BPDSB Chapter 46: “Doctor Xu, I can’t figure you out……”

How such a big problem had come about, Qin Li did not know, but he just knew things were bad.

Especially when he saw his personal doctor bolt outside without even turning his head, the angry footsteps sounding stiff and hard. The other party had always been warm and gentle before; he had never seen the young man so furious.

Qin Li heard the bedroom door not far away slam shut with a jolt, and he himself could not help but jolt as well.

……Really angry.

Qin Li’s mind was in complete disarray right now. He did not go to look for Xu Xiliu immediately, afraid that, in his muddled state, he would only add fuel to the fire and make things even worse. Instead, he stayed alone in the chaotic study to calm himself down a bit, carefully thinking through the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

First, he had received word from his subordinates that the other party might be connected to Qin Zhangyuan, so he began to suspect him. Later, after seeing the surveillance footage and watching through it as the other party held a medicine bottle and put strange things into it, he became convinced that the other party really did have a problem.

Yet now, the medicine bottle was not a medicine bottle, but a candy jar, and the other party did not harbor any malicious intent at all. On the contrary, it had been him who kept suspecting the other party. Setting aside, for the moment, the question of whether the other party truly had any connection with Qin Zhangyuan, the matter of the medicine bottle…… no, the candy jar, was indeed a misunderstanding on his part.

The more Qin Li thought about it, the more he felt he was not a decent person. He had acted far too rashly……

He wanted to go and apologize, to explain the whole situation clearly, but when he went to the door and looked, the bedroom door was shut tight. He paced back and forth outside for a while, yet there was not the slightest sound coming from inside.

Even when he knocked on the door, there was still no response. He guessed the young man had probably figured out it was him knocking and, out of spite, could not be bothered to open it.

Strictly speaking, he could have gone through the balcony passage and forced his way in, just like last time. But for some reason, Qin Li instinctively felt that if he really did that, he would be completely finished, and the other party would definitely be even angrier than now.

So Qin Li only stayed outside the door pitifully for a while, then returned to his own room, regretful and dejected.

The turning point came at dinnertime.

The study had already been restored to neatness during this short interval, but Qin Li could not be bothered to look. The moment he heard the door of the neighboring room open and footsteps going downstairs, he had already flung his own door open and rushed out. Sure enough, he saw that familiar figure appear at the stairway. The other party had changed clothes, but still stuck to a very personal light-colored style. Seen from behind, his temperament was quite refined and gentle, looking as though his temper was good to an excessive degree.

Qin Li hurried to catch up and called out, “Doctor Xu……”

No response.

The young man walked toward the dining room on his own.

This really was being angry to no small degree.

Usually such a polite person, and now he would not even respond.

Qin Li pressed close to Xu Xiliu and explained in a low, quiet voice, “I am sorry, I was wrong, Doctor Xu. I should not have misunderstood you. The matter of the candy was my fault for jumping to conclusions without investigating clearly……”

Still no sound.

Qin Li panicked a little and subconsciously reached out to grab the other party’s hand as he continued speaking. “I know my misunderstanding of you was a bit too much. If you have any dissatisfaction, can you say it out loud, alright?”

Xu Xiliu was startled when his hand was grabbed.

He tried to pull it back with some force, but could not pull free, and the corner of his mouth could not help but twitch.

But since he was still putting on an act of being in the middle of anger, it was not good for him to speak, so he pretended to be aloof and cold, hiding the hand that was being held behind him, worried that others might see it. Only when they reached the dining table and sat down, when separation was unavoidable, did he take the opportunity to quickly pull his hand back, rubbing it himself.

……Absolutely unbelievable.

How had it only been an hour since they last saw each other, and this man had already turned into a piece of sticky dog-skin plaster, clinging so tightly.

Also, did apologizing require holding hands?

Xu Xiliu cast a suspicious glance at the man, only to meet the other party’s eager, pitiful gaze head-on, and promptly looked away.

When he had stormed off earlier, part of it had been genuine anger, but more of it was the shame and fury of social death. The two stacked together, making him hurry back to his room and shut himself in to process the anger on his own. Hearing the culprit muttering outside the door only made him angrier. If the other party hadn’t pulled that whole act of pretending to be sick to test him, none of what followed would have happened. Did he think messing with people like this was fun?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, which was why Xu Xiliu had not given the other party a good look when he came out.

