Actually I planned to make this chapter a little longer but ...
I found a good cut so ... here I am :) :) 

Enjoy <3 <3

Yibo's POV

I did not know what so say, what to do, not even what to think..... This man, our gardener Li Bowen is the biological brother of my Zhan!? This ... CANT BE!!

Why?

How?

"Please say that again, I think my ears are not working right, officer..." I said and looked, no I more or less glared at him, daring him to repeat what I think I heard. I saw him being confused with my behavior but still he said it again.

"This is Li Bowen and the biological brother of Xiao Zhan. We had his number saved in our system in order to call the moment there is a trail to the whereabouts of his little brother. Now Xiao Zhan was found and I called him over .....why are you so shocked? .... Do you guys ... well ... know each other?" Officer JJ asked confused and wanted an answer from me but I couldn't give him one.

Did I know Li Bowen? I thought I did ... I got to know him as the annoying gardener trying to get close to my boyfriend whenever he could. That's it, just a gardener, an annoying one... But now it turns out he was my boyfriends older brother the whole time?? And I treated him like ..... I AM DOOMED!

"Yes, Officer. We know each other very well. We are really really close!" Mr. Li answered with a smile and Officer JJ nodded slowly before giving us some space to talk.

"Bowen, what is going on?" Brother asked confused.

"This is ... a long story, to be honest. How about we go to the cafe two blocks away and I explain everything?" Mr. Li said nervously and Brother nodded.

"Haikuan, I know that came as a surprise... or rather a shock but I would like for you to hear me out before ... well ... accusing me of anything, this goes for Yibo too... I can explain." Mr. Li said and my brother nodded once again but I could see in his eyes he was hurt.

Of course he was... we trusted him and hid his true identity from us... I shook my head before slowly moving.

"Haikuan, look..." I heard him saying and he sounded rather amused. I on the other hand ignored it and continued trying to sneak away. I may be very angry right now and wanted to beat the hell out of him for hiding his true identity but ... when I remember what I thought, said, and did to him and how I behaved in front of him.... trying to escape is the best solution I could think of for now.

I almost reached the back door but ... this man is so ANNOYING!!!

Mr. Li caught me, took me in a headlock and pulled me with him.

"Lets go. I heard the cake in that cafe tastes amazing!" Mr. Li said.

"You traitor!! Let me GO!!" I yelled and a few officers chuckled seeing the three of us leaving.  

10 Minutes later we sat in the cafe and were waiting for our order. I tried my best to ignore Mr. Li while he tried his best to get my attention. My brother only watched us.

"Come on, Yibo... I am sorry. I really am... Do you hate me now?" Mr. Li asked and I huffed.

"What do you mean with 'now'? I never liked you in the first place.." I said annoyed.

"I know you are hurt but that is no reason to lie. I had my reason for keeping my identity for myself. At least hear me out, okay? After that there is still time to feel embarrassed..." Mr. Li asked and that made me gave him my attention.

"Who is embarrassed?? I am not! Why should I??" I glared at him.

"You know why... all your childish and annoyed behavior in front of me thinking I am interested in your boyfriend for the same reasons as you... Your groundless jealousy... No need to be embarrassed. I understand this..." Mr. Li said and that made me so ... angry? Annoyed? I did not know but I wanted to leave.

As if he could read my mind, Mr. Li put his arm around my shoulder and looked towards an approaching waitress who served our order seconds later.

"Bowen, stop annoying my brother on purpose. He is already embarrassed enough, now please explain the reason for your hide and seek." Brother said and Mr. Li nodded.

"I am not embarrassed!!" I said once again.

"Yibo, stop it for now. Be quiet and listen to him first. You too want to know why he did that. Let him explain." Brother said calmly before turning back to Mr. Li who only chuckled before starting his explanation.

"A few things you already know but nevertheless I will start from the beginning." 

"Go ahead." Brother said.

"It began 15 years ago when I came back from the summer camp. The first thing I did was going to my brother's room but of course I couldn't find him there. Then my parents explained to me what happened. I was ... furious. My little brother went missing and no one knew where he was. I loved my parents very much but since the birth of Xiao Zhan.... I loved him more than anyone else, my parents included.

Of course my parents tried their best to look for Xiao Zhan, they went to the police station every day, sometimes they even spend the night there. I was not allowed to be with them but had to continue my daily life. I was not allowed to help with the search. My parents even hired some private investigators but ... they were all good for nothing, demanded a lot of money despite never getting a clue.

