Chapter 56

The moment Li Yan heard Mi Zhao’s name, it felt as if something had slammed into him. His face instantly turned pale.

Without thinking, he said, “Impossible!”

“How is it impossible?” Lin Qiuzu caught every bit of Li Yan’s unusual reaction, which only made him more irritated. He sat up and grabbed Li Yan’s hand. “He’s hated me for a long time. Maybe he found out I talked about him behind his back and is using this to get back at me.”

Li Yan shook off his hand. “I said it’s impossible.”

Lin Qiuzu’s expression gradually turned cold. “You trust his character that much?”

Li Yan ruffled his hair in frustration. “It has nothing to do with character. And if we’re talking about character, he’s just not that kind of person. I know him.”

Those last four words pierced Lin Qiuzu’s heart like a needle. He stared blankly at Li Yan for a long time, as if he no longer recognized him.

Compared to the bruises on his face and body, Li Yan’s reaction hurt him even more. It was as if a hole had been torn open in his heart, letting in the cold wind, making him shiver all over.

What was he even after?

For nearly half a year, he had been entangled with Li Yan, abandoned a whole sea of potential partners for him, and even given him quite a bit of money. And yet, this was the outcome.

Li Yan still couldn’t forget Mi Zhao.

Here he was, lying in a hospital bed, bruised and battered, but Li Yan wouldn’t even consider the possibility that Mi Zhao was behind it.

“You’re really pathetic. He’s already got a new boyfriend, and you still can’t let him go.” Lin Qiuzu’s anger surged as he mocked, “Do you think acting all devoted is going to make him come back to you? Wake up. If he still had feelings for you, he would’ve gotten back with you already. Why would he need a new man?”

Something in Li Yan’s expression suddenly darkened. “Don’t talk to me about this.”

Lin Qiuzu was startled by how quickly Li Yan’s mood shifted. After a brief moment of composure, he sneered, “Jealous?”

“If you don’t want this to get even uglier, then let it go. And from now on, stay far away from Mi Zhao.” Li Yan fixed his gaze on Lin Qiuzu, his voice low and warning. “Right now, what’s most important is clearing up our relationship. If my parents hear any rumors about me, neither of us will have a good time.”

Lin Qiuzu’s eyes widened, his breath coming in angry huffs. “You want me to avoid him? Why should I?”

Li Yan’s voice was ice-cold. “Because you can’t afford to provoke him.”

Lin Qiuzu scoffed. “What, are you going to start protecting him now?”

“The one protecting him isn’t me—”

Before Li Yan could finish, his phone rang abruptly.

He glanced at the screen, and his face immediately changed.

Realizing there might be others outside the infirmary, he hesitated for a moment before answering in place. “Mom.”

Li Tianqing’s voice came from the other end. “Son, are you at the hospital yet? Have you seen your uncle?”

“Not yet, I’m on my way.” Li Yan lied smoothly without a flicker of hesitation.

“Hurry up. By noon, your uncles and aunts will probably be there too,” Li Tianqing said. “I also heard that the old lady is back. If you’re lucky, you might run into her.”

Li Yan lowered his eyes, his emotions unreadable. “Got it.”

After hanging up, he didn’t waste any more words with Lin Qiuzu. He simply reiterated, “Figure out a way to clear up our relationship. I don’t want to hear any bad rumors about me.”

The infirmary was silent. Even though Li Yan hadn’t put the call on speaker, Li Tianqing’s voice had been loud enough that Lin Qiuzu still managed to catch a few key words.

A glint flashed through his eyes, and he quickly grabbed the hem of Li Yan’s shirt. “I heard from my dad that your uncle can walk again. Is that true?”

Li Yan turned to him. “Why do you care?”

“I’m just asking.” Lin Qiuzu urged, “Is it true? He doesn’t need a wheelchair anymore?”

Li Yan swatted his hand away, clearly annoyed. “None of your damn business.”

Lin Qiuzu sat up straight, watching coldly as Li Yan walked out of the infirmary without looking back. His heart felt cold inside, but at the same time, a certain face slowly surfaced in his mind—Li Sipei’s.

