"How long are you going to stare at your phone? Zhan?" May asked as she sat beside Zhan on the bed.

After meeting Yibo, Zhan has called him several times and even left messages as well, but as usual, no reply.

Thankfully, Yibo had not blocked him, and it has been two days since that day. At first, it was the thirst to meet Yibo, see him, and talk to him, and now Zhan was hungry. No, he was starving to hear Yibo's answer.

Even if the answer is no, then he wants to hear it from Yibo's mouth.

May took the phone from his hand, and Zhan immediately reacted. "Mom, please return it."

"No, you are like this ever since we came here, and from what Hoaxuan told us, you have been like this since you came back. Zhan, please come and spend time with your family. Do not isolate yourself."

Zhan sighed he felt like shit because, his family came just for him and he was behaving like a douchebag, "sorry mom."

"You don't have to be sorry for being sad Zhan, but you need to go out, today I am planning to go meet my friend Anna, everyone will go, since she and her husband live and feel lonely because her children barely talk to her, it will be a good surprise for her."

"So will you come?" May asked and Zhan nodded even though he didn't want to go.

So here he was now standing in front of the door waiting for someone to open the door after his mother rang the doorbell.

But once the door opened his world stopped when he saw none other than the person his heart was longing to see.

And even the others were shocked.

"oh, May...you are finally here." 

His mother looked past Yibo and saw another woman of small stature around Yanli's height with short black hair face similar to that of Yibo standing there and waving at her, "Oh yeah...Anna."

~~~~~~~

The urge to dig a hole and bury himself in it was never felt so much by Yibo, who sitting here now the dining with Zhan's family he was on the end of the table and Zhan was on one side and A-Xiang on the other.

While his father was on the other and on one side was his mother beside her was Zhan's mother and on the other side was Zhan's father.

"I  had no idea that Yibo was your son," May spoke and Yibo was only and only glaring at his food poking it with his fork while Zhan only looked at her.

Others were also shocked to see Yibo here and didn't know what to say to him.

Anna spoke, "I had no idea that you knew Yibo, this troublesome never tells me anything... ever since she ran away from the house...he is still in his rebellious stage."

Yibo stabbed the piece of meat and glared at his mother while A-Xiang kept a hand on his hand and spoke, "Mom, Yibo did not run away...he just went out to become independent."

"You just keep quiet you are always on his side." Anna spoke, "And see today they showed out of nowhere like after I begged them so much to meet them." she then shook her head.

May spoke, "But it's great that they came to our families can meet."

Anna spoke, "But how come you knew Yibo?" she asked.

May and William looked at each other before May spoke, "You...you don't know?" what she meant was that since they had met Yibo, she thought that Yibo had introduced Zhan to his family as well.

Yibo smiled, "There are many things she does not know aunt." Yibo finally spoke, "Like I am Zhan's ex-boyfriend."

Anna gasped and Yibo's father looked at him as well, before Fay asked, "you dated May's son and you didn't tell us? and why did you break up? forget it must be your fault."

Anna spoke, "We are sorry if he behaved badly with you Zhan."

"No, absolutely not." Zhan quickly spoke.

"Yeah, he is a very nice person," May spoke.

Anna laughed, "that's a surprise that you are praising, you don't know him exactly he is a little devil, he used to give us a lot of headaches when he was a teenager and used to throw a lot of tantrums and make excuses so that he does not have to go school."

Yibo was clenching his fist so tight that his knuckles turned and his face was becoming as white as paper.

May smiled, "My children use to be brats as well."

"Oh your children are perfect," Fay spoke.

William smiled, "It's not like that..."

"No, it's right," Fay said, " I mean look at all of them who succeeded and already settled in life and there are my children, especially my son still in his rebellious phase and my daughter...even though she is doing well but it would be good to do what we had decided for her that way she would have become successful quickly."

This.

This is what Yibo hated about his parents their need to belittle him and his sister, their need to always compare them ignore their pain, and control their lives. And if something does not go against them constant verbal abuse.

Anna got up,"Oh I made a special dish for you all," she said and came with a dish they were prawns.

Everyone tasted it except Yibo and Anna spoke, "Yibo why don't you take it as well?"

Zhan and May both looked at her and Zhan remembered that Yibo had told him that his mother knew nothing about him so it was indeed true.

"He is allergic to prawns Mrs. Wang," Zhan said

"Oh come on, one-piece won't hurt." she said and was about to place the prawn in his dish but Yibo stopped her, "No. Thanks." Yibo said in a child and firm voice as he was glaring at his mother who felt a little insulted and sat back down and Fay spoke.

"Yibo your mother made it with so much effort can't you taste it? seriously being a parent of a brat is so tough."

Anna spoke as well, "His grandfather must be face-palming in heaven he-"

Before she can complete Yibo banged his spoon on the table showing everyone, A-Xiang and Zhan's eyes widened and Yibo looked at his parents before smiling coldly, "You are right mom, dad, being  a parent is hard and it gets even harder if you are a shitty one."

Fay and Anna glared at him, "Yibo-"

"I am talking and let me talk!" Yibo said, "What did you say? tantrum to go to school, mom and dad they were not tantrums, I was bullied severely, it was fear and I asked for help and what did you say? deal with it yourself and that was what I was doing and not throwing tantrums.

And next A-Xiang wanted to do engineering but you were forcing her to do medical, you both seriously wanted her to do something she had no interest in...kudos.

And I have gastritis I feel severe pain if I eat prawns but of course, you don't care because your fucking effort is worth more than my life. And you know what? I hate you mom and  dad I FUCKING HATE YOU!" He said and banged his hand on the table and got up, his face red eyes blood short as tears leaked from them.

"You ruined my life! you hear me! I did everything for you, everything from being the top student to excelling in other things but one failure one failure just because I couldn't clear my competitive exam you slapped in front of everyone I become useless and pathetic? all the other achievements flushed down the drain?

After years of controlling my life using 'what grandpa would think' as an excuse? why don't you let him rest in peace!"

A-Xiang got up and held his hand crying herself, "And you both turned to A-Xiang to torture her with your expectations! you know what? No matter what I do you are always ashamed of me so today I will give you a real reason to be ashamed, so ashamed that you will disown me" he said and wiped his face and smiled.

"Ready? Mom and dad, I am...an ESCORT, CHEERS!" Everyone's eyes widened when Yibo said that, Zhan was looking at him with shock as well even though his eyes were red as well.

"I am bloody whore and it's all because you, I hate you, you guys are pathetic and failure of a parent and you are comparing to aunt May's kids?" Yibo was hysteric at this point crying badly, "have you seen them how good of a parent they are? they are so perfect that you can't be like them in your entire lifetime...

And yeah right grandpa would be ashamed to see you now...I feel so bad for him for having a daughter like you I hope that, that day instead of grandpa you..."

"YIBO!" A-Xiang yelled at the top of her lungs and glared at him while he kept his hands on the table his shoulders trembling as he cried, "Thanks for the dinner."

He said and went out of there.

Anna was in tears as well today was the day she realized how much her words had hurt her son she really ruined his life.

Fay was the same her, he only wanted to make his children's lives better and push them harder but he pushed them away from him.

A-Xiang ran after him and Zhan went after him as well.

While there was pin-drop silence in the room.