BPDSB Chapter 5: If you don’t know, you might think he is a kindergarten teacher.

It wasn’t until the call was hung up that Xu Xiliu felt truly suffocated.

Grabbing a handful of pills and shoving them straight into his mouth, such behavior was unheard of. The fact that this protagonist gong was still alive up to now was nothing short of a miracle.

Hearing this news made him feel like he had gone a bit insane himself. He sat in a daze for a while, then took a deep breath to clear the maddening crunching sound from his mind. Like a wandering soul, he reached for a piece of candy from the edge of the table, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into his mouth. The sour and sweet flavor spread across his tongue, and only then did Xu Xiliu seem to come back to himself, sighing again and again with the candy in his mouth.

What else could he do? The protagonist gong had already taken the pills, so all he could do now was hope that the amount he grabbed was more or less accurate, that the effect would be just right, and that it wouldn’t cause any harm to his body.

If something really did go wrong, then… then he would just have to work overtime.

After all, he had to live up to his annual salary, right?

Xu Xiliu comforted himself and gradually calmed down.

By now, his instant noodles were ready too. The smell was rich and overpowering. Having just woken up not long ago, Xu Xiliu’s appetite surged the moment he smelled it. He crunched the candy in his mouth and swallowed it down, deciding to put aside those bothersome thoughts for now and enjoy his meal properly.

But just as he took one bite, his phone rang, startling him so much he nearly choked.

He thought, No way, did the protagonist gong really end up with a problem?

That fast?

He was already about to grab his car keys and run for the door when he looked at the screen and saw that the incoming call was from an unknown number.

Only then did he feel relieved.

Tch, so it wasn’t a call from Butler Zhong after all.

He picked up casually. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Dr. Xu, it’s me.” A middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end. It sounded vaguely familiar, but more unfamiliar than not. Only when the caller identified himself did Xu Xiliu realize that the person abruptly calling him was Xue Bo, the steward from the protagonist gong’s villa. They had met once that night.

The man chuckled twice and got to the point. “The sir’s stomach hasn’t been doing well lately, so I wanted to ask Dr. Xu, what kind of food is best for him? Or do you happen to have any medicine for stomach pain?”

Xu Xiliu frowned in confusion.

The protagonist gong’s stomach problems weren’t exactly new. Why was someone only now asking about it?

Besides, wasn’t it usually Butler Zhong who took care of the protagonist gong’s health? Why was this minor steward suddenly calling him?

He did have medicine, of course.

But for some reason, Xu Xiliu didn’t feel confident handing anything over to this guy.

Recalling the scene he had glimpsed that night, Xu Xiliu decided to play it safe and replied vaguely, “About that, Mr. Qin’s stomach issues can’t be cured quickly. It mostly depends on careful maintenance. Steward Xue can try consulting a professional nutritionist. If his diet is arranged according to their plan, I believe Mr. Qin will recover over time.”

“As for medicine, Mr. Qin already has everything he needs, so you don’t need to worry.”

The main idea was simple: leave me out of this.

What a joke. That place was practically a den of dragons and tigers, and he was just a toolman trying to live a peaceful retirement life. He had no intention of getting involved in the turf wars of powerful people.

Having thoroughly reviewed the plot of the original novel after waking up, Xu Xiliu thought this was the wisest course.

After all, the protagonist gong’s situation in the early chapters was truly miserable. In his opinion, even the childhood backstories of typical overpowered protagonists weren’t this tragic. Madness, confinement—it was all setup to make the contrast sharper. The more terrifyingly invincible he would become later, the more pitiful he had to be in the beginning.

Moreover, the protagonist gong’s methods later on were incredibly ruthless. He would take revenge for even the smallest slight. Every single cannon fodder villain who had taken advantage of his unstable mental state to mistreat him in the early chapters ended up suffering terribly. He constantly skirted the edge of the law. It was only thanks to the protagonist shou’s influence that things improved somewhat.

Xu Xiliu was just a minor private doctor, with no real backing. If he accidentally got involved and ended up on the wrong side of the protagonist gong, he might not even know how he died.

Just thinking about it left Xu Xiliu with lingering fear.

From the few pieces of plot he knew, he vaguely recalled that Steward Xue probably wasn’t a good person either.

Sure enough, after Xu Xiliu gave that answer, it effectively blocked everything the other side might say. He listened with a smile as there was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a voice saying, “Since Dr. Xu puts it that way, I won’t trouble you further. But in two days, it will be time for the sir’s routine checkup. I hope Dr. Xu doesn’t forget to come.”

The protagonist gong had a weekly physical examination, part of his regular treatment. Naturally, Xu Xiliu wouldn’t forget.

He replied gently, “Of course.”

After the call ended, Xu Xiliu glanced at the number on his screen a few times and then ignored it.

