Inside the bedroom, Li Feng sat down on the floor with his back resting lightly against the side of the bed. The clock on the wall read 7:10 PM. He still had some time before Madam Chen's niece was supposed to call.
Balancing the plate on his knee, he took a bite of the food. The taste was exactly how it looked. Simple. Light. Comfortable.
He chewed slowly, his eyes resting on the quiet room.
In his previous life, Feng Liang had been a bachelor. He had often heard colleagues and business partners brag about their wives' cooking during dinners and gatherings — laughing loudly, saying things like a man only truly settles once he has a family waiting for him at home. Back then, Feng Liang had never quite understood it.
Family.
To him, that word had always felt distant. The only real family he had ever known was his grandfather. His parents had died in a tragic accident when he was still very young, and after that his grandfather had taken him in and raised him personally. But the rest of the family had never welcomed him. His uncles in particular had always viewed him as a threat — even as a child he could feel it, the subtle hostility, the quiet attempts to undermine him whenever he showed promise. As he grew older and began to stand out in the family business, their hostility only grew sharper.
In that environment, warmth had been rare. Trust even rarer.
Li Feng took another bite of the lemon chicken, chewing slowly.
Now, sitting in this small bedroom, with the faint sounds of Zhao Lihua and little Li Xian moving around in the living room — the word family suddenly felt different.
When he finished eating he set the empty plate aside and reached for his laptop. He pulled up the spreadsheet where he had recorded the café's sales earlier, entered the remaining numbers for the day, double-checked the totals, and saved the file. Then he closed the laptop and stood up.
Picking up his plate, he walked toward the kitchen.
Zhao Lihua and Li Xian were already finished eating. Li Xian looked half asleep, her small head drooping slightly as she leaned against her mother.
"I'll clean up," Li Feng said calmly. "You two can go in for the night."
Zhao Lihua picked up her daughter and walked past him. But after a few steps she stopped. Turning slightly, she said quietly, "Thank you."
Then she went into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
A small smile curved on Li Feng's lips. He gathered the remaining plates and carried them to the sink. The sound of running water filled the kitchen as he washed the dishes and arranged them neatly to dry.
When he finished he glanced at the clock.
7:40 PM.
His laptop was still in the bedroom. Thinking he might need it, Li Feng walked to the door and knocked once. A moment later it opened slowly. Zhao Lihua stood at the entrance, calmer now, though there was still a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
"I need to get my laptop," Li Feng said.
She stepped aside and opened the door wider.
Li Feng walked in quietly. Little Li Xian was already asleep on the bed, her small body curled under the blanket. He paused for a moment, looking at her. Her breathing was soft and steady. After a brief moment he picked up his laptop from the table and turned toward the door.
Zhao Lihua stood to the side, giving him space to pass.
He stepped out. The door was about to close behind him when he spoke.
"Is there anything you need in the house?"
The question came out a little abruptly.
Zhao Lihua paused. She hadn't expected that. For a moment she simply stood there, holding the door slightly open, looking at him.
Li Feng was aware, almost immediately, that it had come out of nowhere. He waved his hand lightly. "Forget I asked."
Zhao Lihua had actually thought of something to say. But the words stayed in her throat. *What if he gets angry again?* He had been different these past two days — calmer, kinder even. But she couldn't tell if it was real or only temporary. The memories of the past were still too fresh.
Seeing that she remained silent, Li Feng simply nodded. "Alright then."
He turned and walked away. The bedroom door closed softly behind him.
Walking back toward the living room, Li Feng rubbed the back of his neck. *I might have been too direct*, he murmured to himself. After all, considering what the original owner of this body had done — it was only natural that Zhao Lihua would still be afraid of him. The trust that had been broken would take time to rebuild.
He reached the table, switched on the light, and placed his laptop down. His phone followed beside it.
8:00 PM.
Right on schedule.
His phone rang.
"Hello," Li Feng said. "Are you ready to start?"
"Yes," she replied, a mix of frustration and relief in her voice. "I suppose I should properly introduce myself. My name is Chen Yiran, third-year Business Administration at Eastlake University."
"Alright, Yiran. Tell me what's been giving you trouble."
She sighed. "Honestly… applying the concepts. I understand financial analysis, budgeting, case studies in theory — but when it comes to actual assignments or problem sets, I just freeze. I can't figure out how to connect the dots or which steps to take first." Her voice softened slightly. "I've tried figuring it out on my own but I keep getting stuck."
Li Feng leaned back, thoughtful. "So it's not a lack of understanding the material — it's a gap in method and approach. That's something we can fix."
A small relieved laugh escaped her. "Finally… someone who doesn't just talk at me. I'm glad it's you, Mr. Li. I really need help that actually works."
"We can start right away," Li Feng said. "A video call will be more effective."
He opened his laptop and arranged everything for the session.
"Ha… yes, give me a minute," Chen Yiran replied, her voice tinged with nervous energy.
After a short pause they set up the online room and began.
Two hours passed. During that time Li Feng gradually came to understand Yiran's main issues — her attention span was limited, she drifted off-topic often, and frequently stopped to ask questions that had nothing to do with the lesson. Toward the end his voice took on a firmer tone.
"Miss Chen, I'll organize some materials to help you understand things more quickly. I'll send them before our next session. Please go through them carefully."
She nodded enthusiastically, relief clear in her voice. "Finally… it's over."
Before ending the call she added quickly, "Oh, and please send me your account details — I'll transfer the fee tomorrow. Good nighttt!"
The screen went dark.
Li Feng closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. He exhaled slowly.
"This is going to be harder than I thought."