The only one who somehow kept a clear head was my father. Trying to manage the company while searching for Xiao Zhan, traveling between the company and the police station. Sometimes he wasn't at home for days. But no one ever find out what happened and where my little brother was.

My mother was depressed. When she saw a child on the streets at the same age as my brother she would run to towards it, hoping it would be him. It got worse every day until my father send her to a doctor where she was treated with sessions and medications until she was better. After two months she was almost the old women everyone knew. But only almost. Up till today she still talks to pictures of Xiao Zhan and celebrates his birthday, which is actually the 13th October, not the 5th.

During that time I was ... lost. I could not understand why it was so difficult to find my little brother and why I was not allowed to search for him. I hated my parents and gave them the fault for losing Xiao Zhan. They were at fault! I started to ignore them completely, waiting for the time I would be old enough to leave the house for good and to start my own search for Xiao Zhan.

My parents wanted for me to take over their company but that was the last thing I ever wanted. It was because of the company and the work that they were too busy and my brother got lost. I stayed away from home as much as I could so I would not had to see my parents much. Of course they tried to speak to me and tried to apologize and explain themselves but... I could not and did not want to understand.

At the end I moved out and cut all my ties with them. I studied a lot, got myself a girlfriend and even married her later, taking on her family name. Not only because I loved her very much but I too wanted to get rid of the name Xiao, which was the last thing which connected me with my parents.

You have to know that Xiao Zhan was the person I loved the most and I could not bear the fact the he was gone. Gone because of the carelessness of my parents. You might think what I did and how I behaved back then was childish and totally overreacted but, I was in fact just a child when Xiao Zhan got missing."

Mr. Li explained and looked at us with determination before taking a sip of his coffee. My Brother and I listened to him quietly. I did not try to run away again, not only because I want to know his reasons but also because Mr. Li still had his arms around my shoulder, holding me gently in place so there was no room for escaping. Maybe holding my shoulder is his way to keep calm, who knows.

After another sip of his coffee he continued his story.  

"While I studied I had a few part time jobs as well to earn at some money. In the mean time my ex-wife Li Qin wanted to know why my parents were not at our wedding and after I told her everything she wanted for me to speak with them again. She said it wasn't fully their fault and they were suffering too. It was bad enough to lose one child but losing his second too might me too much for them to handle, especially for my mother who already needed to see a doctor after Xiao Zhan's missing.

I thought about it for a few days and Li Qin encouraged me again and again. So at the end I went to them and listened to their story. Even after hearing it my feelings and thoughts did not changed but I tried to understand. I visited them first once a week, and after Li Qin told me to visit them more often or else the relationship between me and them wouldn't get any better, I went to my parents three times a week. Later even more often and I slowly got along with them again. This continued for a long time and as you already know, Li Qin felt neglected at some point and fell in love with Dr. Huang. Three years later she asked me for a divorce..."

I huffed at that. 'This woman has a serious problem... I still cant understand why she would tell Mr. Li to visit his parents often and then fell in love with someone else because she feels neglected...' I thought irritated and frowned.

I was thrown out of my thoughts when Mr. Li pulled me towards him. "At least you can understand me. That is another reason why I like you so much." He said happily and I glared at him.

"Let go of me!" I hissed and he chuckled.

"You are mad at me..... Who wouldn't after I hid my real identity. But you have to be honest and admit that you like me and we are really close to each other. Just like brother's, don't you think?" He winked at me.

"Cut the crap and continue your story!" I growled and he laughed before continuing.

"Back to my part time jobs. One of them was as an accountant and secretary in a private detective agency. I started to work there not only because of the money, but to learn how look for a missing person. I even asked the investigators for help but ... everyone told me it was hopeless to search for a kid who went missing ten years ago.

Of course I did not give up and tried my best to find Xiao Zhan on my own, unfortunately without any results. I also could not find anyone who might want or was able to help me...

Two years later, right after I got the divorce, a newly hired investigator gave me an address and telephone number of a colleague he was working with in his previous agency. He told me that colleague is an expert with cold cases so I immediately looked for him and asked for help. His name is Wang HaoXuan and he took his time to listen to my story. When I finished telling him everything he agreed to help me. He asked me a lot of questions which I tried to answer as good as I can, I even asked my father for help. I did not want to bother my mother as it was difficult to accept Xiao Zhan's disappearance.

HaoXuan then started to investigate and look for Xiao Zhan. Of course it was not easy and therefore it took some time until he found a clue. He positioned himself in front of the playground my brother went missing and handed out flyers. It may be an old method but ... it was still effective. He saw a man behaving suspicious and decided to followed him with the thought he might find Xiao Zhan.

