CH 74

Zhou Qingbo reacted quickly, nearly climbing off Pei You as soon as he heard the door sound.

Given the frequent unexpected occurrences with patients in the hospital, even single rooms weren’t allowed to be locked to facilitate medical staff movement. Zhou Qingbo had already become used to these “sudden attacks” over the past few days and hadn’t paid much attention, but as he lifted his head, he froze.

Because he suddenly realized that the person entering wasn’t a doctor or a nurse, but rather Zhou Cangshan, who should have been miles away.

Zhou Cangshan came in a hurry, without any luggage and without a secretary trailing behind him. He had his suit jacket draped over his arm, a pronounced crease forming on his forehead.

His hand still clung to the doorknob, maintaining the posture of someone entering. His gaze swept around the room for a moment before settling on Zhou Qingbo.

Zhou Cangshan didn’t speak. Zhou Qingbo was still stunned, the subtle and awkward silence hanging in the air spreading an indescribable atmosphere, like an impending storm, carrying an unclear scent.

Zhou Qingbo’s crisis radar went off, going crazy instantly. He subconsciously adjusted his posture, unknowingly straightening his back. After a few seconds, he hesitantly spoke, “Big Brother?”

Zhou Cangshan responded with a cold “Hmm.”

Zhou Qingbo knew the response was severe. Although he didn’t know why Zhou Cangshan had made this trip from so far away, just by the looks of it, he knew it wasn’t to “commend” him.

Moreover, Zhou Cangshan’s timing was terrible. Zhou Qingbo wasn’t sure if he’d seen something when he entered, and he was even less certain if he’d figured anything out.

Zhou Qingbo loved to joke and play, but he was also tactful. He knew that what he and Pei You had been doing just now wasn’t a typical “friendship interaction.” Even if the topic wasn’t about being gay, it would be hard to brush it off with “good friends” in the eyes of a steel-willed straight man like Zhou Cangshan.

Zhou Qingbo had never come out to his family. This was something Pei You knew. Although Pei You might be slow, he wasn’t dumb. In a country where traditional and conservative values dominated, there were few parents like He Ping. More often, parents were radical and conservative, treating the three-letter word “gay” as a fearsome beast.

The Zhou family was especially strict, their family values were conservative and righteous. Even going to a bar was frowned upon, let alone being caught doing something gay.

Although Pei You knew rationally that it might be better if he wasn’t there during this time, emotionally, he was worried about Zhou Qingbo.

suddenly, Zhou Cangshan said with an implied meaning, “I’ve been standing at the door for a while.”

That means he must have seen it all, Zhou Qingbo thought.

Zhou Cangshan was straightforward, impatient with beating around the bush, and he burst the bubble without hesitation. Strangely enough, this made Zhou Qingbo feel more at ease. It was one thing to have a sword hanging above his head and another for it to actually fall – the latter was painful for a moment, but the former kept him constantly on edge, struggling in doubt and insecurity.

In fact, Zhou Cangshan being direct about this matter was a good thing. At least Zhou Qingbo didn’t have to rack his brain trying to deceive him.

Thinking this, Zhou Qingbo’s heart actually eased, and he smiled, suddenly turning to Pei You and saying, “By the way, I feel like having some pork ribs from Qiaotou.”

Zhou Cangshan had just discovered the relationship between Zhou Qingbo and Pei You, so logically, regardless of whether it was to avoid suspicion or to appease Zhou Cangshan’s emotions, Zhou Qingbo shouldn’t have had such a natural exchange with Pei You. However, Zhou Qingbo really didn’t want to get lectured in front of Pei You, so he had to find a way to get him to leave.

Pei You hadn’t expected him to bring this up at a time like this, and he hesitated for a moment before turning his head to look at Zhou Qingbo with a puzzled expression.

Zhou Qingbo seemed to have understood his thoughts and preemptively interrupted him before he could say anything.

“I want the double combo of sweet and sour and cumin flavors,” Zhou Qingbo said.

Repeatedly, Pei You also saw Zhou Qingbo’s persistence, so he had no choice but to suppress his worry for the moment and softly replied, “Sure.”

He stood up from the hospital bed, patted his wrinkled coat, and walked naturally toward the door. As he was about to leave, he politely nodded to Zhou Cangshan in greeting.

Up until now, Zhou Cangshan still didn’t know how to face this “sister-in-law.” From a personal and business perspective, he admired someone like Pei You, but from an emotional standpoint, he found it difficult to accept the relationship between him and Zhou Qingbo.

Proper upbringing prevented Zhou Cangshan from venting his anger on Pei You, but he also couldn’t interact with Pei You in the usual friendly manner. So, he averted his gaze, ignoring him.

Fortunately, Pei You didn’t mind. He stepped aside to let Zhou Cangshan pass and then walked out.

It was Zhou Cangshan who couldn’t help but look back at him. He followed Pei You’s departing direction with his gaze for a while. It wasn’t until Pei You turned the corner of the corridor that he withdrew his gaze with a complicated expression and looked at Zhou Qingbo.

