BPDSB Chapter 38: Who allowed you to eat dragon fruit like this!

Qin Li waited an entire night, yet did not discover anything wrong with his body. Until the early morning, when the sky was faintly bright, he still felt completely fine, his mood calm, his mind at peace, as if he could immediately get up and, on the spot, perform a full set of Taiji boxing. He did not wait for the side effects of the medicine his private doctor had given him. Instead, because he had stayed up all night, there were faint bluish shadows hanging under his eyes, and from lack of sleep his head ached somewhat.

Qin Li felt somewhat muddled and, exhausted, rubbed the space between his brows.

…Not right.

There must be something wrong somewhere.

It should not be like this.

He thought it over from left to right, and from right to left, and finally, when the first ray of morning sunlight slipped in through the gap in the curtains, he came up with a conjecture.

He felt that the reason he was still normal now could only be one thing: the medicine he ate last night was still normal, the same ones he usually took, rather than the replaced, problematic medicine. Otherwise, no matter what, his body would have shown some abnormal reaction.

But why would it be like this?

He had clearly seen through the surveillance that the young man had malicious intentions and swapped the medicine.

Qin Li closed his eyes. The furrow between his brows deepened, and his entire body was shrouded in an irritable, gloomy aura.

After thinking it over again and again, he arrived at a conclusion. It was possible that although the young man had already planned to change the medicine, what he gave him to take last night was still the normal one, merely making a feint. Perhaps that phone call yesterday had startled the grass and alerted the snake, causing the other party to sense something amiss, or perhaps it was because the young man was inherently meticulous in his thinking. Even if the medicine swap had already succeeded, he would not act immediately, but instead decided to proceed step by step. He would relax Qin Li’s vigilance, dismantle his defenses, and in the end, without gods or ghosts knowing, completely switch that problematic bottle of medicine with the normal ones by Qin Li’s side, thereby bringing down his body.

It had to be said, this private doctor of his truly had extremely deep scheming.

Qin Li had personally seen with his own eyes last night that the medicine the young man fed him was taken from those medicine bottles in his room. And since nothing happened after he took it, he dared to wager that the bottles currently placed beside him still contained normal medicine. As for the bottle whose medicine had been replaced with something wrong, it was presently still in the young man’s hands. Although the other party had found an identical bottle to contain it, he had not immediately placed it by Qin Li’s side.

If he could quietly take out one tablet from the medicine bottle the young man carried on him and send it for testing, and then, at the critical moment when the young man made a move against him, throw out the test report, with both witness testimony and physical evidence present, he did not believe the other party could once again escape his grasp by sheer luck.

After confirming his next objective, Qin Li revealed a gloomy, unfocused smile.

Xu Xiliu was startled when he saw the listless-looking man early in the morning.

He looked him over repeatedly, revealing an expression as if he had seen a ghost, and could not help asking, “Mr. Qin, what did you do last night?”

This level of dark circles.

If someone said he ran up a mountain in the middle of the night and tilled five li of land, people would believe it.

The man seemed to still be going to work, dressed in a full suit. It was just that the suit jacket was not on. On his upper body there was only a crisply pressed white shirt, and the tie was also tied somewhat loosely. It seemed that the collar was too tight and made the man uncomfortable, so it had been impatiently tugged looser.

The other party’s complexion was even worse. For some reason it was a bit pale, and the bluish shadows under his eyes were extremely obvious, making him look as though he had not slept all night. His brows were slightly furrowed, and the look at the bottom of his eyes was tired. This trace of weariness made the gloomy temperament on his body even more pronounced, gloom added upon gloom, the whole person looking exactly like the embodiment of dark clouds.

Yesterday when he was at work, he had still been a handsome man with a gloomy temperament. Today he had become a listless man. The change in between left Xu Xiliu not knowing what to say.

He thought it over for a moment and asked, “Did you lose sleep again?”

That was not right, though. He had clearly taken medicine last night.

If he could still have insomnia even after taking medicine, just what must he have been thinking about to be this energetic.

Hearing the private doctor’s gentle, puzzled words, Qin Li gave a cold laugh. What else could he have been doing last night, if not because of this little fox!

