Chapter 9

Upon returning home, Mi Zhao quickly changed into a pair of long pants, only to realize he hadn’t applied any medicine yet. Reluctantly, he changed back into his previous shorts.

After some fussing, the time gradually approached noon.

He ordered brunch, still from the same porridge and side dishes restaurant as last night. Mi Zhao sat at the dining table, feeding himself porridge with a plastic spoon while scrolling through his phone.

The phone screen was still stuck on the contacts list.

His thumb hovered over Li Sipei’s name, hesitating for a long time, but he still didn’t click on it.

He was pondering a question—

Should he take the initiative to call Li Sipei and report that he arrived safely?

But that was something only couples would do.

Mi Zhao sighed in frustration, unsure how he should interact with the other party. Their relationship was more intimate than regular friends, but they weren’t truly a couple, so the boundary was hard to grasp.

Eventually, he bit down on the plastic spoon, exited the contacts list, and held the phone with both hands, his thumbs quickly typing on the screen.

After a while, a prominent figure in the art community with 2 million followers posted a new Weibo update.

【Ri Mi Zhao: Short on money, accepting commissions, price upon request.】

The moment the post went live, a group of regulars in the comment section quickly flocked to it.

【TaTa: First!】

【Your Annie Baby: Look what I discovered!!! He is actually taking commissions!!!】

【Xiao Nan Not Angry: Wuwuwu I want to commission, but I definitely can’t afford it.】

【San San Good Night: I’m curious… wasn’t he from a rich family? Why is he suddenly short on money? Did something happen at home?】

【Can’t Eat Enough: Can we stop making wild guesses in the comments? Who wouldn’t want more money these days? Some people’s thoughts are really dark (grinning).】

In less than a minute, a few replies appeared below the post.

Mi Zhao finished checking some private messages and opened the comments section, only to furrow his brows immediately.

Although there wasn’t an outright argument in the replies, almost every response carried a sarcastic tone, with two groups of people subtly arguing back and forth with a bunch of snarky emojis.

One side thought that Mi Zhao’s post was strange, but checking on him wasn’t malicious. The other side felt that such care was intrusive, and even if it wasn’t malicious, it was still unpleasant.

Mi Zhao swiftly deleted all the relevant comments and then replied to one comment from a fan with a high level of engagement, reposting it:

【Ri Mi Zhao: From today, I have to support a family, so I need to work harder to earn money (covering eyes).】

After posting, not caring about the stir this caused in the comment section, Mi Zhao set his phone down, cleared his lunch container, and prepared to start working.

Aside from homework, he had taken on two commercial commissions over the summer. One had already been submitted, and the other needs some improvement.

The next few days would likely be very busy.

•

Li Yan booked three nights at Rizhao resort. He had only heard that Mi Zhao was staying there but didn’t know exactly where. With no other option, he decided to just wander around outside, hoping for a chance encounter with Mi Zhao.

But after two days of wandering, he didn’t run into Mi Zhao, and instead, he received a call from Li Tianqing, who was back at the old Li family home.

After the incident with Lin Qiuzu, Li Kejian and Li Tianqing had scolded Li Yan severely and ordered him to avoid getting too close to Lin Qiuzu in the future.

Lin Qiuzu wasn’t a good person and dared to target his friend’s elder. He would inevitably face consequences sooner or later.

With Lin Qiuzu and Mi Zhao both on his mind, Li Yan had been feeling frustrated these days. When he received the call from Li Tianqing, his tone was far from pleasant: “What is it?”

To his surprise, Li Tianqing’s attitude was even more forceful, bombarding him with a string of questions: “Did you go to Rizhao resort? When did you go? Why didn’t you tell me or your father?”

“……” Li Yan kicked a stone off the road, watching it roll into the lake with a splash. He felt like the stone had hit his last nerve.

“Speak up!”

“Since you already know, what do you want me to say?” Li Yan suppressed his anger.

Li Tianqing didn’t care about his feelings. She kept firing away with words like a machine gun: “Did you forget that your uncle is also at Rizhao resort? You’ve gone there, but didn’t even think about visiting him?”

“……”

“Li Yan, Li Yan, what did your mother teach you? Your uncles and aunts have no chance to meet your uncle, but you’ve got the opportunity and you don’t want to take it?”

“Mom…” Li Yan said in a low voice, “I came here to find someone, not to visit my little uncle.”

“Who is more important than your uncle? Who is more important than the future of our family? You’re so grown up and still can’t tell what’s important—” Li Tianqing paused here, her tone suddenly tightening. “You didn’t go to see Lin Qiuzu, did you?”

“……” Li Yan couldn’t take it anymore. “No, I’m here to meet a classmate!”

“Oh, oh, that’s good.” Li Tianqing let out a sigh of relief, then began advising Li Yan to stay away from Lin Qiuzu, before finally steering the conversation back on track. “Xiao Yan, take this chance to spend some time with your uncle. Your father and I didn’t do well with him, but you’re the younger generation, and he’ll be more lenient with you.”

Li Yan held his breath, his cheeks flushed red, and a surge of anger repeatedly jumped in his chest.

However, as he listened to Li Tianqing’s voice gradually take on a pleading tone, he compromised in silence.

Li Yan first went to the supermarket and carefully selected some imported fruits before carrying the bag to Li Sipei’s residence.