He followed him into the woods where stood a big house. The man went in, told his son to go to his room and asked his wife about the flyer. First HaoXuan listened to them and then revealed himself while demanding answers....-"

"Did you knew from the beginning what happened to Zhan? Why did you not tell us about it?" I interrupted him.

"I did not. HaoXuan could not find out what exactly happened. Yibo, please let me explain everything. After that you can ask if there are still unanswered question." Bowen asked and I nodded.

"Where was I .... right. HaoXuan demanded answers and found out that the man married his wife when Xiao Zhan already was her son. He knew something was not right with Xiao Zhan but believed his wife when she told him the boy was lonely and shy. 

He ordered his wife to finally speak up about PeiXin being Xiao Zhan.

The woman did not say much. Only that she missed PeiXin very much, found him playing at the playground and took him home. She said nothing else and obviously was out of her mind. Another thing was that if Xiao Zhan was not PeiXin, where was the real one? The man asked his wife but she did not react. As there was no way HaoXuan could find out what he wanted to know while asking the woman he turned to her husband and asked him.

He said he did not know. He left his house back then to buy some things for his wife who would come back from her business trip after 8 days and left Xiao Zhan with his secretary. She was a good woman and would never hurt anyone. But when he came back form shopping... Xiao Zhan was gone and her secretary too... He just found his wife running through the woods looking for her son. He went to the police but ... they could not help much as there was no photo of PeiXin. He tried himself to find him but ... did not succeed.

HaoXuan then left and looked around, even asked a few hikers, and later found an old couple who recognized Xiao Zhan as a kid they picked up in the middle of the woods years ago. But duo to Xiao Zhan's characteristics they did not know what to do, did not know how to handle him. So they took him to the lotus orphanage. 

HaoXuan went there and looked around after someone who might resemble Xiao Zhan. He found no one and then asked a few kids if they knew something. There was one girl, around 14 years old, who recognized Xiao Zhan and told him that he was adopted few weeks ago. After that HaoXuan left and asked a few friends of him to find out about the adoption. It didn't take 2 days and HaoXuan got your address.

He explained everything to me and I was so happy about these news that I went to you right away but ... I couldn't to introduce myself. I was ... scared... Xiao Zhan lived apart from me, apart from my family for 14 years, his life until the time I stood in front of your house seemed to be ...the worst for him. I was not even sure if he remembered me. And if yes, was he mad at me? For not being there for him? Did he hate me? Or was it that he forget about me?

All these question I asked myself and therefore was unsure to introduce myself. HaoXuan said I should just do it but .... I really couldn't. HaoXuan then found out you were looking for a passionate gardener and for me it was a sign. I love nature and I love gardening from the time I was a kid. And you looking for a gardener while I wanted to see my little brother... for me it was a sign. So I asked HaoXuan to help me. I applied and got the job.

When I then saw my little brother for the first time it was ... indescribable. He was not the little kid I used to know but grew up a lot. When I saw him crouched on the ground, shivering all over, I was horrified. He behaved like he would get the worst punishment ever just because he lost a bunny. I was asking myself what the hell happened for him being like this....

Haikuan, when you went to him, took him gently into your arms and spoke to him softly, when I saw him calming down with that, I was truly jealous. I wanted to be you at that moment. When I saw this I was even more scared to introduce myself, especially after I saw how scared he was when I was around. So I decided to tell the truth when he got used to me. Well .... he did now but ... after all the hypnosis and him saying the he was not sure if he would ever forgive his biological family... I got scared again.

I guess I should have told you earlier about who I was. I am sorry. I really am. I love my brother and don't want to lose him again. Even if that means to lie about my identity." Mr. Li finished his story and looked guilty towards my brother and me.

"Thank you for telling us this, even if it is late. I understand why you would thing like that but hiding you identity not only from us but especially from Xiao Zhan ... that is something I cant accept. Xiao Zhan deserves to know the truth. What do you think will happen if he decides to look for his biological family in the future and finds out who you really are?" Brother said to him and I could see that was something Mr. Li did not think of.

"He will be disappointed and will feel betrayed....." Mr. Li mumbled. "I did not thought of this ..."

"You would do well to tell him the truth. Yes, he will feel betrayed but that is something you need to accept. Xiao Zhan went through too much and when he gets lied to by people close to him even now... he will suffer. I don't want that! And I will protect him even if that means to tell you to keep your distance from him!"Brother said and I looked at him surprised.

