I-Bo turned and went downstairs because he did not trust his own heart at that moment.
He knew that if he remained standing there, listening to Zhan cry like that, the situation between them would become something entirely different.
Only after Zhan heard his footsteps fade downstairs did his crying begin to slow. He remained leaning weakly against the bedroom door, wiping his eyes little by little.
After a while, he turned back into the room, picked up his laptop, and sat on the bed to study one of his courses. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not focus.
He simply rested his chin against his hand, staring blankly at the laptop screen without really seeing anything.
Eventually, he pushed the laptop aside.
Quietly, he climbed down from the bed, walked toward the door, and left the room.
Step by step, he made his way downstairs.
I-Bo was sitting in the living room, his attention on the phone in his hand. The moment he heard footsteps, he looked up.
Zhan reached the bottom of the staircase and immediately lowered his eyes beneath the weight of I-Bo's gaze.
I-Bo stood up and slowly approached him.
In a low voice, he said, "Sean..."
Zhan lifted his eyes briefly to look at him but remained silent.
"Why are you crying?" I-Bo asked softly.
Zhan leaned against the wall and crossed his arms tightly over his chest as though trying to shield himself. Quietly, he said, "You didn't apologize or coaxe me, you just left."
A small smile appeared on I-Bo's face.
"Well," he said calmly, "I didn't know how to tell you I was sorry or coaxe you in a way that would make you believe I truly meant it. So I left."
Zhan simply stared at him.
Then he turned as though he intended to leave again.
"Sean."
Zhan stopped.
After a few seconds, he turned back around, his expression firm.
I-Bo smiled faintly and said, "Come to the living room so I can coaxe you properly."
Zhan tightened his folded arms and pouted slightly, but he still followed behind him.
I-Bo waited until Zhan sat down before taking a seat beside him on the same couch, leaving a respectful distance between them.
Facing him quietly, he lowered his voice and asked again, "Now tell me... why were you crying, Sean?"
Zhan lowered his eyes.
"I just can't understand why Yiming is still after me."
I-Bo watched him carefully without blinking.
Then quietly, he said, "But we already talked about this a few hours ago, housemate. I told you I would put a stop to it soon. I promise you that. Once your exams are over and we return to China, everything will end."
Zhan's voice trembled slightly. "Why not now? He won't stop following me, and I want to focus properly on my exams."
I-Bo fell silent.
For a long moment, he simply looked at him before lowering his eyes calmly.
"Are you sure you would want that now?"
Zhan nodded immediately, looking confused.
"He even went back home to Chongqing several times," he said quietly. "And today, at Bin's house, he came there too. He rang the bell and left."
I-Bo looked up sharply. "Really?"
Zhan nodded again.
"Aunt Fin said he keeps going to our house. Please... let's just report him to the authorities so he will stay away from me. Honestly, I am afraid of him. He can be very cunning."
I-Bo remained quiet for nearly a full minute.
Then he slowly lifted his head, and their eyes met.
Zhan had already been watching him. Immediately, he tried to look away again.
For a brief second, I-Bo almost reached for his hand.
But he stopped himself.
Instead, he shifted slightly farther away from him.
Then quietly, he asked, "Do you want to get married, Zhan?"
The question stunned him completely.
Zhan stared at him without blinking.
It had come so suddenly that his mind could not even process it properly.
I-Bo simply watched him calmly, waiting for an answer.
Finally, Zhan spoke in confusion.
"Get married... again?"
"Yeah," I-Bo answered softly.
Zhan wanted to ask, To whom?
But the words refused to leave his mouth.
Instead, his entire body turned cold.
Because the only conclusion his mind could reach was that I-Bo already had someone else in mind for him.
Slowly, I-Bo continued, "Marriage is the only thing that will truly make him stop following you, Sean. Otherwise, even if the authorities get involved, he will only change his methods."
The moment those words settled in his chest, tears began gathering in Zhan's eyes again.
At once, he regretted coming downstairs.
If only he had stayed in his room.
If only he had never brought the conversation back up.
Seeing the tears forming in his eyes, I-Bo's expression softened immediately.
"You're not ready for marriage, are you, housemate?"
Zhan refused to answer.
He tried desperately to stop himself from crying again right there in front of him.
But deep inside, something hurt sharply.
He could not even explain why.
Was it disappointment?
Was it because that was not the answer he wanted from I-Bo?
Even he did not understand.
I-Bo slowly lowered his eyes from him.
After a few seconds, he spoke quietly.
"Well... forgive me. I should not have brought the suggestion up. Maybe you have different plans for your life besides marriage."
Zhan said nothing.
He simply wiped away the tears running silently down his face.
I-Bo leaned his head back against the chair and fell silent too.
And suddenly, the entire living room felt painfully heavy with words neither of them knew how to say.
Zhan gathered all his courage and said, "You didn't even tell me who I would be marrying."
Still not looking at him, I-Bo shook his head slightly and said, "No... I can see marriage is not your next plan. I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just thought it might be the only solution. I'm sorry."
