Chapter 37

Mi Zhao froze, blinking his eyes.

Neither of them spoke.

After a while, the tugging on the rabbit ears brought him back to reality. He swiftly stuffed his phone back into his pocket and grabbed Li Sipei’s mischievous hand.

Li Sipei stiffened slightly but didn’t struggle. He simply let Mi Zhao hold his hand in midair.

At this moment, the other members were performing on stage, engaging a few children in an interactive session.

Laughter and cheerful voices echoed through the open space.

The stage lights illuminated the temporary platform in the center, while the surrounding area was only faintly lit by twinkling decorative lights.

The colorful lights flickered on and off, casting shifting hues over Li Sipei, making his figure appear hazy, as if he could merge into the darkness behind him at any moment.

Mi Zhao’s gaze slowly traveled downward.

Finally, his eyes locked onto Li Sipei’s feet, firmly planted on the ground.

“You…” There were too many things he wanted to say, and for a moment, he didn’t know where to start. He hesitated before picking one at random. “Did you walk here?”

Li Sipei’s hand was still held by him, forcing him to remain slightly bent at the waist as he answered seriously, “No, I took a car.”

“……” Mi Zhao was speechless for a second before quickly releasing his hand and springing up from his small stool. “I mean, you can walk now?”

Just now, he had almost thought he was hallucinating.

Where was Li Sipei’s wheelchair? How had it turned into a cane?

Mi Zhao blinked hard again. If he weren’t wearing a costume head, he would have rubbed his eyes.

Faced with Mi Zhao’s shock, Li Sipei remained surprisingly calm. He lowered his hand and nodded lightly. “I tried walking today. It’s barely manageable, so I didn’t use the wheelchair.”

In reality, Li Sipei had always been able to stand.

But the mental barrier shackled him, keeping him from taking even a few steps.

He had already resigned himself to spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Yet, just before leaving today, a sudden impulse struck him—he wanted to try walking.

So he did.

Mi Zhao almost let out an uncontrollable cheer. He clenched his fists and bounced excitedly around Li Sipei, circling him several times before grabbing his free hand to examine him up and down.

“You can walk!” Mi Zhao kept his voice low, but the excitement made it sharp and high-pitched, like a whisper amplified through the large rabbit head.

Li Sipei hummed in acknowledgment.

Through the thin plastic of the costume head, a pair of bright, crescent-moon-like eyes gleamed with laughter.

Even though his lower face was obscured, it was easy to imagine the upturned corners of his lips, the shallow dimples on both sides—just inviting someone to poke at them.

Li Sipei was momentarily entranced. His fingers curled slightly at his side, an itch spreading in his chest.

It wasn’t until Mi Zhao pushed him onto the small stool that he snapped back to reality.

Mi Zhao propped the cane against a nearby tree, grabbed the small bamboo basket, and placed a White Rabbit milk candy in Li Sipei’s palm.

“Have some candy.”

Li Sipei cupped the candy in both hands, staring at it without moving.

Seeing this, Mi Zhao slung the basket onto his arm, pulled off his right glove, and peeled the candy wrapper in a few quick motions. Holding it by the wrapper, he brought the candy to Li Sipei’s lips.

“Eat it.”

As he spoke, he felt a tinge of regret.

That bulky headpiece was getting in the way—otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to use his hand to feed the candy.

Li Sipei stared at the candy for a few seconds. Under Mi Zhao’s urging, he finally opened his mouth and took the half-exposed candy. Even though he moved cautiously, he still accidentally brushed against Mi Zhao’s fingertips.

A sudden wave of warmth and dampness spread from his fingertips like a spark.

Mi Zhao’s right hand twitched, as if burned. On instinct, he reflexively pulled it back.

Li Sipei froze as well, his eyes meeting Mi Zhao’s with the candy still in his mouth.

The small stool was too low for his long legs, making him seem a little awkward. From this angle, his usual aloof demeanor softened, making him look somewhat vulnerable—almost pitiful.

Mi Zhao’s breath hitched, and he took a step back, explaining hastily, “My hand’s dirty.”

Li Sipei remained still for a long moment before lowering his gaze, slowly pulling the candy fully into his mouth.

For some reason, Mi Zhao felt relieved. He quickly put his glove back on.

—

By the time the event wrapped up, it was already 8 p.m. The sky had darkened, and the orphanage staff called the children in for dinner while the club members stayed behind to clean up.

The event had been a great success. Everyone was in high spirits, chatting excitedly about the upcoming group dinner as they worked.

The president clapped his hands, gathering attention. “You all know the dinner location, right? It’s just 200 meters from here. Head over when you’re done. If you can’t find it, use the map.”

Everyone responded enthusiastically.

“Oh, and one more thing.” The president remembered something and raised his voice. “I mentioned yesterday that you can bring a plus-one to tonight’s dinner. You’ve all worked hard—no need to save the club’s budget.”

A chorus of teasing and laughter erupted.

Some members nudged each other, joking about who was bringing whom. Others, however, subtly shifted their gazes toward Mi Zhao, who was busy stacking small stools into a tall pile.

Completely oblivious, Mi Zhao focused on his task.

“Bro.” Yan Qinting elbowed him. “You’re really acting like this has nothing to do with you.”

Mi Zhao looked up, puzzled. “Huh?”

Yan Qinting gestured toward the Club president. “He’s talking about you.”

Mi Zhao turned his head, only to meet the president’s knowing gaze. With a playful smirk, the man said, “Mi Zhao, you said you’d bring a plus-one tonight.”

“……”

Mi Zhao glanced at Li Sipei, sitting quietly at the edge of the group, and fell into deep thought.

