The next morning Zhan woke with puffy eyes from crying himself to sleep. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he checked was if Yibo was on the bed with him. Unfortunately for him, there was no sign that Yibo slept on their bed last night. Zhan's heart clenched dissapointment settled in after realising that he slept alone. He was about to get up and go to the bathroom when an email came through, he took his phone from the nightstand and read it's content.
It was from the new drama that he was supposed to shoot, apparently they had an incident that had happened while setting up the props and two of the people were heavily injured. It was a mistake that was made within the company since they cut off the budget. That left a little for the prop team to work with and since it wasn't enough, they had to work with what they had. When the higher ups found out about the incident, they investigated and found our what had happened. The drama was then cancelled and it was found out that there was not even enough money to pay the actors. Some rumours indicated that someone ran away with money while some suggested that there was never enough money to work with anyway and everything had to be rushed to save money.
After Zhan read the email, he sighed, put his phone down and continued to the bathroom. Whilst in the bathroom, he heard another email come through which he went ahead and read after finishing his morning business. That morning business was different that what he knew that morning. He was hard yes, he peed for long yes but...his nipples were hard and they stood up like he was feeling cold. The other thing which he was aware of was how he felt sick and how he felt weak a minute after he three up.
That only lasted for ten minutes then he was gone to being his normal self. That was something he was trying to get used to and he would stay in the bathroom for that duration of ten minutes plus until it was over. Yibo was unaware of that because before then, Zhan had no idea he was pregnant even with the first sign of his hard nipples. But when he started feeling sick, he realised that it was not a normal thing, especially since it happened every morning.
When he was feeling better, he would stand up from the bathroom floor which he sat and pulled his head out of the toilet bowl, head to the shower and take a long warm shower. He always came out feeling like a new person, like he didn't just have his morning sickness. His morning sickness lasted for a few minutes which made him very lucky since other women complained that it took hours or the whole day for them to feel better. Another thing was how they wouldn't sleep well at night, tossing and turning almost the entire night when Zhan's only problem at night was him craving Yibo before bed, just like last night when Yibo left without giving him anything.
When he came out of the bathroom, he went straight to nightstand and checked the email that had been sent whe he was headed to the bathroom. It was from Mr Wei and he had sent him the details about a new drama which Zhan had to prepare for. Since the one he was preparing for got cancelled, there was no time to waste and he took another one for Zhan. When Zhan read the contents, his face lit up after realising that he still had another shot before he stayed home for the pregnancy. He put back his phone on the nightstand and walked out if the bedroom to go find Yibo.
When he opened the door he was met with the most kind smile he had started to get used to. It was aunty, the older maid who was waiting by the door,waiting for Zhan to come out so that she could clean the room. They exchanged greetings and before Zhan could walk away, he asked if Yibo was at home. The aunty told him that he was in the in the kitchen waiting for him to have breakfast together. That made Zhan so much happy as he walked down the stairs, he had recieved good news so early in the morning, that meant that there was nothing that could go wrong for the day.
When he reached down stairs, Yibo and his men were indeed in the kitchen waiting for him. After he greeted them, he went to sit down next to Yibo by the counter to tell him the good news. Yibo was smiling, mimicking Zhan's smile and how excited he was when he sat down and held his arm. It was like he had forgotten about what had happened the night before. Barry and the others were looking at him like a kid who was given his favourite candy as he told Yibo..
"Yibo, you will not believe this, remember the drama I was busy preparing for...? Well..it turns out that it was cancelled due to two guys who got injured while setting up the props. It is said that they cut the budget and that there was not even enough money to pay us.!"
"What? That's crazy...where did you hear it from so early..?"
"Well... Mr Wei sent me an email with all the details.?"
"Well...then if he was the one who sent it then it means it's true. Anyway...it's a good thing since I won't have to worry about those creeps being around you anymore. Good, besides...I don't want anyone touching you like I do from now on. You're claimed and stamped, which means you belong to me and only me.!"
