Chapter 67

The night before Li Sipei’s birthday arrived in the blink of an eye.

He Linfang specifically called to ask whether Mi Zhao would be attending Li Sipei’s birthday banquet. Of course, Mi Zhao was going, but he wouldn’t be going with the couple.

“You two go your way, and I’ll go mine,” Mi Zhao said.

In the past, He Linfang would have scolded him for that, but ever since she found out about her son’s relationship with Li Sipei, she no longer found it inappropriate. After all, if Li Sipei didn’t mind, what was there for her to mind?

“Do you have formal attire?” He Linfang changed the subject. “There’s still time to buy a set. Your dad and I can go with you.”

“I’m not wearing formal attire.” Mi Zhao chuckled. “It’s not a business event. Why would I need formalwear?”

“Then what will you wear?”

Mi Zhao thought for a moment and replied, “I’ll just wear what I normally wear.”

“…” He Linfang was speechless. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but after a brief struggle, she swallowed her words. “Forget it, do as you like.”

After hanging up, Mi Zhao took a shower and lay down on his bed.

From across the room, Yan Qinting suddenly asked, “So your parents are okay with you two being together now?”

Mi Zhao picked up his phone, held it above his face, and scrolled through it. “My parents never really controlled me much. As long as I’ve made up my mind about something, they don’t interfere too much.”

His mother used to say she didn’t like his boyfriend and told him to break up, but she never actually pressured him—she just liked to nag.

His parents had many flaws—vain and penny-pinching—but when it came to him, their son, they had no complaints. Even though they had been absent for much of his childhood while making money, they had always respected and understood his choices, whether it was studying art or liking boys.

Mi Zhao never considered himself a perfect child, so the fact that his parents had been able to do this much for him made him truly grateful.

Having been Mi Zhao’s classmate and roommate for more than two years, Yan Qinting was fairly familiar with his family situation. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Good thing you broke up with Li Yan. Otherwise, just coming out to his parents would’ve been a nightmare.”

Mi Zhao had heard Yan Qinting mention Li Yan’s parents before but hadn’t paid much attention. Now, realizing that Li Yan and Li Sipei shared the same surname, he became curious. “Were Li Yan’s parents really that strict?”

“Strict? That’s an understatement.” Yan Qinting rolled onto his side, his tone exaggerated. “Li Yan may not be some big shot, but he’s still the eldest grandson of the Li family. Even if that title isn’t worth much, his parents take it seriously. They’re definitely expecting him to have a son one day. If they ever found out he was gay, they’d break his legs.”

Mi Zhao was stunned, suddenly understanding why Li Yan had such a selfish and self-centered personality—he had probably been suppressing himself in his family for too long.

“What about Li Sipei?” Mi Zhao had clearly started treating Yan Qinting like a human encyclopedia. “Does the Li matriarch control him strictly too?”

Yan Qinting smirked without humor. “You’re asking me about your own boyfriend?”

Mi Zhao scratched his head. “I haven’t met the her before, you know.”

“She’s the head of the family. Do you think she got there by being soft?” Yan Qinting shot back.

Mi Zhao was momentarily at a loss for words, visibly deflating.

Seeing this, Yan Qinting reassured him, “But don’t worry. Your boyfriend isn’t soft either. With his age and experience, never mind liking men—he could say he was in love with a dog, and the Li matriarch wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.”

“…” Mi Zhao was torn between laughter and outrage. He grabbed his pillow and threw it at Yan Qinting. “You’re the dog!”

“I was comforting you! And you throw a pillow at me?”

“You deserve it.”

—

A few seconds before midnight, Mi Zhao was so excited that he was nearly out of breath. The dormitory lights had long been turned off, leaving only the pale glow of his phone screen illuminating his face.

He copied and pasted a pre-typed message into the chatbox. The moment the clock hit 12:00, he hit send.

[mrz: Hubby, happy birthday! I hope I can be by your side for every birthday from now on =3=]

His eyes fixated on the word “Hubby.”

For some reason, calling it out in Li Sipei’s ear before didn’t feel embarrassing, but now, just looking at it made his scalp tingle.

He shifted into a side-lying position, curled his knees up, and clenched his toes tightly.

His palms grew sweaty from gripping his phone.

As always, Li Sipei replied instantly.

[Xiao Li: Okay.]

After a moment, another message arrived.

[Xiao Li: It’s late. Go to sleep.]

Mi Zhao’s thumb hovered over the screen, lingering over the “video call” button.

He suddenly had the urge to press it, but the dormitory lights were off, and Yan Qinting was still sleeping across from him—it just wasn’t convenient.

He sighed and sent a goodnight message instead.

Perhaps it was because he had been sleeping with Li Sipei more often lately, but now that he was alone, he found it hard to fall asleep.

Mi Zhao tossed and turned in bed, feeling as if something was missing in his arms.

Across from him, Yan Qinting was already fast asleep, hugging the pillow Mi Zhao had thrown at him earlier.

Still half-dreaming, he suddenly felt a force yank his pillow away.

Startled awake, Yan Qinting bolted upright and rubbed his eyes, only to see a shadowy figure standing silently beside his bed.

