Chapter 21

Ruan Xin thought about it for a long time but ultimately decided not to leave right away. She drove her car from the underground parking lot to the entrance of the apartment building, turned off the headlights, and continued waiting in the darkness of the driver’s seat.

If Third Master Li needed her for something at the last minute, this would save her an unnecessary trip back and forth.

About half an hour passed. Ruan Xin yawned, rubbed her temples tiredly, and took out her phone to check the time. She was just about to start the car and go home to rest when she caught a glimpse of the front entrance of the building being pushed open.

She froze for a moment before immediately sitting up straight.

A young man wearing a loose shirt stepped out of the building. He didn’t leave right away but instead propped the iron door open with his foot and turned his head to look inside.

Moments later, a figure Ruan Xin was all too familiar with appeared outside the entrance.

Third Master Li?

Ruan Xin was completely stunned.

It was already past ten at night—where were Third Master Li and that young man planning to go?

Realizing what was happening, Ruan Xin hurriedly fumbled for her phone in her bag, found Third Master Li’s number in her contacts, and was about to dial.

But before she made the call, she looked up again.

Mi Zhao was now pushing Li Sipei’s wheelchair along the small path. He tilted his head and kept talking non-stop, chattering away at Li Sipei.

Li Sipei stared straight ahead, never once opening his mouth, as if he wasn’t paying any attention to Mi Zhao’s words.

But Ruan Xin had taken care of Li Sipei for years—she knew his personality well.

It was clear he was listening. If he didn’t want to, he wouldn’t have let Mi Zhao talk this much in the first place.

Ruan Xin’s finger hovered over the call button. After a long moment, she hesitated and turned off her phone screen.

Luckily, she hadn’t made the call.

She felt relieved.

As Mi Zhao walked, he suddenly noticed a few horizontal bars underneath Li Sipei’s wheelchair. He bent down to examine them.

“What’s this?” he asked Li Sipei.

But Li Sipei had no idea what he was referring to. “What’s what?”

“Under your wheelchair.” Mi Zhao pointed. “There are a few horizontal bars. I kicked them a few times just now and almost tripped.”

Li Sipei finally understood and explained, “That’s for placing things.”

“Oh.” Mi Zhao nodded.

After two seconds of silence, a bold and creative idea popped into his mind.

“How much weight can it hold?”

It seemed like Li Sipei had already guessed what Mi Zhao was thinking. He gave him a strange look before answering truthfully, “ 70 to 80 Kg (154-176 lbs), I think. I don’t remember exactly.”

“Seventy to eighty kilograms?” That was impressive!

“Mhm.” Li Sipei said, “This wheelchair was custom-made by craftsmen for a special commission. The materials and construction method are different from those of regular wheelchairs on the market. The weight capacity was designed to be as high as possible.”

Mi Zhao licked his lips, his excitement barely contained. “Do you think I could stand on it?”

Li Sipei: “…”

It was probably the first time anyone had ever made such a request to him. Even under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Mi Zhao could see his pupils tremble slightly.

Of course, Mi Zhao was mostly joking. Seeing that Li Sipei wasn’t responding, he quickly waved his hand. “I was just asking. Don’t take it seriously.”

Saying that, he was about to continue pushing the wheelchair forward.

Unexpectedly, Li Sipei suddenly said, “You can try.”

Mi Zhao froze mid-motion, his round eyes lighting up instantly. “Really?”

He and Li Sipei locked eyes for a moment before Li Sipei pursed his lips and looked away. His index finger unconsciously tapped against the armrest. “Go ahead.”

A wide grin spread across Mi Zhao’s face. He grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and carefully stepped onto the bars.

The wheelchair was even sturdier than he had expected. Even with his nearly 58 Kg (130 lbs) weight, it only sank slightly under the pressure.

A thrilling sense of novelty rushed through Mi Zhao, stirring an indescribable excitement in his chest. It was as if he had traveled back to his childhood days of playing and goofing around with friends.

He patted the back of the wheelchair with enthusiasm and called out loudly, “Onward! Move out!”

Li Sipei: “…”

Realizing that he had spoken too loudly, Mi Zhao covered his mouth. Then he lowered his head and whispered, “Come on, let’s go.”

After a moment of silence, the wheelchair started moving under Li Sipei’s control.

