Chapter 17

The story with Feng Nian goes way back.

Feng Nian was a junior at A University and the Vice president of the secretary department, while Mi Zhao was just a minor member of the Publicity club—two people who normally wouldn’t cross paths.

But the problem was that Feng Nian knew Lin Qiuzu.

Mi Zhao had no idea how Lin Qiuzu managed to weave his connections into A University’s student council. All he knew was that after that incident, Feng Nian had taken Lin Qiuzu’s side and started treating him with hostility.

As for that incident—

It was actually something incredibly trivial.

Lin Qiuzu had taken a liking to a male student in Mi Zhao’s class. But that student was completely straight and was so terrified by Lin Qiuzu’s relentless pursuit that he would often hide in the library for an entire day.

Eventually, Lin Qiuzu found out where the student was hiding and began lurking in the library whenever he had the chance. Unable to take it anymore, the student finally asked Mi Zhao—who just happened to be passing by at the time—to help drive Lin Qiuzu away.

Since Mi Zhao was on good terms with the student and had witnessed his recent struggles firsthand, he simply passed the message along word for word.

And from that day forward, Lin Qiuzu stopped bothering the student and instead began holding a grudge against Mi Zhao.

Every time Mi Zhao thought about it, he found it ridiculous—like he had been walking down the street and accidentally stepped in dog crap that he just couldn’t scrape off.

Lowering his gaze, he saw that Yan Qinting had already replied.

[Yan Qinting: Ugh, don’t even bring it up. It pisses me off just thinking about it.]

[Yan Qinting: I heard Feng Nian has rejected our club’s proposal seven or eight times already. Our club president is about to lose his mind.]

[Yan Qinting: Do you think Lin Qiuzu is blackmailing Feng Nian? Otherwise, why would he willingly act like Lin Qiuzu’s lapdog? He’s doing some seriously messed-up shit.]

Mi Zhao’s expression darkened.

[mrz: This is my fault. I dragged everyone into this.]

[Yan Qinting: Don’t say that. This isn’t on you. If anyone’s to blame, it’s those two idiots Feng Nian and Lin Qiuzu. They’re the ones causing all this trouble!]

Clearly frustrated, Yan Qinting started spamming the chat with curses directed at the pair—especially at Feng Nian, that traitor.

Helping students from the rival dance academy bully his own schoolmates? The guy had no shame!

Mi Zhao quietly read the messages for a while. Just as he was about to reply, he caught sight of a figure approaching him out of the corner of his eye.

Looking up, he was surprised to see one of the people Yan Qinting had just been ranting about.

Feng Nian?

Suppressing his surprise, Mi Zhao calmly turned off his phone and raised an eyebrow at Feng Nian. “Is picking fights fun for you?”

Feng Nian was tall but very thin, with sharp features that made him look both shrewd and mean. He seemed to not understand what Mi Zhao meant and instead asked, “What are you doing here?”

Mi Zhao chuckled. His fair cheeks dimpled, making him look sweet and approachable—but every word that came out of his mouth was laced with thorns. “How is that any of your damn business?”

Feng Nian froze.

“Since when did my whereabouts fall under the jurisdiction of the great vice president? If your hands are getting too long, you should chop a piece off.”

Before he even finished speaking, Feng Nian’s face flushed red with anger. “I was just asking a simple question. Do you have to be so rude?”

“And do you think someone like you deserves my kindness?” Mi Zhao’s smile faded, and his voice turned icy. “Abusing your position to settle personal grudges—who else but you has been blocking our club’s proposals?”

Feng Nian fell silent for a moment before suddenly letting out a sly laugh. He smirked in a way that was downright punchable.

“Ohhh—” He deliberately dragged out the word. “So this is about that? How about this—you beg me, and maybe we can work something out.”

Mi Zhao tightened his grip on his phone, his gaze turning icy.

Feng Nian grinned smugly. “Otherwise, your club can just keep revising your proposal. Doesn’t bother me—I don’t have to do the work, haha—”

Halfway through his laughter, a car horn suddenly blared.

Both of them turned their heads.

A black Mercedes smoothly pulled out of the parking lot and stopped in front of them. The window rolled down.

Li Zhixuan sat in the driver’s seat.

Before Mi Zhao could say anything, Feng Nian beat him to it.

“Brother Li!” Feng Nian’s eyes lit up like he had just spotted a pile of gold and rushed up to the car window. “What a coincidence, running into you here!”

It was clear that Li Zhixuan knew Feng Nian too, but his previously friendly demeanor from before was gone. His tone was cold as he asked, “You live in Longwan Community?”

“Oh, no.” Feng Nian quickly pointed in another direction. “I live in that neighborhood over there. I was just passing through on my way to the subway station. No way I could afford to live in Longwan Community—you flatter me, Brother Li.”

He rubbed his hands together and cautiously asked, “Are you heading to the company?”

“No.”

“Then—?”

“I’m taking my little brother to school.”

“Ohh.” Feng Nian nodded in understanding and flattered, “Brother Li, you really take good care of your little brother.”

Behind him, Mi Zhao watched the scene unfold with fascination.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed that someone could switch faces so quickly—one second arrogant and condescending, the next groveling like a bootlicker.

Sensing Li Zhixuan’s growing impatience, Feng Nian tactfully stepped back, his face full of fawning smiles. “Brother Li, I’ll let you get back to your business. I’ll visit you at the company later.”

Li Zhixuan gave a perfunctory hum in response.