Of course, food still had to be eaten.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Xiliu glanced at the man beside him, a trace of confusion in his heart over why the other party’s attitude earlier had been so strange. An apology was an apology, why did he have to touch his hand? It had almost made him lose his composure in that instant.

He was very clear in his own mind. People always said, if you doubt someone, do not use them; if you use someone, do not doubt them. Qin Li had been suspecting him all along. Judging from his behavior not long ago, he had probably been suspicious for quite some time, since he had even quietly noticed him putting candy away. And he himself really had been contacted by the villain and would need to confess this to the other party. After confessing, the other party would probably not be able to keep him around, and this job as a personal doctor would come to an end.

Xu Xiliu was not particularly attached to the job itself, just a little regretful about saying goodbye to the huge salary. At the same time, he was also happy that he could lie flat from then on. Besides, with the salary and extra income he had earned during this period, he had already made a massive sum. Lying flat was absolutely not a problem.

Workers on the eve of resignation were always extraordinarily bold, daring to confront the boss head-on, and Xu Xiliu was no exception. He thought that after being messed around for so long, with him about to leave anyway, why could he not be tough for once? So what if he was angry? Not only was he angry, he also did not want to deal with the man, making up for everything the other party had put him through during this time.

So Xu Xiliu let the man’s words go in one ear and out the other, focusing solely on eating.

Qin Li called out “Doctor Xu” again, then used the communal chopsticks to pick up two sweet shrimp and place them into Xu Xiliu’s bowl. His voice was low, carrying a hint of ingratiation. “This one’s good.”

Xu Xiliu did not even glance sideways and ate them.

The food was not at fault.

There was no need to be angry at the food.

Seeing that it worked, Qin Li hurriedly picked up a few more dishes. As he did, he gave a light cough and took the opportunity to keep talking. “Doctor Xu, this one’s good too. Eat a bit more. The matter with the candy was my fault. Don’t be angry anymore. I already explained things to Uncle Zhong as well. He didn’t misunderstand anything……”

Qin Li himself did not know what exactly he was flusteredly explaining. He just instinctively felt that he should explain, that he should apologize. Seeing the young man look at everything with gentle eyes, yet refuse to look at him, really made him feel uncomfortable inside. He almost wanted to grab the other party’s face and turn it toward himself…… but that was something he could only think about.

Now that he saw the other party did not reject the food he picked, he was instantly invigorated, feeding him nonstop, almost addicted.

He did not even dare hope the other party would respond to him. He just seized the chance to quickly say everything he wanted to say, to lay out his apologies clearly, then pitifully sneaked a couple of glances at the other party and continued feeding him.

Watching the gloomy, domineering big shot who was usually wild and overbearing now apologizing so earnestly, Xu Xiliu actually felt quite pleased inside.

But since he had already started acting, it was better to carry the aloof and cold act through to the end.

On top of that, the anger in his heart had not completely dissipated yet. So he still kept his eyes straight ahead. He did speak, but his words carried a faint hint of sarcasm, paired with a smile.

“My head hurts, my body feels unwell, and my chest feels tight. I am afraid I cannot eat the food Mr. Qin picks for me.”

Hearing the young man’s gentle words, Qin Li felt a surge of joy. Before he could be happy that the other party was finally acknowledging him, he processed what was being said and froze, belatedly realizing that the other party was taking a jab at him for pretending to be sick.

His handsome face stiffened for a moment, but he did not dare get angry. Instead, he once again looked toward Xu Xiliu pitifully.

Xu Xiliu picked up a pea with his chopsticks, his brows and eyes gentle and full of pity. “What is this?”

“……”

Qin Li: did not dare move.

“Not speaking, huh. Even if you do not speak, I can still guess. Is this a disguised soybean, mung bean, or red bean?”

Qin Li: “……”

“Heh. Should I eat it, or throw it into the trash. You decide.”

Xu Xiliu tossed the pea into his mouth and chewed twice with killing intent.

Qin Li paused, then carefully ladled him a bowl of soup. “……Eat slowly. Be careful not to choke.”

Xu Xiliu let out an aloof, cold snort.

He ate this meal quite satisfactorily. As for whether the man had no appetite or something else, he could not be bothered to care.

