BPDSB Chapter 42: This isn’t a case of one being willing to strike and the other willing to take the blow, is it?

The three people stood at the studio entrance, one suspicious, one uncomfortable, and one quietly eating melon^[1] seeds, and this not-so-large space instantly felt cramped.

When Qin Li saw the young man’s doubtful gaze, he realized something and also felt that the impulsive words he had blurted out earlier were not quite appropriate. He pressed his lips together and cleared his throat lightly. He still did not dare look at Xu Xiliu, only lowering his voice as he added a small explanation: “I was on a business errand and heard Zhang Li say you were here, so I stopped by to take a look since I was passing by.”

Zhang Li, who was following behind Xu Xiliu, twitched the corner of his mouth.

Earlier, when Xu Xiliu was talking with Zhou Xu, Zhang Li had consciously stayed outside the door instead of going in to stand guard. Then, out of nowhere, he saw a message from his own boss saying that he was right outside the studio and telling Zhang Li to keep a close eye on Xu Xiliu. Zhang Li was both shocked and speechless. He thought, boss, you are already here, why not just go in directly? Why make me watch him? This is completely unnecessary.

With a secret bottled up inside him, his expression looked a bit strange. He could not help turning his face away, not wanting to look at his stubborn boss, or at Doctor Xu, who by comparison looked incomparably innocent.

Xu Xiliu still felt that something about Qin Li’s words was off, but he did not choose to dig deeper. He only nodded suspiciously, treating it as acceptance of the explanation.

“Then have you been waiting a long time? Why didn’t you go in?” he continued to ask.

Qin Li answered with lightning speed: “Just got here.”

At the end of the sentence, Qin Li met the young man’s gaze and subconsciously looked away: “…My car is still parked over there.”

Zhang Li fell into silence once again.

Just got here, my ass. He had clearly been standing outside in the cold wind for two whole hours!

If he told the truth now, wouldn’t Doctor Xu be so distressed he might die of heartache?

Sigh, how disappointing.

Off to the side, Zhou Xu looked at this one, then at that one, and the gossip fire in his heart burned fiercely.

He had just been chatting with Xu Xiliu and learned that the man in front of him was his friend’s employer, that powerful and influential rich family big shot. He had usually heard some rumors too, saying the big shot was seriously ill, holed up in a huge mansion, never stepping outside, with not long left to live. From his friend’s daily work stories, he could also tell the other party was bad-tempered and loved nitpicking, so he had assumed it would be some troublesome, awful old man. Who could have expected that upon meeting him, he would turn out to be an extremely handsome young man with top-tier looks!

The handsome guy was tall with a great build, his standing posture even straighter than Zhou Xu’s, and his whole presence was imposing. At a glance, he looked like someone who could live many more years. And wasn’t he out and about right now? Sure enough, rumors really were not to be trusted.

Moreover, this scene was somewhat subtle. This big shot appearing out of nowhere here was one thing, but the moment he arrived, his gaze stuck to his own friend and would not come off. No matter how you looked at it, something felt off.

Zhou Xu was enthusiastically eating melon, but his eyes suddenly met those of the gloomy big shot, and his heart instantly tightened. He straightened up and said seriously: “Hello, President Qin, hello, President Qin^[2]. My name is Zhou Xu. I’m Doctor Xu’s collaborator, and also his friend.”

Qin Li gave a casual hum, his voice reluctant and half-hearted.

Zhou Xu could be considered a handsome guy with thick brows and big eyes, but in Qin Li’s eyes, his nose was not a nose and his eyes were not eyes, impossible to find pleasing no matter how he looked. Qin Li sized Zhou Xu up carefully and found that this guy was far inferior to him in every aspect. And yet he dared to try and hit on his private doctor?

Hmph.

He let out a cold snort in his heart.

Xu Xiliu also felt that the current atmosphere was rather strange. He turned back to Zhou Xu and said: “Let’s stop here. You go back and take care of your own work. There’s plenty to do at the studio as well.”

Qin Li also followed his gaze over. Although he did not say a word, his gloomy black eyes carried an especially strong sense of oppression.

