BPDSB Chapter 26: Dr. Xu must have his reasons for doing this.

As soon as Xu Xiliu said that, the housekeeper seemed to recall the previous incidents and, sure enough, calmed down.

“Then I’ll trouble Dr. Xu to give Sir a sedative injection,” Uncle Zhong said at once. But as he looked at the chaotic scene inside, he opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then added, “But with Sir like this… would it be inconvenient? Earlier, Sir forbade anyone from going up to the third floor, so I instructed the servants not to come near. After his episode began, he also refused to let anyone approach…”

When no one got close, the man just looked a bit deranged—talking to himself and throwing things. But if someone approached, there was no telling what he might do. He might even become violent.

Just like on that previous rainy night.

Uncle Zhong thought for a moment. “Should I go call a few strong ones over to help?”

Xu Xiliu also looked into the room.

The man was no longer wearing the suit from earlier that day, but rather a very comfortable set of home clothes. However, the clothes were now stained with blood, making it all the more jarring. No one knew where his slippers had been kicked to, and the floor was littered with shards of broken glass and porcelain—it was chaotic beyond belief.

The two of them had been standing at the door of the study for several minutes, yet the man hadn’t noticed them at all, nor did he care. He just muttered to himself in a daze, his tone cold and chilling.

Xu Xiliu made a quick estimate and said, “No need. If they use too much strength and hurt Mr. Qin, it might trigger him even more.”

As he said that, he paused, recalling the situation on the night he first transmigrated into the book. In the end, he couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t be attacked—after all, he was just a doctor. So, he hesitated a little and said, “I’ll go in and check things out first. If it really doesn’t work, then we can call someone up to restrain him.”

The housekeeper agreed.

Xu Xiliu took a breath and stepped inside.

The first thing he did upon entering the study was to turn on the lights.

As soon as the lights came on, the room lit up brightly—everything was laid bare.

The man who had previously been muttering mad threats in the dark was now fully revealed. That sense of gloomy mystery was completely dispelled by the warm lighting. At first glance, he even had a bit of the air of an overly dramatic, edgy teenager.

Xu Xiliu’s mouth twitched.

The sudden change of light momentarily distracted the man. His cold, dazed black eyes slowly turned toward them. The madness in that gaze was enough to make one’s blood run cold. Xu Xiliu’s steps faltered slightly, but upon seeing that the man didn’t move and didn’t look like he was about to act, he continued walking forward—each step taken with caution, ready to retreat at any sign of aggression. Yet even after he came to a full stop in front of the man, the other didn’t react violently. He only kept staring at Xu Xiliu with those chilling black eyes, staring so intently that it made one uncomfortable.

Xu Xiliu found a spot amid the mess where he could safely step down, and put down the medical kit he had brought. He greeted him, “…Mr. Qin?”

“……”

No reply.

As expected.

Just a few steps away, the housekeeper watched the scene unfolding in front of him without blinking.

To be honest, although Qin Li could be said to have been raised under his watch—and he was deeply familiar with the man’s dark and brooding temperament, knowing that he looked like that nearly every day—when the man truly had an episode and went mad, even he didn’t dare approach or provoke him.

Because at times like that, the other truly became indiscriminately aggressive—frightening and terrifying.

So, when he saw the young man—whose build could only be described as upright but not particularly strong—approaching his Sir alone, Uncle Zhong couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat on his behalf. He kept feeling like at any moment, the man might suddenly lash out, grab the young doctor’s throat, and strangle him until he couldn’t even struggle.

And yet…

In his mind, Uncle Zhong suddenly recalled the image of the young man punching his Sir to the ground before. He went silent, his expression caught between worry and something more subtle, becoming slightly twisted.

Maybe he didn’t need to worry after all…

Xu Xiliu wasn’t discouraged by the lack of response from Qin Li. Honestly, he’d be surprised if he did get a response. So he simply opened the medical kit and prepared to administer the injection right away.

But unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, the man suddenly spoke again. Clearly not in his right mind, his tone was dazed and carried that same cold, self-mocking timbre—like a deeply misanthropic, world-weary youth: “…If we don’t choose to fall, then what meaning does hell have!”

“……”

While rummaging through his tools, Xu Xiliu responded perfunctorily, “Mm-hmm!”

“They all don’t care about me… They all want me dead…”

“Mm-hmm!”

