Zhan's eyes slowly opened. The darkness that had enveloped them faded slightly as a faint beam of light slipped through the bathroom door, illuminating the room. Even with the dim light, he could clearly see Yibo sitting on the carpet, meditating.
He noticed how long Yibo had remained in that position before finally lifting his head.ย
Quietly, Zhan stretched out his hand and picked up Yibo's phone from the bedside drawer, turning it on. The time read 3:31 a.m. He set the phone down again and turned over, drifting back to sleep.
The exhaustion weighing on his body...and the heaviness in his mind...pulled him deeper into rest.
He didn't open his eyes again until morning light filled the room and the sun had risen high in the sky.ย
When he woke, he lay still, staring at the curtains in front of him, reminding himself that everything was real. The events of the previous day weren't a dream...the wedding preparations, the ceremony, and being brought to this house, the house where he had spent the night with Yibo.
When he used to imagine marriage, he never thought about daily life afterward. To him, marriage simply meant being introduced everywhere as someone's spouse, and being seen differently by family members. He knew there was more to it, but as he grew older, he had never truly pictured that life...except for brief moments in high school when friends talked about love and weddings, and he occasionally found himself daydreaming.
But last night...before his first day as a married man had even fully begun....Yibo had already begun showing him what married life really entailed, opening his eyes to thoughts he had never allowed himself to explore.
He lifted a hand to his head, lost in thought. He remembered Yibo's words, the warmth of his hands, the way his touch had lingered, the unfamiliar rhythm and sensations that had left his mind spinning. It felt as though his soul had traveled to places he had never imagined and returned shaken.
The vibration of his phone on the bed beside him pulled him out of his thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes and picked it up, checking the caller ID.
๐๐ข๐๐จ.
Only then did reality fully sink in. Nothing had been imagined. He wasn't in Nainai's house. He was in Yibo's home.
He quickly answered the call before it disconnected.
"๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?"
That deep voice of Yibo's slipped into his ears, and without realizing it, Zhan smiled. The nickname made him laugh...Baby boy.
"๐๐๐๐โฆ ๐ฐ'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐," he replied softly.
"๐ด๐๐," Yibo hummed. "๐พ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐?"
The word briefing made Zhan smile even wider.
"๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐."
Zhan barely processed the rest of what he said. The only thing stuck in his mind was freshen up.
He hadn't even taken a proper bath the night before. ๐๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต? ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ? ๐๐ฐ...๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต, ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ?
He quickly replied,
"๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐."
He ended the call, jumped off the bed, and hurried toward the door. Then he stopped, went back, straightened the bedspread and pillows, and left the room. He went to the room where his belongings were kept and headed straight to the bathroom.
He turned on the sink and felt warm water flowing...very warm. He folded his sleepwear and placed it on the bed, took the towel he had used the previous day, and prepared for a shower. He noticed that Aunty Shui had neatly arranged the plastic containers and buckets in the bathroom, so everything was in place.
He mixed hot and cold water the way he was used to at home, then stepped in for a bath. The shower felt wonderful, so much that he bathed again before finally wrapping the towel around himself. He stood in front of the mirror, wiping his face, when he suddenly heard a knock on the bathroom door.
Zhan's heart skipped slightly. ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ต?!
But he already knew who it was...if it were a thief, they wouldn't be knocking on the bathroom door. Yibo must be back. ๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ? He hadn't heard him enter the house.
He stepped onto the edge of the small bathtub and peeked through the bathroom window. Sure enough, he spotted Yibo's car parked in the compound.
"๐โ๐๐โฆ"
He heard Yibo's voice from behind the door. He climbed down and walked back, reaching for the door handle....then he stopped and looked at himself. The towel he was wearing was small, barely reaching mid-thigh. Even yesterday, he had only used it briefly to dry off before putting on his clothes, since the house had been full of people.
๐๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด? Panic surged through him.
Yibo knocked again, calling his name. He knew Zhan was inside, but he kept calling him insistently. After returning, he had helped the workers install the gas stove, then sent them away. When he sat down to check the setup, his mind drifted back to where Zhan had stood in the kitchen the previous day. It all felt unreal...like a dream
or a fleeting thought.
He came upstairs, wanting nothing more than to see Zhan with his own eyes, to reassure himself that everything was real.
After his second call, the bathroom door opened slightly....not fully, just enough for him to see one of Zhan's eyes and part of his face.
"๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โฆ"
Zhan's voice came from inside.
