Zhan got out of bed about fifteen minutes after Koi had left. He picked up his phone, switched on the second SIM card he had turned off earlier, and sat at the edge of the bed staring at the screen, debating whether or not to call again. After many minutes of hesitation, he gently set the phone down, stood up, and walked into the bathroom. He showered and came out, drying himself with a towel.
While rummaging through his bag for one of the sleepwear he bought in Foshan, the phone started vibrating. He tightened the towel around his waist and walked closer to see who was calling. His chest tightened when he saw Dr. Kexing's number. Slowly, he sat back on the bed, staring at the screen until the call ended without him answering. The phone rang again...he still didn't pick up. On the third try, he finally accepted the call and pressed it to his ear, but said nothing.
From the other end came a cautious voice: "Please… who is this?"
Zhan didn't realize when his legs gave way and he sat down. He missed Dr. Kexing so deeply it ached. His heart raced but words refused to come.
"I know you can hear me," Dr. Kexing urged gently. "Please say something…"
Zhan leaned his head against the bed frame and finally whispered, "Good evening sir."
Immediately, Dr. Kexing rose from his chair, his tone tightening. "Zhan!"
Zhan stayed silent, lips pressed shut.
"Please, tell me where you are," Dr. Kexing pleaded.
Quietly, Zhan replied, "I'm fine."
"I know you're fine," the doctor said quickly, trying to keep calm. "But please… trust me. Tell me where you are, Zhan. Just trust me."
Zhan lowered his head and said softly, "Don't worry about that."
"No, please… do you even realize the state you left me in?" Dr. Kexing's voice broke. "Not only me....your brothers, your parents. Zhan, please, I'm begging you. Where are you? Don't you trust me?"
Zhan closed his eyes, opened them again, and said, "I'm somewhere far away. Don't worry. Since I could call, it means I'm fine. I just wanted to say hi."
"Zhan…" Dr. Kexing breathed out.
But just then, the door to the room opened. Zhan turned quickly and saw Daniel step in. His pulse jumped, certain Daniel would leave upon noticing the state he was in...barely dressed with only a towel....but instead, Daniel walked further inside and even sat at the edge of the bed.
Zhan turned away, saying, "I'll call you back." Without waiting for a response, he cut off Dr. Kexing and set the phone aside.
"I'm sorry," Zhan said stiffly. "I want to get dressed."
Daniel watched him silently, then spread his hands as if to say, What's there to hide?
Zhan froze, trying to mask his shock. He couldn't even reach for his shirt without standing up. His chest hammered with anxiety. Ignoring the incoming calls buzzing again from Dr. Kexing, he put the phone aside.
Then Daniel shifted closer, crouched in front of him, and met his eyes. His voice was low, deliberate: "I understand what you're going through, Zhan. Jing already explained a bit. It's painful, but I get it....you just wanted to escape, clear your head, and push away your worries. I admire your courage."
Zhan pressed himself back against the bed, his eyes fixed on Daniel.
"You're drunk," Zhan finally said.
Daniel widened his eyes slightly, then nodded. "Not too much though. But how did you know? Do you drink too?"
Zhan gave a faint smile that barely curved his lips. "Yeah."
"Really?" Daniel asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I wouldn't mind some," Zhan replied.
Daniel shook his head, sighing. "Unfortunately, I can't bring alcohol home because of my mom. I only drink outside."
Zhan's stomach dropped for a moment, thinking Daniel might offer to fetch some. His unease grew when Daniel lowered his voice again, gripping his hand.
"Would you mind if we spent the night somewhere else?" Daniel asked.
"Somewhere like…?" Zhan muttered.
"Hotel, club, guest Inn....whatever works," Daniel suggested.
Zhan quickly nodded. "Alright. Let me get dressed first."
Daniel whispered, "Thank you."
But Zhan refused to stand while Daniel's eyes were on him. Daniel smirked faintly and said, "Come on, why hide while I'm also a man?"
When Daniel reached for him, Zhan pulled his hand back sharply. "Stop it."
Daniel raised his brows and stepped back. "Alright then."
He moved to the window, folding his arms across his chest. "Go ahead, change."
Reluctantly, Zhan stood, throat tightening with frustration. He forced down the sting of tears, grabbed his clothes, and went into the bathroom. Only when he closed the door behind him did tears slip down his cheeks. After a few minutes, he composed himself, dressed, slipped on his jacket, and shouldered his backpack with his phone and charger inside.
Daniel watched him silently as he walked out. Without looking at him, Zhan muttered, "I'm done."
They stepped out into the compound and got into Daniel's car. Daniel reached over, holding Zhan's hand.
"Or should we go back to the first hotel we meet?" he asked.
Zhan just nodded.
"Alright," Daniel said softly. Then, after a pause, "Do you have an international passport?"
Even though Zhan has it, he shook his head. "No."
Daniel's brows furrowed. "Why not? A guy like you should have one."
Zhan forced a small smile but didn't answer.
