"So, what brings Nainai's Zhan today? Is it about the matter we discussed a few days ago?"
Uncle Elder asked just as Zhan's head began to throb again. His heart pounded hard in his chest, his tongue suddenly heavy, but he forced himself to speak, nodding once.
"Yes, Uncle. It's about that."
Uncle Elder set the cup in his hand aside and turned to face him fully.
"Alright then. I'm listening."
Zhan adjusted his sitting position.
"Peng-ge came yesterday. He said I should come and tell you that he wants to visit you so the two of you can talk."
He said it plainly, without hesitation. Uncle Elder continued to look at him for several seconds, as though only then was he waiting to hear more. What Zhan had said was brief, yet it doesn't make sense to him. Peng wanted to come and talk...talk about what? If it wasn't about what lay between him and Zhan, then what conversation required sending Zhan to seek permission on his behalf?
Just three days earlier, Peng had been in this very house until almost eleven at night, chatting. Uncle Elder himself had told him to leave so they could lock up the house, while his wife jokingly complained that since Peng had no wife, he didn't understand the value of time.
And if it was about the matter between Peng and Zhan, then this wasn't how Zhan should be presenting it.
So Uncle Elder cleared his throat slightly, in the manner of elders, and said, "I don't quite understand you, Zhan. Are you saying Peng asked you to come and tell me that he wants to talk to me?"
Zhan nodded.
"Yes, Uncle."
"Is it about what's between the two of you?"
Zhan nodded again.
"Yes."
Uncle Elder adjusted his posture.
"Then it seems you've forgotten the conversation you and I had the last time you came here."
Zhan remained silent.
"You forgot that I asked you to come back and tell me your decision.... what you had truly settled in your heart?"
Zhan stayed quiet. That silence told Uncle Elder everything: Zhan was not going to elaborate.
Uncle Elder nodded slowly and said,
"So you've agreed with Peng, then? You've both reached an understanding?"
Zhan nodded.
"Yes, Uncle."
Uncle Elder continued to study Zhan closely. The look of scrutiny made him abandon the silence he had intended to keep, choosing instead to ask the question that had been circling in his mind.
"So does that mean what Shui told me...that you weren't at ease with Peng...was untrue?"
Those words landed all at once. Every letter seemed to crash inside Zhan's head, merging into a single painful meaning. It felt as though a heavy nail had been driven straight into the center of his skull. He closed his eyes briefly from the sharp pain, then opened them again. His mind replayed Uncle Elder's words over and over, but each time they began to make sense, his thoughts unraveled completely. His head spun violently, a pounding so fierce it felt as if his brain might burst through the top of his skull, the throbbing echoing even in his ears.
Zhan raised a hand to his head instinctively, seeking support and relief, then adjusted his posture again.
Uncle Elder, watching him carefully, continued,
"I want you to know this, Zhan: no one in this family will ever force you into marriage. From the beginning, no one...man or woman...has ever been compelled to marry against their will. Consent comes first. Only after that do we look into a person's character and integrity before giving approval. Otherwise, you would have seen us arranging marriages simply to maintain family ties, and we have never done that. But marriage is not a simple matter, Zhan. It has no fixed term. If death does not intervene, it is meant to last a lifetime with the person whose marriage binds you together. That is why love and affection exist between spouses....to serve as the bond that holds them together when conflicts arise from daily life. From that love come compassion, patience, and endurance...the pillars of living together. Where love is absent, those three are rarely found, and without them, a marriage cannot survive. Instead of harmony, what follows is broken family lines and endless problems. That is why there is no value in forcing someone to marry against their heart. No matter how much authority you have over a person, you cannot create love in a heart that does not want it. And without love, there can be no true marriage... no matter how much you try to control or plan everything."
He fell silent for a moment when he realized Zhan was crying where he sat. The pause only allowed the sobs to deepen. Zhan bent forward, resting his head between his thighs, quietly rocking as he cried, the soft hum of the fan filling the room. Uncle Elder did not interrupt. He said nothing, allowing Zhan to release all the weight pressing on his chest. For more than ten minutes, the crying continued before it slowly subsided.
When Zhan finally lifted his head a little, he wiped away the tears that still clung to his lashes and sniffed quietly. Only after Uncle Elder was sure the crying had stopped did he speak again.