Mi Zhao had been to this area a few times with Yan Qinting before. There was a well-known commercial street nearby, famous in A City, that stayed open until midnight. It was only two or three hundred meters away from Longwan Community.

The entire way, Mi Zhao stood behind Li Sipei’s wheelchair. He only stepped off when they reached the entrance of the commercial street.

It was the weekend, so even at 11 p.m., the street was still bustling with people.

Recalling how Li Sipei had reacted in the supermarket the day before, Mi Zhao naturally reached out and took his hand.

Noticing Li Sipei looking over, he raised an eyebrow. “What do you feel like eating?”

Li Sipei’s gaze lingered on their interlocked hands for a moment before moving up to meet Mi Zhao’s eyes. “Anything’s fine.”

“So I get to decide?”

“Mm.”

Ten minutes later, Mi Zhao led Li Sipei into a northeastern Chinese restaurant.

The first time he and Yan Qinting had come to this street, they had chosen this place to eat. The food was pretty good.

Most importantly, the flavors leaned toward the sweet and sour side—not too oily, salty, or spicy. Plus, the restaurant had private booths on the first floor.

Of course, this wasn’t a fancy high-end restaurant in the commercial district. It was just an ordinary eatery tucked away on a street corner, so the cleanliness and atmosphere weren’t exactly top-tier.

As they entered, two servers were sweeping up trash from the floor. The dining hall was still noisy with chatter from a few occupied tables.

They carefully navigated the somewhat slippery floor and pushed open an old wooden door.

Once inside the private booth, Mi Zhao finally relaxed, leaning back in his chair with his legs casually stretched out.

A server handed them the menu.

Without even looking at it, Mi Zhao stretched his arm out and passed it to Li Sipei across the table. “See if there’s anything you’d like.”

For some reason, ever since they stepped into the restaurant, Li Sipei’s expression had seemed a little… off.

When his gaze landed on the menu—worn from countless customers flipping through it—he visibly hesitated for nearly half a minute.

Mi Zhao even wondered if he had gone into some kind of trance.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled. He pushed the menu forward a bit. “You don’t feel like ordering?”

Li Sipei barely managed to steady his nearly crumbling expression and silently shook his head.

“Alright then.” Mi Zhao flipped his wrist, withdrew the menu, and started browsing it himself.

Li Sipei glanced around the private dining room. When his eyes landed on a stain on the nearest wall—unsure if it was grease or blood—his daze deepened.

It was Mi Zhao’s voice that pulled him back to reality.

“Do you want Guo Bao Rou?”(Braised Pork Belly in Steamed Buns)

“Sure.”

“How about Di San Xian?”(Stir-Fried Potato, Eggplant, and Green Pepper.)

“Okay.”

“Braised pork bones in sauce?” Mi Zhao loved this dish. Just mentioning it made his mouth water. “It’s super delicious, but eating it gets your hands all greasy. Not very convenient.”

“…” Li Sipei looked at him with a complicated expression.

Mi Zhao fell silent. He imagined Li Sipei trying to gnaw on a big, greasy pork bone…

Forget it.

That scene would only exist in his imagination.

So, he only ordered the braised pork bones for himself.

After placing the order, he asked the waiter to bring a small metal basin and used the scalding water to rinse all the bowls, chopsticks, and teacups.

When he set the cleaned utensils in front of Li Sipei, he couldn’t help but comment, “You seem a bit off.”

Li Sipei looked up at him.

Mi Zhao plopped back onto his chair and asked curiously, “Have you never had Northeastern cuisine before?”

Li Sipei replied, “No.”

“Huh?” Mi Zhao was a bit surprised but quickly realized that not everyone likes Northeastern food. He then asked, “What do you usually eat when you go out?”

“I don’t eat out much.”

“Always eat at home?”

“Mm, the housekeeper cooks.” After a moment’s thought, Li Sipei added, “If she’s not around, I order delivery.”

The restaurants he ordered from were carefully selected by Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan, with prior arrangements made. The food delivered wasn’t even on the regular menu—it was a special, custom-made selection.

Over the years, since Li Sipei had lived in different places, the delivery restaurants changed several times.

But without exception, every restaurant was private and didn’t serve the general public. Without an exclusive membership, even having money wouldn’t guarantee a reservation.