The person who opened the door was Ruan Xin.

Ruan Xin had been with Li Sipei for several years and almost knew everyone in the Li family. After recognizing Li Yan, her expression showed no surprise. Her gaze swept over the bag in Li Yan’s hand, and she said faintly, “Third Master is still resting upstairs.”

The implied message was clear: this was not the right time for a visit, and he should go back if he wasn’t needed.

Li Yan’s face turned even redder, now from embarrassment rather than anger.

He understood Ruan Xin’s meaning, but he couldn’t just turn around and leave. Tomorrow was his return to school, and he had to leave tonight. If he missed this chance, he wouldn’t have another.

“Sister Ruan, could you please tell my little uncle that I’m here? I just want to see him before I leave. If my parents find out that I came to here but didn’t visit him, they’ll definitely scold me.” Li Yan pleaded in a soft voice.

Ruan Xin remained silent for a moment before reluctantly saying, “Come inside. I’ll go upstairs and tell Third Master, but I can’t guarantee he’ll see you.”

Li Yan sweetly said, “Thank you! I knew you’d be so kind-hearted and beautiful~”

Ruan Xin: “…”

She rubbed her arms as if she had just been splashed with oil, feeling an odd discomfort.

Leading Li Yan into the villa, Ruan Xin told him to wait in the living room on the first floor while she turned and went upstairs.

In the bedroom, Li Sipei sat quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window in his wheelchair, his back to her, so his expression couldn’t be seen. Ruan Xin only knew that he had been sitting there since after lunch.

“Third Master.” Ruan Xin walked up behind Li Sipei and spoke softly, “Li Yan is here and is waiting downstairs.”

Li Sipei slightly tilted his head, resting his left hand on his head, and replied casually, “I don’t want to see anyone right now.”

“Understood.” With that, Ruan Xin withdrew.

Before she left, she casually glanced at Li Sipei’s right hand, which was resting on his lap, lightly holding a phone with a black screen.

Ruan Xin: “!”

Her pupils widened, and a huge question mark popped into her mind.

Third Master is using electronic devices?!

No, what shocked her wasn’t that Li Sipei could use electronics, but that one day, Li Sipei would actually hold a device without a purpose!

This scene impacted her as much as if one day Li Sipei suddenly happily told her he was in a relationship.

Ruan Xin exhaled sharply, floating towards the door as if her soul had been sucked out.

Halfway through, Li Sipei’s voice suddenly called out: “Ruan Xin.”

Ruan Xin instantly stopped, standing straight: “Third Master.”

Li Sipei didn’t turn around, his voice steady and calm, with no emotion detectable: “Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“…” Ruan Xin’s nerves tensed. She instinctively thought Li Sipei might be interested in her, but she quickly relaxed, knowing that was impossible. “I’ve been in three or four relationships. Why do you ask, Third Master?”

“Just asking,” Li Sipei said, but his inquiry was far from casual. “What is being in a relationship like? Do you communicate frequently?”

Ruan Xin thought for a moment, somewhat embarrassed, and said, “We communicate frequently. We talk when we wake up and before we sleep, and we also send messages throughout the day. I have a roommate who is even more extreme; she talks to her boyfriend on the phone for three hours every night.”

Li Sipei fell silent.

Ruan Xin cautiously asked, “Third Master, is there someone you like?”

Li Sipei didn’t answer. He lifted his left hand, still supporting his head, and lightly motioned for her to leave: “Go out.”

After Ruan Xin left, Li Sipei pondered for a long time, looking down at his phone. He pressed the screen to light it up, and the interface still displayed his conversation with Mi Zhao.

There was nothing there.

Not a single message.

No calls.

Nothing at all.

Since the day Mi Zhao left, they hadn’t been in contact for three full days—more precisely, they hadn’t communicated since exchanging contact information.

Li Sipei was puzzled.

Although he had never been in a relationship, his intuition told him that this wasn’t how relationships worked. No matter how busy Mi Zhao was, there should have been at least one message.

Besides, wasn’t Mi Zhao the one pursuing him?

Li Sipei inhaled deeply, slowly exhaling, though his face remained calm, his grip on the phone tightened.

His fingertips turned white, and his neatly trimmed nails slowly turned a light red.

After a moment, he released the pressure, maneuvered his wheelchair to the desk, and placed his phone on it. “Forget it…”

His voice was quiet, and before he could say anything further, the phone screen suddenly lit up.

Mi Zhao’s name appeared above the incoming call button.

Li Sipei’s breath slightly paused as he reached for the phone. However, he didn’t immediately pick it up, instead letting his index finger hover above the screen.

About four or five seconds later, he slid his finger to the right, answering the call.

The room was very quiet, and even though the call wasn’t on speaker, Mi Zhao’s clear voice could be heard from the phone.

“Hi! Have you eaten?”

Li Sipei silently waited for a moment before lifting the phone to his ear: “Mm.”

“What did you eat?” Mi Zhao seemed unsure of what to say, clearly searching for conversation.

Li Sipei replied: “The caregiver prepared the meal.”

“Oh~” There was a brief pause, then Mi Zhao continued, “I ordered Sichuan food for lunch, from a new restaurant nearby.”

“Mm.”

“By the way, I’ve been quite busy these past few days and forgot to send you my address. I’ll send it after we hang up. I have to report to school tomorrow. When are you returning to A City?”