'He wants to forbid Mr. Li to see his his little brother...? But he is right. If that means to protect Zhan I support brother's decision!' I thought and observed Mr. Li who looked like lost his brother once again. Brother saw that too and smiled.

"I do not forbid you to see him... yet. But I want you to tell him who you are as soon as possible." Brother said.

"But... what if he does not want to see me afterwards? I just found him. I don't want to lose him again!" Mr. Li said and I got angry.

"Well do what you want then. Zhan is noone who just judges someone like that so he will not hate you. Of course he will feel hurt and needs time to accept the truth but that is something you have to live with. But you know what? The moment he woke up I will tell Zhan who you really are, if you want it or not!" I hissed, freed myself and run out of the cafe.

'He dares to continue to lie to my Zhan? Forget it! Not with me around!'

Bowen's POV

After telling me his opinion and intention Yibo run out of the cafe. It took me a few seconds to understand his words and when I did I run after him immediately. It should be me who tells Xiao Zhan that I am his older brother, not Yibo and no one else.

I run out and searched for him. I spotted him entering the park a few meters ahead and followed Yibo. 2 minutes later I caught up to him. I grabbed his hand and pulled him after me towards an empty bench.

"What is your problem? Let me go!" He said and struggled. I knew he would escape the moment I let him go. He was always this childish and even if his childishness gets on my nerves sometimes, I found it very cute.

"I cant or else you will run away." I said and with a strong pull he fell on my lap. 'Who would have thought that one day Yibo would sit on my lap? Not me and certainly not Yibo which you can tell by his red ears. How cute...' I thought and laughed inwardly.

"Are you crazy!? Let me go!" He screamed in embarrassment and this time I laughed out loudly.

"Why? Isn't it comfortable? Want to play with your big brother?" I asked and saw his neck turning red as well.

"I don't! Let me go!!" I could see his despair and how embarrassing it was for him to sit on someone else's lap, in public at that. I really could not understand why I have so much fun teasing this boy... I just love it.

"I will let you go if you promise to not run away." I said to him. He turned his face towards me and glared at me.

"Its not me who is running away! It is you! You are running away from the truth and your responsibility!" He shouted and I was too surprised that I loosened my grip on him. He used this chance to quickly get off of my lap before turning around to see if someone saw this embarrassing situation he was in seconds ago.

I pulled myself together and smiled at him. "Please sit down."

He looked at my lap suspiciously and I laughed again. "On the bench, Yibo."

He glared at me but sat down.

"Yibo, I love my brother. More than I love anyone else. I only want the best for him and I know he has everything he needs right now. I am scared what will happen if he knows who I am.. or more like when he gets to know I lied to him since almost 2 years ..." I started but was interrupted by him.

"Its your fault! You had the chance to tell him everything but decided  not to. When I can understand why you did it at the beginning I cant understand why you did not tell him after he got used to you! You know that he likes you a lot and I think his subconscious already knows who you are. He never befriended anyone except my brother and me. Not even the director or Dr. Wang. You were the first and that means he feels connected to you!" He said without looking at me.

"You are right. But even an adult can get scared." I said and that made him look at me.

"You cant lie forever. Someday he will find out the truth so it would be better to tell him as soon as possible! For me that means you should have done it 2 years ago! If you don't want to do it, I will!" he said again and stood up and I pulled him back.

"You will not tell him anything! I will do it on my own." I said to him.

"You had your chance! Time is over!" He said again. I gently took his chin in my hand and turned his face to me so I could look into his eyes.

"I know you are worried about my brother. You love him a lot, probably even more than yourself. I saw that over the years and especially the last days. You only want the best for him as well. I know you want to tell him who I am as soon as possible but this is something I need to do. This is my responsibility as you said earlier. So please don't tell him anything." I asked him.

"Why should I? You will run away again anyway." He asked me irritated and I smiled softly.

"Yibo, take it as my last wish. I will not run away again. I promise." I said and looked into his eyes. After a minute he freed himself and started to walk back to the cafe.

"Yibo." I called him while following him but he did not turned around nor reacted. "Wang Yibo!" I called him again and this time he answered without turning around.

"I got it! I will give you three days! If you did not tell him, I will!" He shouted and entered the cafe where Haikuan was waiting for us.

"What happened?" He asked me after he saw Yibo being annoyed.

"Nothing." I answered with a smile.

"Then why is he this grumpy again? Did you decide to tell Xiao Zhan who you are?" Haikuan asked me and I chuckled.

"He gave me three days to do so or he will tell Xiao Zhan himself. And the reason for is grumpiness..... probably because he sat on my lap for a short time." I grinned.

