The annoying sound of the ringing phone awakened Lu Zihao from a restless sleep. Annoyed, he covered his ear with a pillow and buried himself deeper under the thick duvet. He desperately tried returning to sleep. However, the blasted phone kept on ringing.
Finally, it stopped and the call went to voice mail.
“Hello? Hello! Are you there, my boy? Are you awake yet? Wake up! It’s already morning there in Toronto! Why don’t you answer the d*mn phone?! Your beloved Grandpa is calling you yet you’re ignoring me?! You unfilial grandson! I’ll let you know that when your parents were too busy when you were still a baby, I fed you milk and changed your diapers! I took care of you even when you frequently vomited all over me. You were so cute back then, but now you’re—”
Beep.
One second. Two seconds.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Lu Zihao pressed the pillow harder over his ear, determined to ignore the ringing phone. He spent the entire night watching all the available videos of Iris Long on the web. He had only slept for a couple of hours. He felt exhausted.
The call went to voice mail again.
“This bloody machine dare cut me off! Answer the phone right now! What are you doing? Are you still sleeping? Don’t you know that sleeping too much is bad for your health? Men your age should be up and about being active and looking for a nice lady to marry! When I was your age, I was already raising your father! You’re not getting any younger, boy! When are you going to give me great-grandbabies?! I can never rest in eternal peace knowing that you still haven’t done your duty to continue our bloodline! You should—”
Beep.
Lu Zihao groaned. He was now fully awake. Tossing the pillow, he squinted against the bright sunlight peeking through the curtains. He yawned but still didn’t move to answer the phone.
“My dear boy! Are you alright? Why aren’t you answering the phone? Did you break your neck again? I knew it! I shouldn’t have listened to you, you hard-headed dunderhead! I shouldn’t have allowed you to live there alone! Don’t worry, my boy. Your beloved Grandpa will send someone to break open your door and save you!”
Sighing in exasperation, Lu Zihao reached over and grabbed the phone from the bedside table.
“Hello, Grandfather?” His voice sounded groggy.
“There’s my boy! Did you just wake up? It’s already so late! Why are you only waking up now?”
He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. Yawning again, he replied, “Grandfather, it’s not even 7 AM yet.”
“7 is late! A man’s day begins at 5 in the morning! And call me Grandpa! Do you think that just because you’ve grown up, you’re now an adult? Hah! You’ll always be a little boy in your Grandpa’s eyes!”
Distaste appeared on Lu Zihao’s face. He looked ready to murder someone, but was able to control himself. Forcing a pleasant expression and tone of voice, he spoke to the old man. “Alright, Grandpa. Is something the matter? Why are you calling me?”
“Hmph! Do I need a reason every time I want to call my favourite grandson?”
“Beautiful, as usual. I’m thinking of selling this island of mine. I’ve had it for years now. It’s starting to feel boring. I was planning on buying another island to develop again, but then I received a call from a friend in Switzerland, so now I have to return to China.”
Lu Zihao’s eyes lit up. “I want to return to China, too.”
“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not finished with your rehabilitation yet. Did you forget that you were paralyzed? What are you going to do if you break your neck again? You haven’t given me great-grandbabies yet! Be a good boy and stay there for now.”
Sighing, he looked up at the ceiling, desperately trying to be patient with the old man. “Grandpa, I already talked to my doctor last night. She said that if I clear my next tests this week, I’ll be safe for long travels.”
“Hmph! Clear those tests first and then we’ll talk. But for now, be a good boy and focus on getting well. Also make sure to ask your doctor if your sperm cells are okay. What if they were damaged in the accident? Then you won’t be able to give me great-grandbabies.”
He scowled. “Grandpa, my sperm cells are fine.”
“How do you know?! Have you impregnated a nice lady yet?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you don’t know if they’re fine or not. Have them checked and tell me the results! Do you understand?”
“You unfilial grandson! You—”
Lu Zihao quickly changed the subject. “So why are you returning to China?”
“Oh.” The old man laughed mischievously. “It’s for a young lady. I haven’t met her yet, but apparently she’s a genius. Let me check her out first and then we’ll see. Maybe she’ll be a good match for you. If she is, I’ll let you meet her. Then the two of you can give me great-grandbabies together. You should be thankful. Your Grandpa is doing all the work in finding a mate for you, you lazy boy!”
He rolled his eyes. “No need, Grandpa. I can find my own woman.”
“Hah! If I allow you to find your own woman, I’ll already be dead by that time! I can’t wait that long. All you five brothers are the same! You’re already in your thirties but you all haven’t settled down yet. You unfilial boys!”
“Hmm. Actually Third Brother already has a girlfriend and it seems like he plans to marry her.”
Thinking about Iris Long, Lu Zihao’s expression became serious. He felt an unwillingness within him when he thought about Jin Liwei marrying her. He pushed the feeling away. He still needed to ascertain things first.
“What?! Is that true? So that boy is not gay after all!” The old man’s laughter boomed over the phone. “Good, good. I’ll make that boy show me his woman when I see him. You should follow your Third Brother’s example!”
His headache was getting worse. He sighed. “Fine, Grandpa.”
