Work Text:
Yan Ting stared at the superstar lying peacefully in his arms, tiredness evident on his lover’s face. His Li Zhao is working very hard for another movie project and yesterday was the last day of shooting. Now that it is finished, Li Zhao can finally rest and all of Yan Ting’s worries have subsided.
Or so he thought.
While Yan Ting is proud that there are a lot of olive branches thrown to Li Zhao, a sign of his lover’s strength, he cannot help but get worried. It was common for his lover to exert his best to the point of exhaustion but he knows that there is something different in this situation--Li Zhao is overworking to distract himself from their parents’ absence.
These past few years have been good to the both of them. Yan Ting and Li Zhao unexpectedly found warmth and love from older people, from parental figures whom they thought that they can only dream of.
However, things cannot always be perfect. Due to muscle pain, Old Lin had to be confined but what they did not expect is for his condition to get worse resulting for him and his wife to travel overseas for the best health care service they can find.
Yan Ting’s assistant told him earlier that the results are out and Old Lin’s rehabilitation will take at least a year, meaning that their parents will stay overseas longer than they expected.
Yan Ting does not care about the costs accompanying the said rehabilitation given that he was the one who volunteered to shoulder the expenses. This is of course after his great efforts to convince their parents to let him be. However, he is worried about what will be its effect on his lover.
He raised his hand and softly caressed Li Zhao’s face. His family’s Zhao Zhao just found his parents but they have to be separated once again and while Yan Ting is not an expert, he knows that his lover was hurting.
Li Zhao had listed their plans already. They will travel in different city’s in the country and will buy a lot of souvenirs. They will try different varieties of noodles that Li Zhao loved so much and perhaps, they can put this on the menu of the noodle shop in the near future.
Maybe, they can attend the dragon boat festival and Auntie Du will make zongzi that they can enjoy. Or maybe, they will stay in the confines of Li Zhao’s parents' home celebrating festivals in front of their television set while having a simple meal made by the elderly. Yan Ting will be the one who will wash the fruits while Li Zhao will help Auntie Du cook. Perhaps, they can invite Uncle Lin Hong’s family to join them. Or maybe, they will go out and invite their friends to join.
Maybe. Just maybe. All Yan Ting can do right now is imagine. It seems that it will not happen this year. Then again, Yan Ting knows that everything seems to be ideal.
Up until now, he is not convinced that he deserves all of the blessings he has received. He did bad things. He is ruthless. People are scared of him. This is probably the payment of his wrongdoings, he does not deserve to be happy.
Yan Ting casted a small smile as Li Zhao clung to him like a koala in his sleep. The glow of the moon outside illuminated the face of his beloved that no one can ever compare. All of his worries were thrown out of the window. As long as he has Li Zhao, he knows that everything will be fine.
He took a deep breath and placed a kiss on Li Zhao’s forehead and whispered, “I love you.”
Li Zhao, as if he heard Yan Ting’s voice, nuzzled his face on his chest. Cute little snores can be heard and all Yan Ting wants to do is to wake him up and reward him with kisses. But first, he has to make sure that everything is going fine in his company before he rejoins Li Zhao to sleep.
He’s planning to take Li Zhao out tomorrow and nothing can stop him.
He slowly removed the big baby’s hands on his waist and grabbed a pillow as a substitute for him. He was about to grab his laptop placed on the desk when his phone rang on the bedside table.
Yan Ting hastily muted the phone and did not bother to look at the ID caller due to his fear of waking Li Zhao up. Yan Ting carefully stood up and immediately strode towards the balcony, not forgetting to close the sliding doors. The call stopped and he wondered who that would be. He checked the contacts and was surprised seeing "Mom" on top of the list.
It was Auntie Du, Zhao Zhao's mom whom he considered now as his own.
Yan Ting immediately dialed back and the person on the other line immediately picked up,
“Auntie--” He paused and corrected himself, “Mom, hello.”
He heard Auntie Du laugh making his ears red. Up until now, Yan Ting still gets flustered when Li Zhao’s parents tease him. It’s just that, Yan Ting cannot get used to calling them as if they are his own parents.
It still feels so surreal.
“Xiao Yan, did I wake you up?”
“Not really, Mom. I am about to check some files before I go to bed.” He can imagine Auntie Du shaking her head because of his answer.
“I hope you’re not pushing yourself to your limits.” Auntie Du said in a worried voice.
“Yes, Mom.” He paused, “Is there something wrong?”
“Zhao zhao called earlier.” The woman did not answer his question directly.
“What did he say?” He asked, wondering what happened that made his Auntie so work up to the point that she called without any notice.
"Before Old Lin and I went to Canada, Zhao Zhao and I had a conversation. At first, he insisted that he would stop schooling to accompany us but I coaxed him. I told him that he is close to getting his degree and he should not worry about us. But you know how my son can be hard headed sometimes, Xiao Yan," the older woman paused. "He said that he will stay with us and will take him with you once I gave him a go signal."
Yan Ting felt warmth surged in his heart upon hearing those words. Until the very end, Li Zhao still puts him in all of his plans.
"Maybe, it's because he is scared of losing us once more that he made a promise to us... that no matter what happens, he will be there."
"Mom," Yan Ting said in a whisper, lost for words.
