My White Lotus (ZhanYi)

13: Choice

{To the regular readers, don't get confused. You haven't missed anything. Keep reading :) }

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The atmosphere in the living room of Xiao Mansion was quite serious. Zhan and Yibo sat on one couch facing Zhan's family. Xiao Changze and his wife Changse Sanren sat on the couch against them while Cheng and his wife sat on the one left to their parents.

Yibo was already tired from the Q&A session that just ended yet Xiao Changze didn't seemed like convinced. He scanned Yibo from head to toe while Changse Sanren just sat there with an indifferent face.

Cheng too, didn't showed anything in particular but he was also dubious about Yibo. He was silently processing the information he got and Yibo's answers to find something suspicious.

The only one who didn't seemingly involved in all those things was Cheng's wife. She quietly sat beside her husband without causing any fuss.

"It won't work Zhan." It was Xiao Changze.

Yibo sensed Zhan's hold on their intertwined hands tightening. He tilted head to see Zhan's clenched jaw and tensed facial muscles. To say Yibo was not hurt would be a lie. It was like they already decided to not chose him. With every mention of his past, Yibo felt a tug in heart and the insecurities that he buried deep inside of him with the constant help of Zhan started to show their hoods.

Can we change the past?

"Weren't you telling the same thing again and again. Why can't you just allow us to live together? To build a family?"

Zhan was furious and his voice raised. He can sense Yibo's hand tightening around his hand with the every rise in his voice like he don't want Zhan to do that to his parents. Papa Xiao squinted eyes, looking at their intertwined hands.

"Creating a family? With him?" Papa Xiao scoffed. "Why can't you just understand, Xiao Zhan? He is a man for God's sake! How can you love a man?"

"Why? Aren't men worth to be loved?" Zhan eyed his mother and again asked: "Then how did you loved our father, mama?" Corner of his lips curving into a scornful smile.

Mama Xiao bit her lips hard inorder to kill a snort that tickled her throat. She blinked eyes, signalling him not to utter 'nonsense' and make his father more angry than he already is.

"You knew, what I meant. He can't give you a child." Papa Xiao said.

"I don't want to marry a baby vending machine either." Zhan said and accidentally looked at the wife of his twin who was six months pregnant by then. Mei, who was looking down at her lap all these while also raised her head only to met with Xiao Zhan's gaze. It was awkward.

"Sorry, no offense. I didn't meant you." He simply said, a sarcastic grin flashing on his face and Cheng gritted teeth. He intended to say something but stopped in tracks when Mei grabbed his arms tightly, reminding not to cause any problems. Looking at her pleading eyes, he sighed, leaning back on to the couch.

"Whatever reasons you give, I'm not going to agree on your relationship with him." Papa Xiao said strictly.

"Why not pa? You had agreed when it comes to Cheng and why not me?" Xiao Zhan asked calmly as if he is thinking that his father would change opinion soon. He couldn't find anything reasonable for his father to reject their relationship.

Papa Xiao scoffed before his face turning red by anger. "Why you are even comparing him with her?" He looked from Yibo to Mei and continued: "And if you want to compare, she didn't came from streets and was never running after money. She is not only just Cheng's wife but also an asset to our family and firm. I agreed to Cheng's marriage immediately because he didn't chose a HO, like you did!"