"I know there is a lot in your heart, Zhan. I know you have faced great hardship from a very young age, losing your parents. But I have always told you this: no one among us has ever seen you and your brother Bai as outsiders. We raised you the same way we raised our own children. And you know very well that no matter how much love we have shown you, it has never equaled the love Nainai has given you. You yourself are proof of that... you received more of her care and affection than even we, her own children did in many ways."
He paused briefly, then continued in a firmer tone.
"I don't know if, in your heart, you are thinking of agreeing to Peng simply to repay Nainai for all the love she has shown you, because she made it clear that she likes him. If that is the case, then you are making a very serious mistake with your life. The last time you were here, I told you that Nainai's wish is simply to see you married and settled, because she believes that is what is best for you....not necessarily that you must marry Peng. Perhaps it is only because you never brought anyone else forward that her attention settled on him. But if you agree to marry someone you do not love, then you are damaging your own future, Zhan. You will not live with Nainai after the marriage. Once the wedding is over, everyone steps aside and leaves you alone with your spouse. So if you do not love him, where will the patience, compassion, and endurance that sustain a marriage come from?"
Uncle Elder asked this while carefully studying Zhan's face. His eyes were swollen, as though he had cried a great deal. Though his gaze was lowered, Uncle Elder could still see how wet his lashes were with tears. He took a quiet breath and continued.
"Zhan, I raised Peng as my own. He grew up in this house alongside my children. But I raised you as my own as well....just as I would protect Yufei from anything that might harm her life, I would do the same for you. So tell me honestly, between you and your conscience: do you love Peng?"
He watched Zhan closely. For nearly ten seconds, Zhan did not move at all. Then, very slowly....almost as if he were afraid someone might see him...he shook his head from side to side.
Uncle Elder nodded at once, showing he understood, and asked gently,
"Then is there someone else you are involved with...someone your heart is at ease with?"
There was another silence. Zhan remained still. Then his voice came out softly, almost from deep within him, as he nodded.
"Yes. There is someone."
A faint smile crossed Uncle Elder's face.
"Where is he, and who is he?"
It seemed difficult for Zhan to speak, but he answered anyway.
"He works at the hospital with me. He's a doctor."
Uncle Elder nodded, his smile widening slightly.
"Alright," he said. "When you speak to him, tell him we would like to see him this coming Saturday. I'll inform the rest of the family so they can come and meet him."
The way Zhan lifted his head at once and looked at him made it clear he hadn't expected that response. After a moment, he lowered his gaze again, hesitating as though calculating something in his mind, before answering in a trembling voice, "Alright… Uncle."
"You may go now. You might be late for work. I wish you both well."
With that, Uncle Elder brought their conversation to an end. And with those words, he unknowingly opened the door to an entirely new chapter... one filled with challenges that would give rise to many unexpected events, far beyond what anyone thought they were planning.
Yet within all the turbulence life was about to bring, there would also be warmth, gentleness, and a quiet love taking root in the heart.
And there was Yibo...who himself had no idea what he was capable of yet.
Please come and help me go look for our groom… 😅
✨✨✨
The living room door opened quietly as Yibo came in from outside. He unlocked it, stepped inside, and shut it with his foot. After slipping off his shoes at the edge of the carpet, he tossed the two phones and the keys in his hand onto one of the chairs in the sitting room. With his left hand, he pulled his jacket off his shoulder and flung it onto the same chair.
The room felt stuffy...the windows were all closed...but he didn't stop to open them. Instead, he headed straight for his bedroom.
He had just returned from Nanjing...or rather, from Macau, since Nanjing had merely been a stop along the way. He hadn't even paused in the city, moving straight from the station onto the train that brought him back. All through the journey, even while on the train, he had been craving a shower the moment he got home. He had lost count of how many times he had pictured himself standing under the shower in his bathroom, letting hot water cascade over his body, washing away everything clinging to his skin...and to his heart.
He imagined the heat carrying off every word exchanged between him and Duan. Or arguments, perhaps... because there was nothing Duan had said that he could honestly deny.
"Do you really think divorce is that simple, Yibo?" Duan had asked after a long explanation. "Do you think that after being married, you can just wake up one day and say you're done, and he should leave?"