Couldn’t they see him?

No, that didn’t make sense. Just a moment ago, two girls had walked past Li Sipei, clearly sneaking glances at him.

Introducing Li Sipei now would be awkward and draw too much attention. After hesitating for a few seconds, Mi Zhao simply nodded. “He’ll be there.”

After tidying up, the president and vice president instructed everyone to store the remaining supplies in an empty classroom, leaving two members to deal with them tomorrow.

Once everything was packed up, people started heading out.

Not wanting to make Li Sipei follow him around while he worked, Mi Zhao had asked him to wait at the entrance.

When he finally finished and walked out with Yan Qinting, he spotted Li Sipei standing near the iron gate, leaning on his cane.

As the other members passed by, they all cheerfully bid him farewell.

Li Sipei nodded expressionlessly.

Mi Zhao: “?”

Before he could react, Yan Qinting excitedly bumped his shoulder, then leaned in and whispered, “Look at the guy by the door.”

“Mm, I see him.”

“I heard he’s the administrator here. Pretty handsome, huh?” Yan Qinting wasn’t interested in men, but that guy at the door was too striking to ignore—even he couldn’t help but notice. “Probably someone in charge.”

“…” Mi Zhao turned to stare at him in disbelief. “Who told you he was the administrator?”

Yan Qinting scratched his head. “That’s what everyone said…”

“…”

Mi Zhao finally realized what was going on. He grabbed Yan Qinting and walked toward Li Sipei.

“Hey, hey, hey—!” Yan Qinting, who was usually as thick-skinned as a city wall, suddenly found himself at a loss. He awkwardly smiled at Li Sipei while frantically yanking at Mi Zhao’s sleeve. “What are you doing?!”

Mi Zhao firmly pushed Yan Qinting in front of Li Sipei. “This is my classmate and roommate, Yan Qinting. I’ve mentioned him to you a few times.”

Li Sipei didn’t respond. His gaze dropped, landing on Mi Zhao’s hand gripping Yan Qinting’s wrist.

The month of experience had taught Mi Zhao something. A realization struck him, and he let go of Yan Qinting’s hand as fast as lightning.

Yan Qinting: “…”

Mi Zhao saw his dumbfounded expression and instinctively wanted to pat his shoulder—but halfway there, he seemed to think of something and pulled his hand back.

After a moment’s thought, he simply bumped Yan Qinting’s leg with his knee. “This is Xiao Li.”

“…” Yan Qinting snapped out of his daze, staring in shock. “He’s that Xiao Li? I thought he was unemployed—how did he become the administrator of a welfare home?”

A vein popped on Mi Zhao’s forehead. He really wanted to tape Yan Qinting’s mouth shut.

Could this idiot be any worse at talking?

“He’s not the administrator. He came to see me—he arrived before the event ended.”

Yan Qinting was even more surprised. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but there were too many questions, and he didn’t know where to start.

So he hesitated for nearly half a minute before sheepishly swallowing all his words.

Mi Zhao and Yan Qinting were already the last ones to leave. With this delay, there was no one left behind them now.

The car that brought Li Sipei was parked not far away. Even though the restaurant was only 200 meters away, considering that Li Sipei still had difficulty walking, they had to drive there.

The driver was Ruan Xin. She smiled and greeted Mi Zhao and Yan Qinting.

Yan Qinting seemed to be sleepwalking—his eyes were blank, his steps unsteady. Even after sitting down, he looked weightless, as if he weren’t sure where he was.

Mi Zhao ignored him and asked Ruan Xin, “Sister, why don’t you come in and eat with us?”

“No need,” Ruan Xin glanced at Li Sipei through the rearview mirror and declined subtly. “I ate before coming. You all go ahead—I’ll wait in the car.”

Hearing that, Mi Zhao had no choice but to drop the subject.

The 200-meter ride passed quickly. Mi Zhao helped Li Sipei out of the car, then turned back to see Yan Qinting still sitting inside. He called out, “Aren’t you coming?”

Yan Qinting looked at Mi Zhao, then at Li Sipei, who was being supported by him. With a soft sigh, he murmured, “Coming, coming.”

—

The Japanese restaurant had no private rooms; everyone was seated in the main hall. By the time the three of them entered, most of the others had already taken their seats.

Everyone was curious about Mi Zhao’s “significant other.” The moment he walked in, heads turned, eagerly scanning the entrance.

But after looking around, they didn’t see the person they were expecting. However, when their eyes landed on Li Sipei, their expressions froze.

The club president was the first to react, standing up with a smile. “Teacher, you’re here too!”

But the vice president, still seated, suddenly recalled something. She scrutinized Li Sipei for a long moment before slapping her thigh. “Boss, you’ve got the wrong person!”

Then, she quickly got up and strode over.

“He’s not from the welfare home—he’s Mi Zhao’s boyfriend!”

The last time they met, it was nighttime, and the lighting was dim. Back then, Li Sipei had been wearing a formal dress shirt and slacks, sitting in a wheelchair—his distinctive features were too clear. Now, with a change of outfit and a switch from a wheelchair to a cane, the vice president hadn’t immediately recognized him.

The moment those words were spoken, the entire table fell into stunned silence.

In an instant, every gaze in the room fixated on Li Sipei.

At the same time, Yan Qinting finally figured out what had been bothering him.

The Xiao Li in his mind could be tall or short, fat or thin—even sharp-tongued or difficult—but he absolutely wasn’t this Xiao Li.

This Xiao Li only needed to stand there, and the aura of someone long accustomed to power pressed down, making it hard to breathe.

Yan Qinting had grown up attending high-society events with his parents. To him, this kind of person above all others wasn’t rare at all.