Chapter 28

As soon as they entered, the oppressive atmosphere from the living room washed over them. Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan immediately felt as though they were being strangled, unable to breathe.

They kept their heads down, their expressions blank, and followed silently behind Li Sipei’s wheelchair.

Several people were in the living room, either sitting or standing—

To be precise, Madam Li, Pei Yu, was seated elegantly on the sofa, while the assistants who had accompanied her stood cautiously around her, tense and on edge.

At the sight of Li Sipei, the assistants let out a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just found their savior, and turned to him with pleading looks.

Pei Yu was dressed in a deep green qipao. Perhaps due to the chilly night, she had draped a silk scarf over her shoulders. Her jet-black hair was meticulously coiled at the back of her head, and her flawless makeup and well-maintained skin made it difficult to discern her true age.

Her gaze followed the movement of Li Sipei’s wheelchair, and only when he came to a stop in front of her did she finally smile and say, “You’re back so late. Where did you go?”

Li Sipei’s expression was indifferent, clearly unwilling to elaborate. “Just went out for a while.”

“For a while?” Pei Yu lifted her hand, her neatly manicured nails gently tapping against the glass face of her watch. “I’ve been waiting for you for almost three hours.”

Li Sipei looked at her. “Did you need something from me?”

“It’s nothing urgent. I just wanted to see you.” Pei Yu tilted her head, glancing around the room, her tone warm and casual. “I bought so many properties under your name, but you refuse to live in any of them. Instead, you insist on staying at someone else’s place and even went out of your way to keep it from me.”

Previously, Li Sipei had delayed his move to A City by staying at Rizhao Villa for a few extra days—not because he truly had matters to attend to, but simply because he wanted to wait for Pei Yu to leave A City first.

He had deliberately kept it from her, yet as expected, she still came looking for him.

Li Sipei lowered his gaze and remained silent, his fingers idly tapping against the armrest of his wheelchair.

After a long standoff, it was Pei Yu who gave in first. She gently took his hand and patted it with an affectionate smile. “Alright, I know you’ve grown up and need your own space. I won’t interfere too much. I came uninvited this time, and I apologize for that, okay?”

Li Sipei stiffly pulled his hand back and placed it on the armrest. He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “What do you really want?”

Having been repeatedly shut down, Pei Yu’s smile finally wavered. She turned her head and gave a look to one of the assistants beside her.

The assistant, understanding the cue, produced a stack of neatly printed documents from somewhere.

Pei Yu took them and carefully placed them on Li Sipei’s lap, her tone carrying a note of coaxing persuasion. “Take a look?”

The first page was blank.

Seeing that he didn’t move for a long time, Pei Yu reached out and flipped to the next page herself.

What came into view was a full-color photograph of a young woman. The picture had clearly been carefully selected, and below it was an extensive profile detailing everything about her—from her family background down to her hobbies and talents.

Observing his reaction, Pei Yu spoke softly, “I’ve chosen over a dozen good girls for you. See if any of them catch your eye. If you think one is suitable, you can meet her first.”

Without hesitation, Li Sipei shut his eyes. “Not interested.”

“Sipei—”

“Take this away.” His voice was cold and firm.

Pei Yu’s face paled slightly. She stared at him, lips parted, as if struggling to comprehend why her own son was treating her like an enemy. Then, all of a sudden, years of suppressed emotions erupted.

She snatched the documents and flung them to the ground.

A sharp smack echoed through the room.

Li Sipei barely reacted, but the other people in the living room were startled out of their wits, shrinking back and holding their breaths.

“You’re still resenting me!” Pei Yu shot to her feet, the refined mask she had carefully maintained shattering in an instant. The twisted fury in her expression made her look almost deranged. “You’re still holding a grudge over what happened with your father!”

Li Sipei remained silent.

“But who was I doing it all for?!” Pei Yu’s voice cracked with desperation. “Wasn’t it for our family? Wasn’t it for you? Do you think I would’ve lived such a difficult life otherwise?” Her breathing grew erratic. “Without me, do you think you’d have had such a comfortable life in the Li family? Do you think you’d have been able to just give away 210,000 yuan like it was nothing?”

Li Sipei simply stared at her, unwilling to respond.

“Li Tianqing asked you a few times, and you agreed to celebrate her son’s birthday. But how many times have I begged you? Have you ever softened your heart for me? Why are you so ruthless to me?!”

Li Sipei slowly lowered his head.

He was asking himself the same question.

There had been a time when he, like most children, had relied on his mother. When had things changed? Was it when his parents’ arguments became more frequent? Or when his mother’s discipline grew harsher and harsher?

He could no longer remember. That painful, suffocating period had lasted so long that he had long since forgotten when it all began.

But some details remained crystal clear—

Like the surveillance cameras installed in his bedroom even when he was seventeen or eighteen.

Like the tracking system hidden in his phone, which he hadn’t discovered until after he graduated high school.

Like the people Pei Yu always had following him whenever he went out.

Pei Yu had meticulously crafted a giant cage, locking him inside.

Of course—

He might not have been the only one trapped in it.

Li Sipei had never known the true cause of his father’s death. But the truth was like a thin layer of paper between him and reality—so close, yet he had never mustered the courage to tear through it.

Pei Yu was a woman with remarkable self-control and an extraordinary ability to maintain a facade. Her moment of emotional collapse was fleeting. In just a short while, she had already composed herself again.

She bent down, picked up the documents, and placed them neatly on the coffee table.

“You’re almost thirty-three. You’re not young anymore. You need to settle your marriage soon. I don’t want the Li family’s great-grandchildren running around while you’re still alone with nothing to show.”

With that, she took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and once again became the elegant and gracious woman from before.