"I can, Duan. I know I can," Yibo had replied. "Because if I stay with him the way you're suggesting, I'll be the one who destroys his life... not Peng."
Duan had clasped his hands together in front of his lips, studying him closely, then slowly shook his head.
"Stop thinking your fate is entirely in your own hands, Yibo. Stop pretending your heart isn't fragile... especially when it comes to what it already holds."
"If my fate were fully in my hands, Duan, I don't think you and I would ever have met in this life," Yibo had said calmly. "I know we don't control everything about our lives. But we can still make choices...choices that shape our paths and lessen the impact of what comes our way. That's what reason and thought are for. I don't even know how my heart became interested in him in the first place, Duan. But once I realized it, I did everything I could to stop it from taking root, because I know I don't have a future to offer him. Even now, with this marriage bringing us together, I'll do everything I can to make sure things go exactly as I've planned. If I don't, I might end up ruining myself even more than I would to him."
Duan had stayed silent for a long time, carefully weighing his words. Finally, he sighed and nodded...not in agreement, but in acknowledgment.
"I hear you, Yibo. But the way you're planning to marry him...do you really think he would agree if he knew there was a time limit? Don't you think that would be deceiving him?"
Yibo had shaken his head as he looked at him.
"There are many things you don't know about me, Duan. All I can say is this: this is the only way out I have, even if I know it isn't right. But this wrong choice is still better than what will happen if I don't do it."
That ended the discussion. Duan said nothing more. The rest of that night...and the early hours of morning before Yibo's flight...were spent making plans, mapping out how everything would unfold step by step. One of Duan's close contacts was brought in and told everything they needed. He assured them there would be no problems and promised to arrange everything they required, including the right people.
From there, the planning continued....Duan advising Yibo on how to behave around Peng while quietly carrying out his preparations. That was why Yibo never once thought of calling Zhan. It was already late when Duan finally left, and he returned again early the next morning. Even in the car that took Yibo to the airport, their conversation never shifted...still plans, still strategies, still timelines.
Yet through all of it, one sentence from Duan refused to leave Yibo's mind:
"The love you're developing for him might destroy him far more than anything you think Peng ever could."
The water from the shower poured over his body exactly as he had imagined. He felt the heat against his skin, just the way he had set it...until it became almost unbearable, as if it might burn him. Only then did he reach out and turn the knob, letting more cold water mix in.
He knew himself. He knew his heart. He knew he could do exactly what he had said....follow his plan to the end, just as he had designed it. And yet, a part of his heart kept replaying Duan's words, especially the reminder that marriage was nothing like he imagined it to be.
Still, he refused to fall into that trap. Nothing would be allowed to change his plan.
That was what he told himself.
The shower he had hoped would bring relief did the opposite. Instead of easing his mind, his thoughts only multiplied now that he was alone...without Duan there to talk things through with him.
Before he could even finish the food he had brought back with him, his head began to spin with a sharp pain that forced him into an uneasy sleep. He didn't wake up until after four o'clock. The moment he opened his eyes, he knew what he had been trying to avoid had already happened.
It was evening.
That was always his first problem whenever he took sleeping pills.
When he finally reached for his phone, he saw one missed call from Zhan, blinking insistently on the screen...along with a short message.
***
Aunt Shui opened the door to her sitting room, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Zhan standing there. Earlier, she had heard knocking at the gate while she was inside. Since there was a man cleaning fallen leaves in the compound, he had gone to open it. She herself had been in the kitchen washing dishes and hadn't seen who came in until the knock on her door made her dry her hands and step out.
"Zhan? Is everything alright? What happened? Why are you here so early? Are you coming from the hospital?"
She asked all this in one breath, staring at him closely.
"No, Aunty. I'm coming from Uncle Elder's house. I didn't even go to the hospital today."
She froze instantly.
"What? Then what happened? Your eyes look like you've been crying."
He shook his head.
"Nothing serious happened… I just came because I needed to talk."
She stepped aside to let him in, her body tense with worry about what she was about to hear. About ten minutes later....after Zhan had finished telling her everything that had happened...she looked at him with clear confusion on her face.
"I don't understand this at all, Zhan. From the very beginning, why did you even go to Uncle Elder with Peng's matter? How could you go and say you wanted to marry him after everything we discussed?"
