Around eleven at night, Zhan was sitting on his bed studying on his laptop in front of him. He wasn't understanding much of the material because of the hunger he felt. He had only eaten a little of the food his housemate had bought him earlier because it hadn't tasted good. He rested his chin on his hand, looking at the slide in front of him.
He felt like the door to the room next to his had opened. He turned and looked at that door. After almost 5 minutes, he got down from the bed, put on his floor shoes, and headed to the door to go to the kitchen to make tea.
Actually, he hadn't been able to go out earlier for fear of running into his housemate in the living room, because now he was feeling a new kind of shyness. He slowly opened the door, came out into the corridor, and tiptoed. As he started going downstairs, he stopped in surprise, looking at his housemate lying on the three-seater sofa with his eyes closed.
Even though there wasn't a bright light on in the living room, he could still clearly see him. He turned and looked at the room next to his with confusion. Had his ear just imagined that the door had opened? At the same time, his heart sank deeply after Yiming came into his mind.
What if his housemate had left the door open and fallen asleep?
While he was thinking this, his heart pounding, the door to the room next to his opened. He let out a scream in extreme fear, not even seeing who would come out of the room.
I-Bo quickly stood up, looking at him, then approached him with surprise and said, "What happened, housemate?"
As Zhan made eye contact with A-Bo, who had come out of the room and was also looking at him with surprise, he knelt down and started crying, feeling his heart still not beating properly.
I-Bo had already reached where he was kneeling, looking at him, and said, "What happened?"
Crying quietly, he lifted his eyes and looked at him, saying, "I got scared. I thought he had left earlier..."
A-Bo felt like bowling him over as he came downstairs, so annoyed was he with him. Because even I-Bo had been woken by his scream.
I-Bo just looked at him, unable to say anything. A-Bo started coming downstairs with a firm face, saying, "Get up and get out of my sight, or I'll bowl you over here, silly man."
Zhan pouted, wiped his eyes, and moved aside. A-Bo went downstairs and left them there.
Zhan lifted his head a little and looked at I-Bo, who was looking at him, at a loss for words. He hid his face in his hand, peeking through a small space, and said quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know he would spend the night in this house too. I thought he had left earlier."
I-Bo smiled at him and said calmly, "It's fine, Sean. Do you need something?"
Zhan nodded at him and said quietly, "I want to take tea."
I-Bo said, "OK, let me get you some. Go back to your room."
Smiling, Zhan said in a low voice, "Thank you." Then he turned and went back upstairs to his room.
I-Bo went downstairs, and A-Bo watched him until he entered the kitchen. He clicked his tongue, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV. After a few minutes, I-Bo finished making Zhan's tea and put some cookies on a plate, then went upstairs. A-Bo clicked his tongue, seeing how he had made himself the boy's personal servant, whereas he wouldn't even give 5% of that treatment to Tian.
I-Bo took the tea upstairs, knocked, and Zhan came out and took it, but couldn't look at him. In a low voice, he said, "Thank you so much."
I-Bo just nodded at him, then slowly said, "Good night, Sean."
Zhan turned and went back into the room and locked the door.
****
The next morning around nine, Zhan came downstairs after bathing and getting ready, even though he wasn't going to school that day. He kept looking at A-Bo, who was lying on the chair, his face covered with a small towel and his phone resting on his chest.
He went over to where A-Bo was, as if wanting to figure something out. Suddenly, A-Bo removed the towel from his face, and they locked eyes. Zhan stepped back with shock, opening his eyes a little, and said, "Oh, I thought you were my housemate. I got confused a little."
A-Bo sat up, looking at him expressionlessly, and said, "Have you ever seen him in this outfit? Or am I playing with you?"
Zhan bowed his head a little and said, "Well, I wouldn't know it wasn't him, since you have the same height and complexion as him. I just recognised you two with your personality and reactions."
A-Bo said, "I could slap you if you don't get out of my sight, mr."
Zhan clicked his tongue and headed to the kitchen. He took some potatoes and peeled them, planning to use them. While cutting the vegetables he would fry with eggs, he was wondering why A-Bo was in the house instead of his housemate. From yesterday to today, A-Bo had given him drama twice.
He pouted and put down the knife, then opened his eyes wide as he took his potatoes and put them in the oil he had heated-he had forgotten about the oil. He covered his mouth with his hand when he heard the kitchen fire alarm go off loudly.