Daniel leaned closer, voice dropping. "I'll get you one if you don't mind. Then a visa too...maybe to the UK. Staying here only suffocates you, with everyone watching your every move. You need to get far, far away. I think I'll be traveling next week. Maybe we can make it together."
Zhan said "Thank you."
All through the ride, Daniel kept talking nonstop. Zhan, however, had drifted deep into his own thoughts. When they arrived at the hotel and before he went inside, Zhan looked at him and said, "I'll just get something from the mart across the street. Wait for me."
"What are you getting?" Daniel asked.
"Chewing gum."
"Oh, okay, let me get it for you."
Zhan smiled faintly. "You don't even know the kind I like."
"True," he admitted.
Zhan opened the car door, got out, and locked it behind him. He stood for a moment, looking straight at Daniel and said.
"Not every person who leaves home is reckless. Not every person who leaves home is worthless. Just because I left doesn't mean I'm a failure, or that I lack discipline. I chose to leave because of my mental health…"
He turned and walked away, his steps heavy. For the first time in a long while, hot tears spilled from his eyes, and his chest ached with the weight of it all. He didn't look back, not once, until he was far from the hotel.
When Zhan reached the main road, he flagged down a taxi and told the driver where to take him. He was so lost in his thoughts, and in the sting of his tears, that he didn't even notice they had arrived until the driver alerted him. He quickly wiped his face, paid the fare, and entered the gate. Finding a chair, he sat down and let himself cry until his chest felt hollow. Then he pulled out his phone.
There were more than ten missed calls from Dr. Kexing. But instead of calling him back, Zhan dialed Dr. Jing.
"Hello?" Dr. Jing answered immediately.
"Good evening," Zhan said quietly.
"How are you? How's everything?"
"I'm fine. Are you at work?"
"Yes, I'm on night duty. Why do you ask?"
"Just wanted to be sure."
"Are you okay?" Dr. Jing pressed.
Zhan's throat tightened, his eyes filling again. Instead of answering, he cut the call.
Dr. Jing stared at his phone in confusion, then immediately dialed again. Zhan didn't pick up. Three times he called, all ignored. Concern gnawed at him.
Zhan finally headed inside the hospital. At the reception, he greeted the nurses, then went upstairs toward Dr Jing's office.
Nurse Fa Xixi, noticing his expression, quickly reached into her bag, took out her phone, and called Zhe.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jing sat in his office, still trying Zhan's number when the door suddenly opened without a knock. Zhan walked in.
Dr. Jing rose in surprise, watching him closely. Zhan avoided his gaze, heading straight for the chair.
"Zhan, are you okay?" Dr. Jing asked, stepping closer.
But the moment he spoke, Zhan broke down in tears.
Startled, Dr. Jing crouched before him. "What's wrong? Tell me what's happening."
Zhan didn't respond, only cried harder. Dr. Jing gently took his hand. "Please, talk to me. Did someone hurt you?"
The door opened again. Both men turned...this time, the Medical Director walked in.
Dr. Jing straightened instantly. Zhan quickly turned his face away, wiping his eyes.
The MD barely glanced at them, dropped the files in his hand, and said to Dr. Jing, "See me off."
"Okay," Dr. Jing replied. He turned to Zhan. "I'll be back soon."
When they left the office, Zhan followed them with his eyes, still wiping his tears.
Outside, Dr. Jing asked quietly, "Has your driver arrived?"
"I didn't call him. Just drop me off," the MD replied.
"I thought since it's late you'd stay the night at the hospital."
"Have you ever seen me spend the night here if it's not absolutely necessary?" the MD handed him his car keys.
Dr. Jing refused. "Let's go in my car instead. You can leave yours here since I'll be back anyway."
"No. We'll go in mine. I'm not waiting for you to go upstairs and get your keys." He slid into the front seat.
Reluctantly, Dr. Jing got into the driver's seat. As they left the hospital, he quickly dialed Zhan's number.
"Wait for me. I'll be back in 30 minutes," he said before hanging up.
The MD, watching him, gave a sharp laugh. "So that mannerless boy is your… boyfriend? No wonder you insisted he get a job here. You've been distracted ever since he came around. And who is he, really? That kid barely looks old enough to graduate, let alone work in a hospital. Don't worry...he's not getting a job here. Not as long as I'm the MD. And let me be clear: I don't want to see him here again. He's neither staff nor patient, so I'll instruct security to keep him out."
Dr. Jing said nothing, eyes fixed on the road.
- - - -
Back in his office nearly forty minutes later, Zhan was still there, leaning against the chair, lost in thought. The door opened again...he turned quickly, expecting Dr. Jing.
But instead, Zhe walked in, her face tense and cold.
Zhan's heart sank immediately.
She came right up to him, glaring. "So, in this entire Guangzhou, you couldn't find anyone else to cling to but my husband? You couldn't find someone like yourself....aimless, wandering...so you came for him?"
Zhan lowered his gaze, but her voice only grew sharper.