"He did what?" Haikuan asked amused while Yibo's ears turned red again.

"Li Bowen! I HATE YOU!!"

"No, you don't! Stop lying!" I laughed.

'His cute reactions after I teased him are probably the reason why I love to tease him.' 

Unfortunately today was the last time I got to tease Yibo for the time being.  

Haikuan's POV

We left the cafe and drove back home. My brother behaved very strangely. He was quiet and did not react to anything Bowen or I said. Even after we asked him something he only answered with a Mhn. He did not even looked at anyone of us, it was like he was ignoring us and that worried me.

Once we reached home and entered the house Yibo walked up to MianMian and asked her if Xiao Zhan was awake which was not the case.

"I had to promise you a lot of times to call you if there are any changes in his condition or he woke up. As I did not call you that means there is nothing to report." MianMian told him with a smile.

"Got it. I am upstairs" He said walked away and I was pretty sure he went to Xiao Zhan.

"Kuan, what is wrong with him?" She asked me and I shook my head before kissing her softly.

"Nothing much. There were too much information in one day. He needs time to sort his thoughts. How are you?" I asked her and she smiled.

"Much better now that Xiao Zhan is back. What kind of information you are talking about?" She asked me and I looked at Bowen.

"I should tell her?" He asked me and I chuckled.

"Its about you anyway. Moreover take this as a practice for Xiao Zhan." I told him and saw him nodding.

"Fine. How about we sit down?" He said to my fiance.

So he told his story to her as well and when he finished MianMian walked up to him and took him into his arms. Of course she would. She was always like this. I chuckled and walked up to them.

"Welcome to the family, I would say. I hope you will tell Xiao Zhan soon who you are. Think about what will happen if he finds out by someone else. My son will suffer even more. I don't want this." She said to him.

"I already promised to do so within the next days." Bowen answered.

"Good. By the way I think my Kuan would not mind for you to stay here for a while, especially after you told Xiao Zhan the truth. You can take the guestrooms and make it yours. Right, Kuan?"

"Definitely." I agreed without hesitating. Bowen was family after all.

"I will accept this gladly." Bowen answered visibly happy.  

For rest of the day Yibo did not leave his bedroom, always laid next to Xiao Zhan waiting for him to wake up. MianMian cooked Dinner and I brought it my little brother. While he was eating I checked up on Xiao Zhan. He was still sleeping and thankfully he seemed to have no nightmares.

"I am done. Thanks, brother." He said and wanted to lay back again but I stopped him.

"Take a shower. I will be here." I said to him and when I saw him hesitating I stared at him. Despite being unhappy he did as I told him. "Stubborn as always ..." I mumbled and smiled.

The sleep did him good. He looked not as pale as he was when we took him out of that hell. I was grateful for that.

"I hope once you wake up you will be more energetic and forget about your time in that house. I hope you will not change despite being through another horror. I promise this was the last time. We are all here for you and there is someone who wants to introduce himself so please wake up after you had enough sleep." I told my sleeping son and kissed his forehead.

Soon Yibo came back and joined Xiao Zhan again.

"Brother?"

"Yes?"

"Do I have to attend university tomorrow?" He asked me and I sighed.

"No, you don't. You can stay at home and look after your boyfriend. Sleep now, its late already." I said and left the room after seeing him falling asleep. I took the empty plate and washed it. Bowen and MianMian already washed the dishes so I had only one plate.

It was 9pm already when I knocked softly at Bowen's door before opening it. He sat on the bed with his back facing me while being on the phone. I watched him a few minutes and when I understood that Bowen enjoyed the conversation and will not cut the call anytime soon I left again.

'Who was the caller? The way he spoke ... I don't think it were is parents... I remember he had someone in his heart already.... Was it that person?' I thought curiously but instead of interrupting his call an ask him I went up to my own bedroom where MianMian too was in the middle of a call.

"Don't you want to play with grandfather a little bit more? .... I know sweety, but your grandfather missed you even more .... I know you have a lot of fun so stop saying otherwise...... Your big brother is not running away, FanXing, so stay there a little bit more. You love your time with grandfather.... When you come home you can have fun with your big brother again but for now have fun with grandfather .... I know and I promise ..... good boy.... Mommy loves you too. Go to sleep now...."

"He loves his big brother very much it seems." I said and chuckled.

"Yes, he does. But if he keeps behaving like this it will be difficult to separate him from Xiao Zhan in the future." MianMian said and I looked at her in surprise.

"You want to separate them?" I asked.

