Chapter 44

YiBo stood up, walked to the door, and leaned against it, arms crossed, watching as Zhan cried. Calmly, he said, "If you truly wanted to go with him, why didn't you tell him when he was here? Instead, you came here to cry in front of me. You knew he was leaving and wouldn't stay the night."

Zhan swallowed his sobs, lifted his head, and glared at him, then stood up. "What's your business with me? You know I don't care about you in this house. Zhou Ge told me to stop bothering with you, and I've listened to him. So, you should leave me alone too because I don't want to disobey him. If you can't apologize, then stop talking to me!" Zhan finished, almost on the verge of crying again.

YiBo just watched him silently before saying, "Oh, so he told you not to bother with me?"

Zhan nodded, "Yes, and even if you stand in front of me and wave your shoulders, I won't notice. I'll pretend you don't exist." With that, he stepped toward YiBo, face stern. "Move out of my way, I'm leaving."

Zhan was irritated. Instead of YiBo apologizing, he was trying to provoke him. YiBo smirked and said, "Well, let me give you some money for transportation. You can still catch up with him; he's still in Shanghai, not too far."

Zhan shot him a sharp look. YiBo reached into the pocket of his shorts, pulled out a $100 note, and held it out to Zhan. Zhan glared at the money, then snatched it, crumpled it, and threw it on the floor. Staring at YiBo intently, he said, "That's not your money. Wait until the day you earn money through your own hard work or intelligence, then you can give it to me."

YiBo stood there with his mouth slightly open, staring at him. After a pause, he said, "Do you know the consequences of disrespecting money like that? Or being rude to your husband? Especially one that was chosen for you?"

Zhan gave him a cold look. "Oh, so you're my husband? I didn't know I had one. A husband doesn't provoke his partner like you always do." Seeing YiBo remain silent, Zhan turned away, pouting.

Calmly, YiBo reached for the light switch and turned off the room lights. Zhan spun around quickly, panicking as darkness engulfed the room, save for the faint glow of YiBo's phone screen resting on the bed. The worst part was hearing YiBo locking the door. Zhan backed away, fearfully widening his eyes, and asked, "What are you doing?"

YiBo said nothing, but as he advanced toward Zhan, Zhan began to back up quickly in panic. "Please, I'm sorry. Everything I said wasn't directed at you. Please, forgive me. Zhou Ge told me to stop being rude to you, and I did..."

Zhan let out a startled cry as he almost tripped onto the bed, not realizing how close he had come. He tried to stand up quickly, but YiBo pushed him back down onto the bed. Zhan's eyes widened in fear as YiBo lay directly on top of him. Trembling, his voice shaky, Zhan stammered, "Please, I'm sorry. I'll never be rude to you again, I swear..."

His panic intensified when he felt YiBo's hands roaming over his body, YiBo's weight pinning him down. Zhan was overwhelmed, trying to push him off, but he couldn't—YiBo was far too heavy, though he hadn't even put his full weight on him yet.

Zhan burst into tears, gasping for breath as YiBo's scent filled every breath he took. YiBo lowered his voice, still adjusting himself on top of Zhan, with one hand resting just below Zhan's waist. "You didn't know you had a husband, did you?"

Through his sobs, Zhan cried out, "I know! I was just joking, please forgive me. I'll never do it again... I can't breathe."

YiBo, clearly enjoying the moment, whispered, "If you stop breathing, I'll just bring you back with CPR."

Unknowingly, Zhan wrapped his arms around YiBo's back, still crying hard. "My chest hurts, please..."

YiBo closed his eyes and leaned more of his weight onto Zhan, almost as if he was going to fall asleep. He pressed his forehead against Zhan's, their noses touching. Gathering strength, Zhan whispered, "I'm sorry, please..."

YiBo replied, "Sorry won't help you today, because today, you're going to learn that you're married and that you have a husband."

Zhan, breathing heavily, whispered, "I know, I swear I know now. My driver... No, no, I mean Wang YiBo, he's... you're my husband..." Zhan gasped as he felt what YiBo was doing between his thighs. YiBo smirked in the darkness and leaned in to kiss Zhan, but they were interrupted by the sound of the bedroom door handle turning.