Being stared at like that, Zhou Xu shivered and hurriedly agreed: “Okay, okay, I really am busy. Then I’ll head back first. See you!”

After speaking, he darted straight into the studio and disappeared, as if his butt were on fire.

Only then did Xu Xiliu look at Qin Li.

“Even if you were just passing by, if you came to find me, you should have some reason, right? Could it be that you’re feeling unwell somewhere?” Xu Xiliu offered him a way out.

That excuse of just passing by was far too clumsy.

Not even a three-year-old would use it like that.

As he walked along the road, he waited for Qin Li’s answer.

Qin Li walked shoulder to shoulder with Xu Xiliu, thinking for a moment. Then something occurred to him and his eyes lit up, but he still gave a light cough, putting on an air of restraint as he spoke slowly in a low voice: “It’s noon. Time to eat. I happen to be on a business trip nearby. I heard Zhang Li say you were here, so I came by on the way to pick you up and have a meal together.”

“After all, it’s on the way,” he emphasized once more.

“So that’s how it is.” Xu Xiliu was surprised. “Then, President Qin is treating?”

Rare.

The male lead actually wanted to take him out to eat.

Hearing this, Qin Li immediately gave an affirmative hum: “I’m treating.”

Xu Xiliu considered it carefully, checked the time, and saw that it was almost eleven in the morning. Eating at this time was indeed fine. On top of that, the male lead said he was treating, meaning he did not have to pay out of his own pocket. Getting to fleece the other party made him extra happy. Not to mention that something had happened last night that had made him angry, so this was what he deserved.

So Xu Xiliu curved his eyes, very pleased: “Then I’ll have to trouble President Qin.”

Thoroughly trouble him.

He needed to eat back all that unhappiness.

Xu Xiliu thought with a smile.

Qin Li also curved his lips. As he told the young man which direction his car was parked in, he discreetly swung his hand hard behind his back. Zhang Li, following behind them, saw the signal and twitched the corner of his mouth. He thought that if he were clueless and kept following along, would his boss get so anxious he would start wildly waving flower hands behind his back?

Amused by his own imagination, Zhang Li almost laughed out loud. Afraid his boss would notice and dock his pay, he immediately stopped himself. Sensibly, he halted his steps and stopped following, choosing not to be a light bulb.

Over there, Xu Xiliu and Qin Li walked toward the car.

Earlier, so that his car would not stand out, Qin Li had deliberately parked it a bit farther away along the roadside.

“Since we’re going to eat, President Qin, have you already picked a place?” Xu Xiliu asked. “Or is there some restaurant nearby?”

Qin Li shook his head. “I’ll take you to a place I usually go. The food there should suit your taste too.”

Xu Xiliu blinked and thought of Chef Zheng at home. He figured that someone so picky, who could even find such an impressive chef, must frequent equally good places to eat. His anticipation immediately grew a little stronger.

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly stepped on a piece of loose gravel. Distracted for a split second, his body swayed and he nearly twisted his ankle and fell. Qin Li, walking beside him, reacted quickly and grabbed him in one swift motion, pulling him back and narrowly avoiding Xu Xiliu stumbling to the ground.

One of Qin Li’s hands gripped Xu Xiliu’s arm, and the other somehow ended up supporting the other’s waist. He lowered his eyes to look at the young man in his arms, who was still a little shaken, and asked, “Is your foot okay? Did you twist it?”

“…It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt. I just wasn’t paying attention.” Xu Xiliu moved it a bit.

Qin Li gave a hum. His usually low and cold voice sounded a little sluggish at the moment. He looked down at the young man leaning against him, standing on one foot and tentatively moving the other. His gaze lingered on the other’s face, and his hand rested on the small of the other’s back, refusing to move away, as if it had a will of its own.

Qin Li could not help thinking that although his private doctor was sly, his body was soft. Falling into his arms, he felt as light as a cloud. And his waist seemed very slim too, about the same as what he had glimpsed that day in the bathroom. As Qin Li thought this, the hand supporting the other’s lower back could not help spreading slightly, measuring it. Sure enough, it was just as he had imagined, slender, yet firm.