His dark eyes fixed tightly on the young man, cold and frightening.

Yet because he had stayed up all night and his head ached, his gaze would drift blankly from time to time, and the effect was greatly diminished, making him instead look a bit mentally deficient.

He stubbornly said, “No.”

If he let this little fox know why he could not fall asleep, would that not make the other party’s tail stick straight up to the sky?

He absolutely would not allow it.

Xu Xiliu did not believe him upon hearing this.

He suspiciously stared at the man for a few moments, then suddenly his gaze fixed on the other party’s palm. He could not help narrowing his peach blossom eyes, stepped forward, and with one motion flipped open the other party’s hand. Sure enough, he saw that there were several twisted crescent-moon-shaped wounds on the palm, already scabbed over.

Xu Xiliu paused, then gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. “Mr. Qin, please explain what is going on here.”

The moment one failed to keep an eye on him, he could add a few more injuries to himself.

And now he was even suspected of not sleeping all night.

Xu Xiliu was practically so angry he wanted to laugh.

Qin Li was made extremely displeased by the young man’s interrogative tone. His gaze sharpened, and immediately after, a wave of headache surged up, causing him to frown. When he spoke again, his momentum had already weakened by quite a bit. “…An accident.”

“What kind of accident can be pinched into the palm of the hand?” Xu Xiliu smiled.

These marks could only have been pinched out by fingernails, and not lightly at that. They had been pinched into the flesh until it bled. After a night had passed, the wounds had scabbed over, which was how the crescent-shaped scars Xu Xiliu now saw had formed.

He could not help pulling the man’s hand over to examine it carefully.

Mm, the fingernails were neat, blunt, bare.

To be able to pinch until it bled like this, just how much force had been used?

Xu Xiliu fell into contemplation.

Qin Li lowered his gaze and noticed that the young man, without saying a word, was holding his hand and turning it over again and again. On that beautiful face, the expression was both worried and anxious, and his heart could not help but heat up. His hand was being cradled by the young man’s two hands, and he could feel the other party’s fair fingertips and soft finger pads sliding across his hand, stirring up ripples of trembling one after another. It made him especially want to reverse the roles, seize the other party’s hand instead, and gather it into his own palm.

Noticing his own thoughts, Qin Li was first taken aback, then let out a dangerous cold laugh.

So scheming, and starting to bewitch him again.

Did he think Qin Li would fall for this?

Qin Li clenched his teeth, narrowed his dark eyes in a daze, and spoke coldly. Only, the words came out somewhat different from what he himself was thinking. “Can I understand this as Doctor Xu taking advantage of me?”

Xu Xiliu was stunned for a moment, then smiled very politely.

“What advantage do you have that I could take?”

Qin Li pressed his lips together.

How was there none?

Could it be that his hands, his physique, his muscles held not the slightest attraction for the other party?

Just a few days ago, the other party had been pinching him, touching him, and looking him over. He did not believe it.

Qin Li endured the headache and was just about to speak when the young man asked him instead, “You are going to work?”

He opened his mouth, then responded, “…Yes.”

The company had been busy lately, and it could not do without him.

“You did not sleep all night, and early in the morning you still want to go to work. Do you have no regard for your life?” Xu Xiliu said in disbelief. Although the other party stubbornly refused to admit to insomnia, that listless air of insomnia could not be concealed. And yet he still wanted to be a workaholic. Was he not afraid of sudden death?

Thinking of this, his expression turned serious. The gentle smile he usually wore on his face faded by more than half, and the whole person actually looked a bit distant and cold. Xu Xiliu said, “No. You go back and make up for your sleep. According to your physical condition, once you lose sleep you will get a headache. Do not tell me you are not in pain right now. I do not believe it. Go back and sleep now. After you wake up, whatever you want to do is fine.”

Doctors cannot stand this sort of thing.

“Do whatever you want”?

When that sentence entered Qin Li’s ears, his expression turned somewhat strange.

Before he could say anything, by the time he reacted, his entire person had already been pushed back into the room, sitting at the edge of his own bed.

Xu Xiliu mercilessly took away the suit jacket hanging over the man’s arm and smiled. “You sleep now. I will explain the specific situation to Uncle Zhong. I believe Uncle Zhong will also support my decision.”