"You of all people know that Zhao Zhao is really determined. He is a strong kid and does not let other people see his weak side. My baby does not throw the pot even if he is wronged. He does not want to trouble everyone, that’s how precious my Zhao Zhao is.” Yan Ting unconsciously nodded but he froze when he heard the next sentence, “But earlier, when I told him that Old Lin's rehabilitation will take at least a year, he started to cry."
Yan Ting's grip on the railing tightened as he waited for Auntie Du to continue.
"He told me, 'Ma, Zhao zhao is sorry. Zhao zhao cannot be there for you and Dad.' He said sorry over and over again that I lost count and I know he's crying so hard."
Hearing that Li Zhao cried because of him made Yan Ting feel suffocated.
"He said that he loves you so much to leave you behind. You are now close to achieving greater heights in your business and he does not want to be a burden to you. While I know that you are willing to let your assistant handle everything just to be with us, my son doesn’t want to trouble you. Li Zhao wants to be there with you and support you every step of the way."
Yan Ting’s mind went haywire. All of the negative thoughts came crashing down on him and he cannot help but overthink. They are going to take Li Zhao. He will be left all alone. He thought that they would be different but what is this? Why are they taking away what is so precious from him? Then, again, Li Zhao will hate him because of his possessiveness. Should he just let Li Zhao go?
Auntie Du, do you hate me? Are you blaming me that you cannot be with your beloved son? Do you and uncle Lin hate me for taking Li Zhao away from you? Do you hate me because your son is willing to spend more time with me? I cannot promise that I will be okay but even if I want to keep Li Zhao for myself, if he wants to be with you, I am more than willing to do it as long as he is happy .
In the past, Yan Ting kept his feelings bottled up. No one can read his thoughts and he closed himself to everyone. But maybe because he can be carefree around these people that he did not realize that he already said those words out loud.
"Xiao Yan, my son, don't ever think that way!" Auntie Du said in a stern voice. This is the first time Auntie Du scolded him after all these years. He lowered his head in guilt yet when he remembered what the woman just called him, he could not help but feel a tug in his heart.
"Xiao Yan, listen to me,” Yan Ting nodded like a kid. “Mom, cannot hate you. You and Zhao Zhao are my sons.”
At that moment, Yan Ting’s eyes felt hot as his grip on the railings loosened.
“But… why are you telling me this, Mom?” Yan Ting tried his best not to let his voice crack as he said the last word. “Isn’t because you want me to convince Li Zhao to go there?”
If other people heard that Yan Ting cried, the big boss, the demolition tyrant who can do everything in a snap of his fingers, the devil incarnate as what his relatives call him, people would immediately dismiss it as a joke.
Yet, Yan Ting is trying his best not to get emotions ahead of him. For the first time, he is like a kid who is vulnerable seeking comfort in this cruel world.
“No, Xiao Yan. No, son.” Du Yushu assured him. “I will be lying if I said that I will not miss the both of you but what he said is reasonable. Mom is aware that you are both adults and have their own lives.”
“The reason why I called is to thank you, Yan Ting, Xiao Yan, my son.” Yan Ting looked up as he willed himself not to cry.
“You filled that gap inside his heart caused by our absence. You treated Zhao Zhao so precious and even spoiled him rotten. You stick with him through thick and thin and always do what is best for him. I know all of this because of my son’s stories about you. There is that undeniable sparkle in his eyes whenever he tells us something about you. You gave Zhao Zhao the love he deserves when no one else is there for him. For that, thank you, Xiao Yan.”
Yan Ting bit his lip as he listened to the soft cries accompanying Auntie Du’s words.
“You gave Li Zhao a home. Now that we are here, I want to give back to you. I hope that you will not hold back and treat me and Old Lin as your home that you can always go back to. You and Zhao Zhao can always go back to us, back to our home.”
This time, tears escaped from Yan Ting’s eyes that he tried so hard holding back. He never thought that things will turn out this way. He thought that he is content with everything as long as Li Zhao is happy but now that his mom said those words, he realized that there is a missing piece inside his heart.
Now, that piece is completed.
“I assure you that Old Lin and I will be back earlier than expected that you do not need to worry. Look for each other while we are away, okay?” Auntie Du reminded him.
“Yes, Mom.”
The call continued with Du Yushu ranting how Old Lin can be stubborn and after a few minutes, it ended.
Yan Ting stared at the dark sky. It may be cold but it was as if his heart was on fire as heat surged in his system caused by that wonderful conversation he had with his mother. He felt complete as his worries turned into dust.
He took a deep breath and decided to go back to his clingy lover. What he did not expect is to see a sleepy yet annoyed Li Zhao on the other side of the sliding glass door.
Yan Ting did not waste any second and opened the door only to be greeted by Li Zhao’s whine. “Ting ting, just because I am in-charge of being a beauty while you make money, you get to leave me alone in bed.”
He almost laughed upon hearing those words. Li Zhao is here with him and even scolded him like a big baby.
He’s not dreaming. Everything is real.
“Ting ting, mean. You left me all alone. Now, let me sleep.” Then his Zhao Zhao grabbed both of his hands and pulled him back to the king sized bed.
Once settled, the big baby snuggled close to him and whispered, “Ting ting, you’re mean. Give me a good night kiss.” Yan Ting immediately complied and placed a soft kiss on Li Zhao’s forehead.
“I love you, Ting ting.” Li Zhao said before soft snores can be heard.
“I love you, too. Li Zhao.” Yan Ting whispered as he was slowly lulled into sleep.
Thank you for giving color to my life. Thank you for giving me a home that I can always go back to. Thank you for being my home.