YiBo quickly brushed his lips against Zhan's and jumped off the bed. Zhan, still shaking and overwhelmed, sat up slowly, his body trembling, tears streaming down his face. YiBo turned on the lights, quickly found his shirt, pulled it over his vest, and headed to the door.

Ru walked in and glanced at both of them. YiBo quickly took the cup from her hand and said, "Thank you, dear." Then he added, "He wanted to go with his brother, so I locked the door to stop him. Maybe you can convince him not to go."

Zhan remained crouched on the floor, still trembling and struggling to steady his breathing. His heart pounded in his chest, the fear still gripping him. Ru knelt beside him, soothingly saying, "Don't worry, since he knows the house, he'll keep visiting you. You don't have to go with him."

Zhan refused to look at her, feeling like a traitor to himself. YiBo, leaning against the doorframe, smirked. "Just leave him. When he's done crying, he'll leave..."

Suddenly, Zhan stood up, startling Ru. She looked at him, concerned. "Are you alright, Zhan?"

Zhan, mustering his strength, nodded. Ru said, "Let's go then." He clung to Ru as they headed to the door, refusing to look in YiBo's direction. YiBo watched them leave, smiling to himself, then locked the door behind them.

***

Ever since Zhan returned with Ru to there Mom's part of the house, he had been unusually silent. Normally, he wasn't much of a talker, but now it was even worse. He couldn't get what YiBo did to him out of his mind. He even refused to eat, claiming he wasn't hungry. Ru thought it was because his brother had left, which was why she didn't bother him too much.

Around nine o'clock, YiBo walked into the living room, wearing his pajamas. Zhan's heart sank when he saw him, but he refused to make eye contact. YiBo looked at Ru and asked, "Is Mom inside?"

Ru replied, "No, she's been downstairs for a while."

"Oh, so there's no food for me today in this house?" YiBo asked.

Ru's eyes widened in surprise. "But we took your food to your room earlier!"

"I called Tin, and she took it away. I didn't eat it. This is really too much," YiBo said.

Ru quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry. Should I get you another one now?"

"Yeah, but don't bring it here. And make me some of that coffee you prepared earlier," YiBo said.

Zhan's heart sank further when he realized Ru was about to leave the living room. He glanced around nervously, like someone caught in a lie. Ru put on her robe over her sleeping dress and said, "I'll be back, Zhan."

Zhan was shocked and confused, unsure of what to do. In a panic, he jumped up and was about to tell Ru he wanted to go with her, but she had already left. Like a coward, he began walking toward the door. YiBo, watching him closely, called out, "Hey."

Zhan froze in fear and looked at YiBo, his eyes on the verge of tears. "I..I'm just going to walk her out."

Without waiting for YiBo's response, Zhan ran to the door, opened it, and dashed into the next room, but Ru had already left and locked the door behind her. YiBo followed closely behind. Zhan, seeing this, tried to sprint again but tripped and fell to the floor before he could reach the door. His eyes widened in shock, and he flailed his hands.

Just then, the living room door opened, and YiBo's mother walked in. She looked at Zhan, concerned, and asked, "What happened?"

Zhan quickly got up, his heart racing. "I was just going to my room to sleep, but I tripped."

YiBo had already returned to the other room by then. His mother, Lily, looked at Zhan and said, "Be careful. I hope you're not hurt?"

Zhan quickly shook his head. "I'm fine. Goodnight."

He hurried out of the room, with Lily watching him leave, before she entered the next living room. She found YiBo sitting and talking on the phone, as if he had been on the call for thirty minutes. Lily passed by and headed to her bedroom.

Meanwhile, Zhan had made it back to his room, where he sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his sore knees. There were no visible injuries, but the pain lingered. After some effort, he managed to shower and change into his sleepwear. He sprayed some perfume and lay down on the bed, feeling drained. The earlier incident replayed in his mind. But what was that all about?

Trying to shake the thoughts away, he grabbed his phone and saw two missed calls from Ryan. Just as he was about to put the phone down, another call came in from Ryan. Zhan answered, pulling the duvet over his head. Barely ten minutes into the call, there was a knock on his door. He quickly sat up, ending the call, and stared at the door. The knocking continued softly. He got up and cautiously approached the door, asking, "Who is it?"

Ru knocked gently on the door and called, "It's me." She opened it slightly and peeked inside, saying, "Mom asked me to check if you're okay?"