He shook his head again.
"I honestly don't know, Aunty Shui. It was like my mind shut down. Everything got tangled together, and I couldn't calm myself. I just felt it would be better if I went and told Uncle Elder, hoping it would give me some relief."
Aunt Shui shook her head slowly.
"Honestly, there are too many unanswered questions about Peng. I've never fully trusted him. Ever since I heard years ago that he dropped his studies and went into business, something about him didn't sit right with me. Now he's divorced, and not long after that he shows up chasing after you in broad daylight. And despite the fact that you've told me clearly that you don't love him, he suddenly comes and says you agreed to marry him....and you just accept it? No, something about all this doesn't add up."
Zhan said nothing. Perhaps his mouth was sealed shut, or perhaps his mind was still too heavy for him to find the right words.
Aunt Shui sighed again.
"But when did things with that doctor become so serious?"
"It hasn't been long," Zhan replied quietly. "And I don't even fully understand his intentions toward me yet. I haven't even told him that I accept him. That's why I'm completely confused now, Aunty. Uncle Elder already said he should come this Saturday. I don't know how I'm supposed to explain things to him. I don't know how to untangle all of this."
"What's so difficult about that?" she asked gently. "Didn't you say he's waiting for your decision anyway? Just tell him everything honestly. If he's sincere, I promise you he'll be relieved....far more than you expect."
Zhan looked up at her. She nodded firmly, reassuring him.
"What I want from you now is this: calm yourself. Put Peng's matter aside, just like you did before. Don't answer his calls, don't even talk to him anymore. As for the doctor, leave him to Uncle Elder and the family....since the matter has already reached them. Once they meet him, I'm sure they'll understand everything about him. Whatever they decide, you can build on that. You'll see...once you let go, everything will start to feel lighter."
Slowly, Zhan nodded. The advice settled into him, even though the thought of Peng still struck something painful in his mind.
"But Aunty… what about Peng-ge?" he asked hesitantly. "If he goes to Uncle Elder...."
He didn't finish before she cut him off.
"Even if he does, you know Uncle Elder won't do anything without your consent. I can assure you....if he doesn't approve of that doctor, he still won't force you to marry Peng."
Zhan nodded again, understanding at last, eager to push away the storm of thoughts in his head. At the same time, he felt his chest loosen, as if the heavy weight he had been carrying...in his mind and in his heart...was finally beginning to lift.
Aunt Shui continued to calm him, reassuring him that everything would be fine. There was no need for him to go to work that day anyway...even if he did, he would only find an empty office and end up finishing his tasks alone. On days like this, staying home made more sense. He usually went in only because of the constant movement and visitors at his family home; the office gave him quiet space to work.
They cooked lunch together, chatting easily after Aunt Shui gave Zhan a shirt to change into. It felt as though something heavy inside him was being gently shaken loose, piece by piece. Before two o'clock, after they had eaten, he felt noticeably lighter. They kept talking, and during the conversation he mentioned how long it had been since he last saw Yibo.
That immediately set Aunt Shui off...she spoke at length, clearly shocked by what she called Zhan's carelessness. In her view, since they had been talking regularly on the phone, it was only right that Zhan should have called or at least sent a message to check if Yibo was okay.
"Honestly, Zhan, any man who comes into your life will eventually get tired and walk away on his own. Is your job the only thing you know how to give importance to? If something bothers you, you just turn it over in your head and suffer silently? I really hope you won't keep doing this after you get married. Men these days are not blind. If you don't put aside all this excessive reserve and shyness in your own home, you'll regret it."
Zhan laughed softly and looked at her.
"Aunty…"
"Don't 'Aunty me'," she cut in. "May we live to see your wedding. You won't stress me, Zhan....I swear you'll change. All that quiet, bottled-up behavior of yours, you'll leave it behind in Nainai's house."
She insisted that he pick up his phone and call Yibo. Even then, she made him sat Nan down in the living room, warning him if Nan wake up and start raising his voice since that's how he woken up from sleep. Zhan called once, but the call wasn't answered. He felt awkward calling again, so he decided to send a message instead.
Hi. The last two days felt a bit strange without hearing from you. I hope you're okay.
