Hai Kuan stood up quickly, staring at Qiren in shock. The suggestion had come so unexpectedly that he couldn't say anything at first. After gathering his courage, he finally asked, "You want me to marry Zhan, Father? Did I hear you right? How? Zhan, who we grew up with, who I see as my own brother....how am I supposed to marry him as my partner? It sounds like an abomination to me. It's strange. How can I marry my own brother, the one I see as sharing the same mother and father, just because of what has happened? No, please tell me...how, Father?"
He sat back down and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat that had formed on his forehead. He looked so confused. Shaking his head, he said, "No, Father. This isn't going to work. Zhan is my brother....today, tomorrow, always. That's all he is to me. There's no other way I can see him. He's my brother by bond…"
Qiren sighed and said quietly, "It's okay, Hai Kuan. I understand how you feel. None of us ever planned for this. The only reason I brought up this idea is because the secret we've kept for so many years was exposed in a way we never imagined, not in our wildest dreams. And now, anyone who comes forward to ask for Zhan's hand in marriage....there's no doubt that they'll hear rumors about who he really is. My greatest wish now is simply for Zhan to live without shame. I want him to have the same life as anyone else. And I know that you, my own son's, would never look down on him or hold his origins against him. You would protect him, whether I'm alive or not."
Qiren shook his head. "I don't think there's any point in trying to look for his real parents now....it would be useless. The way he was abandoned that day makes it clear he wasn't wanted. He wasn't even left somewhere with hope that someone would find and care for him. No, he was left to die. And it wasn't near any temple or church like the rumors say. I don't know who started those lies.
"All I know is that on that morning, like I usually did, I went out to fetch water from the well for the temple's use before people began to gather. The well isn't far from the temple itself. Near the well, I found him...wrapped completely in a shawl so that even his face was hidden, placed inside a box sealed tightly with planks so no air could get in."
"You see, no one who wanted a child to live would do that. And no decent person, no one with a heart, would ever abandon a baby like that...not to mention with the intent of killing him. And that's exactly what I don't want Zhan to know, how could he feel...Knowing his birth mother doesn't want him?"
"I was drawing water when I heard what sounded like a baby's cry, but I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. The sound was so faint I thought it might be a cat at first. I made three trips for water, but I couldn't shake the feeling, so I started searching with my torch, trying to trace the sound. I must have spent ten minutes looking around before I finally noticed the box left near the well, close to a corner. I lifted the plank, and the crying became clearer. I was shocked...the baby had been wrapped so tightly I couldn't even see his face. I didn't dare touch him at first, and there was no one else around. It was still early, and most people were asleep. It wasn't even half past four yet. I was so confused I just went home and woke your mother, Lan Yi, and told her what I'd seen by the well."
"She didn't waste a second. She followed me back there. The baby was still crying when we returned. Without hesitation, Lan Yi took him out of the box, unwrapped the shawl, and when she saw him, she broke down in tears. It was clear he had only just been born...his little body hadn't even been cleaned yet. Lan Yi didn't even stop to speak; she carried him straight into the house. I was so shaken I stayed there at the temple, trying to make sense of who could have done something so cruel. No one expected a newborn to be abandoned like that. The whole thing stayed with me....and with everyone else who heard the story. By morning, the news had spread all over the neighborhood that a baby had been found near the temple."
"He was so pale, so small… but such a beautiful baby. Eventually, we took him to the community leaders to discuss what should be done. No one wanted to take responsibility, afraid of why he had been abandoned that way. Some suggested sending him to an orphanage. Back then, there weren't many around, and I'm not even sure if we had one in town at the time. They agreed to gather money for transport to send him away. We didn't know how the process worked, and we didn't involve the authorities either. I went home to tell Lan Yi about the decision. She broke down crying and begged me not to let them take him. She pleaded with me to let her keep him. At that time, Lee was almost four, and he was our only child with us that time, you and Hai Kuan were with Lan Yi mother in Beijing. After all her begging and tears, she even got her mother Fang Yu involved to speak on her behalf."
"Her mother Granny Fang Yu also spoke up, so I had no choice...though I wanted to refuse, the elders of the community entrusted the baby to Lan Yi that day. She told me she had already given him a name: Zhan. At that time, we were barely making ends meet. I kept trying to explain to Lan Yi that we couldn't afford to raise a baby....we were struggling ourselves. And Lan Yi had stopped nursing Lee a long time ago, so we'd have to buy formula for the child. The neighbors donated their children's old clothes for him, and they even contributed money that hadn't even touched the ground before it was handed over to us. That's what we used to buy his first formula. I'll be honest....I couldn't settle my mind about keeping him. I felt so embarrassed in front of Granny Fang Yu."
