Yiming walked around and stopped directly in front of Zhan, extending his hand toward him.
"Give me what you're hiding."
Fear instantly flooded Zhan's chest. He stared at him without speaking, his heartbeat spiraling out of control.
Then Yiming suddenly barked at him sharply, his cold glare making Zhan flinch. Tears immediately filled Zhan's eyes. Trembling, he handed over the phones and the money he had been hiding behind his back.
Yiming took them from him and examined them silently.
Zhan lowered his head, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
Calmly, Yiming asked, "Who gave you these?"
Zhan couldn't even lift his head. Tears slipped down his face as he braced himself for a slap at any second.
Instead, Yiming simply turned around and walked away toward his room, carrying the phones and the dollars with him.
Zhan watched him until he disappeared inside. His legs felt too weak to hold him up from fear alone. Slowly, he lowered himself onto the edge of the couch, wiping helplessly at the tears running down his cheeks while his heartbeat grew faster and louder in his ears.
Inside his room, Yiming sat at the edge of the bed and placed the dollars beside him before turning the two phones over in his hands. They were identical models, only different colors, both completely dead from lack of charge. They were the exact same type of secondary phone he personally used.
He stood up, plugged I-Bo's phone into his charger, then returned to count the money.
One thousand dollars.
He stared at the bills for several long seconds before setting them aside and heading into the bathroom.
Later, after changing, he locked his bedroom door behind him and stepped out again.
Even then, Zhan was still sitting motionless in the sitting room, unable to move from where he was.
The moment he saw Yiming, he quickly stood up nervously, staring at him.
Yiming ignored him completely and walked out of the sitting room without even sparing him a glance.
Quietly, Zhan returned to his room, tears falling from his eyes again.
When Yiming came back, he unlocked his room and picked up I-Bo's phone. It had charged enough to power on. He unplugged it and connected A-Bo's phone instead before sitting back down on the bed to inspect the first device.
There was no lock screen.
No SIM card either.
Still, he searched through everything carefully. He checked every folder, every app, every hidden section, but there was almost nothing inside. No media. No messages. Nothing.
Then he opened the email account.
A business-class flight ticket appeared on the screen.
The one I-Bo had purchased the ticket for Zhan's return trip to China.
Yiming stared at the screen for nearly thirty seconds straight, genuine shock settling into his face.
Slowly, he exited the email and opened the gallery, hoping to find something else.
That was when he saw the photos.
Pictures of I-Bo.
Most of them included A-Bo beside him.
Yiming zoomed in on I-Bo's face, studying him carefully with complete concentration. Then he switched to A-Bo's pictures, staring just as intensely without blinking once.
Immediately, he recognized him.
That was the man he had encountered in America.
But something about A-Bo felt strangely familiar.
Where had he seen him before?
Quickly, Yiming grabbed his own phone and searched the name he vaguely remembered from Instagram.
But the account was private.
He sat back down, unable to stop staring at A-Bo's face on the screen.
Then he switched back to I-Bo's photo, zooming in again.
For some reason, he realized he hated I-Bo far more than A-Bo.
Frowning, he picked up A-Bo's phone, which had charged enough to turn on.
Again, no lock.
Inside, he found only a flight ticket from Chongqing to Shanghai that had been purchased for Zhan. No photos. No WeChat. No conversations. No SIM card. Nothing at all.
Yiming suddenly stood up and headed toward Zhan's room.
He found Zhan sitting quietly with his eyes closed, deeply lost in thought.
The moment Zhan noticed Yiming standing at the doorway watching him, he became tense but didn't move immediately, remaining frozen where he sat.
Then Yiming's voice thundered through the room.
"If you don't stop whatever nonsense you're doing right now, you'll regret it."
Zhan's entire body went cold.
Fear gripped him so hard he felt as though the walls themselves might split open around him. Slowly, he lowered his hands and forced himself to stay calm, refusing to look toward Yiming....even after noticing both I-Bo's and A-Bo's phones in his hands.
Yiming walked further into the room, glaring at him before demanding sharply,
"Who do these phones belong to?"
Zhan still refused to look at him.
Yiming suddenly shouted, his voice sharp enough to make him flinch.
"Are you stupid? Are you insane? I'm talking to you and you're staring somewhere else?"
