As much as Zoey enjoyed watching Xiao Zhan's love life unfold, outsiders can only indulge so long before they start to reflect on their pathetic situation and have to walk away. Zoey exited the department and headed towards Zhuo Cheng's office since she wasn't exactly a single-lonely soul. She needed a reminder that she also had someone who would buy her lunch!
Entering the VIP department, Zoey saw Zhuo Cheng standing at the front desk and gave her greeting. Before he could reply, his focus adjusted to the elevator connecting to the private parking lot. Exiting the elevator was Cheng Xiao and her manager.
"Miss Yu, what brings you here today, " Zoey greeted.
It took Cheng Xiao a moment to registered who Zoey was before answering, "I'm here to follow-up on my ankle."
"I don't think your appointment is today." Zoey may not know Xiao Zhan's schedule to the tee, but she was sure that Cheng Xiao was not on the schedule.
"Ah. I had some free time today and was hoping to get reevaluated instead of waiting until next week since my schedule will be packed then."
"Oh~," Zoey voiced and turned to Zhuo Cheng. Your turn, she silently tagged him.
"Dr. Xiao is fully booked today so we'll have one of our providers up here evaluate you, Miss Yu."
Cheng Xiao was about to reject the idea, but Zhuo Cheng foresaw the reaction and interjected the moment she opened her mouth, "Last time, I abused my power and cleared Dr. Xiao's schedule without prior approval since you are an important patient to us. However, I can't keep disrupting other departments without justifiable reasons. All of our providers are great people and the ones in the VIP lounge are the best of them all." Zhuo Cheng paused and stared into Cheng Xiao's eyes. "Please have faith in them."
Though Cheng Xiao was currently driven by jealousy, she was naturally a good girl who was raised to be respectful and not cause trouble for others. She can clearly hear the scolding tone in Zhuo Cheng's voice and the glare that told her all was final. Either she listened to him or leave. Not wanting to look like a fool with a tail in between her leg, she gave in and followed Zhuo Cheng to a VIP room.
Zoey took the opportunity to return to her office and guide Xiao Zhan somewhere else for the time being. Seeing how Cheng Xiao had "free time" today, Zoey figured she'll show up in front of Xiao Zhan after her evaluation since her goal for entering this hospital was never about her ankle.
When she returned to her department, she decided to engage the children into her game since Wang-er gonzi already used them for his courting. Not seeing either man in sight, Zoey waved Fan Xing over and asked where they were.
"Uncle Xiao is seeing the last patient and uncle Yibo went to the bathroom."
Zoey then called the rest of the boys over, "Hey, are you guys enjoying how your uncles are acting like fools?"
It took a moment for them to register what she was talking about, but once they did they all nodded in agreement.
"Then I need your assistance to keep a potential roadblock out of their sight." She quickly told them about Cheng Xiao's presence and how she needed them to keep YiZhan out of site for the next hour. Fan Xing and Pei Xin agreed instantly since this person was clearly an enemy of their precious uncle.
As for Guo Cheng and Jun Xiang, there was hesitancy since they knew who Cheng Xiao was personally. To them, she was a nice and gentle aunt who brought them presents every time she came over so they liked her. However, when seeing how Yibo treated Xiao Zhan, they understood that their uncle liked this person more than Cheng Xiao since they have never seen their uncle smile this way to anyone outside of the family. It was also the first time they saw him spoiled another person. Just look at all these foods, Guo Cheng never received even half the quantity on his birthdays!
As much as they liked Cheng Xiao, they still wanted to see more of this happier side of Yibo so they agreed to the plot after some thoughts (and Zoey offering to buy them deserts).
When Yizhan returned, they were immediately dragged towards the cafe since the kids insisted on eating lunch there. Zoey figured the canteen was along the route to the VIP department and was too dangerous. She also texted Zhuo Cheng to monitor Cheng Xiao and if she was near the cafe to inform Pei Xin.
From this moment on, a private YiZhan gang was formed where their vows were:
Create opportunities for YiZhan
Hide Xiao Zhan from Cheng Xiao
Mainly for the children - obtain food and toys as compensation for their hard work
~~~~~
Yibo continued to deliver food to the hospital be it breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even 'tea time'. At some point, he didn't even bother using the children as an excuse and everyone stopped questioning as well. As a matter of fact, there was an unspoken expectation from the staff to get free food several times a week.
On one such occasion, Yu Bin 'accidentally'' mentioned how Xiao Zhan's version of the dish was a lot better.
Yibo raised one eyebrow and looked at Xiao Zhan, but voiced his question at Yubin, "Is he a great cook?"
"You haven't tried it," Zoey covered her mouth in astonishment. "Xiao Zhan, how could you? With all of these free foods and you haven't repaid him yet?" Zoey scanned Xiao Zhan from head-to-toe when she said 'repaid'.
Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes at her exaggerated disappointment and obvious innuendo.
"She's right Zhan-ge," Yibo played along. "I think I deserve a home-cooked meal."
Xiao Zhan turned his head towards Yibo, feeling truly offended by the accusation. It's not like he was the one who requested for these foods. Why were they turning him into someone who doesn't know how to repay a debt?!
"Fine. Thank You for the food Wang-er gonzi." Oh, he's mad, Yibo and the rest of the staff thought.
Xiao Zhan returned to his meal as he finished his thought, "I'll be sure to repay your kindness."
Hearing the softened tone as he finished his sentence, the staff hid their smiles and continued to eat. They have never seen Xiao Zhan mad before, but they also wanted to give the man his moments even when it's clearly not that serious.
Before Yibo drove away from the hospital that day, he received a text from Xiao Zhan.
[Zhan-ge: When are you free for dinner?
