Zhan spent nearly fifteen minutes in the bathroom, overwhelmed with panic and confusion. All he could do was cry. He couldn't even think clearly because of how terrified he was.
Should he just run away from the house?
Or should he go back and beg Yiming to forgive him and keep his dignity intact?
But deep down, he knew Yiming would never listen.
With great difficulty, he rose from where he had been kneeling on the floor. Tears were still streaming down his face, and his body continued to tremble. It felt as though his world had completely collapsed.
His hands shaking, he splashed water on his face and slowly opened the bathroom door, cautiously peeking into the bedroom.
Yiming was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone.
Their eyes met.
Zhan slowly stepped out of the bathroom.
Yiming looked him up and down, and Zhan immediately lowered his head as his heart began pounding violently.
Yiming stood up, staring at him coldly.
"So you just wasted my time all this while. You weren't even taking a shower?"
Tears rolled down Zhan's cheeks as he shook his head.
His voice trembled.
"Please… forgive me. Don't say you're going to..."
Yiming suddenly raised his hand, cutting him off.
Zhan immediately fell silent, staring at him in fear as his expression changed completely.
When he saw Yiming walking toward him, Zhan instinctively turned to run back into the bathroom.
But Yiming quickly grabbed him.
Zhan broke down completely, crying desperately.
"Please… please don't do this to me. Please protect my dignity, Yiming."
Yiming stared at him coldly.
"You think I came all the way here, spent my time and money, only to let you waste everything with your childish behavior and then go back to China empty-handed?"
He scoffed.
"If I let you go today, it would only be because I collapsed and died."
By now, Zhan wasn't even aware of the words coming out of his mouth anymore. He kept apologizing frantically.
He knew there was no point even thinking about resisting him physically.
Yiming could restrain him easily with just one hand.
Suddenly...
There was a loud knock on the apartment door.
Zhan's eyes widened.
His lips trembled.
"I swear… that must be my housemate. She probably lost her key and came back."
Yiming looked unimpressed.
"And so what? Is that supposed to stop me from doing what I came here to do?"
Tears streamed down Zhan's face.
"Please… let me open the door. Maybe she forgot something. She won't be staying here tonight."
Yiming released him.
"Stay here," he said coldly. "I'll open the door."
Zhan nodded repeatedly, his heart pounding violently.
Yiming grabbed his shirt, put it on, and walked out of the room.
The moment he left, Zhan collapsed weakly onto the floor, feeling as if he could barely breathe from the fear.
The knocking on the living room door continued relentlessly.
Zhan quickly stood up and followed after Yiming, his body shaking as he quietly sobbed.
He prayed silently that it would be his housemate.
By the time he reached the corridor, Yiming had already reached the door.
He unlocked it and pulled it open.
Zhan froze when he saw who was standing outside.
Before he even realized it, he had rushed into the living room, tears still running down his face.
Yiming looked the visitor up and down calmly.
"How may we help you? Who are you looking for?"
Instead of answering him, the man simply stepped past him into the living room.
Looking straight at Zhan, he asked,
"Why did you call my phone?"
Yiming frowned and turned toward Zhan in confusion.
Zhan lowered his head, tears falling as he closed his eyes.
At that moment, a wave of relief washed over him.
The man spoke again.
"Why did you call me?"
Zhan looked up briefly and saw the furious look on Yiming's face as he started walking toward him.
Terrified, Zhan began stepping backward while looking at A-Bo.
"I need you to help me… please."
Before he could finish...
Yiming slapped him hard across the face.
A-Bo stood frozen for a second, stunned by what he had just witnessed.
But when Yiming raised his hand again and struck Zhan once more....
A-Bo reacted instantly.
He rushed forward and slammed a powerful double punch into Yiming's face.
The attack caught Yiming completely off guard.
Before he could recover, A-Bo landed three more punches in rapid succession.
Within seconds, he was hitting him relentlessly like a professional fighter.
Zhan panicked.
"Please stop! Please stop!" he cried.
He rushed toward them, trying to pull A-Bo away, but A-Bo pushed him aside without realizing it.