"Kuan, FanXing cant always play and sleep with Xiao Zhan and following him everywhere. At some point Xiao Zhan will go to university and later to his job too. We need to teach FanXing this slowly or else there will be consequences .... I am not saying we will separate them for good. I just want FanXing to learn that his big brother has his life too. I don't want him to depend on Xiao Zhan for his whole life. I hope you understand what I mean." She said to me and I nodded.

"I do. My parents told me the same. When Yibo was very small I was sick, very sick and needed to stay in bed, the doctors even said I had not much time left in this world. But I recovered and got back on my feet. From that day on, Yibo followed me everywhere. He wanted to play together, eat together, bath together and sleep together. I loved having him around me but my parents later told me the same you just told me. That this was not good and Yibo had to learn that he cant always follow me around." I explained and remembered that day.

I was sad about that, even kind of angry especially after I remembered my past life and the death of Wang Ji. But I understood what my parents mean.

"And? How did Yibo react?" MianMian asked me unsure.

"Of course he threw a tantrum. More than once, in fact every time my parents or I prohibited him to sleep or bath with me. But he got used to it soon and accepted it. How FanXing will react I don't know but probably the same as Yibo." I said.

"I guess he needs to go through that ..."MianMian said and I chuckled.

"No worries. When the baby is there maybe he will concentrate more in pleasing his crying sibling as to follow Xiao Zhan everywhere." I said and she giggled after imagine this scenario. "Lets go to sleep now."

"How is Xiao Zhan?" She asked me after we went to bed and she snuggled up to me.

"Still sleeping but no nightmares as of now. He will be fine. We are there for him."

"Yes, we are. He is stronger now than when he was as a child. I believe he can overcome it with our help. And I think ... maybe if he wants to and you agree ... he could attend university too... don't you think?" She asked me.

"We need to wait. I want him to recover and then we will see. But you are right. He should attend one soon."

"Do you think our baby will be as smart as our Xiao Zhan?" She giggled and I laughed.

"You want it to be?" I asked her.

"Of course! I know that FanXing is very smart too. I want all our next children be as smart as our Xiao Zhan and FanXing." She revealed and I looked at her with raised brows.

"Our next children, huh?" I asked her amused and she blushed.

"Yes! I want a lot of kids. You better remember that. Xiao Zhan, FanXing and this little one right here is nowhere near enough. I have a lot of love to give and therefore want more children." She said proudly with her red face.

"Hmm.... That sounds like a great plan .... I guess we need to practice more.... Come here...." I grinned and started to kiss my future wife who giggled before giving in to me.  

The next morning it was me who decided to prepare breakfast. MianMian was tired so I let her sleep. In the middle of cooking coffee Bowen came in and wished me a good morning.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" I asked him and he nodded.

"I did. Better than usual. I think it was a good thing to finally tell someone who I really am." He said happily.

"Then you will sleep even better after telling it Xiao Zhan." I winked at him and he chuckled.

"Bowen, may I ask you something?" I asked him.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Who did you talk to on the phone yesterday?"

"Why you want to know?"

"Oh, its just .... you behaved a lot more .... hm ... carefree? You had fun and ... well I think you enjoyed the conversation a lot. I promise I did not spy too much. I left when I saw you will not cut the call anytime soon ..." I said a little bit embarrassed.

"I don't think I had as much fun as you last night..." He winked at me after eyeing my neck "... but yes. I enjoyed the call. The caller was my boyfriend. I told you last year that I have feelings for my friend. Well, a few month ago I confessed and since then we are dating. I will introduce him to you and the others soon." He answered and smiled innocently when I adjusted my shirt.

"I am glad you are in a relationship as well. To be honest I thought you still love your ex-wife."

"I do still love her but ... I love my boyfriend more." He admitted and I nodded.

The whole day went by without any occurrences. Xiao Zhan was still sleeping and Yibo stayed with him the whole time. Not even once he came down. MianMian and I asked Bowen about Xiao Zhan's childhood and he told us a few stories.

He told us that Xiao Zhan was scared of wasps and would run away as soon as heard a buzzing even if it was just a fly. He loved dogs a lot and whenever he saw a stray dog he would take it home much to his parents despair. At some point they adopted a little puppy for him from an animal shelter after Xiao Zhan promised them to not bring dogs or any other animals home again. Xiao Zhan loved his dog so much that he started to hate the mailman too. When the dog started to chase the mailman Xiao Zhan joined it and screamed at the mailman.

MainMian and I laughed at that. Xiao Zhan was really one of a kind. If he loved someone or something he would do so with everything he had.

