Chapter 52

The deal to buy the painting fell through, and now it was Mi Zhao’s turn to apologize to Yu Xingteng’s aunt over the phone. Fortunately, she didn’t say much, only mentioning that they could reschedule if needed.

Mi Zhao put away his phone and turned to see Mi Bin and He Linfang sitting on a bench in the hallway, looking worried.

A few meters away, on another bench, several middle-aged men in suits sat side by side, looking equally troubled.

Before long, the door in front of them opened, and a nurse stepped out, calling out, “Family of Li Sipei.”

Mi Zhao immediately stepped forward. “How is he?”

Before he even finished speaking, the couple behind him and the middle-aged men all crowded forward, their eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at the nurse.

Frowning slightly at the group’s intensity, the nurse replied to Mi Zhao, “It’s not a major issue, but he needs to be hospitalized for observation.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

Then, the nurse handed him a form. “Go pay the fees and complete the admission paperwork.”

“Got it.”

The room’s door was slightly ajar, and as Mi Zhao passed by, he glanced inside.

Li Sipei was lying properly on the bed, bathed in the bright white light. His eyelashes trembled slightly, as if lost in thought.

Sensing Mi Zhao’s gaze, Li Sipei suddenly turned his head.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, Mi Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. He raised his eyebrows slightly at Li Sipei, lifted the paper in his hand, and was just about to mouth some words when—

Bang!

The nurse closed the door right in his face.

Mi Zhao: “…”

But he never got the chance to pay the bill.

As he reached the hospital lobby, he ran into the hurriedly arriving Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan.

And so, half an hour later, Li Sipei was transferred to a VIP room in a private hospital.

A team of doctors in white coats stood at attention and immediately arranged for a full-body examination—especially on his legs, leaving no detail unchecked.

By the time Mi Zhao saw Li Sipei again, his dislocated leg had been placed in a thick plaster cast, suspended in the air, completely immobile.

He looked a bit… ridiculous.

Mi Zhao was dumbfounded.

Just moments ago, they had been kissing—he had even planned to take advantage of the softened atmosphere to have a proper conversation with Li Sipei.

Yet somehow, not only did he end up sending Li Sipei to the hospital, but he also managed to injure him so badly that he was now wrapped up like this.

Still dazed, Mi Zhao followed behind Mi Bin and He Linfang, at a complete loss for words.

The people squeezing into the ward weren’t just Mi Bin and He Linfang; those middle-aged men had come along too. A whole group crowded around the hospital bed, talking over one another, leaving Mi Zhao no chance to get a word in.

He was pushed to the edge of the crowd, staring blankly at the wall of people in front of him.

Then, from the middle of the group, Ruan Xin called out, “Xiao Mi!”

Mi Zhao looked up and saw Ruan Xin waving at him.

“Xiao Mi, why are you standing all the way over there? Come here,” Ruan Xin said. Then, noticing how cramped the space was, she smiled at the shareholders and subtly issued a dismissal, “Mr. Wang, perhaps you should head back for now. President Li needs to rest, and you all still need to eat, don’t you?”

Naturally, Wang and the others wanted to stay longer to bond with Li Sipei, but since his people were suggesting they leave, they couldn’t insist on staying.

The shareholders exchanged glances, reluctant but unable to refuse. Slowly, they shuffled toward the door.

Just as they were about to leave, Wang suddenly noticed something odd.

“What about them?” He frowned at Mi Bin and He Linfang, who were still standing firmly by the hospital bed. “They’re not leaving?”

Mi Bin quickly replied, “Miss Ruan didn’t ask us to leave.”

“Exactly.” He Linfang, worried that Ruan Xin might send their family away too, spoke quickly, “There were so many of you, but it’s just the three of us. We won’t take up much space.”

Wang: “…”

He couldn’t understand it—where had President Li met this family? From their demeanor and dress, they seemed like nouveau riche. Normally, he wouldn’t even glance at people like them, yet somehow, they had become a fixture in President Li’s hospital room.