He stumbled backward and fell onto the couch.
At that exact moment, the apartment door opened and I-Bo walked in.
His eyes widened in shock.
His phone slipped from his hand and landed on the couch when he saw A-Bo beating Yiming like a punching bag.
A-Bo gave Yiming absolutely no chance to fight back.
He just kept hitting him repeatedly.
I-Bo rushed toward them quickly.
"A-Bo! Stop!" he shouted.
After struggling for a moment, he finally managed to separate them.
"Are you out of your mind, Yibo?" he snapped angrily. "What are you doing?!"
But before he could say more...
Yiming suddenly swung his fist toward him.
Since he had been unable to retaliate against A-Bo earlier, he redirected his anger toward I-Bo.
The punch landed.
But that only provoked A-Bo again.
He lunged forward and started hitting Yiming even harder.
I-Bo stood there momentarily stunned by the unexpected attack.
Afraid that A-Bo might seriously injure Yiming and cause even bigger trouble, I-Bo grabbed A-Bo again to restrain him.
Yiming, now bruised and furious, suddenly ran toward the kitchen like a madman.
Zhan was too shocked to even move.
I-Bo immediately understood what was happening.
Yiming was going to grab a weapon.
He quickly turned to Zhan.
"Get up and go to your room!"
Zhan didn't wait a second.
He ran straight down the corridor.
Meanwhile, I-Bo tried dragging A-Bo toward the bedroom, but A-Bo resisted angrily.
"What makes him so arrogant just because he's from China?" A-Bo shouted. "Who does he think he is? If he dares, let him face me in China!"
Ignoring the protest, I-Bo pulled him toward the corridor.
Just as they reached the bedroom....
Yiming came rushing back from the kitchen holding a knife like a madman.
Zhan had already rushed inside the room.
I-Bo quickly shoved A-Bo inside as well, locked the door, and pocketed the key.
He knew A-Bo might try to open the door again if he had the chance.
Outside, Yiming began pounding violently on the door, shouting insults and threatening A-Bo.
A-Bo walked over to the window and stood there calmly with his arms crossed, staring at the door.
I-Bo sat on the edge of the bed, completely stunned and confused.
His chest was beginning to ache from the punch Yiming had given him.
Meanwhile, Zhan curled up beside the bed, quietly crying as tears streamed down his face.
His heart felt like it might burst from the pounding in his chest.
Outside, Yiming shouted,
"I'll make sure you regret this for the rest of your life! Zhan, I'll make you miserable! And you'd better leave this country before your studies end!"
Zhan's crying grew louder.
A-Bo suddenly snapped at him,
"If you don't shut up, I'll throw you out of this room!"
I-Bo shot A-Bo a sharp look.
But Zhan didn't even glance at him. He just kept crying.
After a while, the apartment grew silent.
They didn't know if Yiming had finally left.
Nearly ten minutes later, Zhan slowly stood up and reached for his jacket.
I-Bo watched him quietly.
After putting it on, Zhan turned around and their eyes briefly met.
His eyes were swollen from crying.
He looked down again and noticed a small towel near the bed. Seeing the blood on I-Bo's lip, he picked it up.
He went to the bathroom, soaked the towel in warm water, and returned.
Without looking at him, he knelt in front of I-Bo and gently started wiping the blood from his lip.
A-Bo glanced at them, then scoffed and turned to stare out the window.
I-Bo looked at Zhan and said softly,
"Thank you, Sean."
But Zhan didn't respond.
He avoided meeting his eyes, stood up quietly, and walked back to the bathroom with the towel.
A-Bo turned and said, "Give me the key so I can open this door and leave."
I-Bo stood up and walked toward the door, unlocking it slowly. A-Bo followed closely behind him, alert and ready for anything. The moment the door opened, A-Bo stepped out first, carefully scanning every corner of the house.
I-Bo followed him into the living room, still on guard. Before leaving the bedroom, he had locked the door behind them because Zhan was still inside.
Soon they realized that Yiming had already left the house.
A-Bo turned to I-Bo.
