Chapter 80 - 80

Athour

My dears, I'm so sorry...i took the phone earlier 3 hours ago to update, but I fall asleep with the phone in my hand, I just woke up.😂

Zhan kept staring at the scan results the nurse had brought to his office hours earlier. Slowly, he folded the paper, set it aside, and leaned back in his chair. Yibo came to his mind. He suddenly stood up, cleared his desk, drew the blinds, picked up his phone, car keys, and the scan result, then stepped out and locked his office door.

As he stood at the reception, a nurse went to wake Ning Li, who had dozed off in one of the wards. When he saw her coming out, he turned and walked straight to the car, got in, and waited. The nurse helped Ning Li to the car and opened the front door for her. She got in, placing the bag of medication on her lap.

Zhan thanked the nurse, started the car, and drove away from the hospital. After they'd gone some distance, he glanced at her....she had already fallen asleep. She didn't wake up until they arrived at her house, and he hadn't said a word during the entire drive.

Once he parked, he said quietly, "Ning Li."

She opened her eyes immediately. He handed her the bag of medicine and said, "Hope you feel better soon."

She took it and opened the door, placing her feet outside but not stepping out fully. In a quiet voice, she asked, "Is there any difference between the first scan and this one?"

Still looking away, he replied, "No. Everything's clear. But still… when the baby is born, I'll need to do a paternity test, just to be sure."

She said, "Do whatever you want. That doesn't change the fact that you're the father."

She fell silent, just as he did, waiting for her to step down so he could leave. Then she added, "The tea suppliers are finished at home."

He responded, "Okay."

As she stepped out of the car, she suddenly felt dizzy, closed her eyes, and leaned on the car for support. He looked at her and said, "Careful."

She said nothing and slowly started walking toward the gate. But just as she reached it, her body slumped and she collapsed. Zhan jumped out of the car instantly. The security guards nearby rushed toward her. At that moment, her sister, who had just parked her car, also saw what happened. She ran toward her, shouting her name.

But Ning Li had already passed out.

Zhan knelt beside her and gently lifted her, trying to wake her. One of the guards opened the gate, and Zhan carried her inside the house.

Her sister followed behind in a panic, heart racing. Her whole family was in a frenzy as he laid her down in the parlor. No one acknowledged him, and he didn't look at anyone either.

About fifteen minutes later, Ning Li regained consciousness. She twisted uncomfortably, clutching her stomach and crying. Her mother sat by her, holding her hand and trying to comfort her. Zhan felt a deep wave of sympathy watching her in that state.

He took her back to the hospital, accompanied by her mother and sister. As soon as they reached the reception, Ning Li began bleeding heavily and was rushed into the emergency room.

Zhan couldn't bring himself to follow them inside. Instead, he went straight to his office.

He sat there, visibly shaken, his thoughts split between Ning Li and Yibo, who was still at home. A few moments later, his colleague, Dr. Yue, entered the office and sat down across from him.

After a short silence, Dr. Yue said, "I'm sorry… she had a miscarriage."

Zhan said nothing. His body instantly went cold. Dr. Yue stood up and quietly left the office.

Zhan eventually stood as well and made his way toward the ward where Ning Li had been admitted. But from the hallway, he could already hear her mother saying, "He's the reason she lost the baby. I had a bad feeling when he insisted they come to the hospital today… he knew what he'd done. He caused this."

Then her sister's voice rose: "Good riddance! Honestly, what would anyone do with a child like his? His mother's nothing but trouble. I swear, I've never felt so relieved.....thank God she lost that cursed pregnancy. Now she can finally be free of them. Hopefully, this ends it once and for all."

Inside, Ning Li lay quietly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her mother tapped her foot in agitation.

Zhan stood there for a moment longer… then turned around and walked away without going in.

It was almost 6 o'clock in the evening when Zhan returned home that day. He found Yibo still asleep and felt a deep wave of sympathy for him. He sat beside him for a while, watching him silently, then got up and headed to his room to take a shower.

