Suddenly free of all the thoughts that had preoccupied him in recent days and weeks, Yibo sat next to Zhan in the car. They were on their way to the secret base of the special unit for which Zhan works as a special agent. For a moment, Yibo couldn't help grinning as a completely new thought occurred to him. His boyfriend, the handsome guy he fell in love with at first sight, is a totally cool secret agent and he was the only one who knew about it.

Still grinning, he turned to look at Zhan. Now that he knows the truth about Zhan and now that they have reconciled, he felt like falling in love with Zhan all over again and this time even more intensely. And he also realized that now there was no need for secrets between them.

In order to finally have clarity about Zhan and who he really is and how, he started with an harmless but definitely important question. "How old are you really? Surely not 19 years old, right? Because then you wouldn't be a fully trained agent right now, would you?"

Zhan turned his head to face Yibo for a moment and blushed slightly. "I um, I'm not 19 years old, you're right. I'm 22 years old and I'll be 23 in October. I hope I'm not too old for you now."

"Of course not. I don't mind you being a few years older than me."

"Good. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Yes. How many men have been before me?"

"None."

"What do you mean? None?"

"No. I knew I was into men, though. But you're the first and only one I've ever fallen in love with. And getting involved with someone I don't feel anything for was out of the question for me."

"I understand. But then how do you know so much about all this?"

"I did the same thing you did baby. I've read a lot about it. Also, I watched a lot of Korean dramas in my spare time. And I read BL stories and watched BL series."

"Oh yeah, then you were even crazier than me. I was just reading about it. However, I read a lot on an internet forum from other gays and how their experiences were and what advice they give."

"I never thought of that at the time."

"My brother once gave me the advice that experience reports are best from the people who really went through this or that. And he also said that it's not wrong to listen to or read about the experiences of many different people. Because it's usually not enough to just have one person tell you something."

"Your brother is totally right about that."

"I know haha."

"What else do you want to know?"

"Actually, I'm interested in everything that has to do with you."

"Everything? Mhhh, that might take a little longer then."

"Never mind. You don't have to tell me everything today."

"True. If you learn everything about me right away, it might get too boring too fast."

"Yeah, maybe. But tell me one more thing."

"Like what?"

"When did you realize you were different?"

"Different?"

"Well, I mean gay."

"I don't know exactly. I think I've always kind of suspected and sensed it. But I guess I didn't get the real confirmation until I saw you and fell in love with you at first sight."

"Wow and you can say that just like that? That makes me blush."

"Sure, why not? And it's not the first time you've heard that from me. And how was it with you?"

"That's right. I didn't suspect or know. On the contrary. I was quite surprised when I suddenly fell in love with you."

"And was that a problem for you?"

"Mhhh, honestly no. I don't know why, but when I realized how I felt about you, I didn't care that you were a man. I just wanted to be with you."

"You just said you blushed at my words. Now your words make me feel that way. How come you can talk so openly about your feelings even though you're in love for the first time?"

"Well you know ZhanZhan, when you grow up like I did, I guess it's normal. I mean, we talk about our feelings, thoughts and fears. There are no secrets with us. Honesty is very important to us."

"Uh-huh, I see. Well, honesty should be important to everyone, shouldn't it?"

"Absolutely. And I really hope you can always be honest with me from now on."

"I promise not to tell any more lies."

"Good." Said Yibo and smiled. He leaned his head on Zhan's shoulder and was happy that they could talk so openly.

When they reached the base after about 30 minutes of driving, Yibo was excited again. Zhan drove the car through the gate and into the courtyard, which Yibo realized was quite unspectacularly a parking lot. They got out of the car and headed for a red door, through which they were about to pass when another car arrived. It was Yibo's uncle and two of his men.

Yibo's uncle walked up to them, hugged Yibo and extended his hand to Zhan. "Always nice to meet the young agents." He said to Zhan and ran his hand through Yibo's hair.

"It's nice to meet you as well. It's a shame you're no longer in active duty. I bet we could have learned a lot from you. I'm a big fan of you and your work." Replied Zhan in a calm voice. But Yibo still saw Zhan's excitement.

"You're a fan? Wow, I wouldn't have thought so. I'm kind of glad to hear that. Um, can I say Zhan?"

"Yes, of course."