"๐โ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข," Yibo replied, watching him closely.
Then Zhan said,
"๐๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐...๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐?"
For about two seconds, Yibo just stared at him before he understood. He turned to look at the bed, then looked back at Zhan.
"๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐?"
Zhan hesitated before answering,
"๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐ก."
Yibo nodded twice, but instead of turning to fetch it, he stepped closer to the door. In a low, surprised voice, he said,
"๐๐๐ข ๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐? ๐ท๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก โ๐๐ค ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ฆ?"
The words made Zhan's mind spin. His cheeks burned, and memories flooded back all at once.ย
He quickly said,
"๐๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐โฆ"
"๐๐๐๐ฆ."
To Zhan's surprise, Yibo agreed immediately and turned away. He picked up the towel, walked back, and held it out to him.
Zhan watched him through the narrow opening as he approached.ย
A faint, satisfied smile crossed Yibo's lips when Zhan opened the door a little wider and reached out to take it. Suddenly, Yibo pulled both the towel and Zhan's hand out, yanking him into his arms. The shock made Zhan's heart pound as Yibo dropped the towel and wrapped his arms around him.
"๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ผ'๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข, ๐๐๐๐ฆโฆ"
He said it while looking at Zhan.ย
Zhan struggled, saying,
"๐๐๐คโ๐๐๐, ๐ผ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐ค๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ก..."
But Yibo refused to let him go. He reached up and removed the band holding Zhan's hair.
"๐โ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ก๐๐,"
he said as Zhan's hair fell over his shoulders.
Zhan tried to grab the ribbon back, but Yibo lifted his hand out of reach.
"๐๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐. ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฆโฆ"
Zhan said, trying to escape again, but Yibo didn't seem to hear him. His gaze had changed...he was staring at Zhan's shoulders where his hair had fallen. Zhan noticed the shift in his expression.
Yibo dropped the ribbon, then brought both hands up, spreading his fingers and running them through Zhan's hair, down to the back of his neck. He leaned in, resting his forehead against Zhan's, closing his eyes. As his fingers moved through Zhan's hair, Zhan felt his breath deepen, as if he had been holding it without realizing.
One second. Two. Three. Nearly ten seconds passed before memories from the previous day flooded Yibo's mind...images flashing one after another. Their hands intertwined. Then another image....A Bo holding him and leading him away. Another....A Bo standing at the door, panic on his face. Then another...his eyes landing on Banxia, lying on the bed, covered in blood.
Suddenly, Yibo pulled his hands away and stepped back quickly. Zhan opened his eyes, startled, watching him.
Yibo shoved both hands into his pockets and kept stepping backward, still staring at Zhan.
"๐บ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐,"
was all he said before turning and leaving the room.
He left Zhan standing there, confused and stunned by what had just happened.
****
Standing in front of the mirror, Fuyue stared at himself for a long time. What exactly was he lacking? What did he not have compared to other men? He wasn't just any man...he was the kind people found attractive. Even now, wherever he went, people looked at him more than once.
So why was his life always so chaotic? Why was he still unable to point to a single solid achievement in his life? No marriage. No money. Even his education felt meaningless...ever since he received his certificate, nothing in his life had changed. It had never brought him anything tangible.
He remembered when they finished high school and Zhan insisted on studying Nursing. When Zhan couldn't get admission for almost two years and stayed home, Fuyue had laughed at him, bragging that he had already started university. And now? He was still living at home, while Zhan had completed his studies, secured a job, and earned an income he could only dream of.
As for him, the only way he had ever made money was through his mother or through men. Now, he didn't even understand what had gone wrong. The men he used to rely on had suddenly disappeared without explanation, and the ones left now demanded something in return for every cent. Something he hated with all his heart...something he knew he could never do.
That was why marriage had never appealed to him. Aside from the flashy wedding ceremonies people loved, he saw nothing attractive about it.
His biggest dream in life was money. He wanted luxury, status, expensive clothes, the best phone, even a car that would turn heads wherever he went. He wanted to be above everyone, admired by all. That was the dream he had carried since childhood...the thing he lacked growing up, and the promise he had made to himself to pursue no matter what.
That was why, once he matured and began thinking for himself, he believed that to achieve his dream, he had to remove Zhan from his path. In his mind, everything had started to go wrong the moment Zhan entered their lives.
He remembered when they first came to live in this house after his parents' marriage ended. Back then, visitors would always give him small gifts. Especially on weekends...everyone who came to greet Nainai, from elders to young men, would hand him something or playfully tug at him.