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Two weeks after Ning Li's miscarriage, early on a Saturday morning, Zhan was in the sitting room, working on his laptop. Yibo's condition had been troubling him....Yibo had grown thin, constantly fatigued, and struggled to eat anything. No one else in the family house knew about his illness except Yichen, who checked in almost daily, sometimes asking to speak with Yibo directly.

The doorbell rang, followed by loud knocking. Zhan looked up but didn't move at first. When he recognized the distinct pounding, he smiled, stood up, and walked over to the window. Lifting the curtain slightly, he peeked outside.

There stood Meiling, holding a food warmer with a pout on her face, watching Nainai knock furiously at the door with all her strength. Nainai scoffed and walked over to a large stone nearby, picked it up, and came back.

Meiling's eyes widened. "Nainai, please don't damage their door! You only knocked once.... at least wait and see...."

Nainai cut her off. "Don't damage their door? Who exactly lives here? Zhan and Yibo? Those two boys I helped raise with my own hands? And you're telling me not to knock? Look at Zhan's shoes sitting by the door like he owns the place while I'm left out here freezing! Unbelievable!"

"What on earth are they doing in there that they're still not awake? This has never happened in any house I've visited this early," she grumbled.

Zhan smiled to himself and rubbed the back of his head as Nainai began banging the door with the stone in her hand using all her strength.

He finally opened the door and said, "If you break my door, you'll have to pay for it, Ma'am. I won't let it go."

She barged into the sitting room without a glance at him, almost bumping into him with her stern face. Meiling smiled and greeted, "Good morning, brother."

Zhan replied, "Morning. Where are you two coming from?"

"From home, of course," she laughed.

As Nainai started climbing the stairs, he asked, "Where exactly are you going, Nainai?"

She ignored him completely and continued upstairs. Zhan sighed and looked at Meiling. "Does Papa know you came here?"

Meiling shook her head. "No, we didn't tell anyone."

He stepped aside and let her into the sitting room, then followed Nainai upstairs.

Nainai headed straight into Zhan's sitting room, then to the bedroom. She stood over Yibo, who was curled up under a thick blanket. "What's all this in this heat?" she exclaimed.

She walked to the bed and yanked the blanket off, staring at him. Yibo slowly opened his eyes. As soon as he saw Nainai, he sat up.

Nainai's mouth dropped open. "Oh my goodness, what happened to you?"

Yibo turned away, leaning against the headboard, avoiding her eyes.

Nainai added, "What kind of illness makes someone this thin? What's wrong with you?"

Zhan, who was standing by the door, spoke up, "It's a fever."

Nainai snapped her head toward him. "A fever? From what? A mosquito bite?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's what the doctor said."

Her eyes widened. "How can a mosquito even get into this perfectly sealed house? Since when do mosquitoes get past all your high-end security? Zhan, you're clearly not paying attention. You let a mosquito bite my grandson in your own house?"

She threw her hands up. "Back when he was with his father, Yibo never had anything like this. I guess that's what happens when you hand a child over to someone who can't care for him properly. Don't blame me when things fall apart."

She stormed out of the room, and Zhan watched her leave, amused. He returned to Yibo, who had already lain down again. Sitting beside him, he leaned in and whispered gently, "Still feeling cold? Should we put on some cream?"

Yibo whimpered softly without responding. Zhan pulled him closer and said with a chuckle, "Was it really a mosquito that bit you?"

Yibo stayed quiet, resting against him. Zhan ran a hand over his head, smiling to himself.

Back downstairs in the sitting room, Nainai pulled her phone from her bag and handed it to Meiling. "Call Zong for me."

"What happened?" Meiling asked.

"Just call him," Nainai said irritably. "This has nothing to do with you. That boy upstairs looks like a skeleton! Zhan tell me it's from a mosquito bite."