"Take your phone. Let's go home."
I-Bo looked at him.
"You think I can just leave him here alone?"
A-Bo frowned.
"How sure are you that you're safe staying in this apartment tonight? That guy is insane. He could come back at any time, and it's already dark."
"I know," I-Bo replied quietly. "But I can't leave him there alone."
A-Bo stared at him.
"Are you his family or something?"
I-Bo shot back, "And you? Is he your family?"
A-Bo shook his head.
"Look, I-Bo, I swear I'm not leaving you in this place. Whatever help you want to give him, that's your business. But you're not staying here tonight. I won't risk leaving you here even for one second."
I-Bo stayed silent for a moment before saying quietly,
"Then go ahead. I'll follow later."
A-Bo scoffed.
"Not happening. I swear I'm not leaving you here. Look at the punches he already gave you...you just stood there staring at him."
I-Bo replied calmly,
"So you wanted us to gang up on him? Then what? That would only make things worse, and it would terrify Sean even more."
A-Bo snorted.
"Terrify him? No, we'd drive him crazy instead."
He waved a hand impatiently.
"Do whatever you want do, I'm starving already"
I-Bo sighed quietly.
"Wait outside for me."
With that, he turned and went back to the room where Zhan was.
Meanwhile, A-Bo stepped outside the apartment and waited by the door.
After unlocking the door, I-Bo knocked before entering.
Inside, he saw Zhan standing against the wall, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed quietly.
I-Bo walked over to the window and leaned against it, watching him silently.
Zhan kept his head lowered, crying quietly.
Finally, I-Bo spoke calmly.
"Sean."
Zhan couldn't bring himself to look up.
"Tell me something," I-Bo continued. "How did you meet that man? Where did you meet him? How long have you known him? And who exactly is he? Do your parents know about him?"
Only then did Zhan raise his head. Tears were still falling from his eyes.
I-Bo sighed and rubbed his head.
"Where are your books and study materials? Are they in your room?"
Zhan nodded quietly.
"Let's go get them."
They walked to Zhan's room together. I-Bo gathered his books and his laptop.
Then he looked at him.
"Where's your phone?"
"It fell into water," Zhan replied softly.
I-Bo was silent for a moment before saying,
"Alright. Let's go."
Zhan hesitated for a few seconds.
"Come on," I-Bo said gently.
Without arguing, Zhan followed him. After they stepped out, I-Bo locked the apartment door.
Zhan looked frightened, constantly glancing around as if expecting Yiming to appear again at any moment.
Seeing his fear, I-Bo moved ahead.
"Follow me."
Zhan walked behind him, tears still slipping down his cheeks until they reached the entrance.
A-Bo was still standing outside waiting.
He turned and looked at them.
I-Bo walked toward his car. When he noticed Zhan had stopped walking, he said,
"Come on, Sean."
Zhan slowly followed him.
I-Bo opened the back seat and placed Zhan's laptop and books inside before closing it again.
Then he opened the front passenger door for him.
Zhan lowered his eyes and got into the car.
Meanwhile, A-Bo had already gotten into his own car.
I-Bo got into the driver's seat and started the engine.
A-Bo sped off first, and I-Bo followed behind him.
:
:
Later, Zhan slowly stepped out of the car.
I-Bo had parked and was already retrieving his laptop and books from the back seat.
"Let's go," he said.
Zhan lowered his head and followed him slowly into the house.
Inside the large living room, I-Bo gestured toward a chair.
Zhan sat down quietly.
I-Bo placed the laptop and books down before heading upstairs.
Zhan watched him go, tears gathering in his eyes again.
Soon he began crying softly, his head throbbing painfully.
Meanwhile, I-Bo walked to A-Bo's room.
When he opened the door, he heard water running in the bathroom.
Not wanting trouble, he simply stood near the doorway waiting.
He remained there, lost in thought, until A-Bo came out of the bathroom drying his hair with a towel.
Seeing him there, A-Bo stopped.
"What are you doing here?"
"I don't know," I-Bo replied honestly.
Then he walked inside the spotless room and sat on a chair.
