Zhan had spent a long time sleeping peacefully, with nothing bothering his mind like he had the night before, because the city was very cold.
Around eight-something in the morning, the vibration of his phone woke him from his sleep. He slowly reached for his phone to see who was calling him, even though he knew it wouldn't be anyone but Bin. And indeed, he saw it was him. He answered the call and put it to his ear, his voice low: "Bin."
Bin said, "I know you're still sleeping, right?"
Zhan said, "Um, good morning."
Bin said, "Morning. But aren't you coming into school today?"
Quietly, Zhan said, "Tomorrow, if all goes well."
Bin said, "Well, I've already come into school. But there's a get-together tomorrow....I forgot to tell you. Just a few of us, not more than fifteen total. The time is 5 p.m. sharp."
Zhan said, "In this cold, you're having a get-together, Bin?"
Bin said, "So? Do you see cold weather hindering people's daily activities in this country, unless the snow is extremely heavy? Besides, the get-together won't be in an open space....it will take place at one of our coursemate's houses."
Zhan said, "Well, alright then."
Bin said, "I don't understand 'alright then.' Do you mean that the get-together will happen without you?"
Zhan said, "You know I don't like gatherings of any kind, Bin. Why did you think I would be included when you know I won't go?"
Bin said, "Please, for once, be social....or should I even say civilized, Zhan. Even if nothing else, if you come, you'll have fun, forget all your worries from China, and freshen up your mind for this semester. But you just keep staying home alone every day like someone with a disease. You see, this final year we have left, I want you to learn to start doing things in a mature way, so that no one will look down on you, no one will know what background you came from. Now, it's not the same as before for you, Zhan, because you have even surpassed the level that we didn't come from. So use this last opportunity in the USA to be wise, so that no bastard will look down on you."
Zhan's eyes were closed because he was even continuing his sleep.
Bin said, "Hello."
Zhan opened his eyes with difficulty and said, "We will talk later, Bin."
Bin said, "Just because I'm telling you the truth, you don't have to say 'we will talk later.' Whether you refuse or you agree, we are going to that get-together, because now it's not the same as before."
Then he hung up.
Zhan adjusted his lying position, covered himself with the duvet, and wanted to continue sleeping. He himself knew he was paying back the sleep debt he didn't get in China.
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It was nearly three in the afternoon when Zhan woke up from sleep. After bathing, he went downstairs to the living room because he felt very hungry. He turned on the living room heater because the living room was as cold as a fridge. He went and stood by the living room window, lifted the curtain, and looked at the beautiful neighborhood.
Everywhere was white because of the heavy snow that had fallen the night before, which hadn't completely melted. After a few minutes, he slowly closed the curtain and headed to the kitchen. He made tea, took some cookies, and came back to the living room to sit down.
After finishing, he took the plate and cup to the kitchen, washed them, and went back upstairs to organize his textbooks and reading materials. He saw all the remaining items from his old apartment in the room...a sign that I-Bo had brought them over from his old apartment.
He finished organizing his reading materials and started pressing his clothes in the room when he heard the doorbell. He paused for a moment to be sure he was hearing the doorbell in the apartment. After a few seconds, he left his room and went downstairs after the bell rang again. He went to the door and opened it slowly, checking who was at the door.
I-Bo looked at him calmly and said, "Good evening, Sean."
Zhan smiled slightly and moved aside to let him in. I-Bo said, "No, just get ready. We're going to go shopping for the things you need. I will wait for you in the car."
Zhan stood silently, looking at him. Seeing that I-Bo was about to return to his car, Zhan said, "But I don't need anything right now, because I see everything is in the house."
I-Bo said, "For your personal use, Sean. Besides, there are no cleaning items in the house....I forgot to get them."
Zhan lowered his eyes and didn't say anything. I-Bo said, "I'm waiting in the garage."
Then he turned and went back to the garage. Zhan watched him go before closing the door, turning, and heading upstairs slowly. After fifteen minutes, he came back downstairs wearing his jacket. As he stepped outside, he felt a terrible cold despite the jacket on his body. He locked the house, holding the keys, and went to I-Bo's car. He opened the front passenger seat, got in, and locked the door.
I-Bo said, "Is it cold?"
Zhan curled up even more and said, "Very cold. I didn't even know it was this cold."
I-Bo smiled, turned up the car's heat, and said, "You're inside with a room heater on....how would you know it's cold?"
Zhan smiled, twirling the keys in his hand, and glanced at him quietly, saying, "Good afternoon."
I-Bo said, "Fine, Sean. How was your night?"
Zhan said, "All good."
"I hope you are comfortable in the new house?"
