Zhan glanced once and looked away after convincing himself that A-Bo wasn't coming toward them.
Bin said in a low voice, "I've never even seen him at this school until today. Your housemate is the one who usually comes to find us here during exams. But he is coming toward us now."
Zhan didn't say anything, but deep down he was also very surprised to see A-Bo in their department. How did he even know the spot where he and Bin sat? He just assumed that A-Bo is passing by that way. By the time A-Bo reached where they were sitting, Zhan didn't lift his head, but he was surprised.
Bin looked at A-Bo, smiling, and said, "Good afternoon."
Without looking at him, A-Bo looked in a different direction and said, "Good evening. Can you excuse us? I want to have a word with your coursemate."
Bin didn't stop looking at him; he nodded and said, "Sure, why not?" Then he took his bag, stood up, and looked at Zhan, saying, "I'll go to Nora's group. If you're looking for me, I'm there."
Zhan just nodded at him. Then Bin left. Zhan was so surprised that he couldn't even look at A-Bo standing in front of him. He wanted to have a word with him? What would he say to him that would make him come all the way to their department? Even though they were in the same faculty, he had never run into him at school except a few days ago when they came with I-Bo.
Zhan looked at the phone A-Bo was handing him, his face expressionless. He was surprised. Why was A-Bo giving him his phone? He didn't take the phone; he lifted his head and looked at A-Bo for the first time. Seeing how serious A-Bo's face was, Zhan reached out, took the phone, and looked at the screen.
His heart sank deeply when he saw the picture they had taken with Yoki yesterday at the get-together. He stared at the picture without blinking. It wasn't just one picture or two. He looked at where A-Bo had seen it and saw that it was on Instagram. He didn't even know when he adjusted his sitting position, his heart pounding intensely.
Instagram? How did the picture get to Instagram? He was ruined. He had never even posted his picture on his own phone screen, let alone on WhatsApp or Facebook or Instagram. His anxiety spiked tremendously, and he couldn't say anything. With difficulty, he lifted his head and looked at A-Bo, who was giving him a certain look. He lowered his eyes, his heart continuing to sink, unable to say anything.
A-Bo snatched his phone from Zhan's hand and said, "So you came back fully prepared to party in Baltimore, right? You came back to mingle with jobless guys, following them to parties up and down. You even forgot what happened to you. But wait... Did you never attend any place of learning, or did you go and skip classes? Or after the husband you said you wanted to stay with divorced you, didn't you sit down and ask your family what's next? Just because you feel you're on a different level now, that's why you found a way to go off with big, useless, drinking people under the name of a get-together. You even stood next to that crooked guy and had your picture taken, laughing."
Zhan couldn't hold back; he burst into the tears he had been wanting to cry since morning but hadn't found a solid reason for.
A-Bo stood silently, watching him with that surprised look. After a minute, he sat down where Bin had gotten up but didn't say anything to him. Zhan didn't stop crying, as if he had been sent to do so. He cried until he was satisfied, then stopped and started wiping his eyes, releasing a sigh.
Only then did A-Bo look at him and say, "OK, I understand. You came back to America to do whatever your heart desires, and you don't need anyone to question you or correct you."
Zhan started crying again, as if being poked.
A-Bo stood up, trying to control himself, and said, "Get up." Seeing that Zhan didn't get up, he frowned and said, "Aren't you going to get up?"
Slowly, Zhan stood up, continuing to wipe the tears streaming from his eyes, sobbing.
Expressionless, A-Bo said, "Let's go." Zhan didn't refuse him; he started following him, still wiping his eyes. After almost a ten-minute walk, they arrived at where A-Bo had parked his car. As A-Bo opened the car, Zhan lifted his head and looked at him quietly, saying, "I didn't tell Bin I was leaving."
A-Bo gave him a look and said, "You won't tell him. Get in the car."
Zhan didn't say anything; he went around, opened the front passenger door, and got in. He had never ridden in A-Bo's car in America except that day. They arrived at his apartment without A-Bo saying anything to him.
After parking, without looking at him, A-Bo said, "Get out of my car."
Zhan lowered his eyes, opened the door slowly, got out, locked the door for him, looked at him, and said, "Please, since you know him, talk to him to delete my picture from Instagram."
A-Bo shot him a glare and said, "I will slap you. Did I put you together and take your picture that I should tell him to delete it?"
Then he reversed and zoomed off from the neighborhood. Fresh tears filled Zhan's eyes. He turned and walked slowly to his apartment door, opened it, and went inside. He sat down in the living room and started thinking: had his housemate also seen the picture on Instagram after Bin's status? He had never been this angry at Bin before. Only Heaven knew how many people had seen that picture from yesterday to today. He wiped his eyes, opened his backbag, took out his phone, and started calling Bin.
As it began to ring, Bin picked up and said, "Has he left? Should I come out?"
Trying to be calm, Zhan said, "Bin, please go and talk to that man to remove my picture from Instagram. Who does that? How did he go from a picture to posting it on Instagram as if we know each other from somewhere? What do I have to do with him that he would do that to me? Did I have a long conversation with him that he would take my picture with him and post it on his Instagram?"
