Chapter 33

Mi Zhao had no idea where Li Sipei had gone. He only knew that Li Sipei’s mother had called two or three times during the day. Initially, Li Sipei had no intention of going out, but after answering the last call, he still contacted Li Zhixuan to take him out.

As soon as Li Sipei left, Ruan Xin immediately took her team and said their goodbyes.

The house was left with only Mi Zhao.

Fortunately, the ingredients were readily available, and Mi Zhao was more familiar with this kitchen than the one in his rental apartment, so he could easily prepare dinner.

However, perhaps because Li Sipei wasn’t around, something that normally wouldn’t have bothered Mi Zhao suddenly felt empty. He couldn’t even bring himself to draw.

He endured until nighttime and couldn’t wait to send two WeChat messages to Li Sipei.

Seeing the other party reply instantly, he simply called instead.

Li Sipei picked up quickly.

“Where are you?” Mi Zhao put on his Bluetooth earpiece, tidying up the day’s sketches as he spoke. “Send me your location on WeChat. I’ll come pick you up once I’m done here.”

“Okay.” Li Sipei asked, “Have you eaten dinner?”

“I have.” Mi Zhao chuckled. “I stick to a strict three-meal schedule, unlike you—skipping breakfast and dinner all the time.”

After a brief silence, Li Sipei let out a soft hum.

With his phone in his pocket, Mi Zhao told Li Sipei to hang up. But just before the call ended, he vaguely heard a woman’s voice.

“Mr. Li—”

Mi Zhao froze mid-motion while reaching for his phone.

Wait a second.

Wasn’t that his mother’s voice?!

His hands trembled. Just as he was about to listen more carefully, the sound disappeared—the call had been disconnected.

On the taxi ride to Hongyun Grand Hotel, Mi Zhao felt a deep sense of unease.

Li Sipei had gone there to attend a banquet on behalf of his mother, while Mi Zhao’s parents were also staying at the hotel. The odds of them running into each other were increasing at an alarming rate.

But no way… they wouldn’t have exchanged names that quickly, right?

Had he misheard?

Mi Zhao propped his left hand under his right and absentmindedly bit his right thumbnail as he mulled over the situation. By the time his thumbnail was uneven and jagged, the taxi had reached its destination.

He grabbed his phone and bolted out of the car, racing into the hotel lobby and heading straight for the elevator. After a moment’s hesitation, he pressed the button for the sixteenth floor.

The elevator ascended floor by floor.

When the display hit sixteen, the doors slid open.

Two people stood outside, about to step in. But when they saw the anxious expression on Mi Zhao’s face, they froze.

“Son!” Mi Bin exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

A fleeting joy crossed He Linfang’s face, but as she recalled what had happened two days ago, her expression quickly darkened.

Holding the elevator door open, Mi Zhao glanced around. Seeing that his parents were alone, he let out half a sigh of relief.

“Mom, Dad,” he greeted awkwardly.

Mi Bin was about to speak when He Linfang nudged him with her elbow.

She let out a cold huff. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to have anything to do with us? So why are you here now?”

There was no avoiding this. Mi Zhao rubbed his nose and sheepishly apologized, “Sorry. That night, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have hung up the video call.”

“You didn’t just hang up—you turned off your phone! We couldn’t even find you!” He Linfang grew angrier as she spoke. “You’ve got a boyfriend now and forgot about your parents. Do you think we’re trying to harm you? That boyfriend of yours called you over to his place in the middle of the night—don’t you know what kind of intentions he has?”

There was no way Mi Zhao could tell her the truth: that it wasn’t Li Sipei who had called him over—it was him who had insisted on going.

And as for what happened that night… well, he had been the one taking the initiative.

“Sorry…” he mumbled, lowering his head.

In reality, two days had already passed, and He Linfang wasn’t as angry anymore. Now, with Mi Zhao speaking so gently, her expression gradually softened.

Noticing this, Mi Bin quickly took the opportunity to push them both into the elevator. “Alright, alright. Let’s talk downstairs. Don’t block the elevator.”

The hotel restaurant was on the second floor. Since dinner service had ended, there weren’t many people around. A waiter led the three of them to a window seat.

The whole time, Mi Zhao kept checking the time on his phone.

It was almost nine o’clock.

He had promised to pick up Li Sipei at nine, but now, he couldn’t just leave his parents here and walk away.

Across from him, his parents were busy ordering food. When He Linfang looked up, she saw Mi Zhao resting his chin in his hand, clearly anxious.

She frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I already ate before coming here.” Mi Zhao said, “Just order for yourselves—I don’t need anything.”

Hearing that, He Linfang frowned even deeper. “Where did you eat?”

“A-at home,” Mi Zhao stammered for a split second, feeling a little guilty. He quickly changed the subject. “By the way, didn’t you say you were going to an auction? Why didn’t you go?”

His parents fell silent.

Especially He Linfang. Her once assertive demeanor shrank noticeably. She swallowed and glanced at Mi Bin, who also remained silent, before stammering, “We… we just suddenly didn’t feel like going.”

Mi Zhao looked skeptical. “So you just stayed in your room all evening?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you feel like going?” Mi Zhao was curious.

