Yibo helped Zhan bath his back and hair, the only part left was Zhan's lower body. He saw that Zhan seemed a bit shy when it came to that and he realised why. Zhan couldn't bath infront of Yibo, it was impossible so Yibo told him to bath and that he can call him when he was done. He went out and stood right behind the door and tood Zhan that he was right outside and he should call him if he needed anything. He went to the closet and took out Zhan's bag and took out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for Zhan before going back to wait at the door.
Zhan finished and he called Yibo who came in immediately. He was caught off guard by Zhan's bare body which looked so inviting to kiss all over. He stood there for a few seconds admiring or drooling...before beeing wakened by Zhan who felt uncomfortable with the way he was looking at him. When Yibo helped Zhan earlier he only saw his back and not his chest. But seeing his wet chest, water dripping to his lower body to the towel around his waist gave Yibo a few possibilities to his imagination.
He walked to Zhan and gave him his clothes, Zhan wanted to tell him to go wait outside but he saw it as bothersome since he had to come in again after he was finished in a minute. He didn't want to push his luck on the way Yibo helped him so he told him to turn around so he could change and Yibo did. After getting dressed, he helped Zhan out to the bed, it's not like Zhan was unable to walk. But the medication which was administered to him made him a little groggy and he was concerned that Zhan night maybe fall from the effect.
They walked out of the room while Zhan found fun in teasing Yibo about him sending the nurse away to prevent her from giving Zhan a sponge bath while Yibo argued that he did that so that he could take a bath himself so he could atleast move around a little. They were giggling while Yibo's hand wrapped aournd his shoulder and Zhan pulling his IV hook, they failed to notice the visitors who came a few minutes back while they were helping each other dress up in the bathroom. They froze in the spot after they saw them, well...it was Zhan who froze because of loosing at his parents. They had heard everything and he was embarrassed as well as afraid of what his mother might say.
Zhan had a perfect relationship with his father where as his mother was the one who was strict. So when he saw them there, he already knew that they must have heard everything and him coming out of the bathroom with Yibo was the most dangerous act because they would think they bathed together. Zhan's mother stood up from the couch, she approached them with a face that didn't show what she felt and Zhan trembled a little after seeing that. He tried to remove Yibo's arms around him and when he did, he felt a little weak that he almost fell when Yibo caught him again quickly.
He walked him to his bed and sat him down and covered his lower body with a blanket and stood a few feet from him. The silence in the room was suffocating that Zhan felt like he was going to pass out, his mother came closer to him while his father remained seated looking at Yibo with a look that showed he wasn't happy. Yibo looked at Zhan's father and went over to him and bowed his greeting, receiving silence from the older, but he wasn't discouraged, not at all. He knew Zhan's father's reaction was normal for a man who thought his son was gay, he knew he and Zhan were only friends from work but he didn't want to tell him that.
He wanted to leave out possibilities since he wasn't sure of his feelings for Zhan, so it was better he if Zhan's father handled the matter sooner than later when or if they start dating. Mr Xiao stood up and went to his son and sat down on a chair next to his wife. Mrs Xiao was worried about her son so nothing was going to dissapoint her and not even seeing her son letting a another man hang his arms around him. Sh was happy that he was getting better so he could continue his work. Yibo sat went and greeted Mrs Xiao and she turned around and greeted him back with an expression this time. But it wasn't the one Yibo had thought , I was the kind of expression that showed how unhappy she was, with what...? Yibo wasn't sure.
He went to the couch and sat down and started working, he read hi emails amd sent emails in his laptop while he recieved dozens of calls regarding his businesses. Zhan kept on stealing glances frok him, he found that the serious face Yibo out on while working awas kind of sexy. Well...he was indeed and he somehow forgot that his parents were right next to him when he forgot to focus his eyes back at them while smiling, making his parents look at him and what he was looking at. Mrs Xiao looked at her husband to see if he saw that and yes, he had seen it all. He didn't say anything but he had seen everything.
"Zhan Zhan dear, you need to be careful next time. I thought I almost lost you son, don't ever scare ma like that okay...? You are my only child and what would i have done if Yibo didn't bring you here. Look at you now, you look so much better than yesterday. Now I understand why this hospital was his first choice. You need to thank him properly once you're better huh...maybe take him for a nice meal okay.."
"Yes mā, I will."
Zhan's answer was short and straight, that's because he still didn't know how his parents felt when they saw him and Yibo walking out of the bathroom like that. So...he agreed with them and focused on them, he had missed them so much, so he started chatting with his father to catch up. But to his surprise...his father wasn't his he expected him to be, he seemed to be stressed, so he asked...
"Pa...are you alright...? You seem to be spacing out a lot, is everything okay..? "
" No Zhan ...I'm not alright, nothing can be alright when my son is in a relationship with a man."
"WHAT..? Pa...what are you talking about...? I'm not in any relationship. What makes you think that...? Did you get it from the internet...? Pa...you know you can't believe everything there people say, remember how many rumours spread about me dating an actress after they saw us just having conversation...? What about the those who said I'm privately dating my manager...? You really cannot believe these people, they make things up all the time without the care of his we feel about them or his it would affect us and our careers. When I find someone who loves me the way I love them then I will let you know...okay pa...?"
