Chapter 2

The streetlamp light fell on the man, who gazed at Mi Zhao as he walked toward him step by step. The man’s sharply defined face was submerged in the interplay of light and shadow.

Mi Zhao stopped, suddenly feeling tense.

Before the goosebumps on his arms appeared, he braced himself and spoke, “Hey, are you waiting for someone?”

The man maintained his position with his head tilted back, but his gaze was indifferent. After a moment of silence, he replied, “Mm.”

Mi Zhao wanted to say, “Don’t wait, the person you’re waiting for is still soaking in warmth and soft jade,” but those words were not for an outsider like him to say, so he asked, “It’s getting dark. It might be inconvenient for you to go back on your own. Do you need me to give you a ride?”

The man didn’t respond.

Mi Zhao slowly tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack, and just when he was about to give up, the man actually agreed.

“Thank you.” The man’s voice was pleasant, perfectly matching his face.

“No need to be polite,” Mi Zhao smiled. After receiving the man’s consent, he hung the bag with his change of clothes onto the wheelchair’s armrest.

This narrow path was indeed a bit tight, but the surface was very flat, cleaned several times a day by the janitor, with not even a stray pebble. Mi Zhao pushed the man without much difficulty.

The man was rather silent, only speaking at the right moment when they reached a fork in the road.

Mi Zhao tolerated it for a few times before he couldn’t hold back and said, “I know the way. I live right next to you. I’ve seen you many times, but you probably don’t remember me.”

The man paused for a moment and replied, “I remember.”

“Ah?” Mi Zhao raised his eyebrows in surprise. He recalled that every time he saw the man, he was with a taller man, and he had thought that the man hadn’t noticed him.

“Last Monday, on the other side of the lake,” the man responded to Mi Zhao’s confusion. “You secretly drew me.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

It would be better to forget such an impression.

Actually, it wasn’t a big deal, but hearing it from the other person made it seem very subtle.

Mi Zhao tightened his grip on the wheelchair’s armrest, feeling his face heat up.

“Sorry, I was sketching. If you mind, I…”

“It’s fine.” The man didn’t mind. “Just don’t use it commercially.”

Mi Zhao quickly replied, “I won’t. It was an assignment from our professor. At most, it’ll be posted in the class group.”

The man murmured in acknowledgment and didn’t continue the conversation.

When Mi Zhao had pushed the man to the villa’s entrance, he didn’t go in. The door had a keypad lock, and he couldn’t help the man open it.

Before leaving, Mi Zhao looked at the man, who seemed to hesitate.

“Um…”

The man turned his head, patiently waiting for him to continue.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he struggled, those words were still stuck in his throat. Mi Zhao couldn’t even offer a small hint. Part of him believed he shouldn’t interfere with someone else’s private matters, yet he couldn’t bear to see this handsome man go down the same path he had.

“Do you have something to say?” the man asked first.

Mi Zhao shook his head and shrugged his backpack behind him. “No, then I’ll leave.”

Li Sipei looked at Mi Zhao’s retreating figure, paused for a moment, then suddenly turned his gaze toward the other end of the road.

Xi Jun was walking over from that direction.

Clearly, Xi Jun hadn’t noticed Mi Zhao, who had just left. When he saw Li Sipei waiting at the door, his face changed, and he hurried over in three quick steps. “Third Master.”

Li Sipei’s face was expressionless, not even bothering to make a sound.

Xi Jun quickly entered the password to open the door. As he pushed Li Sipei’s wheelchair inside, he carefully observed Li Sipei’s expression. He saw that Li Sipei’s mouth was tightly pressed, and an unhappy expression was written all over his face.

Xi Jun felt a chill run down his spine and couldn’t help but feel distressed.

Ever since last week, when he had been tasked by Mrs. Li to convince Third Master Li, his attitude toward Xi Jun had changed drastically. Even a cold glance made him feel a chill run through his entire body.

Xi Jun pushed Li Sipei into the living room, nervously asking, “Third Master, would you like to rest now, or should we wait a bit?”

“Not urgent.”