Only then did Zhan finally look at him.
Yiming's face remained cold and rigid, though Zhan knew he was only barely holding himself back.
"I'm asking you," Yiming repeated slowly, "whose phones are these?"
Briefly, Zhan answered, "My housemate's... and his brother's."
Yiming stared at him without blinking.
Only then did Zhan realize what he had just admitted out loud. His chest tightened immediately. Lowering his eyes again, he said quietly,
"I mean..."
Yiming cut him off with a cold shake of his head.
"No. You meant your housemate. So that was your housemate that day when I came and you lied to me? You were living in the same apartment as that huge idiot I saw?"
Zhan fell silent.
He already knew silence would probably earn him another beating, but speaking didn't guarantee safety either. If Yiming wanted to hit him, he would.
Trying to steady himself despite the violent pounding in his chest, Zhan answered shortly.
"Yes. He's my housemate. Nancy moved out of the apartment, and he moved in afterward. I didn't really have a choice except to stay there with him. I didn't want to keep bothering you about expenses, and I thought we only had a few months left before break anyway. I planned to ask you to move me to another apartment once it was time to renew the rent."
Yiming continued staring at him in silence.
Zhan couldn't bring himself to look back. He kept expecting a slap at any moment.
Calmly....too calmly....Yiming spoke.
"So you were living together in the same house. Sharing the same kitchen. The same living room. The same hallway. If you both walked out of your rooms at the same time, you'd almost bump into each other, right? You could walk around half-dressed and he'd see you. You'd spray perfume and pass by him while he smelled it. Maybe the two of you would sit together and chat. If you cooked, he'd eat your food too."
That was when Zhan finally looked up at him.
"I don't care whether you believe me or not," he said quietly. "But he rarely stayed at the apartment overnight. He mostly came there to study before leaving again. Their family already has a house in America."
Yiming kept staring at him.
Then suddenly, pieces began fitting together in his mind....the expensive things he had kept seeing in the kitchen, the imported bottled water, the luxury groceries.
Quietly, he said,
"So that's why your attitude toward me started changing. You found someone buying you whatever you wanted, keeping you company, making you feel less lonely."
His gaze darkened. "Listen carefully....even if my entire body turned into ears, I still wouldn't believe there was nothing intimate between you two. Only you know what you were giving him in return for him to keep filling that kitchen with expensive things for you. And he spent nearly five thousand dollars on a business-class ticket just to send you back to China."
Tears immediately flooded Zhan's eyes.
He stood up and looked directly at him.
"Believe whatever you want," he said shakily. "But remember this....not everyone is obsessed with touching people the way you are. And spending money on a business-class ticket means nothing to him. There's a huge difference between you and him."
Shock flashed across Yiming's face.
Before Zhan could react, two hard slaps landed across his face one after another.
Zhan burst into tears.
"Is slapping me all you know how to do?" he cried. "Then just kill me and be done with it, Yiming! I'm tired of this life living with you anyway, i hate you...i really do."
Yiming grabbed him violently, breathing hard as he glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"You're comparing me to some worthless nobody?"
Crying openly now, Zhan answered,
"Maybe if I compare you to him, you'll finally realize how terrible you are, he's way too better than you."
His voice trembled, but he kept going.
"He made me understand that I've been living beside a monster, heartless and in human."
"There's nothing between us," Zhan continued through tears, "but he's a genuinely kind person. He knows how to treat people with dignity. He always made sure I was okay. No matter how small the problem was, he never ignored it. Not once during all the time we lived together in America did he ever disrespect me."
Zhan's breathing became uneven.
"The way he treated me... the way he spoke to me... it made me realize how exhausted I am with your behavior."
He looked directly into Yiming's eyes.
"You don't love me. You only want to control me."
"If you truly loved me, why couldn't you treat me the way he did?"
"In your eyes, I have no dignity. No worth. Since before we were even married, all you've ever done is humiliate me and hit me. Even my parents have no respect in your eyes."
His tears kept falling endlessly now.
"So why won't you let me go somewhere I'll actually be valued? Somewhere my family will be respected too?"
"Is it my father's fault that life turned out the way it did for him? Even your own family knows he never stole from your father or ruined his business out of greed. Have you never thought maybe those losses were simply fate?"