Meiling dialed and handed her the phone. As soon as Zong answered, Nainai didn't even say hello.

"Zong! Yibo's health is in God's hands now. I came here and found him wrapped up in a massive blanket, skin and bones! They say it's from a mosquito bite. Are you sure this marriage was a good idea? The boy can barely stand up. Have you forgotten he's the only son Quentin has? We can't stand by and let him waste away."

She burst into tears and handed the phone back to Meiling. "Turn this thing off and help me pack his things. Whatever Zong wants to say to me, he can say it later. I needs to take care of him since Zhan is pretending to take care of Yibo!"

And with that, she stormed back upstairs.

Zhan answered the call from Zong as his phone rang. He placed it to his ear and greeted him.

Zong responded, "Zhan, what's wrong with Yibo?"

Zhan lowered his gaze and said quietly, "Papa, he's not feeling well."

"What's wrong with him?" Zong asked.

There was a brief pause before Zhan replied, "He's been sick."

"For how long?" Zong pressed.

"Almost two weeks now."

Zong paused. "Is it his old condition flaring up again?"

"No, it's something else," Zhan replied.

Zong was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Alright. I hope he gets better soon. Have you taken him to the hospital?"

"No, I've been taking care of him at home," Zhan answered.

"Is Nainai still there?" Zong asked.

"Yes, she is," Zhan confirmed.

"Then let her take Yibo home with her if she insists. If that will give everyone peace of mind, let it be," Zong said.

"Okay, Papa," Zhan agreed.

With that, Zong ended the call.

Upstairs, Nainai was busy packing Yibo's things herself in his bedroom, muttering under her breath. Meiling stood quietly nearby, watching. After zipping the bag shut, Nainai handed Meiling her phone.

"Call Yuting for me," she said.

Meiling took the phone and called Yuting. As soon as she answered, Nainai started, "Yuting, I'm here and I've just seen Yibo. I've never seen him this thin in my life. I don't care what anyone says...call your husband now, I'm taking my grandson home. I will not call Quentin...he'll just get angry and disrespectful. No one in this world can stop me from taking Yibo out of Zhan's house today. If anything happens to him, I'll be the only one who suffers."

She handed the phone back to Meiling. "Turn it off and finish packing his things."

Meiling, smiling a little, ended the call.

By the time Nainai finished packing, Zhan had already helped Yibo get dressed and was holding his hand, leading him to the car. He opened the front passenger door, helped him in, shut the door gently, and returned inside.

Without saying a word to Nainai, he called Meiling to come down so they could leave, then went back to the car.

Throughout the ride, Nainai grumbled about how a mosquito could possibly get into a clean house and cause so much harm to her grandson. No one responded to her. Yibo was asleep the entire time, and eventually, Zhan turned up the volume of the music playing in the car to drown her out.

When they arrived, Nainai stepped out of the car and glanced at Meiling. "Get out and open his door."

Meiling got out and opened Yibo's door. Seeing he was still asleep, Nainai said, "Do you see this nonsense? Is this what a normal mosquito bite does?"

Meiling smiled gently and tried to wake Yibo.

He opened his eyes and stepped out slowly, leaning on Meiling for support as he felt dizzy. Nainai muttered, "God is watching," then grabbed his hand and walked him into her wing of the house, her face stern. Zhan watched them go, smiling faintly, while Meiling followed behind.

Yibo lay on the couch and turned away, facing the backrest. Nainai sat beside him and said, "Let me get you something to eat, and then we'll go to the hospital. I don't need anyone's permission to spend money on your health. I already cooked early this morning before coming over."

She headed to the kitchen, served the food, and returned to the sitting room. She placed the plate beside Yibo and said, "Sit up and eat, alright?"

Yibo opened his eyes abruptly and said, "I don't want to eat anything. Please take it away."

