Chapter 86: Extra 3 Clingy When Sick

After going to the hospital for a check-up, there was nothing serious. The doctor said a few days of IV drips would be enough.

So, the three of them stayed with Mi Zhao at the hospital for his IV treatment.

They had lunch at a restaurant outside. Mi Zhao, feeling sick, had no energy, slouching like a wilted eggplant. As soon as his bottom hit the chair, his body slumped toward Li Sipei.

He Linfang looked at them with an expression of disdain, feeling embarrassed: “Stop leaning on him all the time.”

Mi Zhao clung to Li Sipei: “I just want to.”

He Linfang: “…”

She glanced at Li Sipei, whose expression was calm, with the corners of his mouth slightly curved but his gaze soft.

She sighed. Well, out of sight, out of mind.

In the afternoon, Mi Bin and He Linfang had to visit friends, so they couldn’t bring Mi Zhao and Li Sipei along. They told them to do their own thing, whether they rested at home or went out. Without the two elders around, the young couple could relax a bit.

Mi Zhao visibly perked up, sniffing and saying he wanted to show Li Sipei around the place where he had grown up.

They got off the car at the pedestrian street.

It was still bustling in the small county town on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Both sides of the pedestrian street were filled with stalls selling various snacks and toys. Mi Zhao, who had just eaten, wasn’t hungry, so he pulled Li Sipei ahead. Crossing a street, they arrived at the gate of the school he used to attend.

The students were on break, and looking through the gates, it seemed quite empty.

There was only one security guard in the guardhouse, drinking tea and looking at his phone. Mi Zhao peeked his head inside and said, “Brother, I used to study here. I brought a friend back this year. Can we go inside and have a look?”

The young security guard looked up, seeing that the person was a handsome young man, cleanly dressed and polite, unlike the mischievous kids who snuck into school during breaks. His response was polite: “Sorry, kid. There are rules here. During the break, no outsiders can enter, except for teachers and students with special reasons.”

“I’m not an outsider. I studied here. I graduated three years ago,” Mi Zhao laughed. “Brother, just help me out.”

As soon as Mi Zhao spoke, Li Sipei, who had been standing behind, walked up to the gate to take a look.

Li Sipei was wearing a black suit with a deep gray coat over it. His hair was unstyled, but his sharp features and deep eyes made him look like a leader sitting in a meeting, unapproachable when silent.

Even without saying a word, the security guard clearly paused.

Mi Zhao, seeing this, had an idea and pointed to Li Sipei: “My boss wants to go in for a quick tour. Can you give me a chance to impress him?”

The security guard hesitated and then changed his tone: “You graduated three years ago? Are you already working?”

“I’m almost in my senior year, interning.”

“Which school?”

“A University, studying fine arts.”

When the security guard heard “A University,” his attitude changed. He waved his hand: “Alright, go ahead, but just a quick walk around.”

“Thanks, brother.” Mi Zhao grinned, pulling Li Sipei along.

The security guard sat back down and continued looking at his phone. After a while, he stood up and walked to the door, scratching his head, muttering to himself, “Being eloquent is great. They can even fool people into thinking they’re a couple.”

Mi Zhao and Li Sipei walked a long way before stopping. Mi Zhao sneezed and then bumped Li Sipei’s arm. “You’re something else. You even fooled the school’s security.”

Li Sipei looked helpless.

Mi Zhao asked, “Should we go to the classroom or the playground first?”

Li Sipei thought for a moment: “Let’s go to your classroom.”

Mi Zhao grinned, “I was thinking the same.” After laughing, he sneezed again and rubbed his nose, not noticing how red the tip of his nose had gotten.

Li Sipei moved his hand away and gently touched Mi Zhao’s nose. “Still feeling unwell?”

“Why don’t you try?” Mi Zhao said, irritated, “Why did you lock the door yesterday? I came looking for you, and you locked me out.”

Li Sipei took his hand, entwining their fingers as they walked toward the teaching building. “Your mom made it clear. It was my first time at your house, so it wouldn’t be right to go against her wishes.”

Mi Zhao clicked his tongue and squeezed Li Sipei’s hand tightly. “You’ve gone against others plenty of times. I’ve seen you argue with your mom.”

“But she’s your mom.”

“…” Mi Zhao paused, then muttered, “Fine.”

He understood Li Sipei’s reasoning. When he stayed at the Li family’s house, he hadn’t felt comfortable sleeping in Li Sipei’s room. When Pei Yu suggested arranging a room for him in Li Sipei’s bedroom, he had asked for a separate room.

He just wanted Li Sipei to always be at his beck and call.

If Li Sipei hadn’t locked the door, he probably would have stayed inside and then come out on his own.

He wasn’t like this before. When he dated Li Yan, Li Yan often placed him behind classmates and friends. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but with Li Sipei, he became sensitive and easily hurt.