"We need to talk, A-Bo."
"So you had to come into my room for that?" A-Bo asked dryly.
"Sit down."
A-Bo clicked his tongue.
"I can hear you perfectly fine standing."
I-Bo spoke quietly.
"I think my housemate will stay here for a day or two until he sorts things out."
A-Bo stared at him.
"What are you now, his guardian? Doesn't he have parents? Or is this place a hotel?"
"I don't know," I-Bo admitted.
"I'm just asking," A-Bo replied. "He didn't fall from the sky, and you didn't bring him to this country either. So why are you responsible for fixing his problems? Are you his brother? His father? What we did today was already more than enough."
I-Bo shook his head.
"I'm not asking your permission, A-Bo. I'm simply informing you that he'll stay here for one or two nights until things settle down."
A-Bo scoffed.
"And who made me your parent that you came here to inform me about bringing someone into the house?"
He shrugged.
"The house is big. Plenty of rooms. I don't care. I just hope you won't have to explain yourself one day to our Dad."
I-Bo stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
A-Bo simply smirked and sprayed some cologne on himself.
Downstairs, I-Bo gave instructions to the house staff before returning to the main living room.
Zhan was still sitting there, leaning against the chair and lost in deep thought.
Everything felt unreal to him, like a strange dream.
Sometimes he felt he understood what had happened.
But when he remembered that Yiming had almost assaulted him....and that A-Bo had arrived just in time....his mind went blank again.
He felt restless, sick, and unable to calm down.
He had no idea what would happen next in his life.
I-Bo's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Zhan quickly sat up straight.
"I don't want you worrying too much, Sean," I-Bo said gently. "Try to relax. You have exams coming up."
Zhan lowered his head as tears began falling again.
"Did you eat?" I-Bo asked.
Zhan shake his head.
"Food will be brought for you. Eat first, then we'll talk."
"I'm not hungry," Zhan whispered.
"You still need to eat something."
Just then, the house cook...an older European man...walked past carrying food toward the dining area.
I-Bo asked him to bring it to the living room instead.
Soon several dishes were arranged on the carpet near the center table.
"Come down and eat," I-Bo said.
Zhan nodded quietly.
I-Bo went upstairs.
When Zhan looked at the food, he noticed that all the dishes were unfamiliar to him. He had never really gotten used to this kind of food during all his years abroad.
Nearly thirty minutes passed, yet he still hadn't eaten anything.
Then A-Bo entered the living room.
Zhan lowered his head immediately.
Without even glancing at him, A-Bo went to the dining area and began eating his own meal.
After a while, Zhan heard footsteps.
I-Bo was coming back downstairs.
He sat across from him.
"Did you eat?"
Zhan nodded slightly.
I-Bo asked the cook to clear the food away.
"Go sit on the couch," he said gently.
Zhan moved quietly back to the seat.
Meanwhile, A-Bo returned to the living room and sat in the reading corner.
I-Bo watched him for a moment, wondering why he was sitting there when he rarely even used that place.
Then he turned back to Zhan.
"Sean, I want to understand what happened today at your apartment. I don't really know the full story."
He paused.
"Sanxing called me earlier. He said you tried calling me and sounded distressed. He gave you A-Bo's number. When I called back, the call didn't go through. So I decided to come there myself."
He looked at him seriously.
"What happened?"
Zhan lowered his head.
He didn't know how to explain.
How could he say that Yiming had tried to rape him?
Suddenly A-Bo's voice came from the reading corner.
"Maybe he was rude to that man like he usually is to people. That's why I ended up beating the poor guy for nothing."
Zhan didn't raise his head.
I-Bo smiled faintly despite himself.
"You're not saying anything, Sean."
Tears filled Zhan's eyes.
"Or… you don't want to talk about it?"
Zhan shook his head.
"It's not that," he said quietly. "He tried to forced himself on me."
A-Bo, though he wasn't even looking in their direction, immediately responded.
"He tried to rapped you? But you opened the door for him yourself. He didn't climb in through the window."
I-Bo shot him an annoyed look.