Before, his parents had clung to Li Song like glue, always following his lead without question. Why the sudden change of heart?

Neither He Linfang nor Mi Bin dared to tell Mi Zhao what had really happened tonight. It wasn’t just about being nagged—it was too embarrassing to admit.

“Those people were scammers,” He Linfang coughed and tried to act calm. “Once we figured them out, they got mad at us. We don’t want to be associated with them anymore.”

After hearing that, Mi Zhao couldn’t help but smile.

Great.

Not only had his parents finally shaken off Li Song, but the thing with Li Sipei was also just a misunderstanding. The weight on his chest completely lifted.

It seemed he really had misheard earlier. His parents had been in their room the whole time—how could they have possibly met Li Sipei?

“What are you smiling about?” Mi Bin’s voice came from across the table.

“Nothing.” Snapping back to reality, Mi Zhao wiped his face and stood up. “Dad, Mom, you two go ahead and eat. I need to pick someone up. I’ll come find you again tomorrow.”

His parents had just finished ordering and hadn’t even handed the menu to the waiter yet when they saw him about to leave. He Linfang immediately sensed something was off.

“Stop right there!” She shot to her feet. “Where are you going? Who are you picking up?”

“A friend,” Mi Zhao replied.

“Bullshit. It’s your boyfriend, isn’t it?” He Linfang’s barely suppressed anger flared up again. She glared at him, fuming. “I knew something was off! So you didn’t come to see us—you came because of that boyfriend of yours! Your father and I are just an afterthought!”

Mi Zhao opened his mouth but couldn’t refute her words.

Forcing herself to stay rational, He Linfang shoved the menu into the waiter’s hands and waved them away. Then she pointed at Mi Zhao and ordered, “Call him right now. Tell him to come over.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

“Hurry up.” Seeing that he didn’t move, He Linfang grew even angrier. “I said, call him!”

Feeling completely defeated, Mi Zhao shot his dad a pleading look.

Mi Bin spread his hands and shrugged, looking utterly helpless.

Left with no choice, Mi Zhao slowly pulled out his phone, secretly thinking about how to make a break for it.

But just then, his phone screen lit up.

The caller ID read “Xiao Li.”

He Linfang reacted instantly, leaning over to peek at the screen.

Fortunately, Mi Zhao was faster. Before she could see, he answered the call and spoke rapidly, “I’m waiting for you in the hotel lobby.”

Li Sipei hesitated for a moment. “You’re already in the lobby?”

“I’m heading down now. See you there.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to hang up, but He Linfang wasn’t having it. She raised her voice and called out, “Are you Mi Zhao’s boyfriend? We’re at the restaurant on the sec—”

Before she could finish, Mi Zhao cut in with nonsense: “Blah blah blah blah blah blah!”

Furious, He Linfang grabbed the hand he was using to end the call and shot him a death glare while continuing to speak into the phone. “If you have time, come over. We’re waiting in the restaurant—”

“Blah blah blah blah blah!”

“I’m Mi Zhao’s mom. His dad is here too—”

“Blah blah blah blah blah!”

Finally, unable to take it anymore, He Linfang smacked his babbling mouth. It wasn’t a hard slap—more like a light tap—but it was enough to shut him up.

Seizing the moment while she loosened her grip, Mi Zhao quickly hung up the call.

“Mi! Zhao!” He Linfang was practically fuming.

“Mom, I’m leaving now! It’s not the right time for you to meet him. I’ll introduce you properly another day!” He blurted everything out in one breath, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and bolted.

For a moment, He Linfang stood there stunned before snapping out of it and chasing after him. But she was wearing high heels, and Mi Bin was holding her back, so she quickly fell behind.

Meanwhile, Mi Zhao, with his lean frame and long legs, reached the elevator in just a few strides.

Ding!

The elevator stopped on the second floor, and the doors slowly opened.

Inside sat Li Sipei in his wheelchair, his chin slightly raised as if he were about to speak. But before he could, Mi Zhao rushed in, cutting him off.

“Mi Zhao, stop right there!” He Linfang hadn’t given up and was storming toward them.

Mi Zhao’s face turned pale. He frantically pressed the close-door button while positioning himself in front of Li Sipei to block him from view.

Just as He Linfang rounded the corner, the elevator doors shut with a clack, and the display changed from “2” to “1.”

Without a second thought, Mi Zhao pushed Li Sipei’s wheelchair and sprinted out of the hotel.

It wasn’t until they were outside that he finally stopped, panting heavily.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Li Sipei looked at him calmly.

Once Mi Zhao caught his breath, Li Sipei asked, “Do you not want me to meet your parents?”

Supporting himself with his hands on his knees, Mi Zhao took a deep breath before slowly straightening up. He waved his hand dismissively, trying to explain, but for a moment, he didn’t know how to.

He had no issue telling others about their relationship. But when it came to telling his parents, things felt different.

Meeting the parents was a serious matter.

Where he came from, people only introduced their partners to their families when they were ready for marriage.

Li Sipei waited for a moment, then asked again, “Or is it because…”

Mi Zhao tilted his head. “Because what?”

Lowering his gaze slightly, Li Sipei pressed his lips together and said in an emotionless voice, “Because I’m in a wheelchair. Are you ashamed of me?”