Chapter 35

When Mi Zhao got home, the first thing he did was call Li Sipei, but unfortunately, the call went unanswered.

After sending a WeChat message to He Linfang to let her know he was safe, he put his phone down and went to take a shower.

By the time he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard his phone ringing on the coffee table in the living room. His heart leaped—thinking that maybe Li Sipei had cooled down and was finally calling him back. He rushed over in his slippers, nearly tripping on the way.

But when he picked up the phone and saw the name on the screen, it read Yan Qinting.

Mi Zhao: “……”

His face instantly fell as he answered the call, sounding downright sulky.

“What?”

“?” Yan Qinting glanced at his phone screen to double-check the number before asking cautiously, “Is this… Ri Mizhao?”

Mi Zhao plopped onto the couch. “It’s me.”

This time, his tone was normal.

“What’s with you? You sound full of resentment. Who pissed you off?”

“Sigh…” Mi Zhao ruffled his hair. “No one pissed me off—I pissed someone else off.”

Yan Qinting instantly understood and laughed gloatingly. “He’s throwing a fit again?”

Mi Zhao remained silent.

His silence was answer enough. Yan Qinting found it hard to understand. “Honestly, that guy’s got too much of a temper. I’ve never seen anyone sulk at their sugar daddy all the time. You’re spoiling him too much—it’s not sustainable.”

Mi Zhao burst out laughing. “Oh? And now you’re an expert?”

“Tsk, you think this is something rare? I’ve seen plenty of cases like this since I was a kid.” Yan Qinting spoke with an air of experience. “I’m telling you, you can’t just let him have his way all the time. You need to teach him a lesson.”

Not wanting to continue the topic, Mi Zhao impatiently asked, “So why did you call? Just to lecture me on how to discipline people?”

“Of course not.” Successfully distracted, Yan Qinting changed the subject. “The time and location for the club event are set. It’s on the last day of the National Day holiday, at an orphanage on Hongpai Road in the northern part of the city. Are you going?”

Unlike regular events, which were held on campus with flexible scheduling, charity events were more like volunteer work. The organizers had to make arrangements in advance, and they were always held off-campus, usually on weekends or holidays.

Because of the nature of these events, participation was voluntary rather than mandatory, but those who took part would receive high academic credit rewards.

“I’m going,” Mi Zhao said without hesitation.

Most of his free time was spent working on illustrations to earn money. Attending one off-campus event was equivalent to five regular ones—of course, he had to go.

“Then I’ll go too,” Yan Qinting said. “Oh, by the way, be prepared—people are definitely going to ask about your relationship.”

Mi Zhao chuckled. “I don’t even have them on WeChat, and they’ve never cared about me before.”

“Well, that’s because—” Yan Qinting mercilessly stated the truth, “they just want to watch the drama unfold.”

Mi Zhao thought about it and had to agree.

The fact that he was in a relationship wasn’t the real issue. The issue was that his partner was someone with terrible financial standing, completely reliant on him, a mere student, to provide for him.

Most students in the arts program came from well-off families, and quite a few were from prestigious backgrounds. While Mi Zhao’s family wasn’t the most powerful or influential, they were certainly wealthy. On top of that, he was highly skilled, having won multiple international awards—at A University, he was somewhat of a notable figure.

There were people who liked him, people who admired him, and of course, people who envied him. Countless eyes were watching him, waiting for a chance to pull him down.

Hanging up the call, Mi Zhao curled his lips.

Wasn’t it a little too early to be laughing at his expense? Wasn’t there still Lin Qiuzu, who had made such a big deal about investing in the publicity club but had yet to put down a single cent?

—

For the next two days, Mi Zhao avoided going to see Li Sipei, obediently keeping to a strict routine between Hongyun Hotel and his rental apartment.

On the third day, which was also the last day of the National Day holiday, Mi Zhao got up at seven in the morning and took the subway to the orphanage in the northern part of the city.

After getting off the subway, he had to transfer to a bus for another half-hour before arriving. By the time he got there, seven or eight people from his club had already gathered in the open space in front of the orphanage.

They had been chatting in a circle, but as soon as one of them spotted Mi Zhao approaching, their expression tensed up, and they hurriedly whispered a warning to the others.

Even before he got close, it was as if someone had hit the mute button—everyone fell silent in an instant.

Finally, one of the guys awkwardly greeted him, “Oh, hey, you’re here.”

Pretending not to notice their previous conversation, Mi Zhao smiled. “Have the president and vice president arrived?”

“They’re on their way, should be here soon,” the guy replied.

Mi Zhao nodded in acknowledgment and said no more.

Now that the person they had been gossiping about was present, the topic naturally couldn’t continue. A strange silence filled the air, stretching on until the voices of the orphanage staff broke the tension, making everyone heave a sigh of relief.

“The venue is ready. When do you want to start setting up?” a staff member approached them to ask.

Since the leaders weren’t here yet, no one present was in a position to make a decision. The group exchanged glances and, after a brief discussion, decided to first assist the orphanage staff with preparations.

The event schedule had already been arranged. In the morning, they would help clean the orphanage; in the afternoon, they would distribute clothes and stationery purchased through donations; and in the evening, they would perform for the children. The entire day was packed with activities.

However, since the orphanage didn’t have a proper activity hall, they had to mark off a small outdoor stage area, with the children bringing out small stools to sit in rows.

