Chapter 27

It was obvious that the vice president and the others had seen what Mi Zhao and Li Sipei had just been doing. Their faces were filled with embarrassment and panic, and they didn’t even notice the soda can in their hands falling onto the rubber ground.

Mi Zhao’s face was also burning like fire, but he remained relatively calm. Without showing any sign of unease, he got up from Li Sipei, walked over, picked up the soda can, and handed it back to the vice president.

She blinked, snapping out of her shock. She let out an “Ah,” took the soda can, and said, “Thanks.”

The girls standing behind her were also holding things in their hands, but whether it was because they were too stunned or for some other reason, they all pretended to be oblivious, looking up at the sky or down at the ground—anywhere except at Mi Zhao.

Mi Zhao took a deep breath and asked, “Were you looking for me?”

“Oh, yes, we wanted to discuss something with you.” The vice president was usually quite bold, but at this moment, she didn’t even dare glance at Li Sipei. Strangely enough, she wasn’t even the one who got caught in the act, yet her face felt like it was about to catch fire.

Compared to the others, Mi Zhao appeared much calmer. “What is it?” he asked.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, “We’re short on performances for the event, and I heard you’re good at singing. Can you go up and sing a song? Any song is fine—we just need to fill some time.”

After saying this, the vice president looked at Mi Zhao expectantly.

Since they had already been caught, Mi Zhao didn’t bother hiding anything. He glanced at Li Sipei from the corner of his eye and said, “I don’t mind, but I need to ask him first.”

“Of course, of course!” The vice president nodded eagerly.

Mi Zhao returned to Li Sipei and relayed her request.

After that, he added, “It’s just a small thing. If I don’t go, they can find someone else. If you don’t want me to go, I won’t.”

Li Sipei’s gaze drifted past Mi Zhao and landed on the group of girls not far away.

Sensing their conversation, the girls immediately turned pleading eyes toward them. The vice president even pressed her hands together in a praying gesture, despite still holding two soda cans.

Li Sipei pursed his lips and said, “Alright.”

Mi Zhao bent down, tilted his head, and gave Li Sipei a quick kiss on the lips. “Where should I meet you after? There are seats near the stage.”

“I’ll stay here.”

Mi Zhao gave a few instructions before leaving with the vice president. As they walked away, the vice president made sure to shove the two soda cans into the hands of the other girls while frantically winking at them.

The girls quickly nodded in understanding.

—

Li Zhixuan finished his work and took a taxi to A University. To make it easier to ride in the same car as Li Sipei, he had lost count of how many times he had left his own car in the company parking lot.

It was already past 9 PM, and Madam Li had arrived at Li Sipei’s residence. She had also made multiple calls to him via her assistant. Left with no other choice, Li Zhixuan and Ruan Xin, who was as anxious as, entered A University to look for him.

Neither Li Sipei nor Mi Zhao was answering calls or replying to messages. The two of them wandered around campus like headless flies for a long time before Li Zhixuan finally ran into an acquaintance.

“Looking for Mi Zhao?” Feng Nian pulled out his phone and scrolled through his social media feed. Soon, he found a video that had been shared multiple times and spotted Mi Zhao in it. “He’s at the sports field. I’ll take you there.”

Even before they got close, they could hear someone singing—a slow-paced song. The pronunciation was clear, but the notes occasionally went off-key, making it quite hard to describe.

However, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Screams and cheers rose one after another, nonstop.

With this kind of enthusiasm, anyone who didn’t know better might think a celebrity had shown up.

Li Zhixuan usually didn’t bother commenting on things that had nothing to do with him, but as they got closer to the stage, the off-key singing became even louder.

Finally, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Who the hell is singing? How did someone with this level of skill get on stage?”

Feng Nian, walking ahead, turned around with a complicated expression and said, “It’s the guy you’re looking for—Mi Zhao.”

Li Zhixuan: “?”

He leaned forward and peered over. Sure enough, from the side, he could see Mi Zhao standing at a standing microphone, singing.

Li Zhixuan: “…”

His gaze shifted, and with his sharp eyes, he soon spotted Li Sipei not far away, surrounded by a group of young girls.

His expression froze, and he nudged Ruan Xin’s arm.

Ruan Xin: “What?”

Li Zhixuan lifted his chin. “Look over there.”

Ruan Xin turned his head, immediately falling silent. “…”

Having served by Third Master Li’s side for years, the two of them had always seen him as an untouchable god, a celestial being who just happened to be trapped in a mortal body—someone who might not even need to eat regular food.

Seven emotions and six desires, worldly matters—all of it seemed so distant from Third Master Li.

Yet ever since he met that young man named Mi Zhao, reality had been heading in an increasingly unpredictable direction.

With slightly unsteady steps, they approached Li Sipei and discovered that not only were there several young girls around him, but they had also set up a small round table with a few plastic chairs. On the table were several opened cans of soda and some opened snack bags.

One of those snack bags was sitting right in front of Li Sipei, the opening facing him.

Li Zhixuan and Ruan Xin both looked like they had just seen a ghost. Their eyes remained fixed on that half-eaten bag of spicy sticks for a long time before shifting to Li Sipei, who was attentively watching the stage.

Li Zhixuan fell silent.

It was Ruan Xin who finally gathered the courage to cautiously call out, “Mr. Li…”

Li Sipei didn’t react, but the girls munching on sunflower seeds beside him were startled by these unexpected guests. Their shoulders jerked, and they quickly turned their heads.

It was as if Li Sipei had eyes on the back of his head—without even looking back, he said calmly, “They’re my friends.”