“I’ll come to your room tonight,” Li Sipei suddenly said.

Hearing this, Mi Zhao froze for a moment and then couldn’t help but laugh. “Aren’t you worried my mom will say something?”

“Your mom won’t say anything to me.” Li Sipei replied, “She’ll only scold you.”

“…” Mi Zhao’s smile faded.

But Li Sipei smiled, reaching out to pinch Mi Zhao’s cheek. “But I’ll protect you.”

Mi Zhao’s smile returned, his heart blooming with joy. He shook Li Sipei’s hand, humming, “Who needs it.”

It had been more than three years since graduation, and the school had been renovated once. Walking through the corridor, the familiar feeling surged in Mi Zhao’s heart. He found the classroom for Class 3 of Grade 12 and excitedly looked through the window. He pointed to the last row near the wall. “Look, I sat there!”

Li Sipei glanced at it: “In front of the trash can?”

“…” Mi Zhao bent his knee and bumped Li Sipei’s butt. “Is that how you talk?”

Li Sipei stiffened for a moment but had gotten used to it after a few instances. His shoulder brushed Mi Zhao’s as they both leaned against the window, much like high school students again. “Aren’t you an art student? Do art students also have to take the final year?”

“We still have cultural classes, okay?” Mi Zhao said. “But we don’t have as many hours as the other students. That’s why you see I was sitting in the last row—only the last row had empty seats.”

But the students sitting in the last row were usually the ones with poor grades, not paying attention in class, sleeping, or playing on their phones. Mi Zhao, who studied seriously, was an outlier in the back row.

High school life had its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows. Now, looking back, it was all memories.

“It’s a pity I was a day student. Otherwise, I could have shown you my dorm.” Mi Zhao said, a bit regretful. “If I had known I’d bring my boyfriend one day, I would have applied to stay on campus for a semester.”

“It’s okay.” Li Sipei patted his head. “Let’s go look around somewhere else.”

“Alright.”

After three or four years, the school had been renovated and reorganized. Mi Zhao was almost lost and led Li Sipei around the playground. He had wanted to go up the back mountain to see the view, but they ended up walking into a small forest.

Although it was winter, the grass in the forest grew up to half a person’s height. They followed the trail left by others through the trees. On the way, Mi Zhao accidentally stepped on something hard. Before he could react, it quickly disappeared into the deep grass.

Mi Zhao froze, and once he realized what had happened, he immediately called out.

“Damn!” He jumped toward Li Sipei, “There’s something in the grass!”

Li Sipei quickly pulled him into his arms, “What is it?”

“I don’t know!” Mi Zhao was scared and disoriented, his hands clutching Li Sipei’s neck, his chest pressing tightly against Li Sipei, “It’s like a person’s shoe.”

Li Sipei held Mi Zhao with one arm, and with the other, he lifted the dead grass in front of them.

“You, you don’t go forward. Let’s hurry up and leave!” Mi Zhao anxiously patted his shoulder.

“It’s fine.” Li Sipei gently reassured, “I’ll check.”

He stepped forward a few paces, just as he was about to lift the grass, two people suddenly jumped out from underneath, and they turned out to be two young men who looked around Mi Zhao’s age.

The two young men were both awkward and flustered, brushing off dust from their heads and clothes, and laughing embarrassedly at Li Sipei and Mi Zhao, “Bro, you just stepped on my foot.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

He thought he had stepped on a dead person’s foot; at least it was a live person.

Li Sipei didn’t speak, but patted Mi Zhao’s back, his slightly tense brow gradually relaxing.

Mi Zhao asked, “Why were you hiding in the grass?”

One of the young men asked in return, “Aren’t you also hiding in the grass?”

“We weren’t hiding, we were just passing through,” Mi Zhao replied, “We’re going to the back mountain but couldn’t find the way.”

“It’s normal to get lost. The road to the back mountain was newly built, you need to go around from the back of the middle school section,” the young man pointed ahead, “That direction, if you walk through there, you’ll reach it.”

Mi Zhao thanked them, and after walking less than a minute with Li Sipei, they indeed arrived at the back mountain.

At that moment, Mi Zhao suddenly realized something, turned to Li Sipei and said, “Those two people…”

Li Sipei looked at him, “Hmm?”

“Are they dating?”

Li Sipei laughed and took his hand, “You only just noticed?”

“No, I didn’t think that much.” Mi Zhao said in disbelief, “Isn’t the school on break? And they don’t look like high school students. They came to the school just to hide in the small forest?”

Li Sipei thought for a moment, “Maybe they’re reminiscing about the past?”

“Then let’s go hide too. I never hid in a small forest before!” Mi Zhao said, and tried to pull Li Sipei back.

Just as he took a step, Li Sipei pulled him back.