"Well...he uhm...he sent another email after that one. Uhm...he has already chosen another drama for me"
"Ok...what is the genre..?"
"It's uhm...modern...and it's romance I..I am the main CP"
"There's no way I'm letting you do that, just call take another role.!"
"But Yibo, I need to do this, for me. You know might not get another chance like this after a year. Things would've changed by then, my body would also have changed and maybe I would come back not as good as I am now. Please Yibo, I know you're worried about me and all but please let me do this, just this once. "
"Zhan gē, things are different now between us, we both have ti think twice before we do things and we also have ti check with each other when we're about to do things. Now that you did that and I'm telling you how I feel...why do you still insist on doing it..?"
"Yibo....please let me do it this and I promise I won't bother you with anything at all from now on. It's I ly for four months and I'll be back home before you know it."
Yibo didn't answer Zhan, but rather stood up, took his backpack and left. He didn't have breakfast first cause he was waiting for Zhan to come downstairs so they could all eat. But because of their topic, he felt full and didn't want to eat anymore and he also didn't want to hear what Zhan was about to say. That's how Yibo was, he preferred to walk away from Zhan if he felt like he or Zhan was getting angry, that was to avoid saying things that aren't necessary or things that they might end up regretting. Little did he know that Zhan didn't approve of that. Zhan preferred that they talk it out, no matter what it was, they should talk it out and nit walk out in each other.
He wanted their quarrels, or misunderstandings...whatever it was...to last for less than two hours before they went back to talking and cuddling. But that was not the case for Yibo, even his bodyguards knew about this and they preferred things that way. They knew that when Yibo was angry, he was very frightening. Zhan was very lucky since they knew how exactly he was when he was angry, that not even one person could cool him down. But a lot had changed lately since Yibo had met Zhan, he had begun to be a little more patient when talking about things he didn't agree to. He listened to what was being said to hear the other side's story before agreeing or refusing, but what they noticed was that he was more...understanding.
When Barry followed him out, he was confused just like Larry and Baba what they were talking about. Whatever it was seemed serious, but what they did t understand was since when did Yibo call the shots in Zhan's work..? Why did he insist that Zhan shouldn't take the job and why did Zhan speak as if he was asking for his permission...? Those were the questions that were left unsaid when suddenly Yibo came back inside and went straight upstairs. After a few minutes he came back down and left for work.
Larry and Baba sat down by the kitchen counter and started eating, their eyes were in Zhan the entire time. He looked as if he was sad and about to cry, and for Baba, that was the first. He knew Zhan was very sensitive but not to that extent, he guessed that something must have happened last night while they were arguing about Zhan and his friend kissing so he thought that they must have promised each other something in order to build their trust in each other. But it didn't make sense since Yibo knew that Zhan had to work and that he would never refuse him to work. Now a few hours later things have changed again to a point where Yibo didn't want Zhan to work...?
But what if Zhan didn't tell Yibo that he was not doing the drama anymore, he was fine even though he knew Zhan was working on it but suddenly changed his mind right after Zhan told him he wasn't gonna do it...? What was really going on..? What did Zhan promise Yibo that he felt entitled to Zhan's life and every decision he made..? Did he maybe confess to him about him and someone having an affair at work or what...did he confess that there was indeed more to him and his friend who had kissed him yesterday...? All these questions were running wild in Baba's mind, but he just didn't seem to have the answers to them.
One thing he was sure of was that Zhan was as clean as a whistle, he was not involved with anyone except Yibo. He didn't even seem to have feelings for his friend. Cause from what he realised that day when Zhan met with his friend, he was not looking as if he was expecting anything at all, let alone what his friend had done. From what he saw in Zhan's eyes and his movements, he seemed to be disgusted but he hid it pretty well while they were still inside the restaurant so that not much attention was made on them.
Baba guessed that his friend missed that bland that was why he decided to follow him outside and ask for an answer. Zhan didn't answer him that day as Baba remembered, but he hoped that he gets it and doesn't bother Zhan anymore cause he would out him in a tight spot that he had to refuse him.