Xu Xiliu, holding his supplies, suddenly remembered something. His eyes lit up, and from the hastily packed bag he had brought, he pulled out a familiar frisbee.

Last time, he had accidentally left the thing in his bag and brought it over. Then he stuffed it back in again, and after trailing the man to the company, he’d completely forgotten about it afterward. It had stayed in his bag ever since, and when he came over this time, the frisbee had been brought along once again.

Although last time it had caused a bit of an embarrassing misunderstanding, the man had—oddly enough—seemed to react to it. Maybe he could use the thing to distract him and buy enough time to calmly administer the injection.

Thinking this, Xu Xiliu tentatively waved the orange frisbee in front of the man.

Qin Li, who had just been about to speak again, suddenly shut his mouth. It was as if his attention had been captured. His cold and dazed gaze slowly followed the frisbee’s movement. The dramatic, edgy lines he had been spouting ceased, and even the grim, manic expression on his handsome face eased slightly.

Still scary, yes—but better than a few minutes ago.

Xu Xiliu’s heart lifted with joy.

It worked!

He tested it again with another wave. Then, simply, he stuffed the frisbee into the man’s arms and instructed, “Here, you play with this first. Don’t move in a bit, okay?”

The man didn’t speak, but he did lower his gaze.

In that moment, he actually looked a little well-behaved.

Like a child who had just gotten a toy they liked.

Xu Xiliu observed the man’s reaction for a while and was quite satisfied. He swiftly rolled up the man’s sleeve all the way to the shoulder.

But the instant the sleeve was rolled up, the man suddenly turned his head and stared at him with a deathly gaze—as if he were about to strike at any second. Xu Xiliu froze on the spot, his whole body going rigid. After a moment of stillness, he slowly shook the frisbee in his hand again in a placating gesture. Only then did the man, dazed, lower his black eyes once more.

That was close.

Xu Xiliu let out a breath of relief and, seizing the moment, quickly administered the injection.

The man struggled a bit—maybe because the frisbee had distracted him, the resistance wasn’t too strong. Xu Xiliu managed to hold him down with one hand. Only when the injection was finished did he breathe a long sigh of relief and step back.

…This job was really nerve-wracking.

With a salary this high, he had earned it!

Xu Xiliu clenched his teeth.

And the housekeeper, who had been watching the whole thing from beginning to end, had been holding his breath as Xu Xiliu approached Qin Li. When he saw Xu Xiliu take a frisbee out of his bag, his expression shifted again and again, becoming increasingly complicated.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that thing… was a pet toy, right?

…Forget it, Dr. Xu must have his reasons for doing things this way.

Unaware of the housekeeper’s many tangled thoughts, Xu Xiliu finally let his tense heart relax now that the tranquilizer had been administered.

Now, they just had to wait for the man to calm down.

With all those injuries on him, the bloodstains looked terrifying. It wasn’t clear exactly where he had been hurt. If it was just external wounds, Xu Xiliu could clean and bandage them. But if the wounds were too deep or involved muscle or bone damage, then they would still need to go to the hospital.

In the middle of the night, no less.

Xu Xiliu sighed helplessly.

He relayed this to Housekeeper Zhong, who expressed his understanding.

After a while, the man’s vicious and tense expression eased significantly, and Xu Xiliu, together with the housekeeper, helped him into another room. After all, the study had been turned into a chaotic, smoky mess—there was barely any place to step, and it certainly wasn’t suitable for cleaning the man’s wounds later.

Once the room was changed, the housekeeper temporarily left to instruct the servants to clean up the mess in the study.

Xu Xiliu estimated that enough time had passed. He opened the medical kit again and tentatively approached the man, speaking softly: “Mr. Qin, I’m going to clean your external wounds now.”

He gave advance notice. Although the man didn’t respond with a word, most of the aggression in his demeanor had already dissipated. He appeared far calmer than before—by no small margin.

This reassured Xu Xiliu, and he moved closer, carefully unfastening the man’s shirt.

The injured area on the left shoulder had bled quite a bit, and much of it had stuck to the fabric. As time had passed, the blood had already clotted, binding the wound tightly to the clothing. To clean the wound in that area, the fabric would have to be removed—this would inevitably reopen the thin scab of dried blood, and the secondary pain that would result was by no means light.

But it couldn’t be helped.