"Zhan? When Yibo told me about you, I searched for information about you and was really amazed. You really stood out at the academy. And after reading who your parents were, your parents who unfortunately passed away, I wasn't surprised. Being an agent is in your blood. Your parents were really first-class agents. It's a shame they were taken out of life so young and left you alone."

"Me, I was never alone. I had my adoptive parents. They were my godparents and they welcomed me into their family. They always made me feel like they loved me as much as their own children."

"That's really nice. What I didn't find out was how your parents died. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, though."

"It's okay. They were in a car accident. They went out once a month. They called it their date night. Well, on this one night, a cold snowy winter night, they went out again. They went to a restaurant and then to a bar. My dad extra had only non-alcoholic drinks because he was driving and didn't want to take any risks in the weather. When the two of them around 2 am made their way home again, the road was quite slippery because there was flash ice. They were already halfway home when a tire on the car blew out and caused the car to skid down a slope on the slick road. They slid down the slope. My mom died instantly. My dad died two days later in the hospital. He was awake and conscious. It seemed like he was going to recover. But then a blood clot formed in his leg. No one noticed and so it moved up to his heart and his heart stopped when the blood couldn't be pumped through his heart."

"That's horrible. How old were you then?"

"I was 9 years old."

"And who explained it to you? I ask because at 9, I'm sure you didn't understand what had happened yet, did you?"

"My adoptive mother. As I'm sure you already know, my adoptive parents are also agents. But my mom is also a psychologist, and when I was 14, she explained to me exactly what happened back then."

"I understand."

"Uncle. Could you talk about it some other time? Surely now is not the time. And certainly not here." Yibo interjected.

His uncle stroked Yibo's head and nodded. "You're right, of course, my clever nephew. Let's go in then."

They entered the base through a red door and whatever Yibo had imagined a secret base of operations of a special unit of government agents was so not true. Because everything Yibo saw reminded him of a normal office. Desks, computers and even a small kitchen. Only one thing was not normal. That was this big glass box in which there was a long table, chairs and a big monitor.

Zhan's supervisor, whom everyone just called Boss, came up to greet them. Yibo's uncle and Boss greeted each other like old friends. And when the Boss offered his hand to Yibo and presented his shining white teeth with a broad smile, Yibo smiled too. This was not at all how he had imagined the boss.

Yibo thought the Boss was some tough guy, with a stern face, big and broad and mean. But instead, the Boss was even shorter than Yibo, rather slim built, friendly looking and, Yibo guessed, probably only a few years younger than his uncle. Which he had to assume, given Boss's gray hair and many laugh lines.

After they entered the glass box, the boss introduced himself properly once again. Yibo was so impatient that he would have preferred to tell him to get right to the point. But being a polite young man and always having been, Yibo waited until the Boss had introduced himself and then the mission.

The things Yibo learned about Alessia and her family in that glass box didn't really surprise him at all. Not only because his uncle had already roughly enlightened him about who Alessia and the Milan Mafia were. But anyway, Yibo never had a good feeling about Alessia from the beginning and just distrusted her for everything. And now he liked her even less than before.

When the boss finally finished his long explanation and wanted to know from Yibo what he wanted to talk to him about, Yibo started to explain himself. "Well, before I tell you what proposal I have, I want you to promise me something first."

"Oho and what do you want me to promise you?" Asked the boss in amazement. He didn't expect Yibo to be so bold and make demands.

"I really only want one thing. Don't take Zhan away again when the mission is over."

"You obviously know exactly what you want."

"Yes. I know what I want. I realize that Zhan is a special agent and will have many more missions. But I also want him to be able to stay with me. We love each other and it took us so long to finally find each other. And now I don't want to lose him again. I want the promise that we can stay a couple. No matter what else comes."

"Well, as far as I know, you haven't been together long. Besides, you're still young. And you were even separated until just now, right? You are just 19 years old and who knows if your relationship will last. But I'm willing to promise you not to interfere in your relationship."

"You know what? Yes, I'm only 19 years old and still young and inexperienced. But this thing with Zhan and me, that's something serious. And even if it sounds Stupid or Naive when I say this now, but I know that Zhan and I belong together and there can be no one else for me. I can feel that what Zhan and I have is very special. And that's why I'm asking you not to take that special away from us."

