Chapter 5

Li Sipei didn’t speak, only watching Lin Qiuzu.

If it were Li Yan standing at the door at this moment, he would probably be so scared that he would want to run away, but Lin Qiuzu was different from Li Yan—he liked to challenge things that were uncertain.

Not receiving a clear reply, Lin Qiuzu deliberately blinked: “Uncle, is it inconvenient? Or are you going to sleep?”

“No.” Li Sipei finally responded, slowly stepping back. “Come in.”

“Thank you, Uncle!” Lin Qiuzu said, both surprised and delighted.

Although Li Sipei hadn’t returned to the old house for many years, the room with the best lighting and largest area was still kept for him. Every few days, an aunt would come in to clean, and every inch of the floor was spotless.

Lin Qiuzu closed the door behind him and curiously followed Li Sipei, looking around.

This bedroom was separated by a huge decorative cabinet into a room and a living area. The furniture outside was complete, and Lin Qiuzu secretly peered inside. The lights were off, and all he could make out was the vague outline of a large bed.

However, Li Sipei was neatly dressed, so he probably hadn’t gone to bed yet.

It was almost eleven o’clock.

Didn’t Li Yan say that his Uncle used to go to bed at nine without fail?

Lin Qiuzu secretly curled his lips, but quickly regained his composure. He casually walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and pressed his hands against the glass, looking outside. “Wow, Uncle, it seems like you can see the lake from here!”

The sound of the wheelchair rolling faded, and Li Sipei didn’t respond to him.

Lin Qiuzu didn’t mind, smiling as he walked to the sofa. “Uncle, may I sit?”

Li Sipei slightly lifted his chin, simply and concisely saying, “You may.”

Lin Qiuzu was a dance student and paid more attention to his posture than the average person. Even when sitting, he wouldn’t slouch or cross his legs, keeping his back straight with toned muscles. Li Yan often said that this was what he liked most about him and always compared him to Mi Zhao. Mi Zhao, who needed to sit still for long periods while painting, would sit however was most comfortable, not even noticing when paint got on his face.

In Li Yan’s words, Mi Zhao was thoroughly outclassed.

Lin Qiuzu thought that Li Sipei would notice these details, but instead, Li Sipei simply looked directly into his eyes, with no ripples in his deep black pupils.

Lin Qiuzu realized that Li Sipei was indeed far superior to Li Yan—not just in the refinement of his features, but also in his calm and steady temperament, something Li Yan, that unrefined boy, couldn’t compare to.

Maybe this was the charm of a mature man.

Lin Qiuzu retracted his thoughts, just as he was about to speak, but Li Sipei spoke first: “Be direct. What do you want from me?”

“Uncle, can’t I find you if there’s nothing?” Lin Qiuzu tilted his head, grinning. “Li Yan often talks about you. I’ve been curious about you for a long time, and now that I finally get to meet you, I want to chat more.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course—” Lin Qiuzu said, “That’s not the only reason.”

Li Sipei stared at him for a moment, his cold and distant gaze clearly visible. He said, “If there’s another reason and it’s the one I think it is, you can forget about it.”

Even a fool could understand the meaning of that sentence.

But Lin Qiuzu liked to play dumb. His tone rose, with a hint of unspoken ambiguity: “What reason does Uncle think it is?”

Li Sipei’s brow slightly furrowed, but he didn’t answer. After about half a minute of silence, he suddenly asked off-topic, “Did you say Li Yan is asleep?”

“Asleep. I knocked on his bedroom door earlier, but he didn’t open it.” Lin Qiuzu was a bit confused but remembered the lie he had told.

Li Sipei didn’t speak further, and after moving the wheelchair forward a few inches, he reached for the phone on the coffee table. His fingers, with distinct joints, slid across the screen for a moment until he found a contact and dialed it.

Lin Qiuzu thought Li Sipei was going to call Li Yan to confirm, and he started to panic. However, he quickly remembered that he was a friend brought by Li Yan, so the other party wouldn’t be stupid enough to expose him here in front of Li Sipei.

So, his anxious heart slowly calmed down.

But the next second, he heard Li Sipei speak to the person on the other end of the line: “Cousin, Xiao Yan’s friend is here with me. Xiao Yan is already asleep. Could you please come over and pick him up?”

Lin Qiuzu: “…”

Less than a minute later, the door was knocked on, and Li Yan, with a furious expression, walked in first.

“Lin Qiuzu, are you crazy? Why are you coming to disturb my Uncle so late at night?”

Li Kejian and Li Tianqing, who had been startled awake, came in, their faces panicked, not even bothering to change out of their pajamas.

Lin Qiuzu, standing in front of them, was only in his pajamas, with the top two buttons undone, exposing a large expanse of fair skin and well-defined collarbones.

Although Li Yan hadn’t come out to his parents about his sexuality, Li Kejian and Li Tianqing had been in the social scene for decades—how could they not notice the signs? They exchanged a glance, and their expressions immediately darkened.

Li Kejian yanked Li Yan, who was on the verge of hitting someone, and for the first time, he showed a face of displeasure to Lin Qiuzu. “Qiuzu, put on your clothes and come with us. Don’t disturb your Uncle’s rest anymore.”

Lin Qiuzu was startled by the scene of this family of three and turned pale, murmuring an “Okay.”