He had completely forgotten about it. Usually, when he wanted to fry things, he would cover it so it wouldn't detect anything, let alone start revealing his secret by blaring.
He turned and came out of the kitchen, looking at A-Bo like a coward, and said, "Please, come and stop the alarm."
A-Bo said, "No, just burn down the house. What do I care? Do you think you're in China?"
Zhan hesitated and said, "Please, you see it's very loud."
A-Bo didn't even look in his direction again. Zhan turned and went back to the kitchen, looking at where the smoke alarm was. He didn't even know how to turn it off to silence it. He reduced the cooking flame and was about to go back to the living room to talk to A-Bo when he almost collided with him as he was about to enter the kitchen.
He stepped aside, looking at him as he silenced the smoke alarm and then left the kitchen. Zhan breathed a sigh of relief and continued with his cooking. After finishing, he came out of the kitchen-he had only made enough for himself and his housemate.
He looked at A-Bo and said, "Where is my housemate?"
A-Bo pointed behind him, indicating that he was backing him up.
Zhan turned and went upstairs; A-Bo followed him with a look. He entered his room, took his phone, sat on the edge of the bed, and dialed his housemate's number.
As it began to ring, I-Bo answered. In his calm voice, he said, "Good morning, Sean."
Zhan smiled slightly as if I-Bo could see him, started playing with the edge of the duvet, and said quietly, "Good morning."
I-Bo said, "How was your night?"
Zhan said, "All good. I see you're not here."
I-Bo said, "Yeah, I went to get something. I will come over later."
Zhan said, "I made some breakfast for you."
I-Bo said, "Really?"
Zhan fell silent and didn't say anything, because his heart wanted I-Bo to eat the breakfast.
I-Bo said, "OK, give me 30 minutes. I'll come back and eat."
Zhan smiled until his dimples showed and said, "OK, may Heaven bring you safely."
He hung up, then stood up and left the room, going back downstairs. He didn't even look at A-Bo; he passed by him to the kitchen, set aside his housemate's breakfast, took his own, and came out. Their eyes met, and Zhan lowered his eyes.
As he was about to pass, he glanced at A-Bo and said, "There's everything available in the kitchen, if you want to make breakfast for yourself."
A-Bo turned and looked at him, saying, "You....get into your senses. I am not I-Bo."
Zhan continued his way upstairs without saying anything to him.
That afternoon, Zhan was in the kitchen making soup when he heard the doorbell ring. He came out to the living room but couldn't reach the door because his heart was sinking.
What if Yiming had followed him?
Then he remembered that A-Bo was in the house, and his mind calmed down. But still, he didn't go to the door; he stood where he was. He looked upstairs and saw A-Bo coming down. A-Bo didn't look in his direction; he went to the door and opened it.
Bin stepped back when he saw him and started stammering, adjusting his clothes, and said, "A-Bo, good afternoon."
Briefly, A-Bo said, "Fine." Still, he didn't give him way, standing at the door.
Bin scratched his head a little and said, "I haven't seen you in two days-have I wronged you without knowing it, A-Bo?"
As if about to say nothing, A-Bo then said, "Have you ever raised your hand to slap someone to the point of encouraging your friend to do that?"
Bin squinted his eyes, removed his backbag from his shoulder, and said, "I swear by Heaven, I didn't know he would do that. How could I encourage him? Even now, I'm going to confront him for what he did-he shouldn't have done that. Zhan doesn't listen to anyone at all. Even I wouldn't raise my hand to slap a big man like Yiming. I'm trying my best to keep things at bay, but the matter has gone too far. Ask him-honestly, I didn't tell him to slap him."
A-Bo said, "Both of you, you'll know what to do with him the day he catches you in this country."
With that, he turned and left the doorway. Bin made a face at him, then entered the living room, squinting his eyes. Seeing Zhan standing in the living room, he bared his teeth. They sat down there in the living room, and Zhan asked him where he got the beautiful outfit he was wearing.
Bin told him quietly about the birthday party of a coursemate's dog that he had attended, and how the dog owners kept bringing their dogs, while he didn't even have a cat, let alone a dog. Then he said, "If I had known, I would have borrowed your housemate's dog and gone with it, honestly."
Zhan, out of frustration, couldn't say anything to him; he just looked at him.
Bin said, "We even took pictures with the dogs, lots of fun, let me tell you."
Zhan clicked his tongue, stood up, and went to check on the soup he was making. After coming out, he put a drink down for Bin.
