Chapter 15

Considering Li Sipei’s physical condition, not only did Mi Zhao cook, but after they finished eating, he also took the initiative to clear the table and wash the dishes in the kitchen.

There was a dishwasher at home, which saved a lot of trouble.

In the afternoon, Mi Zhao had nothing to do, so he simply took out his tablet and started working on a commission.

He wasn’t picky about his workspace. No matter where he was, once he got into the zone, he would be completely absorbed in his work, often not even hearing people call him—something Yan Qinting had complained about many times.

But considering that Li Sipei also had nothing to do, and he didn’t want him to feel bored, Mi Zhao made an effort to divide some of his attention.

In the end, Li Sipei was much quieter than Yan Qinting, who always had to find something to talk about. Mi Zhao sat cross-legged on the floor near the sofa, and Li Sipei took a book and sat beside him, reading quietly on his own.

After a while, Mi Zhao straightened his back, stretched his sore neck, and turned to see that Li Sipei was still reading.

He leaned over. “What are you reading?”

Li Sipei replied, The Shell Seekers.

Mi Zhao glanced at the pages, only to see rows of dense English words filling the white paper like tiny tadpoles, making his head spin.

Li Sipei could read English?

Mi Zhao was taken aback, and before he could think, he blurted out, “This is the original version, right? You can understand it?”

The atmosphere instantly tensed.

Mi Zhao awkwardly realized that he had said the wrong thing—wasn’t that a kind of occupational bias? Just because someone was a “kept canary” didn’t mean they wouldn’t know English.

Seeing Li Sipei look up at him, Mi Zhao panicked. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that original books are hard to read. I passed the CET-4^[1] exam, and I still can’t get through them…”

His voice grew quieter.

Mi Zhao was mortified to realize he was just making things worse.

Fortunately, Li Sipei didn’t seem to take his words to heart. He only asked, “Is CET-4 hard?”

“CET-4 is easy, but CET-6^[2] is hard,” Mi Zhao sighed in relief and pretended to be calm as he twirled the stylus in his hand. “I took it once this year, but I was way off from passing.”

Li Sipei responded with a quiet “Oh.”

Observing his reaction, a thought suddenly occurred to Mi Zhao. “You haven’t taken CET-4?”

Li Sipei answered quickly, “No.”

“Did you not take it, or… did you not have the chance to take it?”

“I only studied up to middle school in A City,” Li Sipei said flatly, as if he didn’t think it was anything shameful.

Mi Zhao thought, Just as I guessed, and at the same time, he felt a sense of admiration.

When he was younger, he used to feel inferior about all sorts of things. If only he had a heart as strong as Li Sipei’s.

Seeing that Li Sipei was about to say more, Mi Zhao thoughtfully changed the subject. “But my English is bad anyway, so it’s normal for me to fail CET-6. I was terrible at certain subjects in high school.”

Li Sipei was indeed distracted by the topic shift. He closed his book and seriously suggested, “The best way to learn English is to immerse yourself in a good language environment. If you don’t have one, create one—read more, listen more, write more. With time, you’ll improve.”

Mi Zhao chuckled.

Even though Li Sipei had no personal experience with it, he sure could explain it convincingly.

Since the other person had never attended university, Mi Zhao didn’t continue the topic. Instead, he glanced at the book on the coffee table. “You’re done reading?”

“Yes.” Li Sipei said, “It’s my friend’s book. I took it from under the table.”

Mi Zhao: “…”

No wonder he was reading an original version—turns out he just grabbed it at random.

—

At six in the evening, Mi Zhao had finished most of his commission. The sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window was still bright. He checked the clock on the wall, then put away his tablet and stylus, getting up to make dinner.

After greeting him briefly, Li Sipei went into the bedroom and hadn’t come out since.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Mi Zhao walked over and pushed it open a little more. The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking almost all the light. He could barely make out a vague shape curled up on the bed.

He hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed inside.

At some point, Li Sipei had changed into pajamas and was lying on his side, fast asleep.

Getting closer, Mi Zhao noticed that his brows were furrowed deeply, his eyelashes occasionally twitching, as if he were having a bad dream.

The central air conditioning was on high, but Li Sipei had only pulled a corner of the blanket over his stomach.

Seeing this, Mi Zhao leaned down and pulled the blanket up to cover him properly.

His movement startled Li Sipei awake. His closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

In the next second, Li Sipei’s hand shot out and grabbed Mi Zhao’s wrist.

Startled, Mi Zhao jolted and hurriedly said, “It’s me.”

The atmosphere grew tense.

The bedroom was dim, and though Mi Zhao could feel Li Sipei’s gaze locked onto him, he couldn’t tell what emotions lay behind it.

They stayed frozen like that for a moment before the grip on his wrist slowly loosened.

Li Sipei withdrew his hand and closed his eyes briefly. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Mi Zhao replied awkwardly. He fought the urge to turn and leave, reminding himself that he was the Sponsor here. Taking a deep breath, he lightly patted Li Sipei’s shoulder. “Go back to sleep. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

“…Okay.” Li Sipei paused, then added, “Thank you.”