“Okay.” Seeing that Li Sipei’s expression wasn’t good, Xi Jun naturally didn’t dare to stay and risk crossing him. He lowered his head and said, “I’ll go get a glass of water for Third Master.”

Li Sipei finally looked at him directly. “Xi Jun.”

Hearing his name so suddenly, Xi Jun nearly stumbled, as if struck by lightning. Li Sipei’s tone was flat, but it made Xi Jun feel like he had been singled out by death. Fear surged through him, and his scalp went numb. “Th-Third Master?”

“Come sit down. Let’s talk.”

Xi Jun had no choice but to sit stiffly on the sofa opposite Li Sipei. He dared not look Li Sipei in the eyes, not daring to move at all, only cold sweat dripping down his back.

In contrast, Li Sipei appeared much more relaxed. His hands were lightly folded on his legs as he spoke calmly, “I’ve thought about what you said that day. Go back and tell Butler Zhou to prepare the car for me to leave tomorrow morning.”

Xi Jun froze for a moment, then quickly realized what Li Sipei meant. Suddenly, an overwhelming joy filled his heart. He stood up abruptly. “Third Master, you… you mean you agree to leave?”

“Don’t tell my mother. I’ll talk to her myself.”

“Understood!”

These past few days, Xi Jun had been stressed out by the task from Lady Li, losing sleep over it. He had thought it was all for nothing, but now it seemed like a breakthrough had come—Third Master Li had surprisingly agreed!

Didn’t that mean he had done something great?!

Xi Jun desperately tried to suppress his inner excitement and took out his phone to call Butler Zhou.

“And…” Li Sipei suddenly spoke again, his dark eyes coldly staring at Xi Jun. His tone was light, but it felt like a mountain pressing down on Xi Jun’s shoulders. “Once you’re done with the call, you can leave. Go wherever, just don’t let me see you near my mother.”

“…” It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and Xi Jun froze. “Third Master, do you mean…”

“If my mother asks why, tell her what you’ve done since coming to the villa. She’ll understand.”

Xi Jun was stunned. “Wh-what did I do?”

“Forgot what you did so soon?” Li Sipei’s tone was light, but his words were like a heavy mountain. Xi Jun’s lips moved, but he couldn’t stop Li Sipei from continuing. “Where did you go tonight?”

“I…” Xi Jun’s explanation suddenly faltered, and he vaguely understood something.

“You should know, the villa is full of surveillance and people who like to report others. A moment of carelessness can lead to gossip,” Li Sipei paused briefly. “You are still too young.”

As soon as the words were spoken, Xi Jun’s face turned pale.

These past few days, the pressure had been overwhelming, which made him fall under the influence of the ghost, using the Li family’s name to pursue women. It turned out that Master Li had known all along. So, Master Li’s cold attitude towards him wasn’t because he was acting as a go-between for the old lady, but because of the things he had done…

But what future was there if he didn’t stay by the old lady’s side?

Everyone would know that he had been replaced.

All his efforts over the years would go to waste.

“Master Li, I know I was wrong, I was confused for a moment!” Xi Jun’s eyes reddened, and he couldn’t care about his image. His tall back hunched, and he pleaded softly, “I’ve been with the old lady for four or five years, I may not have contributed much, but I’ve worked hard. Please, for the old lady’s sake, give me another chance!”

Li Sipei did not respond.

“Master Li!”

After Xi Jun finished speaking, Li Sipei opened his mouth and reminded, “Don’t forget to call Steward Zhou.”

Upon hearing this, Xi Jun’s face turned ashen.

After the previous incident, Mi Zhao was much more natural when greeting Li Sipei the next time.

However, from that day onward, he never saw the tall man again.

Someone else had been assigned to take care of Li Sipei. It was an auntie in a Rizhao Villa uniform, who looked kind and approachable, pushing Li Sipei’s wheelchair out for fresh air every evening at the same time.

After several chance encounters, Mi Zhao unexpectedly realized that Li Sipei was actually quite enigmatic. On the surface, he seemed cold, aloof, and hard to approach, but in reality, he was rather easygoing…

He was even somewhat innocent.

Almost every question Mi Zhao asked, Li Sipei answered without hesitation, never thinking of hiding anything.