Before going upstairs, Xu Xiliu remembered the recording he had yet to hand over. He turned back, crooked a finger at the man, and signaled for him to follow.

Qin Li, who had been feeling a little deflated, saw this and his eyes instantly lit up. He hurriedly finished his meal in a few gulps and followed along, tailing Xu Xiliu all the way until he entered the room and shut the door.

The moment the door closed, Qin Li pressed even closer.

He guessed that part of the reason his personal doctor was angry had to do with losing face, so outside he had only apologized and done nothing else, keeping his behavior quite restrained. But now, with the two of them alone in the room and the door shut, Qin Li immediately stuck back on. Looking at the young man’s back, his head heated up and he moved forward to hug him, pressing close as he once again lowered his voice to apologize. “I am sorry, Doctor Xu, I really was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I should not have doubted you……”

Xu Xiliu said calmly, “Your suspicion was actually not wrong.”

Qin Li did not hear clearly and thought the other party was still sulking. He rested his chin on the young man’s shoulder and rubbed against it. “I will investigate Qin Zhangyuan’s side again. I did not think things through properly……”

Qin Li was still racking his brain over how to placate his sulking doctor when he suddenly heard a voice belonging to his uncle come from within the room. “Doctor Xu, you know what you should do……”

The movement of his head buried at the young man’s neck instantly stiffened. His dark eyes turned alert and sharp.

Why was his uncle’s voice here?

Was this haunted?

Thinking this, Qin Li’s gaze slowly shifted toward the source of the sound, the young man’s phone.

“……Is this synthesized? It sounds too real.” Qin Li asked blankly.

“……” Xu Xiliu was somewhat speechless. He struggled against the man’s embrace, but could not break free, so he simply said coldly and mercilessly, “As you can see, Mr. Qin, the person your uncle contacted really was me. You did not misunderstand. He did indeed want me to tamper with you.”

The recording dutifully continued playing, Qin Zhangyuan’s vicious words all too familiar.

What was unfamiliar, however, was that mixed in between were the young man’s own clear, crisp voice.

Qin Li completely froze, falling into an icy abyss along with those words.

His gaze was full of disbelief.

Xu Xiliu wanted to take advantage of this moment to slip away, but the man only held him tighter, squeezing his waist until it hurt. He could not help feeling a bit speechless, not knowing what kind of madness had possessed the man tonight to make him so fond of hugging.

He stopped struggling altogether, figuring that once the other party finished hearing this, he would immediately feel disgusted and let go of him.

He had not expected, however, that the first thing the man said after hearing it was, “Didn’t you say you had nothing to do with him?!”

Xu Xiliu was exceptionally calm. “I never said that.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “You did not ask either.”

Qin Li choked.

He was still extremely incredulous.

So the doctor his uncle had contacted really was Xu Xiliu? His personal doctor really was someone Qin Zhangyuan, that bastard, had planted by his side to bide his time and harm him?

At this point, whether he believed it or not no longer mattered. The recording was irrefutable evidence, not to mention that the young man had admitted it himself.

But how could this be?

Right now, Qin Li was stuck between explosive rage and the guilt from his apology that had not yet fully dissipated. He had no idea whether he should put on a ferocious expression and demand to know why the young man had agreed to Qin Zhangyuan, or put on a wronged expression and continue apologizing for misunderstanding the candy jar. His emotions were tangled and complicated.

After choking for a long while, he finally forced out a sentence. “……Then did you listen to him and make a move on me?”

“No. I just agreed verbally, so he would not keep threatening me over and over. Haven’t I told you everything now, even if it is a little late.” Xu Xiliu was still very composed.

“And also, Mr. Qin, you are holding me too tightly. Let go.” Xu Xiliu said calmly.

Calm as he might be, there was just one thing. This situation of coming clean was far too unexpected.

Xu Xiliu had thought that once he confessed, the man would fly into a rage, erupt with the terrifying aura of a gloomy big shot, grab him by the throat and coldly interrogate him, then immediately kick him out of the villa. Who would have thought things would turn out like this. It was calm to an absurd degree. The other party’s arm was even still wrapped around his waist, holding tighter and tighter.

Xu Xiliu frowned and pondered. Was there something wrong here?

Qin Li was also pondering at this moment.