Bin hadn't even sat down when he said, "What is this cold person doing in your house? Where is our housemate?"
Zhan didn't know when he burst out laughing, because A-Bo was standing at the bottom of the stairs. As if Bin knew, he turned quickly, saw him, and bowed his head like a coward. Just then, I-Bo entered the living room. As he came in, A-Bo headed to the door and left-as if he had been waiting for him.
Bin greeted I-Bo with all his cheerfulness, welcoming him back. I-Bo responded, came into the living room, sat down, looked at him, and said, "So you went to a social function?"
Bin laughed, even clapping his hands, and said, "Yes, honestly, I went to a coursemate's dog's birthday party."
I-Bo smiled and said, "Well, welcome back."
Bin said, "That's why I said I should visit here. Two days ago, I don't know what I did to your cousin brother that he keeps turning his face up at me whenever he sees me."
I-Bo rubbed his head and said, "Don't mind him. Sometimes he's like that."
Bin clicked his tongue and said, "Honestly, his behavior is not good."
I-Bo lifted his eyes and glanced at Zhan, who was standing in the living room looking at him as if he had seen him for the first time that day. Their eyes met, and Zhan pouted at him, then turned and went to the kitchen. I-Bo followed him with his gaze.
Bin watched them both, smiling slightly, then hung his bag on his shoulder, still smiling, and said, "Well, I'm going home, Zhan housemate, before my brother starts calling me."
I-Bo turned his gaze to him and said, "Did you just get here?"
Bin said, "I haven't even spent ten minutes. Your cousin put me in a bad mood because I didn't like what he did to me. If not for your presence, I would have kept my heart in check. He even said that I was the one encouraging Zhan in America. That thing really hurt me."
I-Bo smiled and said, "Forgive him. But you know what, Bin? Please, if you ever meet him again at school, don't say you'll do anything to him."
Bin said, "You mean Yiming?"
I-Bo said, "Yes."
Bin said, "My brother has already forbidden me, so I won't. Even if he corners me, I'd rather call 911 before he does something bad to me. But I've stopped paying him attention."
I-Bo said, "Good." He stood up and said, "Let me talk to your friend in the kitchen."
Bin smiled slightly and said, "OK."
I-Bo headed to the kitchen. After entering, he locked the door, leaned against it, crossed his arms, looking at Zhan, who was mopping the kitchen floor after finishing the soup he had been making. Zhan couldn't turn to look at him.
Quietly, I-Bo said, "Well done, Sean."
Zhan just smiled a little.
I-Bo said, "Let's drop your friend off at home."
Zhan nodded at him to say yes.
I-Bo looked at him and said, "Should we go to the park from there?"
Only then did Zhan glance at him, then smiled and turned away. I-Bo just looked at him. After a few seconds, he said quietly, "Get ready-I'm waiting for you." Then he opened the kitchen door and left.
He found Bin standing there waiting for them to come out, because he had seen the kind of look they were giving each other.
I-Bo said, "Wait for him to get ready, then we'll drop you at home."
Bin went back and sat down, smiling, and said, "OK, thank you. Let me quickly cancel my ride."
I-Bo said, "When he's ready, meet us at the garage."
Bin said, "OK."
I-Bo left the living room. Zhan came out of the kitchen, and Bin told him what his housemate had said. Together they went to Zhan's room. Bin sat on the edge of the bed and said, "I wish I had the freedom you have in this country."
Zhan smiled, looking through his clothes for what to wear, and said, "Even now, you're doing whatever you see fit. You even went to a dog's birthday party."
Bin said, "No, honestly. You know how I came out today? I wish Hailong-ge would be fired from his job so they could all pack up and go back to China."
Zhan didn't know when he laughed. As he was picking out clothes to change into, Bin said, "Wow, my darling, if you want, there's fashion. If you wear these clothes, even when you go home, your housemate won't get tired of looking at you."
Zhan said, "Well, I won't wear them." He was about to put the clothes back when Bin went to the iron in the room and started fussing, saying, "You, I'm just joking with you."
Bin had to plead with him before he finally put on the clothes. After that, Bin still forced him and did a little light makeup on his face. Bin moved aside, held his cheek, looked at him, and marveled. He thought about how Heaven had given Zhan the kind of beauty that, if he were to do things in this world, only Heaven knows.
He released a heavy sigh and said, "Every time you pray, always thank Heaven, Zhan. He created you differently. Honestly, you are so beautiful."