Zhan quickly shook his head, trying hard not to cry out loud. In a trembling voice, he said, "I don't have any plan, honestly. My only wish is for Yiming to leave my life and stay far away from me. Whatever will make that happen, I will welcome wholeheartedly... as long as he leaves me alone."
I-Bo looked at him quietly and said, "But the moment I mentioned marriage, you started crying, housemate."
Zhan shook his head again and whispered, "If it's the best solution, I will accept it. I just... I just don't know who you want me to marry."
I-Bo stared at him silently, unable to speak for a moment.
Zhan kept wiping his tears without looking at him.
Finally, I-Bo lowered his voice and said, "I don't know if you would reject the person I want to set you up with, Sean. And I don't want to pressure you into accepting just because it's me asking. I don't want to become the reason you agree to something your heart doesn't truly want."
Summoning every bit of courage he had, Zhan shook his head and said, "I won't reject him... As long as it's your choice, I will never turn it down. I trust your choice. I know you would never choose something that wouldn't be good for me. I know that."
Even as he spoke, Heaven knew he was only forcing himself to sound brave.
Deep inside, his heart was aching so badly he could barely breathe, and he couldn't even explain why.
I-Bo kept staring at him, carefully thinking about the words he was about to say-and wondering how Zhan would react once he heard them.
When the silence stretched too long, Zhan slowly lifted his reddened eyes.
Their gazes met.
Almost like a whisper, I-Bo said,
"Would you be able to marry me, Sean?"
The words struck Zhan so suddenly that his breath caught in his throat.
He froze completely.
Shock rooted him to the spot, and all he could do was stare at I-Bo with wide eyes.
I-Bo kept looking back at him just as steadily.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked away.
And only then did Zhan realize they had been staring at each other for almost half a minute.
His heart started pounding violently.
Immediately, he dropped his gaze and tried to stand up from the chair to escape the living room.
But I-Bo quickly caught his hand before he could leave.
Looking at him quietly, he said in a low voice,
"You're not leaving without answering me, Sean."
Zhan instantly hid his face against the chair, unable to let their eyes meet again. He felt like he was sinking into the seat itself.
He hadn't felt this kind of shyness in years.
I-Bo looked at him carefully and called softly,
"Sean."
Without lifting his head, Zhan shrank further into the chair and answered weakly,
"Mm..."
I-Bo lowered his voice even more.
"Look at me, please."
As though he were about to cry from embarrassment, Zhan whispered,
"Mm... I can't."
At that moment, I-Bo felt like his heart had completely melted.
Slowly, he knelt down in front of Zhan and looked up at him gently.
Almost whispering, he said,
"Please say something, Sean. I want to hear you say anything."
But Zhan refused to raise his head.
He couldn't even begin to explain what he was feeling.
His entire body felt hot with nervousness.
After a long silence, I-Bo finally smiled faintly and said softly,
"Alright then... go and sleep."
Then, after a pause, he added in a quiet voice,
"Sweet dreams, dear. I love you so much."
Zhan's eyes widened again in shock.
Before I-Bo could say anything else, Zhan hurriedly stood up, covering his face, In his haste to flee, his foot caught on the long fabric, and he nearly fell forward.
Instinctively, I-Bo reached out to catch him....but stopped himself halfway.
Zhan regained his balance almost immediately.
Without daring to look back, he rushed toward the staircase, climbed upstairs as fast as he could, entered his room, locked the door, and leaned against it heavily.
Then he let out a trembling breath, as though he had just escaped from a race his heart could not survive.
:
:
That night, Zhan barely slept.
He couldn't even explain the storm of emotions inside him.
By morning, and even until almost eleven o'clock, he still couldn't bring himself to go downstairs... even though he had an eight a.m. lecture that day.
Bin's calls had been coming in nonstop since earlier, and he was already tired of ignoring them.
The moment he heard a knock on his bedroom door, his heart jumped violently.
He still couldn't gather the courage to move.
Then another knock came.
Only then did he slowly force himself to stand up.
He picked up his scarf and wrapped it around himself like a newlywed bride before walking toward the door.
He stood there for nearly thirty seconds before finally gathering enough courage to open it.
His head remained bowed.
I-Bo stood calmly outside the door and said softly,
"Good morning, housemate."
Without looking at him, Zhan replied quietly,
"Good morning."
I-Bo said, "So... don't you have lectures today?"
Still staring at the floor, Zhan answered,
"I do."
I-Bo simply looked at him quietly, noticing a level of shyness from him he had never seen before.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Then he handed him the small tray he was carrying and said,
"Here. Once you're done, I'll drop you off at school."
Zhan glanced briefly at the tray before taking it from him.
Without another word, he quickly turned and retreated into the room again before locking the door.
I-Bo stood there for a few seconds, smiling to himself before walking away.
Zhan looked down at the tray.
Hot chocolate.
Cookies.
He sat quietly on the carpet with the breakfast placed in front of him.
After he finished eating, I-Bo eventually had to call his phone before he finally came downstairs.
By then, Zhan had dressed for school, picked up his handbag, and carried the breakfast tray downstairs with him.