"Stop it, A-Bo. Why are you being so cruel?"
A-Bo burst out laughing.
Zhan continued crying silently, his head pounding painfully.
I-Bo softened his voice.
"Tell me who he is. And how you met him."
Zhan wiped his tears slowly and nodded.
"I've known him for four years…"
Zhan lowered his head, still wiping the tears that refused to stop. He looked exhausted, pained, and deeply shaken.
I-Bo simply watched him, waiting for him to continue.
When Zhan remained silent, he called softly,
"Sean."
Zhan raised his eyes and looked at him.
Calmly, I-Bo said,
"I'm listening."
Zhan's voice trembled.
"He's the one sponsoring me."
I-Bo stared at him in shock.
Even A-Bo turned from where he was sitting to look at him after hearing that.
For a moment, I-Bo could only stare speechlessly.
Finally he adjusted his posture and asked carefully,
"You mean he's the one paying for everything here? Your studies, your living expenses?"
Zhan nodded without meeting his eyes.
"And… you're not related to him in any way?"
Zhan shook his head.
I-Bo looked at him in disbelief.
"And your parents allowed him to sponsor you all the way here to America?"
Zhan nodded again quietly.
At that moment A-Bo stood up and walked upstairs without another word.
I-Bo followed him with his eyes, still too stunned to react.
Slowly he turned back to Zhan.
"Did you two already engaged? Or set a date for marriage?"
Zhan lifted his eyes briefly.
"We're engaged."
I-Bo fell silent for almost three minutes.
His mind was racing with questions.
He had never imagined that the man Zhan was involved with was actually the one sponsoring his entire life here.
He looked up again and saw Zhan leaning weakly against the chair, pale and exhausted.
He wanted to ask so many things.
How had Zhan even met Yiming?
Where had they met?
Why would Zhan's parents allow a complete stranger to send their son to another country to study?
Was it really just because of money?
He didn't want to believe that.
But looking at Zhan's fragile condition, he decided to keep those questions to himself for now
.
Zhan was already overwhelmed.
Standing up quietly, he said,
"I'll be back."
Zhan watched him walk upstairs.
More tears gathered in his eyes.
He felt like crying loudly just to release the heavy weight in his chest.
Instead he leaned his head against the chair and quietly sobbed.
Upstairs, I-Bo entered one of the guest rooms and checked if everything had been prepared.
The room was large, though not as big as his or A-Bo's.
Everything was neatly arranged except one thing...there was no duvet on the bed.
He opened the wardrobe.
Nothing.
Sighing, he turned and walked toward A-Bo's room.
He entered the access code, but the door didn't open.
A-Bo had clearly changed it.
I-Bo knocked.
After a moment, A-Bo opened the door and stared at him silently.
Without explaining, I-Bo pushed past him and entered the room.
A-Bo frowned.
"You know I hate that, I-Bo. What are you looking for?"
I-Bo turned on the lights, which were much brighter.
"I need a duvet. I don't understand why you took all the duvets from the other rooms. That's just greedy."
A-Bo didn't answer. He was already irritated that I-Bo had barged in.
When he saw I-Bo heading toward his bed, he asked,
"What do you need a duvet for? You already have one in your room."
"I'm giving it to my visitor."
A-Bo stared at him in disbelief.
"What? You're taking my duvet for your visitor? Are you even listening to yourself?"
I-Bo ignored him and simply picked up the duvet from the bed.
As he headed for the door, A-Bo blocked his path.
"If you walk out of here with that duvet, IlI'll change my name today."
I-Bo pushed him aside so hard that A-Bo almost lost his balance.
Then he walked out of the room.
Before leaving, he turned back briefly and said,
"Emmanuel."
Then he continued down the hallway, leaving A-Bo staring after him in shock.
I-Bo returned to the prepared room and placed the duvet on the bed.
After that, he went downstairs.
Zhan was still sitting exactly where he had left him, eyes closed but clearly not asleep.
"Sean."
Zhan opened his eyes quickly.
"Get up," I-Bo said gently. "Let's go upstairs. You need to rest."
Zhan remained silent.