Mi Zhao walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

In the kitchen, he expertly put on an apron. Standing at the sink, listening to the sound of running water, his mind replayed the moment just now.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

Sigh…

Being a sponsor isn’t easy.

And raising a canary isn’t easy either.

Especially when the canary can’t fly—it takes even more effort.

—

When dinner was ready, Mi Zhao waited a while before knocking on the bedroom door.

Li Sipei was already awake, sitting on the bed in his pajamas, the lights still off, lost in thought.

When Mi Zhao approached, he looked up at him. Although his face didn’t show much emotion, the heaviness in his mood was obvious.

At first, Mi Zhao didn’t plan on saying much. But when he met Li Sipei’s gaze and remembered that this person was now under his care, he hesitated, then bent down and took Li Sipei’s hand.

As a comforting gesture, Mi Zhao gently squeezed Li Sipei’s hand.

“What’s wrong? Had a nightmare?”

Li Sipei’s long lashes drooped slightly, his gaze seemingly fixed on the hand being held. After a moment, he softly responded, “I dreamed about the past.”

Mi Zhao asked casually, “What happened?”

But Li Sipei fell silent.

Sensing that he didn’t want to talk about it, Mi Zhao thoughtfully changed the subject and pulled the wheelchair over. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

After dinner, as usual, Mi Zhao cleaned up.

He placed the dishes and dirty plates into the dishwasher one by one. Li Sipei sat in his wheelchair at the kitchen door, watching him. When he finished, Li Sipei suddenly asked, “Do you do housework often?”

Mi Zhao took off his apron and used it to wipe his wet hands. Nodding, he replied, “My parents are busy making money. I was home alone most of the time. If I didn’t do housework, no one would.”

Li Sipei was silent for a moment before asking, “What do your parents do?”

“They’re contractors,” Mi Zhao thought for a moment, then frowned slightly. “I don’t really know the details, just that they’re always running around construction sites. The work environment is a mess, and the dust on their clothes never fully comes off, no matter how much you wash them.”

Truthfully, he felt sorry for them.

That’s why he never stopped them from trying to climb the social ladder, nor did he ever dampen their enthusiasm.

As long as they were happy, that was enough.

But now that he thought about it—

“This is the first time you’ve asked about me!” Mi Zhao’s black eyes widened slightly in surprise, sparkling as he looked at Li Sipei, as if he had discovered a new continent.

??

Li Sipei was momentarily flustered under Mi Zhao’s intense gaze. He turned his head away and said stiffly, “It’s your personal matter. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to ask.”

His reserved reaction made Mi Zhao chuckle. Finding it amusing, he reached out and poked Li Sipei’s shoulder, deliberately drawing out his words, “With our relationship, what’s so inappropriate?”

”…”

The poking became firmer. The corners of Mi Zhao’s mouth lifted as he grinned like a cat that had stolen a fish, “Or do you think our relationship should go a step further?”

“I—I never said that.” Li Sipei stuttered, took a deep breath, and simply fell silent.

Unknowingly, however, a faint blush crept up his ears.

Mi Zhao found this reaction absolutely adorable.

Unable to resist, he reached out and pinched Li Sipei’s ear. Just as he expected, it was burning hot. He didn’t hesitate—lowering his head, he sealed his lips with a kiss.

The apron was still in his hands, and without even tossing it aside, he bent his right leg and squeezed into the side of Li Sipei’s wheelchair. Before the other could push him away, he quickly looped the apron around his wrists and tied a knot.

Li Sipei: ”?”

Having never experienced anything like this before, Li Sipei froze in shock, his eyes widening. For a moment, it felt like his entire worldview had been overturned.

Seizing the opportunity, Mi Zhao secured both of Li Sipei’s hands together. If the apron hadn’t been so thick, he would’ve even tied a cute little bow.

A caged canary, unable to spread its wings—looking so pitiful, so helpless, and yet…

Just a little bit enticing.

Mi Zhao’s breathing grew heavier. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like a drum as he propped his hands on the wheelchair’s armrests, arching his back to gaze down at the restrained Li Sipei.

From this angle, an unfamiliar yet exhilarating thrill coursed through him.

It’s—

Really satisfying.

Lowering himself further, his eyes swept over Li Sipei’s lips, now swollen and red from the kiss. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Here, or in the bedroom?”

”…” Under the bright fluorescent lights, Li Sipei’s entire face turned scarlet, his breathing just as unsteady.

Uncomfortable, he tried moving his wrists. “Untie this first.”

“No.” Mi Zhao refused without hesitation.

Li Sipei frowned, his voice carrying a hint of authority. “I said, untie it.”

“Nope.” Mi Zhao even tightened the apron’s knot.

Li Sipei’s frown deepened along with the knot, and the air around him grew tense. When he spoke again, his tone was unmistakably commanding—

“Mi. Zhao.”

But Mi Zhao didn’t care. He just grinned mischievously, wrapped his arms around Li Sipei’s neck, and sat down on his lap.

Li Sipei’s chest rose and fell sharply. The moment Mi Zhao settled onto him, his entire body went stiff—but before he could react, a pair of hands had already begun to roam over him.

A teasing voice whispered against his ear—

“Then let’s just do it here, yeah?”