On Friday, Yibo and his classmates finished their second-term exams. He stood outside the school gate with Mian Mian, each of them waiting for their driver. Xinyi and Mengxi hadn't even come out of the school yet, while Meiling was standing a little further away, chatting with a friend.
When Mian Mian spotted Sen Wen's car approaching, she sighed dramatically. "Oh, so it's Sen-ge? No wonder he took so long."
Yibo remained silent, but as soon as Sen Wen parked, their eyes met, and Yibo's heart skipped a beat. Sen Wen's siblings quickly got into the car. Mian Mian, who had no idea her brother had ever interacted with Yibo, nudged him. "Let's go say hi. He was the one who dropped you off at home that time, remember?"
Yibo simply smiled, letting Mian Mian take his hand as they walked over to the car.
"Sen ge, this is my friend—the one you dropped off that day," Mian Mian said.
Sen Wen removed his sunglasses, giving a small nod. "Yeah, I remember."
Yibo lowered his gaze. "Good afternoon."
"Afternoon," Sen Wen replied. "Hope your exams went well?"
"They did," Yibo answered.
"That's good. Hope you get great results," Sen Wen said with a small smile.
Yibo hesitated for a second before meeting his eyes. "Thank you."
Sen Wen's smile deepened, and before Yibo could react, he winked at him. Flustered, Yibo quickly turned away, raising a hand in a brief wave before hurrying back to Meiling.
Sen Wen started the car and drove off.
About seven minutes later, Seth arrived to pick them up. Meiling pouted. "Seth ge, where's the driver?"
"He took Shengjie to the market," Seth replied. "Zhan was supposed to pick you up earlier, but he refused. I just got off work, so I came instead."
Meiling scoffed. "If it were Li Na Jie who needed a ride, he would've rushed over. Yesterday evening, we had to pick her up from her aunt's house, and you wouldn't believe the nightmare traffic we got stuck in. We didn't get home until almost seven."
Seth raised an eyebrow. "They're still together?"
Meiling laughed. "Oh, very much so. She's going back to school tomorrow, and you should see the insane amount of shopping he did for her."
Seth gaped at her, and Meiling burst into laughter. "But seriously, don't say anything to him, okay? He made me promise not to tell anyone."
Seth smirked. "Well, it's a bit late for that. You already spilled the secret in front of Yibo and Xinyi."
Yibo shot Seth a glare through the rearview mirror. "Seth ge, what do you mean by that?"
Seth feigned innocence. "Oh, come on. You'd run straight to Nainai, and Xinyi would tell Shengjie. And once the rumor spreads, Zhan will have a great time getting his revenge on you two."
Yibo huffed, crossing his arms. "Whatever."
Xinyi, on the other hand, acted as if she hadn't heard anything.
When they arrived home, Meiling smiled. "Seth ge, you should've warned them properly. If they let it slip, it's not my problem."
Yibo shot her an unimpressed look before hopping out of the car and stomping ahead, still pouting.
:-*:-*:-*:-*
That entire week, the only thing happening in the house was preparations for Yu's wedding. Since Sunday, relatives had started arriving from far and wide, filling the house with guests. Everyone was busy, especially Yichen and Zihan, while Yuting mostly stayed out of the way. On that same Sunday, she had already made her contribution—two expensive, high-quality bedsheets and a beautiful set of food dishes. Yichen glanced at the items and casually left them in the sitting room.
On Wednesday, Zong gave Meiling money to get their hair done at the salon. Just as they were about to leave, he stopped them and pulled out some more cash. "I almost forgot! My son, Yibo, should go too. Here, make sure he gets his hair done as well."
The four of them were about to head out, but Xinyi told them to go ahead without Yibo, insisting he wouldn't agree to go.
Meiling shrugged. "Not my problem. Papa said to call him."
They found Zihan on the balcony, discussing payment with the wedding caterers. Zhan was sitting there too, while Seth stood nearby.
Zihan looked up. "You're going to the salon now?"
Meiling nodded. "Yes, but Papa said Yibo should come too."
Zihan laughed. "Yibo? Good luck with that! But go ahead and see what he says."
Meiling went inside to find Yuting in the sitting room and relayed the message. Yuting called for him, and when he came out, she said, "Get ready. You're going to the salon with them."
Yibo's heart sank. He pouted and whined, "The salon, Mu Qin? No way! I'll just wash my hair myself."
Yuting shot him a sharp look. "Oh, shut it! If you don't get your hair done today, don't bother coming back home."
At that, Yibo burst into dramatic sobs, staring at his mother in disbelief. But as soon as she stood up, he scrambled back to his room, quickly changed, and stormed out.