I-Bo picked up his laptop and books.
"Come on."
Only after he began walking did Zhan slowly stand and follow him.
He felt dizzy but forced himself to keep walking until they reached the room upstairs.
I-Bo opened the door and entered, with Zhan behind him.
He placed the laptop down and turned on the room heater.
Then he showed him where the bathroom was.
Zhan simply nodded.
I-Bo took out his phone, dialed a number, and handed it to him.
"If you need anything, call this number. It's my other line."
Zhan nodded again.
"Good night, Sean. Try to sleep well. Don't stress yourself."
"Okay," Zhan replied softly.
I-Bo walked toward the door.
Just before he left, Zhan spoke quietly.
"Thank you."
I-Bo turned back and smiled gently.
"I've got your back."
Then he left and closed the door behind him.
Zhan placed the phone on the bedside table and sat quietly on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the window.
Even at one in the morning, he couldn't sleep.
He lay silently under the duvet, but his heart felt unbearably heavy.
It even hurt.
A fever had begun creeping through his body.
He had been crying ever since I-Bo left the room.
It felt as if his entire world had stopped.
He didn't even know what to think anymore.
Everything that had happened earlier replayed in his mind again and again.
Sometimes it felt like a dream.
He wished it really had been a dream.
His biggest fear now was what might happen back home.
What would Yiming do next?
What would he say to his parents?
The thoughts overwhelmed him.
His fever grew worse.
His head throbbed as if it might split open.
His entire body ached.
For a moment he considered calling I-Bo to ask for medicine for his headache.
But he stopped himself, unsure if I-Bo was asleep.
So he just kept turning restlessly in bed.
The night felt endless.
Sleep never came.
When the phone vibrated, he forced himself to reach for it.
It was an alarm set for five in the morning.
He turned it off.
He tried to sit up but couldn't.
Eventually he forced himself to get up and go to the bathroom.
When he returned to bed, the fever had become even stronger.
He pulled the duvet over his head and lay there again.
Around eight in the morning, I-Bo knocked on his door.
Zhan heard it but couldn't respond.
After knocking three times without an answer, I-Bo called the phone he had given him.
Zhan saw the call on the screen but couldn't even lift his hand to answer.
Finally the call ended.
A moment later the door opened and I-Bo walked inside.
He looked surprised when he saw Zhan lying there.
"Are you okay, Sean?"
Zhan shook his head weakly.
I-Bo quickly knelt beside the bed.
"You're sick? Why didn't you call me?"
He noticed the tears in Zhan's eyes.
"Sean… I told you not to worry so much. Do you want to make yourself worse?"
Zhan didn't respond.
I-Bo left the room.
A few minutes later he returned with a cup of hot chocolate and placed it beside him.
"Try to drink this. I'll get you some medicine."
He left again.
When he returned, Zhan still hadn't moved.
No matter how much he tried to persuade him, Zhan refused to sit up.
I-Bo was starting to panic.
Finally he asked,
"Do you have your friend Yu-Bin's number?"
Zhan weakly shook his head.
"Do you at least have his Instagram? Is he active there?"
Zhan couldn't even answer.
At this point I-Bo looked completely confused.
"Can you manage to get up so we can go to the hospital?"
Zhan shook his head again.
I-Bo sighed and left the room.
Downstairs, A-Bo was sitting at the dining table having breakfast.
I-Bo walked toward him, still looking worried.
"A-Bo… he's really sick."
A-Bo was sipping his tea when he asked casually,
"Who?"
I-Bo shot him a look.
"Please be serious, A-Bo. He's really not well."
A-Bo shrugged.
"So what now? You're planning to carry him to the hospital?"
"How?" I-Bo replied. "He can't even stand up. Could you at least give him an injection so he gets some relief first?"
Slowly, A-Bo placed the mug down and stared at I-Bo without blinking.
After a moment he pushed the cup away and said,
"Seriously, why do you keep treating me like this, I-Bo? What exactly did I do to you? What's wrong with your hands that you can't give him the injection yourself? Why must it be me?"
