Chapter 26

Li Sipei seemed to turn to stone, unable to speak or even move.

Mi Zhao watched him with amusement for a moment before knocking on the car window and greeting the driver’s seat occupant, Ruan Xin. “Sister, can you unlock the door?”

Ruan Xin, recalling the lie their third master had told just half a minute ago, felt her scalp tingle. With an embarrassed expression , she glanced at Li Sipei, and since he didn’t object, she quickly unlocked the car door.

Mi Zhao slipped into the car in one swift motion. The back seat was spacious, with only Li Sipei in his wheelchair, so he easily moved closer to him. But sensing Ruan Xin’s discreet glances through the rearview mirror, he didn’t dare get too close.

“When did you get here?” Mi Zhao’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Li Sipei, speaking quickly with a slight hint of clingy complaint. “You came but didn’t tell me. Were you just planning to wait here until I noticed you?”

The car’s interior was dim, illuminated only by the streetlights filtering in through the half-open window, casting shadows and highlights over Li Sipei’s face. Perhaps due to their close proximity, his eyelashes trembled noticeably.

The faint light seemed to coat Li Sipei’s features with a warm glow. Even from this awkward angle, his striking handsomeness was undeniable.

His features were impossibly flawless.

This man was, without a doubt, dangerously attractive.

Mi Zhao didn’t consider himself the type to act on physical attraction, but at this moment, an intense urge to kiss Li Sipei suddenly welled up inside him.

However, before he could act on it, he saw Li Sipei’s brow furrow slightly.

“…” Mi Zhao’s internal alarms blared.

Not good!

Sure enough—

The next second, Li Sipei spoke. “You smell like cigarettes.”

Mi Zhao instantly regretted his choices. He should’ve stayed outside longer to let the wind blow the scent away. Noticing Li Sipei’s expression darken, he stammered out an explanation. “I-I was just bored and bought a pack… Only had one.”

Li Sipei asked, “Where’s the rest?”

Flustered, Mi Zhao quickly fished out the remaining cigarettes from his pocket and handed them over.

Li Sipei didn’t even glance at them, turning his head away with clear disgust. “Throw them out.”

“…” Mi Zhao was silent for a moment before reluctantly getting out of the car.

The trash bin wasn’t far. Mi Zhao placed the cigarette pack on the lid, then shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders as he stood in the cool night breeze. Once he felt that most of the smoke smell had dissipated, he returned to the car.

He didn’t get in this time. Instead, he rested a hand on the car roof.

“Want to take a walk?”

Li Sipei’s expression eased slightly. “Where to?”

Mi Zhao scratched his head, pondering for a while before suggesting, “There’s nothing but main roads around here… No parks or anything. How about we walk around my campus instead?”

Hearing this, Ruan Xin called out hesitantly, “Mr. Li…”

It was already close to 8 PM. Who knew how long they’d be out? Their third master had originally said he’d just take a quick look and leave.

Unfortunately, Li Sipei ignored her and simply nodded. “Alright.”

Ruan Xin: “…”

Forget it. They’re in the honeymoon phase, after all.

Knowing better than to argue, she kept quiet and blended into the background, helping Mi Zhao unload Li Sipei’s wheelchair from the car.

Since it was the weekend, campus security was more relaxed. Mi Zhao just had to register Li Sipei’s visit, and they were allowed in.

Ruan Xin wanted to follow, but the moment she lifted her foot, she met Li Sipei’s gaze.

Ruan Xin: “…”

Her half-raised foot froze midair before she awkwardly lowered it.

Mi Zhao had already pushed Li Sipei a short distance before realizing Ruan Xin hadn’t followed. He turned back and called, “Sister, aren’t you coming?”

Ruan Xin remained rooted in place, forcing a smile. “You two go ahead. I’ll wait in the car.”

Mi Zhao shrugged. “Alright.”

As they walked, he couldn’t help but comment to Li Sipei, “That nurse sister doesn’t seem to like me, huh?”

Li Sipei glanced back at him. “Why do you think that?”

Mi Zhao muttered, “She had the same weird expression last time outside my apartment complex. When I invited her upstairs, she reacted like I was some kind of villain.”

He carefully recalled his interactions with Ruan Xin and couldn’t figure out where he had gone wrong.

So strange.