Bowen also told us that Xiao Zhan loved the nature and was in the garden most of the time. While their parents were at work and Bowen at school Xiao Zhan played with the maids, especially with Tiffany, we already know of through Xiao Zhan's hypnosis. She was the only one Bowen could speak to after Xiao Zhan's disappearance. Tiffany, or Tiff how Xiao Zhan used to call her, loved Xiao Zhan a lot too and was shocked to hear about his disappearance. She was mad at their parents but stayed at the house despite that.

"Was she looking for Xiao Zhan too?" MianMian asked Bowen.

"Yes, she did. But she had, like everyone else, no success."

"So she stayed behind despite being mad at your parents while hoping for Xiao Zhan's return?"

"She hoped for his return of course. She loved him as much as I did. But the main reason for her to keep working in our house was me. She knew how much I loved my brother and how much I suffered. Even more so after I was prohibited to search for him. I had no one to talk to... So she stayed behind and kept me company. I loved her for that." Bowen said and smiled.

"Can you call her over once you have told Xiao Zhan the truth? I don't know how Xiao Zhan might react when we talk about his real parents but I bet he will be happy to see his Tiff again." I asked him with a smile but I stopped when I saw his face.

"I would love to but .... I cant. She left three years later without telling anyone about it. I tried to call her but her phone was turned off. She did not even resign. I never heard from her again. I was sad about it as she was like a 2nd mother not only for Xiao Zhan but for me as well. But I understood that maybe she was tired at some point and wanted to leave but was scared I would persuade her to stay. I probably would have. I am sorry...." Bowen apologized and I shook my head.

"No need. It was just a thought. Is there no one else who Xiao Zhan might be happy to see?" I asked and saw Bowen smiling.

"There is one. LanLan." He chuckled and I raised my eyebrows.

"Who is that?"

"His dog. The one my parents gifted him. He may be old now but is as energetic as he was as a puppy. After Xiao Zhan went missing it was me who raised it until I left. After that it was our nanny. The colleague of Tiff who is still working at my parents house. Her name is XiaoQing, by the way. I could bring LanLan over after ... I told him who I am."

We three agreed on that and Bowen continued with the stories.  

In the evening I walked upstairs and brought Yibo his Dinner. He was in the middle of a group video call with his friends so I put down the plate and watched him. Xuan Lu, Ziyi, Paul and Ji Yang seemed to know what happened to Xiao Zhan which means Yibo told them. He filmed the sleeping Xiao Zhan and his friends one after the other wished him a healthy sleep and told him to wake up soon.

'These group of friends is really special..' I thought and smiled.

When Yibo cut the call I went back to heat up the food. While he was eating I told him about Xiao Zhan's childhood and my little brother laughed.

"Yes, that is definitely my Zhan." He nodded to himself and walked, without me saying anything, towards the bathroom to take a shower.

I was sure Xiao Zhan would wake up soon so when he came back I told him he can stay at home the next day too and he looked at me thankfully. Then I left to join MianMian in bed.

In the middle of the night I woke up without any reason. After I could not sleep again I decided to check on Xiao Zhan so I walked upstairs. When I opened the door I saw that my son was awake watching the sleeping Yibo. When he heard someone approaching his bed he quickly turned his head towards that direction.

When he saw it was me a relaxed and smiled. Then I sat next to him and he put his his head on my lap. I chuckled at this and stroke through his hair. With that he relaxed even more and quickly fell asleep again.

I did not want to wake him up again and therefore we stayed like this and soon I fell asleep as well.  

Xiao Zhan's POV

I woke up feeling a hand stroking through my hair and I knew right away which person this hand belonged to. It felt good so I savored it a little bit more. During that I heard the whispering.

"Did he really woke up?" The voice belongs to Yibo and I smiled.

"I told you so. Why else would his head be on my lap? Why would I be sleeping in this position?" That was father's voice.

"It was not me he saw first ...." My boyfriend said and without opening my eyes I knew he was pouting.

"It was not you who saw him first. He watched you sleeping before I came in." Father explained I felt him rolling his eyes. I was surprised that I knew them so well that I could tell what they were doing without looking.

"He loves to watch me sleep. He always did." Yibo said. That was true. It was like a mirror. When I see him in peace I was in peace too. I smiled again and heard a chuckled.

"Guys, Xiao Zhan is awake. He hears everything and I think he is agreeing to it." That was Mr. Li's voice I heard. Whatever happens he was always calm, including his voice. That is probably the reason I always calm down the moment I hear him.