Truly, he did not cherish his own body at all.

Xu Xiliu muttered complaints inwardly as he very unceremoniously pressed the man down, and then, as a matter of course, tugged off the tie around the other party’s neck and tossed it aside.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Li was already lying back on the bed, while his private doctor was still pursing his lips, his face full of cold anger, stripping off his clothes. His expression was completely different from his usual gentle and polite appearance, yet this undisguised anger instead looked even more vivid and bright, making one’s chest heat up. Looking at his private doctor’s face, Qin Li caught a faint flower-and-fruit fragrance drifting from the other party’s body. His body was also occasionally brushed by the other party’s fingertips. Half of Qin Li’s body was nearly numb with tingling.

He narrowed his eyes, floating and light.

So concerned about him, just like this?

Was it truly out of sincerity, or was it merely an act?

“Doctor Xu.” He uncontrollably grabbed the young man’s wrist, his expression obscure and unreadable. “If I sleep, are you… going to stay here and watch over me?”

“You want me to do this?” Xu Xiliu asked in surprise.

You need someone watching you before you can sleep. Do you think you are a kindergarten child?

But immediately after, his expression turned strange, as if thinking something over. “…It is not impossible.”

If the other party could sleep honestly, there was nothing wrong with him staying here.

In the end, it was only spending a little extra time. That was far better than letting the other party stay up late and work, then have all kinds of bodily problems erupt afterward, with him having to work himself to death doing overtime.

Moreover, ever since the last time he heard about the man’s miserable childhood from the housekeeper, and then went over the other party’s experiences again himself, there was always a bit of pity for the other party in his heart.

So what if he was a dog. A small problem.

Thus, Xu Xiliu could not help reaching out to touch the man’s head, gently and softly.

He decisively sat down at the side, took off his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped them, then turned his head toward the other party and revealed an extremely gentle smile.

His voice was also gentle to the extreme:

“I am right here. Mr. Qin, go to sleep.”

Qin Li had not expected the other party to truly agree, and he was stunned for a moment.

But immediately after, he narrowed his eyes again.

A heaven-sent opportunity.

There were surveillance cameras in his room, and they were extremely well concealed. It was just right for him to sleep. It could give the other party an opportunity, make the young man think he was harmless, and thus take advantage of him being asleep to make some kind of move. When he woke up, the surveillance would have loyally recorded everything. At that time, he would only need to check it.

Thinking of this, Qin Li curved his lips into a gloomy cold smile and closed his eyes.

Do not let him down.

Doctor Xu.

Xu Xiliu happened to glimpse the extremely abstract smile at the corner of the man’s mouth before he closed his eyes, and the corner of his own mouth twitched.

This person, does he even need a wind-up before sleeping?

He did not understand.

And was greatly shocked.

Xu Xiliu had originally thought that he would only need to stay at Qin Li’s place for half a day at most before he could agree so readily. After all, making up sleep was ultimately not as restful as sleeping at night. Ordinary people would usually wake up after sleeping for half a day, easing that bout of fatigue brought on by staying up late, and then wait until nighttime to continue sleeping.

Who would have thought the man would sleep for an entire day.

He came back after eating breakfast in the morning and curled up on the sofa in the other party’s bedroom. The other party was sleeping. This was very normal, so Xu Xiliu did not mind it and went about his own business, occasionally getting up to go out for a walk. Then at noon when it was time to eat, he came back and the man was still sleeping, which was also understandable. Then an entire afternoon passed. As evening approached, Xu Xiliu stared at the man on the bed who was lying flat, hands crossed and placed on his abdomen, sleeping handsomely and peacefully, and began to doubt life.

Was this a pig?

Sleeping for a whole day.

He stood by the bed, his face full of astonishment as he sized up the man on the bed, thinking about whether to wake him up. After all, sleeping too much was also not good. Who would have thought that just as his hand reached halfway out, he saw the other party suddenly open his eyes.

He paused.

The just-awakened Qin Li also paused.

After a moment, Qin Li, now much more awake, spoke in a sinister tone. “Doctor Xu, what are you trying to do to me?”