He reread the message several times, turning it over in his mind, making sure it sounded natural and didn't reveal too much. Satisfied, he sent it and set the phone aside, returning to their chores.
By evening, he prepared to head home. Before leaving, he picked some limes from the tree behind Aunt Shui's house and took them to Nainai.
Nainai was delighted when she saw the limes... then quickly slipped into her usual complaints.
"So the lime tree is already bearing fruit like this, and every time Shui comes she still insists on coming empty handed? Even something I'm supposed to put in my mouth, she plucks it and didn't brings it to me herself. Just wait until she comes again...I'll remind her properly."
Zhan smiled as he took off his jacket.
"Nainai, you and Aunt Shui are like grandmother and grandchild.... always the same."
Bai, who was watching from the side, laughed.
"Honestly, Zhn-ge, sometimes I even think that Aunt Shui was named after Mama Taichen's rival…"
Then he turned to Nainai.
"Or maybe your husband once loved a woman named Shui?"
Nainai grabbed a bowl beside her and hurled it in his direction. Bai jumped back quickly, laughing.
"Alright, alright...sorry, Nainai. So the fire of youth is still burning."
"If you don't shut up, you'll regret it Bai," Zhan snapped. "Behave yourself."
Zhan said laughing as well and headed into his room, still hearing Bai teasing Nainai behind him.
He changed his clothes, pulling on a loose, lightweight long T-shirt. He removed the ribbon from his hair, letting his head breathe freely. He still didn't feel completely settled... maybe later he would go see Noni for a hair massage to ease the lingering tension.
He reached into his bag for his phone. The moment he turned it on, three missed calls flashed on the screen, all marked with the letter "Y."
Without thinking, he unlocked the phone and dialed back. The call rang for a long moment before it was answered. After a few seconds, Zhan heard a sound like a deep breath...or a faint gasp...through the line.
Yibo had found a bench in the gym and sat down, trying to remove the bandage wrapped around his hand while holding the phone to his ear with the other. He paused, forcing his breathing to steady, sweat shining on his forehead. His entire workout...pummeling the punching bag...had been his only focus until he noticed his phone lighting up on the floor. The incoming call was from Zhan.
He had missed his calls all day, and he didn't want this one interrupted. In one smooth motion, he stopped the bag, grabbed his phone, and brought it to his ear. His breathing was still rough, and for a moment he couldn't speak. He sat down properly, the pouncing bag forgotten.
"Hello…"
Zhan's voice came through...soft, clear...cutting through the sound of Yibo's heavy breaths. He closed his eyes, opened them again, and focused, drawing in slow, deliberate breaths. Then he finally spoke, his voice low and sincere.
"I missed you… Zhan."
"I missed you terribly. Every single hour we didn't talk. I missed your voice and how you make me feel."
Zhan closed his eyes tightly, the feeling washing over him like a careful hand trying to realign everything inside him that had been knocked out of place. A quiet hope stirred in him...that this misalignment might somehow lead to something better.
"Let me say everything you couldn't put into that text," Yibo continued softly. "I can't hide my feelings the way you do."
"I'm not hiding," Zhan replied.
"Oh, really?" Yibo said lightly. Just hearing that playful tone made the weight that had driven him to the gym finally begin to settle.
"Then tell me what you're doing."
"I just wanted to be sure. That's all." Zhan said again.
Yibo switched the phone to his left hand, using his teeth to tug at the wrap on his right wrist.
"So tell me," he said, his tone shifting deliberately, "in all the space I gave you these past two days.... what exactly were you trying to be sure of?"
He asked partly to avoid being questioned about his silence. He didn't know how to explain it.... whether to lie, soften the truth, or admit he had handled things badly.
But instead, he heard Zhan answer quietly and clearly,
"I was thinking about what I needed to be sure of."
Yibo froze. His fingers stilled on the bandage. The weight of those words settled heavily in his chest. He swallowed hard, steadying himself.
"I'm relieved," he murmured.
Zhan took a slow, grounding breath of his own, feeling the seriousness of what he had just confessed. Then Yibo spoke again...and his words stole the air from Zhan's lungs.
"Do you think they could marry you to me in just one week, Zhan?"
NB
I hope your all relieved now? 🤗
Thursday, 15 January
2026
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