All That We Held Dear - YiZhan (COMPLETED)

Arc IV - Little by Little - Part 9

Xiao Zhan still had a sombre expression when he walked back into Yibo's room and, lost in thoughts, distractedly sat by the bed. If the connection between uncle and nephew was made, Yibo would more than ever need a room in a private ward. Yet, the nature of the problem itself made it so he couldn't access his money, which made it impossible for him to afford to pay for such a room. A loan would have been the easiest option, but now that his assets were frozen, he had nothing to borrow against.

No matter how many mental calculations he made, Xiao Zhan knew he couldn't possibly afford to pay for all the care Yibo needed without taking money out of investments which would definitely lead to heavy penalties. If it came down to it, he would do it, but he realized that there was a line that, once crossed, would land them both in penury. The best solution remained the agency's insurance covering all the costs, but he was at a loss as to how to force their hand. If even Yibo's agent couldn't do it, who was he to succeed?

Then there was the issue of his knee surgery. Why hadn't he been told? An easy way to get an answer would have been to ask Yibo, but the man had shot down every direct inquiry about his health so far. It was unlike him to keep quiet about hardships. Xiao Zhan had always known him to be open about challenges in his life, and even when others couldn't do anything to help him, Yibo had never been the kind to grit his teeth and pretend everything was alright. This, more than the nature of the surgery itself, worried him.

Xiao Zhan suddenly realized that the room had grown quiet. He lifted his eyes from the spot on the bed he'd been mindlessly staring at and came face to face with Yibo's eyes.

"Everything ok?" The man asked.

Xiao Zhan momentarily lost himself in his gaze.

"Uh? Oh. Yes," he replied, flustered.

His cheeks flushed, but he made an effort not to look away.

"Work stuff," he added, now being the one hiding things. The irony wasn't lost on him, but he didn't want to tell Yibo about the financial problems until he'd found a solution.

The man tilted his head slightly before suddenly extending a hand toward Xiao Zhan's face. A frisson ran through his body as Yibo's fingers delicately landed on his right cheekbone, only to flutter away immediately.

"Eyelash," said Yibo, showing him the tip of his index.

"Ah...! Thank you," said Xiao Zhan in a slightly higher pitch than usual.

He cleared his throat.

"How are you doing with this?" He asked, pointing at the small bricks on the table and hoping that he hadn't betrayed his inner agitation.

Yibo turned to his spread.

"I'm trying to separate them in order of assembly, but I don't have enough space to do it properly."

As he said the words, he showed Xiao Zhan a few plastic bags containing bricks he had no space for.

"Why don't you call a nurse?" Asked Xiao Zhan, his heartbeat slowly settling. "I'm sure we can have them bring another table."

Yibo shook his head.

"It's fine. I don't want to disturb them for something like that," he hurriedly replied.

"I'm sure it's..."

Xiao Zhan let his sentence hang unfinished when he saw panic flash across Yibo's face. He immediately turned to see what had caught his eyes. A woman in a stylish winter coat walked in with a smile. It took a second for Xiao Zhan to realize that this was Sunmi. He'd rarely seen her out of uniform and with her hair down, which was why he hadn't known her at first sight. He quickly shot a glance at Yibo. He looked fine now, but it was clear he hadn't recognized the nurse at first, either.