Chapter 13 - The quarrel
Jiahao approached the guest room, only to find the door locked by Kecong.
"Kecong! Kecong! Please, hear me out! I truly love you! I promise to talk to my parents about our relationship! Just open the door and let me in!" Jiahao called out desperately.
Kecong, however, continued to sob uncontrollably. He covered his ears and relentlessly slapped his face until his lips bled.
"I don't want to hear it! My mom and aunt were right! Men can't be trusted! I was so foolish to listen to you!" Kecong cried out.
With a sense of urgency, Jiahao took the keys and unlocked the guest room door, only to find Kecong harming himself with a penknife.
"Kecong! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind? Your face is badly bruised, and your lips are bleeding! I'm taking you to the hospital right now!" Jiahao exclaimed, panic evident in his voice.
"Stay away from me! I can't trust you anymore! You're just like all the other men! You only want me for sex because I'm intersex!" Kecong retorted, tears streaming down his face.
"You're mistaken! I fell in love with you at first sight. You are stunning, like a woman, and being with you makes me the happiest man alive," Jiahao insisted, his tone earnest.
"But what does that matter?! I can't give you anything except children! My left hand is paralyzed, and I come from a poor family; my father is a gambler always in debt, and my mother is a bar girl. Do you really think your parents would accept me? And will they accept you being gay?!" Kecong shouted in anger.
"I will make them understand and accept you! You have to believe me!" Jiahao responded emphatically.
"Just leave me alone! Go away!" Kecong yelled.
That night, Kecong stayed in the guest room, crying until his eyes were swollen and he developed a slight fever.
The following morning, Jiahao woke up and noticed Kecong had not emerged from the guest room.
He knocked on the door.
"Kecong! Kecong! Are you awake?!" Jiahao called out loudly.
Receiving no response, he opened the door and found Kecong unconscious on the floor.
"Kecong! Kecong! Oh no! His forehead is burning hot!" Jiahao exclaimed in horror.
He called for an ambulance, and Kecong was rushed to the nearest hospital.
At the hospital, Jiahao called his workplace.
"I'm sorry, but I need to take an urgent leave today. My girlfriend is in the hospital," he explained.
"Understood. Take care of her," replied his manager, Christine.
After an hour, Cheng Kang exited the emergency room.
"He has pneumonia and a fever of 38 degrees. What happened between you two?" Cheng Kang inquired.
"He found out about my family background," Jiahao admitted.
"I warned you before. This situation is serious, and Kecong is very upset. If your parents discover your relationship, especially your mother, who is a lawyer, do you think she will let him live?!" Cheng Kang asked, his concern evident.
"What am I supposed to do?!" Jiahao retorted angrily.
"Let's discuss this in the garden," Cheng Kang suggested.
In the hospital garden, Cheng Kang said, "It's not that you can't, but it's about whether you're willing to take the risk."
"What risk?" Jiahao questioned.
"Is Kecong already 18?" Cheng Kang asked.
"Not yet, he turns 18 next June," Jiahao replied.
"If you truly love him, take Kecong to Canada and marry him. There, the legal age for marriage is 16. Get married before your mother finds out. And make Kecong pregnant before she knows," Cheng Kang advised.
"But in China, he can't get pregnant until he's 18. What do I do then?" Jiahao asked.
"Count ten months. For instance, if Kecong's birthday is June 6, then by September this year, you can have unprotected sex," Cheng Kang explained.
"That's a good idea. It's July now; I'll arrange everything in two months and take him to Canada to marry in November," Jiahao resolved.
He returned to Kecong's ward and gently touched his face.
"My dear, you will be alright. I will protect you as best as I can. No one will harm you. We will marry soon," Jiahao reassured him.
"Leave me! I don't believe you! All men are liars and bullies! You've been using me all this time! I… I was so foolish to trust you! If I had known this was all a lie, I should have just ended it all! My mother had to work as a prostitute to fund my surgery in the States! What's the point of living? Just let me die!" Kecong shouted, tears flowing.
Jiahao held him tightly.
"I promise! I promise you! Next month, we will go to Canada and get married!" Jiahao declared loudly.
Chen Min and Cheng Kang overheard the conversation just as they were about to enter the ward.
Kecong looked at Jiahao through his tears, "Is… is that true?!"
"Yes!" Jiahao affirmed loudly.
A smile broke through Kecong's tears as he took his medicine and fell asleep. Jiahao stepped out of the ward, where Chen Min pulled him aside.
"I need to talk to you," Chen Min said urgently.
They drove to a café, ordering two lattes.
"Jiahao, you and Kecong are both my favorite students. I don't want either of you to suffer! Do you realize how naive Kecong is? He will believe everything you say! If this turns into a mess and collapses, he won't be able to handle it! His mother is undergoing cancer treatment—if she passes away and later your mother finds out about him and forces him away from you, what will happen to him?! Have you even considered that? It's not as simple as Cheng Kang suggests, getting married in Canada won't change anything here!" Chen Min said, visibly upset.
"I'll do my best to protect him from my mother," Jiahao replied.
"What does 'doing your best' even mean?! How can you ensure Kecong doesn't suffer?!" Chen Min asked, raising his voice.
"Mr. Chen, I know you care deeply for Kecong, but don't you think you're overstepping? I'm his boyfriend and future husband! You have no right to judge us! Thank you for your concern, but I'm going back to the hospital to care for Kecong!" Jiahao retorted angrily.
**End of chapter**