He knew Li Sipei had never been in a relationship. Back in the summer, he had even tried to seduce him once, but Li Sipei had shown him no mercy. The price he paid for that attempt had been steep, and to this day, the relationship between his parents and the Li Yan’s family remained strained.

Back then, although he had been tempted by Li Sipei’s status and wealth, the fact that he was disabled, wheelchair-bound, and in need of care had made him give up after hitting a wall.

But things were different now.

Li Sipei could walk again.

Once he fully regained his strength, the entire Li family would be his. Even if he didn’t want it, Pei Yu would do everything in his power to turn it into his stepping stone.

At that point, neither Li Yan nor Mi Zhao’s new boyfriend would even be worth a fraction of what Li Sipei was.

Just a measly 200,000 yuan in sponsorship had been enough to get the Publicity Club talking about him for so long. And that was just 200,000.

Li Sipei could easily throw out two million.

As Lin Qiuzu thought about this, he suddenly chuckled to himself. Staring at the now-closed door, he muttered, “Fine, I won’t mess with Mi Zhao. But no one said I couldn’t go after someone else.”

—

Mi Zhao woke up once before dawn.

Li Sipei was still asleep, resting quietly beside him with his face buried in Mi Zhao’s neck. His steady breaths tickled his skin.

Shrinking his neck slightly, Mi Zhao gently moved Li Sipei’s arm from around his waist and carefully got out of bed.

After washing up, he opened the door to check outside.

He had meant to see if Ruan Xin had arrived yet, but to his surprise, she was already sitting on a bench in the hallway with her arms crossed. She looked like she had been there all night. The moment she heard movement, she snapped out of her drowsy state and stood up.

“Third Ma— eh?”

Mi Zhao gave an awkward smile. “Good morning, Sister.”

“…You…” Ruan Xin’s stunned gaze swept over him from head to toe, pausing on his bright red thermal underwear. “You didn’t go home last night?”

Mi Zhao shook his head.

Realization dawned on Ruan Xin. Now she understood why Li Zhixuan had reacted so strangely last night.

As a girl, her face reddened slightly. “You should go back inside. It’s freezing out here, and the heating isn’t on yet.”

“Sister, you should go rest. I’ll take care of him.” Mi Zhao said. He had originally planned to leave soon, but seeing the exhaustion in Ruan Xin’s bloodshot eyes, he decided to ask his teacher for leave instead. Fortunately, the morning classes weren’t important, so taking a day off would be easy.

Ruan Xin was indeed exhausted. “Thanks. I’ll order breakfast in a bit—it should arrive in about half an hour. Remember to get it.”

“Got it.”

Back in the hospital room, Mi Zhao was chilled from the cold outside.

Afraid of freezing Li Sipei, he didn’t get back into bed right away. Instead, he stood by the bed, waiting for the warmth to return to his body.

Then, the covers suddenly lifted.

Li Sipei had woken up at some point. “Get in.”

Mi Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. He climbed back into bed and wrapped himself in the blankets with Li Sipei. Hugging his waist, he nuzzled his face against his chest. “It’s so cold outside. Sister Ruan Xin looks like she sat out there all night.”

“Mm.” Li Sipei had clearly heard the conversation earlier. “Has she left?”

“She left. She said breakfast will be delivered in half an hour.”

Mi Zhao planned to get up in ten minutes, but the bed was too warm, and there was someone to hold inside the blanket. He closed his eyes, and sleepiness quickly took over.

Li Sipei gently patted his back. “If you want to sleep, just sleep a little longer.”

Mi Zhao was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open. He mumbled, “Then the breakfast…”

“I’ll have them leave it on the table.”

Mi Zhao drowsily responded with an “Okay,” and, hugging Li Sipei, drifted back to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he had slept when he vaguely sensed someone entering and leaving the hospital room. He wanted to open his eyes and take a look, but before he could, Li Sipei pressed him down and gently stroked his shoulder.