He bumped into Li Sipei, and instinctively wrapped his arms and legs around him, like an octopus clutching its food.

Li Sipei pinched the soft flesh on Mi Zhao’s chin, “Here is fine, no one is around.”

Mi Zhao pressed his chin against Li Sipei’s chest, giving him a playful look, “What are we doing here?”

Li Sipei countered, “What do you want to do?”

Mi Zhao mischievously moved his hands, “I have so many things I want to do.”

“Mm.” Li Sipei’s tone was indifferent, but surprisingly, he didn’t reject Mi Zhao. In fact, he rarely rejected Mi Zhao, and that’s why Mi Zhao remembered each time.

“Mm what?”

Li Sipei lowered his head and kissed Mi Zhao on the lips, “Shall we start with the simple stuff?”

Just those words, like poison, made Mi Zhao dizzy. His body felt light, and he almost lost his bearings. His fingers tightly gripped Li Sipei’s side, and he took the initiative to deepen the kiss.

The atmosphere grew increasingly suggestive, but before it could develop further, a loud shout broke the moment.

“You two! What are you doing over there?!”

Mi Zhao jumped in fright, turned his head, and saw a middle-aged man in a security uniform running toward them along the newly paved cement road, his face filled with fury.

It was clear the security guard had recognized them, and he cursed while running, “The school doesn’t allow outsiders. How did you get in here? And you’re being so reckless!”

Mi Zhao’s face went pale, and he grabbed Li Sipei’s hand, running.

“Stop!” The security guard chased after them, “Come back here and register!”

Luckily, they were both tall and fast. Although they took a detour, they managed to shake off the security guard and ran out of the school, stopping in the pedestrian street. Mi Zhao leaned against Li Sipei, breathing heavily and coughing, too exhausted to stand up.

As he gasped and coughed, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Sipei was sweating too, though not as heavily as Mi Zhao. He wrapped his arm around Mi Zhao’s waist, unbothered by the surrounding eyes, and gently stroked Mi Zhao’s hair, “What’s so funny?”

“That was so exciting.” Mi Zhao blushed, his hair sticking to his forehead from the sweat. He casually brushed it aside and looked at Li Sipei with bright eyes, “So this is what it feels like to get caught in a secret high school romance.”

Li Sipei found it amusing, “People will just think we’re perverts.”

Two grown adults making out at a school definitely looked a little perverted.

Mi Zhao snorted, “Is there such a handsome pervert like me?”

Mi Bin and He Linfang were out for dinner, and by the time they returned home, it was already past 10 PM. Mi Zhao and Li Sipei had already eaten dinner and gone upstairs to rest.

He Linfang changed her clothes and knocked on Li Sipei’s bedroom door, but after knocking for a while, no one answered.

She assumed Li Sipei had gone to sleep, so she went to find Mi Zhao instead.

Mi Zhao didn’t lock the door, and since he was her son, He Linfang knocked symbolically and then pushed the door open.

The room was very warm, and even though she was just wearing a sweater, He Linfang felt hot as she entered. She saw the two of them lying in bed.

Mi Zhao was holding Li Sipei as he slept, his head resting on Li Sipei’s chest, his hair messy and his face flushed like an apple. Li Sipei was still sitting against the headboard, looking at his phone. When he looked up and met He Linfang’s gaze, he nodded and said, “Auntie, you’re back.”

He Linfang held her breath for a moment before slowly exhaling, “How’s Xiao Zhao?”

“He’s not coughing as much tonight.” Li Sipei said, “But he still needs to follow the doctor’s advice and get IV drips for the next couple of days.”

“Alright.” He Linfang walked to the bed and looked at Mi Zhao, touching his forehead. It wasn’t as hot as it was this morning. She said to Li Sipei, “Thanks for helping out these next two days.”

Li Sipei smiled lightly, “It’s no trouble.”

Their conversation woke Mi Zhao, who opened his eyes slightly, saw He Linfang, and hoarsely called out, “Mom.”

“Mm.” He Linfang said, “Go back to sleep.”

Mi Zhao, too tired to stay awake, nodded and closed his eyes. Li Sipei gently stroked his back, again and again, not feeling tired at all.

He Linfang, on the other hand, felt her eyes growing tired as she watched them. She yawned and said, “Auntie is leaving. You should get some rest too.”

As she reached the door, He Linfang looked back one last time and felt a sense of harmony in the image of her son and Li Sipei together. When Mi Zhao was younger, he clung to his parents, but due to work, she and Mi Bin were often away. Every time they left, Mi Zhao would cry, holding onto her leg. Later, when they had more time, Mi Zhao had become more independent.

Now, looking at it, it wasn’t that Mi Zhao had become independent; he had just found someone else to cling to.

Sigh.

He Linfang felt a pang in her heart as she closed the door.