Zhan nodded and replied, "Yes, thank you."

"Alright, good night," Ru said, giving him a small smile. Zhan returned the smile and nodded again before Ru left. He locked the door and went back to bed.

~~~~~

The next morning, Zhan was fast asleep when he felt a soft touch on his cheek. The hands were so small and delicate. Then, he heard giggling and whispers in the unmistakable voices of children. Slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of two adorable toddler twins staring right back at him.

Zhan couldn't help but grin widely. He sat up carefully, positioning himself in the middle of the bed, and gazed at them with affection. "Hi there," he said softly.

In unison, they giggled and called him "Bun-Bun," making Zhan smile even wider. Still fascinated, he asked, "Hey, beauties, what are your names?"

The twins climbed onto the bed, settling comfortably on his lap. One of them started playfully fixing his messy hair while the other tugged at his nose. Zhan figured they were too young to speak, assuming they were around two years old, but then the one tugging at his nose proudly said, "Hwang Tian," in a child's accent.

Zhan stared at him for a second before understanding. "Oh! Wang Tian?" The boy nodded, giggling. Then the other twin chimed in, "Wang Jian."

Zhan smiled and asked, "Okay, Tian and Jian, will you be my friends?"

He pouted playfully as the twins exchanged glances, as if debating whether to accept. When they finally nodded, Zhan's heart filled with a joy he hadn't felt in a long time. The twins lifted their tiny arms and mumbled, "wriends hug."

Zhan felt a wave of warmth wash over him. He wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them close to his chest. In that moment, he knew he had fallen in love with these little ones.

Their tender moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ru entered, looking a bit panicked at first, but relaxed when she saw the scene on the bed. "There you are! Didn't I tell you not to wander off? And here you are, disturbing my friend while he's sleeping."

The twins clung tightly to Zhan's shirt, clearly not wanting to leave him. Zhan hugged them back firmly and said, "No, Ru, they weren't bothering me. We've already become friends."

Ru raised an eyebrow and teased, "They don't usually warm up to new people. How did you get them to trust you so quickly?"

Zhan shrugged. "Whose children are they? I haven't seen them since I arrived."

Ru laughed and replied, "They're my nephews. My br—" Before she could finish, her mother's voice echoed from downstairs, calling her to bring the twins down for breakfast.

The twins protested, insisting that Zhan be the one to feed them. Zhan promised them he would come down after he showered, and with that, they reluctantly followed Ru, casting glances back at him. As they left, Zhan immediately felt a pang of loneliness.

YiBo was sitting with his mother in her living room when Aunty Yu walked in. YiBo, hearing her voice, quickly pretended to be on the phone, holding it to his ear as if in conversation. His mother, Lily, didn't say anything, watching as Aunty Yu approached. YiBo got up and slipped out of the room, still pretending to talk on the phone.

Lily greeted, "Good morning, Yu."

Aunty Yu, eyeing YiBo suspiciously as he left, quickly responded, "Good morning, Lily. How are the children?"

"They're all fine, thank you. How's Xia?" Lily replied.

"They're doing well," Aunty Yu said before pausing and looking at Lily intently. "But you've been so quiet lately. Last week, I heard Brother say you're going to arrange a marriage for that boy. Aren't we supposed to prepare something?"

Lily calmly responded, "It's happening tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? And you didn't tell me?" Aunty Yu asked, visibly surprised.

"I assumed Fang had already mentioned it to you. She was there at  Ai Bo's Dad living room when he mentioned it last week," Lily explained.

Aunty Yu frowned. "So, because Fang is closer to me, she's the one who's supposed to tell me? Is that it?"

Lily shook her head. "I just figured if you didn't hear it from her, you'd hear it from your own brother. How long has it been since we last spoke properly? It's been a while."

Aunty Yu sighed and said, "True. You only talk to me when it suits you. But I guess that's not your fault."

Lily, looking a bit taken aback, asked, "What did I say to upset you, Yu?"

Without another word, Aunty Yu stood up and stormed out of the room. She returned to her part of the house and immediately grabbed her phone to call her friend.

When her friend picked up the phone, Aunty Yu asked, "Did you hear that they're planning to arrange this boy's marriage tomorrow? What's going on?"

