"I'm in love with someone else." I-Bo said looking at him.
From the moment I-Bo said those words, Zhan couldn't bring himself to look at him again. He lowered his head, feeling as though the ground beneath him might swallow him whole. Never before had he felt this shy around I-Bo. He couldn't even begin to understand what kind of expression the man was giving him that made his composure crumble so completely.
I-Bo, however, didn't stop looking at him. He seemed to enjoy watching Zhan's flustered silence.
Zhan suddenly felt trapped in his own skin.
Lowering his voice, I-Bo called softly, "Sean..."
Still, Zhan refused to meet his eyes.
Calmly, I-Bo continued, "I never thought there would come a time when I'd want someone other than Tian. I never imagined it would happen, but I can't stop it."
Zhan stayed quiet, his gaze fixed downward.
"You've gone silent, housemate," I-Bo murmured.
Forcing a faint smile, Zhan stammered, "I... I don't even know what to say. This is too serious for me to advise you on. It's a family matter." He paused briefly before adding, "Maybe you should just do what feels right for you."
I-Bo looked at him carefully. "Is that all you have to say? You're the one I'm asking."
Zhan fell silent again before finally muttering, "Well... if you think you can be fair to both of them, then maybe you could choose both."
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Slowly, he lifted his head, only to find I-Bo staring at him without blinking. Embarrassed, he immediately looked away again.
Quietly, I-Bo asked, "Is that really what you think is best? If I choose them both...the one I love have to be just my consort, is that OK for him?"
"I don't know," Zhan answered softly.
"But you suggested it. Sean."
Zhan said nothing. He busied himself by fiddling with the edge of his sleeve.
I-Bo fell quiet, as though deep in thought.
After a long moment, Zhan cautiously looked up again. Their eyes met briefly before he quickly looked away.
"Alright," I-Bo said slowly. "I'll think about it. But...."
Before he could finish, Zhan grabbed his bag and hurriedly said, "I think it's going to rain soon. I should head back."
A faint smile appeared on I-Bo's face. "Yeah. Feels like a storm is coming."
Zhan stood up without looking at him.
"What's the hurry?" I-Bo asked. "You'd think you had to walk all the way home."
After a short hesitation, Zhan replied, "We have exams tomorrow, and I haven't even studied."
"You're a genius," I-Bo said lightly.
Zhan didn't answer, but he still didn't sit back down.
Then I-Bo said quietly, "You made the suggestion, and now you're upset because of it, housemate."
Zhan's eyes widened. "I don't know what you mean."
Chuckling softly, I-Bo stood up. "Come on. Let's leave before the rain starts."
Zhan was so unsettled by those words that he remained frozen in place until I-Bo walked past him.
After paying the bill, I-Bo returned and stopped beside him.
"Let's go, housemate," he said. "Unless you're still hungry and want to order something else."
Zhan shot him a look.
I-Bo laughed. "I'm serious. If there's something else you want, say it now."
As though waking from a trance, Zhan quietly followed him out to the car.
By the time they stepped outside, a light drizzle had already begun to fall.
I-Bo opened the passenger door for him before walking around to the driver's side.
As soon as the car started moving, I-Bo's phone vibrated.
Zhan glanced at the screen and saw Tian's name. Immediately, he looked away.
Without hesitation, I-Bo silenced the phone completely and flipped it facedown so even the screen light disappeared.
Zhan didn't look at it again.
The drive back to his apartment passed in silence while the rain steadily grew heavier. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts.
As for Zhan, the happiness he'd felt only minutes earlier had vanished completely, as though it had never existed at all. All that remained was a heavy ache in his chest.
When they were nearly home, I-Bo glanced at him and asked quietly, "After your exams... will you go to China?"
Zhan fell silent.
Did he even have a choice?
He wasn't the one paying for the ticket.
"You've gone quiet again, housemate," I-Bo said softly.
With a helpless smile, Zhan lifted his hands slightly, silently admitting that he didn't know either.
"You'll go," I-Bo said. "Even if it's only for a couple of weeks before your final semester starts."
Quietly, Zhan replied, "I hope so."
"You will," I-Bo said with certainty.
Then he checked the time on his watch.
"It's already half past eight," he said. "After I drop you off, I'm supposed to meet a friend who arrived earlier today. He's leaving tomorrow morning." He glanced at Zhan briefly before adding, "Do you want to come with me? He's been looking forward to meeting you."
Zhan slowly shook his head and said, "It's raining, and I need to study."
I-Bo remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"Alright then," he finally said. "Maybe another time you can meet him. He's a close friend of mine. He's from China too."
Zhan didn't respond.
Right then, all he wanted was to get back to his apartment and lie down in the hope that he might find some peace for the heaviness crushing his heart.