"And why are you tormenting yourself over those two men when you already said you would never divorce me? Everyone knows this marriage is entirely in your hands."
He laughed bitterly through tears.
"It's because you never think properly that you're jealous of them after already forcing me to become your husband."
Yiming shoved him so hard that Zhan crashed painfully against the wall.
Then, without another word, Yiming stormed out of the room like he might tear the entire house apart.
***
Around one in the morning, Zhan....still lying on the bed...heard his bedroom door open.
His eyes felt painfully heavy from crying and the pounding headache tormenting him. He remained curled up exactly as he was, not turning around even though Yiming hadn't switched on the lights.
The duvet was pulled off him. Yiming drew him closer and spoke quietly near his ear.
"So even after marrying me, you still had the audacity to bring up that oversized idiot and compare him to me?" His voice was low but tense. "What exactly have I done to you that makes you think he has qualities I don't?"
A sharp ache spread through Zhan's chest hearing such a ridiculous question. He stayed still and pretended to be asleep.
Softly, Yiming called his name.
"Zhan..."
Zhan still refused to move.
Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the tears gathering beneath his lashes.
Yiming called him again quietly. When he still got no response, he turned Zhan toward him and stared at him in the darkness. Resting his forehead against his, he murmured,
"But you know I love you so much, Zhan. If I didn't, I wouldn't have wasted almost five years of my life on you. I gave you the best of everything I could. You know that too."
Before he even realized it, Zhan shoved him away violently.
The hatred burning inside him had become unbearable.
He sat up suddenly, his voice shaking.
"So beating me and slapping me around like I'm nothing is your version of love? That's love too?" Tears filled his voice. "Please go and learn what love actually means."
He tried climbing off the bed while crying helplessly, but Yiming grabbed him quickly and refused to let him leave.
Zhan broke down completely, sobbing so hard his chest hurt.
Yiming pulled him tightly into his arms.
"Calm down," he whispered. "But honestly... I really do love you. Whether you believe it or not, I don't owe anyone proof of that." His voice lowered further. "And tonight should be your first and last warning, Zhan."
He tightened his hold slightly.
"Never in your life compare me to another man again. Don't ever mention another bastard in front of me, no matter who he is."
His tone became colder.
"And I'm choosing not to think too deeply about the time you spent living with him...or with anyone else...and whatever relationship existed between you people, because you're my husband now."
"To me, all of that is in the past."
"He's the loser now."
"And there will never again be any connection between you and him for as long as I'm alive."
Yiming paused, breathing unevenly.
"It's not that I wasn't hurt by the closeness you created with them in America." He gave a bitter laugh. "Saying I was hurt is actually an understatement."
"But the fact that you're my husband now is the only reason I'm forcing myself to let the past stay buried." His voice dropped darker. "So let me keep calming myself before I end up doing what's really on my mind."
Every word only made Zhan hate him more.
Hot tears slid down his face as he pitied himself for ending up married to someone like this.
He struggled to free himself from Yiming's arms, trying to get off the bed again, but Yiming refused to release him.
"What now?" Yiming muttered softly. "You want to stay angry because I apologized?" He brushed Zhan's hair gently. "I said I'm sorry. And I promised I won't hurt you again. I'll stopped hitting you."
Zhan refused to answer, crying quietly instead.
Yiming pulled him against his chest and stroked his hair slowly.
"I swear I love you, Zhan. Everything I do is because I love you." Then his voice hardened again. "But you refuse to give me my rights because there's something else in your heart. Maybe those people even taught you to act like this."
At that, Zhan suddenly lifted his head and looked at him.
The bitterness inside him slipped out before he could stop it.
"Not everyone is jobless enough to think the way you do."
Silence.
Yiming stared at him without blinking.
Only then did Zhan realize what he had just said. Fear instantly crashed through him.
But instead of exploding, Yiming only lowered his voice to a near whisper.
"Where's the lubricant?"
Zhan's heartbeat dropped violently.
Still holding him with one arm, Yiming opened the bedside drawer as if he already knew where it was hidden. After feeling around inside, he pulled it out.
Zhan's quiet sobbing returned immediately.
"You know you're bringing curses onto yourself, don't you?" Yiming murmured.
