Chapter 31

Of course, before getting down to “business,” there was something even more important to do.

Mi Zhao had Li Sipei lie down on the bed while he sat beside him. Recalling the doctor’s instructions, he started massaging from the thighs.

Because he spent long hours sitting and painting, Mi Zhao barely got any exercise. However, painting required a certain degree of arm strength—otherwise, he’d tire out before even finishing a piece.

Thanks to that, his massage skills were improving. He was no longer as clumsy as he had been during the day.

Diligently, he worked for nearly an hour before belatedly asking, “How’s the pressure? Let me know if it’s too much or too little.”

Lying stiffly on the bed, Li Sipei hadn’t moved a muscle since Mi Zhao started. It was as if he had been put on mute, not making a single sound.

It wasn’t until he heard the question that he finally managed to squeeze out a response from his throat: “Mm.”

Glancing at Li Sipei’s face—completely flushed—Mi Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle. He lightly patted the other’s tensed leg. “Relax. I’m not going to eat you.”

Still the same answer: “Mm.”

Yet his body remained rigid.

After another while, Mi Zhao tilted his head in curiosity. “Do you react like this when they give you a massage too?”

The bedroom’s main light was off, leaving only a bedside lamp casting a soft, warm glow over Li Sipei’s face and shoulders. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before answering in a quiet voice, “No.”

“Then you’re treating me differently!” Mi Zhao protested. “Why do you only act like this when I do it?”

“I mean—” Li Sipei took a breath and clarified, “They’ve never massaged me.”

Mi Zhao froze. “Why?”

That didn’t seem like something Ruan Xin and the others would neglect.

Li Sipei gave a concise answer. “I don’t like being touched.”

After a pause, he added, “Especially below the waist.”

Hearing this, Mi Zhao suddenly recalled the doctor’s remote guidance earlier that day. At the time, he had assumed the doctor avoided direct contact for some other reason—he hadn’t expected this.

So—

Mi Zhao’s gaze fell on his own hands, which were still pressing against Li Sipei’s thighs. It was just an ordinary sentence, yet something inside him twinged unexpectedly.

A strange, unfamiliar sensation surged within him, tightening his breath slightly.

“So you do like it when I touch you?” Leaning forward slightly, still propped up on Li Sipei’s legs, Mi Zhao let his breath tickle the other’s face. His voice dripped with teasing sweetness.

Li Sipei’s eyelashes trembled violently as if burned by the heat of that breath. His breathing turned erratic.

“Say something.” The weight pressing down on him grew heavier, and Mi Zhao’s voice came from right beside his ear. “Why are your eyes shut again?”

It sounded like a complaint, but amusement laced every word.

Li Sipei couldn’t see his own expression, but he could guess how flustered he must look. His heartbeat pounded faster and faster.

He felt like Jerry, the little mouse from Tom and Jerry, with Tom Zhao stepping on his tail, toying with him.

“Quit messing around.”

“When did I mess around?” Tom Zhao’s hand traced along his cheek, breath cascading over him like a tide. “But you—how long are you planning to keep your eyes closed?”

As he spoke, his thumb and fingers gently grasped Li Sipei’s chin.

Li Sipei snapped his eyes open, irritation flickering in his gaze. “Mi Zhao—”

Before he could finish, that fair face suddenly drew closer. Warm breath brushed his skin, making his body temperature spike.

“Hmm?” Mi Zhao showed no fear. Smiling, he pressed his lips against Li Sipei’s and gave a playful bite. “Why are you calling me?”

Li Sipei could no longer form words.

Their breaths mingled, and the light, tingling sensation of their lips touching sent shivers down his spine.

Mi Zhao took everything seriously—whether it was massaging earlier or kissing now.

He didn’t know how much time passed. At some point, his position shifted from sitting sideways to fully straddling Li Sipei, both hands braced above his head.

Then, slowly, he realized something was off.

He stopped.

Pulled away, looking down at Li Sipei.

“…You’re hard.”

“Mi Zhao…” The voice was filled with both embarrassment and anger. Li Sipei’s face was red enough to drip blood.

“Yeah, I’m here.” Mi Zhao remained unfazed. Casually stretching an arm to grab what they needed, he switched on his phone and checked the time. His expression instantly turned serious.

“It’s getting late. Let’s try to finish in two hours.”

“……”

Li Sipei opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he silently closed it.

The next day, Mi Zhao deliberately moved Li Sipei’s rehabilitation training from the afternoon to the morning. After supervising the session, he had lunch with Li Sipei before preparing to leave.

Before leaving, he reminded Li Sipei in front of Ruan Xin, “You have to keep up with your rehabilitation exercises, or the results won’t be great. You don’t want to still be in a wheelchair a few years from now when we’ve known each other for so long, do you?”

Li Sipei wasn’t pleased but didn’t argue.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xin and the others stood to the side, pretending to be deaf and mute, lest Third Master Li take out his displeasure on them.

To them, Li Sipei’s silence was basically agreement. As long as he didn’t reject something outright, it meant there was room for negotiation.