When they arrived, I-Bo parked inside the apartment garage and looked over at him.
"But are you really going out in this rain, Sean?" he asked softly. "You'll catch a cold."
Forcing a small smile, Zhan replied, "It's not that heavy."
"Give me the key," I-Bo said. "I'll open the door first, then you can run inside."
Zhan opened his bag, took out the key, and handed it to him.
I-Bo accepted it, looking at him quietly before lowering his gaze.
"Before that," he said softly, "I have something for you."
Zhan watched silently as I-Bo reached into the car and brought out a small box. He opened it and held it toward him.
Inside was a thin diamond ring for men, sparkling faintly even in the dim light.
Zhan stared at it, then slowly looked back at I-Bo, who was already watching him carefully.
Smiling faintly, I-Bo said, "Use your phone light. I hope you'll like it."
Quietly, Zhan took out his phone, switched on the flashlight, and shone it over the ring.
The diamond glimmered beautifully.
His chest tightened.
He lowered his eyes, unable to find any words.
Without saying anything else, I-Bo placed the box gently on Zhan's lap before stepping out into the rain.
Zhan watched him through the windshield as he hurried to the apartment entrance and unlocked the door.
Weakly, Zhan picked up the ring box, turned off his phone light, and stepped out of the car.
By then, the rain had become much heavier.
I-Bo stood by the entrance waiting for him.
As soon as Zhan reached him, I-Bo handed him the apartment keys.
"Good night, Sean."
Zhan's eyes filled with tears.
He took the keys and opened his mouth to speak, but I-Bo gently pressed two fingers against his own lips and shook his head.
Then he turned and walked back toward the car.
Zhan watched him go, wanting to ask him to stay the night because the rain was getting worse, but before he could speak, I-Bo had already gotten into the car.
Slowly, Zhan wiped his tears away, entered the apartment, locked the door, and went upstairs.
The moment he sat on the edge of the bed and rested his head against the pillow, tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes.
He didn't even realize when he began crying harder after remembering what I-Bo had said about Tian.
For more than ten minutes, he remained there in silence.
Then the doorbell rang.
Zhan immediately sat up.
His heart skipped when he realized who it might be.
Only then did he remember he had left his bag in I-Bo's car.
He glanced at the phone still in his hand before slowly standing up and leaving the bedroom.
The doorbell rang again.
Then a third time.
Zhan made his way downstairs and slowly opened the door.
The moment he saw the person standing there, his breath nearly stopped.
Before he could even recover from the shock, the man stepped inside the apartment.
Zhan let out a frightened scream, though the sound was swallowed by the storm outside.
The man shut the door calmly behind him.
"Listen to me, Zhan."
Zhan instantly lowered his eyes, too frightened to look at him properly.
Instead of running upstairs, he stumbled toward the kitchen in confusion.
The man simply watched him before following after him.
Inside the kitchen, Zhan quickly noticed there was no lock on the door.
His hands trembling violently, he searched through his call log for A-Bo's number and dialed it.
He already knew calling his housemate would be useless. There was a high chance the call wouldn't even be answered.
Please answer...
Please...
Panic flooded him when he suddenly saw Yiming standing in the kitchen doorway.
Yiming walked directly toward him, gently took the phone from his trembling hand, switched it off completely, and placed it on the counter.
In a low voice, he said, "Listen to me, Zhan. I swear I'm not here to hurt you."
Zhan could only cry silently against the wall, his body trembling as he stared at him.
Yiming looked thinner than before. Much thinner.
Only his sharp features and pale face remained familiar.
Then Zhan remembered something that chilled him even more.
Earlier that day at the department building, he had caught the exact scent of Yiming's cologne in the hallway, and it had frightened him so badly that he lost focus completely.
Had Yiming been following him the entire time? How did he even know where he lived?
Fear wrapped around his chest so tightly he could barely breathe.
Then Yiming spoke again, his voice soft.
"Forgive me for coming into your apartment without permission, Zhan. I know it was wrong." He lowered his gaze. "I didn't dare stop you outside because I didn't know how you'd react in public. That's why I came here instead. Please forgive me."
Only then did Zhan finally gather enough courage to frown at him.
Yiming sounded calm.
Too calm.
With trembling determination, Zhan said, "Please... I don't want to report you to the police. Just leave. Leave my apartment now."
Fear was still obvious in his voice.
Instead of reacting angrily, Yiming lowered his eyes again.
"I'll leave," he said quietly. "But before I go, please forgive me. And please... don't tell your bodyguards I came here."
His voice weakened.