"Then why didn't you tell me that you're dating that boy over there...? I didn't read about it, I saw it for myself, or are you going to deny it..?"
"Pa...please...can't I have a friend who cares about me and help me the way does..?"
"A friend cannot do he things he did for you.."
"What do you mean dad...? What has Yibo done for me other than bringing me to this good hospital..? The management is even paying for it so does that mean I'm in a relationship with the manager too...?"
"The management is paying...? Zhan...who told you that...?"
"Yibo told me, he spoke to them about it and they agreed to pay for my medical expenses. Pa...don't you think you are over thinking..? I will personally come home and inform you when I find the right person okay...don't be mad ."
"The right person... does that mean you're not that serious about that boy...? Aiyo... honey....what did we do wring in raising this boy..? He even knows how to fool around with others...(sigh )"
"Honey...don't say that, he said he will tell us when he finds the right person. Do you know how hard it is these days..? Zhan Zhan is even a celebrity, many people night get closer to him only because of his hard earned money. So don't push him to make mistakes alright honey...? He's grown up already, he can take care of himself and make his own decisions...right son...?"
"Yes mā...I wint make a mistake, that boy is just a friend and nothing more than that, his can we be in a relationship...it's impossible... believe me pa."
Zhan's mother watched Yibo's expression after Zhan said that and she realised that he was hurt by it. Yibo was in call and he hung up when Zhan first said he was a boy and the rest of the sentence made him stop what he was doing and sigh. That sigh was nit just a sigh, it was more like defeat. He felt he had no chance with Zhan because first he was younger, but he didn't like the word Zhan used... 'boy', to him it meant that he was way younger...like an immature young man. He was deeply hurt and Mrs Xiao seeing that he knew why and she understood.
She realised that her son was trying so hard to convince his father that he wasn't in a relationship with him, that he even used terms which were offending to Yibo. It's not like he care about Yibo more about Yibo's feelings than those of his son's, but she knew that Yibo was older than his age. He had performed first aid for his son without any hustles, saving his life in the process. He knew what to do in the most critical moment of his son's life and even brought him to the most expensive hospital, not only that...he even paid for the medical fees and kept it a secret from them. How can such a young man be just a 'boy' he proved to himself that he was a good person to Mrs Xiao because he would have told Zhan that he was the one paying for his medical fees.
She saw that her blind son only cared about assuring his father without even an ounce of care how Yibo would feel. She felt bad for Yibo, but no one was even sure if she whole heartedly accepted their new born relationship. She remembered that her son came home a few years ago when he came back from participating in a certain show and asked her what she would think if he liked a man. Well...she refused to answer such a question and what she only said was..."don't even think about it Zhan Zhan, it's not gonna happen, never...!!" She understood that his son might be hiding their relationship or maybe Yibo was the only one interested in his son, one of the two. So...
She stood up and went to sit beside Yibo on the couch and paced her hand in his shoulder...
"Yibo dear...are you upset about something...? Did my son say anything that hurt your feelings..?"
"Aunty...Zhan can't even hurt a fly, you know that aunty...I'm fine, it's just-..I'm fine."
"You can tell me son...don't be afraid to say what comes to your mind, it will stay there and cause you to worry unnecessarily. Just talk to me...okay..?"
"Thank you aunty...but..I don't blame Zhan gē for saying that, aunty and uncle are the most important people in his life. I get that I'm young but..."
"But he called me a-..."
"Did that upset you...?"
"No...it..it made me feel like he would never see my efforts. To him I'm just a boy and that's why he's nice to me, I guess I am still a boy."
"Yibo...do you...perhaps like my Zhan...?"
That question but Yibo staright in the stomach, he felt as a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown all over his body. He had thought if the possibility of liking Zhn but he dismissed it after thinking that Zhan might have been hospitalized because someone in the crew, whom he knew exactly who it was... might have done that to Zhan because he didn't want him close to Zhan. But it had never left his mind and he couldn't control his feelings although he tried. Now that he had been asked that question...he knew his to answer it at that time, but he couldn't answer it because of the one who had asked it. He lowered his head and sat straight, biting his lips, not knowing what to say.
He knew he couldn't lie to an elder, so he didn't answer. Mrs Xiao smiled and tightened her hand on his shoulder to bring back his attention and he looked at her. She looked straight into his eyes and he couldn't, the only thing he could do at that time was to avert his gaze and look elsewhere. But his eyes caught the man he so much admired. His actions were unknown to him, he was oblivious to the fact that he was looking at Zhan after such a question had been asked of him. His eyes softened looking at Zhan smiling and laughing with his father that he totally forgot Zhan's mother was sitting right next to him. A voice sounded again and brought him back to the person sitting right besides him, making his ears red.
"Yibo dear...you don't have to answer me, I already know the answer. But son...do you think it's a good idea to do that...? Zhan's career is just at its early stage and yours...well...yours is beyond the level of expectations, but don't you think Zhan might suffer because if the outcomes of your love..? Do you care about him enough to let him go so that he could further his career and maybe to where yours is right now...or do you care about him enough to want him right next you to protect and care for...?"
"I...I..."
"Let me know before you two go back to work. We will take our leave now, thank you so much for taking care of my son. I really could not think of what might happened if you didn't help him at that critical time. Thank you son...take care of yourself okay...?we'll leave now..."