But Mi Zhao wasn’t satisfied.

Taking advantage of the fact that Ruan Xin and the others were pretending to look out the window, he swiftly leaned in and whispered in Li Sipei’s ear, “Don’t you want to move on your own at all?”

Li Sipei hadn’t expected such words. His pupils shook, and in an instant, his entire face flushed red.

Satisfied, Mi Zhao pinched his ear.

As expected, it was burning hot.

“Make sure to do your rehab exercises properly, got it?” Mi Zhao reminded him seriously once more. “I might randomly video call to check on you.”

Li Sipei was silent for a long time before he finally responded, his voice hoarse: “Okay.”

This time, it was Ruan Xin and the others who were shaken. Even after Mi Zhao left, they still hadn’t recovered from their shock.

Back at his rental apartment, Mi Zhao collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. An hour of hand exercises plus two hours of waist exercises last night had drained him completely.

He lifted his pant leg to check.

Even though he had used a cushion, his knees were still a little bruised.

If this continued, it really wouldn’t do. He couldn’t possibly ruin his knees just for that kind of activity. In his first twenty years of life, he hadn’t spent as much time on his knees as he had in the past month.

Sighing, he lazily massaged his knee while pulling out his phone to check his mom’s WeChat.

He had no idea if his parents were still mad from last night. The screen was filled with nearly a minute’s worth of voice messages, making his head throb.

He called his mom four times in a row.

Unfortunately, not a single one was answered.

Hongyun Grand Hotel, a suite on the 16th floor.

After finishing a phone call by the window, Mi Bin glanced at the phone on the coffee table, which was still ringing incessantly. Hesitantly, he asked, “It’s been over a day. You’re still not going to answer our son’s calls?”

He Linfang had dressed up meticulously, wearing a black, form-fitting evening gown with a high slit that accentuated her figure. It seemed understated, but the hem was hand-sewn with countless sequins. Under the lights, it shimmered like a moonlit lake.

Her delicate makeup should have reflected anticipation or nervousness, but the moment she saw Mi Zhao’s name on the screen, her expression turned into one of anger and grievance.

“I’m not answering his calls,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m doing this for his own good, yet he treats me like an outsider.”

Mi Bin pulled her into his arms as he sat on the sofa. “Come on, our son’s grown up now. Of course, he has his own thoughts. He’s an adult—stop worrying so much.”

He Linfang’s eyes reddened. She turned and pinched Mi Bin’s hand. “You’re taking his side?”

Mi Bin yelped in pain.

“If I don’t worry about him, who will? He’s my only son!” He Linfang fumed. “I’m doing this for his own good! Fine, he found a boyfriend—whatever! But staying over at his place overnight? Tell me, is that proper? What if he gets deceived…”

Her agitated voice was abruptly interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.

She fell silent instantly.

“Brother Mi, Sister He.” A voice from outside—Li Song—spoke while knocking persistently. “Are you two ready? It’s time to head up.”

He Linfang quickly responded, “Coming, coming.”

She hurriedly made her way to the door, a little unsteady on her high heels. Outside, Li Song was wearing a black suit that looked similar to Mi Bin’s but was actually far less expensive. However, his tall and lean figure made him look much more put-together compared to Mi Bin’s slightly beer-bellied appearance.

His gaze flickered over their extravagant outfits before he concealed his thoughts and smiled. “The auction won’t start for another half an hour, but most of the important people will be arriving early. Let’s go down and try our luck.”

Unfamiliar with the scene, Mi Bin and He Linfang naturally followed Li Song’s lead.

“We’ll do whatever you arrange,” He Linfang said, full of trust.

“Good.” Li Song’s eyes briefly lingered on He Linfang’s slightly red-rimmed eyes. “Sister He, have you been crying?”

“Huh? No, no…” She quickly turned her head away, forcing a smile to cover up. No matter how much she resented Mi Zhao for lying to her, she couldn’t air family matters in public.

Seeing this, Li Song didn’t press further. Instead, he simply reminded them, “Once we’re up there, don’t make any mistakes. You know how particular those people can be.”

He Linfang nodded like a pecking chick.

The couple followed Li Song into the elevator. As the screen displayed the numbers rising from 16 to the top floor, 33, the long-ignored sense of nervousness finally set in. Their hearts pounded faster and faster.

This auction wasn’t large. Strictly speaking, it was a private charity auction, and anyone who received an invitation had some kind of indirect connection to the host.

Back in their hometown, Mi Bin and He Linfang had attended plenty of banquets, but the moment they stepped into this banquet hall, they could tell it was different from anything back home.

From the luxurious decor to the guests’ attire, from the atmosphere to the unspoken rules—this auction closely resembled the high-society events they had imagined.

They had barely walked a few steps when their legs began to tremble.

Noticing their unsophisticated demeanor, Li Song was instantly irritated. He turned back and gave them a low-voiced warning, “Pull yourselves together! Don’t look like a couple of small-time nobodies who’ve never seen the world! Walk properly! Otherwise, who the hell is going to take you seriously later?”