However, after waiting for a while, Feng Nian realized that Li Zhixuan still hadn’t driven off. He scratched his head, thinking that Li Zhixuan had something to say, and stepped forward again. “Brother Li—”

His words were abruptly cut off by the sharp blast of the car horn.

“Why aren’t you getting in?” Li Zhixuan asked.

“Huh? Me?” Feng Nian was stunned at first, then his face lit up. “Brother Li, aren’t you taking your brother to school? I—”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Li Zhixuan waved him off almost coldly. “Move aside.”

Feng Nian was stunned.

At the same time, Mi Zhao also realized that Li Zhixuan was talking to him. He quickly responded, walked around the front of the car, and got into the front passenger seat.

Li Zhixuan didn’t spare another glance at Feng Nian, whose face had suddenly turned pale. Without expression, he started the car.

After fastening his seatbelt, Mi Zhao turned his head to look back.

Feng Nian seemed to have suffered a massive blow, standing there frozen in place. Even as the distance grew, his pale face and twisted expression were still clearly visible.

Mi Zhao found this amusing and secretly enjoyed it, unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips.

Driving, Li Zhixuan cast several glances at Mi Zhao before finally asking, “You two know each other?”

“Schoolmates.” Mi Zhao thought for a moment before adding, “But we don’t get along. He often causes trouble for our club because of some personal grudges against me.”

Li Zhixuan raised an eyebrow. “That kind of behavior is inappropriate—mixing personal matters with work.”

Mi Zhao chuckled. “You think so too, huh? I’m not even afraid of him picking on me. It’s just that his actions are disgusting.”

Li Zhixuan seemed lost in thought for a moment before responding with a simple “Mm.”

Curious, Mi Zhao asked, “How do you know him?”

Feng Nian’s attitude toward Li Zhixuan had been downright obsequious.

Since Mi Zhao had known Feng Nian, he had never seen him grovel like that to anyone—he usually carried himself with a lofty arrogance.

Li Zhixuan kept his eyes on the road, his tone indifferent. “He applied for an internship at our company. Right now, he’s competing with a dozen other candidates for a single position.”

However, Feng Nian wasn’t entirely honest. He had already bypassed the interviewers multiple times to contact Li Zhixuan, the company’s vice president, directly.

Li Zhixuan had only refrained from disqualifying him because he acknowledged Feng Nian’s abilities.

Mi Zhao had no idea that his few casual words would stir up such a storm. He simply nodded in understanding. “Oh, so you’re an HR guy?”

Li Zhixuan: “……”

He hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing.

Forget it.

HR it is.

After all, this company was something Third Master Li ran just for fun. Whatever Third Master’s friends said, that’s what it was.

Before heading back to the dorm, Mi Zhao stopped by the cafeteria to buy breakfast for Yan Qinting.

Yan Qinting was already awake but still lazing around in bed. In the end, hunger got the better of him, and the smell of breakfast lured him down.

Meanwhile, Mi Zhao went to the bathroom to change clothes and wash his laundry.

By the time he came out, Yan Qinting had nearly finished his meal. As Mi Zhao hung his clothes out to dry on the balcony, Yan Qinting kept sneaking glances at him.

When Mi Zhao put the drying rod away and turned around, he caught Yan Qinting’s shifty-eyed expression.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing!”

Suspicious, Mi Zhao placed the drying rod in the corner and walked into the dorm room.

Yan Qinting followed closely behind.

When Mi Zhao took out his tablet and stylus from his bag, ready to start working, Yan Qinting finally couldn’t hold back. He reached out and tugged at Mi Zhao’s collar.

Startled, Mi Zhao grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Checking the battle scars.” Yan Qinting waggled his eyebrows. “How come there’s not a single mark?”

Mi Zhao let go and rolled his eyes. “What, am I supposed to leave marks so the club’s members can admire them tonight?”

Yan Qinting clicked his tongue.

Mi Zhao tapped Yan Qinting’s chest with his stylus. “Put away those dirty thoughts. I need to finish my sketches.”

Shrugging, Yan Qinting turned back to his desk.

Mi Zhao was the type to take action immediately. As soon as he sat down, the soft scratching sound of his stylus against the tablet screen filled the room.

Yan Qinting crossed his arms and tilted his head, studying Mi Zhao’s back. After a while, he suddenly said, “I feel like you’ve changed a lot.”

Mi Zhao didn’t even look up. “How so?”

“I remember when you were dating Li Yan, you were super conservative. He asked you to stay at a hotel, and you refused no matter what. But now, it hasn’t even been that long since you two broke up, and you’re already staying out overnight.”

Yan Qinting wasn’t judging him—he was genuinely curious.

Could a breakup really change someone this much?

Hearing this, Mi Zhao paused, considering for a moment before turning his head to reply, “Dating and being friends with benefits are two different things.”

Yan Qinting thought it over. “That’s true.”

Their conversation ended there. Yan Qinting climbed back into bed for a nap, while Mi Zhao picked up his phone and opened WeChat.

The messages he sent to Li Sipei remained unread.

[mrz]: I’m leaving. Breakfast is in the kitchen—don’t forget to eat it. If it’s cold, heat it up in the microwave.

[mrz]: I got to school. Li Zhixuan drove me—ran into him outside the door when I left.

[mrz]: Not up yet?

Mi Zhao tapped his stylus against his chin, hesitated for a moment, then locked his phone and returned to sketching.

Meanwhile, in Longwan Community.

Ruan Xin’s team and Li Zhixuan were gathered in the living room, dozens of faces staring worriedly at the tightly shut bedroom door.