At the tip of his nose, he caught that familiar rose lychee scent on the other’s body, very light, very faint, there and not there.

In the past, he had thought this kind of scent was girly and really did not suit a grown man. But now that he smelled it again, he felt it matched the young man perfectly, as if the other should be like this. Even that barely perceptible fragrance made him feel sweet and dizzy, as if he had been drinking.

Qin Li absentmindedly held the person in his arms, a surge of secret delight rising in his heart, making him unable to stop the corners of his lips from lifting.

What Xu Xiliu caught sight of when he raised his head after speaking was exactly this scene.

The man’s gloomy yet handsome face showed no expression, but the corner of his mouth was strangely hooked upward. From Xu Xiliu’s angle, it looked extremely odd. Accustomed as he was to seeing the man sneer, mock, and laugh derisively, Xu Xiliu’s first reaction was that this bastard Qin Li was laughing at him for almost tripping on flat ground. As if he would tolerate that. He immediately returned an impolite smile and shot back, “…President Qin, what exactly are you laughing at?”

“…Hm?” Qin Li snapped back to his senses. His hand was still resting on the waist of the person in his arms, and that soft yet resilient touch once again stirred his wandering thoughts. Unable to help himself, his Adam’s apple bobbed once. Just as he was about to press his lips together, the corners lifted a bit more. “I’m not laughing.”

“Liar.” Xu Xiliu gritted his teeth as he pointed it out. “I saw your mouth corner going up.”

“No.” Qin Li refused to admit it.

“You are. You’re still smiling.” Xu Xiliu narrowed his eyes, relentless.

“…Really not.”

Qin Li also realized that his disobedient mouth corners had betrayed him, but he still stubbornly denied it. He forced himself to calm down, lowered his gaze to look at Xu Xiliu, his dark eyes deep and expressionless, returning to his usual gloomy demeanor. “I’m not laughing. You saw it wrong.”

Xu Xiliu was slightly annoyed.

He really had not expected the other party to be this stubborn.

He should have taken out his phone earlier and snapped a photo of that perverted smile the moment it happened, then shoved it in front of him to see how he would still argue!

Xu Xiliu pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, huffing angrily. But then he suddenly became aware that something was off about the situation. He moved a little and noticed the hand blocking his lower back. He could not help asking suspiciously, “President Qin, what is your hand doing?”

Qin Li noticed it too. He cleared his throat and reluctantly withdrew his hand: “…I was afraid you’d fall, so I gave you some support.”

He rubbed his fingers together, still savoring the sensation from earlier.

He could not help but think further. If it had been like yesterday in the bathroom, when the other had no clothes on and he had supported him like that, would the feeling have been even better?

When his thoughts went that far, Qin Li startled himself, yet the scene he had seen yesterday kept replaying uncontrollably in his mind. Pale skin, a slender back, delicate bones, smooth lines of muscle, tapering downward…

As a result, even his gaze toward the young man began to dodge, but the corners of his mouth could not help lifting again and again.

Xu Xiliu caught sight of it and grew even more annoyed.

Dog man.

So he really was laughing at him.

Just wait. Later, when they ate, he would make sure to eat it back at his expense.

The two of them walked on, each harboring their own thoughts. When they were almost at where Qin Li had parked his car, a voice suddenly popped up from the side: “Sir, we meet again. Are you still unhappy?”

The voice sounded muffled, but the ending rose, carrying a trace of cheerfulness. It sounded as if it were coming from inside something.

Xu Xiliu looked over curiously, and then he saw it.

