Because I Cannot Hurt You

Jack cleared his throat and stared at Shuang who had cocked her brow naughtily.

"R-really?"

Shuang chuckled. "I won't lie to you." ƒ𝑟𝐞𝗲𝘄𝙚𝚋𝑛ｏ𝙫𝒆𝒍.𝒄𝘰𝓂

Jack seriously said, "I will need lots of naughty things from you because I am really pissed off."

Shuang gave a sincere nod.

"I am itching to run away from here."

"You cannot. Your father is injured. You cannot leave him like this. No amount of differences should make you ignore your injured father, okay?"

Jack sighed.

Daniel suspiciously observed their conversation and Jack, who seemed to be irritated, seemed to have calmed down a bit.

After Si Min handled Daniel and Shuang convinced Jack, the tension in the air had slightly lifted though there was an uneasy silence.

Jack finished dressing up his wound. "If you feel any signs of concussion-"

"I know. I am a doctor too," Daniel indignantly said.

Jack's mouth twitched. "Even if you are a doctor, Mr. Daniel Walker, you cannot treat yourself when you are injured. You will need 'another' doctor that is not you," he smiled. "I was saying that if you feel any signs of a concussion, then don't call me because I will leave another doctor's number with Mom. Call him."

Daniel froze. "You ungrateful son! Now I have become such a sore in your eyes that you don't wanna even treat your own father!" He trembled.

Jack's expression twisted.

"Excuse me but you were the one who didn't want me here. It was on Mom's insistence that I came! Now, why are you crying when I am doing exactly what you want!?"

"Oh don't you talk to me like that! When have you ever done what I wanted?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Isn't it obvious that I didn't because you are not a man nobody can have a sane conversation with!"

He tremblingly pointed his finger towards him. "You are talking about sanity? I am completely sane. It was you who was insane by liking men and becoming a delinquent! Roaming around the streets like a thug and kissing around boys your age! Who is the one out of the mind here!?"

Jack felt his fuse bursting. "And that is your problem if you feel disgusted by my sexuality! I like both men and women, and that is my choice! You don't have any say in it or judge me for it!"

"Of course I will judge you! What future do two men have anyway? Are you nuts? At the very least, you did something sane by becoming a doctor and not wasting your life and career riding your bike like a thug and disgracing yourself!"

Jack sneered. "Oh? Was it disgracing myself or are you talking about you! After all, I ruined your reputation as a doctor, didn't I? You just got another reason to be salty at me!"

Daniel glared at him. "When did you ever give me any reasons to be proud of you!?"

Jack was about to counter when he felt a chill run in his back.

"Enough."

Shuang warned them with her low, threatening voice with her eyes looking like that of a demon who came to eat them alive.

Daniel frowned but watching his wife's dangerous expression, he calmed down too.

Shuang came forward and narrowed her eyes. "When you said that you wanted to talk to Jack, I took that as talking like a calm and composed adult who really wants to bridge the gap of their relationship. But this ain't feeling like bridging but only widening the void more and more. You came back to China to do this? Then better take the next flight and return to New York because you are not doing anything different like you did ten years before."

Daniel stiffened.

Si Min lashed out. "We have discussed this so many times already! We are not here to fight Jack! We are here to resolve the differences. If you keep talking like that, then nothing will change!"

He gritted his teeth. "Yes, nothing will change until Jack gives up on being bisexual! It is a mercy that he is dating a woman but what if gets strayed away by a man in the future? Like hell I am going to accept that!"

"You…" Jack balled his fist.

Shuang squinted her eyes. "What problem do you have with two men dating anyway?" f𝓇𝘦𝒆𝘄𝑒𝗯𝑛𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄𝘰𝓶

Daniel looked at her, dumbfounded. "I should ask you what future do two men together hold anyway?"

"Huh? Why is that a difficult question? They hold a future just like other heterosexual married couples have. Live together like a couple."

"You think two men can get married?"

She shrugged. "If a man and woman can marry, then why not two men or two women? The principle and institution of marriage doesn't change because of gender."

"It does!" He exclaimed. "Two husbands or two wives and you don't find it weird? How will they live a life like that? How will they have children of their own?"

"They can always adopt or choose to be childless. It's not a big deal anymore. Even many heterosexual couples remain childless by choice. Doesn't mean their marriage is problematic. It's the same with love. It's our choice who we fall in love with regardless of gender. You fell in love with a woman. Good for you. But you cannot dictate that choice onto your child. Neither sexuality nor career."

Daniel stomped on his foot and got up in a rush of anger. "You think this is so easy!? It all looks like a fairy tale when thinking about such matters! It's very easy to say that gender doesn't matter or that gays and lesbians are normal! But you think the outside world is so progressive like you?"

His chest heaved as he spoke, "You can think all forward you want, but you still have to live in a society where the people AROUND you think backwards! You have to live in a house, you have to work in a place surrounded by these people. How many people will you convince? How many times are you gonna repeat that same thing over and over again? How many times will you be able to ignore the disdainful gazes people look at you with? How many times will you defend your marriage and choices!? Until you die!?

If that is the miserable future a same sex couple will hold, then I don't want Jack to live such a pitiful life until his hair turns grey! Of course, I don't want that because I am his father, damn it!"