BPDSB Chapter 20: What are you doing?

The doorway to the study was completely silent now, a clear sign that the butler had already fled without a trace.

Xu Xiliu’s outstretched hand, which had been reaching toward the door in a desperate attempt to stop the butler, froze in midair. The vein on his forehead throbbed even harder, and finally, unable to hold it in any longer, he clenched his fist and slammed it down on the floor beside him.

Utterly ridiculous!

He had zero interest in finding out what kind of misunderstanding the butler had just walked away with!

But since he’d been tackled to the carpet, and the floor was cushioned underneath, the punch didn’t make a sound. On top of that, with half his body still pinned down, the motion wasn’t very forceful—if anything, it looked more like a mild tantrum.

Xu Xiliu glanced at the man still sprawled over him. His pale face flushed with embarrassment and rage, turning from red to green. Without the cover of his gold-rimmed glasses, his upturned peach blossom eyes were cold and furious. Gritting his teeth, he kept pushing at the man.

One push. Two. Three. Four.

Finally, with a burst of strength, Xu Xiliu managed to shove Qin Li off completely, sending him rolling to the side. He immediately sat up with a gasp, breathing hard.

Even though he’d experienced it before while helping the man, he still couldn’t get over how heavy he was.

What the hell did this guy eat growing up?

That thought made him shoot a resentful glance at Qin Li.

The man, ever since being shoved aside and ending up flat on his back on the floor, hadn’t moved at all. Maybe something else had caught his attention again. At least, for now, he wasn’t lunging at Xu Xiliu anymore while muttering “so fragrant” like some kind of creep.

Those eyes, brimming with hostility, were now half-lidded. If not for the persistent furrow in his brows, one might have thought he had simply fallen asleep.

Xu Xiliu, still simmering with anger, raised his hand and made a couple of exaggerated swipes toward the man’s face.

But remembering that the man was technically still a patient, he ultimately didn’t go through with it. He just let out a heavy snort.

Then he stood up and hurried out to find the butler they’d scared off.

He found the butler, Uncle Zhong, not far from the study.

The man hadn’t gone far.

Their eyes met, and both of them were visibly awkward.

Uncle Zhong, though clearly shocked by what he had seen earlier—especially the terrifying glare from Qin Li that had chilled him to the bone—hadn’t gone more than a few meters before stopping in his tracks, his face caught in a hesitant expression.

He realized that something was clearly off with Qin Li’s condition.

He wanted to go back in and assist Dr. Xu in caring for his young master, hoping to help bring him back to normal. But what he had just seen at the door lingered in his mind. What if, despite being unwell, Mr. Qin still had enough clarity to act on his… desires? Would barging in now not be interrupting his master’s “moment”?

And yet, if he didn’t go back, he’d still be worried about his master’s condition…

Uncle Zhong was completely torn.

Until he saw Dr. Xu—who had not long ago been aggressively pinned down by his master—suddenly appear before him.

The young man had clearly rushed over—his collar still messy, hair tousled, and, shockingly, he had forgotten the glasses that were usually perched on his nose. Whether from running or some other reason, his cheeks were flushed, making his already beautiful peach blossom eyes shimmer with a dewy, seductive light.

It was all too easy to associate this image with what Uncle Zhong had witnessed moments ago.

Uncle Zhong gave another awkward smile.

Xu Xiliu, having caught up and spotted the look on the butler’s face, immediately knew what the man was thinking. He stiffened, straightened up, and spoke before the other could say a word, his voice loud and righteous: “We’re not in that kind of relationship.”

The butler’s gaze shifted instantly—from vague suspicion to clear suspicion.

Xu Xiliu couldn’t even be bothered to maintain his usual warm smile. His grin turned stiff and strained as he repeated, firm and resolute, “You’re really misunderstanding. It was an accident.”

He no longer cared if this explanation embarrassed the protagonist gong. As long as he kept his dignity, that was all that mattered. So Xu Xiliu launched into a rapid-fire explanation of what had happened: “Before you came in, I ate a piece of candy. Mr. Qin was drawn in by the scent and pounced on me. That’s… basically it.”

What kind of “that’s” it? Those who understood, understood.

Xu Xiliu’s eyes were filled with earnest sincerity.

“Mr. Qin is still alone in the room. Let’s hurry back and get him his medicine.”

Uncle Zhong listened, still somewhat skeptical—but the next moment, he was reminded that Qin Li’s condition hadn’t yet stabilized. Now wasn’t the time to be tangled up in this kind of misunderstanding.

The two men quickly and tacitly reached an unspoken agreement on the matter and rushed back together in sync.

As soon as they stepped into the study, they saw the man Xu Xiliu had shoved aside still lying obediently on the carpet—exactly where he’d landed. Now he decides to behave, huh? Xu Xiliu grumbled inwardly.

He and Uncle Zhong worked together to lift the man onto the bed. Then, Xu Xiliu handed the pills and water glass to the butler, who carefully administered them, while Xu Xiliu took the chance to tidy himself up and search for his missing glasses.

Where had they flown off to?

After circling the area, he finally spotted them at the edge of the carpet in a far corner.