"That same day, I went to the market where I usually carried goods to earn a little money, hoping to save enough over time to buy cheap merchandise and resell it in Indonesia or Thailand. Sometimes it would take me a whole month just to gather enough for one trip, and even then, we'd often have to use what I earned just to buy food. But that very day we found Zhan, while I was at the market, out of nowhere a man paid me Fifty thousand yuan just to help him load goods onto a truck. Imagine....Fifty thousand yuan, twenty-two years ago. That was no small amount. I was overjoyed and rushed home, even though I'd only been out for about thirty minutes."
"The next day, another woman paid me thirty thousand yuan to help her load goods. To cut the story short, from that moment on, there wasn't a single day I went out without receiving some kind of generous tip or gift...big or small, but something every day. Soon, I was moving goods fast and making trips to Thailand, selling out my stock in just two or three days, with profits I'd never dreamed of before. Before, it would take me three weeks to sell the same amount. From the moment we took in Zhan, opportunities started opening up for us in ways we never imagined. In less than a few months, even I was shocked by what I'd managed to save. I was scared by how fast everything was growing, and so was Lan Yi. She must have wondered if I'd gotten involved in something dishonest. But things only kept getting better....my business kept expanding. Before the year was up, we packed up and moved back to Beijing."
"You see, Zhan brought good fortune into our lives. And even after we moved back to Beijing, people came just to congratulate Lan Yi. Since we'd been away for a two year and brought Zhan back with us when he was twelve months old, no one questioned whether he was our biological child. Even you kids were overjoyed when we returned, because you'd been told that Lan Yi had given birth before we came home."
Hai Kuan lifted his head and looked at Qiren when he fell silent. Qiren sighed and said, 'Not even as a joke did we ever think there would come a day when we'd ask one of our own children to marry Zhan. We always saw you all as equals, no differences between you. But we have our plans, and life has its own…'
Quietly, Hai Kuan replied, 'That day will never come, Baba. We'll keep being the brothers we've always been to him. For better or worse, we'll protect him and stand by him. No one will harm him and get away with it. Even if he finds someone to marry one day, if that person dares to look down on him or shame him for his background, they'll learn he has a lawyer for a brother and two other elder brothers who will stand up for him. No outsider...or even anyone from within our family....will be allowed to mistreat Zhan. As for me, I'll go to any length to defend his rights. I promise you that, Baba. So there will never be marriage between any of us and Zhan. He will always be our brother by bond.'
With that, he stood up and said, 'I'd like to excuse myself, sir.' Qiren nodded, watching him as he turned and left the sitting room.
***
Yibo stood silently in Lan Yi's room, his head lowered. Though his heart was heavy with frustration, he didn't let it show on his face. Inside, though, he was boiling, struggling to control himself. He didn't want to say anything that might upset Lan Yi even more. It was better to let her deal with the emotions she was already facing.
Lan Yi kept wiping tears that wouldn't stop, unable to continue speaking. She had only just returned from Granny Fang Yu's house....barely fifteen minutes after she'd come home. After five minutes of silence, Yibo finally lifted his head, looked at Lan Yi, and said, 'Alright. I understand you now, Mama. For now, Zhan will come stay at my house.'
Lan Yi looked up at him in surprise. He continued, 'Yes, Zhan will move to my house. He'll stay there. Granny Fang Yu has no say in this. And it's not because she has forbidden him from staying here that I'm moving him....it's because this is our father's house, and she has no right to decide who stays here. But I don't know what kind of tension will build if Zhan stays here any longer, and that's why I'll take him to my place. Tomorrow, I'll also go to Min's family and bring her home. Whenever Granny Fang Yu realizes how wrong she's been in what she's trying to do, fine. I hope you can stay on good terms with her, so keep respecting her as always.'
Aunt Marquis entered the room with her suitcase. Looking at Lan Yi gently, she said, "Alright, sister, I'll be leaving now. I'll call you later."
Lan Yi just nodded, wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. Aunt Marquis glanced at Dr. Yibo and said, "I'm going now, Yibo."
He lowered his gaze and replied, "Let me drop you to the car terminal, Aunt." She left the room, and he turned to follow her. As he closed the door behind them, Aunt Marquis looked at him, clearly concerned, and said quietly, "Please, Yibo, be patient with everything that's happening. Things will settle down eventually. I'm sure Zhan won't go far. Wherever he is, he'll come back today. Since mother asked me to leave, I'd better go."