Zhan-ge: What do you want to eat?
WYB: 😸
WYB: I'll be happy with whatever you make]
~~~~~
A few nights later, Yibo found himself in front of Xiao Zhan's door with one hand holding a bag of makkoli and another hovering over the doorbell. He has memorized Xiao Zhan's address since the day he sent the lotus flower bouquet. However, to be here in person required a whole different mindset.
For dinner tonight, Xiao Zhan decided to try making Korean food since he remembered that Yibo studied abroad at Seoul University for a semester. He figured Yibo would enjoy the flavors, but Xiao Zhan doesn't guarantee the authenticity. Yibo was simply grateful for the thoughts and doesn't care if it tastes like dirt.
Still feeling too nervous to push the doorbell for some odd reason, Yibo decided it was more important to see Xiao Zhan in his home environment than running away. When Xiao Zhan answered the door however, Yibo couldn't decide if he made the right reason.
In front of him was the usual gentle doctor with his bright, heavenly smile. The icing on the cake was that the said man was adorned in a taupe apron over his white dress shirt, creating a different sort of comfort in comparison to his white coat. With the living room in the backdrop, Yibo was overwhelmed with a desire to pounce on this ge-ge, which was no way appropriate for a first home visit. Therefore, Yibo regretted that he didn't choose to run away.
"Yibo, come in." Xiao reached out to grab the bag from Yibo.
Still lost in his fantasy, Yibo followed Xiao Zhan's order and stepped into the apartment. A quick scan and Yibo can tell who lived here based on the simplicity and color scheme of decoration. Outside of his Xiao Zhan's white coat, Yibo learned that his favorite colors were black and red.
The original apartment was painted in white which Xiao Zhan utilized as the lighter tone in contrast to his color schemes. The living room consisted of a black sofa with blood-red stitching and pillows, a charcoal-stained wood coffee table with matching entertainment center, and a set of red-stained wood lantern style lamps. Beyond the living was the balcony with an overview of the park and lake, creating a peaceful atmosphere in this city center.
To the left of the living room was a hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom. Along the wall was a charcoal stained wood dining table with a glass countertop. Ironically, Korean food often uses chile paste so the dishes created a matching theme with the rest of the apartment.
Looking into the kitchen with an open bar style, Yibo watched Xiao Zhan moving back and forth, finishing up the various dishes. Such a scene made Yibo felt domesticated and yearned for even more. How nice.
Once all the dishes were served, YiZhan fell into their regular nightly interactions, but this time it was in person instead of through their devices. It was quite strange how nervous both men were for this dinner, yet they adjusted quite fast as if they've done this many times already.
Xiao Zhan found himself laughing at Yibo continuously as the younger man kept praising his cooking. Xiao Zhan knew he was a good cook, but he was no five-star chef whom Yibo had many exposures to. At some point, Xiao Zhan gave up trying to stop Yibo from saying such sweet words for his focused switched to wiping away the food smeared all over Yibo's lips. Either he really enjoyed the food or he was truly a child when he wasn't out in public.
Instead of feeling foolish, Yibo's smile grew even wider as if he ate messily in purpose. Xiao Zhan swears Yibo's eyes were begging for Xiao Zhan to keep cleaning after him which in turn made Xiao Zhan felt flustered.
One bottle of makkoli, two hours of conversation, and six empty dishes later, Yibo and Xiao Zhan can say that the meal was very pleasing. Yibo even volunteered to wash the dishes in which Xiao Zhan was against since he was a guest after all. However, Yibo's strong desire to stand in the kitchen with Xiao Zhan overpowered any objection that Xiao Zhan had. If Mrs. Wang ever learned about this, she would spite Xiao Zhan out of jealously since her son never showed such interest at home before!
At some point, Xiao Zhan could tell that Yibo was trying to stall the night out, not wanting to say goodnight. And so another hour goes by, another bottle of makkoli emptied, and even more, time was given for Yibo to sober up before they despondently called it a night.
Perhaps it was the alcohol or the spicy food, maybe a combination of both and more but the current Yibo had a tint of blush on his face that made him more adorable to Xiao Zhan's eyes. To make it worse, there was an evident pout on his lips as he turned around before the open door, looking at Xiao Zhan with pleading eyes. Whatever Yibo was trying to request, Xiao Zhan would have given in if their relationship had been further down the timeline. In the meantime, Xiao Zhan decided to pamper this gongzi another way.
With one hand on the handle, another on the doorframe, Xiao Zhan leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips onto Yibo. Pulling back a few inches, he met Yibo's shellshocked eyes and smiled brightly. "Goodnight," Xiao Zhan whispered and pulled back, closing the door on the famous ice-prince who was now frozen in place.
Yibo would have stood there for another hour, maybe even through the night if Xiao Zhan didn't shout through the door a few minutes later. "Go home Wang Yibo!"
Though Yibo was still trying to process what heavenly gift he just received, he still has some brain cells left to remind him to follow orders if he wanted more in the future. With the blush growing redder and a foolish grin that was washing away his princely charm, Yibo shouted back, "Yes, Doctor!"
Yibo took a few steps before turning around, knocked on the door lightly, and said, "I'll bring breakfast tomorrow."
Xiao Zhan who has been leaning on the door shook his head but didn't try to stop Yibo's antics. After all, it has become apart of their regular routines so why bother? Jie-Jie was right, to like does make one act silly.
Author's note: So I realized that I often write in Yibo's POV even though I tried to do it from both. Perhaps it's because Yibo has the bigger crush so it's easier to understand as a fan since our love for the boys leads us to have these foolish ideas? What are your thoughts?
Also, describing settings and clothes are hard if ya'll didn't notice how lacking those are in this story :3