Chapter 19

The moment Lin Qiuzu and Li Yan stepped through the door, Mi Zhao’s expression darkened uncontrollably.

Yan Qinting’s face also turned grim, his teeth grinding audibly. “Them again? Why do we keep running into them everywhere? Do you think they’re doing this on purpose just to disgust us?”

“Whether it’s intentional or not, I don’t know,” Mi Zhao said coldly. “But I sure feel disgusted right now.”

“Same here.”

But human emotions are not always shared. While Mi Zhao and Yan Qinting looked as if they had swallowed a fly, the rest of the private room enthusiastically welcomed the two newcomers.

Especially the Dance Academy’s publicity club president, who had made the earlier announcement. His flushed face was beaming with eagerness as he insistently pulled Lin Qiuzu toward a seat.

“Come, come, sit here.” He then drunkenly commanded the person next to him, “Why are you still sitting there? Get up and make room!”

That person glanced at Li Yan standing behind Lin Qiuzu, then silently stood up and gave up the seat.

“Tch.” Yan Qinting propped his chin up, rolling his eyes so hard they nearly flipped into the back of his head. “One’s a scumbag, the other’s a green arrow*—they’re not some big shots, so why the hell is everyone kissing their asses?”

(*T/N: “Green arrow” someone who interferes in relationships, like a third party.)

Before he could finish, he felt a nudge on his arm.

“Keep your voice down,” Mi Zhao warned, pulling out his phone. He first checked WeChat before glancing at the time.

He had been in the club for at least two years. Though their club interacted with the Dance Academy, he had never seen Lin Qiuzu or Li Yan at any club events. Clearly, the so-called “mystery guest” was Lin Qiuzu. But how exactly did he get involved with these people?

Regardless, Mi Zhao wasn’t naïve enough to believe it was all just a coincidence.

He knew Lin Qiuzu despised him and was always looking for ways to make his life difficult. He couldn’t control what Lin Qiuzu did, but he wasn’t foolish enough to stay and entertain them.

Under everyone’s enthusiastic attention, Lin Qiuzu appropriately displayed a hint of surprise. He pulled Li Yan to sit down, his makeup-enhanced face looking even more delicate under the bright lights.

“Sorry, everyone, something held me up tonight. Thank you for waiting so late for me,” Lin Qiuzu said apologetically.

“Tch.” Yan Qinting muttered under his breath again. “As if we were actually waiting for you. Talk about stroking your own ego.”

Just as he finished speaking, Mi Zhao suddenly stood up.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Mi Zhao said. “Can we leave after I get back?”

Yan Qinting flashed an OK gesture.

The conversation in the private room revolved entirely around Lin Qiuzu. Almost no one noticed Mi Zhao slipping away—except for Li Yan, who had been sitting silently beside Lin Qiuzu. His gaze followed Mi Zhao’s movements until the door opened and closed again.

Since the moment he had entered the room, a restless feeling had been stirring in his chest. Now, he could no longer suppress it.

Meanwhile, Lin Qiuzu continued chatting about Feng Nian. His tone was casual. “Feng Nian is my friend. I remember him being easy to talk to. Did you guys offend him somehow?”

Li Yan scoffed internally.

Oh, keep acting.

Wasn’t it you who clung to Feng Nian and asked him to give them trouble?

Honestly, when it came to acting, Lin Qiuzu was just as good—if not better—than his relatives in the Li family.

But unfortunately, no one else knew the truth. Instead, after hearing Lin Qiuzu’s words, they all started reflecting seriously.

“We didn’t do anything,” the vice president of A University’s publicity club said, feeling wronged. “Every time we submit reports, we follow the proper procedures. The proposals are always drafted by the same person—only minor revisions here and there. Why was it fine before but suddenly a problem this time?”

“It’s okay. I’ll ask about it for you later,” Lin Qiuzu said gently, looking understanding and kind. “Maybe there’s just a misunderstanding. It shouldn’t be a big issue.”

The vice head was delighted. “You’re such a good person!”

Lin Qiuzu smiled shyly.

Li Yan: “……”

He couldn’t stand it anymore. He’d rather not see this at all. Getting up, he decided to leave.

Lin Qiuzu turned to him. “Where are you going?”

“The restroom.” By the time the words left his mouth, Li Yan was already at the door.

“Look how urgent he is,” someone joked. “Guess he’s been holding it in for a while.”

But Lin Qiuzu’s expression visibly darkened for a moment. He immediately glanced at Mi Zhao’s seat—sure enough, it was empty.

After washing his hands, Mi Zhao dried them with a paper towel. He hesitated in front of the mirror for a moment before finally giving in and pulling out his phone to call Li Sipei.

The long, familiar dial tone rang in his ear.

Just as he thought the call would go unanswered again, the ringing suddenly stopped, swallowed by silence.

Mi Zhao froze for a moment, then pulled his phone away to check the screen.

The call timer had reached five seconds.

Li Sipei had answered.

Surprised and pleased, Mi Zhao quickly brought the phone back to his ear. “Hello?”

The other side remained silent for nearly a full minute before a single, indifferent syllable came through.

“Mm.”

“Why did you take so long to pick up? I’ve called you so many times,” Mi Zhao said. “Did you not check your phone today?”

Li Sipei replied, “I did.”

“Then were you busy?”

