Chapter 16

In the end, they still went to the bedroom.

After all, given Li Sipei’s condition, it would have been difficult to proceed otherwise.

Li Sipei had just moved into his new home, so he hadn’t prepared much—let alone anything for that. Fortunately, Mi Zhao had come well-equipped.

When he pulled out a condom and a bottle from his backpack, Li Sipei’s expression visibly shifted. As Mi Zhao approached him with the items in hand, Li Sipei was still struggling to untie the apron binding his wrists.

A shadow fell over him.

His movements halted as he looked up, tension tightening his features. His dark eyes flickered to the objects in Mi Zhao’s hands.

The next moment, his ears turned red—so red they seemed like they might start dripping blood.

Mi Zhao peeled off the plastic wrapping from the bottle, smoothly pulling out a brand-new bottle of lubricant. Then, he began tearing open a condom wrapper.

Neither of them spoke. In the silence of the bedroom, only the crinkling sound of plastic packaging filled the air.

It wasn’t particularly loud, yet to Li Sipei, it was unbearably jarring.

Realizing the apron was tied too tightly for him to escape, he leaned back and deliberately assumed a casual posture. “Mi Zhao.”

Holding the bottle under his arm, Mi Zhao was still focused on opening the condom wrapper and didn’t even lift his head. “Hm?”

Li Sipei: ”…”

In his life, he had encountered all kinds of people—sycophants, flatterers, furious incompetents—but he had never met someone who could concentrate so earnestly on opening a condom right in front of him.

The scene felt almost surreal.

His head ached. Instinctively, he wanted to rub his temples, only to remember his hands were still bound. With no other choice, he gave up.

“Don’t you think this is a bit fast? We only just met today…” Li Sipei rarely discussed such topics, stumbling over his words as he carefully chose them. “Maybe we could sit down and talk first.”

Just as he finished speaking, Mi Zhao successfully extracted a condom. Placing the remaining box on the nightstand, he held the bottle in one hand and the unwrapped condom in the other, then casually plopped onto the bed.

“Sure, let’s talk.”

Li Sipei’s gaze flickered between Mi Zhao’s hands. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something.

Mi Zhao, patient as ever, waited for him to continue.

Yet, in the end, Li Sipei couldn’t get a single word out.

As the sponsor, Mi Zhao took responsibility for the situation, displaying an accommodating attitude. He scooted closer to Li Sipei and initiated the conversation himself. “Last time, was it uncomfortable when I sat on you the whole time?”

”…” Li Sipei stiffly replied, “No.”

“Do you want to switch positions?”

“Not really…”

Now Mi Zhao was genuinely puzzled. Propping his chin on the back of his hand, he mused, “Then what do you want to talk about?”

”…” That wasn’t the conversation he had in mind at all.

They could’ve talked about the weather, daily life, or what Mi Zhao encountered on his way here—things normal couples shared with each other.

Li Sipei had never been in a relationship before and was entirely passive in this one. Added to that, Mi Zhao’s boldness had left him stunned. It took him a long time to gather his thoughts.

“We…”

At the same time, Mi Zhao, having waited long enough, spoke up again. “In the future, try holding onto my waist.”

Li Sipei abruptly stopped speaking. ”?”

Mi Zhao looked a little embarrassed. “I keep slipping.”

Li Sipei: ”…”

“Also—” Mi Zhao forced himself to maintain a serious expression. “You can move a little too. It’s really tiring if I’m the only one doing all the work.”

”…” Every word Li Sipei had wanted to say was swallowed back down.

Noticing his reaction, Mi Zhao braced his hands on the bed and leaned in curiously. “Were you about to say something?”

Li Sipei’s expression was blank. “No.”

Mi Zhao scratched his head with the bottle. “Then shall we start?”

Li Sipei: ”…”

—

The lubricant and condoms were bought online, and after two uses, Mi Zhao had actually developed preferences between brands.

Li Sipei’s reactions also differed significantly between this time and the last.

Sweat drenched Mi Zhao, making him look as if he had just been fished out of water. His arms occasionally loosened their grip around Li Sipei’s neck, exhausted.

The bedroom lights were off, but the curtains remained open. Silver moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a dim glow over the room. In the faint light, Mi Zhao saw Li Sipei’s tightly shut eyes, sweat beading and trickling down his forehead.

Mi Zhao patted his back. “Keep your breathing down. The neighbors might hear.”

”…” Li Sipei went silent.

Mi Zhao looked closer—only to see that Li Sipei had bitten his lower lip.

He burst out laughing, covering his mouth to suppress the sound.

Cleaning up afterward was still a hassle, but Mi Zhao was diligent. He didn’t mind small inconveniences.

They soaked in the bathtub for a while before returning to bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, Li Sipei closed his eyes and remained motionless. Mi Zhao rested his head on Li Sipei’s arm, wrapped his arms around his waist, and snuggled in close.

Li Sipei’s body was warm—unlike the plush, cold stuffed toys in Mi Zhao’s dormitory bed.

Bathed in moonlight, he gazed at Li Sipei’s face.

His expression was calm, long lashes casting shadows over his eyes, appearing fast asleep. But just as Mi Zhao was about to look away, those lips suddenly parted.

“Can’t sleep?”

Mi Zhao tightened his arms around him and buried his face against his chest. “Were you trying to say something earlier?”