“He does seem to listen to you,” Zhou Cangshan said cryptically.

After Pei You left, Zhou Qingbo sighed with relief to some extent. He shifted his body, letting his injured leg hang outside the edge of the bed, and adjusted to a more proper sitting posture.

“That’s not called listening,” Zhou Qingbo corrected. “He’s just concerned about me.”

Ever since he discovered his sexual orientation, Zhou Qingbo had thought countless times about scenarios where his sexuality would be exposed. In his imagination, these situations were all earth-shattering, colossal waves that threatened to topple the heavens and bring chaos.

Originally close family members might become disappointed, hateful, and might even avoid him. In the midst of this upheaval and change, Zhou Qingbo had thought he would panic, become indecisive, and collapse under the disappointed gazes of Zhou Cangshan and Zhou Jianguo. However, when this situation truly happened, Zhou Qingbo realized that he was actually much calmer than he had imagined.

At least at this moment, facing Zhou Cangshan, he didn’t feel the slightest desire to back down.

“He has been taking good care of me,” Zhou Qingbo said with a smile, “After all, when you’re in a relationship, you can’t be with someone who doesn’t like you.”

Zhou Cangshan didn’t expect him to have the courage to say that. He took a sharp breath, feeling a rush of anger, which shattered the calm expression he had been maintaining.

“Zhou Qingbo, how dare you say that?” Zhou Cangshan gritted his teeth. “If you were just messing around, that would be one thing. But now you’re imitating homosexuality? Have you no shame?”

Zhou Qingbai said casually. “I’ve always been gay. I just have never told you.”

From a young age, Zhou Qingbo had both revered and feared Zhou Cangshan. This was the first time he had spoken so confrontationally to him. In Zhou Cangshan’s heart, there was both anger at being defied and a hint of sorrow at seeing that Zhou Qingbo had grown up to the point of speaking back at him.

“I don’t care whether you like him or just messing around,” Zhou Cangshan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. “Break up with him as soon as possible. I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”

Knowing Zhou Cangshan, this was already the most significant compromise he could make. But for Zhou Qingbo, he couldn’t do it.

“I’m sorry, Brother,” Zhou Qingbo said softly. “I can’t break up with him because I really like him.”

Zhou Cangshan couldn’t understand. In his perspective, there was no spark between two men, and the concept of whether they loved each other or not was absurd.

“Maybe you can’t accept it, but I really am gay,” Zhou Qingbo said, pausing for a moment and adding, “By nature.”

Zhou Cangshan was choked up, unable to discern whether he was angry or confused.

To be honest, when Zhou Cangshan found out about the relationship between Zhou Qingbo and Pei You, his initial reaction was fear.

In his mindset, there was no love between men. Even if two men kissed and hugged, such a relationship was strange, wrong, and definitely not “normal.”

Zhou Qingbo had always been a child in his eyes, playful and unpredictable. Zhou Cangshan was truly afraid that he would go astray and end up on a crooked path that he couldn’t escape from.

He was afraid that Zhou Qingbo would walk down a wrong path, afraid that he would lose a “normal” life from now on, and afraid that people would point fingers at him on the street.

So, unusually, he pushed aside all his work and traveled all the way here just to hear Zhou Qingbo say, “He’s not.”

Unfortunately, he was still disappointed.

At the moment when Zhou Qingbo disobeyed him, Zhou Cangshan’s heart wasn’t only sorrowful, but his love wasn’t enough to make him compromise. As Zhou Qingbo appeared more desolate, Zhou Cangshan felt increasingly that it was his twisted sexual orientation that had caused this.

“You…” Zhou Cangshan was somewhat speechless. He took several deep breaths, pacing back and forth as if trapped, and seemed still unsatisfied. His voice turned colder and more rigid.

“Are you not prepared to change, huh?” Zhou Cangshan asked.

Zhou Qingbo didn’t say anything and simply answered with silence.

“I just don’t understand!” Zhou Cangshan exclaimed, “What’s so good about this? Is it something to be proud of?”

The more Zhou Cangshan thought about it, the angrier he became. He gave up on convincing Zhou Qingbo and walked a few steps over, grabbing Zhou Qingbo’s arm and attempting to pull him up.

“Forget it, come back to Beijing with me,” Zhou Cangshan said, “We’ll talk properly once we’re back.”

Zhou Qingbo’s leg was still injured. Being pulled abruptly, he knocked against the edge of the bed, causing him to inhale sharply. His legs felt weak, causing him to stagger forward.

Only then did Zhou Cangshan realize that he was still injured. He stopped in his tracks, torn between advancing or retreating.

Fortunately, the commotion Zhou Cangshan caused caught the attention of the nurses’ station outside. In a short while, a nurse pushed a mobile cart in, giving him an annoyed glance.

