Yuting watched as Yibo was about to enter his room and called out, "Hey."
He turned around, looking at his mother.
"If you won't eat your food then put your plate away?" she said.
"I ate a little Mu Qin," Yibo replied.
"Fine, go take your medicine and stop making that face," Yuting said.
Quietly, he muttered, "I already took it, Mu Qin. My head and back still hurt."
Yuting sighed. "I hope you feel better soon."
Just as Yibo was about to enter his room, he hesitated, then turned back and sat beside her. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Mu Qin, if I tell you something, will you promise not to scold me?"
She gave him a look. "If it's something worth scolding, then of course, I will."
He hesitated, his eyes darting away.
"I'm listening," Yuting said.
Looking down, he finally spoke. "That man you overheard me talking to last night… I met him again today at the shopping mall."
She raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"He… bought me some things," Yibo admitted, his voice softening.
"What things?" she asked.
He shifted slightly away from her. "Chocolates, sweets… and some snacks…"
Yuting stared at him. "Where are they?"
Yibo moved a little further away. "I left them in Nainai's room… I was afraid you'd scold me."
"So now you're lying to me? You didn't know he was buying them for you?"
Almost pouting, he said, "I swear, Mu Qin, I didn't know! We just met at the supermarket."
Yuting crossed her arms. "And where do you even know him from?"
"I already told you—he's Jun Bin Ge's friend and Mian Mian's my classmate older brother. We met at Wei Po's house."
Yuting sighed. "Alright. But you better be careful, Yibo. You know your dad won't take this lightly if he finds out. Don't bring me any trouble. And stop acting like a child—you should know better by now."
Yibo didn't respond. He just stood up slowly and went to his room.
Zhan was sitting in Nainai's sitting room after coming back from work on Tuesday. She was busy sweeping while Yibo lay asleep on the three-seater couch. Zhan had only glanced at him once and hadn't looked at him again.
After a while, Nainai came into the room and started dusting the chairs, muttering, "Honestly, that boy, Quentin's son, is such a handful. He's ruined all my cushions, and I can't even complain because I don't want to embarrass myself in front of guests. He's like a cat—always lying around. And now, with his leg pain acting up, he didn't even go to his lessons today.
"May the heavens help my grandson and take away whatever this strange illness is. I should probably visit A-Ji soon and see what can be done. I don't care what Zong and Quentin have to say about it—it's not like we're going to some shady place."
Seeing Nainai stirring a basin of soapy water, Zhan said, "I need to talk to you. Leave that endless cleaning for a moment and listen to me."
She glanced at him. "If I stop working, the house will be a mess. Or do you think this place stays clean on its own? Don't you enjoy the fresh air when you walk into the sitting room?"
He sighed. "I want to talk about Papa, Nainai. I really don't want to go on this trip. I can't even drink the water there, let alone eat the food. The last time we went, I barely ate anything the whole time."
Nainai stared at him in surprise. After a moment, she asked, "So what do you want me to do?"
"Just tell Papa you need to send me to Guangzhou and that Seth can drive them instead," Zhan said.
She raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to call him now?"
"Yes, call him and ask him to talk to me. You know if you tell me yourself, i won't take it seriously."
Nainai stood up, grabbed her phone, and said, "Fine, call him."
Zhan dialed his father's number, put it on speaker, and handed the phone to her. Meanwhile, Yibo groaned dramatically, pouting because his sleep had been interrupted, though no one paid him any attention.
When Zong picked up, Nainai greeted him, "Zong?"
"Good afternoon," Zong replied.
"Afternoon, my dear. I've been busy all day cleaning, wiping down the windows, and dusting every corner," she said.
"That's good. How are you?"
She adjusted her seat. "Oh, I'm fine. But, Zong, do you even realize what kind of trouble you brought upon yourself? Where do you think people truly belong?"
"I don't understand," Zong replied.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," she huffed. "I'm asking about our roots. Where do i and your father come from?"
"The village, of course," he answered.
