Qian Fei wasn't sure whether it was her slap and harsh words that had provoked Li Yifei, or if Gui Lili's betrayal had dealt a devastating blow to his pride. Since Sunday, he hadn't stepped out of his apartment for three consecutive days.
Workwise, he had Zhao De cover for him and request leave. Zhao De kept coming to her, asking left and right why Li Yifei hadn't shown up for work.
Annoyed by the constant questioning, Qian Fei blurted out, "He's sick!"
Zhao De pressed, "What kind of sickness? Is it serious? Should I buy something and visit him?"
Thinking Li Yifei wouldn't want visitors right now, she replied, "It's the kind of illness you wouldn't want people to see. Better not go."
Zhao De's face lit up with understanding as he drew out a long "Ohhh."
Qian Fei couldn't be bothered to correct his colorful assumptions.
With Li Yifei absent, their lunchtime landlord games were on hold, leaving her at a loss for what to do.
Worried Li Yifei might starve himself to death while wallowing in heartbreak and rage over the slap, she impulsively ordered takeout from a nearby place online. She listed Li Yifei's name as the contact and, after some thought, chose cash on delivery as the payment method.
Feeling guilty about the slap, she figured ensuring his survival was the least she could do—but no more emotional involvement. Too much sentiment would cost her money.
When she got home after work, she noticed several empty takeout boxes piled outside Li Yifei's room.
Relieved, she realized no starvation-related tragedies would be happening under her roof tonight.
She cooked rice and stir-fried two dishes for dinner. Out of humanitarian concern for someone freshly dumped and slapped, she knocked on Li Yifei's door to invite him to eat. Unfortunately, no matter how long she knocked, there was no response.
She called through the door, "Li Yifei, come out and eat with me?"
Still no movement.
A sudden fear struck her—what if he'd given up on life and done something drastic inside?
She knocked harder. "Li Yifei, are you alive? If you are, make a sound, will you?"
After what felt like forever, a weak, muffled voice finally came from inside: "Check your phone!"
Puzzled, she hurried back to her room and grabbed her phone.
What she saw shocked her.
Li Yifei had bombarded her WeChat!
"Stop knocking!" — sent six times.
"I'm not eating, stop knocking!!" — sent nine times.
"I said I'm not eating, can you stop knocking already!!!" — sent eleven times.
"Lady, I beg you, I pulled an all-nighter and day—just let me sleep!" — sent ten times.
"Fine, I give up! Bring it in, I'll eat, okay?!" — sent fifteen times.
Qian Fei nearly dropped her phone in disbelief.
Her earlier worries had been completely unnecessary—Li Yifei was clearly not suicidal. Someone on the verge of death wouldn't have the energy to spam like that. His will to live was still thriving—very, very much so.
She filled a large bowl with rice and divided the two dishes, placing half of each outside Li Yifei's door before returning to her room.
Picking up her phone, she sent him a WeChat message.First, she sent a message: "Food at your door food at your door food at your door."
Only after sending it did she realize the format was off. So she resent it.
"Food at your door." She sent it five times.
"Vegetables are also at your door." Also sent five times.
"Get up and eat before going back to sleep." Another five times.
"After eating, bring the plates out to me. Don’t leave them in your room—I’m afraid they’ll grow maggots and mold!" Still five times.
After sending them, she felt one word radiating from her entire being: Satisfaction!
Spamming? As if she didn’t know how!
Cheerfully, she picked up her chopsticks to eat. Then her phone dinged.
She picked it up and nearly cried.
Li Yifei had replied with a screen full of poop emojis…
Qian Fei trembled as she held her chopsticks, thinking: He’s the one who got dumped, so why does it feel like I’m the one suffering…
※※※※※※
Three days passed like this.
Qian Fei figured three days should be enough for Li Yifei to wallow. But when she got to work, she found out he’d asked Zhao De to extend his leave by two more days.
Meaning, he’d indirectly given himself a whole week off.
Qian Fei felt bitter. When she went through a breakup, she hadn’t had it so easy—not a single day off, crying into her pillow at night but forcing a smile during the day, blaming puffy eyes on drinking too much water.
Compared to Li Yifei, she’d gotten the short end of the stick!
Zhao De, noticing her indignation, sidled over and asked, "Feifei, what exactly is Yifei sick with? Something so embarrassing it makes you grit your teeth—is it some kind of… contagious disease? No, you don’t have to tell me what it is, just let me know what usually causes it!"
Qian Fei glanced at him. "The cause? Just the usual man-woman drama."
Zhao De let out another drawn-out "Ohhh," wearing his signature "I get it" expression.
Two more days passed, and the weekend arrived. That evening, after cooking, she set the food outside his door as usual. Back in her room, she couldn’t help texting Li Yifei: "When are you finally coming out?" She was genuinely impressed—he’d managed to hole up for so many days! And even more impressed with herself for playing the role of his mother, tirelessly feeding him.
Just as Qian Fei picked up her chopsticks to eat, Li Yifei replied: "The food’s a bit salty today."
Qian Fei slammed her chopsticks down and texted back: "Go find your own food tomorrow!" This spoiled young master was truly insufferable—free meals and still so picky.
She grabbed her chopsticks and shoved a big bite of food into her mouth, as if to spite him.
