Chapter 18

Ruan Xin wasn’t sure how it happened, but when she arrived with her team, Li Zhixuan was already sitting in the living room.

She shot him a questioning look.

Li Zhixuan mouthed back: “He’s throwing a tantrum again.”

Ruan Xin: ”……”

And so, the group sat waiting in the living room all morning.

It wasn’t until noon, when the housekeeper finished preparing the meal, that Ruan Xin knocked on Li Sipei’s bedroom door.

“Third Master, it’s time to eat.”

After a long silence, Li Sipei’s voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Ruan Xin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly signaled to Li Zhixuan.

By the time Li Sipei was fully dressed, half an hour had passed. Sitting in his wheelchair, he was pushed to the dining room by Ruan Xin. As he passed through the living room, the people who had been seated on the sofa all stood up in unison, not daring to make a sound as they watched him.

The housekeeper had only prepared a meal for Li Sipei alone. The others wouldn’t be served until he had finished eating and rested.

Thus, while Li Sipei ate, everyone else remained quietly standing by.

They were used to this mealtime routine, but today, Ruan Xin could clearly sense his bad mood. He only took a few bites before setting his chopsticks down.

She glanced at Li Zhixuan.

But Li Zhixuan simply stared at the table, his expression unreadable, clearly unwilling to say anything and risk getting involved.

Ruan Xin hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking. “Third Master, does the food not suit your taste today?”

Li Sipei didn’t answer. His long eyelashes cast faint shadows under his eyes as he lowered them in thought. Years of rarely stepping outside had left his skin unnaturally pale.

About a minute later, he lifted his eyes slightly. “Take it away.”

“Oh, okay…” Ruan Xin hurriedly called for the housekeeper.

The housekeeper was the most nervous among them—she had only been here for two months, and she had heard that five or six others had quit before her.

Quickly, she cleared away the dishes and carried everything back to the kitchen. But as she turned, she caught sight of an empty bowl and a small clay pot on the glass counter. Her previous confusion resurfaced—

Since when does Mr. Li like drinking porridge?

It seemed she would have to start preparing it regularly.

Outside the kitchen, after washing his hands, Li Sipei returned to his bedroom. With nothing else to do, he sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring into space, as usual.

The condoms and cash that Mi Zhao had left on the nightstand were gone—Li Sipei had put them away.

Ruan Xin tiptoed into the bedroom, stopping a meter behind him. “Third Master, the doctors will be arriving at 2 PM this afternoon.”

Li Sipei’s tone was indifferent. “Cancel it.”

”……” Ruan Xin stiffened, then quietly took a deep breath. “Third Master, the doctors said twice-a-week rehab is the bare minimum—”

“I said cancel it.” Li Sipei’s voice sharpened.

Ruan Xin, who had been about to keep persuading him, instantly froze. A chill ran down her spine. “Understood.”

No one dared provoke Li Sipei when he was in a bad mood. Ruan Xin was no exception. She was about to slip out of the room when—

“Wait.”

Li Sipei turned his head slightly. For the first time that morning, his lifeless expression showed a hint of change. “I have a question for you.”

“Y-yes, please ask…” Ruan Xin’s legs nearly gave out.

Li Sipei was just sitting in a wheelchair. He hadn’t said anything particularly harsh. And yet, the oppressive atmosphere in the room was suffocating, pressing against her chest and making it hard to breathe.

Whether or not he noticed her pale face, he turned his gaze back toward the window. “You told me before that you’ve been in relationships.”

…This topic again?

Ruan Xin blinked in surprise, then quickly responded. “Yes.”

After a slight hesitation, Li Sipei asked, “When you were dating them… did they give you money?”

What kind of question is that?

If anyone else had asked, Ruan Xin might have thought they were out of their mind. Dating and money—how were they related? But since it was Third Master Li asking, she had to tread carefully.

“They did, but not much,” she replied awkwardly. “When you’re dating, it’s not like marriage. Just sending red envelopes during holidays is enough.”

“What if they kept giving you money?”

“Huh?”

“Sending money on WeChat, giving you cash,” Li Sipei said, lightly tapping his wheelchair’s armrest with his index finger. He thought for a moment, then finally voiced what had been puzzling him all morning. “Giving it to you and then leaving without a word.”

Well… unless leaving a note and a WeChat message counted as ‘a word.’

Ruan Xin: ”……”

With his back turned, Li Sipei didn’t see Ruan Xin’s stunned expression. He frowned slightly. He had been thinking about this all morning but still couldn’t figure it out.

To be honest, when Mi Zhao mentioned last night that he was leaving in the morning, Li Sipei had already felt a little unhappy. He had held it in at the time, but when he woke up today to an empty bed, his pent-up frustration suddenly exploded.

It was as if Mi Zhao had come over just for that and then left immediately afterward—without even staying a little longer.

This was his home.

Yet he felt like he was the one being left behind.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xin, after scratching her head in confusion, finally managed to come up with an answer.

“Third Master, are you sure this is a relationship?”

Li Sipei’s finger, which had been tapping the armrest, suddenly stopped. His voice turned icy. “I’m not stupid enough to mistake this for a relationship.”