Li Sipei was quiet for a few seconds before saying, “She doesn’t dislike you. She’s just—”

Mi Zhao asked, “Just what?”

“Socially anxious.”

“…” Mi Zhao burst out laughing, then stepped onto the back of the wheelchair and playfully patted the chair’s back. “Straight ahead.”

From a distance, Ruan Xin saw this and nearly collapsed. She barely managed to steady herself by grabbing a nearby tree.

Her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID—Li Zhixuan.

“What are you doing?” Li Zhixuan’s impatient voice came from the other end. “I called you several times before you finally picked up.”

Ruan Xin stared blankly at Mi Zhao, who was casually hanging onto their third master’s wheelchair as they disappeared into the distance. Her voice turned weak. “…I think I’m dreaming.”

“What?!”

The sharp tone snapped Ruan Xin back to reality. “Oh. I’m outside the north gate of A University.”

“You’re at A University?” Li Zhixuan asked suspiciously. “Or… is Third Master at A University?”

Ruan Xin’s voice wavered again. “What do you think?”

The answer was obvious. Li Zhixuan was silent for a long moment before he exhaled sharply. “So Third Master went to see that kid? What, is this some kind of… cross-generational friendship?”

Ruan Xin rolled her eyes toward the sky. Friendship? If only.

“When is he coming back?” Li Zhixuan finally got back on topic. “Madam Li is already on her way. She’ll be there in about half an hour.”

Ruan Xin sighed helplessly. “I don’t know. Why don’t you come and urge him yourself?”

“Am I crazy? Do I have a death wish?” Li Zhixuan snorted before relenting with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll head over after I wrap things up here.”

—

Since Li Sipei was in a wheelchair, many areas were inconvenient to access. Mi Zhao spotted some activity near the track and field area and suggested they go there.

Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention.

Before they even reached the field, Mi Zhao felt a bit self-conscious and hopped off the back of the wheelchair.

Li Sipei asked, “Tired of standing?”

“No.” Mi Zhao gripped the wheelchair’s handles and tried to ignore the stares. Clearing his throat, he added, “Too many people are watching… Forget it.”

Li Sipei turned his head back but continued speaking. “I thought you didn’t care about other people’s opinions.”

“I don’t,” Mi Zhao admitted. “But I was worried you might.”

After what happened at the shopping street, Mi Zhao had thought it over and realized he might have overstepped. Maybe Li Sipei didn’t want to draw attention, and he shouldn’t have pushed him into the spotlight.

When he had dated Li Yan, after a month of being together, he’d wanted to tell a few close mutual friends about their relationship. But Li Yan had shaken his head furiously, repeatedly begging him to keep it a secret.

Mi Zhao thought to himself.

Some people were just different from him. He didn’t mind being openly gay, but that didn’t mean others wouldn’t mind either.

Li Sipei remained silent for a long time. When he finally spoke again, his voice blended into the singing coming from the front.

But Mi Zhao, standing behind him, heard it clearly.

“I don’t care either,” Li Sipei said. “So just do whatever you want.”

Mi Zhao was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile.

There were far more people on the track than usual. As they got closer, they realized the publicity club was hosting an event.

The club never focused on just one task; they often juggled multiple activities at once. Since Mi Zhao had already joined the charity project, he wasn’t really involved in other club events.

But since he ran into familiar faces, it didn’t feel right to leave without a word. He parked Li Sipei’s wheelchair in a less crowded spot and went backstage to greet a few members.

The vice president, a sharp and energetic girl, grabbed Mi Zhao’s hand, stopping him from leaving. “The event is about to start, and we’re short on hands. Stay and help us out, will you?”

Mi Zhao was pretty close with the vice minister, so he had no qualms about turning her down. “My friend’s here. I need to keep him company.”

“Your friend?” The vice minister asked. “Where?”

“Over there.” Mi Zhao pointed casually.

To his surprise, her expression instantly became intrigued. As the others in the group started teasing him, she raised her eyebrows and asked, “Is it your girlfriend?”

Boyfriend—

No, wait. More like a… Sugar baby.

There was no way Mi Zhao could say that, so he hurriedly shook his head, keeping a straight face. “Just a male friend.”

The vice minister looked disappointed but quickly suggested, “Why don’t you bring your friend over? We have snacks and drinks here, and he can watch the performances from the best spot.”