Meiling followed behind, stifling her laughter. When Zihan saw them, she gasped. "Oh my, what happened, Yibo?"
Still sniffling, Yibo mumbled, "Nothing! My hair isn't even dirty! I just don't like combing it, that's all."
Zihan chuckled. "Then let's see this hair of yours."
Still hiccupping, Yibo slowly removed his cap.
Seth quickly turned away, struggling to hold back his laughter. Yibo's hair was thick and long, but completely tangled into one messy clump.
Zihan raised an eyebrow. "When was the last time you washed it?"
Yibo mumbled, "The other day."
She smiled. "Yibo, if you won't take care of your hair, you should at least cut it. It's so long now, almost like a girl's."
Before she could say anything more, Zhan stood up, his face blank. "Let's go. I'll take you all to the salon."
Yibo gasped and started crying again, attempting to run behind Zihan, but she dragged him straight to Zhan's car.
Seth smile. "Too bad Shushu isn't around to save him."
Meiling and the others climbed into the car as Zhan shoved Yibo inside and drove them to the salon.
As soon as they stepped inside, Yibo swallowed his sobs, seeing the place filled with beautiful young women's. Zhan instructed the hairstylist to properly wash and detangle Yibo's hair with warm water.
Yibo pouted, squeezing his eyes shut, determined not to cry in front of the girls.
Yibo's hair was finally restored to its proper state, shining smoothly. As the stylist was finishing up, Zhan glanced at his younger siblings and said, "Find a taxi to take you home. I'm nobody's driver." With that, he walked out of the salon, leaving them staring after him.
They didn't return home until after 7 o'clock. Yibo went straight to Nainai's part of the house. Before even stepping inside, he removed his cap, a bright smile on his face. "Nainai…"
Nainai squinted at him, taking in his sleek, well-groomed hair. "Goodness! Look at you! You could pass for a handsome model."
Yibo widened his eyes. "What, did you think I was a girl before?"
Nainai chuckled. "Sometimes you remind me of Meiling."
Yibo burst into laughter, flopping onto the couch. Nainai turned to Zhan, who was eating. "And you, don't you see how neat he looks?"
Yibo shot Zhan a side glare before standing up to head to Nainai room.
"Come back here," Nainai called. "Your sister is getting a full beauty treatment over there, and that place has turned into a marketplace. Stay here instead."
Yibo pouted. "Yu Jie…"
"Yes, yes. You too should hurry up and find yourself a husband, get married quickly, and have kids since your mother refused to give you any siblings."
Yibo scowled. "I'm too young for marriage!"
Nainai glanced at Zhan. "Zhan, you think Yibo isn't ready for marriage? This boy already has armpit hair! And look at him... His lower part is already full, long and huge....he's not lacking in anything."
Zhan smile but kept his head down with a little redness on his cheeks, focusing on his meal.
Yibo shot Nainai another glare embraced and turned to leave.
"Do whatever you want," Nainai sighed. "But honestly, wouldn't it be better to settle down? At least then Quentin wouldn't have to keep wasting money on you. Your husband can deal with your troubles instead."
The Next Day
On Thursday, Yibo woke up with a terrible stomachache. With so many guests in the house, he couldn't even go out and greet people properly. No matter what medicine he took, nothing helped. Eventually, he dragged himself to Nainai's part.
Nainai's sitting room was already filled with her old friends. Yibo greeted them weakly before slipping into her bedroom and collapsing onto the bed.
By one o'clock, Nainai came in, having locked the door to her personal bathroom—she never let anyone use it, preferring they go elsewhere.
Seeing Yibo tossing and turning in discomfort, his forehead damp with sweat despite the fan blowing in the room, she raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "If you're sick, go back to your own side of the house. Don't come here and disturb my peace. You're writhing around like a snake on my bed!"
Yibo burst into tears, clutching his stomach. "Nainai, it hurts so much!"
Nainai huffed. "Then stop wailing and go to your mother. I don't want to deal with this."
Through his sobs, Yibo whimpered, "There are too many people over there…"
Annoyed, Nainai snapped, "And what does that have to do with anything? If something happens to you, what are those people going to do besides gossip? Most of them are only here for the free rice and chicken. Some of them haven't shown their faces in ten years! Now, get up and go to your mother—she'll know what to do. If you need a hospital, let her take you. If not, I swear, I'll make sure the whole wedding thing is called off! Do you think a wedding is more important than your life?"
Struggling to speak, Yibo managed to whisper, "It's my lower stomach… it hurts…"
Nainai squinted at him. "Your lower stomach?"