Ruan Xin’s face paled. She quickly waved her hands. “Third Master, that’s not what I meant! I was just saying—”

“Forget it.” Li Sipei cut her off. “Get out.”

Ruan Xin’s attempt at an explanation died in her throat. Swallowing hard, she hurriedly retreated from the room.

Li Sipei sat still for a while, then reached for his phone on the bed.

The lock screen displayed four missed calls from Mi Zhao.

He stared at it for a long time before finally tossing the phone back onto the bed, his expression unreadable.

“How strange.”

Mi Zhao ended the call, which had gone to voicemail yet again. Setting his phone down, he picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating.

Sitting across from him, Yan Qinting asked, “Still not answering?”

“He’s probably still asleep.”

“Hah, keep lying to yourself.” Yan Qinting smirked sarcastically, raising his left hand and tapping the glass face of his watch with the end of his chopsticks. “It’s 1:30 in the afternoon, man. No way he’s still sleeping, right?”

“If he’s awake, would he really ignore my call?”

“That’s something only you can answer.” Yan Qinting immediately switched to a gossiping expression, stretched his neck forward, and lowered his voice. “Did you do something to piss him off?”

Mi Zhao paused mid-bite, carefully recalling everything that had happened over the past two days. Then, he shook his head decisively. “Impossible.”

Yan Qinting watched him leisurely.

“I did everything I could,” Mi Zhao said. “I cooked the meals, washed the dishes, and even made him breakfast before I left this morning. He can’t be mad just because the breakfast wasn’t to his liking, right?”

Hearing this, Yan Qinting was completely dumbfounded. He quickly picked out the key point. “Holy crap! Cooking and washing dishes? Are you his sugar daddy or his maid?”

Mi Zhao was unfazed. “His legs aren’t convenient, so I don’t mind helping out a little more.”

“…” Yan Qinting couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. “With the way you’re spoiling him, no wonder he keeps ignoring you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the one indulging him!” Yan Qinting sighed in exasperation.

After lunch, they returned to their dorm. Mi Zhao sat at his desk, preparing to get back to work. Before he started, he called Li Sipei again.

Still no answer.

He glanced at the time on his phone. It was past 2:00 PM. By now, Li Sipei should be awake, and from what Mi Zhao remembered, he wasn’t the type to sleep in.

Mi Zhao was puzzled but had no solution.

Just before 5:00 PM, the club group chat, which had been quiet all afternoon, became active again. The president sent an announcement about a gathering, listing the time and location, instructing everyone to go on their own.

The gathering was near the bar street outside the west gate, in an affordable Chinese restaurant.

By the time Mi Zhao and Yan Qinting arrived, it was already 7:00 PM. The sky had darkened, and the neon lights of the bustling street reflected off the pedestrians passing by.

They went directly to a private room on the restaurant’s second floor. Upon opening the door, they saw two large tables full of people chatting and laughing. When they entered, everyone warmly greeted them.

Mi Zhao wasn’t the type to stand out and was more of a background figure in the club. After greeting everyone, he found a quiet corner to sit in and watched as the highly social Yan Qinting flitted around the room like a butterfly.

He pulled out his phone and checked it.

Still no response from Li Sipei.

Now, Mi Zhao had to admit the possibility that Li Sipei was actually upset. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why—everything had been fine last night.

About ten minutes later, when everyone had arrived, the president and vice president called for everyone to take their seats as the food was about to be served.

For Mi Zhao, this meal was utterly tasteless. He spent almost the entire time staring at his phone, barely engaging in conversation, except for the occasional glance from Yan Qinting beside him.

Outside, the night deepened.

The president of the Dance Academy’s publicity club, who had been drinking, wobbled to his feet, holding his phone in one hand and slurring his words. “Ahem, everyone quiet down for a sec.”

The chatter in the room quickly died down as all eyes turned to the flushed president.

“Didn’t I tell you all that we have a special guest tonight?” The president deliberately dragged out his words, his chubby face filled with excitement. “He’s downstairs and will be coming up any moment now.”

At that, the room burst into a wave of excited chatter.

The president gestured for quiet while emphasizing, “This person has helped us tremendously with this event. He’s a major benefactor to multiple clubs. Without him, our event wouldn’t have happened at all. So, everyone, be enthusiastic! Don’t make him feel unwelcome, got it?”

“Got it—” everyone responded in unison.

Yan Qinting, looking unimpressed, covered his mouth and leaned toward Mi Zhao. “Why does this feel like some kind of cult gathering?”

Mi Zhao was also curious about the person’s identity. For once, he put his phone away. “Who could it be? Someone who puts in both money and effort—must be a real saint.”

“A saint? I doubt it.” Yan Qinting smirked knowingly. “Remember last year when Lin Qiuzu kept coming to our school, saying he loved Professor Yang’s lectures? In the end, wasn’t he just here to chase after some guy?”

“True.” Mi Zhao thought he had a point.

While the two were whispering, the private room’s door swung open from the outside. A slim figure entered first, pulling along a tall man behind him.

Mi Zhao and Yan Qinting looked up at the same time—then froze.

The newcomers were familiar faces—

Lin Qiuzu and Li Yan.