The light knock on Zhan's office door drew his attention momentarily, but he didn't move. His gaze lingered on the door before he sighed quietly, concealing his growing frustration with Chairman Sen Nan. Even without checking, Zhan knew this would somehow involve Sen.
The door opened, and Zhan immediately recognized the sound of Sarah's heels. Without turning, he closed his laptop, placed it aside, and adjusted his posture. Reaching for the water bottle he had retrieved from the fridge earlier, he unscrewed the cap, took a long drink, and set it down.
"Sarah, is there something you need?" he asked, his tone composed yet detached.
Sarah stepped closer and stood opposite him, her expression contemplative. She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Sir, before you arrived this morning, Chairman Sen came to your office twice. He didn't look well, and I'd say it wasn't his usual demeanor."
Zhan slowly raised his eyes, their weary gaze locking on Sarah's concerned face. After a brief pause, he exhaled softly and asked, his voice calm yet with a hint of exasperation, "What's wrong with Sen now?"
"I think it's about yesterday," Sarah replied, leaning forward slightly. "Dr. Kuo came to see you, and there's talk that you left the office with him."
Zhan frowned slightly as the memory came back to him. The previous day, Dr. Kuo had asked him to accompany him to a nearby private school for a meeting about his son. Zhan had thought nothing of it. He sighed, picked up his phone, and dialed Sen's number.
The phone rang several times before going to voicemail. Zhan tried again, then a third time, but there was no response. Setting the phone aside with a resigned expression, he looked back at Sarah.
"He's not answering. Is he not in his office?"
"I don't think he's left," Sarah said. "Before I came here, I saw his secretary heading toward his office."
Zhan's sharp eyes flicked to his phone when it vibrated with an incoming call. Seeing Bei's name on the screen, he visibly relaxed, a rare softness settling in his features. Bei never hesitated to call if she sensed something was amiss.
Turning back to Sarah, Zhan raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell Bei about Sen looking for me this morning?"
Sarah chuckled lightly as she headed toward the door. "She called me herself to ask. Sorry, sir," she said with a grin before exiting and closing the door behind her.
Outside, Sarah almost bumped into Sen Nan, who had just arrived. Clad in a sleek ash-gray suit that complemented his strikingly handsome features, Sen exuded an air of authority. His intense brown eyes and calm demeanor masked the storm brewing within him.
"Good morning, Chairman," Sarah greeted politely, stepping aside.
Sen didn't acknowledge her. He simply opened the door to Xiao Zhan's office, the nameplate gleaming under the lights, and walked in, closing the door behind him.
Zhan remained seated, not bothering to turn around. He didn't need to look to know it was Sen. Instead, he took a deep breath, his long lashes fluttering as he closed his eyes momentarily.
Sen's gaze swept over Zhan, lingering for a moment. Everything about him... his calm demeanor, his quiet elegance, and the subtle air of authority... was captivating. Despite Sen's best efforts, he couldn't distance himself from Zhan. No one else came close to matching Zhan's beauty, poise, or magnetic presence.
If he'd found someone who surpassed Zhan in those qualities, Sen would've let him go long ago. But Zhan's influence on him was maddening. Even with all the power and wealth Sen possessed, he was reduced to chasing after someone who seemed oblivious to his struggles.
Sen knew Zhan's quiet endurance of his antics was remarkable, but he wasn't a man to let things slide. He wanted Zhan to understand that this dynamic wouldn't last forever. After all, if they were to marry, Zhan needed to learn his boundaries. Sen wasn't someone who tolerated being ignored.
The tension in the air was palpable as Zhan slowly turned to glance at Sen out of the corner of his eye. His calm, controlled voice broke the silence.
"Is there something you need to say?"
Sen Nan clenched his fists, a wave of frustration washing over him. Stepping closer, he snatched the phone from Zhan's hand and slammed it onto the desk with a resounding thud. His tone was sharp, laden with anger.
"I've asked you repeatedly—what is the nature of your relationship with that doctor? You keep avoiding the question, leaving me in the dark. Do you think I'll just stay quiet? Is it your looks that are enticing him? Or is there something else going on that I don't know about?"
Zhan's fiery gaze snapped up to meet Sen's, his anger ignited by his accusatory words. Without saying a word, Zhan rose from his chair, picked up the phone, and calmly walked to his desk. He gathered his belongings without sparing him another glance and exited the office. Chaiman Sen stood frozen, watching him leave, consumed by a mix of rage and regret.
Downstairs, Sarah, the secretary, immediately noticed Zhan's tense demeanor. She approached cautiously, already familiar with the tumultuous dynamic between Zhan and his finance, which seemed to spark conflict almost daily.
