Chapter 78

Mi Zhao had imagined countless scenarios for his first conversation with Madam Li, but he had never expected it to be an international call while they were in different countries.

When the call connected, his heart pounded. He carefully called out, “Auntie.”

“Hello, Mi Zhao,” Madam Li responded politely.

Her voice didn’t match her actual age—it sounded at most in her forties or fifties. It also didn’t align with the sharp and difficult personality the rumors suggested. Instead, like Li Sipei, her tone was warm and gentle, making her seem easy to talk to.

Nervously holding his phone on speaker, Mi Zhao glanced to the side and saw that Li Sipei had actually laid back down on the bed, looking like he was about to take a nap.

His expression darkened, and without a word, he kicked Li Sipei in the side of his waist.

At the same time, he politely addressed the caller, “Aunt Pei.”

Li Sipei opened his eyes and looked at him.

Glaring back, Mi Zhao motioned toward the phone with his lips and tried to pull him upright.

“Did my sudden request startle you?” Pei Yu chuckled. “I’ve actually wanted to meet you for a long time, but I’ve been too busy with work to find the time. Now that I finally have a break, you two are abroad, so I could only reach out like this.”

“No, not at all,” Mi Zhao hurriedly said while pulling Li Sipei to sit up straight beside him. He shot him another glare, warning him not to lie down again, then quickly added, “I should have reached out to you first, Aunt Pei. I’m sorry to have made you bring it up.”

After speaking, he switched the phone to speaker mode.

Li Sipei didn’t seem to take this call too seriously. He leaned back against the headboard, spreading out his long legs, then reached over to pull Mi Zhao into his arms.

At first, Mi Zhao didn’t want to cooperate, but since Li Sipei refused to let go of his hand, they ended up in a silent standoff. Eventually, he relented.

That said…

Lying against Li Sipei was more comfortable than leaning on the headboard.

Although his face showed reluctance, he expertly adjusted himself to find the most comfortable position.

“What time is it over there?” Pei Yu asked.

Mi Zhao glanced at the clock. “It’s 6:30 PM.”

“Are you having fun?”

“Yeah, it’s fun,” Mi Zhao replied. “The scenery here is beautiful. Yesterday, we swam in the pool downstairs. After dinner, we’re planning to take a walk along the beach. Tomorrow, we’ll probably go sightseeing.”

He usually didn’t like sharing too many details about his plans with others—plans never kept up with changes, and if something got canceled, he’d have to explain why. Sometimes, that could even lead to bringing up personal topics he didn’t want to discuss. But since this was Li Sipei’s mother and their first conversation, he made an effort to say more.

Based on what he had read online about Pei Yu, he had assumed that someone of her status wouldn’t be interested in his daily life and would quickly change the subject.

To his surprise, Pei Yu seemed genuinely curious and even asked, “Which sightseeing spot are you visiting tomorrow?”

“…” Mi Zhao was momentarily stumped.

The past few days had been a blur of travel and, well… other activities in bed. He and Li Sipei had been living a thoroughly decadent, upside-down schedule. His brain felt sluggish—he could barely remember what he ate yesterday, let alone tomorrow’s plans.

A voice murmured near his ear, “Diving.”

“Oh, right!” Mi Zhao remembered. “We’re going diving. I just don’t know if Sipei’s body can handle it.”

Li Sipei pinched the soft flesh at his waist and reminded him, “The doctor said it’s fine.”

“But I still feel uneasy,” Mi Zhao muttered, pulling the phone away for a moment to look at him. “Your leg only just recovered. What if something happens while diving?”

Amused, Li Sipei smirked and shifted his grip, pinching his cheek instead. “First of all, my leg didn’t just recover—I only recently started walking normally again. Second, even if something were to happen, it wouldn’t be because of diving.”

I’m Im just worried about you, that’s all.

But Mi Zhao didn’t say that. He simply stared at Li Sipei with a blank expression.

Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Mi Zhao slapped his hand away. “Still pinching? You never get tired of it.”

Then, he brought the phone closer again.

Just as he was about to speak, Pei Yu suddenly burst into laughter.

