”I’ve already talked to the doctor, you’ll be getting discharged from the hospital and coming home with me” he delivered softly, fighting a smile at her comical disappointment with the contents of her tray. At his words, she brightened visibly before deflating with a sigh.

”Not to complain or anything, after all, I’m completely tired of this hospital and disgusted even if I haven’t seen beyond these four walls, the thing is I can’t turn myself into a leech on you.” She replied before grabbing the spoon to the left and poked the contents of a plate.

”Don’t be like that, you have a healthy bank account yourself” Lei Zhao countered gently

”I do?” She asked, genuinely puzzled as if the idea had not occurred to her at any point.

”Don’t tell me you forgot that,” Lei Zhao answered with a sad smile, wondering how bad things really were for her to forget that she was the owner of a small fortune. Well not outrageously wealthy but independently so, a small bank account that he passed liberally for her regularly. Something he had started to do when they had started the harmless ruse.

Yue Yan tapped her head with a wan smile before she beamed at him “cool, that means I should make arrangements of my own”

”That’s not gonna work.” He pointed out casually.

”Why not?” she groused, glaring at him for a short second before she returned to eyeing the contents of her tray blatantly, the desire for something different was obvious even to a blind man

”My wife has ordered me to bring you home,” Lei Zhao reported proudly but judging by her reaction, he should have eased her into the news, but he didn’t know it was so damn explosive until she jerked and the contents of her tray went flying, luckily they only splattered on the bedclothes, too thick to go further.

”Woah, are you alright?” He queried a trifle ashamed at his insensitivity

”You’re married now?” All her attention fixated on him

”Yes” he answered, feeling a trifle foolish

Ignoring the mess in front of her she aimed the spoon in his direction with a glare and a threat “Tell me everything about her, don’t miss a single thing”

”Why don’t you come and see her for yourself, you guys will absolutely love each other” he returned with a smile

”Blackmail huh” Yue Yan sniffed then pouted

”There will be good food too” he added to sweeten the deal.

”Definitely blackmail” she nodded and dropped the plastic spoon with a Carter on the tray with its offensive contents

”Seriously, she’s ordered me to bring you back home, she’s already making the arrangements. If I leave you to your own plans I won’t get a wink of sleep tonight or any other night for that matter” he pleaded with a smile

”She’s got you trained, so she puts you in the doghouse that easy, and you let her?” Yue Yan teased

”Yan Mei can’t even keep a temper for more than ten minutes. She’ll just wake up every second worried that you’ve fallen down the stairs wherever you are and bleeding to death or some crazy scenarios” he complained but anyone could see he was feigning his disgust; his smile was much too wide to sell those words.

”I know all about crazy scenarios” her small voice sounding unbearably vulnerable.

”You see? You guys are going to get along just fine, come to my place and recuperate, at least relax a while and heal before making other plans for the future.” He finished with a flourish of logic that had Yue Yan rolling her eyes at him.

”You said there will be good food” she finally asked, staring at the tray in her lap.

”My chef would like nothing better than to dote on you, my wife loves him too. I’m too busy nowadays so I hired a chef” he touted, his pride shining out of him.

”You really love her” was the next words he heard.

The observation caught him off guard and had him hot by the collar, he didn’t exactly know how to discuss the love he had for his wife with his ex-girlfriend. He was out of his depth and rapidly feeling as if he was insensitive, there was no manual to safely navigate these waters. “Ahhhh”

”No I mean you really do, it’s shinning all over you and I’m jealous” she pouted in jest

”Yue Yan” he tried again but she continued as if he hadn’t said a word

”Does she know about us?” Yue Yan queried softly.

”Everything,” he answered solemnly, he had no secrets from his wife.

”And she still wants me to live in your house?” The question was delivered with a quizzical smile that had him chuckling Yan Mei affected everyone in much the same way, a deep sense of puzzlement that grew into something unbreakable later.

”She suggested it”

”Damn she’s a better woman than I am, you seriously lucked out” Yue Yan pointed out, discreetly shifting the tray off her laps and pushing it to the foot of the bed, the contents otherwise untouched.

”Every day I wake up and I see my life, I cannot believe it sometimes” Lei Zhao replied with a rueful smile, unable to curb the undertones of love in his voice when he spoke about his wife.

”For that reason alone, she’s going to be my best friend.” She replied with a smile up at him, her eyes shining with some curious quality.

”Yan Mei is actually completely lovable on her own and I’m sure she would love a sister of her own” Lei Zhao commented wryly with a satisfied smile as he handed off the last point.

”Ooooh, I’ve never had a sister, now I have one,! I’m sold, get me out of here!” She mock ordered with a gleam in her eyes. The both of them burst into laughter, a bittersweet sound that held old and new memories.