Zhan felt his tears threaten to fall right infront of Larry and Baba, so he did what anyone would do. Which was to stand up and head upstairs where he would cry to his heart's content without anyone judging or asking stupid questions such as "are you ok..? Why are you crying...? Are you in pain..? Did...did Yibo...do something to upset you..?" He knew that between Larry and Baba, the latter question would be asked by Baba and he would take his side without knowing what exactly had happened between him and Yibo. He didn't want that, the last thing he wanted was to cause a misunderstanding between Yibo and his men.
He considered himself an outsider when it came to Yibo and his business with his men, he just didn't want to get too involved than he should. Which was why he never asked what Yibo was working on even though Yibo was doing everything infront of him. Yibo was running his businesses, asking for advice from his men and signing all the necessary documents infront of Zhan, he never once hid anything from him. He just thought that soon they will be Zhan's too so there was no need to hide it, rather talk about it openly so that next time he might know what to do and who to ask when he needs advice.
When he reached upstairs, aunty was just about to close the door, and when she saw Zhan run inside while crying, she knew Zhan was upset, so she let him be and closed the door which Zhan had left open. She went downstairs and out all the cleaning stuff away before washi.g her hands and headed to the kitchen to prepare porridge for Zhan. She had a special recipe for porridge and she knew Zhan enjoyed it so...she cooked it. She also wanted to have a chance to speak to Zhan, she regretted the last time Zhan had asked for her advice and she answered in a way she later recalled as harsh and she blamed herself for that.
She knew Zhan's parents were not around for him to ask for advice and she was the the closest thing to a mother to Zhan than the other younger maids in the mansion. She sensed that Zhan needed someone to talk to and she wanted to offer Zhan an ear to listen so that he could release all his sadness. An hour later, she went upstairs and by that time, Larry and Baba were on the way out of the mansion. Each of them was driving and when they got outside the gate, Larry turned left while Baba turned right. Larry was going to check the samples for the new skateboard designs and Baba was in his way to find furniture for the building Yibo had been working on currently in a land that he had just bought.
When aunty reached upstairs, she knocked twice on the door and when she heard Zhan sniff, she knew he wouldn't answer, so she slowly opened the door and let herself in before she closed it again. Zhan was caught off guard since he didn't think she would come inside, he wiped his tears and sat straight from his crouching position. He fixed his hair and his clothes, straightened his back and forced a smile and said...
"Oh..! Aunty...you're here..? You can place the food on the nightstand and I will eat it later."
She could see that he was fighting tears back in his eyes, she could also see that he wanted her out of there as soon as possible. But Zhan was not to, he was not used to aunty talking to him if it wasn't about food and recipes. Apart from that, she would tell Zhan that she would rather not interfere. So when she felt that Zhan was hurrying her out, she smiled and went to take a chair right beside the couch and sat down infront of Zhan He was about to get off the bed when she stopped him and said...
"Oh no! Zhan...please sit down comfortably. Listen son, I'm sorry for last time, I think it was rude of me to say the things I said back them when all you wanted was just and advice. "
"It's okay aunty, you were right, I shouldn't get you involved in such complicated matters. I'm sorry about that."
"No son, I apologize for brushing you off like that. Listen, you were right to ask for my advice, and I promise you that from now on... I will be here when you need an advice or if you need someone to listen. I don't want you to feel like there's no one you can talk to except for Yibo, but even so, the things you can talk to him about are only limited. "
Zhan was so happy to hear that and his smile brightened, making aunty smile back and give him the porridge she just placed on the nightstand. Zhan accepted it and took a whiff before he smiled again and took a spoonful in his mouth. He closed his eyes and moaned at the taste before he took another one, then another one. He did that until the fifth spoon where he abruptly stopped eating and out the bowl back on the nightstand. He decided to sit with his back against the headboard when all of a sudden, he felt as if the porridge he just ate was coming out. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on his stomach and took deep breaths.