While keeping a close eye on the man’s expression, Xu Xiliu carefully yet swiftly and decisively separated the fabric from the wound. Instantly, fresh blood welled up again.

Yet the man seemed entirely unaware of the pain. His brow didn’t so much as furrow; only his lips were noticeably pale.

Xu Xiliu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

What a ruthless man.

His silence actually made Xu Xiliu’s work easier.

Xu Xiliu skillfully cleaned the wound of dirt and dried blood. Then, he gently probed a few spots on the man’s left shoulder and asked, “Mr. Qin, does this hurt?”

The tranquilizer had taken effect, and at this point the man’s awareness of his surroundings was gradually sharpening—he was slowly coming back to himself.

After a few seconds, he shook his head faintly, still somewhat dazed.

Xu Xiliu examined him further, confirming that the man’s left shoulder hadn’t sustained damage to bone or tendon. It seemed that during his episode, he had collided with something—the skin had been scraped until it was raw and bloody, but it only looked worse than it really was.

Once he was done, Xu Xiliu bandaged the wound neatly and helped the man put his shirt—pulled down to the crook of his elbow—back on.

The shirt, now stained with blood and dried in places, was blotched with dark red patches, making the whole thing appear both eerie and pitiful. But it was still better than letting him sit there shirtless. His job was to clean the wounds. As for changing clothes—well, that was something for the more intimate housekeeper to handle. It wasn’t his concern.

While helping him dress, Xu Xiliu accidentally caught a glimpse of the man’s waist and abdomen.

He had been too focused on his work earlier to notice, but now that he saw it, Xu Xiliu couldn’t help but glance a few more times in surprise.

…He hadn’t expected that the protagonist gong—who always looked sickly and on the verge of a breakdown—would actually have such a great physique?

Chest muscles, abdominal muscles—none missing—and the lines were beautiful.

Comparing yourself to others is truly infuriating.

With a trace of personal emotion, Xu Xiliu helped button the shirt over the other’s torso.

Next, he moved on to check the man’s injured feet.

The seated position wasn’t convenient, so he simply crouched down directly.

Above his head, the man’s gaze gradually began to regain focus, slowly shifting to follow his movements.

Qin Li was still in a daze, holding the frisbee in his hand. His black eyes were lowered, staring at the orange object. Amidst the mental chaos that was beginning to stabilize, a single frame of memory surfaced, prompting him to act—he brought the frisbee to his nose and sniffed it, but then frowned and murmured, “No… This isn’t the right scent…”

“What?”

As he was carefully examining the man’s foot, Xu Xiliu looked up upon hearing this—only to meet those deep, gloomy eyes.

He froze.

“Not right…” Qin Li murmured again, his gaze fixed on the young man in front of him.

Then, he pressed his lips together—and suddenly leaned in to sniff him.

“It has to be that really sweet scent…”

The man’s handsome face approached without warning, startling Xu Xiliu into falling flat on the floor.

And that wasn’t the end of it—the other leaned in again, this time toward his neck. The breath spilling over his skin made Xu Xiliu’s hairs stand on end, and he instinctively leaned back, his lower back bending into a graceful arc.

He was still holding the tweezers, with medical gloves on his hands—gloves that were even smeared with the man’s blood. Both hands were occupied, and sitting on the floor meant he couldn’t escape. All he could do was watch, wide-eyed, as the man leaned in closer and closer.

The warmth of another person’s skin pressed softly against his cheek—ticklish and strange—causing Xu Xiliu to freeze completely in place.

The other nuzzled against his neck briefly, like a puppy, then straightened up and sat back down, as if he had found what he was looking for. His black eyes narrowed slightly in apparent satisfaction.

He actually didn’t do anything else to him.

Nearly scared him to death.

Xu Xiliu eyed the man warily for quite a while. Only when he saw no further action did he slowly release the breath he had been holding in his chest. But he still didn’t understand why the man had suddenly done something like that.

A scent?

What scent?

He couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he thought.

Not much time had passed. The housekeeper hadn’t returned, and the man wasn’t fully conscious yet.

He didn’t even have anyone to complain to.

After a pause, Xu Xiliu had no choice but to continue the work he’d been interrupted from.

This time, he was on guard. Multitasking, he both carefully cleaned out the tiny shards of glass embedded in the man’s foot and constantly kept an eye on his movements.

Until a low, airy male voice suddenly sounded above him, the enunciation a bit slurred and odd: “Xu… Xiliu?”