Yibo didn't say anything. She started walking, and he followed her.
✨✨✨
Slowly, Zhan opened his eyes, glancing around the unfamiliar room. He lay on a bed, covered with a soft white duvet. Sitting up abruptly, he tried to remember where he was and who had brought him there. His eyes fell on the syringe and medicines on the bedside drawer. Within seconds, it all started coming back to him. He threw off the duvet, trying to get out of bed, but felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest. Clutching at his chest, he winced. Just then, the door opened, and he looked up.
Dr. Kexing stood at the doorway, watching him. He walked over slowly, sat down beside him, and asked gently, "How are you feeling now?"
Since morning, it was only now that Zhan felt the tears he'd been holding back rush forward uncontrollably. Dr. Kexing took his hand and said, "No, please....don't stress yourself, Zhan. You need to rest."
Zhan pulled his hand away, crying. "You're avoiding me because you know who I am. That's why you turned off your phone...you didn't want...."
Dr. Kexing interrupted, shaking his head. "That's the last thing I would ever do, Zhan. And for the record, I knew who you were before you even understood it yourself. That didn't change how I felt about you. I switched off my phone because I needed space....for my mental health."
Zhan said, "So you're avoiding me for your mental health?"
Dr. Kexing was silent, just looking at him, and Zhan stared right back. It was clear from his face that Dr. Kexing had lost weight; he didn't even look like himself anymore. Finally, Dr. Kexing turned slightly away and said in a low voice, "I stepped back to give Dr. Yibo room to give you the injections and care you needed as directed by the doctors. I had to stay away....for my own sanity."
Zhan just stared at him. Dr. Kexing stood, facing him fully. Tears streamed down Zhan's face. He said, "But that wasn't enough reason to ignore me all this while, when you knew I'd need you most during this hard time."
Softly, Dr. Kexing said, "Do you realize that, as of now, both Yibo and Hai Kuan could be seen as your potential husbands?"
Zhan kept his eyes fixed on him, not blinking. Dr. Kexing turned and left, with Zhan watching him go. Zhan, broke down, burying his head in his knees.
Not long after, Dr. Kexing returned with a plate of food and water. He set it on the bedside table and said, "Zhan?"
Zhan looked up at him, tears still falling. Sitting down close, Dr. Kexing lowered his voice and said, "I'm sorry, Zhan. You know I love you so much...more than you can imagine. But thinking about Dr. Yibo made me sick these past three days. I became insecure. My mind kept racing with all kinds of thoughts. What if your father decided to marry you off to Dr. Yibo or Barrister Hai Kuan? Just the idea nearly destroyed me. I can't imagine losing you. I don't know what I'd do if I did. Please, let's get married. I promise I'll love you with everything I have. I'll protect you for as long as I live. You won't regret trusting me."
Zhan wiped his tears and whispered, "I have no choice. Right now, I feel like I have no one else, nowhere else to go. I'm all alone in this world."
Dr. Kexing shook his head, took his hand, and said, "You're not alone, Zhan."
Trembling, Zhan said, "I don't know what's happening, but I overheard my grandma telling my mother to choose between me and her. She said...." He couldn't continue; he broke down completely. Dr. Kexing pulled him close. "It's okay, Zhan. You didn't hear her right. You misunderstood. Now please, eat something and take your medicine. It's getting late."
He picked up the food and tried to feed Zhan. Zhan took one bite, then shook his head weakly. "I can't. My chest hurts."
"I'll get you some tea." Dr. Kexing stood and left the room. Zhan leaned back against the bed, finally feeling a small measure of relief. Minutes later, Dr. Kexing returned with a cup of tea. "I diluted it; it's not hot," he said, handing it over.
Zhan took the cup and drank. Dr. Kexing opened his medicines. When Zhan finished the tea, he took the pills. Dr. Kexing said, "I'll be back soon."
Zhan nodded, and Dr. Kexing left. When he returned, he brought yogurt and sat watching Zhan. "Are you in pain anywhere?"
Zhan shook his head slightly. Then softly asked, "But what about my final exams?"
Dr. Kexing was quiet for a moment, then said gently, "Shouldn't we think about getting married first, before worrying about that?"
Zhan stared at him, wide-eyed. Dr. Kexing opened the drawer, took out his phone, and powered it on. "Let me make a call. Maybe we can get to Shanghai tomorrow."
Zhan kept watching him. As the phone finished booting, a call came through. Dr. Kexing glanced at the screen. His face darkened when he saw it was from Dr. Yibo.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