Aunty was panicking as to what was happening, she kept on asking Zhan what was wrong as she was scared that maybe she out something that Zhan was allergic to since there was actually a lot of things he was allergic to. Some of them were unknown even to Zhan, so it was only understandable for her to fear for her life when something bad happens to the boss's boyfriend. She panicked and Zhan saw it but he didn't have the energy to tell her to calm down when all of a sedden he felt the urge it throw up again. He quickly got off the bed and went straight for the bathroom where he started throwing up all the contents he had that morning. Those contents were the half slice of toast, one bite of a sausage and those five spoons of porridge, nothing else.
She waited at the door for him to come out and when he did, she was so relived to see a little bit of color to his face. Before then, he was pale and his eyes were deep with lips that looked like they were dry to the touch. He slowly walked out with the help of aunty and went to sit him on the bed before he went to open the bedroom bar fridge and took out a bottle of water. She took a glass and poured half in before she took it to Zhan. She was quick in every movement she made and she couldn't stop mumbling till Zhan captured what she really had said...
"Mr Wang is going to kill me because of this, I'm sorry Zhan...I don't think you would get an allergic reaction since I used the same ingredients in always used before. I don't know why this happened, but what I know is that Mr Wang is going ti kill me for sure. He asked me to make breakfast for you cause you won't eat after he left and that I should take good care of you for him. But here I am messing it up.!"
"Aunty...I'm really fine you don't have to worry about me. I'm not allergic to this tasty porridge at all (weak chuckle) I'll be fine in no time, don't worry about it."
But no matter what Zhan said, aunty wasn't feeling any better, infact, she blamed the food she made. She thought if it wasn't because of the porridge then it was surely the breakfast earlier because she was in charge of preparing Zhan's food. Zhan saw that she wasn't convinced, he realised that people get to worry a lot when they get older. He knew that if he didn't tell her something then she would not stop worrying and blaming herself.
"Aunty...please don't overthink , actually...I know why this happened. Well...I..Yibo and I..."
"What's wrong son.? What's wrong with you two..? Are...are you sick.? Please no...Zhan ...please talk to me.!"
She was in so much panick and she showed no signs of calming down, she wanted answers to her questions and she wanted them right at that moment. Elder people really know how to worry others with their worry.
"No aunty, were not sick, infact...were very much healthy. What I want to tell you is that there are many different kinds of people in this world. Some are too different, so different that they're one in a million. This means they're built, shaped, or even act differently from others. Those who consider themselves normal usually call those people freaks and other nasty names..."
"Zhan...what are you actually trying to say..?"
"What I'm trying to say it that.... aunty...I'm one of those freaks.."
"What...why are you saying that...? You're not a freak...you're just like anybody else. How could you say things like that about yourself..? Look...I'm sure Mr Wang won't like it if he heard you say things like that."
"But aunty, I am a freak. I was born like this and in this entire world, even though not many know what kind of person I really am, one thing is for sure and that is that Yibo really and truly loves me for who I am. I am so grateful to have him by my side."
"Zhan...what's wrong...? Why are you crying now..?"
"Aunty...I...I'm ...
Zhan stopped talking for a few minutes before he saw aunty's eyes that encouraged him. They held no judgement, they held no curiosity but just the care and kindness he recognised as a mother's. It was when she placed her hand over Zhan's did he have the courage of tell her what he wanted to tell her.
"I'm pregnant..!!"
He blurted out the words and shut his eyes, hoping to hear her answer through her breath. But when he didn't, he opened his eyes, slowly, even then, he didn't look at her. He looked looked at his fingers he was playing with and avoided eye contact with her at all cost. Even then...he didn't hear an answer or a sound of judgement he was hoping to hear, but he felt a gentle touch against his chin, nudging him to look up. When his eyes met with aunty's, he saw how she had the brightest look ever in he face, she was smiling and without any words, he knew she was very happy to hear the news.