“Mi Zhao?” He squinted at the blurry outline of Mi Zhao, then at his hand gripping the corner of the pillow. “What the hell are you doing up in the middle of the night?”

Mi Zhao guiltily said, “I’m just taking my pillow.”

“…” Yan Qinting, thoroughly exasperated, shoved the pillow into Mi Zhao’s arms. “Are you out of your mind?”

Holding the pillow, Mi Zhao returned to bed and clamped it between his legs. But even with it in his arms, he still couldn’t fall asleep. The pillow was too soft—it felt completely different from hugging Li Sipei.

After all, Li Sipei was a living person. How could a soft pillow ever compare?

Tossing and turning for a while, Mi Zhao finally lost patience and grabbed his phone from the bedside.

He opened his chat with Li Sipei.

[mrz: Do you want to live together?]

[mrz: I mean, I’ll move out of the dorm, and you move out of your friend’s place. We can find a new apartment and live together.]

[mrz: Basically, cohabiting.]

[mrz: Are you willing?]

After firing off four messages in one breath, Mi Zhao’s heart pounded wildly. He quickly turned off his phone screen and pressed the device against his chest, feeling the rapid rise and fall of his breathing.

From the other bed, Yan Qinting had already fallen back asleep, his breathing steady and even.

Meanwhile, whatever sleepiness Mi Zhao had left vanished completely. His hands were clasped over his phone, the back of the device warming up as if igniting a fire in his chest.

He closed his eyes.

And started counting the seconds.

After about half a minute, he picked up his phone and turned on the screen.

[Xiao Li: Okay.]

Mi Zhao instantly held his breath.

A long moment passed before he slowly exhaled.

Unfortunately, poor Yan Qinting had barely drifted off again when he was startled awake by rustling noises—like a rat scurrying inside a wardrobe.

He opened his eyes and turned his head, only to see Mi Zhao holding a broom, doing something he couldn’t quite figure out.

“Mi Zhao?” Yan Qinting sat up in disbelief, rubbing his eyes. He thought he might be hallucinating. “What the hell are you doing now?”

Mi Zhao turned around, his tone lighthearted. “Oh, the dorm was dirty, so I’m cleaning up.”

“…” Yan Qinting nearly lost his mind. “You really are insane!”

—

Meanwhile, across town, Li Zhixuan had been sleeping soundly when his phone suddenly rang.

“Find me an apartment. One that I can move into right away.”

“…”

Li Zhixuan was stunned for a long moment. He pulled the phone away from his ear, glanced at the caller ID, then brought it back to listen again. Hesitantly, he asked, “Third Master?”

“Mm.” Li Sipei’s voice was calm. “Still asleep?”

“…” Li Zhixuan’s eyes drifted to the clock on his bedside table.

3 AM.

At this hour, being dead asleep was perfectly normal, wasn’t it?

But no matter how much he wanted to complain, he didn’t dare. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he leaned back against the headboard. “Third Master, are you looking for a place just for yourself?”

“Mm.”

“When do you want to move in?”

“As soon as possible.” Li Sipei paused for a moment before adding, “Preferably near A University.”

“…”

Alright, now Li Zhixuan understood exactly why their Third Master was suddenly looking for an apartment. Clearly, it was for that little boyfriend from A University.

And here he was, dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, only to be force-fed dog food.

After confirming some basic requirements, Li Zhixuan agreed to take care of it.

Just before hanging up, Li Sipei suddenly remembered something. “Oh, and one more thing.”

Li Zhixuan instinctively responded, “What else do you need, Third Master?”

“Make sure to inform my mom. You’re good at handling that.”

“…”

—

The consequence of Mi Zhao’s excitement keeping him up all night was that, the next morning, he woke up with two massive dark circles under his eyes.

On weekends, Yan Qinting was practically a corpse—he wouldn’t get out of bed unless absolutely necessary. So, before heading out, Mi Zhao went to the cafeteria to pack breakfast and lunch for him.

Still sprawled on his bed, Yan Qinting asked, “Are you seriously going?”

“Yeah.”

Mi Zhao changed into a loose-knit sweater and threw on an off-white puffer jacket, the color making his fair skin look almost snow-white. His dark eyes gleamed as he said, “I already made an appointment with the store manager.”

“Can’t you cancel it?”

“I could.” Mi Zhao turned his head and grinned. “But I don’t want to.”

Yan Qinting sighed, gripping the bed railing as he looked down at Mi Zhao, who was fixing his hair.

His hair was short, so a few quick swipes were enough to style it. Thanks to his good looks, no matter how his hair was done, he always caught people’s attention at first glance.

“Mi Zhao, have I ever told you that you’re totally love-brained?” Yan Qinting said.

Mi Zhao couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Clicking his tongue, Yan Qinting added, “Good thing you found someone even more love-brained than you. After everything that happened, Li Sipei still got back together with you. You two are really made for each other.”

Mi Zhao turned to glare at him. “Are you complimenting us or insulting us?”

“I’m marveling at the wonders of the world,” Yan Qinting replied with a grin. “There really is no limit to what’s possible!”

Expressionless, Mi Zhao grabbed the takeout bag from the table and walked toward the door.

Panicking, Yan Qinting shot up. “Bro, bro, bro! I was wrong! I won’t say another word! Just give me back my lunch!”