His voice was trembling, when he finished speaking.
Bin said, "Goodness. He posted the pictures on Instagram? You know I don't have any interest in IG. And I've never seen Yoki post a man on Instagram. Now I see he posted you. But how did you know his handle to see that he posted the two of you?"
Angrily, Zhan said, "What do I have to do with his handle? I didn't meet him or speak to him for a minute, and he grabs my picture and posts it for the whole world to see. Is he even okay? Doesn't he have any sense? Please, go and talk to him to delete my picture."
Bin said, "I'm really surprised too, honestly. I've never seen him post a man, and now I see he posted you. Is that why A-Bo came to you today? Because definitely they might know each other-maybe they even follow each other. You know there's a Chinese student association at our school; they must know each other. Yoki is the son of a deputy governor. He's also popular on IG."
Frustrated, Zhan hung up the call and threw his phone on the chair. He felt intense anger toward Yoki and Bin in his heart. If he had Yoki's number, nothing would stop him from calling him to give him a piece of his mind. Had he been told that he was the kind of person who would post him for the world to see?
Yiming came to his mind. Immediately, his body went very cold. No one was as active on Instagram as Yiming....with so many followers. Who knew whether he even knew Yoki? His anxiety spiked; he leaned back against the chair as tears streamed from his eyes. He had never felt that Bin had wronged him like this before. With difficulty, he stood up, took his bag and phone, and went upstairs.
✴✴✴
Mie-Mie entered Momy's room, handed her her phone, and said "Momy, do you know who this is?"
Momy put down the bowl of pasta in her hand, took the phone, and looked at the screen. Then she looked at Mie-Mie and said, "Isn't that the wretched one from before? Zhan, or whatever."
Mie-Mie sat on the edge of the bed, her face full of agitation, and said, "That's him, Momy. Him and Yoki."
Momy put down the phone, picked up her bowl of pasta, continued eating, and said, "Who is Yoki again?"
Mie-Mie said, "Yoki....you've forgotten him today, Momy? Yoki, the son of the deputy governor."
Momy looked at her and said, "Your ex-boyfriend?"
Mie-Mie frowned and said, "Ex-boyfriend, you say, Momy? That Yoki is my ex-boyfriend?"
Momy said, "Well, if I don't call him your ex-boyfriend, what would I call him? A boy who is no longer in your good graces. When was the last time you two were together? You see, I have to call him your ex-boyfriend, Mie-Mie. Actually, you met him on Instagram. Without me arranging things, you found the ease to like him on your own. Your heart was stuck on him and some other king's son-every day you'd bother me with talk of him. I don't even think you have his number. All your boyfriends, you meet on Instagram, and there you break up. I've seen this trouble before."
Frustrated, Mie-Mie said, "A woman came between me and Yoki, Momy. But he loved me like his own soul. Remember, he even came to Chongqing to see me."
Momy clicked her tongue and said, "But he didn't come to your father's house-he only said you should meet at a restaurant or somewhere else. He never followed you to see your house. For nearly eight years, the same thing. If he truly loved you, what stopped him from coming out even today? As for me, ever since the spiritual told me he wouldn't marry you, I gave up on wasting my money in the air. After that spiritual, another one told me we should give up-he won't marry you, he's just wasting your time. And his mother is also completely against it."
Mie-Mie said, "Momy, it's not about that. Where did he meet this Zhan that they took a picture together? You know he's also in America, and they go to the same school, but he finished his degree long ago....unless he went back for his master's. And this picture, from the look of it, was taken in America."
Momy said, "So you know....maybe it's an old picture. You said he acts arrogantly in America, so it's not surprising-you see their picture together. Now, he'll just do his nonsense with him and kick him out of his life."
Mie-Mie couldn't say anything, but anyone looking at her could see she was very agitated. Momy looked at her and said, "You two haven't even spoken on the phone for over two years, right?"
Mie-Mie released a sigh and said, "Even now, when I see the picture, I called him and he didn't answer. But what surprises me is that no matter what man he's with, he doesn't post him-not even on WhatsApp, let alone Instagram."
Momy said, "Which town is he from?" Mimi said, "Suzhou."
Momy said, "Does Yiming know him?"
Mie-Mie said, "Yes, he's well known. I don't know if they know each other. And Yiming didn't know about me and Yoki, since he never came to our house. They might know each other on Instagram, but not openly."
She zoomed in on the picture, looking at the thick jacket on Zhan's body and the look Yoki had fixed on him. Zhan was laughing with his beautiful set of teeth. Mie-Mie left the picture and dialed Yoki's number again, but it rang out without being answered. She stood up and headed to the door.
Momy clicked her tongue and said, "Well, what would he do with a commoner's child, I told you. If you look closely, the picture is old. I couldn't see a way for that kid to go to America. Yoki's mother hates commoners more than we do....just listen to me. Nowadays, even a rich person doesn't agree to mix lineage with a poor person. That's how it is."