“No thanks.” Mi Zhao declined again, coming up with an excuse that seemed appropriate. “He’s shy.”

He didn’t linger long. He left at a jog, as if afraid his “male friend” had been waiting too long.

Meanwhile, the vice president and a few other members stayed huddled together, staring in the direction Mi Zhao had run.

Until they saw him stop in front of a man sitting in a wheelchair.

“So it really is just a male friend,” one member said. “I’ve known Senior for so long, and I’ve never seen him get close to any girls. I was starting to think he was secretly dating someone.”

“That guy is so handsome!” A girl gushed. “He doesn’t look like someone from our school.”

Another girl added, “He looks like a celebrity!”

“No way…” The first male member rolled his eyes. “Are your eyes telescopes? How can you tell from this far away?”

But when he turned to look, he saw the vice president stroking her chin with a serious expression, drawing out a thoughtful hum.

Thinking she was about to say something important, he quickly focused.

After a long moment of contemplation, she finally concluded, “Yeah… he’s really handsome.”

The guy: “…”

“They’re still looking at you,” Li Sipei said to Mi Zhao.

Mi Zhao pushed Li Sipei to a spot below the audience seating, blew some dust off the half-meter-high platform, and plopped down on it. He followed Li Sipei’s gaze.

Sure enough, the vice president and the girls were still sneakily peeking at them.

The moment they made eye contact, they all panicked like thieves caught red-handed. They hurriedly turned their heads in all directions, pretending to be busy.

Mi Zhao chuckled. “They’re looking at you.”

Li Sipei remained expressionless. “Why?”

Hearing that, Mi Zhao turned his gaze directly onto Li Sipei’s face.

There were no lights in the seating area. Only the stage’s bright illumination allowed them to see each other’s features clearly.

Mi Zhao used to think Li Sipei resembled Li Yan a little. But now, after a closer look, he realized they didn’t actually look alike.

“They’re looking at you because you’re good-looking.” Taking advantage of the dim lighting, Mi Zhao boldly reached out and held Li Sipei’s hand.

Li Sipei’s hand rested on his lap. When Mi Zhao grasped it, he neither pulled away nor held back—just quietly let him do it.

That was very much in line with Li Sipei’s personality.

Staring at their interlocked hands, an idea popped into Mi Zhao’s mind. “We’ve known each other for a month now, haven’t we?”

Li Sipei hummed in agreement.

“What do you want?” Mi Zhao asked. “As a one-month anniversary gift.”

The stage performance was about to begin. Most of the people in the field had gathered around, listening to the two hosts recite their lines in clear, resonant voices. The booming sound echoed across the track from the massive speakers.

Mi Zhao saw Li Sipei’s lips move slightly. He leaned in. “What did you say?”

Now that they were closer, Li Sipei’s voice entered his ears more clearly: “Give me your phone.”

Mi Zhao took out his phone and handed it over.

Perplexed, he watched as Li Sipei unlocked it with his fingerprint, opened the gallery, and selected the most recent photo.

It was the one he had taken that morning—a picture of Li Sipei without his face showing.

Without hesitation, Li Sipei set the photo as both the lock screen and home screen wallpaper. Then he returned the phone to Mi Zhao. “Your anniversary gift.”

Mi Zhao lit up the screen, staring at it for a few seconds before breaking into a grin. “Aren’t you afraid someone will see it?”

Li Sipei countered, “Why should I be?”

“Alright then.” Mi Zhao stuffed his phone back into his pocket, suddenly lifting Li Sipei’s chin. Before the other could react, he pried open his lips with his tongue.

After repeated practice, Mi Zhao’s kissing technique had improved significantly. By the time he let go, both of them were breathing unevenly.

Mi Zhao, lips still brushing against Li Sipei’s, chuckled. “This counts as an anniversary gift too, right?”

Li Sipei’s face was burning, his gaze slightly unfocused. He panted softly, lips still glistening.

Just as he was about to say something—

A sharp intake of breath came from behind them.

Mi Zhao was practically sitting on top of Li Sipei, his hands still cupping the other’s face. His heart skipped a beat as he turned around.

Standing there, wide-eyed, were the vice president and the same group of girls who had been secretly watching them earlier.