Of course, Mi Zhao had no idea about any of this.

“No wonder.” Mi Zhao said casually, but in his heart, he thought Li Sipei must be trying to save money. Eating at home was definitely more economical than dining out.

Since Li Sipei couldn’t go out much due to his health, hiring a housekeeper and caregivers must cost quite a bit.

He wondered if Li Sipei had enough money to cover everything…

When the dishes were served, Mi Zhao simply moved to sit beside Li Sipei and occasionally picked food for him. By the time they finished eating, Li Sipei had eaten quite a lot.

Through the window to their right, they could see the bustling main street of the shopping district. Pedestrians came and went, and street vendors lined both sides of the road.

Following Li Sipei’s gaze, Mi Zhao noticed a middle-aged man sitting on a small stool, sketching portraits. Since the man wasn’t actively soliciting customers, he had no business after finishing a sketch for his last client.

Mi Zhao pondered for a moment before suddenly remembering something. After paying the bill, he pushed Li Sipei’s wheelchair over to the artist’s stall.

Li Sipei stopped in front of the man’s display stand, which was covered in small, hand-sized caricature cards clipped to a frame. Each one was a cartoon version of a real person.

Behind the stand, Mi Zhao spoke briefly with the artist. After a moment of hesitation, the man nodded, and Mi Zhao cheerfully pulled out his phone to scan the vendor’s payment QR code.

The artist handed his stall over to Mi Zhao and quietly walked away.

Mi Zhao grabbed a card and waved at Li Sipei. “Come over here.”

Li Sipei maneuvered his wheelchair closer.

“Right here.” The smile never left Mi Zhao’s face as he helped adjust Li Sipei to the best angle. “Stay still, okay? I’m really fast.”

Li Sipei sat stiffly in his wheelchair, his mouth opening slightly in hesitation.

Mi Zhao leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against Li Sipei’s face. “What did you say?”

The close proximity made Li Sipei’s jaw tighten abruptly. His fingers gripped the wheelchair’s armrest. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Oh.” Mi Zhao narrowed his eyes and stared at him intently before lowering his voice. “If there weren’t so many people here, I’d really want to kiss you.”

“…”

Under the bright lights of the shopping district, Li Sipei’s ears turned red at an astonishing speed.

Mi Zhao chuckled.

—

Mi Zhao sketched quickly. First, he outlined the frame, then filled in the details.

Like drawing a tree—first the trunk and branches, then the leaves.

Usually, Mi Zhao was meticulous about technique, but perhaps because his mindset was different this time, his strokes were more relaxed.

Before long, a half-body portrait of Li Sipei appeared on the card.

When it came time to draw the face, his pencil tip hesitated briefly, leaving the area blank.

Done.

Satisfied, Mi Zhao set down his pencil and removed the card from the clipboard.

As he snapped back to reality, he suddenly realized that a crowd had gathered around him. At some point, many young onlookers had formed a circle, mostly girls, all watching him with excitement.

As soon as he stood up from the small stool, two girls approached and asked, “Hey, handsome, how much do you charge per portrait?”

Mi Zhao instantly understood the misunderstanding. Glancing over at Li Sipei, who already looked uncomfortable with the attention, he smiled and said, “Sorry, I’m not the stall owner.”

“You’re not?” One of the girls pointed toward Li Sipei. “But weren’t you just drawing him?”

“He’s with me.” With that, Mi Zhao turned and walked toward Li Sipei.

His voice had been loud enough for most of the crowd to hear, but one girl still refused to give up. She jogged after him and called out, “Hey, can you draw me too? I’ll pay triple!”

She hesitated for a moment before adding with anticipation, “And maybe… add your WeChat?”

The crowd erupted into laughter and playful jeers.

Seeing Li Sipei turn his head in the opposite direction, exuding a cold indifference, Mi Zhao noticed that his fingers, gripping the wheelchair’s armrest, had never loosened.

“Sorry,” Mi Zhao said, this time without a smile. “I don’t want to make him mad.”

“…Who?”

Without answering, Mi Zhao reached down and held Li Sipei’s hand, prying his fingers from the armrest.

Li Sipei froze.

The girl behind them instantly understood. Amid the even louder teasing laughter, she awkwardly backed away.