Zhan gave him a look, then stood in front of the mirror, checking what to wipe off his face. Bin had only applied eye pencil and powder, and a little lip gloss. He couldn't find anything to wipe off his face, because there was nothing special.
Bin, watching him, said quietly, "Listen, your lips-someone would swear you applied red lipstick, my friend. Always pray before you go out, because I know people will not just look at you in their hearts when they see you. Although in this country, everyone has their own light."
Bin opened his eyes wide and said, "Oh my God, we left your housemate in the garage a while ago."
Zhan hesitated and said, "I feel shy, Bin. I am not comfortable with the dress and the makeup."
Bin said, "I see trouble. If you get married, will you always be shy with him?"
Zhan opened his mouth, looking at Bin, unable to say anything. Bin grabbed him after he stood up, took his bag, and pulled him, and they left the room. Even when they came out of the apartment, Zhan didn't relax. Bin took the apartment keys from his hand and said, "Go get in the car; I'll lock the house."
Zhan didn't go. He just stood there...if he didn't lock the door properly, Yiming might find a way to enter the house. Bin finished locking the door, turned, and looked at Zhan, saying, "Please stop doing things like people from your neighborhood. This is America."
Zhan reached for the door handle and tried it-it was still open. He gave Bin a look, He snatched his keys, and locked the door properly.
Bin said, "Oh, I thought i had locked it. Let's go."
As soon as Zhan headed to the garage, I-Bo was looking at him without blinking. Bin opened the front passenger door for him, smiling. Zhan gave him a look, then got into the car without letting his eyes meet I-Bo's. Bin went to the back of the car and got in. I-Bo wanted to compliment Zhan but remained silent because of Bin. He started driving, glancing at him from time to time.
Finally, he couldn't help himself and said, "You look beautiful, Sean."
Bin, in the back of the car, started blushing as if it were him being complimented. He smiled slightly and said, "I told him the same thing, but he thought I was just pulling his leg. I told him his beauty is different among beauties. Any man/woman who marries him will enjoy life. Even if he's sad, one look at him will make his heart light and bright. And if he gets a handsome husband like you, wow, only Heaven knows how beautiful your children will be."
Zhan felt like he had just given up on this outing entirely because of the shyness. I-Bo just smiled, his eyes on the road as he drove. Bin opened his bag, took out his phone, saw that Hailong-ge was calling him, silenced the call in annoyance, and put it back in his bag.
I-Bo looked at Zhan and said in a low voice, "Which park do you want us to go to?"
Bin heard him clearly and said, "You're going to a park, Zhan's housemate?"
I-Bo said, "Yeah, Bin."
Bin said, "Then don't drop me off first, please. Let me be your photographer."
Zhan held his head. I-Bo smiled and said, "Well, how much will we pay you for the job?"
Bin burst out laughing and said, "Oh, just buy me a lemonade."
I-Bo laughed and said, "Deal. But won't anyone call you at home?"
Bin said, "No one will look for me."
When they arrived at the park, Bin refused to sit close to them, saying he would inconvenience Zhan; he wanted to relax and enjoy the ambiance properly. Zhan knew that the whole idea of leaving them alone came from I-Bo, which was why Bin said that.
I-Bo, for his part, appreciated Bin's mindset there. Bin said he would start taking pictures for them before the evening got too dark.
Bin was overjoyed at how beautifully the pictures he started taking for them turned out. He finally went to where they were standing and said, "No one should stand in the space you left between you. Just fill the space."
Zhan gave him a look. I-Bo just smiled. Bin said, "Move a little closer to him, housemate, so the space doesn't make the picture look odd."
Slowly, I-Bo moved closer to Zhan, looking at him and smiling. Zhan saw himself looking so small next to him, with his familiar cologne filling him. Bin quickly stepped back and continued taking pictures, baring his teeth. He was overjoyed. He kept directing them where to stand for the pictures. He told them to go over there, then to come back here. He made sure he took really beautiful pictures of them.
Finally, I-Bo told him it was enough, and he should also come in so they could take a picture together. He would give his phone to another Chinese nearby to take the picture, even including Bin, but Bin refused to join, saying, "No, I don't want to ruin your picture."
I-Bo laughed and kept pleading with him until he joined, and they took a picture of the three of them. Bin smiled and said, "But since I started taking pictures, I've never taken any as beautiful as the ones I took for you, honestly."