He was too exhausted, so he fell back asleep.

Li Sipei’s hand moved from his shoulder to his face, fingertips lightly touching his cheek like feathers. Not long after, the touch was replaced by a pair of soft lips.

The kisses, as delicate as raindrops, traveled across his face— from the center of his brows to the tip of his nose, from his nose to his lips, and from his lips down to his neck.

Going lower and lower.

Mi Zhao loved being kissed like this by Li Sipei. He felt so comfortable that he couldn’t help but hum softly. Instinctively, he wanted to lift his hand to wrap around Li Sipei’s neck, but before he could, his hand was pinned down.

Li Sipei’s movements were a bit rough. He intertwined their fingers, pinning Mi Zhao’s hands above his head.

“Li—” Mi Zhao had just spoken when he suddenly felt a bite on the tip of his nose. He gasped from the pain. “Li Sipei, why are you biting me?”

Li Sipei ground his teeth against the tip of Mi Zhao’s nose for a moment before letting go. His gaze was deep as he stared down at him. “Yesterday afternoon, you clearly saw me at the restaurant, yet you hid under the table.”

Mi Zhao: ”……”

This familiar situation again— bringing up past grievances.

Mi Zhao could even guess what was going through Li Sipei’s mind. He was probably remembering what had happened while kissing him, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

“I wasn’t…” His voice trailed off. He swallowed back the words of explanation and instead changed his approach, speaking in a sincere tone, “I was wrong. I won’t hide from you anymore.”

Li Sipei was silent for a long time before letting out a soft snort.

Mi Zhao quietly sighed in relief. Just as he was about to celebrate surviving this ordeal—

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Li Sipei’s face suddenly zooming in.

Then—

The pain shifted from his nose to his right cheek.

Mi Zhao: ”……”

When was Li Sipei ever going to stop this habit of biting people?

—

Li Yan lingered outside the hospital for nearly half an hour before finally gathering the courage to walk in.

The Li family was the largest shareholder of this private hospital. After giving his name at the front desk, the nurse enthusiastically directed him to the right place.

Taking the elevator up to the fourth floor, he counted the room numbers as he walked.

Unexpectedly, the door to Li Sipei’s hospital room was already open. A few nurses stood outside. When they saw him approaching, they quickly stepped aside.

Li Yan didn’t have the courage to walk straight in. He hesitated at the doorway, cautiously peeking inside.

In the spacious hospital room, two doctors and three or four nurses were gathered around the hospital bed.

“The recovery is going well. You should be able to leave the hospital in four or five days. Just be more careful in the future and try to avoid injuring your leg again,” the leading doctor reminded.

It was unclear whether Li Sipei was paying attention or not. After a long pause, he simply replied, “Understood.”

After finishing the check-up, the doctor prepared to leave. As he turned around, he met Li Yan’s eyes, who was nervously peeking from the doorway.

Only then did Li Yan realize that the “doctor” leading the group wasn’t just any doctor— he was the hospital’s director.

The director’s expression immediately shifted, his polite smile vanishing as he turned icy. He walked over and said coldly, “Young Master, the patient needs rest. Now is not a good time for visitors.”

Li Yan could hear the unspoken message behind the director’s words— he was being told to leave. But if he really left like this, his parents would nag him to death when he got home.

“Uncle!” Li Yan raised his voice, calling out. “Uncle, can I come in?”

Li Sipei did not respond.

The director frowned and spoke impatiently. “Why won’t you listen?”

He was about to signal the nurses to escort Li Yan out when, at that moment, Li Sipei’s voice rang out.

“Uncle Liu, let him in.”

The director hesitated for a moment before withdrawing his hand, his face expressionless. “Go ahead.”

Sweat had broken out on Li Yan’s back. He quickly slipped into the room, and behind him, there was a soft click— the director had closed the door.

For a moment, the only people in the hospital room were him and Li Sipei, who was sitting in a chair with a cast on his leg.

Wait.

There was someone else.

Li Yan turned in surprise toward the hospital bed— there was actually someone sleeping on it.