Make a move on him?

Caught red-handed by him?

Qin Li let out a cold snort.

Xu Xiliu felt a moment of awkwardness. After all, he had just reached out intending to pat the other party’s face to wake him. If the other party had been one second later, then at this very moment his hand would have landed on the man’s handsome face, and there might even have been a crisp sound, which would have been even more awkward.

He cleared his throat lightly and withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. “Nothing. I was just going to call you.”

“It is already six in the evening. You slept for nearly a whole day.”

Qin Li’s gaze was gloomy, suspicion showing faintly in his eyes, yet he did not speak.

He remembered the matter of the surveillance.

Thus, he sat up with a self-satisfied air and did not bother to take issue with the young man’s rude actions anymore.

Seeing that the other party was awake, Xu Xiliu no longer stayed here. After letting out a breath of relief, he returned to his room.

Qin Li sat at the edge of the bed for a while longer to clear his head, and only then stood up.

He did not immediately go to check the surveillance. After all, some things became more satisfying if one waited a bit before looking. He forcibly restrained the excitement in his heart, calmed himself slightly, put on a cold and stern expression, then turned and went to the study to dial his secretary’s phone number. He first had to deal with the work he had missed today.

Zhuang An had seen that the boss did not come in all day today and was already used to it. He had arranged everything himself.

When Qin Li called, he reported everything truthfully.

This report ended up taking nearly an hour.

At the end, Zhuang An brought up another matter. “President Qin, the paparazzi you mentioned last time, having them squat outside Qin Zhangyuan’s hospital ward, I have already done that. They have now photographed something useful over there, and it has already been posted online according to the original plan.”

Qin Li was very satisfied upon hearing this.

“Keep shooting. Shoot until Qin Zhangyuan cannot take it anymore.”

His good uncle had always liked this kind of underhanded, not-fit-for-the-stage tactic. Every time he went out, there would be a long string of flies following behind him, and it would take time to get rid of them. Although the harm was not great, it was very disgusting, a kind of disgustingness that carried Qin Zhangyuan’s flavor. But unfortunately for him, Qin Li happened to very much enjoy using someone’s own way to pay them back in kind. Using such dirty methods on the other party, his uncle would surely be very happy.

Qin Li let out a heavy cold laugh.

Zhuang An already had a very deep understanding of his own boss’s occasionally unhinged mental state. Hearing it, he only twitched the corner of his mouth, then returned to the appearance of a diligent wage worker.

Qin Li said a few more words to Zhuang An, then hung up the phone.

At this very moment, some large entertainment accounts online, after receiving instructions, were also successively releasing Qin Zhangyuan’s daily life in the hospital ward after his leg was broken and injured, mostly in the form of videos.

Ever since Qin Zhangyuan broke his leg and was forced to stay in bed, his temper could no longer be held in check. On top of that, the day he called Xu Xiliu, not only was the call not answered, but his own phone number was instead marked as a harassment call, making it impossible for him to call the other person. This caused his defenses to completely collapse.

Qin Li also took advantage of the situation to continuously suppress him. Qin Zhangyuan was both angry and anxious. The false mask of refined elegance he had worn in the past completely broke down. He stopped pretending at all, and from time to time would curse his subordinates in the hospital ward, or else viciously curse Qin Li. All of this was quietly photographed by the paparazzi.

The ferocious expression looked especially clear in the videos, making one’s heart tremble.

With water army accounts stirring things up, netizens poured in with spicy comments:

【This guy is Qin Zhangyuan? Hahaha, after being knocked flying by a wheelchair that day, he has just been lying in the hospital?】

【Oh my god he is so scary, cursing people and smashing things, and even shouting at others. Does he have some kind of anger disorder? Just watching through the screen I am afraid he will throw a cup at me. I remember he was not like this before!】

【Laughing to death, of course he was not like this before. I remember Qin Zhangyuan used to have a really good reputation. Every few days there would be all kinds of reports, like attending some charity banquet, donating how much money, or going to this place or that place to care for disadvantaged groups. Every time it was him, every time a bunch of reports, as if he wanted to grow two wings on his back and put a halo on his head and tour the world. A veteran marketing hack】

