Alright," Zhuo replied before hanging up.

YiBo turned to Nia, "Look, go back inside for now. I'll be having a visitor soon. Once he leaves, I'll take you out for some ice cream, and then I'll drop you off at home."

Nia smiled faintly and walked away. That was the smile YiBo had been hoping to see, the sign that everything was back to normal. Relieved, he sat down and sent Zhuo the address.

I don't know if I can do the morning chapter this night before my bedtime, so maybe I will update a little late tomorrow morning.

Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