Yibo nodded weakly.
Nainai let out a dramatic sigh, rubbing her temples. "Didn't this just happen a few days ago?"
"It's not the same. It's just a symptom," he muttered.
She crossed her arms. "You're always dealing with one health issue or another. Honestly, are you sure no one has cursed you?"
Yibo groaned, rolling off the bed. "Nainai, just call my hu... Gege…"
"Which Gege?" she asked.
Tears slipping down his cheeks, he pleaded, "Just call him, please."
Nainai glanced toward the sitting room, scowling. "Those old women are still taking up space in there like I'm the one hosting the wedding. None of them want to leave. Some of them—I haven't seen in thirty years! And now they're crowding my place, making it smell like old perfume and mothballs. This is madness."
Yibo wanted to laugh, but the pain wouldn't let him.
With a sour expression, Nainai left the room, turned off the TV, and muttered, "Better to switch it off before it breaks from the heat and costs Zong a fortune."
She stepped outside with her phone, scanning the courtyard, where a group of well-dressed guests were seated. Spotting a woman nearby, she approached and said, "This house isn't public property, you know. If anyone drops even a single grain of rice, they better pick it up. I won't have this place turned into a garbage dump."
Handing the woman her phone, she continued, "Here, if you can read, check the contacts. Look for one saved as 'Doctor'—that's actually Zhan's number. Call him for me. And if you don't know how, for heaven's sake, don't mess up my phone!"
The woman chuckled, found the number, and dialed it before handing the phone back to Nainai.
Nainai pressed it to her ear. The call rang three times before Zhan finally picked up.
"Zhan?" she said, her tone sharp.
Zhan answered the call, his tone laced with concern. "I'm listening. What happened?"
Nainai huffed dramatically. "Your brother is barely holding on! Wherever you are, drop everything and come back immediately. At this rate, we might as well postpone the wedding—if he dies, I'll be the one at a loss!"
Confused, Zhan asked, "Which brother?"
"Who else but Yibo?" Nainai snapped. "He's been in my room all morning, tossing and turning from the pain like dying snake. I just went in to lock my bathroom—because these thoughtless guests keep leaving it a mess—only to find him drenched in sweat on the bed! The moment you lay eyes on him, you'll know... "
Zhan cut her off. "I'm on my way." He ended the call without another word.
Nainai scoffed, shaking her head. "Hmph. A useless wedding… a pointless fuss…" She muttered as she made her way back to her quarters.
Reaching the entrance, she scowled at the pile of shoes cluttering her doorway and kicked them aside. Just then, she heard Zhan's voice behind her. She turned to see him standing there, slightly out of breath.
"Why are you rushing in like you just jumped off a plane?" she asked. "Go inside. He's in there...I have no idea what state he's in."
Zhan entered the sitting room, bowing his head slightly in greeting as he passed the guests. Without wasting time, he went straight to Nainai's room.
The moment he saw Yibo curled up on the bed, drenched in sweat, his heart pounded with anxiety. His own forehead was damp from the rush to get back home. Kneeling beside the bed, he asked urgently, "What happened?"
Yibo broke into sobs. "Gege… my stomach hurts."
Zhan placed a hand on his abdomen. "Since when?"
Yibo weakly pushed his hand away. "It's not my stomach… it's my lower abdomen."
Zhan frowned. "Then what am I supposed to do? Haven't you taken your medicine?"
"It didn't help," Yibo muttered. "Doctor Haojian usually gives me an injection."
Zhan sighed. "Why didn't you call him?"
"He's in Zibo," Yibo whispered.
"Great. I don't have any injections here, so I'll have to go to the hospital."
Yibo grabbed his hand, his voice trembling. "Please take me there, Gege."
Zhan nodded and helped him sit up. As Yibo shifted, Zhan caught sight of a deep red stain on the bedsheet. His lips twitched, and despite the seriousness of the moment, he smiled, already picturing Nainai's reaction.
"Hey dear readers, don't rush and start Googling how blood come out when men are having abdominal pain. 😂😂😂 I just write that for fun and Nainai dramatic antics, everone already know men can't get pregnant in real life, we're just writing that for our heart desire and satisfaction."
Yibo's eyes widened in horror as he followed Zhan's gaze. "I'm doomed, Gege," he whispered in panic.
Zhan chuckled. "Not yet. You'll only be doomed when Nainai sees it. Right now, you're still at stage one."
Yibo's panic escalated, and he quickly slid off the bed, his legs shaky. "Gege, what do I do?!" He rushed to the bathroom and tried the handle, only to find it locked. He turned back to Zhan, looking ready to cry. "She locked it!"