But the moment Zhan and his younger sibling stepped into that house, everything changed.
All attention shifted to them. Nainai never missed a chance to tell people about their struggles and make them sympathize with them. And just like that, everyone forgot Fuyue. The "poor orphaned grandchildren" became the focus, the ones people pitied and cared for. No one thought about Fuyue...the one whose mother had forcefully ended her marriage and dragged him along.
That was when he made his decision. If he could eliminate Zhan, his star would rise again. People would finally notice him.
But over the years, nothing ever went according to plan. No matter what he tried, something always went wrong. Even when he succeeded in one area, something else would undo it.
And now Zhan was getting married. Despite all the schemes they had prepared to ruin the wedding, fate had turned against them. What bothered Fuyue most wasn't the marriage itself...but the way Zhan's household was suddenly flourishing, and the clear signs that the man he married was wealthy.
Would Zhan's star continue to shine while his own faded? Who would even remember Fuyue if Zhan stood on the twin peaks of marriage and wealth?
He exhaled sharply, feeling a heavy pressure in his chest, and stared at his reflection again. Then he thought of Peng, and his stomach twisted.
He had believed he was killing two birds with one stone....hurting Zhan while also securing money for himself. Instead, everything had fallen apart. The money he had celebrated barely benefited him; more than half of it went to his mother.
Now the charm they planted in Zhan's house had failed. He had thought everything would be settled before Peng returned, that he would gain something significant from him. But now everything had collapsed, and he had no idea what to do...especially after what Aunty Hsiao, his mother, told him to do after the secret was exposed.
She had told him she take some of Zhan's belongings to a spiritual practitioner who could perform a stronger ritual. He didn't object...but how long would this go on? How long would they keep trying before it worked? He didn't know when Peng would return, and he didn't want him to come back without having achieved something solid.
He clicked his tongue and sat down, lost in thought. Was his mother deliberately ruining everything? Every time Peng's plans seemed to be working, she would step in with new advice that only made things worse...advice she claimed would bring more money.
He closed his eyes, thinking that even the failure of the charm in Zhan's house might be her fault. She had made him call Malo and tell him everything....what they had done and where they had hidden the charm...claiming that if Malo saw their effort, he would open Peng's wallet wider. And now this disaster had happened.
He couldn't believe Malo was responsible. Malo was Peng's man, and Peng's interests were his interests.ย
Malo had assured him that Peng had left everything in his hands and told him to contact him for anything. So how could Malo betray Peng? Unless someone from Aunty Shui's side had discovered the charm and removed it.
Fuyue shook his head. That was impossible. If anyone in that house had found it, the news would have spread...there was no way it would have stayed silent.
At the same time, Fuyue's thoughts shifted in a direction he had never imagined his mind would reach.
๐๐๐ฅ๐จ.
Malo was the only one who knew about the charm they had hidden. As far as he knew, apart from himself and his mother, no one else was aware of it.
What if Malo was the one who removed it?
What if Malo had betrayed Peng and stopped working for him?
Wouldn't that be enough evidence for Peng to destroy him?
โกโกโก
In the few days Zhan could count since the word marriage had entered his life, there was only one thing that followed each day...visitors.
Visitors were the main feature of his new life. Nainai's relatives...both those he knew and those he barely remembered...kept streaming into the house. Some said they hadn't been able to attend the wedding, while others saw their visits as a way of repaying Nainai for all the kindness she had shown them. So from morning till evening, Zhan never lacked guests.
At first, Zhan handled everything alone, but soon Bai began helping him. No matter who came, it felt wrong to let them leave without offering them anything.
Nainai eventually noticed how the visitors were exhausting Zhan, so she started telling anyone who called that they should wait a couple of days before coming. Even then, the relief was minimal. Yibo rarely stayed in the house.
Zhan realized that Yibo hadn't even taken two full days off from the hospital. The day after their first night together was the only day he stayed home. After that, he went out every day. Whenever Zhan told him there were guests at home, he would simply say he was going back to his other place....the apartment where he used to live and where he still hadn't fully moved his things from.
He would only return at night, carrying shopping bags full of groceries and snacks.ย
Every day he brought something different. Sometimes he would come in and say he had forgotten something in the car and go back out. There were also the packs of bottled water he kept buying....Zhan noticed they disappeared incredibly fast, even though Yibo barely stayed home during the day. Eventually, he started bringing him water whenever he stood up to do something. He even placed a large plastic bag behind the kitchen door to collect the empty bottles because they piled up so quickly.