At this moment, Li Sipei, who had been silent on the other side of the coffee table, suddenly moved: “I’m leaving too. Cousin, Cousin-in-law, please let everyone else know tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving too?” Li Kejian was stunned. “But your mother is still here.”

“I’ll call her tomorrow to let her know.” Li Sipei’s movements were quick, and by the time he spoke, he was already at the door.

Li Tianqing came to her senses and quickly stepped forward to persuade him: “Sipei, you just got back today, at least stay the night. It’s unsafe to travel this late. It’s not too late to leave tomorrow.”

“That’s right, you clearly said you were going to stay at home for the night. Why are you leaving all of a sudden?” Li Kejian glanced at Lin Qiuzu and seemed to realize something. His attitude became humble as he said, “Did Xiao Yan’s friend upset you? Cousin, can I apologize to you on his behalf? The kid doesn’t know any better…”

“Cousin.” Li Sipei’s tone was calm as he interrupted him, “It’s not his fault. I had already made my decision.”

“But…”

Li Kejian and Li Tianqing wanted to persuade him further, but since Li Sipei had already made up his mind, they knew pressing it would only annoy him, so they had no choice but to stop.

At some point, Li Sipei’s assistant, Ruan Xin, had appeared outside. When she saw Li Sipei, she immediately stepped forward and took the handle of the wheelchair.

Li Kejian and Li Tianqing stood frozen for a moment before following behind. Before leaving, Li Kejian glanced back at Lin Qiuzu, who was standing there, looking lost.

Lin Qiuzu hugged his arms and, despite it being August, shivered slightly.

He could hear Li Yan’s gritted voice: “Lin Qiuzu, this matter isn’t over!”

With that, Li Yan quickly followed them.

•

The drive back to Rizhao ressort from City A took nearly three hours, and by the time they arrived, it was already 2 AM.

The villa at night was even more peaceful, with only the chirping of insects breaking the silence.

The car slowly entered the villa, and looking out the window, it seemed like the entire villa was asleep, with streetlights along the road emitting faint light.

After parking, Ruan Xin and the others worked together to get Li Sipei’s wheelchair out of the car. Ruan Xin pushed Li Sipei into the villa while the others grabbed the items and followed behind.

Ruan Xin immediately turned on the chandelier and central air conditioning on the first floor. Then, she went upstairs to check on the second floor. When she came back downstairs to draw the curtains, she noticed Li Sipei had already positioned himself by the floor-to-ceiling window.

“Third Master.” Ruan Xin walked over and softly asked, “Would you like to rest upstairs?”

Li Sipei seemed deeply absorbed in whatever he was looking at. After a long while, he finally gave a slight nod, “Mm.”

Before Li Sipei moved in, the villa had been specially renovated. An elevator had been installed on the stairs so that Ruan Xin could take Li Sipei upstairs on her own.

When they reached the second-floor bedroom, she positioned the wheelchair in front of the bed and turned to enter the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of water filling the bathtub came from the bathroom.

Li Sipei sat still for a moment, then maneuvered his wheelchair over to the window.

The view from the second floor was much broader than from the first, and although branches still obstructed the view, he could see the window of the second-floor bedroom in the neighboring villa.

The villa’s windows were all floor-to-ceiling, taking up nearly an entire wall, so whether the curtains were drawn could be clearly seen.

At that moment, the curtains across the way were wide open.

Li Sipei furrowed his brow slightly, and his finger resting on the armrest of the wheelchair moved ever so slightly. He waited until the water sound stopped, and Ruan Xin came out of the bathroom before relaxing.

“Third Master, the bathtub is ready, and everything else is prepared. Shall I go downstairs and check…?”

Before she finished speaking, Li Sipei interrupted, “Come with me.”

Ruan Xin froze for a moment.

Li Sipei added, “Right now.”

Ruan Xin held back the urge to say more and softly agreed.

•

On the empty road in the early morning, the only sounds were Ruan Xin’s footsteps and the faint sound of the wheelchair rolling through the quiet night.

This was the first time Ruan Xin had led Li Sipei down this path, and she felt uncertain.

She wasn’t sure why Li Sipei had decided to go out at this hour, so she silently pushed the wheelchair forward.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Sipei suddenly spoke: “We’re here.”

Ruan Xin immediately stopped: “Third Master?”

“Wait here.” Li Sipei instructed, then maneuvered his wheelchair ahead.

Ruan Xin stared in surprise as Li Sipei moved farther away. When he stopped at a bench near the lake, she noticed someone seemed to be sitting there.

So, Li Sipei came out in the middle of the night to meet that person?

Ruan Xin thought she might be imagining things.

She reached up to pinch her own cheek.

“Ow—”

It hurt. It wasn’t a dream.

Meanwhile, Li Sipei, already near, caught a strong smell of alcohol before he even got close. He stopped the wheelchair and looked down at the figure sitting on the bench.

It was Mi Zhao, who was dressed in a white T-shirt and black shorts. His loose clothes couldn’t conceal his casual posture. His long, pale legs were sprawled out wide, and his hands rested on the back of the bench. The ground around him was littered with empty beer cans, most of them already drunk.

When Mi Zhao noticed someone approaching, he lifted his head drunkenly. Under the light, he squinted and locked eyes with Li Sipei for a while before suddenly breaking into a smile.

“You’re here. Why are you so late today? I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”