The protagonist gong really packs a punch, Xu Xiliu thought.

Knocked them that far.

He picked the glasses up, carefully put them back on, and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes with extra effort.

Meanwhile, the man had finished his medicine and was now lying on the bed. Uncle Zhong walked over and said, “Mr. Qin is lying down—looks like he’ll fall asleep soon. Dr. Xu, would you please check him for any injuries?”

Xu Xiliu nodded in agreement.

This was, after all, part of his job.

His duties weren’t exactly difficult, but they weren’t all that easy either. Most of the time, he was responsible for managing the man’s minor health issues—easing his chronic stomach pain, headaches, things like that. Whenever the man had an episode, Xu Xiliu would be called in. If it was severe, he’d administer a sedative injection to help calm him down. If it wasn’t too serious, they’d give him medication, and he’d check whether the episode had left the man injured. If so, he’d clean and bandage any wounds.

The only thing was—why was it always in the middle of the night? Ridiculous.

Thinking of all this, Xu Xiliu’s expression turned a bit complicated. After a moment of internal debate, he finally said to the butler, “Given Mr. Qin’s current condition, I really think it would be best to consult a professional psychiatrist or psychologist. Only by resolving the root of the issue can the condition truly be cured. As things are now… it’s just letting it run its course.”

After all, this wasn’t his area of expertise. All he could do was prescribe simple medications and treat physical injuries.

This advice was, at the end of the day, for the man’s own good.

Upon hearing this, the butler’s expression instantly darkened with an unspoken heaviness.

It was a long while before he finally replied, shaking his head, “I understand what Dr. Xu is saying… but sir, he… wouldn’t be willing.”

The man’s extreme stubbornness was well-known.

If he were the type to be open to help, none of this would be happening in the first place.

Both men glanced at Qin Li lying not far away and fell into silence.

Xu Xiliu understood this wasn’t something within his control. He was just offering his professional opinion. Whether they took the advice or not—well, that wasn’t his burden to bear.

So, in the next instant, he composed himself and told the butler he would begin the exam. Then, dutifully and without complaint, he walked over to the bed and carefully checked Qin Li for any injuries.

At some point, the butler had slipped away again—likely to avoid disturbing the examination. The study was now especially quiet.

Xu Xiliu gave the man a thorough inspection from top to bottom, and ultimately reached one conclusion—

The man had no external injuries whatsoever.

Well—almost.

Xu Xiliu lifted one of Qin Li’s hands and narrowed his eyes as he studied a faint, nearly healed scratch on the man’s index finger.

Well, maybe that was for the best—his workload had suddenly lightened by half.

In high spirits, Xu Xiliu turned to grab a band-aid from his medical kit. But just as he spun around, he failed to notice a certain slipper—belonging to Qin Li—lying sprawled and belly-up right beneath his feet.

He stepped on it.

His foot slipped.

And he went tumbling.

At the exact moment he lost his balance, reflex kicked in. Xu Xiliu instinctively grabbed onto something—anything—to avoid falling straight onto his backside.

His posture ended up a bit twisted, but the result was good: he didn’t fall. He even heard the slipper go flying from under his foot, but that was fine. Better a flying slipper than a painful landing, right?

After the scare, he got up from the floor and glanced at what he had grabbed during the fall—only to realize it wasn’t the bedsheet.

It was the protagonist gong’s pants.

And from the strength of his grip, he had nearly yanked the man clean off the bed.

Heart pounding with guilt, Xu Xiliu quickly let go, pretending nothing had happened as he started casually searching for his missing slipper.

But it was nowhere in front of him. Nor behind him.

Perplexed, Xu Xiliu’s gaze drifted upward—only to suddenly freeze.

Lying peacefully on the bed, Qin Li was still ridiculously handsome. Still looked serene. Only now, thanks to Xu Xiliu’s earlier tug, his pose was a little twisted. And resting upside-down on that chiseled, tranquil face—

Was a slipper.

His slipper.

The very one that had been on his foot half a minute ago.

Xu Xiliu stood there, completely blank, stunned, frozen in place.

What kind of cursed luck was this?!

After a few stunned seconds, Xu Xiliu quickly lunged forward. Taking advantage of the fact that the man was still asleep, he hastily “destroyed the evidence”—snatching the slipper off Qin Li’s face with a scowl and shoving it back onto his foot. Then he straightened up, smoothing out his expression and returning to his usual graceful and composed self.

As long as the other party didn’t wake up, then nothing had happened.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Xiliu finished his cleanup and was just about to breathe a sigh of relief and flee from this utterly nerve-wracking presence—when he turned his head and locked eyes with Qin Li, who had just opened them.

The man’s black eyes were heavy with gloom. Though there was still a trace of daze in his gaze, it was clearly focused now—he was awake.

Qin Li stared directly at his face, voice cold and slow, and asked, “What were you doing?”

Xu Xiliu immediately stiffened, unsure whether it was from fear or guilt. Instinctively, he reached out and covered Qin Li’s eyes.

Then blurted, “Haha, nothing! I was just… letting a little yellow oriole fly free.”

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