Mi Zhao pushed Li Sipei out of the commercial street before stopping. He placed the drawing into Li Sipei’s hands. “Take a look. What do you think?”

Li Sipei picked up the card. “Why doesn’t it have a face?”

“I need to submit it as an assignment, and drawing faces is tricky.” Mi Zhao bent down to meet his gaze, blinking playfully. “Our school does a dormitory check every night. If I want to stay out overnight, I need a leave slip from my counselor. I can only get one if I turn in my assignment.”

Li Sipei pressed his lips together.

“So…” The last few words were almost whispered, “I’m not going back to school tonight.”

As soon as he finished speaking, those voice-activated ears of his turned red again.

This was a small exit of the commercial street, with few people around. The bright yellow streetlights stretched their shadows long across the pavement.

The night breeze rustled their hair, and in the quiet, an inexplicable emotion began to stir.

Maybe it was the sound of the trees swaying, disrupting his thoughts, or maybe the wind made him lose his senses. His actions moved faster than his mind—he lowered his head and kissed Li Sipei.

It wasn’t their first kiss, but it was the first one that was purely a kiss, not leading to something else.

Under the glow of the streetlights, their shadows pressed close together.

Mi Zhao slowly deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping in as his hand cupped Li Sipei’s cheek. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, deafening.

Li Sipei’s breath was unsteady, too.

In this aspect, both of them were equally clumsy and inexperienced, exploring each other’s boundaries by instinct.

At that moment, Mi Zhao felt the rush of dopamine flooding his system, pure and unrestrained joy.

—

Another night of indulgence.

The next morning, Mi Zhao still woke up full of energy. He used the ingredients at home to cook two bowls of noodles, but since noodles couldn’t sit for too long, he had to wake Li Sipei up.

Surprisingly, Li Sipei wasn’t annoyed. After finishing breakfast, he stood by the kitchen door, watching as Mi Zhao put the dishes into the dishwasher.

Once he was done, Mi Zhao finally remembered the call that had been cut off the night before. He explained to Li Sipei that he was in the process of subletting his apartment. If the potential tenant didn’t back out, he would be busy with it over the weekend.

Li Sipei asked, “When are they coming to see the place?”

“Saturday morning,” Mi Zhao replied. “Depends on whether they like it. If they do, I’ll probably be busy on Sunday too.”

Li Sipei was silent for a moment before replying in a low voice, “Then go ahead.”

Mi Zhao sighed in mock helplessness and grinned as he quickly leaned over to kiss Li Sipei’s cheek. “I’ll come find you as soon as I’m free.”

Li Sipei kept a straight face. “Mm.”

As the words fell, his hand suddenly felt lighter.

Looking down, he saw that Mi Zhao had pulled out a wristwatch from somewhere and put it on him.

“The size is just right,” Mi Zhao said, seemingly relieved.

Li Sipei looked puzzled.

Mi Zhao smiled. “It’s a gift.”

Since he had a morning class on Monday and it would take over half an hour to get back to school, Mi Zhao didn’t dare linger. After coaxing Li Sipei a little, he hurried off.

When he stepped out the door, he saw someone pacing in the hallway again.

This time, it wasn’t Li Zhixuan—it was Ruan Xin, her eyes shadowed with dark circles.

“Sister ?” Mi Zhao greeted her in surprise. “Morning. Are you coming in?”

Ruan Xin turned to look at him, exhaustion evident on her face, and there was even a faint hint of grievance in her eyes.

Mi Zhao: “?”

Meeting Mi Zhao’s pure, innocent, and puzzled gaze, Ruan Xin sighed heavily. She forced herself not to recall the shocking scene she had witnessed after following them to the pedestrian street last night. In a weak, tired voice, she asked, “Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah, I need to get back to school.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“…?” Why did that sound so familiar?

But considering he was running short on time, Mi Zhao didn’t refuse her offer.

Once in the car, he pulled out his phone and opened WeChat. His club group chat was flooded with 99+ messages as usual. Aside from some scattered conversations, the majority of unread messages came from Yan Qinting—over twenty of them.

Clicking in, he saw the latest one:

[Yan Qinting: Damn, you really shouldn’t have left early last night! Missing Lin Qiuzu’s humiliation is going to be the biggest regret of your life!]