“Please keep the ward quiet,” the nurse said, “It’s time to dress his wounds. Sir, Lie back down, and roll up your pants.”

As Zhou Cangshan was worried about Zhou Qingbo, he let go of his hand and allowed him to sit back on the hospital bed.

Zhou Qingbo’s leg injury was quite severe, the anti-infection treatment wasn’t complete yet, and the edges of the wound were still red and swollen. Zhou Cangshan took just a glance before furrowing his brows and looking away.

“Brother, I can’t come back yet” Zhou Qingbo, understanding Zhou Cangshan well, seized the opportunity, speaking softly and gently, “I still need to stay in the hospital for three more days.”

Zhou Cangshan: “…”

Zhou Cangshan wanted to bring Zhou Qingbo back home to “discipline” him, but when he saw the nurses attending to his wound, he couldn’t bring himself to be harsh. He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly eased his tone.

“When you’re back in Beijing, come visit me first,” Zhou Cangshan said coldly, “I can’t control you anymore. You will have to explain to Mom and Dad when the time comes.”

At the mention of “Mom and Dad,” Zhou Qingbo involuntarily furrowed his brows.

However, Zhou Cangshan clearly didn’t intend to give him time for bargaining. As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up his coat and turned to leave without further ado.

He came in a hurry, and he left in a hurry, leaving Zhou Qingbo a ticking time bomb. Zhou Qingbo let out a long sigh and couldn’t help but feel a little weary.

Not even two minutes after Zhou Cangshan left, Pei You returned from outside. He came back empty-handed, not bringing back any food.

“Where’s the spare ribs?” Zhou Qingbo asked in puzzlement, “Were you robbed halfway?”

“I ordered takeout for you,” Pei You said truthfully, “It’ll be here soon.”

Although Zhou Qingbo intended to send him away, Pei You didn’t dare go far. He sat at the entrance of the waiting room for a while, watching Zhou Cangshan leave before returning to the room.

Thankfully, Zhou Qingbo wasn’t particularly focused on eating ribs at the moment. He made a nonchalant sound in response and patted the bed, indicating for Pei You to sit beside him.

“Did you and your brother have an argument?” Pei You sat on the edge of the bed and asked with concern, “I overheard some shouting when I was in the corridor.”

“It’s nothing,” Zhou Qingbo leaned back, reclining on Pei You’s lap. He sighed lightly and spoke casually, “I came out to him. He’s just having trouble accepting it for a while.”

Zhou Qingbo had just finished changing his dressing, and his face was still somewhat pale. Pei You wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and sighed softly.

“Did you tell him directly?” Pei You asked.

“Better to rip the bandage off quickly. It’s better to explode in one go than to bring it up every now and then in the future,” Zhou Qingbo reached over to hold his hand, absentmindedly rubbing it. “Actually, to be honest, I used to fear exposing my sexuality. Once it’s out, I’ll have to face the core differences with my family. We’ll have conflicts and disputes—I can’t compromise on this, I can only force them to accept me.”

Pei You had always known that although Zhou Qingbo appeared to be a rebellious youth, he was kind-hearted and considerate. He didn’t want to manipulate others with familial ties, nor did he want to create irreconcilable conflicts with his closest family members.

“After all,” Zhou Qingbo sighed deeply, complaining softly, “When I think about ‘going to war’ with my family and making them sad, I feel somewhat guilty.”

“Well, actually…” Pei You said softly, “You don’t have to be in such a hurry. You can take your time.”

Pei You didn’t feel any guilt about his relationship with Zhou Qingbo. However, he also wasn’t insistent on immediately demanding that Zhou Qingbo openly announce their relationship to the world. Different families had different ways of dealing with things. Pei You was willing to let Zhou Qingbo gradually work through this issue.

But evidently, Zhou Qingbo’s thoughts on this matter were different from his.

“No.” Zhou Qingbo unexpectedly rejected, “Then what’s the point of you being my boyfriend?”

Their relationship wasn’t a secret anymore, and suggesting they take things “slowly” at this point was equivalent to “keeping it hidden.” Pei You wasn’t sensitive to this matter, but Zhou Qingbo was. He didn’t want, nor was he willing, to treat Pei You like that. He didn’t want to whitewash the issue with a compromise that satisfied no one.

Zhou Qingbo squeezed Pei You’s hand forcefully, expressing his displeasure, “You’re my boyfriend. Why do we have to act like we’re ashamed of it? We didn’t make a big deal about it before, but now that they all know, do you want me to deny it?”

“No,” Pei You quickly denied, “That’s not what I meant.”

Pei You licked his lips, unsure how to phrase his next words, hesitating for a moment before carefully and slowly speaking, “You said you didn’t want to make your family sad, so I was thinking, should I…”

“Pei You.” Zhou Qingbo interrupted him, blinked in puzzlement, and asked, “Did you forget something?”

“What?” Pei You asked.

“You’re my family too,” Zhou Qingbo said.