Li Yifei moved back from the villa at Siji Qing Bridge to Shoucheng International as quickly as possible.
While he was piling his belongings in the room, unsure where to start tidying up, Qian Fei was sitting on the sofa, eating fried rice and watching him.
Li Yifei wandered around aimlessly like a headless fly, not knowing which item to organize first. Finally, he turned to Qian Fei with an unhappy expression and said, “You’re just eating by yourself, not even asking if I’m hungry!”
Qian Fei obliged, asking between mouthfuls, “So, are you hungry?”
Li Yifei said, “Yes.”
Qian Fei replied, “Oh, well, stay hungry then. The rice is gone.” She said this after swallowing her last bite.
She got up to put the dishes in the sink, then returned to sit on the sofa, continuing to stare at Li Yifei and his messy luggage.
Li Yifei tugged at one bag, put it down, then kicked another suitcase before pulling his foot back.
Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore and asked Qian Fei, who was enjoying the spectacle, “How do you think I should tidy this up?”
Qian Fei blinked and said, “Just do it the same way you did when you moved to the villa.”
Li Yifei said, “I hired a housekeeper then.”
Qian Fei replied, “Then hire one again.”
Li Yifei said, “But you’re here now, so I don’t need to, right?”
Qian Fei stared at him intently and spat out a “Bah!”
After a while, seeing that Qian Fei was still sitting on the sofa with her big eyes wide open, not moving, Li Yifei couldn’t take it anymore and asked directly, “You’re really not going to lift a finger, just sitting there like a boss? Is this okay? I’m the landlord now! As a tenant, you’re being so lazy and unaware of your position. Aren’t you afraid of being kicked out?”
Qian Fei leaned back on the sofa, swung one leg over the other forcefully, striking a pose like a female bandit claiming a mountain, and said, “When I was the landlord, this is exactly how you acted as a tenant. I’m just learning from you, my senior.”
Li Yifei was speechless, realizing she had been waiting for this moment.
He thought for a moment, stepped out of the pile of luggage, pointed at Qian Fei’s room, and said, “When you were the landlord, you lived in that room, right? Now that I’m the landlord, I want to live there too. Quickly pack up your things in that room and move them to this one!”
After saying this, he strode into Qian Fei’s room and sprawled out on her bed. “Hurry up and pack, so I can move my things in once you’re done.”
Qian Fei was speechless. This man’s shamelessness was only increasing, never decreasing.
She got up and went back to her room, standing by the bed, looking down at the shameless guy on the bed, and said, “Get up.”
Li Yifei propped up his upper body and asked, “What? Don’t want to move? If you don’t want to move, that’s fine. Then help me organize my things in that room!”
Qian Fei leaned over, reaching past him to start pulling at the bedsheet from the corner behind his back.
“Get out of the way, don’t block me from moving the bedding!”
Li Yifei was stunned for a moment and blocked her, “You’re moving to that room?”
Qian Fei looked at him with drooping eyelids, “Don’t I have to listen to the landlord?”
Li Yifei said, “Then why don’t you listen when the landlord asks you to help him tidy up the room?”
Qian Fei said, “Because landlords are often a bit shameless, so I can only listen to their slightly more reasonable requests.”
Li Yifei got angry, “What do I have to do to make you help me tidy up the room?”
Qian Fei looked at him and said, “Promise me that when my father comes, you won’t talk nonsense, and I’ll help you tidy up.”
Li Yifei asked, “What counts as talking nonsense?”
Qian Fei said, “Saying things like you’re my boyfriend.”
Li Yifei raised an eyebrow, looking displeased, “Then what am I to you?”
Qian Fei: “The landlord.”
Li Yifei cursed under his breath.
He couldn’t tell which statement was more nonsensical at this point.
Qian Fei’s method of helping Li Yifei tidy up the room had changed slightly from before.
Most of the time, she sat on the sofa with her legs crossed like a bandit, giving verbal instructions to Li Yifei: “Take the things out of that big box and put them on the bookshelf in the study. Don’t throw away the box, flatten it and put it under the bookshelf, you can use it again later.”
“Take all the clothes out of the suitcase and hang them in the wardrobe. Don’t hang the dirty ones, just throw them in the washing machine.”
“Bro, you’re putting your shaving kit in the wardrobe? Is your creativity fueled by your fearless ignorance? That’s what the bathroom is for!”
“Don’t stack books next to the pillow, big guy. What are you pretending to be, a studious person who forgets to eat and sleep? Isn’t that study room left for you to breathe fresh air?”
…
When everything was finally tidied up, Li Yifei realized something seemed off.
“Does this even count as you helping me tidy up the room? This is completely me doing it all myself, isn’t it?” he asked, wide-eyed.
Qian Fei shrugged, “See how quickly you’ve grown since becoming a landlord? You can almost take care of yourself now!”
Li Yifei twitched his mouth and rolled his eyes as he went into the bathroom to take a shower.
If his father knew how diligent and brave he had become, even able to tidy up a room, he’d probably be moved to tears.
After showering, Li Yifei came out of the bathroom wearing boxers and a white T-shirt. He realized that since meeting Qian Fei, his fashion taste had willingly shifted towards a more ordinary style. In the past, he wouldn’t even look at anything but imported silk pajamas. Now, he could wear a street market T-shirt that cost 15 yuan each or 30 for two, with a free pair of common underwear, and happily roll around on the bed without any psychological barriers.