"Exactly! And now, here comes Zhan barging in before he even says a proper hello, demanding that I tell you something. He says he absolutely refuses to go to the village. Last time, he barely ate anything, and now he wants me to lie and tell you I need to send him to Guangzhou just so Seth can go in his place. Does he think I'd lie for him? I've never been one to betray trust! And this—this is why I always told you to take them there more often when they were kids!"
Zhan gaped at her in disbelief. Yibo, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly burst into laughter.
Zong sighed. "Alright, let him be. Seth can take care of it."
Nainai nodded. "Fine. Just keep an eye on Zhan—pray for him, because that's all you can do."
She ended the call and lowered her voice, turning to Zhan. "If you don't want to go, then don't. No matter how much Zong complains, just ignore him. Why suffer needlessly? Even I can't eat anything from Yong Dan's house without getting sick."
Zhan's expression darkened. As he turned to leave, Yibo's laughter got even louder. Annoyed, Zhan spun around and struck him on the leg before storming off.
Yibo let out a sharp scream and grabbed his leg in pain.
Nainai shot up from her seat. "Go after him! Don't just sit there and let him think he can hit you like that!"
Still holding his leg, Yibo sniffled and hobbled to his wing, crying.
Hearing the noise, Yuting rushed out of the kitchen. "What's going on?"
Between sniffles, Yibo said, "Gege kicked my ached leg really hard. Now it hurts even more, Mu Qin. I didn't do anything to him!"
He collapsed onto the couch, crying even harder.
Yuting knelt beside him, inspecting his leg. The area was already turning red and raised a little.
Without another word, she got up and marched straight to Zhan's section of the house.
Zhan was sitting at the dining table, fuming, while Zihan was in the kitchen with Meiling.
Yuting stood in the sitting room and asked sternly, "Zhan, what did Yibo do to you that made you kick him?"
Zhan glanced at her but looked away without responding. She walked up to the dining table, her expression serious. "I'm asking you a question, young man. Are you losing your mind that you think you can just kick him like that? I swear, even if it was a mistake, don't you dare do it again, or I will take serious action against you."
Hearing the commotion, Zihan rushed out of the kitchen. "What's going on, Yuting?"
Still visibly upset, Yuting snapped, "You all better talk some sense into him and make sure he stays away from Yibo in this house! If he ever lays a hand on him again, there will be chaos. The last time, I let it slide, but this will be the last. If he does it again, I swear, I will make sure Yibo gets justice!"
Zihan quickly tried to calm her down. Meanwhile, Zhan stood up and stormed upstairs without another word.
As Yuting turned to leave, she almost collided with Yichen, who was just returning home with Mengxi. Without acknowledging them, she walked past and headed straight to her part.
A few moments later, she came out holding a pain relief balm and sat beside Yibo, gently massaging it onto his injured leg.
As she applied the balm, Yibo whimpered, "Mu Qin, did you go talk to Gege?"
"Yes I did?," she replied firmly. "Did he give birth to you for me?"
Yibo looked at her hesitantly. "Did you scold him?"
"I did more than just scold him," Yuting said.
Yibo's eyes widened in surprise. "But Mu Qin… I was laughing at him."
He barely dodged the slap she aimed at him. Jumping up quickly, he pouted before running to his room and locking the door. From behind the door, he could still hear Yuting's warning. "If I ever see you sitting next to Zhan again, I will break your legs in this house!"
:-*:-*:-*:-*:-*:-*
Nainai gaped at Zhan as he finished speaking. Pushing her food aside, she said, "Something is definitely wrong. And Yuting? When did she become like this? Yibo must be truly troublesome if his mother is causing such an uproar over him. Who knows what that boy has been scheming? That's probably why they still haven't figured out what's wrong with his him. And now, a young boy like him is causing so much conflict in the family? You should have just told Yuting, 'No, I won't argue with you because you're like a mother to me. After all, you're almost my mother's age.' But instead, you just stood there in silence?"
Zhan scoffed. "I won't say anything to her. But if she dares to treat me like this again in this house, then whatever happens, happens."
Nainai clicked her tongue. "Well, I'm going to talk to her."
Zhan quickly protested, "No, don't say anything to her."
Nainai sighed in frustration. "Of course, I have to talk to her! She's making your life miserable over a spoiled, troublemaking brat."