Within the club, Mi Zhao was someone with a low presence—he did a lot but said little. Once he got busy, he rarely stopped.

Seeing this, the others didn’t dare to approach and make conversation. Instead, they broke into small groups, continuing their previous discussion while they worked.

“I think Mi Zhao is a great person—he doesn’t slack off, and he never tries to steal the spotlight. If someone really tricked him, that would just be too cruel.”

“You’re being too absolute. Relationships aren’t that simple. What if it’s just a case of one willing to give and the other willing to take?”

“I just want to know what that person looks like. I mean, they actually managed to win over Senior Mi, and they have him willingly giving them money. I have a friend who’s in the same class as him, and they said he’s been working super hard lately—every time they visit his dorm, he’s always drawing.”

“Well, why don’t we just ask Mi Zhao to bring them over sometime?”

“Who’s going to ask? You?”

“Fine, I’ll do it!”

The one who got goaded into it was the same guy who had first greeted Mi Zhao earlier—Chen Jun.

Chen Jun barely had any interactions with Mi Zhao, and when the gossip started spreading, he was just watching for entertainment. But what he couldn’t stand was how some girls in the club blindly defended Mi Zhao.

Mi Zhao was an adult—surely, he had the ability to judge right from wrong. Yet, those girls talked as if he had been terribly wronged, turning a situation of mutual consent into some tragic injustice.

Did they really think that after breaking up with his partner, Mi Zhao would suddenly take a liking to them?

Chen Jun scoffed internally before turning his attention to Mi Zhao, who was crouched a short distance away, wiping down small stools with a cloth.

At some point, Mi Zhao had stopped moving. He was still crouching, but now he was staring at his phone, his thumbs constantly tapping on the screen as if he were chatting with someone.

Then, after staring at the screen for a long while, he tapped it once, raised his phone, and suddenly, his lips curled into an smile. He even pressed a fist to his lips, trying to suppress his laughter.

But halfway through his chuckle, as if sensing something, he looked up—

And locked eyes with Chen Jun.

For a brief moment, both of them froze. Then, Mi Zhao’s smile vanished in an instant.

Chen Jun: “……”

Clearing his throat, and aware of the curious glances from behind him, Chen Jun straightened his posture and walked directly toward Mi Zhao.

Mi Zhao stood up to meet him eye to eye, letting his phone-holding hand drop naturally to his side.

“What is it?”

“Mi Zhao, I’m asking on behalf of everyone.” Chen Jun deliberately raised his voice so the people behind him could hear.

Mi Zhao smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes. Compared to the genuine laughter from earlier, this smile felt more like a mask.

His tone was gentle. “Go ahead.”

“There’s a dinner gathering after today’s event. The club president said yesterday that we can bring family members. Is your… family member coming?”

Chen Jun had been holding back this question for a long time, so he got straight to the point.

Mi Zhao had assumed Chen Jun was just trying to gossip. He hadn’t expected the guy to skip the gossip entirely and outright ask him to bring his partner over.

That blatant demand wiped the smile from Mi Zhao’s face. He wasn’t someone who liked arguing, but that didn’t mean he was an easy target.

“Are we that close?” His tone remained unchanged, but his expression turned cold. “Why are you so eager to see my partner?”

Chen Jun hadn’t expected him to turn hostile so suddenly. He felt a little embarrassed but, with so many people watching, he had no choice but to push forward.

“I was just asking. If they don’t come, then fine. It’s not like we’d charge extra for them. Besides, everyone’s just curious…”

“Curious about what?” Mi Zhao’s dark eyes bore into him, reflecting his uneasy expression. “Curious about my partner, or curious about the drama?”

His words hit the mark. Panicked, Chen Jun glanced back at the others.

Their expressions varied, but it was clear none of them had expected Mi Zhao to fight back so directly.

“You’re overthinking it. We were just asking out of kindness,” Chen Jun stammered, trying to save face. “We’re going to a Japanese restaurant tonight. I heard the average cost per person is over 300 yuan. If you bring your partner, it’s not like you’d be losing out. I mean, your partner—”

The words “has no money” were just about to leave his lips—

But before he could say them, a cool male voice suddenly rang out from Mi Zhao’s phone.

“Can I come?”

Chen Jun froze, looking left and right in confusion, wondering if he had misheard.

Mi Zhao raised a brow, looking just as surprised. He turned his phone around to face himself.

On the screen was Li Sipei’s face. He was sitting by a floor-to-ceiling window, the golden sunlight illuminating his hair and making his sharp features stand out even more.

Li Sipei was also looking at his phone screen, his long lashes casting shadows over his face.

“You want to come?” Mi Zhao asked.

“Mm,” Li Sipei replied. “If it’s okay.”

“Of course it is.”

These were his club members, not his parents. If they wanted to see his partner, then fine—they could see him. They could see him 500 times a day if they wanted.

After hanging up, the coldness in Mi Zhao’s eyes finally faded. He waved his phone slightly and, in an almost cheerful tone, said to Chen Jun,

“You heard him. He’s coming.”

Chen Jun was utterly dumbfounded.

No wonder Mi Zhao had been smiling so happily earlier—he had been on a video call with his partner.

No, wait—

That wasn’t the important part.

The important part was—

Mi Zhao’s partner was a man?!