【True, I remember too. Not only did he like marketing himself, he also liked stepping on others. Every report that praised how refined he was and how good his temper was would secretly poke in a line about Qin Li being suspected of having mental illness and being irritable, or else directly arrange some explosive gossip for Qin Li. Super scheming】

【My god, suddenly I feel pity for President Qin】

【How does he dare call President Qin a crazy bastard? He himself is not any better, okay. Cursing people every day. As a working stiff I am really angry. Compared to him, President Qin is simply normal to death. After all, I have never heard President Qin curse anyone. Both of them have the surname Qin, and they are even uncle and nephew. How can the gap be so big】

【Of course it is because he is wary of our President Qin. Our President Qin is handsome, young, and capable, simply perfect. If he did not step on President Qin with that line of being suspected mentally abnormal, he would basically not be able to find any flaws】

……

When Qin Zhangyuan saw these comments, his vision went dark again, and he nearly ground his teeth to pieces.

Qin Li, on the other hand, was quite satisfied looking at them.

He did not put much attention on his uncle. He only gave it a cursory glance to make sure the overall direction was not wrong, then could not be bothered to keep following it.

He now had more important things to do.

As if knowing what he was thinking, a warm and pleasant voice came from outside the door. There was a knock, and then the door was opened. Half of the young doctor’s body entered.

“Today the people in charge of purchasing for the villa bought dragon fruit. It is very sweet and very fresh. The kitchen cut up fruit plates. We each get one portion.”

Xu Xiliu, in the villa, was in a state of having food and lodging covered while still receiving a salary. Usually, when the man was healthy and well, he was entirely in a state of freeloading and waiting to die. Although he was very satisfied with this kind of life, he was not stingy about doing some things within his ability at times. For example, when he got his own portion of fruit, he would conveniently bring the other party’s along as well.

Xu Xiliu smiled with narrowed eyes, very tempted by the brightly colored red-fleshed dragon fruit.

He smiled and looked toward the man, and as usual asked a few routine questions. “Mr. Qin, after waking up from sleeping, does your head still hurt?”

The man had changed clothes and put on more casual home wear. The gloomy, irritable aura on his body had lessened somewhat, but that kind of sharpness that seeped out from his bones still made people not dare to underestimate him.

Qin Li did not pay attention to the fruit plate. His gaze fell on Xu Xiliu at the first moment. The corner of his lips lightly curved into an unfathomable smile. “It is fine. It does not hurt anymore.”

After sleeping, the faint pain in his head from the morning had eased quite a bit, and that restless feeling of his heart pounding had also diminished a lot. Making up sleep was indeed quite useful.

Qin Li’s gaze that fell on his private doctor grew a bit more complicated.

He suddenly found that he could not see clearly anymore whether the other party wanted to harm him, or was simply being good to him.

Or perhaps it was both.

If the other party were to take the initiative right now and confess everything to him, perhaps he would not pursue it…

This thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and Qin Li was startled by himself.

Did he actually think like this deep down…

Qin Li’s gaze grew increasingly deep, mixed within it were some things that could not be understood. He weighed his words, wanting to say something more. The young man’s name circled around in his mouth. Before even a single sound could come out, he saw the young man in front of him reveal a very gentle and good-looking smile. “I see. Then I am relieved.”

Immediately after, the door to the study was shut with a sharp bang, utterly merciless.

Qin Li: “……”

“Heh.”

The warmth in his heart was extinguished in an instant.

Seeing the fruit plate placed on his desk, Qin Li stood up and went over to sit down, and incidentally turned on the computer to check the surveillance.

He wanted to see just what this little fox had done in his room over the course of the entire day while he was asleep.

In order to create an atmosphere, Qin Li even deliberately got up and turned off the lights.

In such an environment of darkness, the computer screen emitted a dim white glow. Qin Li’s face carried a dim cold smile as he began to watch the surveillance.

He was determined to succeed, convinced that he would definitely discover something.

However, after watching for a long time, from the moment he fell asleep to the moment he woke up, nothing abnormal happened during that entire span.

