When I got up yesterday morning, I felt miserable. My head and throat hurt, my nose was running a little and I had a cough and a little elevated temperature. I tried not to let it show because since yesterday, Zhan and I have been a couple for exactly 3 months and wanted to go out in the evening.

However, Zhan noticed it immediately and wanted me to go to the doctor instead of going to work. But I pretended that I was fine and that it was nothing more than a harmless cold. I didn't want to go to the doctor, because yesterday I was also supposed to finally see my brother again, who was coming to pick me up after work.

After all, my brother had made himself rare in the last few weeks. When I called him, he just said he didn't have time right now. When I asked him about a meeting, he always said he already had other plans. On many of my messages he had not even answered. I didn't know this from him before and slowly started to worry.

So I gritted my teeth and let Zhan drop me off at work. Seungyoun also quickly noticed that I was sick and wanted to send me to the doctor as well. But I explained to him that I didn't want to because I really wanted to meet my brother.

"Your brother can come to your house after all." Remarked Seungyoun.

"Yes, actually, he can. But he wants to pick me up and then take me to the park where we're going to eat blueberry waffles." I explained.

"Well at least he's letting you see him again. I can't wait to see what excuse he has for not contacting you in weeks."

"I've been thinking about it a lot, and I guess I know why."

"You do? And why is that?"

"Because of my parents. That means, because Zhan paid the money for the surgery. I think my brother is mad because we didn't tell him about it."

"But that's not your fault. That's what Zhan decided and did on his own."

"Mhm, he said as a kind of dowry to my parents, for me."

"I remember. But do you really think he's mad about it?"

"Yes, I think so. I'll find out more details later, but I think it's actually because of that."

"I hope it's not because of that Yibo. Come on, let's go inside. But if you get worse, I'll take you to the doctor. Your boyfriend will put me in hell if I don't take care of you."

"My hubby might get mad. But I think he knows by now that I can be very stubborn."

"Like you've ever been stubborn with your Hubby. He does everything you want, you don't have any reason to be stubborn at all."

"True again." I replied with a smile.

In the afternoon, I stood excitedly in the parking lot waiting for my brother. He was already over half an hour overdue when a very familiar car pulled up. His ex's!

His ex stopped next to me and said, "Hi, sorry to keep you waiting, the traffic jam here had been hell."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Didn't your brother tell you I was coming?"

"Um, no. He was supposed to meet me here."

"I don't know anything about that. All I know is he wrote me to give his share of the deposit on the house to you today." I was totally shocked.

His ex got out of the car, handed me an envelope with a check in it and I had to sign a document to him that I had received the check. Then his ex drove away again and I stood there completely confused and angry. I tried to call my brother, but he wasn't answering his cell phone. So I took the next bus to the stop near his apartment. Even on the ride there, I realized why my brother insisted on picking me up. Namely, because he never planned to come and so his ex would find me.

I rang the doorbell and Cheng opened for me. He let me into the apartment where my brother was sitting relaxed on the sofa drinking a cup of tea while I was getting worse. Seeing him so exuberant and in his comfy clothes made me even angrier.

With three big steps, I was standing right in front of him. He got really scared when he suddenly noticed me. I took the envelope with the check out of my pocket and slammed it down on his table. "Keep your money to yourself you asshole!" I yelled, feeling like my throat was ripping apart from the inside.

"Yibo! What are you doing?" Asked my brother.

As angry as I was, I replied, "From today on, you don't have to ignore my calls and messages, I'm definitely not going to contact you again!"

I then just wanted to get out of the apartment. My brother jumped up from the sofa and grabbed me by the arm. "Are you sick? You look sick." He asked as if nothing had happened.

"Let go of me. I want to go home!"

"I'll take you to the doctor."

"Forget it Hai Kuan."

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me. I called you by your name."

"You've never called me Hai Kuan, always just brother or big brother."

"So what? Things change! Besides, you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore. You ignore my messages, when I call you just say you don't have time, and today you sent your ex over to see me, while before you claimed you were picking me up from work so we could eat a hot blueberry waffle in the park."