I-Bo smiled and said, "How many dollars will we pay you, then?" Bin laughed, gathered his lemonade and the tacos that had been bought for him, and said, "This that was bought for me-may Heaven bless it."
Then he moved ahead and left them there.
I-Bo was amazed at how well Bin had snapped the pictures. He couldn't stop looking at Zhan in the picture. The pictures were so beautiful. Zhan looked at one picture and couldn't continue looking at the others; he just went and sat down.
After a while, he lifted his eyes and glanced at I-Bo, who was looking at him. He quickly lowered his head. Quietly, I-Bo said, "Sean." Without lifting his head, he said, "Um."
I-Bo said, "Why won't you relax with me now? You weren't like this before. Is it because I said I will marry you?"
Zhan bowed his head in shyness.
I-Bo said, "So what's the point of coming here if you won't relax? I want us to have quality time together, but you keep bowing your head."
Smiling, Zhan said quietly, "Well, I feel shy."
I-Bo said, "Then look at me, and you'll stop feeling shy."
Zhan refused to lift his head and was silent.
I-Bo said, "Sean."
Zhan said, "I can't."
I-Bo didn't say anything else to him. Seeing that, Zhan lifted his eyes and looked at him-he saw I-Bo looking at him. I-Bo smiled at him and said in a low voice, "You are specially made, Sean."
Zhan closed his eyes, smiling, and said quietly, "Thank you."
I-Bo said, "Did you hear what your friend said?"
Zhan lifted his eyes and looked at him, saying, "What did he say?"
I-Bo lowered his voice and said, "That we will make beautiful babies together."
Zhan felt an intense shyness overwhelm him. I-Bo smiled, looking at him, and said, "Even one that looks like you, I will appreciate. And we will name him after A-Bo."
As if about to cry, Zhan said, "I want us to go home."
I-Bo said, "No, you have to tell me a story. Tell me even one story, then we'll go."
Zhan fell silent, then played with the straw of the drink in front of him and said, "What kind of story?"
I-Bo said, "Any kind. Or tell me the story of how you met your funny friend, Bin."
Zhan smiled, lifted his head, and said, "OK." Without wasting time, he started telling the story of how he first met Bin at school. I-Bo just looked at him without blinking. Everything about Zhan was just beautiful and breathtaking.
As he told the story of Bin, he didn't even know what he was saying; I-Bo just fixed his eyes on him with many imaginations running through his mind. From telling the story of Bin, he finally relaxed there. Actually, that was what I-Bo wanted. He had wanted that to happen, and it did, because they had a wonderful time together.
He told every story he didn't forget about his experience in America, from the year he arrived until now. Some made him laugh, some made him feel pity, some showed his foolishness.
Nothing endeared him to I-Bo more than when he was telling stories in English. He was so vocal. Despite his timidness, he was very outspoken, as if he hadn't grown up in that neighborhood and their house. He never knew Zhan spoke so well until today.
I-Bo lowered his voice and said, "You know what, Sean?"
Zhan shook his head at him, looking at him. Quietly, I-Bo said, "I love you so much."
Zhan quickly covered his face, smiling.
Around seven in the evening, they left the park. They dropped Bin off at home before heading back. I-Bo parked, and Zhan looked at A-Bo's car in the parking space. Then he looked at I-Bo and said, "Is he waiting for you?"
I-Bo said, "I don't think so. You know he has a friend in this neighborhood who is also doing a PhD. The friend is at the far end of this street. Their external defense is around the corner."
Zhan said, "OK. What about you?"
I-Bo said, "Yes, if Heaven wills. Your exam period is our defense period."
Quietly, Zhan said, "Well, may Heaven grant you success."
I-Bo smiled and said, "Thank you."
Zhan said, "So where will you park since he's occupying the space?"
I-Bo said, "I will go home and come back later."
Quietly, Zhan said, "So I'll be alone in the apartment?"
I-Bo said, "You see A-Bo's car-he's inside."
Zhan fell silent, looking at him. I-Bo smiled at him and said, "Let's go, I'll walk you inside."
Together they got out of the car, and I-Bo walked him into the apartment. He looked at him calmly and said, "Can I go now?"
Zhan leaned against the wall near him, bowed his head, and just nodded, looking at him. I-Bo lowered his eyes from looking at him, trying to calm himself down.
Quietly, he said, "I need to go, Sean. Lock the door." Then he turned and left the living room without looking at him. Zhan watched him before locking his door.
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