Mi Zhao wasn’t one to pry into others’ private matters, but recalling the tall man, he was genuinely curious, so one evening, while cooling off by the lake, he subtly asked, “What happened to the gentleman who was often with you? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

Li Sipei did not hesitate and answered honestly, “He left.”

“He left?” Although Mi Zhao had already suspected this answer, hearing it with his own ears still made him feel different. His expression couldn’t be controlled, “Why did he leave?”

Li Sipei lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions in his gaze, as if he didn’t want to recall that matter, but he still answered Mi Zhao’s question: “He wasn’t suitable to stay by my side.”

“…” Mi Zhao stared at the deep profile of Li Sipei for a moment, and suddenly, a wave of sympathy surged within him. His hand slowly rose and gently rested on the wheelchair’s armrest. “Did he say where he was going?”

Li Sipei paused for a moment, recalling, “I’m not sure.”

“Then, what about you? What will you do?”

Hearing this, Li Sipei raised his head to glance at Mi Zhao. Mi Zhao’s expression was complex—surprise, sympathy, disbelief, and other emotions blended in his round eyes, which were as shiny as grapes. Mi Zhao had a naturally likable face, with fair skin, defined features, and soft, red lips that looked a bit like jelly.

At that moment, his shock made him look rather comical with his mouth open.

Li Sipei’s gaze inadvertently lingered a little longer on those plump lips before he replied, “It’s alright, there are still a few people around to take care of me.”

“…” Mi Zhao closed his mouth, not knowing what to say for a while.

Words of comfort didn’t seem right—saying the wrong thing would just poke at old wounds.

Even though Li Sipei appeared so calm, it was hard to say that he hadn’t cried privately many times. After all, being betrayed and abandoned wasn’t pleasant, and Mi Zhao could relate, having been through something similar.

Mi Zhao suppressed his emotions for a while before finally sighing.

Back at his place, Mi Zhao first tidied up the art supplies scattered all over, then took a shower and changed into pajamas before lying on his bed to video call his dad.

On the screen, Mi Zhao’s dad looked sprightly, smiling with deep wrinkles. His voice was louder than a loudspeaker as he asked, “Son, how are you doing over there? Have you been eating well? Your mom and I aren’t there, so you need to take good care of yourself. If you need money, just ask me. Our family never runs out of money!”

Mi Zhao had been feeling a bit down, but hearing his dad speak so boldly, he couldn’t help but laugh. His dark, round eyes sparkled, but his tone was one of complaint: “Dad, can you tone it down a bit? Stop speaking so loudly.”

“Tone down? In your dad’s dictionary, there’s no such thing as being low-key!” Mi Zhao’s dad laughed heartily and shared some recent good news. “Did your mom not tell you? We got back a project payment from two years ago, and now we have enough for the down payment on a small villa in A City. What do you want? I’ll buy it for you, or I could get you a house in A City?”

“Dad…”

Mi Zhao was about to respond when suddenly an unfamiliar call came through. He frowned and hung up the phone.

But within two seconds, the same unfamiliar number called again.

This time, Mi Zhao hung up and quickly blocked the number.

“Son?” Mi Zhao’s dad’s large face filled the screen. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

In a star-rated hotel in A City.

Li Yan listened to the busy tone on his phone, angrily throwing it onto the bed. Quickly, a fair hand picked it up.

“What’s wrong with you? If you’re going to throw something, throw your own phone, don’t throw mine,” the young man, wrapped in a blanket, appeared, his collarbones and shoulders marked with ambiguous red marks. He flipped over and turned on the phone, looking at the recent calls and sneering. “You really are desperate.”

“Lin Qiuzu, shut the hell up.” Li Yan picked up his clothes from the floor and threw them at Lin Qiuzu.

Lin Qiuzu wasn’t angry. He took the clothes away and looked at Li Yan, who was angrily putting on his clothes, with a half-smile. “Not staying the night?”

“Staying the night my ass.” Li Yan cursed quietly. “Tomorrow my uncle ^[1]is coming, and my mom has been urging me several times to come back early.”