Chapter 82

After finishing his morning routine, Yan Qinting had no interest in staying home alone with Li Sipei, staring at each other in awkward silence. So, he followed Mi Zhao out to buy breakfast.

This neighborhood was different from the one Mi Zhao had rented an apartment in. Due to the high prices, the management was much stricter—not only were commercial vendors not allowed inside, but even street vendors near the entrance were regularly chased away. If they wanted breakfast, they had to go to a convenience store or walk a bit further to the food street near University A.

Rather than eating microwaved food from a convenience store, Mi Zhao preferred to walk the extra distance to the food street. Besides, the weather was nice today, with golden sunlight casting a warm glow over both of them.

Mi Zhao had casually thrown on a down jacket, his hair only roughly tousled. A few stubborn strands stuck up rebelliously.

Yan Qinting noticed how the sunlight gave Mi Zhao’s black hair a faint golden sheen, even making his nose bridge look somewhat translucent under the light.

No wonder he was the undisputed heartthrob of their class—he looked effortlessly good, even with sleepy eyes.

As he stared, Mi Zhao suddenly turned his head, his lips curving into a smile. With the sunlight behind him, his grin seemed even brighter than the sun itself.

“What are you looking at?”

Yan Qinting grinned. “Looking at how good you look.”

Mi Zhao raised an eyebrow, looking rather pleased. “That’s not news to you, is it?”

“…” Yan Qinting had expected him to be modest, but instead, he was downright narcissistic. Grinding his teeth, he was about to retort, but what came out was something entirely different. “Have you noticed how much you’ve changed between your first and second relationships?”

Mi Zhao tilted his head. “What kind of change?”

Yan Qinting thought for a moment before answering, “When you were with Li Yan before, how do I put this… You were very cautious. You were always considering his feelings, worrying if your actions might bother or upset him. Basically, you were walking on eggshells.”

“Really?” Mi Zhao frowned. He hadn’t realized that himself.

“Think about it—how many times did the three of us ever go out together? Sure, Li Yan often came to school to see you, but even by the time you two broke up, he and I barely knew each other. If last night’s situation had happened back then, would you have dared to take me to Li Yan’s place?”

Hearing that, Mi Zhao slowly understood.

There was no way he would have brought Yan Qinting to Li Yan’s place.

Even if Li Yan wouldn’t have minded, Mi Zhao’s first thought would have been that he was inconveniencing him. And since Yan Qinting was his friend, that meant he was the one causing trouble. He probably would have told Li Yan to go home while he took Yan Qinting to a hotel for the night instead.

But last night, he hadn’t thought about any of that.

Because it was his home too.

“This is much better,” Yan Qinting said. “Relationships should be with someone you feel comfortable around. Otherwise, if you’re constantly tiptoeing around them, you might as well just stay single with me.”

Mi Zhao chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.”

—

This year, the Lunar New Year came early. Before mid-January had even arrived, the university had already gone on winter break.

To be honest, ever since coming back from the New Year’s holiday, Mi Zhao had barely attended any classes. Final exams were scheduled over just four days, and with the Spring Festival approaching, the students were already mentally checked out. Even the teachers had given up on enforcing discipline, letting everyone do as they pleased in class.

Mi Bin and He Linfang had been living in City A for nearly half a year now and hadn’t gone back to their hometown. For the New Year, they couldn’t just leave their elders behind, but they had promised to have New Year’s Eve dinner with Pei Yu first before heading home.

Naturally, Mi Zhao would go with them.

But he wasn’t alone anymore. If he left, that meant leaving Li Sipei behind.

“Why don’t you come with me?” Mi Zhao clung to Li Sipei, coaxing, “You haven’t traveled much in all those years you were in a wheelchair. This is the perfect chance to visit my hometown.”

He thought Li Sipei might hesitate, but without even thinking, he nodded and agreed. “Okay.”

Mi Zhao was delighted. “How are you going to explain it to your mom?”

“With my mouth.”

“….” Mi Zhao stared at him, realizing that Li Sipei’s responses were getting more and more infuriating. He had no idea who was rubbing off on him. “Fine. As long as she agrees.”

—

On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, Mi Zhao dragged Li Sipei along to the supermarket with his parents to buy groceries for the holiday.

People always said that City A, being full of migrants, turned into a ghost town during the holidays. But the supermarket was still packed, with long lines at every checkout counter.

Mi Bin pushed the shopping cart while He Linfang picked out the groceries. Mi Zhao, on the other hand, grabbed whatever he liked without a second thought, his reckless shopping style making He Linfang frown.

She was a contradictory person—willing to spend freely on clothing, food, and housing, yet frugal when it came to everyday groceries. Her family’s sudden wealth in middle age had completely changed her spending habits, but in small matters, traces of her old thriftiness still showed.

“We’re heading back on the second day of the New Year. If we buy this much, it’ll just sit here,” she said, checking the expiration dates before putting some snacks back on the shelf. “We’ll buy more once we’re home. No point in wasting food.”

“But they don’t sell snacks like these in our small town!” Mi Zhao protested.

He Linfang shot him a look. “Then buy them when we come back.”

Puffed up with frustration, Mi Zhao pouted and took a step back, staying silent.

He Linfang ignored her sulking son. She was convinced that Li Sipei had spoiled him—he never used to be so quick to get upset. Now, at the slightest disagreement, he’d put on a pout like an angry little pufferfish.

She walked a few steps ahead, but suddenly, she heard the sound of plastic rustling behind her.