She held both Zhan's hands and a tear left her eye, she wanted to speak but everytime she did so, her emotions would not let her. So she kept quite and wiped her tear away, she then leg go of Zhan's hands and stood up from the chair. Just as Zhan thought she was leaving, she came closer to the bed and spread her arms. She nodded once and Zhan understood what she wanted to say. He sat up, and kneeling on the bed, he held his arms out and hugged her. That hug, that hug alone opened up the emotions that Zhan had been hiding within. He wasn't hiding then because he didn't feel free to do express himself, but rather because he didn't want to be thought as weak.
Zhan cried and cried until he felt better, it was then that he broke the hug and wiped his tears. Aunty looked at him and she out her hand against his cheek and smiled at him. Zhan quickly sat down and apologised for his behaviour.
"I'm sorry aunty, I..I didn't mean to...I'm sorry about that"
"Zhan...son...why are you apologizing..? You didn't do anything wrong. I wanted to give you a shoulder to cry in since I realised that it was difficult for you to do so with four men around you all the time. I know they must make you feel like you can't do certain things because they might think you're weak, but Zhan...they don't think of you that way...neither does everyone in this mansion. I'm very happy that he's finally found the one he trully loved, who understands him and who's willing to give him only what most people could dream of...a child.
You know what son....from now on, I will take the best care of you. I'm sorry I didn't know you were pregnant which is why I made that porridge for you, Mr Wang also doesn't know that some of the ingredients in there aren't for pregnant people. I'll go make you a healthy breakfast right away."
She was about to leave when Zhan quickly help her hand and said...
"Wait... aunty...I need to also you something.... about Yibo. Well...Uhm...how was Yibo growing up.? I heard you were here when he was still a little boy, that you were working for his parents..?"
"Of course dear, I have been here for so many years. I have seen Mr Wang when he was just a few days old and look at him now... To be honest... he's not an easy man to please, even back then, he was not an easy baby to please either.
You know ....we think you're actually strong willed, brave and most of all...too loving to Mr Wang. You're the only person he listens to and he cares about your what you say. You're the only one who he could walk away from when he's angry but he has never done that with anyone. He preferred to make one stand right infornt of him while he scolds them with their head lowered. He preferred gruesome punishments to everyone who does wrong.
Mr Wang is a cold man, even his appearance shows all that, but that was before he met you. I realised that he can now communicate with others, he can smile at his men and they are now free to express their opinions. I heard them say that even at work he's different, and you know what...? It is all thanks to you. I stayed behind and worked for him since he was a lonely boy who didn't want to speak or be spoken to. I knew it was going to be a challenge but I took it anyway cause I love that boy.
He likes spending time with his grandparents than his parents and even though he had a few words for them, they made sure to pamper him with everything he wanted. When his parents refused him to play with certain toys in fear for his illness, his grandparents let him do even the extreme things. His first ever bike that his grandfather bought for him when he was eight is still in the garage in the basement along with other toys he wasn't allowed to play with by his parents. They kept them there because they didn't want his parents to find out what he does when he's here."
"I thought that he wasn't like this when he was a child, I guess he was a born cold at heart and nothing can melt that Stine heart of his, humph...he's always hard headed and doesn't want to listen."
Aunty looked at Zhan and smiled, then she asked.
"He's not like that anymore, from some of us who actually know him more. Actually...Barry, Mr Jin who works in the garden and I are ones who know him very well. Even though Barry knew him when he was a teenager, I can say he knows him pretty well. He's not as he used to be anyone, you changed him and I guess seeing him this happy makes me happy too. I had promised then that I will be there when he got married to a beautiful woman and have beautiful children. Well...I guess I didn't count a beautiful and kind hearted man who will have beautiful children with him...haha...but it's fine, it's more like a bonus you know."(chuckle)
Time went by fast and soon it was lunch time, it was then when aunty stopped talking and went to prepare lunch for Zhan since he missed breakfast. He ate his lunch and this time he didn't feel sick, aunty knew what to out in a pregnant woman's food to avoid her feeling sick and to keep both mom and baby healthy. Well..in this case then I might have to say pregnant guy. Either way...Zhan felt great after eating his lunch and his mood seemed to have gotten better.