My brother looked at me speechless. He probably hadn't expected such an outburst of anger from me. He still didn't seem to have realized how much stronger and more confident I had become because of Zhan.

"Yibo, I was mad at you. Do you actually realize that? And can you guess why?"

"Sure, because Zhan paid the money for our father's operation. And said it was his dowry to our parents for me."

"His dowry?"

"Yes, because Zhan wants to marry me! And if you tell me now that you would have let ice cold our father die, then you are a lying idiot!"

"I wouldn't have let him die, no. It's just that I think you should have told me that Zhan gave it to our parents."

"Zhan didn't give it to our parents. After they showed us the evidence that the health insurance wouldn't pay for the surgery, he paid the money directly to the hospital. They acted friendly as fuck, but Zhan said to them not to call you and me again. Unless it's a big emergency."

"Why didn't you guys tell me this right after you paid the money?"

"It wasn't us who paid, it was my Hubby. And he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Besides, you could have asked Zhan about it yourself. You had to be aware that I would never have been able to come up with the money."

"Yibo, I..."

"No, I don't want to hear any more. I'm going home now, because my Hubby is waiting for me. We've been a couple for exactly 3 months today and we want to go out."

"You need to see a doctor."

"None of your business!"

"Yibo, I'm your big brother, so it is my business."

"Yeah right, my big brother who acted like an angry little boy and pushed his little brother away and lied to him. Forget it Hai Kuan, I'm leaving now."

I tore myself away and hurriedly left the apartment. When I was outside of the house, the cold felt even stronger than it did a few minutes ago. Moreover, it had begun to snow.

Slowly and with my legs getting heavier and heavier, I walked to the house. It was not very far away. But sick as I was, it felt like hundreds of miles.

When I finally reached the front door and entered the house, the warmth felt like a hammer blow. My house key fell out of my hand and I felt my legs give way beneath me. I saw Zhan running toward me, catching me, and then everything went black.

I woke up again in the hospital where Zhan was sitting next to me at the bedside, stroking my hand and smiling. "Oh you're awake again my cutie. Just lie still and have a good rest. You're in the hospital. A doctor gave you an IV and something for your fever. You have to stay here tonight. But don't worry, I'm not leaving and I'm going to sit right here."

"And our date?" I asked, my voice scratchy and my throat aching.

"We'll make up for it as soon as you're well again. Now, get some more sleep. I'll take care of you."

I nodded, closed my eyes, and went back to sleep. I woke up every now and then, and every time I opened my eyes, Zhan was sitting beside me, stroking my hand or cheek, and I immediately fell asleep again.

In the morning, a doctor came to see me and examined me again. "Fine the fever is gone. You have angina and will probably have to stay at home in bed for the next 1-2 weeks. I'll prescribe you something now and then you can go home." The doctor explained.

Zhan got my medicine from the pharmacy and then drove me home. He gave me a quick shower, put on my sleeping clothes, and then put me in our bed. I was more grateful than ever at that moment, for this caring and loving man by my side. Because I'm really not feeling well.

Zhan even called my brother and explained what happened yesterday when I came home. My brother wanted to come over right away, but Zhan told him not to. "What Yibo needs now is rest. He is lying in bed and sleeping. As soon as he feels better, he can contact you. He's still very angry with you, so you should wait until he calms down. And one more thing, next time don't take your anger out on your little brother, but talk to me when you get angry."

Since Zhan left the bedroom, I don't know what else he talked about with my brother. He came back to me after a few minutes, gave me some tea with honey, and then lay down next to me. I closed my eyes and immediately fell fast asleep when I heard his heartbeat.

For dinner, Zhan woke me up. He fed me a light soup and after that he let me eat an ice cream because of my throat. He even brought his laptop into the bedroom so he could be with me while he worked on a new book. I watched him for a while, but then fell asleep again when I laid my head on his lap.

I hope I'll be well soon, so that Zhan and I can catch up on our date. And also so that I can talk to my brother again, and this time in peace. Also, Zhan told me that as soon as I feel better, he wants to talk to me and my brother about something. I'm looking forward to seeing what Zhan has to say to us.