"And who told you Dr. Jing is a man without worth, like you? Or that he's rootless, like you pretend to be? He has a family. He has a place. Unlike you, who drifts from hotels to other people's houses to that little place in Foshan you pretend is your home. You think I don't know? I've checked."
Her eyes burned with anger. "Let me warn you clearly. Stay away from my husband. If you don't, I'll make sure you regret it in ways you've never imagined. Don't think I'm kind, because I'm not. Don't test me. And leave my mother's house immediately. Go back to Foshan, where you can keep living your pitiful, empty life.
Our family has dignity. And you....you creep around pretending to be decent, when all you really do is ruin other people's lives. This is my first and last warning. If you don't stay away, whatever happens next....you'll have brought it on yourself. Shameless manwhore."
Zhe stormed out of the office as if she would fly away. Zhan leaned his head back against the chair, exhausted.
An hour later, Dr. Jing returned to the hospital. Zhan was still sitting the same way Zhe had left him. When Dr. Jing entered his office, he set MD car keys on the desk and looked at him.
"Tell me what happened, Zhan. Why are you crying?"
Zhan kept silent. Dr. Jing came closer and sat down beside him, leaving some space between them.
"Please, say something. Did someone hurt you? You came in crying earlier."
Zhan finally looked at him and said in a low voice, "So… if someone leaves their home to live somewhere else, does it automatically mean they're being reckless?" His eyes brimmed with tears as he asked the question.
Dr. Jing stayed quiet, just watching him. Zhan suddenly broke down, crying harder than he intended.
"Or do I look like someone who lives recklessly?"
Dr. Jing sighed. "Tell me what happened."
"No," Zhan shot back, "answer my question first."
Dr. Jing leaned forward. "Zhan, in our society....even with all the progress we claim....some old attitudes still remain. In the past, any woman who left her parents' house for whatever reason was judged harshly. People thought she was too much for her family to handle, or they called her immoral just for living independently. To be honest, Zhan, when I first met you, I also wondered if you had chosen Guangzhou to live carelessly. Even the hotel you stayed in raised questions in my mind. But at the same time, you looked innocent.
"Still, men have always had the freedom to live as they please. Now women, too, are finding their independence. Everyone is simply trying to earn a living in their own way."
Zhan wiped his tears and looked at him again. Dr. Jing lowered his voice.
"Tell me what really happened."
With a trembling voice, Zhan replied, "So that's why Daniel looks at me like I'm shameless....why he thinks I'd actually go to a hotel with him?"
Dr. Jing's eyes widened. "Daniel??"
Zhan burst into heavier sobs. Dr. Jing stood up, too stunned to speak. His body felt cold all over. So Daniel hasn't changed at all.
After a few moments, Dr. Jing took a deep breath, crouched in front of Zhan, and said gently,
"This alone is enough reason for you to go back home, Zhan. Someone like you....a delicate, sensitive, beautiful young man...should be among his family.
"It's been two weeks since you left. I know your family must be restless without you."
Zhan gave a bitter smile as he wiped his eyes. He didn't want to tell Dr. Jing what his wife had said to him earlier. It would only create problems in their household, and Zhan didn't want to be the reason for that. He kept his thoughts to himself. That night, Dr. Jing made him stay in the hospital, intending to drop him home early before the Medical Director arrived. But an emergency surgery came up at dawn, and Dr. Jing was called to the theater with other doctors.
By nine o'clock, Zhan had made up his mind about what to do. He had barely slept....his mind restless until dawn finally brought him a little peace. After waking, he washed up in Dr. Jing's office, freshened his face, picked up his backpack, and headed out.
As he descended the stairs, he ran straight into the Medical Director, who had just arrived with two foreigners in suits, one dark-skinned, the other pale, and a distinguished older woman in a corporate black skirt suit. At that moment, Dr. Jing and four other doctors also emerged from the theater. Nurses and staff greeted the woman with deep respect. She replied warmly in fluent English.
The MD's eyes fixed immediately on Zhan, his expression cold, as if he had never smiled before. So he even spent the night in the hospital, the MD thought.
Zhan reached the reception hall, bowed slightly, and greeted the woman politely. His heart beat strangely fast, though he didn't know why. She smiled at him.
"Hello."
As she turned to continue walking, she suddenly paused and looked back.
"Are you a staff member here, young man?"
Zhan glanced at the MD, who was staring at him intently, then quickly looked at Dr. Jing. Dr. Jing gave him a small nod. Zhan quickly nodded to the woman, almost like a nervous lizard.
She turned to the dark-skinned man beside her. "Dr. Yemi, do you remember my late friend Angela?"
Dr. Yemi's face lit up. "Oh yes....Professor Angela. I remember her very well, Ma."
The woman pointed toward Zhan.
"Look at him....he's her replica. He reminds me so much of her. If I didn't know her children personally, I would have thought this boy was hers."
Zhan forced a smile, though his chest tightened at the name Angela. Something about it stuck in his heart. Could he really be related to her?
The MD, still watching his CEO with deference, said softly,
"Ma, you've been standing for too long."
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