Wang ignored Mi Bin and He Linfang, turning instead to Ruan Xin.

Ruan Xin, unfazed, simply gestured toward the door. “Please, gentlemen.”

Reluctantly, Wang and his companions left.

Mi Bin and He Linfang were unable to block Li Sipei’s view of Mi Zhao. Lying in bed, Li Sipei kept looking in Mi Zhao’s direction before finally speaking: “Come here.”

Mi Zhao walked over.

Mi Bin and He Linfang had no idea what had happened in the restaurant restroom. When they had rushed in after hearing Mi Zhao’s shout, he was already getting up from Li Sipei’s body.

On the way to the hospital, they had asked him about it, but Mi Zhao had been evasive, only saying he had accidentally knocked Li Sipei over.

Though he made it sound trivial, the couple had been terrified.

Now, still protective of their son, He Linfang grabbed Mi Zhao’s hand before he could get closer and repeatedly apologized to Li Sipei. “Mr. Li, we’re really sorry. Our child was too reckless. We’ll cover all of your medical expenses.”

Mi Zhao: “Mom…”

“Don’t talk.” He Linfang yanked him back and shot him a glare. “Apologize to your uncle.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

“Hurry up and apologize to your uncle!” Mi Bin urged. “You knocked him down like this, you should at least say sorry.”

Forced into a corner, Mi Zhao braced himself and stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Uncle.”

Li Sipei: “…”

On the other side of the hospital bed, Ruan Xin and Li Zhixuan: “…”

Both held their breaths, glancing nervously at Li Sipei’s face.

Sure enough, his expression darkened.

“That’s not right.” Suddenly, Mi Zhao spoke again, “He’s only in his early thirties, just ten years older than me. Should I really be calling him ‘Uncle’?”

“Why not?” He Linfang argued, though she was beginning to waver. She and Mi Bin had simple reasoning—Mr. Li held a high position, so calling him ‘Uncle’ seemed fitting. Calling him ‘Brother’ would make them equals, wouldn’t it?

Finally, Li Sipei himself spoke: “Don’t call me ‘Uncle.’”

Then, with a cold edge to his voice, he added, “I’m not that old.”

Mi Bin and He Linfang instantly broke out in cold sweats.

He Linfang tugged at Mi Zhao’s sleeve again. “Then call him ‘Brother.’”

“…” Mi Zhao surrendered. He stepped forward once more and muttered, “Sorry, Brother, for knocking you over like this.”

The voice gradually softened toward the end, and his ears turned red—perhaps he was recalling what had happened in the restroom.

The hospital room was heated, but Mi Zhao had been waiting outside in the corridor. His scarf was wrapped tightly around his neck, covering the lower half of his face, leaving only a pair of big, round black eyes visible—like shiny black grapes—gazing at him.

Back in the restroom, those same eyes had also stared at him unblinkingly, though at the time, they were misted over, their gaze hazy, and the eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings caught in the wind.

He stared at those eyes for a long time and shook his head. “It’s fine.”

Hearing this, He Linfang finally felt the weight in her heart lift. She relaxed, smiling as she took Mi Zhao’s hand and introduced him, “Mr. Li, you haven’t met our son yet. What a coincidence—you finally got to meet today.”

Then, she turned to Mi Zhao. “Son, this is the Mr San your father and I always mention.”

Mi Zhao had already figured out on the way here that Li Sipei was the so-called “Mr.San .” It turned out that his parents had simply been misnaming him—since other people called Li Sipei “Third (San) Master,” they had followed suit and started calling him “Mr. San,” as if “San” was his surname.

Mi Zhao had never been so speechless in his life. Holding back his frustration, he said, “Mom, his surname is Li, not San.”

He Linfang replied, “I know that.”

“Then why do you keep calling him Mr. San?”

“It’s just a habit.”

Mi Zhao was about to say more when Li Sipei interjected, “It doesn’t matter. It’s just a name.”