“No.”

“Hmph.” Mi Zhao pouted. “Liar.”

Li Sipei fell silent.

Mi Zhao suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, I have to leave tomorrow morning. I’ll visit again when I have time.”

”…” After a moment of silence, Li Sipei’s throat bobbed slightly. “Alright.”

“Try on the clothes I bought for you.”

“Mm.”

—

Before seven in the morning, Mi Zhao was already up. Moving carefully, he climbed out of bed and tidied up the bedroom.

The sky outside had brightened, and golden sunlight pierced through the blue expanse. Standing by the window, he could see the vast cityscape—cars weaving through the streets, pedestrians hurrying to work.

Gathering the leftover ingredients from yesterday, he made a small pot of seafood porridge and two light side dishes, leaving them in the kitchen. If they got cold, they could be reheated in the microwave.

He ate only one bowl, washed the dishes, and then returned to the bedroom to check on Li Sipei.

Li Sipei was still asleep, seemingly in a deep slumber.

Mi Zhao sat by the bed for a while, then placed a written note and a stack of 5,000 yuan in cash beside the box of condoms on the nightstand.

He had tried transferring money to Li Sipei via WeChat before, but unfortunately, Li Sipei never accepted it.

So, before coming over yesterday, he had specifically gone to the bank to withdraw cash.

Reaching out, he gently touched Li Sipei’s face and sighed inwardly—

Keeping a canary was really expensive.

—

Mi Zhao picked up his backpack and left. As soon as he opened the door, he saw someone pacing outside in the hallway.

It was the glasses-wearing man who had let him in yesterday morning.

Caught off guard by Mi Zhao’s sudden appearance, Li Zhixuan froze. The moment he realized that Mi Zhao had just come out of Li Sipei’s home—and had likely spent the night there—his pupils shook with disbelief.

“You—” The rest of his sentence got stuck in his throat. His mouth hung open in shock.

Mi Zhao was silent for a moment before calmly stepping aside. “Are you coming in?”

Li Zhixuan ignored the question and instead asked, “Are you heading out?”

“Yeah,” Mi Zhao replied. “I have to get back to school.”

”…” He’s a student? Li Zhixuan struggled to maintain his composure and took a step back. “I’ll drive you to school.”

“Huh? That’s not necessary—”

But Li Zhixuan didn’t give him a chance to refuse. He turned and walked toward the elevator. “He’s still asleep, right? There’s nothing for me to do inside anyway. I might as well give you a ride to kill some time.”

Seeing how firm he was, Mi Zhao had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Inside the elevator, they introduced themselves.

Only then did Mi Zhao learn that Li Zhixuan had been sent by Li Sipei’s mother. Apparently, she wasn’t comfortable with her son living alone, so she had arranged for Li Zhixuan to check in on him regularly.

After explaining, Li Zhixuan casually asked about Mi Zhao and Li Sipei’s relationship.

“Mr. Li doesn’t have many friends. I’ve never seen anyone stay overnight at his place before.” Li Zhixuan smiled warmly, his tone friendly, yet his words carried a hint of curiosity and probing. “You probably know that Mr. Li is a very private person.”

Mi Zhao: ”…”

He obviously couldn’t just tell Li Sipei’s mother’s associate that he was financially supporting her son.

Besides, from the way Li Zhixuan spoke, it seemed like even Li Sipei’s mother wasn’t aware that her son had found a few “benefactors” outside.

After a brief pause, Mi Zhao gave a concise answer. “We’re just friends. I get along well with Mr. Li.”

“Really?” Li Zhixuan smiled. “In what way do you two get along?”

”…” In bed? Was that something he could say?

Seeing that Mi Zhao wasn’t going to answer, Li Zhixuan tactfully dropped the subject and pressed the button for the first floor. “My car is parked in the garage. The lighting down there isn’t great, and it’s a bit of a detour. Can you wait for me at the main entrance?”

“Sure.” Relieved, Mi Zhao quickly nodded.

The building entrance wasn’t far—about a five or six-minute walk. The parking lot’s entrance was just to the left of the main gate.

Mi Zhao stood by the entrance, waiting.

With nothing else to do, he took out his phone and scrolled through WeChat. His club group chat was buzzing with excitement about tonight’s gathering.

[I heard there’s a mystery guest tonight!]

[Who? Who?]

[Someone from the dance academy, coming to support us.]

[And they’re bringing funding with them.]

[Damn! That’s not just a mystery guest—that’s our sugar daddy!]

[Who is it?! Stop being so cryptic!]

After a flurry of excited messages, the person who teased the news suddenly vanished, leaving everyone speculating wildly.

In the end, their club president dropped in to shut them all up.

[What’s with all the noise? If you have this much energy, go follow up with the secretary department about our proposal. How long has it been stuck there? None of you are even the slightest bit concerned?]

The group chat fell silent.

After a long pause, a girl timidly spoke up.

[Boss, it’s not that we don’t want to communicate. It’s just that the secretary department is impossible to deal with—especially that Feng Nian! He’s like a stone from a sewer—stubborn and foul!]

Seeing Feng Nian’s name, Mi Zhao frowned slightly.

He switched to his private chat with Yan Qinting and started typing.

[mrz: Feng Nian is giving our club trouble again?]