"You don't want to eat?" Nainai replied angrily. "I can't stand this nonsense. If I lose my temper, I'll drag you back to Zhan's house and leave you there to die."

Still facing the backrest, Yibo muttered, "You can ask him....I already ate."

Nainai sat down and held her head. "I swear, this is too much for me."

Just then, Zihan entered the sitting room and greeted her.

She looked over at Yibo and asked, "He's still not feeling well?"

Nainai nodded. "Apparently it's some mosquito fever, Zihan. Tell me....when was the last time anyone seriously got sick from a mosquito bite? And now of all times, how could a mosquito even enter a modern house like that and hurt someone this badly?"

Zihan sat beside Yibo and gently touched his shoulder. "Get well soon, Yibo."

He couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Nainai added, "I told him to eat so I could take him to the hospital myself, but he refused."

Zihan picked up the plate. "Try to eat, even just a little, Yibo."

But the moment he caught a whiff of the food, Yibo turned his head and scooted away from her. Zihan noticed and quietly set the plate back down.

Nainai snatched the plate again. "Look at this....why did you set it back down? You're supposed to make him eat, not give up."

Just then, Yibo caught another whiff of the food and stood up suddenly, clutching his stomach, and headed for Nainai's room. Zihan watched him go in concern.

"What now?" Nainai blurted.

Hearing him gag, Nainai looked at Zihan. "What's going on, Zihan?"

Zihan just smiled quietly and stood up to follow after Yibo.

Nainai was still sitting with the untouched plate of food in front of her. Eventually, she set it aside and went to the bedroom after seeing the mess Yibo had made vomiting in the bathroom. She sat by the bed, resting her head on her hand, deep in thought. Zihan had removed Yibo's shirt and placed it in a bucket. She helped him rinse his mouth, speaking to him gently as they left the bathroom.

Nainai said, "What kind of nonsense is this now? Vomiting in the bathroom like that? I just cleaned it twice today with disinfectant. This is completely inconsiderate. If he was going to throw up, couldn't he have done it outside? And you, Zihan, you picked up his vomit-covered shirt and dumped it in my bathing bucket? This is just pure disregard!"

Zihan didn't respond. She laid Yibo down carefully, soothing him.

Nainai continued, "I didn't bring him here to ruin my space. I brought him out of concern, out of compassion. And now this mess in my bathroom?"

With that, she left the room. Zihan went back to the bathroom to clean it. As she passed through the sitting room to get some detergent, Nainai looked at her and asked, "Does malaria really cause vomiting, Zihan?"

Zihan smiled. "Well, you've seen it for yourself, AYi."

Nainai shook her head. "May heaven protect us. But honestly, I don't know if I'll ever forgive Zhan for this." Zihan chuckled quietly as she left.

🔹▪️🔸▫️

Around ten minutes to ten, Zhan entered Nainai's sitting room. Yibo was still asleep in the bedroom, and Nainai was in the bathroom doing a second cleaning after Zihan. Zhan entered the room and sat beside Yibo, gently watching him.

"Yibo," he whispered.

Yibo opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Zhan asked.

Yibo gave him a weak nod.

Zhan sat him up gently. "What do you feel like eating?"

Yibo shook his head, but Zhan insisted, "No, you must want something. What do you have a taste for?"

There was silence for a moment, then Yibo finally said, "I'd like some mashed beans today."

"Oh, okay. Let me tell Yimei to prepare that for you."

He laid Yibo back down and left the room, heading to Zihan's section of the house. Zihan, who was in her room, said, "There's no beans here. Maybe go ask Yuting.... she probably has some and can make it for him."

Zhan quickly replied, "No, I don't want to go. Can you send Meiling instead?"

Zihan rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll call her."

"Thanks, Yimei," Zhan said with a smile before leaving the room.

Zihan called Yuting. After exchanging greetings, she asked, "Do you have any beans by chance?"

Yuting replied, "Yes, I should."