Zhan nodded at him, looking at him. I-Bo said, "Good to hear that." He started the car, and they left the garage. After they had driven a little distance, Zhan quietly said, "How is A-Bo?"
Only then did I-Bo look at him and say, "A-Bo is at home. He's under the weather....he doesn't like this kind of season."
Zhan fell silent and didn't say anything. I-Bo said, "How did you leave your mother and Aunt Fin?"
Zhan said, "We chatted with them last night. Ayi said she wants to talk to you if you're around."
I-Bo said, "OK, when we get back to the house, I will call her."
Zhan didn't say anything else. He kept stealing glances at I-Bo. I-Bo focused only on his driving.
I-Bo took him to a large shopping mall. After parking, they went inside, and I-Bo took a shopping cart and started pushing it. Zhan tried to take the cart from his hand.
I-Bo smiled and said, "No, don't worry, Sean. I will do the wheeling, and you do the shopping."
Zhan lowered his eyes and didn't say anything. I-Bo first took him to the cosmetics section and said, "Take everything you know you will need here, housemate."
Zhan lifted his head and looked at him.
I-Bo opened his eyes a little and said, "Look, Sean, I want you to be free and open with me. Don't put anything in your mind or feel burdened to ask for anything you know you need. Assuming I didn't have the means, I wouldn't say I would do it, Sean. So feel free, please, housemate. Like yesterday, I told you to send me your skin care set, and you didn't send it. I am doing all this for the sake of it. So take everything you know you need now."
Zhan's eyes were lowered; he didn't say anything. I-Bo handed him his payment black card and said, "Should I leave the card with you and wait for you in the car if your shy?"
Zhan glanced at him, then slowly shook his head, smiling forcefully, and said, "No."
I-Bo said, "Then shop all you need, housemate."
In a low voice, Zhan said, "OK. Thank you so much, one day I'll try to pay all of this."
I-Bo just smiled and didn't say anything. Zhan took a few items he knew he would need from the cosmetics section and placed them in the cart that I-Bo was pushing for him. But whenever he took one item, I-Bo would add two more of the same thing. Zhan could only look at him. He took a set of cream and shower gel....I-Bo doubled them and put them in the cart.
Quietly, Zhan said, "I already have leftovers."
I-Bo didn't say anything.
Zhan continued walking. He looked at pads but couldn't take any....he just passed them. I-Bo also didn't say anything, pushing the cart until they finished with the cosmetics section. I-Bo then headed to the cleaning agents section, with Zhan following behind him. I-Bo himself picked up the items he knew Zhan would need at home. After thirty minutes, they came out of the shopping mall, and I-Bo loaded everything they bought into the booth of his car.
Instead of heading home, Zhan saw I-Bo take him to a large Chinese grocery store.
I-Bo said, "I didn't get much cooking ingredients for you because I'm not good at that. So let's go in, and you can take everything you need for cooking."
Zhan looked at him and said, "But I haven't even started using what you bought."
I-Bo said, "I know. I will be traveling soon, housemate, so I want to be sure you have enough of everything."
Zhan fell silent, looking at him. I-Bo said, "Let's go."
Then he got out of the car. Weakly, Zhan also got out and followed him into the store. Cooking spices, seasonings, onions, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggs, all kinds of peppers, tomatoes, and every kind of cooking ingredient....they bought them at the store. I-Bo also added frozen chicken, turkey, and beef for him.
After paying, they left the store. While I-Bo was driving, Zhan looked at him and said in a low voice, "Thank you so much. May Heaven give you even more than this, i will definitely work hard and pay you all in the future."
I-Bo just smiled. Then he picked up his phone, which was vibrating, and checked it. Seeing that A-Bo was calling him, he answered and put it to his ear, saying, "How are you feeling?"
After a few seconds, he put the phone down.
Zhan said, "Is he sick?"
I-Bo said, "Yeah. I told you he's under the weather."
Zhan fell silent. I-Bo looked at him and said, "Should we go to our house to see him?"
Zhan's eyes widened a little, then he smiled softly and said, "He won't pay attention to me, he was tolerating me becouse of you."
I-Bo laughed unintentionally and said, "Why won't he pay attention to you, and who told you he was tolerating you? He cares for you too Sean, maybe even morethan me. You know he paid that 10 million Yuan all himself for you.?"
Zhan lowered his eyes and said, "Really!? But why Yesterday when you went to get the keys, he acted like he didn't even see us in the car."
I-Bo said, "That day, when you saw him, he wasn't feeling well. I even told him not to go out, but he didn't listen to me. After he went out, the snow started falling."
Quietly, Zhan said, "Well, may Heavens rewards him and grant him good health."