With that, she stormed out of the sitting room.
Meanwhile, Yuting was still applying the balm to Yibo's foot when Nainai entered. Yuting stood up immediately and greeted her, "Welcome, Mother."
Nainai waved her hand dismissively. "There's no need for that. Yuting, are you seriously attacking Zhan over your son? You're going after him so aggressively, acting like you're ready to fight him at any moment. Since when do you interfere in the matters of your in-laws? Isn't Yibo's father Zhan Uncle? And you, who exactly do you think you are? Where's your shame? Where's your self-respect? You're meddling in your husband's family affairs without a second thought. And what's worse, I was just sitting there when Zhan slightly kick h, and suddenly, that troublemaker started crying and throwing a tantrum right in front of me! I had to chase him out. I'm warning you—don't ruin our family's harmony. If Zhan had disciplined Yibo today, it's because he's his elder brother and has every right to do so."
"If it weren't for Zhan standing by Yibo during his past health struggles, he might not have survived. People should have a conscience. And now, thanks to Quentin's indifference, you've been left to deal with everything alone. I don't want to hear another word about this child; keep him out of my concerns. And as for you, stop being foolish—why are you involving yourself in family matters?" With that, Nainai stormed out of the living room.
Yuting crossed her arms and looked at Yibo sternly. "I swear, if I ever see you sitting near Zhan again in this house, I will make sure you regret it."
Yibo remained silent, not daring to say a word.
Around eleven o'clock, Yibo struggled to get up from where he had been lying down, barely able to move. His entire body ached, and he felt feverish. As he was about to head to his room, Yuting, who was sitting in the living room, called out, "Do you hear me?"
Yibo turned to look at her.
"Tomorrow morning, tell them you're not feeling well and can't travel. You're not going anywhere. I refuse to let you go just to deal with the aftermath of your illness while everyone else goes off enjoying themselves."
Yibo simply stared at her for a moment before replying, "Okay," and then headed to his room to lie down.
:-*:-*:-*:-*:-*
The next morning, at exactly nine o'clock, Meiling, Xinyi, and Mengxi were ready for their trip. Each of them had packed two sets of clothes, and Zong had given them money for expenses. As he looked at Xinyi, he instructed, "Go check if Yibo is ready."
Xinyi stepped out of the living room and headed to Yibo's section of the house.
At that moment, Yuting was just coming out of Yibo's bedroom, holding a cup of tea. He had woken up with a high fever that morning.
Xinyi walked into the living room, greeted Yuting, and then said, "Papa wants Yibo to come out."
Yuting shook her head. "He's not feeling well today."
When Xinyi returned to inform Zong, he frowned. "He's sick?" He immediately stood up and walked toward Yibo's wing.
As he reached the hallway, he ran into Zhan, who was just returning from Nainai's side of the house.
Zong said, "Yibo isn't feeling well today."
Zhan's eyes widened. "What?"
"I'm going to check on him," Zong added.
Zhan hesitated for a moment, as if he was about to walk away, but then silently followed behind Zong.
Inside the room, Yuting greeted Zong when he entered, and Zhan lowered his head respectfully as he greeted her. She responded curtly without looking at him.
Zong asked, "How is he doing?"
Yuting replied, "He's a bit better. He wasn't feeling well since last night."
Zong sighed. "That's unexpected."
"He's inside," Yuting said, motioning toward the bedroom.
Zong entered the room with Zhan following behind him. Yibo was lying under a thick duvet, but despite that, he was still shivering.
Zong pulled the duvet away slightly and said, "How are you feeling, Yibo?"
Yibo slowly opened his eyes, which were dull and unfocused.
"Where does it hurt?" Zong asked.
Yibo just shook his head weakly, unable to pinpoint the pain.
Zhan knelt beside him and reached out to check his temperature.
Zong observed the concern on Zhan's face and asked, "Should we take him to the hospital?"
Before Zhan could respond, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.
Nainai burst in, looking frantic. "Ah! I knew something was wrong! We hadn't even reached the worst of it, and look where we are already. I swear, Zong, Zhan bottled up all his frustration and then suddenly took it out by kicking Yibo!"
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