“Oh, so they’re Xiao Li’s friends!” The girls immediately dragged over two more chairs with enthusiasm. “Come, sit down!”

Li Zhixuan and Ruan Xin hesitated. They were terrified of the furious Madam Li waiting at Li Sipei’s residence, but compared to the cold-faced, sharp-eyed Third Master Li sitting in front of them, she suddenly didn’t seem so scary anymore.

Suppressing their anxiety, they politely thanked the girls before taking the seats on either side of Li Sipei.

Li Sipei didn’t look at them. His gaze remained fixed on the stage.

The girls resumed cracking sunflower seeds, munching away as they continued chattering excitedly.

“Being good-looking really has its perks. Every time we ask Senior Mi to sing, he attracts so many people to sign in.”

“It looks like we’ve successfully completed our mission today.”

“Good thing we ran into Senior, hahaha.”

One of the girls laughed so hard her shoulders trembled. After finishing her sunflower seeds, she reached for the bag of snacks in front of Li Sipei.

Li Zhixuan and Ruan Xin watched in shock as the girl pulled out a long, spicy strip from the bag, tilted her head back, and devoured it in just a few bites. The spice hit her immediately, and she sucked in a sharp breath to cool her burning tongue.

Then, she turned to Li Sipei and asked, “ Brother Xiao Li, why aren’t you eating?”

Li Zhixuan: “…”

Ruan Xin: “…”

They felt like they were dreaming.

If Li Sipei actually reached into the bag, took out a spicy strip, and ate it, they might just lose their minds on the spot…

Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he politely waved his hand and calmly asked the girl, “Is Mi Zhao very popular at your school?”

Oh no!

Ruan Xin tensed up.

But there was nothing she could do except watch as the girl’s eyes lit up with excitement. She nodded enthusiastically and said, “Of course! Senior has represented our school in many international competitions and won a ton of awards. Everyone sees him as a role model.”

Before she even finished speaking, another girl chimed in, “Not just a role model—he’s also everyone’s crush!”

“And I heard—” Another girl lowered her voice, gossiping excitedly, “More boys than girls have a crush on Senior.”

Ruan Xin weakly glanced at Li Sipei.

Sure enough, while his expression remained unchanged, his gaze had subtly shifted.

This was bad.

“Our Third Master isn’t used to hearing things like this…”

“I can see that.” Li Zhixuan, who had been silent until now, crossed his arms and nodded knowingly. “With a face like Mi Zhao’s, he was never going to be just some ordinary guy. He must have had quite a few relationships, right?”

The last part was directed at the girls.

The once talkative group instantly froze.

They shrank back slightly and fell silent.

Li Zhixuan, who had just single-handedly killed the conversation, sounded confused. “Huh?”

Li Sipei coldly said, “Shut up.”

Li Zhixuan: “…”

•

After finishing his song, the vice president enthusiastically invited Mi Zhao and Li Sipei to join them for a gathering later. Since Mi Zhao wasn’t sure if Li Sipei would want to go, he politely declined.

Before leaving, the vice president pulled him aside and whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about you two.”

Mi Zhao smiled. “Thanks.”

When he returned to Li Sipei, he noticed that Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan had arrived. It was then that he remembered Ruan Xin had been waiting for him earlier, and he quickly apologized.

Ruan Xin wouldn’t dare complain to Mi Zhao and shook her head repeatedly.

Li Zhixuan stood up and said, “We need to take Mr. Li home. He has some things to take care of.”

Mi Zhao glanced at his phone.

It was already 10:40 PM.

Even though he knew it was unrealistic for Li Sipei to stay, hearing that he had to leave still made Mi Zhao feel reluctant. For a brief moment, he even considered the possibility of booking a hotel room.

But after thinking it over, he decided against it.

Didn’t Li Zhixuan say Li Sipei had something important to do?

Mi Zhao helped the girls put away the tables and chairs and thanked them again. The girls were kind—they had kept Li Sipei company for so long because they were worried he’d be bored.

“It’s no problem!” one of the girls said cheerfully. “It’s the first time a member’s family has visited, after all! We had to make sure he felt the warmth of our club ~”

Mi Zhao pressed his lips together and smiled.

The word “family” made his ears flush slightly.

At the entrance of the track, Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan had already gone ahead. Only Li Sipei was waiting for him.

As Mi Zhao pushed him toward the school gate, Li Sipei suddenly said, “My mother is here.”

Mi Zhao, who had been lost in thought, blinked. “Huh?”

After a brief pause, Li Sipei continued, “I have to go back to see her. That’s what Li Zhixuan meant by ‘something to take care of.’”

“Oh…” Mi Zhao pursed his lips. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t suppress the smile creeping up on his face.

His whole heart felt like it was floating in a pool of honey—warm and sweet. But he tried to sound calm. “I understand. You don’t have to explain.”

“Whether you listen or not is up to you. But I wanted to say it.”

This time, he couldn’t hold back his smile at all.

He coughed twice and didn’t say anything else.

“And one more thing,” Li Sipei said. “Tonight, I was really happy.”

“Mm,” Mi Zhao replied. “Me too.”

•

On the drive back, Ruan Xin was on high alert, glancing at Li Sipei through the rearview mirror every thirty seconds. Strangely, he didn’t seem upset at all. He just sat there quietly, looking out the window.

Others might not notice, but Ruan Xin knew—

This was a sign that Li Sipei was in a really good mood.

She slowly let out a breath of relief.

Unfortunately, that relief didn’t last long.

By the time they reached the underground garage of Li Sipei’s residence, he had stopped looking out the window.

Inside the elevator, his face darkened, and his mood began to plummet—like the elevator going down in reverse.