He looked straight at him, waiting for an answer.
I-Bo frowned.
"You're really heartless, A-Bo. I just told you the boy can't even stand. Why are you like this?"
A-Bo leaned back slightly.
"But seriously....what's wrong with your hands? Why can't you give him the injection yourself? Aren't you a doctor too? Or am I the only one who's supposed to do everything?"
Without replying, I-Bo turned and walked away, heading upstairs.
When he opened the bedroom door, he saw Zhan crouched weakly near the bathroom entrance.
He rushed over immediately.
"Did you throw up?"
Zhan nodded weakly, breathing heavily.
I-Bo quickly picked up the hot chocolate he had left earlier and brought it to him.
"Please drink a little so you can take your medicine."
Zhan shook his head.
"Come on, Sean. Just a little."
He held the cup carefully so Zhan wouldn't spill it.
Reluctantly, Zhan took a small sip.
I-Bo encouraged him to drink a little more before setting the cup down and picking up the medicine.
But the moment Zhan saw the pills, he shook his head quickly. He felt another wave of nausea coming.
Just then the door opened.
I-Bo turned and saw A-Bo standing at the doorway watching them.
Ignoring him, I-Bo turned back to Zhan.
"Please try to take the medicine, Sean. Don't you want to feel better?"
Zhan shook his head again as tears filled his eyes.
I-Bo tried gently persuading him, but he refused.
A-Bo suddenly spoke from the doorway, his expression hard.
"You won't take the medicine? So who exactly do you expect to suffer because of you?"
I-Bo snapped back immediately.
"Stay out of this, A-Bo. Just leave."
Zhan didn't even look at A-Bo. He was too weak to care.
Seeing that forcing him wouldn't work, I-Bo stood up.
"Alright… just try to lie down on the bed. I'll be back."
Zhan nodded weakly.
I-Bo walked out without even glancing at A-Bo.
A-Bo clicked his tongue and went back downstairs.
Soon I-Bo prepared the injection that would help reduce Zhan's fever.
When Zhan saw him return, he slowly climbed back onto the bed despite the dizziness.
I-Bo stood beside the bed holding the syringe.
Zhan looked at it and shook his head weakly, pleading with his eyes.
Lowering his voice, I-Bo said gently,
"Then what do you want me to do, Sean? You refused the medicine."
Just then his phone started ringing.
He pulled it out and saw Sanxing calling.
He set the syringe aside.
"I'll be right back, Sean."
He went downstairs and found Sanxing sitting in the living room.
After greeting him, Sanxing said,
"I brought my slides for you to check, I-Bo."
A-Bo was nearby watching a game on TV.
I-Bo nodded.
"Alright. But since you're here… could you give my housemate an injection? He's sick."
Sanxing looked concerned.
"Oh… so that's why he called yesterday. I hope he'll recover soon. Is he still at his apartment?"
"No," I-Bo replied. "He's upstairs."
"Let's go then."
They went upstairs together.
A-Bo continued watching TV as if nothing was happening.
I-Bo didn't enter the room. After showing Sanxing where it was, he returned downstairs.
Zhan was too weak to protest when Sanxing gave him the injection. Even though he normally hated injections, he didn't have the strength and feel embraced to resist Sanxing.
His fever was so high that he barely felt the needle.
After finishing, Sanxing wished him a quick recovery and went downstairs again.
"Thank you," I-Bo said. "Let me check your slides."
⏭ ⏭
Nearly thirty minutes later, I-Bo returned to Zhan's room.
He found him fast asleep.
Relieved, he stepped closer to the bed and placed his hand near Zhan's forehead without touching it.
The heat had already started to go down.
Quietly, he picked up the unfinished hot chocolate and left the room.
Around eleven-thirty, Zhan woke up.
He was lying on the bed holding I-Bo's phone.
He had woken up about twenty minutes earlier.
The injection had helped, and he felt slightly better now, though the headache remained.
He tried to sit up to go to the bathroom but couldn't.
His body felt extremely weak, as if he had been sick for weeks.