Startled, Mi Zhao blinked in confusion and scratched his head.

She laughed heartily, genuinely amused. It took her a while to stop, and when she finally did, she remarked, “Your way of interacting with each other is completely different from what I imagined.”

After a brief pause, she added, “You’re quite fierce, aren’t you?”

“…”

Panic flashed across Mi Zhao’s face. He had no idea whether she meant that as a compliment or a criticism. Without thinking, he quickly explained, “Aunt Pei, I was just joking with him.”

Pei Yu chuckled. “It’s about time someone put him in his place. If not, he’ll become completely unruly.”

At that, Mi Zhao’s entire face turned red. He repeatedly jabbed his elbow into Li Sipei’s stomach, signaling him to say something.

But Li Sipei was stifling his laughter so hard that his whole body was trembling.

Then, Pei Yu suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“Oh, right. The reason I called is to ask if you’ll be free to come to our house for New Year’s dinner.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve already met with your parents, and they’ll be coming too. I just wanted to check if you’re available.”

“…”

“Since we’re going to be family from now on, we should at least meet properly, don’t you think?”

—

After the call ended, a knock sounded at the door.

Pei Yu quickly composed herself, set down her phone, and said, “Come in.”

The assistant cautiously turned the doorknob, only poking half of his body into the quiet room as he spoke in a measured tone. “Ms. Pei, the food downstairs is ready, and everyone is waiting.”

“Alright,” Pei Yu nodded.

The assistant closed the door again.

Pei Yu adjusted her appearance before picking up her phone and leaving the study.

Last month, her hectic work schedule finally came to an end. Returning to the Li family home, she intended to take a well-deserved break—or at least, that was the official reason. Only a few close individuals knew that she was actually trying to mend her relationship with her son.

When she had been away from the Li household, the family was led by Li Kejian and Li Tianqing. But now that she was back, their previously upright postures seemed to deflate instantly. The younger generation, who were studying abroad, were all urged to return home during the holidays.

Pei Yu walked down to the dining room and found the table fully occupied, with more than a dozen pairs of eyes turning toward her in unison.

Li Kejian was the first to speak. “Aunt, please have a seat.”

As Pei Yu took her seat at the head of the table, she scanned the people sitting before her. Aside from Li Sipei and two younger family members who were still abroad, the entire Li family was present.

The younger ones were afraid of her. Sharing a meal with her felt like attending a solemn ceremony—they barely dared to pick up their chopsticks. As long as she remained silent, the others would shrink back like quails, not even daring to lift their heads.

She found this kind of atmosphere just as tiresome.

She would much rather eat alone. Though solitude could be lonely, at least it spared her the headache of dealing with this.

Unconsciously, Pei Yu recalled the phone call from earlier. She wondered—if the people sitting at this table were her son and Mi Zhao instead, would she be happier?

Probably.

That boy Mi Zhao was much more likable than the younger members of this family.

With that thought, she furrowed her brows slightly, pausing for a moment before picking up her chopsticks. “It’s rare for you all to have a holiday. You should go out and enjoy yourselves instead of wasting your time here with an old woman like me. I don’t need so many people keeping me company.”

The group exchanged glances, trying to decipher her true intentions, but no one dared to speak first.

As the leader of the younger generation, Li Kejian naturally stepped forward in the midst of the silence. “Aunt, what do you mean? This is our home. Of course, we should come back during the holidays.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“Enough,” Pei Yu said impatiently. “If we’re family, let’s not beat around the bush. After this meal, go do whatever you need to do.”

Then she added, “Tianqing, the weather is nice today. Come take a walk with me after dinner.”

Li Tianqing was delighted. “Of course, Aunt!”

She had long wanted to get closer to Pei Yu, but the opportunity had been rare since Pei Yu barely spared her a glance. Now that she finally had the chance, she naturally wanted to bring her son along.

After dinner, Li Tianqing accompanied Pei Yu to a clothing store. She also dragged along Li Yan, who sat in the front passenger seat, looking troubled for some reason.

Pei Yu rarely visited stores in person. She had assistants who maintained connections with several luxury boutiques. Before new collections were officially released, store managers would personally bring both the clothes and models to Pei Yu’s residence. The models would walk back and forth, and Pei Yu would simply keep whatever she liked.