A huge sunflower.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

The “sunflower” took quick, mincing steps toward them, then removed the golden, little-sun-like headpiece. He shook out his hair, revealing a flushed face brimming with a warm smile. He was not very old, looking like he might still be in college. His eyes were clear. After glancing at the two of them a few times, his gaze settled on the man beside them, whose aura was steeped in low pressure.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Xia Zhi!” Xia Zhi showed a little fang as he smiled, cute and sunny, and continued, “Sir, I didn’t see you just now. Where did you go? I don’t know if the thing that was making you sad has been resolved. If not, you really can let me help you! My friends all say this, that after listening to my comfort, it’s like being wrapped in warmth, and all the unhappy things fly away…”

As he spoke, Xia Zhi glanced at the young man beside him, dressed in a light-colored coat with a gentle, refined air. He was momentarily dazzled by the other’s looks, but his gaze could not help drifting back to the low-pressure man.

For some reason, he always felt that his little-sun-like personality could heal the other party. After all, his friends always said so.

Qin Li’s low-pressure aura only sank further after hearing this, turning gloomy and chilling.

He ground his teeth and said coldly, “I already said I don’t need it.”

Xu Xiliu’s gaze could not help moving back and forth between the suddenly appeared young man and the man beside him.

What was going on here?

This was kind of baffling.

But when Xu Xiliu processed what the other party had just said his name was, his peach blossom eyes widened in shock.

Xia Zhi?

This person was called Xia Zhi?

If he remembered correctly, this should be the little-sun protagonist shou from the original novel!

…Good grief, he really did live up to the name “little sun.” Xu Xiliu glanced at the sunflower-shaped headpiece in the other’s hands and the golden mascot suit covering his body, his expression complicated.

Having accidentally intruded on the protagonists’ first meeting scene, Xu Xiliu felt like a random passerby NPC who had suddenly gained self-awareness, overwhelmingly uncomfortable. He subconsciously took a step back, wanting to quietly shrink himself out of the spotlight and avoid getting involved in this critically important first encounter between the protagonist gong and protagonist shou. Who would have thought that he would suddenly meet the protagonist shou’s gaze head-on?

Xu Xiliu instantly stiffened all over and reflexively raised his hand. “We have no relationship!”

Xia Zhi froze.

Qin Li beside them was also startled. Hearing Xu Xiliu’s sentence, he paused for a moment, then felt even more stifled. Hearing this inexplicable “no relationship” from the young man made him angrier than being harassed a second time by that silly sunflower. He immediately let out a cold laugh and reached out to grab Xu Xiliu’s wrist as he tried to retreat, enunciating each word clearly: “How do we have no relationship? Isn’t our relationship deep enough already? Hm? My private doctor?”

He put extra emphasis on the word private.

Those otherwise ordinary words were somehow bitten out with a hint of ambiguity.

Xu Xiliu was stunned.

What kind of development was this?

“No, that’s not what I meant…” Xu Xiliu still wanted to withdraw from the center of attention.

What right did he, a mere tool character, have to wedge himself between the protagonist gong and shou?

Wasn’t this practically a guaranteed cannon-fodder fate?

Xu Xiliu, who had just been trying to escape a cannon-fodder destiny, absolutely refused to walk down a road of no return again. He struggled even harder.

Qin Li grew even more displeased. “If that’s not what you meant, then what did you mean? Where do you think you’re going?”

“I wasn’t thinking of going anywhere. I was just saying it casually…”

“That kind of thing can’t be said either.” Qin Li was furious.

“…Forget it. Let’s talk after we get back in the car.”

As he spoke, Qin Li pulled Xu Xiliu along, moved with great speed, opened the car door, and stuffed him straight into the passenger seat. On his way around to the driver’s seat, he cast a cold glance at Xia Zhi, who was still frozen in place. This time, the disgust and warning in his eyes were completely undisguised. If the other party kept pestering him, the outcome would be easy to imagine.

Xia Zhi was stared at so directly that he visibly shuddered. His body, which had been warm inside the mascot suit, was suddenly swept by a chill, cooling by more than half in an instant.

The car door closed, and Qin Li started the engine.

Xu Xiliu had barely settled into the seat when he looked up and saw the man’s profile beside him, clearly in a foul mood, icy cold.

Only then did he realize that the protagonists’ first-meeting scene seemed seriously off. He hurriedly looked back toward the roadside through the car window, only to see the protagonist shou pouting, clutching the sunflower headpiece with a pitiful expression, muttering to himself: “It’s okay, Xia Zhi! Don’t be discouraged. You’ve already done great!”