Crying softly, Zhan answered,
"But it's not my fault."
"Then whose fault is it?"
His voice trembled helplessly.
"I swear... I don't know."
Yiming softened his tone again.
"Promise me tonight will be different, please, baby."
Zhan couldn't answer. Hot tears kept falling from his eyes while fear pounded through his chest.
Gently, Yiming began removing his night clothes, staring directly into his eyes through the darkness.
That night, Yiming never slept.
The frustration inside him burned too deeply.
Still, he didn't insult Zhan. He didn't hit him. He didn't even raise his voice again.
Eventually, he simply got up and left Zhan alone in the room before returning to his own bedroom.
Inside the bathroom, he stood beneath freezing cold water despite the bitter chill outside.
Afterward, he changed into his pajamas and lay down on his bed.
But sleep never came.
He remained awake until dawn, staring into the darkness.
✴✴✴
From the time Zhan woke up at dawn, he had been sitting on the carpet. His whole body felt weak and heavy. By now, the situation had started to scare him deeply. He hadn't slept properly the previous night; everything that happened was still sitting heavily on his mind.
He eventually decided he would make use of whatever Nenne had brought for him later in the day. When the morning became fully bright, he finally stood up and slowly made his way out of the room into the living room.
His heart dropped the moment he saw Yiming sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in front of him. Zhan lowered his gaze immediately, his heart pounding, and went over to him. He knelt at a distance and greeted him softly, "Good morning."
Instead of replying, Yiming said coldly, "What am I sensing in the kitchen that smells like traditional medicine?"
Zhan slowly raised his head and looked at him. Yiming was already staring at him, his face unreadable.
Zhan struggled to find words, nervously playing with his fingers.
"Are you not hearing me?" Yiming snapped sharply.
Zhan's lips trembled. "Nenne brought it," he managed to say.
"Brought what?" Yiming asked curtly.
Zhan lowered his gaze again. "It's just medicine... she usually gives me things like that to use at home."
Yiming stood up immediately. "Come. Show me."
Zhan got up reluctantly and walked toward the kitchen, Yiming following behind him. The faint herbal smell became stronger as they entered.
Zhan opened the cupboard where he had kept the items and brought them out. Yiming stretched out his hand, and Zhan handed them over.
"These things are not to be used in my house," Yiming said firmly.
Zhan nodded quietly.
Yiming's face remained stern. "Did you hear what I said? Don't accept anything like this from her again."
"I understand," Zhan replied softly.
Yiming turned and left the kitchen, returning to the living room. He placed the items on the tiled floor and said, "Get ready. We are going out. Don't waste my time."
"Okay," Zhan answered in a low voice.
He went back to his room. After about thirty minutes, he came out fully ready. Yiming also came out at the same time, holding his phone and car keys. Without a word, Yiming led the way out while Zhan followed behind him.
Yiming placed the bag from Nenne into the car boot, then went to the driver's seat. Zhan sat in the front passenger seat. After warming the car, they drove out of the house.
:
:
Zhan walked out of Dr. Maria's office feeling overwhelmed, his mind full of different thoughts. He glanced at Yiming behind him; he had also just stepped out of the doctor's office.
Yiming didn't look at him.
Dr. Maria followed them out, escorting them toward the parking area while talking casually with Yiming. Zhan walked slightly ahead of them in silence.
When they reached the hospital reception area and moved toward the parking space, Dr. Maria smiled warmly.
"Alright, I hope I'm hearing good updates next time," she said kindly.
"There's nothing wrong with you. If you follow the instructions I gave, everything should settle properly. Just be patient...it usually takes time. I wish you peace and stability."
Zhan nodded slightly. "Thank you, Doctor."
She smiled. "You're welcome."
Then she turned to Yiming. "Take care on your way home. I'm confident things will improve now that we've spoken at length. Hopefully, he follows the guidance properly."
"Thanks for your time, Doctor," Yiming replied.
He went to the driver's seat, while Zhan entered the front passenger seat. Soon, they drove out of the hospital.
The drive was silent. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Zhan sat quietly, lost in thought, until he suddenly realized they had entered Yiming family neighborhood.
Yiming parked in front of their house and stepped out. Zhan also got down.