"I swear I didn't come with bad intentions. I know you, Zhan. You're kind-hearted. You forgive people easily. I'm not trying to use that against you." He looked up at him briefly. "I'm only telling the truth about the kind of person you are. Please... for my sake, just listen to me for five minutes."
Zhan froze in shock when Yiming slowly dropped to his knees in front of him.
Lowering his head, Yiming said in a strained voice, "Please look at the good side of me just this once and listen to me. I'm begging you. I won't stay long. After that, I'll leave."
Tears streamed down Zhan's face as he looked away.
The words "the good side of me" echoed painfully in his head.
Still clutching at his chest, he said shakily, "Please... just leave. Let me lock my apartment and be alone. I don't want to hear anything. Not even for one minute. I'm begging you... please go."
Yiming looked as though he might break apart right there.
"So you really won't listen to me, Zhan?" he asked quietly.
His voice trembling, Zhan said, "Listen to you about what? I don't have time for this. Get up and leave before it's too late."
In a low voice, Yiming replied, "I will leave. But please forgive me. Don't tell them I'm here. I came with good intentions, nothing else. Please... don't tell them."
Just wanting him out of the apartment, Zhan said quickly, "Fine. I heard you. Now leave."
Yiming slowly stood and headed toward the kitchen doorway.
Hot tears streamed down Zhan's face as he watched him go. A second later, he hurried after him to make sure he was truly leaving.
By the time he reached the living room, Yiming was already putting on his shoes near the front door.
Then Zhan noticed a light outside through the curtain.
His heart nearly stopped.
He rushed to the window and carefully looked outside.
A-Bo's car was parked in the garage.
Zhan turned sharply toward Yiming, panic flooding his face.
"My call went through," he whispered shakily. "He's here."
Yiming immediately pulled the curtain aside just enough to look outside.
At that exact moment, A-Bo stepped out of the car.
For the first time since entering the apartment, genuine panic flashed across Yiming's face.
Zhan's own body trembled violently.
The last thing he wanted was violence happening in front of him.
"I....I don't know where you can go," Zhan stammered. "Just go upstairs before he comes in."
Without another word, Yiming rushed upstairs. Within seconds, he disappeared completely.
Zhan hurried to the middle of the living room and sat down, his heart pounding so hard it hurt.
Tears continued streaming down his face.
A moment later, the front door opened.
A-Bo stepped inside and immediately looked at him.
Zhan couldn't meet his eyes.
More tears slipped down his cheeks.
Closing the door behind him, A-Bo frowned slightly.
"Why did you call me?"
Zhan wiped helplessly at his tears without answering.
"You didn't hear me?" A-Bo asked again. "Why did you call?"
His voice trembling badly, Zhan whispered, "I don't know, maybe I miss your scowlings. He whispere the last part quitely."
The moment he said it, he burst into tears again.
A-Bo removed his shoes and walked closer.
"I don't understand what 'I don't know' means," he said carefully. "What happened?"
Still sobbing, Zhan lifted his hands helplessly as if trying to explain that he truly didn't know himself.
A-Bo slowly scanned the living room.
The movement made Zhan's heart sink.
In a shaking voice, he quickly said, "Maybe... maybe I was hallucinating."
Then he leaned against the chair and cried harder.
A-Bo watched him quietly before sitting down nearby.
"What did you see?" he asked.
Quietly, Zhan answered, "A lot of things."
"Like what?"
Zhan only lifted his hands again, unable to answer.
A-Bo stared at him for a long moment before asking, "Where's your phone? And why did you switch it off after calling me?"
Zhan slowly looked around the room and whispered, "I don't know either."
A-Bo frowned. "Where did you leave the phone you used to call me?"
Zhan's gaze drifted toward the kitchen before he fell silent again.
A-Bo followed his line of sight and stood up.
Zhan watched him enter the kitchen, his heartbeat becoming painfully loud.
A few seconds later, A-Bo returned holding the phone.
It was switched off.
Quickly, Zhan shut his eyes tightly so A-Bo wouldn't question him further.
A-Bo stopped directly in front of him.
Zhan kept his eyes closed, breathing unevenly.
After a moment, A-Bo knelt slightly and pressed a hand against Zhan's forehead, checking his temperature.
He felt normal.
But anyone could tell from the way he trembled that fear had consumed him.
Slowly, Zhan opened his eyes and looked at him weakly.
"I feel sleepy," he murmured.
A-Bo exhaled softly. "Of course you're hallucinating. You overwork yourself too much."
(Oh! My God, don't believe him A-Bo... Check upstairs, he hide his ex-husband there. 😂 )
Zhan lowered his eyes without responding.
A-Bo stood up again, returned to the chair, and silently scanned the living room once more.
Slowly, Zhan curled himself onto the long couch, pressing himself into one corner beneath the cold air of the room.