He thought that his personal doctor indeed had contact with Qin Zhangyuan, and indeed had been instructed by Qin Zhangyuan to come harm him, but the other party had not agreed. This little fox had cleverly fooled his uncle and had personally admitted that he had not made a move on him. The facts were indeed so. He had suspected the other party of drugging him and had been wrong. It really had just been candy the other party liked to eat.

But when he thought this far, his suspicious nature could not help but go further, wondering whether this little fox was really coming clean so easily, or whether he had some other scheme.

For example, playing a double agent?

Then what exactly was he plotting?

Qin Li’s mind was in a complete mess.

Before he could fully think it through, he heard the other party’s gentle voice continue, clearly and methodically laying out the entire sequence of events from beginning to end. “At first, Qin Zhangyuan came to find me and wanted me to make a move on you. I did not agree, but he threatened me with my studio, so I temporarily agreed, then forgot about it. It was only after some time, when he called me, that I remembered.”

Xu Xiliu pointed at the phone recording.

He was not lying about this either. He really had only remembered the matter after the villain called him.

“After that, he asked me to do it again. I got annoyed, so I recorded it and then came to find you. That’s all.”

Xu Xiliu was still speaking very calmly. Then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he added seriously, “Anyway, I never did anything to you, and I did my best to take care of your body. If you really feel uncomfortable about it, just fire me, then hurry up and deal with your uncle. Don’t let him harm the studio.”

After saying all this, Xu Xiliu felt completely relaxed. The aloof, cold act he had been putting on disappeared, replaced once again by his usual gentle clarity.

He waited for the man’s response.

Who would have thought that what came to his ear next was a firm, decisive sentence. “No.”

“……No what?” Xu Xiliu was momentarily stunned. He narrowed his peach blossom eyes. “You’re not willing to let me go?”

“No. You can’t resign.” Qin Li said coldly.

He released the hand that had been gripping Xu Xiliu’s waist the entire time and instead pressed both hands onto Xu Xiliu’s shoulders, turning him around to face himself.

Qin Li lowered his gaze. His dark eyes were grim and sinister as he enunciated each word coldly. “I said, you are not allowed to resign.”

Xu Xiliu was even more bewildered. “Why?”

“Why? Good question.” Qin Li did not actually know either, but the moment he heard the young man talk about resigning, his whole body had jolted with resistance rising from the depths of his heart. He guessed it was because he had not yet thoroughly investigated the truth of the matter, felt that there were still doubts about the authenticity of the recording the young man had produced, and wanted to keep him under watch. So he said coldly, “Of course it’s because before I completely uncover the truth, you are not allowed to leave my side for even a single step.”

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and he continued, “Also, didn’t you say Qin Zhangyuan contacted you and wanted you to make a move on me, drug me, and you didn’t listen to him?”

Xu Xiliu nodded in suspicion. Seeing the gloomy darkness in the man’s eyes, he felt that this was finally the Qin Li he knew. That clingy, sticky state from earlier had really felt like he had been possessed.

Seeing Xu Xiliu nod, Qin Li let out a cold laugh. “Then prove it to me!”

“……Prove what?”

“Prove that you really didn’t want to harm me!”

“……How am I supposed to prove that?” Xu Xiliu was shocked and wanted to knock on the man’s head to make him wake up.

Qin Li showed not the slightest awareness of making things difficult for someone. The familiar cold smile hooked at the corner of his mouth as he put forward his demand. “Of course you listen to me. You will continue staying by my side as my personal doctor, but this period counts as an observation phase. I need to judge whether you are worth trusting, so you must listen to me.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiliu nodded.

It sounded somewhat reasonable.

“So?” he continued asking.

“So you have to listen to me!” Qin Li replied without hesitation.

“……”

“I mean, what about the salary during this period?”

Xu Xiliu crossed his arms, smiling gently yet dangerously. “You are not going to keep me on as your personal doctor and then have me work for free, are you?”

“……The salary stays the same.” Qin Li’s dark eyes were heavy, a storm brewing within them, but his answer came swiftly.

Xu Xiliu was satisfied upon hearing this.

Since the man had brought up this so called observation phase, then let him observe. In any case, he had done nothing wrong and had nothing to fear. If he refused and the other party refused to let the matter drop, then even lying flat at home would feel uncomfortable. It was better to go along with his wishes for now, wait until this inspection period passed, and then leave immediately. That sounded much better.

