Briefly something in my own thing. This story is now slowly but surely heading towards the end. As always, I would like to give you a lot more chapters, but as soon as all in all a suitable story has emerged, I want to bring the book to a worthy end. It's hard for me to come up with anything else when the story is already told. Why drag out a book unnecessarily just to create more chapters? Mhhh, why am I writing this? Well, I received a message from a reader complaining that my books are usually "too short". To that person I would like to say, look at all the great series, most of which have just 16 episodes telling a great story from beginning to end. So why do I need to come up with more when the story has been told all the way to the end? I wouldn't feel comfortable writing quite a few chapters as a filler just to add more chapters to the story. And a story from the first person perspective, is rarely described in great detail. Especially if it is a RomCom. Therefore, dear reader and you my dear loyal readers, do not blame me if a book does not have 50 chapters or more. Instead I have more space in my brain to write you a new story. I'm done, thank you for your attention. And on it goes with the book and a jump forward.

23. our own apartment 

A lot has happened in the past two years. Back then, when we came back from vacation, Zhan and I found out from our parents that they wanted to rent an apartment for us so that we could have more space for privacy. Of course, Zhan and I were very happy about that and had planned to move in together anyway. My grandma and grandpa decided that we should get married in a year.

Even though Zhan and I agreed to this, he and I had a quiet talk about a possible marriage a few days later. We both felt that a year was too little time. Besides, I was also of the opinion that I don't want to get married until I finish my studies and find a job where I earn my own money. Zhan also agreed with me.

So we had many discussions with my grandparents about this until they finally gave in and agreed to at least wait until Zhan and I have been a couple for about 2-3 years and we are also absolutely sure.

Instead of marriage, they then financed us to get our own apartment. Because, the apartment our parents rented for us was unbearable. Well, the environment. The apartment itself was nice and close to the university, which was very practical. But most of the tenants in the building were also students who loved to party. And so we rarely had a quiet evening or a relaxing weekend.

My grandparents then sent us to look for an apartment that we liked and where there were quiet neighbors and then bought the apartment for us. It has three rooms, is well situated between the university and my parents' house, so that I can reach both easily, and has good shopping facilities in the surrounding area.

All in all, it was great and we immediately felt really comfortable there. Only, after a few months, when Zhan really took off at his modeling agency, I was home alone most of the time. Zhan's plan to never be away from me for more than 2 or 3 days backfired. Sometimes he was gone for a week, sometimes 3 or 4 weeks. Depending on how many appointments the agency made and where. On top of that, there were his assignments as a photographer.

Of course, I was also busy with my studies. I also started working part-time for a photographer. Nevertheless, I missed Zhan very much when I sat alone at home evening after evening. Because Suri had also left for her 6 month stay abroad, because of her internship.

Zhan and I enjoyed the time we had together even more, but that was by far not enough, if you are in love and actually want to spend a lot of time with your boyfriend.

The many absences of Zhan led more and more to the fact that I felt lonely in our relationship and had more and more often bad mood. We started to argue a lot and often afterwards we didn't even know what had caused this argument in the first place.

And then, half a year ago it crashed so hard between us that our relationship almost broke. Zhan had been traveling all over China for 4 weeks and could only contact me briefly, because he either had to be in front of or behind the camera, catch the next flight or was preparing for the next shooting.

Well, and when he did have time to talk, I was busy with university or my part-time job and had no time for him. That made us both very sad and thoughtful. And because Suri stayed abroad right after her internship and continued her studies there, I couldn't really talk to her about it.

Seungyoun, who was and is together with Wooseok, also had hardly any time for me. And so I was often alone with myself and my thoughts. One evening when Zhan called me and he told me that he didn't know if he would be able to be home until Christmas, and that was still three weeks away and we hadn't seen each other for four weeks, I asked him: "Zhan, wouldn't it be better if we just split up? That would be easier for both of us. You could fully concentrate on your work and I could concentrate on my studies and my work. Then you wouldn't have to keep looking for times to call and I wouldn't keep waiting for you to call."

Zhan started crying on the phone and replied, "I don't want a breakup Yibo. I love you and I don't want to end our relationship."

"But Zhan, we don't even have a relationship anymore. You're always far away and often don't even know when you'll make it home. When we got together you once said you never wanted to be away from me for more than 2-3 days. Now it's been 4 weeks and it's another 3 weeks until Christmas. It's not enough for me if we always just talk on the phone. I want to be able to see, hold and kiss my boyfriend too."

Zhan kept silent and sobbed on the phone. It hurt me too, and I didn't want to hurt Zhan either, but, I just didn't see any point in this relationship anymore. So I said, "I'm sorry Zhan. But I think it's better if we draw a line now. Let's end the relationship on good terms and try to remember the good times."

