When the right time comes

3: Brother

Stepping inside the dining area, Zhan found his parents sitting around the table to have dinner. Jingyu wasn't there. Rui mom saw Zhan.

"Oh, boy. You are here." She happily called out for him. Next to her, Huang Shen was waiting for the arrival of food. When he heard her greeting Zhan, he also looked at him in anticipation of knowing the outcome of his date.

Zhan sat beside them. There was also a plate prepared for him too. Zhan looked at it blankly. Rather than registering his parents' questions, his mind was meddled in thoughts about Jingyu and Yibo.

"Zhan zhan?" Shen called him softly as if to wake him from the daze.

"Uh? Pa?" He looked at them perplexed and they frowned.

"What happened, Zhan zhan? Is there something wrong?" Min Rui asked. "Isn't Wang Yibo a nice guy?"

It's only then Zhan realised he has been worrying his parents. "Yes, mom. He is a nice guy. I think he is innocent at heart and also by looks. Nothing wrong with him." Zhan smiled remembering Yibo.

His parents felt relieved and they also smiled. "Yes. We know that. It's just that we were afraid of how he would act to you." They felt happy to know Wang Yibo was nice towards their son too.

Zhan smiled. "He was friendly. We talked a lot. Gentle and hard working. A good guy."

Shen and Rui exchanged glances, watching Zhan's eyes glowing. They knew Zhan had taken a liking to the other man.

"Too good, right?" Their interactions were interrupted by Jingyu. When they looked at him, he came out of the kitchen with a freshly baked chocolate cake in his hands. The hint of anger that appeared on his face changed in seconds when other's gaze met him. Zhan frowned at the displeasure in Jingyu's voice. But Jingyu seemed happy after that.

"Hao, that's great! We can fix the date soon, right, Zhan ge?" He asked them as he came with the cake.

The parents and Jingyu looked at Zhan expectantly. Zhan avoided others' gaze."I...I have to think about it." He stuttered and cleared throat.

Rui and Shen understand him. They didn't reply, leaving the decision to Zhan. Jingyu sits beside Zhan, impossibly close. Rui frowns.

"You can sit a bit farther away, don't you Jingyu? Why are you always sticking to him?" She asked furrowing her brows.

"I will only sit with my gege." Jingyu says, snuggling onto Zhan's left arm. Zhan sat there with a cold face. He neither responded nor pushed him away.

After a few seconds of awkwardness, Jingyu himself assists to serve food to others. "Try this, ge. I made this especially for you." He dumped a large amount of stir fried beef into Zhan's plate. Without any argument, Zhan ate it.

When the dinner finished, chocolate cake was served as dessert. Jingyu forcefully grabbed Zhan's hand to cut the cake with him. He served the first piece to Zhan and then his parents. Jingyu even forced Zhan to feed him the cake. That's when Zhan lost it.

"That's enough, Yuer." He rumbled in a low voice to Jingyu, not wanting to make his parents worried about them. While eating the cake, Rui sensed the tension between them and sent glances at her husband. He too seemed worried.

Zhan got up from his seat to leave. "Good night, papa. Good night, mom." He greeted them and they greeted back. He went to his room without even sparing a glance to Jingyu. More like stomped out from there.

Jingyu flared. His eyes were red. Zhan hasn't fed him even a single bite. "Gege!" "GEGE!?!" He called after Zhan but Zhan didn't turn back. With a loud noise, the platter of cake in front of him was thrown to the floor, scattering the broken pieces of plate and cakes around.