Zihan said, "Could you prepare some mashed beans? Yibo said that's what he wants to eat."

"Alright, I'll check," Yuting said, then hung up.

In no time, Yuting finished preparing the mashed beans. Initially, Meiling was supposed to bring it over, but since Yuting was eager to see how her son was doing, she decided to bring it herself.

Nainai was eating in the sitting room when Yuting arrived. She stared at her as she entered and sat down.

"So you finally came to check on your boy. I was beginning to think you wouldn't. I already assumed the worst since you were the first one I called."

Yuting smiled and placed the food beside her. "I brought the mashed beans."

"Well, there he is," Nainai replied. "Malaria has really done a number on him. Zong said I didn't even need to take him to the hospital, he was already seen."

"May he recover soon," Yuting said.

"Amen. As for his partner, he really did him dirty. Go check on your son," Nainai added.

Yuting went to the bedroom and stood by the bed, watching Yibo. She gently pulled off the duvet.

Yibo opened his eyes. As soon as he saw her, he jumped up and hugged her tightly.

"Mu Qin," he said.

Yuting smiled, though her heart sank when she saw how thin he had become.

"Mu Qin, good afternoon."

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"A bit better," he replied.

"Let's go to the sitting room and eat. I brought your mashed beans."

He pouted slightly. "Mu Qin, I want to go back to our side of the house."

"No, you'll stay here for now."

Just then, Nainai entered. "He should come eat now. He hasn't eaten a single thing since this started."

Yuting stood and looked at Yibo. "Come, let's go eat."

She served him a plate. Yibo stared at it quietly, then slowly picked up a spoon and took a bite.

Yuting returned to her seat on the couch. Nainai kept staring at Yibo and muttered, "Maybe it's that vixen Ning Li who's responsible for this. She must have gotten her claws into my grandchild without anyone noticing…"

Before she could finish, Yibo suddenly stood up and dashed toward the bedroom, gagging.

Startled, Nainai stood too. "What is this now? What's with all this vomiting like someone who's pregnant?"

Yuting quickly followed him. Nainai stayed quiet for a moment, then rushed after them. Entering the room, she saw Yuting holding Yibo and comforting him.

"Oh no," Nainai cried. "Yuting, are you trying to tell me Yibo is pregnant?"

Yuting said nothing, not even sparing her a glance.

Nainai's eyes widened as she stared at Yibo, who was panting. Yuting helped him into the bathroom.

Nainai began pacing, muttering to herself just as Zihan entered.

"Oh! My...., he's done this to himself. He didn't ruin me....he ruined himself."

"What's going on?" Zihan asked in confusion.

Tears welled in Nainai's eyes. "Because of recklessness, Zihan, the boy trusted that man so much he let him get him pregnant.... without a wedding gift, without anything! That's a real pregnancy he's carrying. The boy has become pale like raw meat. His nipples are swollen. First it was vomiting when he saw food, and now after just two spoonfuls of mashed beans, he's back at it again. Disgraceful! I've never been this humiliated in my life."

Zihan tried to suppress her laughter. "But AYi, he's with his husband…"

"Shut up!" Nainai snapped. "You call Zhan a husband? He's nothing but trouble. He's been waiting to get Yibo pregnant, and I was blind to it. And Yibo is just foolish. I'm done with this. Either Zhan comes to take him back or his mother does. Let them go deal with this wherever they want.... not in my house. I didn't even allow Beiting to stay with me during her first pregnancy, and she's my own daughter! But now strangers want to turn my home into a vomit-soaked mess? Absolutely not! I want him out of here. How long have they even been married for him to be pregnant already? Ridiculous."

Zihan left the room, shaking her head and smiling.

Yuting had finished cleaning Yibo up in the bathroom and helped him back to the bedroom, holding his hand. Nainai moved out of their way with a tight face as they passed. Yuting picked up the food container, and they left the sitting room, returning to her part of the house with her son.

Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