Her friend replied, "And what if they go ahead with it? Haven't you ever seen a wedding fall apart on the day of the ceremony, even after all the guests have gathered?"

Aunty Yu sighed, "True, but what if it doesn't come to that? It's risky, and they shouldn't even proceed with the engagement, let alone setting a wedding date."

Her friend chuckled. "You're always so impatient. It's like you've just been handed a task, and you're already stressed about how it might turn out."

Aunty Yu exhaled deeply. "No, it's not that. I just think it would be better to cancel the whole thing before it even starts. I'd feel much more at ease that way."

Her friend countered, "What you don't know, Yu, is that this time we're not planning to sabotage him outright. We're going to orchestrate it quietly, behind the scenes. You need to get close to your brother and start pointing out the flaws in the girl's parents and even the girl herself. Convince him that they're only after his money. You know how to plant these ideas without making it obvious."

"We'll create a situation where problems arise from both sides until the marriage falls apart on its own."

Aunty Yu remained silent, unsure if she was completely convinced. "If they go ahead with the engagement, give it a month. Knowing my brother, it will all unravel," she said.

Her friend laughed. "YiBo himself will call it off. Trust me. Let's stick to our plan."

Aunty Yu finally spoke, "Is Xia involved or Fen?"

Her friend replied, "Let's wait until the engagement falls apart before we worry about that, okay? But there's one more thing. Have you noticed that YiBo, that rude boy, doesn't even greet me anymore? Since he returned, he avoids me completely, barely interacts with my children either, only talking to his siblings or Han."

"YiBo?" Her friend asked, surprised.

"Yes, that's what I'm telling you," Aunty Yu confirmed.

"Well, that's a simple problem. We'll deal with him soon enough," her friend assured her.

"Thank you. We'll talk more later," Aunty Yu said before ending the call. She sat in deep thought, still unsure about even proceeding with the engagement.

***

Throughout the day, Zhan refused to leave his room after breakfast. The only thing that got him out was the adorable twins, whom he coaxed into eating. Both Ru, Tin, and their mom were astonished at how quickly the twins had bonded with Zhan, as if they had known him forever.

The way Zhan cared for the twins and indulged their playful antics impressed everyone, even Tin. It was clear that Zhan loved children and knew how to handle them effortlessly. From the moment they saw him, the twins were glued to him like ducklings following their mother, and Zhan didn't mind one bit. In fact, he loved it...it distracted him from his worries and loneliness.

Even though he still wasn't sure whose children they were, he knew they were YiBo's mom's grandchildren. Ru had mentioned that their mother had three children, but none of them were married...real marriage. Zhan wondered if Tin had given birth to the twins out of wedlock, but then he remembered they called her and Ru "Aunties."

In any case, Zhan didn't care who their parents were. He just adored the twins...no, he loved them.

So they stayed with him in his room all day, as he tried to avoid any encounters with YiBo. He still felt a deep, unsettling fear of YiBo after what happened the previous night, a fear that had even followed him into his dreams.

Around six in the evening, Lily entered Zhan's room. Standing at the door, she asked, "Why have you been inside all day?"

Zhan smiled softly and replied, "Oh, just playing with the twins."

Lily glanced at the twins, who were sound asleep in the middle of the bed, then said, "Alright, by the way, Tin bought shoes for all of us, including you."

Zhan was taken aback, wondering if she meant Ru instead of Tin. Quickly, he said, "Oh, Mother... I mean, Aunty, I'll come out now."

Lily smiled warmly. "If you feel comfortable, you can call me Mother. I wouldn't mind having another son." Zhan lowered his head, smiling shyly. She continued, "I'll send their nanny to pick them up in a bit."

Zhan wanted to say no, to let the twins stay, but he remained quiet. Lily turned and left the room. Gently, Zhan stood up, grabbed his phone, and walked out of the room.

When he entered the living room, he saw Ru sitting with her laptop. She glanced up and said, "You've been scarce today. Remember, you have lectures tomorrow."

Zhan just smiled and nodded. Ru handed him the shoes. "Tin got these for all of us. Same design, different colors. I gave her your shoe size."

Zhan took the shoes and examined them. "I appreciate it," he said.