Before Sarah could speak, Zhan, his voice low but firm, said, "Pack up the documents and my laptop from the desk. Bring them to my house later."
"Yes, of course, Sir. Have a safe journey home," Sarah replied, sensing Zhan's need for space.
Zhan exited the building, opting for a taxi instead of his usual routine with Sen Nan. The strain in their relationship had become unbearable, and today's confrontation had only solidified him doubts about their compatibility.
As the taxi neared his home, Zhan's mind raced. Sen Nan's volatile temper and possessiveness had begun to overshadow any affection he once felt. He couldn't envision a future with a man who failed to respect him, his individuality, or their bond. Marriage to him felt less like a union and more like a trap.
The taxi pulled up outside the Wang Mansion, where uniformed guards stationed at the gate greeted him respectfully. "Welcome home, Mr. Xiao Zhan," one of them said with a slight bow.
Zhan offered a polite smile, his usual grace intact despite his inner turmoil. "Thank you. Have a good shift."
He entered the side house adjoining the Mansion. It was a modest but cozy family residence. Inside, he found Lin, his aunt, sitting in the courtyard, sorting through goods she planned to sell, with her daughter Ran assisting her.
Ran greeted Zhan warmly, "Welcome home, Zhan ge."
"Thank you, Ran. Good to see you," Zhan replied before turning to Lin. "Good afternoon, Aunty. How's work?"
Lin acknowledged him with a nod but couldn't resist a jab. "You're home early today. Trouble at work, or perhaps elsewhere?"
Zhan sighed and retreated to his room, sparing himself the lecture he knew was coming. Yet even behind closed doors, he could hear the murmurs of disapproval.
:-*:-*:-*:-*
"He's too proud," His mother Yi said to Dai, his elder sister, who was sitting nearby, discussing school lessons with her daughter, Qi.
"He can't keep avoiding marriage forever," His mother added with a shake of her head.
"Come on, Mama. He'll settle down when the right person comes along," Dai interjected.
Their mother wasn't convinced. "He had four engagements called off. How many chances does he think he'll get? Marriage is about compromise, not waiting for perfection."
Just then, Zhan's best friend and Wang Yibo elder sister, Wang Bei, stepped in with a gentle smile. "Let's not pressure him too much. When the time is right, everything will fall into place."
Zhan, overhearing the conversation from his room, let out a heavy sigh. The weight of expectations and the ongoing conflict with Chaiman Sen bore down on him, leaving him questioning not just hid future but his place in the family.
:-*:-*:-*:-*
Bei shot Zhan a sharp look as he stood by the wardrobe, wrapped in a thick brown towel, his face calm as always, as though the chaos in his life didn't faze him—the constant nagging from Lin, the meddling of Wen his Uncle and twin brother of his late father, and most of all, the suffocating drama surrounding Sen.
Sighing, Bei adjusted her position on the bed, placing her phone on the dresser. She said, "I just got off the phone with Sarah."
Without turning, Zhan slipped off the ring on his finger, his voice steady as he replied, "Don't let whatever she said bother you. If it's about Sen, you've seen enough by now to know what he's like. I've stopped letting his antics affect me. It's only Aunty Lin and Uncle Wen who keep me from walking away completely. Still, his suspicions are exhausting, especially since they've started taking a darker turn. I brush them off, but only because of the family."
Bei cut in sharply. "Why should you endure all this because of Uncle Wen and the others? If they opened their eyes, even just a little, they'd see that chairman Sen doesn't deserve you. Honestly, I never understood why you even agreed to this arrangement. You passed up so many good matches, yet you chose him? I can't stand men like him—impatient, inconsiderate, and completely incapable of cherishing a partner."
Zhan exhaled slowly, hearing Bei's growing frustration. He turned to her with a warm, genuine smile, one that only Bei or Dr. Kuo, her childhood doctor and trusted confidant, ever got to see. "Don't let him bother you. He's not worth the energy. Let's drop it...I'm already tired of hearing his name."
Bei, as always, detested the mere mention of Chairman Sen. From the moment she heard about his interest in Zhan, she'd delved into his background, searching for anything redeeming—and found nothing. What grated on her more was when Sen managed to maneuver his way into Wang Yibo's good graces. As the wealthiest member of the Wang family and the primary shareholder in Wang Cooperation, Wang Yibo's approval was all it took for Chairman Sen to gain a foothold in their business.
Zhan stood, stretching slightly. "I'll take a quick shower, then we can talk about Kai Xu. He called earlier about your upcoming appointment in the U.S."
Bei watched his handsome face, her irritation melting into a soft smile. "You're too kind, Zhan." "And that husband of mine, poor him I will stop ignoring him now, later I will call him myself." She grinned.