Zhan sighed and returned to the sitting room. "Nainai, Yibo needs to use the bathroom. Where's the key?"
Nainai shot up from her seat. "What bathroom? No way! He can go use his own! And if he can't walk, then you can carry him! There's no way I'm letting him in mine just to stain it with his leaking ass blood!"
Zhan felt his face heat up in embarrassment, especially with six other people in the sitting room staring at them. Without arguing, he quickly turned back to the room, slipping in before Nainai could follow.
Grabbing one of her scarves, he threw it over the stain on the bed. Yibo looked at him helplessly as Nainai entered, arms crossed.
"Please, Nainai," Yibo pleaded. "Just give me the key. I'll clean everything myself—I don't know what happened this time, but the bleeding is worse than usual."
Nainai huffed, crossing her arms. "My mother never told me I had to tolerate such nonsense. No one is going to mess up my bathroom with filth and blood! If you can't manage, then go to your own side of the house. And if you're too weak to walk, Zhan can carry you!"
Yibo's eyes welled up with tears. "I already said I'd clean it for you, I swear!"
Furious, Nainai snapped, "Just get out! Both of you! Go back to your side of the house. And to think I even let you lie on my bed, not even knowing if this is some kind of… womb problem!"
Zhan sighed. "Fine, then just give him the key. I'll clean the bathroom myself."
Nainai looked as if she was about to cry. "I've had enough! This is too much! I scrubbed that bathroom spotless this morning, and now you people want to ruin it? For what reason?"
Zhan interrupted her, smiling. "Then I'll scrub it five times over."
After a long, grudging negotiation, Nainai finally handed over the key—though only on the condition that they wouldn't use tap water to rinse the floor, just in case it spread the mess around.
Zhan carried two buckets of water from outside, setting them by the bathroom door. Yibo stood hesitantly, stealing nervous glances at the stained bed. As soon as Zhan placed the water down, Yibo followed him inside, whispering, "Gege, what about my underwear and pants? I need to change."
Zhan stared at him in disbelief. "And you're asking me?"
Yibo pouted. "Please, can you get them from my room?"
Zhan shot him a withering look. "You're ridiculous."
Before Yibo could argue, he stepped out, but instead of going all the way to Yibo's room, Yibo opened Nainai's wardrobe and found his underwear and pants neatly folded inside.
"Oh, they were here all along," he muttered. Then, glancing at Zhan, he added, "Now I just need a shirt."
Zhan scoffed. "Just wear what you have."
Yibo pursed his lips but didn't argue. He grabbed his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Nainai sat back on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, muttering under her breath. "Even if you pour an entire bottle of detergent in there, I'll still smell the filth."
Zhan ignored her, walking past without a glance. He stood outside the bathroom, waiting for Yibo to finish changing. When Yibo finally stepped out, wrapped in one of Nainai's towels, Zhan tossed a shirt onto the bed.
Yibo pouted again. "Thanks."
Without another word, he went back into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he emerged fully dressed.
Zhan glanced at the stained bedsheet. "You'll have to wash that."
Yibo's eyes widened in horror. "Gege, it's too heavy for me!"
Zhan arched a brow. "Then leave it."
Looking like he might cry, Yibo hesitated, then grudgingly began stripping the sheets, removing the pillows first.
Just then, they heard Nainai's sharp voice from the bed room door. "Huh? Huh? Is that blood on my bed? Are you serious?!"
Her wailing began immediately. "What did I do to deserve this, Yibo?!"
Zhan turned away, biting his lip to stifle a laugh, while Yibo froze in panic.
Nainai start sobbing, she snapped, "Take that filthy sheet straight to Yuting and have her wash it! And Zhan, take that mattress outside and leave it in the sun! How could this happen? I try to help, and this is how I'm repaid—with filth everywhere!"
Her voice grew more dramatic as she clutched her chest. "And to top it all off, he had the audacity to use my towel?! As if rubbing his mess all over my things wasn't enough! I swear, this boy will be the death of me!"
Yibo scowled, looking like he wanted to cry again, but Zhan had already grabbed the stained sheet and taken it to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Nainai wiped her tears, raising both hands to the ceiling. "Heaven, bear witness! I have a good heart, yet they conspire against me! May whoever sent Yibo to torment me today be stopped in their tracks!"
Sniffing, she straightened her dress and stormed out of the room. "I need to see if Yuting herself is behind this scheme!"
Yibo made a face behind her back, then quickly got up. When he opened the bathroom door, he saw Zhan already scrubbing the sheets.
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