Xu Xiliu choked.

Seeing his movement, Qin Li felt anger surge again, and his words carried a trace of sarcasm. “What, you’re already in the car and you’re still thinking about him?”

“How is that possible!” Xu Xiliu was so startled that his peach blossom eyes widened. He waved his hands repeatedly. “I was just curious and took a look. Aren’t you acquainted with him?”

“I don’t know him.” Qin Li was holding back his temper as well. His profile looked especially cold and hard. “Weird-looking, talking to himself over there. Annoying to look at.”

Xu Xiliu was shocked all over again after hearing that.

Annoying?

After the first-meeting scene, the protagonist gong thought the protagonist shou was annoying?

Had he heard wrong?

Xu Xiliu watched the man stiffly start the car. He held it in and held it in, but in the end still could not help asking quietly, “Don’t you think he looks cute and sunny, with a cheerful personality, and that you feel close and comfortable with him from the bottom of your heart?”

That was the protagonist shou.

The little-sun protagonist shou, who was supposed to heal the protagonist gong in the future.

And yet this was how the first-meeting scene went? Something was seriously off, wasn’t it?

Xu Xiliu felt like reality had gone surreal.

As soon as Qin Li heard this, he nearly yanked the steering wheel off. He took a deep breath, the disgust in his eyes impossible to hide, and replied stiffly, “I don’t.”

He gave a cold, chilling smile, glanced at Xu Xiliu, then repeated the question word for word, enunciating each syllable: “Could it be that Doctor Xu, you think that stupid flower looks cute and sunny, has a cheerful personality, and makes you feel close and comfortable from the bottom of your heart?”

The corner of Xu Xiliu’s mouth twitched.

Of course he had no feelings for the protagonist shou!

So he shook his head very sincerely. “No.”

Qin Li carefully observed the young man’s expression. Only after confirming that this was indeed the case did his mood ease a little.

Even so, he still let out an unhappy cold snort.

Xu Xiliu, sitting off to the side, had no time to puzzle over what else this gloomy-tempered man was unhappy about. His mind was completely occupied by the so-called plot.

Logically speaking, Qin Li, as the protagonist gong, should have developed a different impression of the protagonist shou during their first-meeting scene. But judging by the man’s reaction, not only did he feel nothing at all, he even looked outright annoyed. Xu Xiliu had even deliberately asked about it just now, yet not only did he get no meaningful answer, there was also a clear sense that if he kept asking, the other party would definitely get even angrier.

Xu Xiliu could not figure it out no matter how much he thought about it.

Had the plot changed?

Had the protagonist gong and shou become incompatible, completely unable to spark anything between them?

Good grief, that was a bit scary.

He leaned back against the seat, lowering his gaze as he thought to himself. No matter how much he turned it over in his head, he could not come up with a reason for this situation. But he did think of one thing worth being happy about. If the protagonist gong and shou did not end up together and did not get involved, then as a tool-character private doctor, he would not have to suffer through that later storyline where he had to keep a straight face and say things like “sexual activity should be moderate.”

That was something to be happy about.

Xu Xiliu immediately felt his spirits lift.

Thinking about it carefully, the protagonist gong and shou’s plot did not really have much impact on him anyway, so what was he getting so worked up about?

After thinking it through, Xu Xiliu stopped dwelling on all that and instead began paying attention to where they would be eating.

Before long, the car came to a stop inside a courtyard with strong traditional Chinese aesthetics.

The two of them got out of the car. A server came over to lead the way. The servers were all dressed neatly in elegant traditional attire, which matched the beauty of the courtyard perfectly.

Qin Li had been stewing in frustration in the car for a while. Seeing the young man looking around with curiosity now, his mood finally eased. He tugged lightly at the young man’s arm, signaling him to follow, and gave a brief introduction: “This place is a private kitchen restaurant. The dishes are fairly freeform, but the flavors are all very good.”

“It’s spring right now, so I’m guessing the theme should be related to spring.”