As everyone now knew that I was awake I opened my eyes and was shocked to see Yibo's face so close to mine. I blinked rapidly and saw him nodding satisfied before giving me a kiss on my cheeks.

"Yibo, do you really have to be this childish?" I heard my mother saying and turned towards her. She smiled and winked at me.

"I am like this! Nothing can be changed." Yibo said and I slowly got up. The moment I moved my stomach made the loudest noise I ever heard and it was so embarrassing that I hid my face in father's chest while the others were laughing.

"For real now. Stop laughing! He is embarrassed, cant you see that? Wait a moment, Xiao Zhan. I will make breakfast for you immediately." Mother said and left the room after glaring at the others one by one.

'You can say what you want but she is definitely on my side.' I thought and smiled against my father's chest.

"Are you that happy?" Father asked amused and I nodded before wrapping my arms around Father's waist and hugging him. As I knew Yibo very well I knew what was happening inside of him right now.

"I will hug you later, Yibo. I promise." I said to him before hugging my father even tighter while he continued to stroke through my hair. 'I could stay like this the entire day...'

Soon mother came back with two trays and I looked at her in amazement.

"I worked as a waitress for a few months when I studied." She answered my unspoken question and put the two trays in front of me. Without any delay I started to eat and only while doing so I realized just how hungry I was. That and mother cooking skills were the reason for me finishing both trays within 30 minutes.

"You sure became a good eater... still hungry? Shall I make some more?" Mother asked amazed and I shook my head in embarrassment. "No need to be embarrassed. I love to see you eating that much." She chuckled and I smiled before continuing hugging my father while holding Yibo's hand who stroke mine softly.

"Xiao Zhan, is there a reason that you hug me that tight? I am not running away, you know." Father said and I looked up to him.

"It because you saved me. You and Yibo. And I think I heard Mr. Li's voice too."

"Of course we did. Did you think we wouldn't?" Father asked worried and I shook my head.

"I believed you would save me .... but I had tiny doubts." I answered truthfully.

"We love you so much. We will always save you, no matter what danger you are in. Don't doubt that. But I promise, you will never be again in danger." Father said and Yibo joined our hug without letting go of my hand. I smiled.

"I know. I understand everything now." I said happily and heard father chuckling.

"What exactly did you understand?" He asked amused.

"You love me and that is why you saved me. ZhanZhan did not get saved because his parents did not love him. It was easy like this it was just that I did not understand it before. Now I do." I said but instead of continuing hugging me Father let go of me and looked into my eyes.

"That is not true! ZhanZhan was loved by his parents too! They loved ZhanZhan very much!" He said seriously and I was stunned.

"But they did not save him... How are you so sure ZhanZhan got loved by his parents? If they really did love him they would have saved him...or not?" I asked and was confused about my feelings right now.

I was sure ZhanZhan wasn't loved by his parents, even if they did, it was not enough for them to safe ZhanZhan. That boy went through so much and no one saved him. Sure, I do not know yet how he escaped but I think he did this on his own.

I saw my father looking, no .. he was glaring at Mr. Li who looked shocked. Mother looked unhappy as well and when I looked at Yibo he was angry too. 'Oh no ... did I say something wrong?' I asked myself guilty. Before I could apologize I heard Mr. Li clearing his voice.

"Xiao Zhan.... can I speak with you?" He asked me and nodded at him. "I mean .... alone?"

Once again I was confused but Mother, Father and even Yibo were leaving the room. My boyfriend gave me a short kiss and whispered in my ear that I should listen to Mr. Li till the end. Then he left and closed the door behind him.

'What was going on here?' I thought and watched Mr. Li coming closer and sitting  in front of me on the bed.

"Xiao Zhan. I ... want to tell you about something very important. Please, please listen to me first. Can you do that?" He asked unsure and I could feel he was scared.

"Why so serious? Of course I will listen. Go ahead." I smiled at him.

He nodded slowly and started to explain.  

to be continue....

I hope I did not disappoint you with Yibo's first reaction.... It is not over yet anyway ^^

Did you like this chapter? :) 

Bowen is telling him the truth ... 0.o 0.o    How will Zhan react?  :O

The next chapter will be in Xiao Zhan's POV and he will go thought the last door.... lets see what we will find out : )

The next chapter will be next sunday.

I am sorry but I have a lot of work to do in the office at the moment and therefore I am often very tired ... Just know that sunday will be the latest. Of course I will try to update earlier but as usually I cant promise anything. 

See you then <3 <3 <3

I would love to read your comments and please give this chapter a vote :)