He Linfang immediately straightened her back, feeling justified. “See? Even Mr. Li said it’s fine.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

At this moment, Mi Bin, who had been silent, suddenly realized something. “Son, you know Mr. Li?”

He had clearly heard Ruan Xin call Mi Zhao earlier, before they even introduced themselves as his parents.

—

On the way back from the hospital, the three of them sat in a taxi.

“You really kept this to yourself,” He Linfang said, patting Mi Zhao’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier that you knew Mr. Li?”

Mi Zhao protested, “I didn’t know the ‘Mr. San’ you were talking about was Li Sipei!”

He Linfang grumbled, but deep down, she was more pleased than surprised that her son knew someone like Li Sipei. She eagerly pressed for details about how they had met.

Looking troubled, Mi Zhao hesitated—too many details were inconvenient to share. He vaguely explained that they had met at a villa over the summer and became familiar with each other after seeing each other frequently.

He kept it short, but He Linfang was thoroughly entertained.

Even Mi Bin, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around and asked, “Are you close with Mr. Li? Even his assistant recognizes you.”

Feeling guilty, Mi Zhao shrank into his seat. “Uh… sort of.”

Mi Bin continued, “Then do you know he has a boyfriend?”

Mi Zhao was stunned. “Huh? How do you know he has a boyfriend?”

“He said so himself,” He Linfang replied, resting her chin on her hand. “But it seems like they had a fight recently. He used to be on his phone a lot, always making calls, but now when we see him, he doesn’t even touch it.”

Recently…

That was probably when they were giving each other the cold shoulder.

Mi Zhao clenched his fingers and pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth to suppress the sourness in his heart. He shook his head and said, “I don’t really know. We don’t talk much about personal matters.”

Mi Bin responded with a simple “Oh,” sounding a little disappointed.

The taxi pulled up outside their apartment complex. After saying goodbye to his parents, Mi Zhao remained in the car, and the driver continued toward A University.

Sitting in the backseat, Mi Zhao fiddled with his phone for a while before suddenly looking up and saying, “Sir, could you take me back to the hospital we just left?”

Outside, the sky had already darkened.

Li Sipei stared out the window in silence for a long time before turning to Ruan Xin. “Make the arrangements. I’m going home tonight.”

Ruan Xin, who had been drowsing on the couch after a tiring few hours, instantly snapped awake. She quickly got up. “Tonight? But the doctor said since your injury is on your leg, you should stay for observation.”

Li Sipei had already pulled back the blanket and sat up. “I’m fine.”

“But, Third Master—”

He shot her a look.

“…”

It was as if an invisible hand had gripped her throat, cutting off her words. After a moment of silence, she said, “Alright, I’ll make the arrangements now.”

However, handling the discharge paperwork and arranging transportation would take time. Li Sipei had no intention of just sitting in bed while he waited. He leaned against the headboard, reached for his phone by the pillow, and opened WeChat.

His chat history with Mi Zhao had stopped a month ago.

He tapped the input box, his thumb hovering over the screen.

He wanted to say something—maybe ask if Mi Zhao had seen his parents off, or if he had arrived at school safely…

Or—

Ask what that kiss in the restroom meant.

That was what he wanted to ask the most.

But after hesitating for a long time, he glanced at the last message timestamp. Frustration flared up again, and he turned off his phone with a cold expression, tossing it back onto the pillow.

Just then, from the hallway outside the half-open door, Ruan Xin’s surprised voice rang out. “Xiao Mi? What are you doing back here? Did you forget something?”

Mi Zhao sounded slightly out of breath, as if he had rushed over. “Where’s Li Sipei?”

By now, Ruan Xin was used to Mi Zhao calling their Third Master by name. Keeping a calm expression, she replied, “He’s inside.”

As she spoke, she turned and pushed the door open slightly. “Third Master, Xiao Mi—”

She abruptly paused.

Mi Zhao peeked inside and quickly lowered his voice. “Is he asleep?”

“…”

Ruan Xin looked at the man in the hospital bed, who had somehow already entered “sleep mode.”

Just a minute ago, he had been wide awake!