“No.”

Mi Zhao was puzzled. “Then why didn’t you answer?”

Li Sipei didn’t even bother giving an excuse. “Didn’t feel like it.”

For a moment, Mi Zhao was speechless. But then, remembering Li Sipei’s physical condition, he quickly swallowed down his frustration and softened his tone. “Did you eat the porridge I made for you?”

“Mm.”

“Did you like it?”

“Mm.”

“If you liked it, I’ll make it for you again next time, okay?”

“….”

Another long silence. When he finally spoke again, Li Sipei’s attitude had clearly softened, and his tone was calmer.

“When is next time?”

Mi Zhao was caught off guard. “Uh… whenever I have time…”

“When will you have time?”

“That’s hard to say…” He originally had next weekend free, but just this afternoon, someone contacted him about viewing an apartment.

Mi Zhao was about to explain, but before he could, a sudden thud came from behind him.

Startled, he flinched and immediately turned around.

Somehow, the restroom—where he had been alone—now had another presence. Li Yan was standing at the door, his face livid. A kicked-over bucket lay at his feet.

“Who are you on the phone with?”

After the initial shock, Mi Zhao suddenly chuckled. “How is that any of your business?”

“How is it not my business?” Li Yan’s expression twisted in disbelief, as if he couldn’t fathom those words coming from Mi Zhao. He pointed at Mi Zhao, then at himself. “You actually said that to me?”

Mi Zhao watched Li Yan’s shifting expressions with amusement, as if he were observing a clown’s performance.

Now that the “boyfriend filter” was gone, he realized Li Yan had almost nothing going for him besides his looks and height.

“We broke up.” He paused, then kindly reminded him, “And you agreed to it.”

Of course, whether Li Yan agreed or not didn’t matter in the slightest.

“I—” Li Yan was at a loss for words. His face darkened to the point of turning purple, his jaw clenched tight. His gaze flickered over Mi Zhao with intensity. “Yeah, I agreed.”

Back then, he had said it out of spite.

He thought Mi Zhao would be reluctant to let go of their relationship, thought he would come back to apologize and make amends. To provoke him further, he had even avoided returning to the dorm these past few days, spending all his time hanging around Lin Qiuzu.

Yet not only did Mi Zhao seem completely indifferent, but he had already found someone else to fuss over and care for.

Li Yan couldn’t even put his emotions into words. It was as if something inside him had exploded—rage surged wildly, slicing through him like sharp blades.

His throat tightened. For the first time in his life, he tasted the bitterness of betrayal.

“But you still haven’t gotten over me, have you?” Li Yan forced the words out through clenched teeth.

Mi Zhao was so amused by that statement that he laughed out loud. “Are you serious? Me, not over you? And who do you think you are?”

Li Yan panicked. “Then why did you buy me something?”

“….” Mi Zhao paused. “When did I ever buy you anything?”

“The past couple of days!” Li Yan declared confidently. He couldn’t expose his roommate, so he had to tell a little lie. “I saw it with my own eyes!”

Mi Zhao was speechless at Li Yan’s sheer audacity. He glanced at his still-active phone call, suddenly losing all patience to continue this conversation. With a mocking smile, he pointed at the mirror.

“Take a good look at yourself sometime. And stop flattering yourself.”

With that, he walked toward the door.

Li Yan reached out to grab him, but Mi Zhao easily dodged.

Outside the restroom stood another person—the so-called “mystery guest” who had been basking in the limelight just moments ago. But now, Lin Qiuzu’s face was as dark as if it had been dipped in ink.

Without even sparing him a glance, Mi Zhao walked straight past him.

After putting some distance between himself and the scene, he lifted his phone back to his ear. “Hello? Still there?”

Silence.

Puzzled, Mi Zhao checked his screen. The call hadn’t been disconnected. “Li Sipei?”

Finally, a voice broke through the quiet.

“I’m here.”

“Sorry about that, I ran into someone I knew.”

“Hm.” Li Sipei said, “I heard.”

Something in his tone felt off. Sensing it, Mi Zhao quickly changed the subject. “Where were we? Oh! I was about to tell you about my plans for next weekend—”

Before he could finish, Li Sipei suddenly cut him off.

“That person—was he your ex-boyfriend?”

“…” Mi Zhao hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly. “Yeah.”

“I thought you went to a club gathering. Why was he there?”

Mi Zhao had mentioned the gathering on WeChat, though Li Sipei hadn’t replied.

“Yeah, about that, he happened to show up tonight too—”

Just as he started explaining, something felt off.

He pulled the phone away from his ear—

The call had been disconnected. The screen was back on the home screen.

Mi Zhao: “…?”

When he tried calling back, there wasn’t even a dial tone—just an automated message saying the phone was turned off.

He was completely dumbfounded.

What just happened?

What did he do wrong this time?

After several more unsuccessful attempts, Mi Zhao completely lost interest in returning to the private room. He stood there in a daze for a moment, then turned his phone back on and sent a WeChat message to Yan Qinting.

[mrz]: I’m heading out first. You can go back to school on your own.

[Yan Qinting]: ???

[Yan Qinting]: You’re not waiting for me?

[mrz]: I’m not going back to school. Help me tell the dorm supervisor I won’t be in tonight—I’ll submit the leave form tomorrow.

[Yan Qinting]: …