Chapter 60

There were no other cars on the road, just a few pedestrians scattered along the sidewalks. The headlights of the sports car swept past, briefly illuminating Mi Zhao as they passed over him.

Mi Zhao had originally planned to keep walking forward, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

Turning his head, he saw the sports car slowly approaching in his direction. Instead of continuing on, he simply stepped to the side of the road.

There was no snowfall today, yet the temperature was even lower than the past few days. He had wrapped himself in a thick cashmere scarf, covering his face so that only his eyes were visible. In his hand, he carried a paper bag, staring coldly at the sports car that was drawing closer and closer.

Before long, the car pulled up in front of him.

The passenger-side window rolled down slowly, revealing Lin Qiuzu in the driver’s seat. One hand resting on the steering wheel, he turned his head and asked, “Out so late?”

Mi Zhao and Lin Qiuzu weren’t exactly on friendly terms. In fact, it was already a show of restraint if they didn’t roll their eyes at each other when they met. In the past, Lin Qiuzu would never have taken the initiative to talk to him.

Narrowing his eyes, Mi Zhao scrutinized Lin Qiuzu for a moment. Tonight, he looked especially lively, even taking the time to style his hair.

To be fair, Lin Qiuzu was quite easy on the eyes when he put effort into his appearance. He knew his body and features well, understanding exactly how to highlight his strengths and downplay his flaws.

“Aren’t you out too? Even brought your sports car along.” Mi Zhao slung the paper bag over his arm, shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and looked at Lin Qiuzu with a half-smile. “Didn’t you lend your car to Li Yan? You’re getting it back so soon?”

At those words, Lin Qiuzu’s expression darkened.

This bastard really knows how to hit where it hurts.

Mi Zhao clearly knew that he and Li Yan had been at odds lately because of some rumors, yet he deliberately brought Li Yan up just to make things difficult for him.

Lin Qiuzu had initially suspected that those rumors were spread by Mi Zhao, but as the gossip continued to circulate, Mi Zhao himself got dragged into it as well.

Following the trail, Lin Qiuzu eventually traced the source back to Yu Xingteng.

In other words, Mi Zhao hadn’t been scheming against him behind his back.

Realizing this, Lin Qiuzu calmed down slightly and forced a bright, signature smile. “The car was supposed to be back a long time ago. I’m heading out for something. Where are you going? If it’s on the way, I’ll give you a ride.”

Mi Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

Only an idiot would turn down a free ride.

From here to the subway station, he’d have to endure the freezing wind, and even if he made it to the train, there was no guarantee he’d find a seat. There was no need to hesitate—he opened the car door and slipped into the passenger seat with practiced ease.

Lin Qiuzu hadn’t expected him to accept so casually. It wasn’t until Mi Zhao had fastened his seatbelt that he snapped out of it. “Wait, I don’t even know where you’re going—”

“Longwan Residential Complex,” Mi Zhao said. “Thanks in advance.”

“…Longwan?” Lin Qiuzu was momentarily stunned.

Mi Zhao shot him a sideways glance. “I already have my seatbelt on. You’re not going to invite me in just to kick me out, are you?”

Lin Qiuzu had originally wanted to say something, but Mi Zhao’s utterly self-assured attitude left him speechless. He gritted his teeth, face stiff, and started the car.

After a while, he muttered, “I never realized you had such thick skin.”

“I’m not thick-skinned with just anyone.” Mi Zhao didn’t care what Lin Qiuzu thought of him—he simply smiled and said, “It’s only with you that I have to be, or else I’d get crushed under your shamelessness.”

“…”

Lin Qiuzu’s face turned livid, and the car jerked slightly. “Mi Zhao!”

Leaning back comfortably, Mi Zhao placed the paper bag on his lap and crossed his arms. He turned his gaze to the road ahead, his voice ice-cold. “Lin Qiuzu, I don’t care what kind of game you’re playing. Whether you hated me before or are being friendly now, I’ve never done anything to wrong you. Meanwhile, I don’t even know how many shady tricks you pulled behind my back, and I never bothered holding it against you. So from now on, let’s just go our separate ways. You don’t mess with me, and I won’t mess with you.”

Lin Qiuzu gripped the steering wheel stiffly.

Mi Zhao turned to him. “Can you do that?”

There was a long silence before Lin Qiuzu suddenly let out a strange laugh. “Seems like you and your new boyfriend are doing well. You don’t even care about Li Yan anymore.”

Mi Zhao’s face remained expressionless. “If you like him so much, I’ll leave him to you.”

“I don’t like him.” Lin Qiuzu kept his eyes on the road, his voice calm. “I just wanted to get back at you by stealing your boyfriend.”

Truly shameless. He could actually say that out loud.

Mi Zhao’s expression cooled further, but his tone remained steady. “Lin Qiuzu, do you know the biggest problem with blindly following trends?”

Before Lin Qiuzu could answer, he continued, “Just because I have something, you want to take it—but you didn’t even get to know him first. You never spent time with him. So when you finally got what you wanted, you realized he came with a ton of issues you couldn’t handle.”

Lin Qiuzu’s gaze flicked over from the corner of his eye.

Mi Zhao caught it and smirked mockingly. “You must’ve spent quite a bit of money on him over these past few months.”

Lin Qiuzu’s expression darkened instantly.

“He’s hot-tempered, self-centered, emotionally unstable, and constantly draining to be around. Back when I was with him, he dragged me down all the time.” Mi Zhao’s smile deepened—this time, a genuine one. “I should thank you, actually. If you hadn’t taken him off my hands, I wouldn’t have realized how many better men were out there.”