"I believe you that there is something special between you. And I also believe you that you are sure about your relationship. I met my wife when I was 15 years old. And I knew, like you, from the beginning that there could only be her for me. We have been married for 34 years now and I still love her. So I can understand you. And I promise you, I will not force Zhan to give up your relationship."

"And he should always be allowed to be honest with me from now on!"

"Okay, agreed."

"Good."

"Now, do you want to explain to me what your idea is?"

"Mn. I know you've been after Alessia for over a year, waiting for her to make a mistake that will get you her and her family."

"That's right."

"She's not going to make a mistake, though."

"Oh yeah, and what makes you think that?"

"Well, she's been trained well by her family. But that's not why I'm convinced she won't make mistakes. It's because I know she loves Zhan and that's why she's always careful about what she does or says."

"So what do you think we should do now?"

"The thing is, Zhan can confirm it, I'm the only one who can make Alessia so angry that she loses her temper and makes mistakes."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because she hates me. And because she knows I love Zhan. She's threatened to take everything away from me before, including Zhan. And every time she and I run into each other, she freaks out and loses control of herself. She says things she didn't mean to say."

"I think what my nephew is saying is, put him and Alessia in a room with cameras and microphones and you'll soon get the information you need to nail her and her family." Interjected Yibo's uncle.

"Agent Xiao? What do you think of the idea?" Asked the boss.

Zhan looked less enthusiastic and more concerned. "Well, I don't like the idea of Yibo doing this. I'm afraid for him because I trust Alessia to do everything. But at the same time, I know he's right. No one in the university, except Yibo, can irritate Alessia to the point where she snaps. And if we want results, he probably really would be the best option. Besides, just like Yibo said, I don't think she'll make such mistakes in my present order and give herself away."

Yibo nodded his head vigorously, took Zhan's hand and pressed it tightly to his chest. "I know I can do this. And because I know that neither my uncle nor Zhan would ever let Alessia hurt me, I'm not even afraid." He said with a smile. His look revealed how much he trusted Zhan. And as he looked at his uncle, you could see the same trust in him that he had in Zhan.

"Well then, I'd say we should come up with a plan now." Replied the boss. The Boss secretly looked at Zhan with pride. He had always liked the boy very much, even when he was very young and was already full of drive and so thirsty for knowledge. He would love to tell him that he was once his father's best friend and trained with Zhan's father at the Agent Academy.

After the death of Zhan's father, his best friend, he had not seen Zhan again and often wondered how the boy might have been doing. He did not know that the Jiang family adopted him. That was as much a secret as the real reason for the "accident" in which Zhan lost his parents. And it stung his heart every time Zhan told about this "accident". Because he knew it was anything but an accident.

He himself was put on it at the time with his old unit to investigate the accident. And he almost believed that it really was just an accident. If it hadn't been for the projectile stuck in the destroyed car tire. Someone had fired a well-aimed shot at the tire, causing it to burst. And as a result, caused the "accident" that led to the death of his best friend and his wife.

The boss did everything to find the culprit. He questioned several criminals. Interrogated several potential perpetrators. But in the end he only found out by chance who was behind it. It was a contract killer. Hired by the Milan Mafia after they found out that Zhan's parents were investigating them.

How many times had the boss wanted to tell Zhan the truth? He couldn't count it anymore. He wanted to tell him. He wanted to tell him the whole truth. But he was forbidden to do so. He may be the boss. But he is also just a small cog in the wheel of the organization. There are many other bosses above him. And they don't want Zhan to know the truth. At least not yet.

Once Zhan has completed the mission, the boss will finally be allowed to tell him the truth. But not just yet. Because they fear that if Zhan knew that Alessia's parents commissioned the murder of his parents, it might influence him in his work.

Maybe that's why the boss agreed to Yibo's proposed plan, because he knew Yibo was right and that would get them to their goal faster. And then, then he wouldn't have to lie to Zhan anymore and could finally tell him everything. And because Zhan now has Yibo, whom he so obviously loves more than anything else and is loved by in the same way, he also knows that Zhan will find support in Yibo when he finally learns the truth.

While the boss lingered in his thoughts for a moment, Yibo, Zhan, and Yibo's uncle were already discussing the plan for Yibo to get Alessia to tell the truth about herself and her family. None of the three had any idea what was going through the boss's mind. And probably at that moment it had been better that way. Better for Zhan and better for Yibo. Because Zhan needs a clear head if he wants to protect Yibo.