I-Bo said, "Should we go to the house so you can greet him?"
Zhan fell silent, his heart even afraid that A-Bo would snap at him.
I-Bo said, "Should we leave it for next time?"
Zhan lowered his eyes slowly and said, "Let's go. But if he doesn't pay attention to me, then that's it."
I-Bo smiled and said, "If he doesn't pay attention to you, then you should snap at him like you used to do."
Zhan glanced at him, and their eyes met. He smiled until his dimples showed, looking at I-Bo. I-Bo looked away and returned his gaze to the road, continuing his gentle driving.
Around five-thirty, they arrived at the house. I-Bo parked in the compound, turned off the car, and glanced at Zhan, saying, "I can see you are tense?"
Zhan smiled slightly, playing with his fingers, and didn't say anything. I-Bo opened his door and said, "Let's go in."
Slowly, Zhan opened his door and also got out. He watched I-Bo as he took the entrance to their main house. He followed behind him, walking slowly. After I-Bo opened the living room door, he waited until Zhan arrived. Zhan bowed his head and entered the living room, then I-Bo also entered.
His heart sank deeply after some memories came back to him....memories that were so disturbing to him. He walked slowly and went into the living room, sitting on the same chair he had sat on the night I-Bo brought him to the house at night.
He lifted his head and looked at the reading nook where A-Bo had sat that night. He lowered his eyes, playing with his fingers.
I-Bo came into the living room, looked at him, and said, "Give me a few minutes."
Zhan nodded at him. I-Bo headed to the stairs; Zhan followed him with his gaze until he went upstairs. I-Bo went upstairs, reached A-Bo's room, opened the door gently, and looked into his room, which wasn't very bright because the drapes were very thick due to the cold. I-Bo entered the room and turned on the dim light, looking at A-Bo.
A-Bo was lying on top of the bed, curled up, sleeping. The room even had a warm breath from how high the room heater was turned up. I-Bo went close to the bed and looked at him. Now he was even more sure A-Bo was not well. Usually, A-Bo would wake up just by touching his door before you even entered.
I-Bo turned and left the room, pulling the door gently but not locking it. He went back downstairs, looked at Zhan, and said, "Let's go upstairs, housemate. He's in his room."
Zhan stood up, looking at I-Bo, and went toward him.
I-Bo said, "And before I forget, thank him...he paid for your new apartment too."
Zhan fell silent, looking at I-Bo, but couldn't say anything. Weakly, he followed I-Bo as they went upstairs to A-Bo's section. I-Bo pushed A-Bo's door gently, entered, then looked at Zhan and signaled for him to come in. Zhan took a deep breath and walked slowly into the room.
Just like that, his heart sank. This was the same room he had stayed in for two days when he was at the house. He glanced once at A-Bo, who was lying on the bed, then looked at I-Bo. He sat on the soft white carpet in the room.
I-Bo pointed to a chair for him to sit on, but Zhan just shook his head. The room was still all white as he remembered it, with a certain fragrance. But he felt cold because the room heater was turned down low.
I-Bo went to where A-Bo was lying, knelt down, looked at his face, and pulled off the head warmer that was covering his head. Calmly, he said, "Hey...bro"
Slowly, A-Bo opened his eyes and looked at him. He frowned and said in a sleepy voice, "Get out, I-Bo. What are you doing in my bedroom?"
I-Bo stood up, looking at him and smiling, and said, "Don't you come into other people's rooms?"
A-Bo grabbed the pillow next to him with difficulty and threw it at him, saying, "Get out, I-Bo. I want to be alone. I think I'm running a temperature. I feel sleepy. Can I speak to dad? I want to speak to my Aunt too."
I-Bo smiled because he knew A-Bo was just rambling like he always did when he was sick. I-Bo knelt down, looking at him, and said, "Should I get you a cup of coffee? And some medicine?"
In his murmuring, A-Bo closed his eyes and said, "Yes, please. But don't come back."
I-Bo said, "Well, how will the coffee be brought to you then?"
Without opening his eyes, A-Bo said, "Drink it for me, bro."
I-Bo laughed and said, "OK. But someone came to see you."
A-Bo opened his eyes with difficulty and said, "Please leave. Leave my room, please, I-Bo."
Then he turned to grab another pillow and angrily threw it toward I-Bo. As he turned, their eyes met with Zhan, who was watching in disbelief. A-Bo quickly turned and looked at I-Bo, but I-Bo was already heading to the door, trying not to laugh out loud, and left the room.
Zhan watched I-Bo go, feeling like he should get up and follow him.
A-Bo couldn't turn around. He was trying to remember the things he had said to I-Bo when he had woken him from sleep...
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