Mi Zhao was in high spirits, but Lin Qiuzu’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, veins faintly visible on the back of his hand as if he were about to crush it.

After a long pause, Lin Qiuzu chuckled. “The fact that I let you in my car should tell you that things between me and Li Yan are already over. Let’s put all that past unpleasantness behind us. From now on, we’ll both go our own way.”

Then, as if trying to salvage some dignity, he added casually, “Besides, if it weren’t for my misunderstandings with you, I wouldn’t have even given Li Yan a second glance. I already have someone I like.”

Mi Zhao wasn’t surprised by this.

There was a bouquet of flowers and a beautifully wrapped gift in the back seat. If it wasn’t for someone he liked, Lin Qiuzu wouldn’t have put in this much effort.

I just don’t know who’s unlucky enough to have caught Lin Qiuzu’s eye.

—

There were no parking spots outside Longwan Community, so Lin Qiuzu had to drive into the underground garage. Mi Zhao didn’t go with him and got out at the entrance.

As he entered the community, it finally dawned on him—what a coincidence.

The person Lin Qiuzu liked actually lived in Longwan Community as well. Judging by how familiar Lin Qiuzu was with driving into the garage, he must have come here quite often. Hopefully, they wouldn’t run into each other in the future.

After exiting the elevator, Mi Zhao arrived at the door and tried unlocking it with his fingerprint.

To his surprise, the security door beeped and opened right away.

The fingerprint was recorded before his cold war with Li Sipei. He had thought Li Sipei would have deleted it and changed the passcode too.

As he pushed the door open, warm air rushed to his face.

Mi Zhao rummaged through the cabinet for his own slippers, changed into them with ease, and neatly placed his shoes aside. While walking inside, he removed his scarf and tossed it onto the sofa along with the bag he was carrying.

Li Sipei wasn’t in the living room.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and the lights were off inside. Mi Zhao gently pushed the door open, allowing the hallway light to spill through the widening gap, illuminating a small area near the entrance.

Peering inside, he saw a lump beneath the covers on the bed.

Mi Zhao: “…”

This guy knew he was coming over, and he still went to sleep?

Despite his thoughts, he unconsciously slowed his steps as he approached. But when he got closer, he realized—Li Sipei was actually awake, staring at him coldly and silently.

Mi Zhao doubted his own eyes, so he knelt on the floor, leaned on the bed, and moved in closer to check.

He really was awake!

Mi Zhao reached out and switched on the bedside lamp, then straightened up abruptly. “You’re awake? Then why are you lying in bed with the lights off?”

Li Sipei gave him a long look, then slowly closed his eyes. “Because I’m going to sleep.”

Mi Zhao was instantly annoyed and grabbed his blanket. “It’s not even nine yet. When have you ever gone to bed this early?”

Li Sipei didn’t even bother opening his eyes, gripping the blanket as he wrestled with Mi Zhao. “Before I met you, I went to bed at eight or nine.”

“After you met me, I haven’t seen you sleep before two in the morning.” Seeing that Li Sipei wouldn’t budge, Mi Zhao had no choice but to let go.

At the same time, something clicked in his mind—

This guy seemed to be upset again.

The problem was, he had no idea what he was upset about this time.

Mi Zhao carefully replayed everything that happened today, racking his brain, but still couldn’t figure out what had provoked this temperamental prince.

With no answers, he decided to change his clothes first. His pajamas were still in their usual spot in the wardrobe. After changing, he took out his phone and sent Yan Qinting a quick message to let him know he was safe.

Just as he was about to put his phone away, his eyes landed on the pinned chat at the top of his messages—the one with Li Sipei.

He had declined Li Sipei’s video call request.

Mi Zhao: “…”

Ah…

Now he knew the reason.

Holding his phone stiffly for a few seconds, he let out a sigh.

So Li Sipei had been holding this grudge for almost two hours, just waiting for him to come over.

He put on his pajamas and went to the study, rummaging around until he found a backup oil pencil and sketchbook. Then he returned to the bedroom, turned on the light, and sat on the sofa facing Li Sipei.

Originally, Li Sipei was lying on his side, facing him. But when he heard the movement, he wordlessly shifted to lie on his back.

Mi Zhao thought, As expected.

After dealing with Li Sipei’s frequent temper tantrums, he had developed an incredibly sharp instinct. The moment Li Sipei so much as furrowed his brow, he could tell whether the guy was in a bad mood.

“Don’t move,” Mi Zhao said deliberately. “I’m going to start drawing.”

Li Sipei’s expression remained unchanged, but his brows slowly knitted together.

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Mi Zhao found the right angle and started sketching, the oil pencil making soft shh-shh-shh sounds against the paper.

As the scratching sounds grew louder, Li Sipei’s frown deepened.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and opened his eyes, turning his head—only to see that at some point, Mi Zhao had left the sofa and was now lying on the edge of the bed, sketching.

Mi Zhao looked extremely focused. His bangs drooped over his forehead, shading his thick eyelashes, revealing only the high bridge of his nose and his slightly pursed lips.

His skin was fair, with a hint of rosiness on his cheeks. His long, slender fingers gripped the oil pencil tightly, fingertips slightly reddened from the pressure.

Li Sipei’s gaze first lingered on Mi Zhao’s face, then on his hands for a few seconds, before finally landing on the sketchbook resting near his shoulder.

With just one glance, his face instantly darkened.

The person in the sketch?

It wasn’t him at all.

It was some guy he had absolutely no impression of.