He waited quietly for A-Bo to leave.
But A-Bo remained there.
He himself didn't know what to think anymore.
Zhan had called him crying, and before he could fully understand what was happening, the call had disconnected and the phone was switched off entirely.
When he couldn't reach him afterward, worry had driven him here immediately.
Now he was beginning to wonder whether Zhan had frightened himself into some kind of panic attack.
He looked at him again.
Zhan's eyes were closed.
Not long after, sleep overtook him.
But less than fifteen minutes later, Zhan suddenly jolted awake in terror after dreaming that A-Bo had discovered Yiming in the apartment, attacked him violently, and shot him.
Falling from the couch in confusion, he gasped repeatedly, "We belong to Heaven, and to Heaven we return..."
His whole body shook uncontrollably.
Only after realizing it had been a dream did he slowly look up.
A-Bo was kneeling in front of him, quietly murmuring prayers over him.
Zhan leaned weakly against the couch again, tears slipping from his eyes.
After several long minutes, A-Bo finally said calmly, "Go upstairs, wash up, and get some proper sleep."
Still sobbing, Zhan shook his head.
"No... I'm scared. I'll stay here."
With that, he climbed back onto the couch and curled up again.
A-Bo simply watched him silently.
Ever since Zhan had fallen asleep earlier, A-Bo had remained standing by the living room window, wanting to leave but somehow unable to.
The rain still hadn't stopped.
And now, barely minutes into sleeping, Zhan had woken in complete panic.
Fear like this hadn't gripped Zhan in a very long time.
What if A-Bo found Yiming in the house?
Should he tell him the truth?
But what if A-Bo actually hurt him the way he had seen in the dream?
The thoughts tangled together until exhaustion pulled him under once more.
Half-asleep, he vaguely felt someone covering him with a duvet.
His eyes flew open immediately.
Sitting up, he stared at the blanket around him before looking toward A-Bo.
"Where did you get this?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"I don't know," A-Bo answered casually.
Fear instantly tightened in Zhan's chest again.
What if he had gone into the wrong room?
Quietly, Zhan lay back down and held his breath.
A-Bo returned to the window and checked his phone.
When he saw I-Bo calling, he stared at the screen briefly before slipping the phone back into his pocket unanswered.
At around one-thirty in the morning, Zhan woke again.
He pushed the duvet aside and looked toward A-Bo, who sat in a single chair with his head resting back and eyes closed.
But the moment Zhan sat up, A-Bo opened his eyes.
Avoiding eye contact, Zhan scratched awkwardly at his head.
"I need to use the bathroom," he muttered.
A-Bo said nothing.
Zhan slowly stood and headed upstairs.
The moment he reached the hallway, he looked around nervously before opening one of the spare rooms.
It was empty.
His stomach twisted.
He already knew Yiming wasn't in his own bedroom because A-Bo had entered there earlier to get the duvet.
Slowly, he opened the next room.
There, at the far side of the room, Yiming was asleep on the carpet.
Zhan felt completely trapped.
How had pity dragged him into something like this?
Quietly, he shut the door again, locked it from outside, removed the key, and hid it inside his bag before returning to his room.
Several minutes later, he came back downstairs carrying a small soft cushion and a head covering.
A-Bo watched him silently.
Zhan spread the cushion out, covered and began to mediate quietly.
When he finished, he remained seated for a long time afterward, occasionally glancing toward A-Bo, who still hadn't fallen asleep.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook him again.
He returned to the couch, wrapped himself in the duvet, and drifted into a deep sleep.
This time, he didn't wake again until dawn.
Light had already filled the living room.
Startled, Zhan sat up quickly.
It had been a long time since he had overslept like this.
He immediately looked around.
A-Bo was gone.
Rising quickly, he went to the window and checked the garage.
The car was no longer there.
He stood there quietly for over a minute before finally going upstairs with the cushion and he took out the key to the locked room and opened the door.
Standing at the entrance, he frowned.
Yiming was already awake, sitting silently on the carpet as though he had been there for hours.
"Get up and leave," Zhan said firmly.
Yiming rose without argument and walked toward the door.
Zhan stepped aside to let him pass, his expression cold.
As he walked by, Yiming looked at him quietly.
"Good morning, Zhan."
Zhan ignored him completely.
In a low voice, Yiming added, "Thank you for hiding me from him."
Then he went downstairs.
Zhan followed behind him carefully, making sure he truly intended to leave.
By the time Zhan reached the living room, Yiming had already opened the apartment door.
Zhan stood there watching until he stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him.
The lock clicked softly.
Zhan immediately turned the key and leaned heavily against the door.
Finally, he let out a long, exhausted breath of relief.
💚💙❤️🖤