Then she immediately spat it out with a yelp.
Damn, it was salty…
Come to think of it, she’d been distracted while cooking, calling home, and might’ve added salt twice…
She looked at her phone, and her inner saintly glow began to overflow again.
She’d snapped at him—would the heartbroken Young Master Li take it to heart? Would his fragile ego crumble, thinking even his landlady despised him, driving him to pack up and just die already…?
Before she knew it, she was hastily texting him again: "Uh, yeah, it is a bit salty. Just treat it like pickles—big mouthful of rice, tiny bite of veggies!"After some thought, she couldn't resist sending another message: "Big bro, how many days have you been moping around now? Isn't it time you came out and faced society? Don't bottle it up—why not grab a drink with your buddies to drown your sorrows? Who knows, you might feel better afterward!"
After a while, Li Yifei replied: "No! I've never been dumped by a woman before. I can't face my friends."
Qian Fei facepalmed.
"Enough already! It's not that big a deal! What's with the 'can't face them' nonsense! If you can't lift your head, it's because of a neck problem! So what if you got cheated on? Like no one's been through that before!"
She started shoveling food into her mouth. Mid-bite, her phone buzzed again.
Li Yifei: "You knew?"
Qian Fei didn't quite understand as she replied while eating: "Knew what?"
Li Yifei: "That you got cheated on."
Qian Fei: "Of course I knew! My first boyfriend and I broke up precisely because he cheated on me!"
This time, it took quite a while before her phone buzzed again.
Li Yifei: "You have the kind of face that would trip over the same stone twice."
Qian Fei: "Damn you, Li Yifei! Can't you wish me well for once!"
Their back-and-forth continued until the meal was finished.
As she got up to clear the dishes, Qian Fei messaged Li Yifei: "Are you done eating? If so, pass your bowl out to me."
She carried her bowl to the kitchen sink, then went to wait outside Li Yifei's room.
The door slowly creaked open.
Qian Fei watched the agonizingly slow movement and felt the urge to kick it open.
What is this, a horror movie?!
Finally, the door opened wide enough. A hand reached out and placed the bowl and chopsticks on the floor. Then the door began to close just as slowly.
Unable to take it anymore, Qian Fei rushed forward, slamming her hand against the door to stop it. She glared at the person inside and scolded righteously: "How long are you planning to hide? It's time you showed your face!"
She stood defiantly in the doorway, looking up at Li Yifei.
At first glance, she couldn't help but freeze.
Li Yifei's hair was a disheveled mess, his beard unshaven for who knows how many days, and his eyes were bloodshot—probably from lack of sleep. He looked like a sapling battered by wind and rain. Yet, his disheveled appearance had a certain charm, reminiscent of Won Bin in The Man from Nowhere .
Qian Fei couldn't help but click her tongue: "You've really mastered the art of looking like a wreck! So, buddy, after freeloading off me for five days, when are you planning to pull yourself together and start acting like a human again?"
Li Yifei glanced down at her and suddenly asked, "Can you hold your liquor?"
※※※※※※
Qian Fei huffed and puffed as she hauled a case of canned beer upstairs.
Only after getting home did it dawn on her.
It was Li Yifei who wanted to drink!
It was Li Yifei who begged her to join him!!!
And Li Yifei was the grown man here!!!
So why was she the one who had to go buy the beer???
She felt a pang of self-disappointment. Would she ever learn to act like a woman around men in this lifetime?
When Qian Fei carried the beer inside, Li Yifei was sitting on the living room floor, leaning against the sofa.
Seeing her return, he patted the floor beside him. "Come, sit here."
She couldn't resist teasing him: "There's a perfectly good sofa right there. Why sit on the floor? Do you enjoy torturing yourself or what?"Li Yifei looked up at her and said, "You don't get it. Drinking like this feels more down-to-earth and makes it harder to get drunk. Haven't you seen those Korean dramas where they always sit on the floor drinking whenever something happens?"
Qian Fei dragged the alcohol over and sat down.
Li Yifei opened a can and handed it to Qian Fei before taking one for himself.
They clinked their cans together and took their first silent sip.
After drinking, Li Yifei made a face and brought the can closer to inspect it. "What brand is this? It tastes awful!" Spotting the price tag on the packaging, his expression turned disdainful as he scoffed at Qian Fei, "Only five bucks a can! Couldn't you have bought something more expensive? How can anyone drink this cheap stuff?"
Qian Fei's temper flared. She reached out to snatch the beer from Li Yifei's hand. "If it's so bad, don't drink it! You're already getting free drinks and still complaining like a spoiled brat! Who do you think you are? I'm done serving you!"
Li Yifei dodged her by turning away. "Weren't you supposed to be cheering me up? Why are you the one losing your temper?"
Seeing his unshaven face, Qian Fei suddenly softened. Normally, this guy always made sure to look polished and put-together, as if he were preparing for a "Mr. Beijing" pageant every day. She'd never seen him so disheveled before.
Lost in thought, she slowly settled back down.
Author's Note: Let me explain the heroine's personality again—since the hero is such a high-maintenance drama king, only someone like the heroine can put up with him, wuwuwu! Of course, being a drama king is the hero's flaw, while being too forgiving is the heroine's. Later, they'll influence each other to change >33<
Off to write like crazy~
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