If Zhan excluded mornings, afternoons, and evenings...times when the house was always full of people....he would say that nighttime was his favorite.
He would take a shower, dress up again, and step out as "the groom," as everyone called him. Often, if Bai was around, they would clean the house together before Bai left.
Zhan lit the Meens Incense he had bought with his own money, instead of the ones Aunty Gumsu had given him. Those were nice, but they didn't compare to the Meens scent he was used to. Anyone who smelled it would immediately ask what fragrance it was.
In this new house, the scent blended with the feeling of novelty, creating an atmosphere that made everything feel fresh and renewed. Visitors would comment on how welcoming the house smelled from the moment they stepped inside. Even without burning incense, the air had already absorbed the scent.
With Yibo, Zhan felt he should have gotten used to the way Yibo pulled him close and praised his scent and the scent of the house. Yet every time Yibo held him, everything felt new again. His heart would race, his thoughts would scatter, and he would feel as though they were doing something forbidden...nothing else mattered in that moment.
Sometimes he wondered if that was all there would ever be between them. In these days, aside from Yibo's embraces, nothing more had happened. Whenever something seemed about to go further, Yibo would quickly pull away or change the subject.ย
Sometimes Zhan noticed a strange look in Yibo's eyes, but whenever he asked, Yibo would simply say he was tired.
Zhan never suspected anything. He was genuinely happy with the way things were. He felt like a real married man, even without anything more.
That was until Yufei started teasing him during their calls with strange comments. At first, Zhan laughed it off, but Yufei eventually realized that Zhan truly didn't understand. So she told him she will send something to him later so they could talk properly.
Earlier that day, Yufei had called and said a package had arrived from Suzhou. She asked for the house address so the delivery driver could drop it off. Zhan tried to ask what it was, but Yufei refused to say.
He waited all day, and early at night, an unfamiliar number called him. A man said he was at the gate of a certain painted house. Zhan had never paid attention to the color of gate paint before, but he knew it was their house, so he went out and collected a large package.
Only after returning inside did he remember to call Yibo. Smiling to himself at the unfamiliar feeling of receiving something new, he went to the kitchen, cut open the wrapping, and found several items he didn't recognize. Then he called Yufei.
Yufei laughed and said it had finally arrived. She complained that no one had ever sent him anything like that and started explaining each item, praising their quality and saying that she had been using them since she got married.
Zhan waited for her to finish, then said he didn't use such things. The ones Aunty Gumsu and Aunty Shui gave him were still unused.
Yufei went silent for a moment, then said,
"๐ฐ ๐ ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ . ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐บ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?"
Zhan paused, turning a bottle in his hand.
"๐ฐ๐'๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐."
"๐พ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?"
He bit his lip slightly.
"๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ."
Yufei exhaled sharply.
"๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?"
Zhan frowned.
"๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?"
Instead of answering, Yufei continued,
"๐ฐ'๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐...๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐."
"๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...."
"๐โ๐ โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ."
At that moment, Zhan felt Yibo's voice beside his ear. His right ear...the one not holding the phone....felt Yibo's arms wrap around his waist, and his scent flooded his senses, overwhelming him. His heart skipped from the suddenness, then leapt again when he remembered the items on the counter.ย
Without thinking, Zhan set the bottle down, ended the call with Yufei, and turned quickly to face Yibo. His movement pressed him even closer into Yibo's arms.
"๐๐ฆ ๐บ๐๐โฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐โ?" Yibo said with a smile.
Zhan shook his head, his heart pounding.
"๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐. ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐."
Yibo smiled again.
"๐ผ ๐๐๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ข ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐โ๐๐๐, ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐'๐ก โ๐๐๐ ๐๐."
Then he looked at the package.
"๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก?"
Zhan didn't even realize when his hand reached up to turn Yibo's face toward him.
"๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐."
Yibo nodded, then looked at the package again.
"๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข โ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐?"
"๐ผ๐ก'๐ ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐. ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. ๐ฝ๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐ ๐๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐."
Yibo nodded again, then looked back at the package.
"๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ? ๐ธ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?"
He pulled Zhan closer and reached for the package. At that moment, for the first time in his life, Zhan grabbed Yibo's shirt tightly and called his name.
"๐๐๐๐!"
๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐, 30 ๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐
2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โค๐