YIZHAN : I MARRIED THE DISABLED YOUNG MASTER TO GET MY REVENGE

Chapter 1/1

The room was submerged in a soft gloom.

The only light came from a bunny-shaped night light placed on the bedside table. It cast a soft, warm glow, drawing round, trembling shadows on the walls.

On the big bed, curled up under a blanket too thick for the Thai heat, a small figure was sleeping peacefully.
A child. Calm breath, rosy cheeks, lips slightly parted.
His little arms clutched a bunny plushie to his chest, worn thin from being loved so much, its ears flattened against his cheek.

His breathing was steady, calm. Peaceful.

By the bedside, in a black leather armchair, Sean Xiao Zhan was sitting.
One leg crossed over the other. Back straight despite the fatigue.
Black shirt unbuttoned at the collar, black joggers.
Impeccable, even at 3 a.m.

In his right hand, a white porcelain cup, from which rose the sweet steam of honey tea still smoking. In his left hand, he was tapping on his phone screen. His thumb slid across the screen with weary focus.

He was scrolling through an email, his face impassive.
Absolute focus. Cold eyes.

_Another report to approve. Another account to drain. Another problem to bury and deal with from a distance._

He was about to open the link in an email when-

_Vrrr. Vrrr._
The phone vibrated. The screen lit up.

_MR. XU QING_
The name appeared large on the screen. In cold, capital letters.

The name hit Zhan like a blow.
His blood ran cold. His hand froze halfway. His gaze darkened instantly. His jaw clenched and a short breath escaped him.

His hand around the cup tightened just a little too much, by a millimeter.
He didn't pick up right away. He looked at the child on the bed, making sure the noise hadn't woken him.

_Not him. Not now._
_Not in front of the child._

Without a sound, he stood up in one fluid motion. He set the cup down on the table, but picked it back up immediately. He wouldn't be drinking it anymore.

He left the room on tiptoes. The door closed softly behind him with a barely audible click.

He stepped out into the hallway.

Destination: the balcony.

The Bangkok night air of Thailand hit him full force. Like a wet slap. Cold.
Hot during the day, glacial at this hour.
He was wearing only a thin black shirt and black joggers. The cold bit into his skin but he didn't shiver. He didn't care.

He leaned against the railing, his fingers still clenched tightly around the cup. The steam dissipated too quickly. Below, the city of Bangkok was asleep.

He sighed. A long one. A sigh that came from deep in his gut. As if he was holding 10 years of anger in his lungs.
He stayed a minute just breathing.
Then he answered.
And when his voice came out, it was neutral. Icy. Polite. Cutting, like how you speak to a glass corpse.

Zhan : - What do you want from me, Mr. Xu?

A silence. Then a voice. Acerbic and dry. Used to giving orders answered from the other side.
Xu Qing : - I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, Sean. Come back to China.

Three seconds of silence passed.
Then Xiao Zhan burst out laughing. A dry, short laugh, devoid of joy. Brutal. Uncontrollable, that echoed against the walls of the balcony and startled a sleeping bird in a tree.

He was laughing as if he'd just heard the best joke of his life.

_Ah. There he is. The adoptive father who threw me out at 16. Who signed the papers for "incorrigible". "Disgrace to the family"._
_And 6 years later he's calling me to give me orders to come back?_