It was five in the afternoon when Zhan heard their bedroom door open. He looked up and saw Yibo standing there, looking at him. Zhan was in his laptop on the bed with a pillow on his lap and a laptop on it, so when Yibo stood there..he just stopped typing for a sec before he continued. This was what Yibo wanted to see, he wanted to see if Zhan was still upset at him about what had happened in the morning. He didn't have a good day at work, which was why he came back early because he felt bad about his behaviour that morning.
Seeing that Zhan was still upset, Yibo closed the door behind him and went towards Zhan. He was holding something on his back and he put his backpack on the chair before he got closer to Zhan. He took out a bunch of flowers from where he was hiding then in his back and out them on the laptop. Zhan immediately stopped working and looked at them before he slowly picked then up and took a whiff. He smiled and Yibo felt relieved to sit down, he out the laptop away, further from them on the bed and removed the pillow on Zhan's lap.
He got even closer and kissed Zhan's cheek and caressed it, the seriousness in his face showed how sincere his words were whe he spoke.
"Zhan gē, I'm sorry about this morning, I promise to be more open from now on. I couldn't concentrate at work to think that I was refusing you to do what you love out of my selfishness. I'm sorry..you're sacrificing a lot for me, and I should be thankful instead of asking you for more. I'm sorry for being selfish. "
Zhan smiled and leaned in on Yibo's touch on his cheek. He nodded and said...
"It's okay, you know...I had a lot of time to think about things, and I think the best decision now is to stop working for now. I'm a men, who is pregnant at that, which shouldn't have been happening at all. I'm in love with another man which means we can either adopt or choose surrogacy. Those are not bad but how lucky am I to have be able to carry my own child like this..? Many women can't even bear children and here I am thinking selfishly about continuing to work.
There aren't any certainties that it won't be dangerous and nothing bad would happen, but with me being allergic to so many things, I might end up putting the baby's life at risk. Remember what happened at Guizhou...? The difference this time is that you won't be there to save me if I have a reaction. So I've decided to stop working whether it's for now or forever..I don't know yet."
"What..? Zhan gē, I think you can still be who you want to be. You can go with aunty and rent a little house closer to the shooting site and she will help you as well as cook for you and being food for you onset, just like how gē gē used to do back in Guizhou. It's only four months, and I've actually discussed it with Mr Wei, and he said there won't be any fighting scenes and things that could cause harm to you and the baby. So you can take it, I'm sorry for being a a bastard this morning."
"Yibo..your wrong, you weren't a bastard but a dick, you didn't even want to listen to what I wanted to say."
"What the– Zhan gē, why do you swear so much these days..? I thought you hated swearing but these days you even swear using words that even I would never use. Now let me tell you ..if you keep swearing like that, I'm gonna have to move to another room and you won't get anything from me."
"Sorry ..I'm sorry...I won't swear again. So..can we do it tonight...? I really can't hold it in much longer. I want you so bad, I want you right now..!!"
Yibo didn't answer, but rather he took of his shirt, revealing his broad shoulders and packed packs that made Zhan go completely crazy that his breath hitched just by looking. Yibo got closer and smirked against Zhan's lips before he captured them, it was a long time since they last did it, that and the pregnancy made Zhan unable to contain his excitement. Yibo's touch made him feel things and when he got to his nipples... Zhan completely lost it. He melted on the bed and with the sound of his hot breath, Yibo felt more turned on that he went straight for Zhan's trousers and unzipped them before taking them off. Zhan laid there, unable to do anything, and Yibo whispered in his ear....
"Zhan gē..let me take care of you..!"
His voice was so seductive that Zhan moaned shamelessly under him.
TBC...