Today, she had come purely to get out of the house—and to have a private chat with Li Tianqing.

They browsed the men’s section, and Pei Yu did not ask the store manager to clear the shop. Besides them, a few other customers were browsing.

Pei Yu picked out an outfit and handed it to Li Yan to try on.

When he came out, she straightened his clothes while casually saying to Li Tianqing, “Make good preparations for this New Year—Sipei is bringing someone home.”

A simple statement, but it landed like a tornado in Li Tianqing’s mind. She was stunned for a long moment, thinking she had misheard.

Only when Pei Yu turned to look at her did she finally react.

She blinked rapidly. “S-Sipei is in a relationship?”

“Mhm.” Pei Yu knew that telling Li Tianqing was equivalent to telling the entire Li family. That was exactly what she wanted. “They’ve been together for a while. Right now, they’re on vacation abroad.”

Li Tianqing was shocked. She instinctively glanced at her son, only to find that Li Yan’s reaction was even more exaggerated—his face had visibly turned pale, as if he had just suffered a major blow.

To be fair, anyone would be surprised by this news.

Li Sipei had been single for over thirty years. After Li Da’s passing, he had never truly recovered, and everyone assumed he would remain alone for the rest of his life…

Whoever this girl was, she must be incredibly capable to have won over someone as difficult as Li Sipei.

After a moment of astonishment, Li Tianqing noticed that her son’s expression was still dark. She took the chance to nudge him with her elbow.

Li Yan snapped out of his daze and stared at her blankly.

She shot him a sharp glare.

Before long, Pei Yu picked out a few more outfits and had Li Yan try them on one by one.

While waiting, Li Tianqing couldn’t resist prying. “So, do you know anything about Sipei’s girlfriend?”

Unfortunately, Pei Yu brushed her off. She only said that the person was hardworking and had a good personality. “You’ll know when you meet him.”

Li Tianqing was dying of curiosity.

Unable to get any answers, she sneaked over to the fitting room to ask her son.

“You’ve been in touch with your uncle a few times, haven’t you? You even told me before that he might be dating someone. Do you know anything about this?”

Li Yan sat in the fitting room, his expression cold and distant. Of course, he knew. Not only did he know, but he knew everything.

Irritated, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled out his phone from his discarded clothes. Without looking up, he said, “Mom, just drop it.”

Li Tianqing frowned. “So you do know something?”

“I told you to drop it!” Li Yan suddenly stood up, his voice rising. “What does it matter to you? Why are you so nosy?”

Startled by his outburst, Li Tianqing almost scolded him. But before she could, she saw his reddened eyes and heaving chest—he looked like an enraged bull. The anger rising in her own chest dissipated instantly.

“Fine, fine. I won’t ask. It’s not like I need to know,” she muttered and walked away.

Li Yan stood frozen for a moment. Then he turned on his phone and opened WeChat.

He had known about Li Sipei’s vacation plans just as early as Pei Yu—not because he had investigated Mi Zhao like she did, but because his uncle had been posting about Mi Zhao on social media non-stop for the past few days.

Casually refreshing his feed, he found another new post from Li Sipei, made just thirty minutes ago.

No caption. Just a rabbit emoji.

Attached were two photos.

Li Yan clenched his jaw and tapped on them.

In the pictures, Li Sipei and Mi Zhao were in a restaurant. Mi Zhao was focused on his salad, his black bangs covering his forehead and eyes. Only the tip of his nose and his puffed-up cheeks were visible.

He really did look like a rabbit.

Li Yan scrolled to the comment section. Still, no one from the Li family had liked or commented.

Something had felt off before, but he hadn’t thought too much about it.

Now, with Pei Yu’s confirmation, a realization struck him like lightning.

Forget the rest of the Li family—just his own fawning parents wouldn’t possibly ignore Li Sipei’s social media. Whenever his uncle posted, the whole family usually reacted as if the emperor himself had spoken.

There was only one explanation—

His uncle had set his posts to be visible only to him.

Li Yan: “……”