"No Yibo. I'm doing this for us, too, aren't I?"

"How can you do this for us? If you want to do something for us, come home to me so I can see you, talk to you, hold you in my arms and kiss you. That would be something you can do for us. What good is it to me if we are together but never see each other?"

"But I wanted to make money for our wedding, since your grandparents' money went to pay for our apartment." Zhan replied, leaving me speechless for a moment.

I searched for the right words but I couldn't find any. There was nothing in my head. And a rage ignited inside me that continued to rise with every breath. And finally it burst out of me. "Have you gone mad? Why? Just because my grandparents want to see us get married, have a big wedding, you do this? Be gone for weeks and torture me with it? And you keep it all to yourself? What's going on inside you Zhan? Why? I don't understand!" I was so angry and ended the conversation.

I lay in my bed crying all night, wondering over and over how Zhan could be so stupid to think a big expensive wedding was more important to me than having him here with me? I wanted to live with him, what did I care if we had a small or big wedding? I just wanted Zhan! I didn't care about anything else.

And then in the morning, I just sat on our bed that Zhan hadn't even stayed in after we bought it and thought about whether I had overdone it the night before. I was annoyed with myself for getting so angry and regretted asking Zhan to break up with me.

And suddenly the apartment door opened, Zhan came running into the bedroom, fell around my neck, cried, and apologized for being so stupid as to think a big wedding was important to me.

As it turned out, after I hung up, he had called my parents and they had a long talk with him. They told him that all I want is Zhan and always has been. They advised him to pack his bags immediately and not waste any more time and finally work on the relationship with me.

At that moment, holding Zhan in my arms, all my anger, all my worries were gone. If I had known earlier that threatening to break up would bring Zhan home to me quickly, I would have threatened much sooner. In the end, we both talked things out. We realized that we were both to blame for how our relationship suffered, because neither of us spoke out clearly about what we expected and wanted.

Um, I have to confess something now😓. I've been fooling around with you guys😅! There had never been such a fight. Zhan was never gone for weeks at a time either. After we moved into our own apartment, he took the money he saved and opened his own photography studio📸, where I work as his part-time employee.😂

He has not been away from me for a single day since we got together. And I wouldn't let him get away from me either. We talk about everything and it prevents us from fighting. We are overjoyed and want to get married on our 3 year anniversary.

However, Suri actually stayed abroad after her internship. She and her boyfriend got engaged and we all had to travel there to be there for their wedding. We talk on the phone at least 3 times a week, so I also know that she wants to have a child right after she graduates from college. They are already practicing hard for it, as she confessed to me.

But back to Zhan and me. We are really damn happy and when he has an appointment outside as a photographer, he always takes me with him. We had also been on vacation twice since then. Just him and me!

Emma has come to visit us a few times. She finally met someone who returns her feelings. I'm really excited to see how things go with these two.

Zhan's and my parents are super happy that things are going so well between the two of us and they did the planning for the wedding. And the apartment hadn't eaten up all my grandparents' savings either, so there's still enough money left for a big wedding.

However, before Zhan and I get married, my brother and Cheng will say yes to each other. The date is already in a few days. My parents and I like Cheng very much. Even though he is sometimes hot-tempered. But that somehow suits him and the only one who has to suffer from that is my brother haha.

I can just say, the last two years have been a great, wonderful time between Zhan and me. And I'm sure there's nothing that could separate us from each other.

And Zhan has also finally been playful and crazy with me after a few weeks back then. He sent me a picture of himself when I was in university and listening to my professor's boring lecture again. I saw the picture and had to laugh out loud. Of course, I got a mean look from my professor, but I didn't care. I couldn't help myself with that picture.

Once I'm done with my studies, it's only a few months away, I'll be working full time with Zhan as a photographer. And already he said that we will definitely work together as a team and not every man for himself. Because Zhan can't stand it if he can't see me for a day.

Besides, then he can keep an eye on me. Because he's always afraid that I might meet someone and he'll snatch me away from him. Even though that is completely impossible. And yes, I have met the possessive Zhan.

We were at a shoot, I was assisting Zhan and he had to photograph some male models. One of the models came up to me and we talked, in general and nothing specific. Zhan came up to us, put his arms around me and said, "BoBo, I hope you're not flirting with him."

The guy immediately got red in the face and replied, "No, no. Don't worry, we were just having a normal conversation."

"You better be, because BoBo is my boyfriend." Said Zhan sternly. Never before had he called me BoBo, so I had been very surprised as well.

In a fashion store, he pushed me behind him when a male salesman came up to us and asked if he could help. Well, just so little things, but also totally cute.

And if Zhan does work in front of the camera as a model, then only if I can be there and only if we are back home the same evening. As I wrote before, Zhan can't stand being away from me for even one day. And honestly? I love him for that.