As soon as he came out of the bathroom, he saw Qian Fei sitting on the sofa, looking slightly troubled and lost in thought.
He looked at her while drying his hair, dramatically sighing, “Daddy’s finally back!” Then he tossed the towel aside and started touching everything around him.
Touching the bathroom door, he said, “Ah, my bathhouse!”
Moving forward, touching the kitchen door, he said, “Ah, my kitchen!”
Continuing to move, touching the dining table, he said, “Ah, my dining table!”
Walking back, touching the TV, he said, “Ah, my television!”
Turning a corner to the sofa, he half-squatted down to touch it, saying, “Ah, my big sofa!”
His hand smoothly moved from the sofa to Qian Fei’s cheek, looking into her eyes, he said, “Ah, my little beauty! I’ve missed you all so much!”
Qian Fei couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Get lost! Be a good landlord, don’t act silly and cute here!”
Li Yifei took the opportunity to turn around, changing from squatting to sitting on the sofa next to Qian Fei, saying, “Oh, you’re finally smiling!” He leaned back on the sofa, gently (secretly) patting Qian Fei’s back, “Don’t worry, don’t be afraid, don’t fret. With me, the handsome Iron Fist King here, everything will work out whether we reach the bridge or not!”
Qian Fei twisted away, shaking off the restless hand on her back, sighing, “I wonder when we’ll get a hospital bed!”
Li Yifei’s hand persistently crawled back onto that tactile back, stickily patting it lightly, “If you fry me some eggplant strips, I’ll tell you some good news!”
Qian Fei fried a plate of eggplant strips for Li Yifei, who ate with great joy and focus. If Qian Fei hadn’t stopped him in time, he might have forgotten his high-class landlord status and licked the plate.
Putting down his chopsticks and patting his belly with satisfaction, Li Yifei said to Qian Fei, “Let’s bring your father here tomorrow. He can be admitted to the hospital directly, in a VIP ward. I’ve arranged everything for you. Then we’ll do a thorough examination as soon as possible and consult with the doctor to determine the specific surgery time.”
Qian Fei looked at him for a long time without saying anything. As she kept looking, her eyes began to redden.
Li Yifei was startled, “What are you doing? Are you going to cry? When did your eyes become so shallow?” He suddenly changed his expression, looking displeased, “Why didn’t you cry like this when you broke up with me? Am I that insignificant? Where were your tears back then? Where did they all go?”
Qian Fei couldn’t cry any more after being questioned like this.
The next evening, Aunt He brought Qian Fei’s father to Beijing.
Li Yifei kept his word and indeed took the old man directly to the hospital’s VIP ward by car. He told Qian Fei, “Don’t worry, it will be charged as a regular ward.”
Although the old man’s physical condition wasn’t good, his mental state was very positive, optimistic, and talkative.
When he first saw Li Yifei, if he hadn’t been so weak, he might have pounced on him. Li Yifei finally understood where Qian Fei’s carefree and rough personality came from.
Supported by Aunt He, the old man looked at Li Yifei and asked, “Are you Little Li? You don’t look like the person in the photo Fei Fei showed me! You’re so handsome!”
Li Yifei glanced at Qian Fei and whispered, “You told me not to talk nonsense, should I play along?”
Qian Fei glared at him fiercely and said through gritted teeth, “Stop talking nonsense and just go along with it! Make him happy!”
Li Yifei then went over to support the old man, smiling and asking, “Uncle, what did I look like in the photo Qian Fei showed you?”
The old man mumbled, “Hmm, a bit dark, a bit old!”
Li Yifei turned to look at Qian Fei, raising his eyebrows mischievously, “Looks like there was someone else before me!”
The old man trembled and quickly corrected himself, “No, I remember now, the photo Little Fei showed me was you! It was a cloudy day, so I might have just seen you as a bit darker! Little Li, don’t mind it. Treat my daughter well, she can do everything – laundry, cooking, taking care of children, she’s good at it all! Living with her, you’ll have such an easy life!”
Qian Fei’s mouth twitched, while Li Yifei grinned like a cat who had stolen fish.
From their meeting to settling into the hospital room, Li Yifei was running back and forth to help. The old man couldn’t stop praising this “future son-in-law,” continuously complimenting him as if he would get liver pain if he said one word less.
While Li Yifei was gone to handle some paperwork, the old man instructed Qian Fei, “Daughter, remember to take good care of yourself. Don’t become a yellow-faced old woman, or you won’t be good enough for Little Li!”
Qian Fei felt like crying but had no tears.
Her father’s spirit was so high, how could he be a sick person?
The next day, after a comprehensive examination, the doctor set the surgery date for before the National Day holiday. Both the liver and kidney would need surgery.
Fortunately, although the old man’s two conditions were serious, they weren’t life-threatening. It’s just that after the surgery, recovery would depend on spending money.
Qian Fei now felt that as long as they could save her father’s life, she would be willing to sell herself or her kidney. She comforted her father, “Money is just a trifle, we can earn more after spending it. Don’t worry about this! Besides, I’m about to pass the securities representative exam! If you don’t help me spend some money, I won’t know where to stack all the money I’ll earn in the future!”
Although she said this, she was becoming increasingly unsure about the securities representative exam, which was only a little over a month away.