Especially since the salary stayed the same.

He would just treat it as working a little longer.

Having thought it through, Xu Xiliu became even more at ease.

He glanced at the time and waved his hand to shoo the man away. “Alright, since everything has been said, let’s each go back and sleep. It’s late. Time to sleep. I’m tired.”

As he spoke, he walked toward the bed.

He did not forget to point at the door, signaling Qin Li to leave on his own and return to his room.

But he had only taken one step when the man grabbed him.

Qin Li’s eyes were fierce and grim as he reminded him coldly, “Doctor Xu, did you forget that right now, you have to sleep with me every day to treat my insomnia?”

Xu Xiliu froze when he heard that.

He really had forgotten.

This clumsy, completely unscientific treatment, and the other party had actually taken it seriously?

But when he looked into the man’s stubborn eyes, he was certain that the other party truly had taken it seriously.

Xu Xiliu felt a bit speechless, but still asked, “Then the extra pay?”

Qin Li: “……Stays the same.”

Then there was no problem.

Xu Xiliu had no objections.

He followed Qin Li back to the room and lay down on the same bed.

Still, he did not forget his muscle memory from watching action movies, the reflex of kicking someone off the bed in the middle of the night and traumatizing them, thereby ending this godforsaken co-sleeping treatment. So he searched and searched, carefully picked out a batch, watched them beautifully for half an hour, and only then closed his eyes in satisfaction to sleep.

He fell asleep quickly. In less than ten minutes, he was out, sleeping soundly and fast.

The lights in the room had long been turned off, everything dim and quiet.

Ever since Xu Xiliu lay down beside him, the huge stone hanging in Qin Li’s heart dropped by more than half, and he finally calmed down.

After lying in bed, he did not seek trouble by pulling the young man into conversation. He simply lay there silently, just feeling the presence of the person beside him was already enough to bring peace. Seeing the other party watching strange action movies before sleeping, he did not say anything, treating it as a personal bedtime habit.

Only when the young man fell asleep, long, steady breathing drifting over, did Qin Li finally move.

He had always fallen asleep slowly, his mind full of worries, always thinking about all sorts of things before sleeping.

Tonight was naturally no exception. His thoughts uncontrollably turned to his personal doctor’s motives and state of mind in doing all this.

To be honest, he knew best what kind of person his uncle was. Someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Since he had chosen the young man and planted him by his side, he would definitely have threatened and tempted him in every way. And yet, the other party had been able to withstand his uncle’s round of “threats and inducements” and choose not to make a move on him. Why exactly was that?

The other party would not do this for no reason. There had to be some reason behind it.

But what kind of reason?

Qin Li kept thinking, and suddenly his thoughts drifted to the way the young man usually treated him gently and attentively, caring for his body. An audacious connection surfaced in his mind. Could it be that his personal doctor actually had feelings for him, and that was why he disregarded everything and resisted his uncle’s authority?

Qin Li was startled by his own train of thought, his whole body jolting, yet he could not help continuing to think along those lines.

In the darkness, he propped himself up and looked at the young man lying obediently beside him.

The other party was still sleeping quietly, breathing soft and even, his whole person well behaved. Looking closely, his eyelashes were long, and even with his eyes closed, those peach blossom eyes still tilted upward.

The more Qin Li looked, the more he could not stop. In the darkness, his gaze traced inch by inch across the young man’s face. He could not help reaching out to gently pinch the other party’s cheek and murmur softly, “Doctor Xu, I can’t figure you out……”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the quietly sleeping young man lift his hand.

Qin Li was shocked. Remembering the terrifying experience from last time, he instinctively raised a hand to cover his face.

Who would have thought that after the young man lifted his hand, it changed direction and went straight downward, a decisive and swift slap landing squarely on his butt.

“So noisy!”

In the pitch dark night, a crisp “pa” rang out.

Even crisper than last time, with a longer lingering echo, even a rebound.

Qin Li’s body stiffened. His handsome face turned black, then green, then black again, full of disbelief.

After a long while, he covered the side of his butt and slowly lay back down.

---

T/N:

Day 1: Face

Day 2: Butt

Day 3: Loading…

Qin Li is a henpecked husband for sure. Already begging like they’ve been dating for weeks lol