The young man behaved honestly, curled up on the sofa in his room, lazy and languid, holding a book in his hands as he read. When he grew tired of reading, he would stretch lazily, his shoulders and back slender, his waist so supple it made one’s heart heat up. Occasionally, he would glance in the direction where Qin Li was sleeping, then continue changing positions and curling up on the sofa.

At most, he would go out to eat or take a walk, and in the end, likely keeping in mind his promise to Qin Li, he would circle back and stay in the room again, obedient, like a little fox.

The entire surveillance recording, rather than being potential criminal evidence, was more like a dynamic record of a small pet at home while its owner slept.

Watching this, Qin Li’s heart also softened, yet his expression remained stiff, his temper foul, uncertainty flickering in the depths of his eyes.

Not right.

Very not right.

So obedient? Did nothing at all? That was impossible.

He must have missed something.

Thus, Qin Li, holding onto some kind of unspeakable sense of conviction, watched it again and again. He watched the little fox stretch lazily over a dozen times. He watched the little fox yawn over a dozen times. He watched the little fox lightly pace around his room over a dozen times. Still, he could not find anything.

After several loops, he gradually sank into a daze.

Frame after frame of the surveillance footage was reflected in his eyes. The glaring white light emitted by the computer screen made him even more disoriented, and the sense of conviction in his heart was collapsing step by step.

Qin Li’s hand gripping the mouse loosened and then tightened again. The force was so great that the mouse let out faint creaking sounds. In his heart, he repeated that it was impossible, mechanically, over and over. After several repetitions, the mouse in his hand at some point had become soft and limp, and a bit cool, rich with juice.

Qin Li took a dazed glance in the darkness and saw red liquid seeping out between his fingers, flowing down along his wrist.

The surroundings were in complete disarray, that same red liquid splattered everywhere, casting a faint dark red reflection into his eyes.

A white porcelain plate fell to the floor and shattered, producing a piercing sound.

In the room, Xu Xiliu faintly heard it and frowned, guessing it was likely noise from the man’s side.

He had just happily finished eating a plate of red heart dragon fruit and rinsed his mouth. Worried that something might have happened over there, he still went out to take a look.

The door to the nearby bedroom was open and empty, so that meant it could only be the study not far away.

Xu Xiliu walked over, and the closer he got, the more something felt wrong.

The room was deathly quiet. Something strange was definitely going on.

This rule applied to all restless creatures.

When Xu Xiliu reached the door of the study, he cautiously knocked once. Hearing no movement inside, he pressed down on the handle and quietly opened the door a crack. “Mr. Qin?”

Inside it was pitch black, the lights were off, and he could not see clearly.

But Xu Xiliu was certain the other person was inside. He heard slightly rapid breathing.

Xu Xiliu pulled the door fully open and flipped on the light with his other hand.

Turning off the lights in the middle of the night, what kind of problem was that.

Xu Xiliu was irritated. The question on his lips had not yet come out when, the moment his eyes took in the scene inside, all gentleness vanished, replaced by a terrified cry of “what the hell.”

The inside was comparable to the scene of a horror film.

Red liquid was everywhere on the floor, on the flooring, on the carpet, splattered in all directions. The desk was also in complete disarray. The mouse had rolled off to the side. On the desktop lay a puddle of some unknown red substance, a limp mass that looked as if it had been smashed out by brute force.

The man himself was even harder to describe. He sat there with large patches of red staining his clothes, his hands as well, red liquid dripping steadily down from them.

A few droplets had splashed onto the side of his handsome face. His dark eyes were deep, his expression gloomy and frightening.

The man hooked a dazed smile, tasted a mouthful of the unknown red liquid on his hand, stared at him, and ground out the words,

“Doctor. Xu. ”

If he had not recognized the shattered white porcelain plate on the floor and known that this was a ruined red heart dragon fruit, he really would have thought this was some kind of murder scene.

Xu Xiliu calmly closed his eyes for a moment, smiled, and took a deep breath, feeling an urge to shut the door and try opening it again.

Who allowed you to eat dragon fruit like this!

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T/N: Do you think it would be better if I split the chapters into two so I can update faster? The chapters are so long, and even though I enjoy translating and reading them, I already feel tired just looking at the length 😭