Mie-Mie left the room, still dialing Yoki's number in confusion.
***
Zhan was sitting at their usual spot at school, waiting for Bin, who had gone to give a laptop to one of their coursemates. He had been sitting there for a while, pressing on his phone with full concentration. Suddenly, he stopped what he was doing on his phone when a familiar scent of cologne hit his nose.
He started looking around, and their eyes met. He didn't even know when he dropped his phone; his heart was pounding as he looked at him without blinking.
Yiming was the last person he expected to see in his life. Suddenly, a surge of courage came over him-he picked up his phone, his face firm, and stood up with the intention of leaving.
Yiming grabbed the edge of his jacket, looked at him intently, smiled, and said, "You think I will let you go just like that, Zhan? You even found people to continue sponsoring you, you're back in America. Now you're even having pictures taken and posted on Instagram. You snapped a picture together with Yoki, and he posted you for the world to see. You probably know some gay's bastard in America, and they're all ready to go through any mile for you. So you should know that I am taking back our marriage. You are still my husband..."
Terrified, Zhan woke up from the dream he was having and sat up, his body trembling. Since his mother gave birth to him, he had never had such a terrible dream. He got down from his bed, still trembling. He didn't know when he burst into intense crying, seeing the thing as if it wasn't a dream but reality.
He went into serious distress and started reciting every invocation that came to his lips, crying. No matter how much he wanted to calm down, he couldn't. He was really shocked. With difficulty, he forced himself to pick up his phone and turn on his data, his hand trembling.
He just felt he needed to speak to his housemate.
As he turned on his data, he saw that Aunt Fin had left him a message. He went into his DM with her and saw the picture they had taken with Yoki-she had sent it to him, asking who he was and why he had taken a picture with him.
Zhan's distress doubled on top of what he was already feeling. He was so confused and shocked. His body was still trembling. How had Aunt Fin seen this picture? He was ruined. So maybe Yiming would also see it-his dream would come true and become reality?
He burst into intense tears, feeling like his heart would come out of his chest from the distress. Without even replying to Aunt Fin, he left WhatsApp and quickly started dialing his housemate's number.
He called twice, but I-Bo didn't answer. He didn't know what to do; he kept crying. Then he started dialing Bin's number, his body still trembling. As it began to ring, Bin picked up. In a trembling voice, Zhan said, "Bin, didn't you tell that man to delete my picture from Instagram already?"
Bin said, "No, I messaged him on WhatsApp....he's not online. I also called him, but he didn't answer. Are you crying or what? Oh, Zhan, you'd think he did something terrible. We just went to a get-together and took a picture-it wasn't a club. And you carried yourself with dignity. Yoki even left a reasonable distance between you-let alone being stuck to your body."
Zhan didn't respond to that; he said, "Do you have A-Bo's number, please?"
Bin said, "Yes, I think A-Bo forwarded me the receipt of the 10 million that was sent to Yiming's mother."
Quickly, Zhan said, "Please send it to me right now."
Bin said, "OK, let me check. But I really don't see the problem, just because Yoki posted your picture on Instagram. He's a well-known celebrity. It's only because we're not on Instagram that we wouldn't know. And just because you're in your divorced period-if it was over, so what? You deserve it, that's why he posted you."
Zhan hung up because he didn't want to tell Bin that he was just controlling himself all this while. It didn't take long before Bin forwarded him A-Bo's number.
Zhan quickly dialed the number. He felt hot all over despite the cold and snow. A-Bo had dropped him off earlier, and not long after, the snow had started, and then he had fallen asleep and had that terrible dream.
He called twice before A-Bo answered. He couldn't hold back; he burst into tears, his voice trembling, and said, "For Heaven's sake, if you know that man, please help me-talk to him to remove my picture from his Instagram page. Honestly, I don't know him....please talk to him."
He finished speaking while crying intensely.
A-Bo, who had been listening to him as if he wouldn't say anything, then said, "Did I put you next to him and take your picture that I should tell him to delete it?"
Zhan burst into even more intense tears and said, "I'm ruined. Please, just help me....I don't know who he is."
A-Bo refused to say anything and finally hung up. Zhan stood up, went back to his bed, and started crying loudly. His biggest distress was that Yiming might see this picture. Easily, his attention could come back to him, and he wouldn't come back with good intentions. He was living his life low-key, and Bin had caused him trouble. He felt like a fever was about to overtake him from the distress. He lay down on the bed, sighing, tears falling one after another on his face.
He stayed like that for nearly an hour. Finally, he forced himself to get up and go to the bathroom. But when he came out, he couldn't even sit. He lay down and covered himself with the duvet because of the cold shivers he was having.
The nightmare he had was no small thing. After about fifteen minutes, he heard the doorbell ring. He sat up quickly, still shivering from the cold. He was completely terrified, like someone guilty. After a few minutes, the doorbell rang again. He started thinking that maybe his housemate had returned.
The thought made him force himself to get down from the bed and leave the room. And still, the snow had not stopped falling.
💚💙❤🖤