Yiming went to the boot, opened it, and brought out the bag Nenne had brought earlier.
Zhan looked at him in confusion. "Where are you taking that?"
"I'm giving it to Momy," Yiming replied flatly. "She deals with things like this. She can use it if she wants. But you are not using any of it in my house."
Zhan quickly pleaded, his voice soft. "Please... just dispose of it."
Yiming's expression hardened. "I'm not disposing of it."
Zhan lowered his head silently. He didn't argue further.
Without another word, Yiming walked toward the entrance of the house. Zhan followed slowly behind him as they both entered the living room.
Momy looked at them in surprise and said, "Oh? Where are you two coming from this early morning? Welcome."
Yiming sat down and greeted her politely. She responded while still watching Zhan, who had already sat on the carpet and greeted her quietly. Momy replied warmly, her face soft and welcoming.
Still looking at Yiming, she asked, "You didn't come from home, did you?"
"Yes," Yiming replied. "We're coming from the hospital."
Momy's eyes widened slightly. "Hospital? Who is sick?"
"Nothing serious," he said briefly.
"Zhan just wasn't feeling well, but he's fine now."
Momy turned her gaze to Zhan and smiled kindly. "Oh dear... sorry about that. I hope you get better soon."
Then she looked back at Yiming. "So you went to see Dr. Maria?"
"Yes," he answered.
He stood up, placed a bag of herbal medicine beside her, and said, "His Grandma brought these yesterday. You know I don't like traditional remedies, so I brought them here in case you want to use them."
Momy stared at the bag in surprise, then quickly opened it. She composed herself and smiled lightly. "Oh, I know you don't like herbs. I'll use them...I actually just ran out of mine."
Zhan kept his head down. He didn't even have the strength to look up.
Momy was clearly shocked deep inside, but she hid it well and kept smiling.
Then she turned to Zhan. "You didn't use anything yet, right?"
Zhan shook his head without looking at her. "No... she just brought them yesterday. I haven't used anything."
"Good, good," Momy said quickly. Then she turned back to Yiming. "If you get more, just keep bringing them to me."
Yiming stood up. "We're leaving now, Momy."
"So soon?" she asked. "You're not going to work?"
"Not yet," he replied.
"Alright then. God be with you," she said, forcing a cheerful tone. "I'll come by later and bring him some tonics and body remedies."
He didn't respond. He just walked toward the door.
Zhan stood up quickly and said goodbye to Momy before following him out.
As soon as they left, Momy grabbed her phone and went downstairs, immediately calling Dr. Maria, their long-time family doctor.
When she picked up, they exchanged greetings warmly.
Momy said, "Yiming just brought his husband here. They said they were coming from the hospital. He looked very serious and wouldn't explain anything, so I had to call you. Is everything okay? Is he pregnant? You know he doesn't want children too early. If it's pregnancy, I need to handle it carefully before anything goes wrong."
Dr. Maria laughed softly and explained everything to her.
As she listened, Momy slowly exhaled in relief without realizing it.
"Goodness... he's still so young," she murmured.
"He's twenty," Dr. Maria replied calmly. "That's not exactly a child. I've given them advice; hopefully they follow it so there won't be tension between them."
Momy nodded. "I hope he listens to you, Doctor. I'll also speak to his family later so he can be guided properly."
After ending the call, Momy sat quietly for a moment, then called Godiya. They spoke for a long time about the situation and the planned arrangements.
Later, Mei-Mei entered the room and sat down, having overheard part of the conversation.
"So that's it?" she said sharply. "He'll just divorce him like that? And we'll just let it go like that?"
Momy frowned. "Who told you anything about revenge? My concern is simple...once Yiming divorce him, everything else is settled. That's all that matters. Stop your childish thinking. You don't even understand what it means to marry into a different world. That grandmother of his is already running around looking for charms and nonsense. But it won't work. Very soon, he will send their son away after everything is finalized."
Mei-Mei stood up and stormed out of the room, clearly dissatisfied. This was not the outcome she had wanted at all. Deep down, the bitterness and resentment she carried toward Zhan still burned fiercely, and no matter what happened, it felt like her anger refused to settle. She wanted to beat the hell out of him since Yiming slapped her because of him.
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