He hadn’t called him “Doctor.”

He had called him by his full name—directly.

Xu Xiliu’s head shot up, somewhat surprised. “You’re awake?”

Good news, finally awake—please don’t do anything strange again and keep him on edge!

His peach blossom eyes, behind gold-rimmed glasses, curved into a cheerful squint.

But after that one line, he received no response. Xu Xiliu found it odd, and looked up again—only to see that the man wasn’t fully awake.

Although he had called Xu Xiliu’s name and his eyes had noticeably refocused, he still seemed somewhat immersed in his own world. His brows were slightly furrowed, his handsome face pale and darkly clouded.

Alright then.

As long as he had some reason back, that was enough.

He’d probably regain full clarity before long.

So Xu Xiliu ignored him and continued his work. The man had stood barefoot on the floor full of broken glass and porcelain shards in the study for who knew how long, as if he couldn’t feel pain at all. The soles of both his feet were now in a horrifying state—even someone like Xu Xiliu, who had seen all kinds of things, felt a sympathetic ache in his own soles just looking at them.

Just picking out the tiny pieces of glass alone would take ages.

The workload was unimaginably large.

He resigned himself to it and kept going.

At the same time, right above him, the man was narrowing his eyes, staring at him unblinkingly.

Qin Li could feel pain in many parts of his body, but this pain brought him a kind of masochistic clarity—the more it hurt, the more deeply the memories etched themselves in, and the less he wanted to forget them.

His consciousness was gradually returning, his emotions steadily calming. Though he was still somewhat dazed, he already clearly knew that he had just suffered another episode.

He didn’t remember much of the process of the breakdown, but the person in front of him, who was so carefully tending to his wounds—he remembered that part with crystal clarity.

It was his personal doctor.

Xu Xiliu.

Qin Li repeated that name silently in his heart.

A cold laugh echoed vaguely in his mind.

Heh.

What a convincing act.

He remembered now—the information he had received before his episode.

That his dear uncle had been in close contact with many personal doctors, precisely during the time when Qin Li was at his most disoriented and pitiful, having just entered the estate. That man had no illness or ailment, and viewed Qin Li as a thorn in his side—why else would he approach so many private physicians? The purpose was obvious. And this cunning doctor, though his background appeared clean as a blank sheet of paper, had entered his orbit at that very moment under the guise of treating his body—claiming to have no relation to Qin Zhangyuan? He didn’t believe it for a second!

What’s more, not long ago, there had even been an incident where someone within the estate tried to drug him.

And now they still claimed to care about him?

Fine.

Truly, just fine.

Qin Li sneered again in his heart, the expression on his handsome face turning vicious and twisted.

Perhaps he was once more overcome with anger. The rush of blood stirred his head again—he’d nearly regained full clarity, but now his mind went hazy once more, dazed in a flash.

His gaze fell on the youth before him, bowed over as he treated his wounds. The sight of that soft crown of hair, that pale and exposed nape, only made him grit his teeth harder.

He wanted nothing more than to crush that delicate, slender neck.

The muscles in Qin Li’s face tightened. Narrowing his black eyes, he curled his lips into a chilling, frosty smile.

He reached out and violently lifted the youth’s chin!

Through clenched teeth, he said: “Dr. Xu.”

“What exactly have you done to betray me!”

Suddenly having his chin grabbed and being coldly interrogated left Xu Xiliu utterly dumbfounded. His bright, expressive peach blossom eyes were filled with confusion. He didn’t react for quite some time.

What kind of development was this?

Holding the tweezers in hand, he thought for a moment, then cautiously ventured, “…Did you catch me wiping your blood off on your pants leg just now because I didn’t want it on my gloves?”

Qin Li: “……”

He lowered his head for a glance—and sure enough, saw a few dark red smudges of finger marks stealthily pressed on the hem of his pants, in a very crafty spot.

His vicious smile froze slightly.

Xu Xiliu still hadn’t finished cleaning the wounds, and couldn’t be bothered to argue with a delirious patient.

Since his gloved hands couldn’t push the man’s hand away, he simply shifted his own chin out of the man’s grasp and lowered his head again to focus on his task.

He said with clear disdain, “Shoo, stop bothering me—go play with your frisbee.”

Qin Li: “?”

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TN: The miscommunication between these two is just gold hahahah