His gaze softened at her words, his natural warmth soothing Bei's worries, no matter how heavy they were.
Zhan headed to the bathroom, leaving Bei to her thoughts. She rose from the bed, slipped on her Jimmy Choo flats, and left the room to find Yi (Zhan's mother). Yi was still seated, carefully arranging bottles of richly scented perfumes. As Bei sat beside her, Yi didn't even glance up.
"So Bei, have you decided how you're going to handle Wen and Grandma if Zhan and Sen's engagement falls through? Because judging by your expression, something's definitely wrong between them."
Bei sighed lightly, helping Yi close the perfume bottles. She said,
"Aunty, why can't you understand the strength and resilience Zhan has? Not everyone could endure the kind of mockery, pressure, and humiliation he faces for not being married yet.
Everyone assumes Zhan is refusing marriage because of his high education and success. People also think he looks down on men because they seem equal in status, but you, Aunty, who gave birth to Zhan, know that's not who he is. He's just reserved, indifferent to what people say about him. Besides, marriage is about timing, and maybe his time hasn't come yet. When it does, he'll marry."
Yi sighed deeply, replying, "Bei, I'm tired of dealing with Zhan's repeated broken engagements—five now! At first, I understood when he said he wasn't interested in women, only men. But even his relationships with men ended—one failed engagement, and two others barely lasted. Honestly, I've come to accept that his aloof personality makes him seem unapproachable, as if he's better than everyone else, or as if he believes he's above them.
You know how his Grandma and Wen have been on my case about Zhan. Every year, he gets older, but nothing changes. By now, if you were staying with your husband, you could've had two, maybe even four children, but Zhan? He doesn't show the slightest worry. He just carries on, calm and composed, as if work is all he plans to do with his life.
But now, it's different. Wen and his Grandma have vowed that if Zhan's marriage to Sen Nan falls apart, they won't waste another week before marrying him off to whoever is available...even the security guards outside your Mansion. Wen even said he'd make it happen. I'm so stressed that my heart could give out any moment, let alone Zhan. So, you need to sit him down and talk this through. Whatever the issue is, he and Sen Nan need to resolve it so this marriage can go forward, and I can finally have peace."
Bei didn't know how to explain to Yi the depth of Wen and Grandma's persistence, which had worn her down, leaving her unable to fully understand her own son. Bei adored Zhan like her own sibling, even though they weren't blood-related. In fact, her love for Zhan ran so deep that she couldn't decide whether she loved him more than her actual brother, Yibo.
She couldn't bear to see Zhan hurt in any way, so she decided to meet with Sen Nan herself. If he truly loved Zhan with all his heart, they needed to face life and understand each other before the marriage even began.
***
After a refreshing bath, Zhan noticed Bei wasn't in the room. Guessing she was either with his Mama or Dai Jie, he headed straight to the mirror, sitting down to examine his reflection. His flawless skin and radiant complexion reflected good health, while his strikingly beautiful face drew the eye effortlessly, and that mole under his bottom lip irritated him so much, he bite the mole taking a deep breath. Closing his bright eyes briefly, he sighed before reaching for his light-scented lotion and applying it sparingly. He preferred a minimalist routine. Once done, he sprayed himself with a subtle Rednight mist and styled his hair, enjoying how it looked and felt.
Zhan then walked to his wardrobe, pulling out lightweight pajamas to wear. Just as he started changing, Bei's phone on the dresser vibrated softly. Neither of them liked loud ringtones, a habit Bei had picked up from Zhan himself, who couldn't stand loud phones. When they received calls, only the vibration indicated it.
Glancing at the phone, Zhan saw the caller ID: Baby Brother Bo. He looked away, continuing to dress. Since he had Bei around, he had never answered a single call from her brother. Yibo was the only person Zhan deliberately ignored, regardless of the circumstances, a habit that had lasted since they were children.
Knowing Yibo never called twice, Zhan glanced at the phone again when it vibrated once more. This time, the caller's location popped up: HAWAII, US STATE. Zhan looked away, uninterested.
Bei had no one closer than her younger brother, Yibo. The two of them, born five years apart, had lost their mother early, leaving them with an unbreakable bond. Though his demanding job often kept him away, they stayed connected whenever they could. Phone calls were precious, and Bei never took one from Yibo lightly.
Finally, Zhan reached for the phone and handed it to Qi, who was nearby, saying, "Give this to Bei. It's her call."
Qi quickly took the phone to Bei, who was fortunate to pick up just before it disconnected. Seeing Yibo's name, Bei answered eagerly, her voice filled with love for her brother—a love everyone around them knew was deep and unwavering...
How it is dear friends? Should we continue...?
Zhanxianyibo❤️💚💛