He found I-Bo sitting calmly in the living room.
Keeping his head down, Zhan went straight into the kitchen while I-Bo silently followed him with his eyes.
After washing the utensils, Zhan came out and stood behind one of the chairs, nervously playing with his fingers.
Quietly, he said,
"I'm done."
I-Bo stood up, picked up his car keys, and said,
"Alright. Let's go."
He headed toward the door while Zhan followed behind him.
Just as Zhan was about to open the door, he found it already unlocked.
He stepped outside while I-Bo followed after him.
Zhan walked to the garage and waited while I-Bo locked the apartment behind them.
As usual, he opened the passenger door for him.
Zhan got inside quietly, and I-Bo shut the door before walking around to the driver's side.
After getting into the car, he started the engine and slowly reversed out.
Only after they were already on the road did I-No finally speak.
"We saw our father off at the airport this morning. I figured you were probably asleep when I left."
Quietly, Zhan asked,
"So he has gone back to China?"
"Yes, if Heaven wills."
Zhan nodded faintly.
"May Heaven bring them safely."
Throughout the conversation, Zhan refused to look at him even once.
I-Bo noticed.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
Then he lowered his voice and asked teasingly,
"Will I have to marry you before this shyness disappears?"
Immediately, another wave of embarrassment crashed over Zhan.
He turned his face toward the window as though he might cry from the overwhelming feeling.
"I don't want to," he muttered weakly.
I-Bo smiled and nodded slowly.
"You'll explain that later."
Zhan became even more uncomfortable inside the car.
At that point, he was only praying for them to reach school quickly so he could escape.
From time to time, I-Bo glanced at him quietly, admiring the shyness that had completely taken over him.
When they finally arrived at school and parked, Zhan quickly opened the car door.
But before he could get out, I-Bo called softly,
"Sean."
Zhan froze.
He didn't step out, but he still refused to look at him.
Instead, he waited quietly for whatever he wanted to say.
Then he heard I-Bo whisper,
"Look at me, please."
Still staring outside the window, Zhan shook his head.
"I can't."
"Please."
Zhan felt like he had given him an impossible task.
His heart was beating too hard.
Quietly, he whispered,
"Please... I'm already late."
"Then why won't you look at me?"
In a low voice, Zhan replied,
"I'll look at you later."
"No," I-Bo said softly. "I want it now."
Zhan stayed silent.
A small smile appeared on his lips as he continued staring out the window.
I-Bo simply watched him patiently.
Finally, after gathering all the courage he could find, Zhan slowly turned his head toward him.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment, Zhan saw it clearly.
Love.
Nothing except love.
Only then did he fully understand the look I-Bo had been giving him ever since returning from China.
It had always been love.
I-Bo looked down at him fondly and smiled.
Then softly, he said,
"I love you."
Immediately, Zhan covered his face with his hands, hurriedly opened the car door, stumbled out of the car in embarrassment, shut the door behind him without looking back once, and practically fled toward the school building.
I-Bo sat there watching him leave.
For almost fifteen minutes, he remained inside the car without moving.
His mind was elsewhere entirely.
All he could think about was where Zhan would stay until his exams were over.
Because now... he knew he could no longer stay alone in the same apartment with him.
He simply couldn't.
Back when they first lived together, he had felt absolutely nothing romantic toward him.
Zhan had only been his ordinary housemate.
Nothing more.
Even during the first incident with Yiming at the apartment, he had only protected him out of kindness...and because Zhan was from China trying to survive alone in another country.
Even buying his flight ticket home had only come from understanding the value of a mother.
After all, he himself treasured his own mother deeply.
But after everything that happened with Yiming...
After bringing Zhan into their family house...
Somewhere along the way, feelings had quietly grown inside him.
He still didn't know exactly when it started.
Perhaps it was pity at first.
Perhaps concern.
But somehow, during the chaos of their exams and all the trouble surrounding Yiming, he had fallen deeply in love with him.
Now, however, there was no way he could continue keeping him in the same apartment with him.
Not anymore.
Because he was no longer looking at Zhan with the eyes of an ordinary housemate.
And he knew himself very well.
He was a grown man.
He would not pretend otherwise or place himself in temptation.
Yes, Zhan needed protection from Yiming.
But he also knew that if they continued living alone together under the same roof, eventually he would become inpatient person among them.
Getting another apartment for him wasn't even an option either.
Leaning his head back against the seat, he closed his eyes tiredly.
He felt deeply confused.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
He opened his eyes and checked the screen.
A-Bo.
He answered immediately and put the phone to his ear.
Before A-Bo could speak, I-Bo asked,
"Are you home?"
A-Bo replied, "Did you happen to see my debit card?"
I-Bo said, "Are we sharing that card together. Are you home right now? Because I need to talk to you, A-Bo."
A-Bo paused before asking,
"About what?"
I-Bo released a quiet sigh.
"I'll be home soon. Don't leave yet...wait for me."
With that, he ended the call, started the car properly, and drove toward their house.
💚💙❤️🖤