Turning around, she saw that the snacks she had just put back had mysteriously reappeared in the shopping cart.

And there were two more bags on top!

“Mi Zhao!”

Mi Zhao immediately pointed to the person beside him. “He took them!”

Li Sipei’s face remained perfectly calm as he said sincerely, “Auntie, I want to eat these.”

He Linfang: “……”

Li Sipei took another bag of snacks from the shelf and put it into the shopping cart. “This one works too.”

How could He Linfang not know that Li Sipei didn’t even eat these snacks? Clearly, it was her son’s idea. But since Li Sipei had spoken, she couldn’t refuse, so she just shot Mi Zhao a glare.

Mi Zhao put on an innocent face and hid behind Li Sipei.

Once Mi Bin and He Linfang walked away, Mi Zhao tugged at the hem of Li Sipei’s coat and gave him a thumbs-up. “Well done. Keep it up later—I pick, you grab.”

Li Sipei caught Mi Zhao’s thumb and gently rubbed the pad of his own thumb against the back of Mi Zhao’s hand.

Mi Zhao’s skin was fair, and the blue veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible.

He had always known that Mi Zhao’s hands were beautiful, and every time he grabbed them, he couldn’t help but want to take a bite.

Mi Zhao instantly saw through Li Sipei’s thoughts. He quickly pulled his hand away and warned in a sharp tone, “Don’t get any funny ideas in public.”

Li Sipei chuckled.

Was he that obvious?

At five in the afternoon, the four of them left the supermarket, carrying large bags full of goods. Aside from the gifts Mi Bin and He Linfang prepared for their hometown visit, the rest were for the Li family.

Mi Bin and He Linfang knew that their expensive purchases might not necessarily impress Pei Yu. Plus, Pei Yu had repeatedly told them there was no need to bring anything. So instead, they followed their hometown’s tradition—bringing New Year’s goods as a courtesy.

Li Sipei drove into the Li family estate. By now, night had fallen, and the streetlights illuminated the road. Lush greenery stretched out on both sides.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Mi Zhao suddenly felt nervous. He glanced at his parents in the back seat, only to realize they were even more tense than he was, sitting stiffly with rigid expressions.

“Dad, Mom,” Mi Zhao comforted them. “It’s okay. If things don’t go well, we’ll just leave after dinner.”

Although Mi Zhao often complained that his parents were materialistic, he still cared for them at crucial moments. He especially didn’t want them to have to endure anyone’s judgment because of him.

As soon as he finished speaking, He Linfang shot him a glare. “What nonsense are you talking about? It’s rare for us to have dinner with our in-laws—how can we just leave like that? That would be too rude!”

Mi Zhao: “……”

In-laws…

Alright, he had been overthinking things.

From the driver’s seat, Li Sipei let out a muffled laugh.

Mi Zhao glared at him.

Li Sipei immediately stopped laughing.

When the car came to a stop, Mi Zhao’s nerves nearly peaked. He got out and helped his parents unload the New Year’s goods from the trunk. A servant came over to take Li Sipei’s keys and drove the car to the garage.

A grand mansion stood partially veiled in the night. The front gate was open, revealing the warmly lit interior. Towering trees flanked both sides, enveloping the house, while a smooth pathway led to the entrance. Smaller stone-paved trails branched off the main road, vanishing into the dense foliage.

Though Mi Zhao had seen mansions before, this was his first time encountering one so extravagant. On the way here, he hadn’t seen a single other house.

“Are the houses here spaced really far apart?” Mi Zhao asked. “From the car, all I saw was greenery—no people, no buildings.”

“Yeah, they’re very far apart,” Li Sipei replied, taking some of the bags from Mi Zhao’s hands. “The main road we first drove on is the public area. The paths we took later are all within the Li family’s private estate, so you wouldn’t have seen anyone else. If you want, I can drive you around tomorrow.”

Mi Zhao: “……”

Damn, so this was the life of the rich? Waking up every morning in a mansion with a private 500-square-meter garden?

“No thanks. I don’t want to see it,” he said seriously. “Starting today, I resent the rich.”

Li Sipei chuckled. “Then I guess I’ve become your enemy.”

Frustrated, Mi Zhao reached out, wanting to pinch Li Sipei’s cheek. “You’re getting more and more annoying!”

But with He Linfang watching closely behind him, he didn’t dare act too blatantly. So instead, as they walked up the stairs, he sneakily pinched Li Sipei’s waist.

Li Sipei shuddered instantly.

Mi Zhao laughed to himself. He knew exactly where Li Sipei’s weak spots were.

However, the moment he stepped through the front door, Mi Zhao quickly composed himself, obediently following beside Li Sipei.

Inside the grand living room, the entire Li family had gathered. Even those living abroad had rushed back just to get a firsthand look at Li Sipei’s significant other.

Li Yan sat among the younger generation, his expression dark.

All around him, his younger relatives were chattering away.

“I bet Auntie must have a good temper. Uncle Sipei is so cold—only someone patient could handle him.”

Li Yan scoffed internally. Good temper? Yeah, right. He had personally experienced how sharp-tongued Mi Zhao could be in an argument.

“Auntie must be really good-looking!”

That, at least, was true, Li Yan admitted.

“Maybe Auntie is a returnee too. They could have met while studying abroad.”

Li Yan sneered inwardly. You’re in for a disappointment—Mi Zhao is just some local art student.

Just as he finished that thought, Pei Yu, who had been sitting on the couch waiting, suddenly stood up. The others immediately followed suit.