Just then, the door opened, and YiBo walked in. Ru teased, "Oh, big brother, you look good. Coming from Sister Nia's place?"

YiBo replied, "Yeah, where's Mom?"

Ru answered, "She just went in not long ago."

YiBo glanced at Zhan, their eyes briefly meeting, and then Zhan, slightly flustered, said, "Uh... good evening."

"Evening," YiBo responded, before heading toward his mother's room with a smile.

Ru widened her eyes in surprise and said to Zhan, "That was sweet of you, Zhan. I'm glad you listened to me."

Zhan said nothing, simply picking up his shoes. "I'll be in my room," he said.

"Okay," Ru replied as Zhan quickly left, not wanting to run into YiBo again.

Later, YiBo and his mother went to Mr. Wang's section of the house. They were called over by him, and once they arrived in the living room where Aunty Yu was also present, Mom greeted him, "How was your trip, honey?"

"All went well," Mr. Wang replied. "I was thinking you didn't need to come back; you could've sent a representative tomorrow instead."

Mr. Wang set down the papers in his hand and said, "I didn't return for that reason. In fact, I think I'll be heading to Baoding tomorrow."

Lily responded, "Okay."

YiBo sat nearby, typing on his phone, while Mr. Wang turned to Lily. "By the way, I want to confirm if you were the one who sent YiBo to come and disrespect me?"

Aunty Yu let out a deep sigh. Lily looked quickly at YiBo. He put down his phone and said, "I don't see anything wrong in asking for what's mine, Dad. I need my property."

Mr. Wang stood up and said, "If you come to me with this matter again, I'm warning you, I won't take it lightly. I said no, and I mean it."

Surprised, YiBo asked, "But why? I have every right to ask, Dad."

Distressed, Lily added, "Why do you never listen when I talk, YiBo? Why do you take my words for granted?"

YiBo stood, frustrated, and said, "Mom, why are they withholding what's mine for something I didn't even do? For something I know nothing about? Why??"

Aunty Yu spoke up, "For something you didn't do? You're really shameless and disrespectful! Now, are you going to hit your father too, with the way you're acting?"

Furious, YiBo snapped, "I didn't ask for your input, Ma'am. This has nothing to do with you. Stay in your lane and out of my family's issues that don't concern you."

Aunty Yu burst into tears, covering her face and shaking her head. Mr. Wang looked at YiBo in shock as YiBo stormed out of the living room.

Lily was at a loss for words. It seemed like YiBo would never change. Mr. Wang paced the room, his face hard with anger. With all the courage she could muster, Lily turned to Aunty Yu and said, "Please forgive him, Yu. I'll go and..."

But Aunty Yu cut her off sharply. "I don't want your apology! This is your fault. You're the reason he disrespects us. He doesn't even greet me or Fang anymore in this house! A boy I practically raised! And now, his arrogance has reached the point where he dares to defy his own father? And you think eight hundred million dollars is a joke? We let him come back out of compassion, and now he calls us his enemies?"

Mr. Wang interjected, "Let's drop this matter. I know how to handle it. Lily, who is the boy you brought into this house without my knowledge? Where is he from?"

Lily looked at him in surprise before answering, "You never asked about the other children who have stayed here before. You've even paid their school fees yourself. Why is this one an issue when you haven't spent a penny on him?"

Aunty Yu, now furious, stood up. "Don't you dare speak to him like that in front of me, Lily! You and your son are out of line, and I won't tolerate it anymore."

Lily raised her head, meeting her gaze. Then she turned to her husband and said, "He's my cousin's son. He came here for his studies." With that, she stood up and left the living room.

Aunty Yu snapped, "Who even cares if he stays here? No one's stopping him from living here forever. But as I told you, brother, a few days ago, a video of the boy, naked, was circulating online. That boy is trouble."

Mr. Wang looked at her carefully. "Are you sure, Yu?"

"Do you think I would lie to you, Ge? The children witnessed it, and so did we. There's no need to show the video now, but trust me, ever since that boy arrived, he hasn't even greeted us properly. He acts like he's better than everyone."

Mr. Wang paced around the living room, deep in thought, while Aunty Yu felt a sense of satisfaction. She was always looking for a way to make Lily's life difficult....

With fighting sleeping, i manage to finished the chapter 😂 so you're welcome to ignore any spelling mistakes. Now i will take a nap for 1 to 2 hours 😩

Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