Xu Xiliu nodded and followed Qin Li into a comfortable private room.

After waiting a short while, the dishes began to arrive. Xu Xiliu picked up a bite, narrowed his peach blossom eyes, and felt that it was genuinely excellent.

He could not help thinking to himself that the other party really did have good taste.

Having a top-tier chef at home aside, even the restaurants he frequented outside were anything but ordinary.

Remembering his intention to eat to his heart’s content, Xu Xiliu kept smiling while his chopsticks showed no mercy at all.

In the pauses between eating, Qin Li kept watching Xu Xiliu from time to time. When he saw the young man subconsciously narrow his eyes after tasting something he liked, that instinctively cute little movement made Qin Li unable to resist curling his lips as well.

But he had not even enjoyed it for a few seconds before he remembered the real reason he had come out this time. He immediately reined himself in, and the way he looked at the young man unconsciously picked up a hint of scrutiny again.

He had originally suspected that his private doctor had gone to the studio to secretly contact someone. But according to Zhang Li, there were no suspicious figures inside the studio. No Qin Zhangyuan, and no people under Qin Zhangyuan either. There was only that Doctor Zhou who looked rather foolish.

And that Doctor Zhou also had a legitimate relationship with the young man, an open and aboveboard collaborator. When Qin Li had previously investigated the young man’s background, he had incidentally looked into all of his limited social connections as well. This Zhou Xu was not a problem.

Which made things strange.

After pondering it to himself for quite a while, Qin Li suddenly spoke, bringing it up in a casual tone: “Doctor Xu, I have a question.”

“What?” Xu Xiliu still had not sensed any danger approaching. He had just eaten something especially delicious, his eyes lighting up, and he even used the serving chopsticks to pick some for Qin Li as well. “This is really good. Try it.”

“…” Qin Li’s gaze softened a little. He obediently ate it, then cleared his throat again and returned to his cold, brooding demeanor, continuing in a slow voice: “If there were someone who was usually very concerned about me, attentive in every possible way, but who also seemed to be betraying me, what should I do?”

After saying this, he fixed his gaze tightly on the young man, trying to detect any trace of emotion from even the smallest change in his expression.

Xu Xiliu was surprised for a moment after hearing this, but his chopsticks did not pause. He kept putting food into his mouth while thinking it over.

Who was he talking about? Was there really such a person?

At first glance, it did sound a bit like himself, but he had never been that meticulous or all-encompassing in his care toward the man.

So Xu Xiliu answered in a fairly proper, by-the-book manner. “I think in a situation like this, you can’t make subjective judgments. The key still lies in evidence. Only after you have evidence can you be sure. Otherwise, if you wrong someone, can they still sincerely care about you afterward? That would really be fatal.”

Qin Li frowned when he heard this.

What was that supposed to mean? Was this a threat?

Threatening that if evidence were found, he would stop staying by his side?

Qin Li narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

After a brief pause, he continued with a smile that was not quite a smile. “Doctor Xu is right. But what if this person keeps pretending and deceiving me right in front of me?”

Who would have thought that after hearing this, Xu Xiliu’s expression would turn strange.

Qin Li felt he had caught hold of a weakness. He let out a cold laugh, stopped eating altogether, and fixed his stare on Xu Xiliu. “What does Doctor Xu have to say to that?”

Had this little fox realized who he was talking about?

Was he scared now?

Hmph. Being this infuriating, even if he started crying later, there was no way Qin Li would soften his heart!

But to his surprise, Xu Xiliu merely spread his hands and said, “…If you’ve already confirmed that the other person is putting on an act and deceiving you, yet you still don’t deal with it and instead let them keep going like this, then isn’t that just mutual consent? One willing to strike, one willing to take it.”

Qin Li choked.

His expression darkened instantly.

And yet he actually had no way to refute it.

Damn it!

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T/N: Qin Li being in denial vs. Xu Xiliu being completely clueless is way too funny.
Another chapter done, phew 😮‍💨
As a reader, I absolutely love the author for these long chapters…
As a translator? Haha.