“There’s one more thing.” Pei Yu turned to her assistant.

The assistant produced an exquisite envelope and, under Pei Yu’s silent instruction, carefully placed it atop the stack of documents.

“This is an invitation to Katrina’s charity auction. One of your father’s paintings will be the final item up for bid. I thought you might want to attend.”

With that, Pei Yu and her assistants left in a grand display.

Yet the oppressive air in the room lingered, unbroken.

Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan stood stiffly at the side, glancing at each other with helpless expressions.

After a long silence, Ruan Xin hesitantly spoke: “Third Master…”

Li Sipei rested one hand on his forehead, covering his eyes. The lower half of his face, which was exposed, was completely devoid of expression. His tone was just as cold: “You should all go back.”

Neither Ruan Xin nor Li Zhixuan dared to say anything more. They responded softly and quietly slipped out through the front door.

The living room, with its tightly shut windows, was so silent that even the air seemed to have stopped moving. Li Sipei couldn’t even hear his own breathing. He sat there like a statue, his limbs numb and devoid of any strength.

Until his phone vibrated in his pocket.

At last, he broke free from whatever invisible restraints were holding him down. Though his hand was still weak, it was strong enough to take out his phone.

It was a call from Mi Zhao.

The moment he answered, Mi Zhao’s clear voice, as gentle as the night breeze, drifted into his ear: “Hey, you finally picked up. I sent you so many WeChat messages, and you didn’t reply. I thought you were mad again—”

His voice abruptly stopped. Realizing he had misspoken, Mi Zhao quickly changed the subject. “It’s nothing. Anyway, it’s almost midnight. Are you done with your business?”

Li Sipei didn’t respond. His fingers tightened around the armrest.

“Li Sipei?” Mi Zhao called out, “Hello?”

The floor-to-ceiling window reflected Li Sipei’s silhouette. He turned his head and saw himself with the corners of his lips slightly raised, the gloom between his brows completely dissipated, replaced by a deepening smile.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

“…?”

On the other end, Mi Zhao stopped in his tracks outside his dorm building. He listened to the sound of Li Sipei’s laughter through the phone. It was a pleasant sound, but for some reason, it sent shivers down his spine.

Earlier, he had gone back to his dorm for a bit. When he figured the timing was about right, he stepped out and called Li Sipei.

Was he really mad?

Because he called too late?

Just as Mi Zhao was debating whether to explain himself, he suddenly heard Li Sipei say, “Mm, I’m done. She just left.”

Li Sipei’s voice was deep, slightly hoarse for some reason. Through the phone, it sent tingles down Mi Zhao’s ears.

A strange sensation spread through Mi Zhao’s chest, like a cat scratching at his heart. He blurted out, without thinking, “If your mom wasn’t waiting for you, I wouldn’t have let you go back.”

“Hm?”

“There are plenty of hotels near my school, anyway.” Mi Zhao chuckled mischievously.

He expected Li Sipei to get flustered, just like before—blushing, speechless, not knowing how to react. But to his surprise, Li Sipei actually considered his suggestion seriously.

“Alright,” Li Sipei agreed. “Do that next time.”

“…?”

Mi Zhao clutched his chest.

What now?

It felt like his heart just skipped a beat!

Back in the dorm, Yan Qingting was still awake. He stuck his head out, glancing at Mi Zhao curiously. He had been holding back his questions all night, but now, he finally seized the chance to ask.

“You’re in a good mood?”

Mi Zhao set his phone down on the desk. As he climbed onto his bed and grabbed his pajamas, he responded without looking back, “In an amazing mood.”

“Oh?” Yan Qingting’s tone was teasing. “Did something good happen? Before you left, you were still sulking over that scumbag—”

Before he could finish, Mi Zhao reacted as if he had just suffered a massive fright. He scrambled down from the bed in a panic, almost tripping over his own feet.

Barely managing to steady himself, he snatched up his phone at lightning speed.

Yan Qingting stared at him, dumbfounded.

Mi Zhao pointed frantically at his phone screen, making several exaggerated hand gestures at Yan Qingting.

Yan Qingting: “…”

He took a closer look.

On the screen was a contact with the same profile picture as Mi Zhao’s, labeled “Xiao Li.”

Rolling his eyes, Yan Qingting flopped back onto his bed and played dead.

Meanwhile, Mi Zhao tossed his pajamas onto the desk, feeling restless. He hesitantly brought the phone back to his ear. “Hello?”

Li Sipei’s voice soon followed. “Mm.”

Mi Zhao took two seconds to process, then reassured himself that nothing seemed off—Li Sipei probably hadn’t heard anything.

Just as he started to relax, Li Sipei’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“Who was your roommate talking about when he said ‘that scumbag’?”

Mi Zhao: “…”

In the end, the voice call lasted the entire night. Though Li Sipei seemed to be in a bit of a mood again, at least he didn’t hang up immediately.

For that, Mi Zhao was truly touched.

This was progress!

As soon as the last weekend of September passed, everyone started looking forward to the National Day holiday.

Mi Zhao’s parents had mentioned they would be visiting A City for the holiday. But since traveling during National Day was a hassle—flights were hard to book, and airport pickups were inconvenient—they decided to come a few days earlier instead.

Mi Zhao initially planned for them to stay at his rented apartment, but they refused. Instead, they insisted on booking a hotel far from both A University and his apartment.

Unable to change their minds, Mi Zhao helped them book a hotel and then asked why they had chosen one so far away.

On the video call, his father’s face turned red. He hesitated for a long time, struggling to speak. In the end, under his mother’s nudging and silent protests, he finally stammered out:

“We… got two tickets to a charity auction through a friend. We’re planning to attend.”