Out of boredom, he unlocked I-Bo's phone. He considered checking the gallery but decided it wouldn't be right to look through someone else's photos.
Instead he opened a game he found and started playing quietly.
Just then the bedroom door opened.
He looked up.
I-Bo walked in, with A-Bo standing behind him near the doorway but not entering.
I-Bo walked over.
"So you're awake. How are you feeling now, Sean?"
Zhan nodded faintly.
"Good morning," he said softly.
"Good morning, housemate," I-Bo replied with a small smile. "Feeling a bit better?"
Zhan nodded again.
"Alright. I'll have breakfast brought up. After you eat, you should take your medicine."
Zhan didn't respond.
I-Bo handed his phone back to A-Bo at the door and went downstairs to get the food.
A-Bo stood there silently, looking Zhan up and down.
Zhan glanced at him briefly before returning to his game.
After a moment, A-Bo left.
Soon I-Bo returned with a tray.
On it were baked beans, fried eggs, vegetables, sausages, bread slices, and a cup of hot chocolate.
Zhan stared at the food quietly.
He knew he wouldn't be able to eat much of it.
I-Bo watched him for a moment before asking,
"Can you give me your friend Yu-Bin's home address?"
Zhan lowered his eyes and told him.
"I know that area," I-Bo said. "I have a friend there."
Zhan remained silent.
I-Bo placed the medicine beside him.
"Please try to eat something and take the medicine before I come back."
"Okay… thank you," Zhan said quietly.
I-Bo smiled and left the room.
Outside in the compound, A-Bo was sitting in the open seating area scrolling through his phone.
I-Bo walked over and sat opposite him.
"A-Bo… I'm honestly confused now. What do you think we should do about this situation?"
A-Bo looked up.
"My suggestion? Let him go wherever he wants and stay out of it completely. This has nothing to do with you."
He continued calmly.
"You heard him yourself. That man has been sponsoring him. That couldn't happen without his parents' approval. They clearly accepted the arrangement."
He leaned back.
"So who are you to interfere, Yibo? You don't know anything about him or that man. Why jump into something you don't understand?"
I-Bo frowned.
"So what are you implying?"
A-Bo smirked.
"If you're slow enough not to understand, then maybe it's better that way."
I-Bo stared at him quietly.
After a moment he said,
"But after what happened between you and that guy, he might hurt him if Zhan goes back to that apartment. That place isn't safe anymore. You saw it yourself...he even grabbed a knife from the kitchen."
A-Bo adjusted his seat.
"Then send him back to his parents. Let them deal with the consequences of their choices."
I-Bo shook his head.
"We don't know why they allowed that man to sponsor their son. We shouldn't judge them without knowing the full story."
A-Bo scoffed.
"There's no reasonable explanation for letting a stranger send your son to another country like that. It makes no sense."
I-Bo sighed.
"Still… I won't judge them without knowing everything. Let's at least give them the benefit of the doubt."
A-Bo shrugged.
"You can give them all the benefit you want. I won't."
I-Bo continued,
"Sending him home right now isn't possible either. His exams start on Monday."
A-Bo laughed.
"So that guy really spent serious money."
I-Bo ignored the comment.
"So what are you saying?" A-Bo asked. "You said his apartment isn't safe anymore."
"He'll stay here until his exams are finished," I-Bo said. "After that, he can return to his parents."
A-Bo stared at him in disbelief.
"What do you mean? You want us to live in the same house with a grown man we barely know? Are you serious?"
I-Bo stood up.
"You bring strangers here all the time and give them rooms. What's the difference?"
A-Bo shrugged.
"They're just visitors. I'm helping them."
"And we'll help him too," I-Bo replied calmly. "Take it or leave it."
With that, he walked toward his car.
A-Bo called after him,
"Then go rent another apartment and stay with him there! No one is forcing me to deal with this in my house!"
But I-Bo had already started the car and driven out of the compound.
He was heading toward Yu-Bin's house.
NB
Like i said, both of them are Wang Yibo's, only the nickname aren't the same, I-B and A-Bo. Don't be confused if i calls them both Yibo.😀
💚💙❤🖤