Two days later.

As promised, Xu Xiliu made his way to the villa to examine Qin Li.

The weather today was the complete opposite of the night he first arrived in this world. The sun was bright, the sky clear, and even the breeze felt unusually gentle.

He hoped the protagonist gong’s condition today would be as pleasant as the weather.

With this thought in mind, Xu Xiliu stepped into the villa—and in the very next second, saw the man himself.

The man was sitting in a wheelchair, dressed neatly. Most of his body was shrouded in shadow, with only part of his hair catching the bright sunlight. But he seemed to dislike the sun, as he maneuvered the wheelchair slightly to the side. When he noticed the sound of Xu Xiliu entering, his handsome features turned in that direction with a weary expression. His face was pale, his aura gloomy, and his eyes especially so, dark and frightening, filled with a calm yet vicious madness.

But what was rare this time was that his gaze was clear. He was in a lucid state.

Unusual.

Xu Xiliu felt a chill under that gaze and paused for a moment, but quickly recovered and put on a familiar smile. “Mr. Qin.”

He had put on his gold-rimmed glasses again. The lenses dulled the brilliance of his beautiful peach blossom eyes, leaving only a polished warmth in his demeanor.

Qin Li glanced at him and replied with a soft, indifferent sound.

Xu Xiliu paid no mind to the cold and strange attitude. He still smiled cheerfully.

No.

He must not think about it.

The moment he thought about it, the crunching sound from two days ago came right back to him.

This smile was harder to suppress than a recoil-heavy rifle.

If the man in front of him found out what he was thinking, he wouldn’t need to wait for the future. He could die a terrible death right now.

Xu Xiliu pressed his lips together and forced himself to act properly. He opened his medical kit to conduct the routine checkup on the protagonist gong.

The health issues were old and familiar. After the examination, the results were as usual. When he finished explaining, the other party still wore the same expression, clearly not taking any of it to heart. He even gave a mocking smile, though it was unclear whether he was mocking his own condition or mocking Xu Xiliu for wasting effort every time.

Seeing this, Xu Xiliu instead felt calm.

He looked at the man in front of him as he lowered his gaze, fingers slowly rubbing the armrest of the wheelchair. His eyelashes drooped slightly, casting a shadow over his already gloomy eyes. Xu Xiliu asked softly:

“Mr. Qin, have you been taking your medicine on time these past few days?”

He didn’t know whether the man still remembered their previous encounters, but judging from his current calm appearance, he probably didn’t. Otherwise, with those suffocatingly embarrassing incidents, a man in a clear-headed state would never have tolerated them. Naturally, Xu Xiliu intended to take those memories to his grave.

As he conducted the checkup on the protagonist gong, only the two of them were in the room. Butler Zhong wasn’t present, so when this was over, he would have to report everything to him as well.

When he asked the question, Qin Li, who had been sitting with lowered eyes deep in thought, lifted his gaze slightly and looked over with a mocking smile.

“If taking medicine worked, what would I need you for?”

Xu Xiliu was caught off guard.

Now that was just difficult.

“You can’t say that, Mr. Qin,” Xu Xiliu said, blinking with an innocent expression. “I’m just a person, not some immortal. And a doctor’s job is to assess a patient’s condition and choose the most suitable treatment. Besides, as your private doctor, caring for your health is my responsibility. Only when you’re well can I be well.”

“So, Mr. Qin, you must take your medicine on time and take care of your health. That way I can rest easy.”

Qin Li had originally been thinking about how to get rid of some of the useless, meddling pests in the villa. Ever since being thrown into this mountain estate, he didn’t even know how many people had been planted around him, most of them placed there by the uncle who could not stand to see him well.

Before he could come up with a clean solution, his private doctor’s constant chatter began buzzing in his ears, annoying him deeply.

He knew better than anyone what his condition was, which was why he held nothing but contempt for these so-called medical checkups. But then he heard that unexpected sentence.

Qin Li was stunned.

Was there really someone in this world, aside from the old butler Zhong who had always followed him, who genuinely hoped for his recovery?

Weren’t they all just waiting for him to die?

Qin Li was stunned for just a moment, then narrowed his eyes, a wave of hostility rising uncontrollably in his chest.

His gloomy gaze swept over to the mild-mannered young man beside him, eyes filled with scrutiny.

Xu Xiliu smiled gently.

Truly, if there’s one thing doctors fear most, it would be patients who disregard their own health, and those who refuse to follow medical advice, trust doctors, or act like their rebellious teenage phase came ten years late.

Both traits, the protagonist gong had in full.

On one hand, Xu Xiliu wanted to throw a left hook, right hook, uppercut, and body shot. On the other hand, remembering that this man was both his golden goose and an untouchable protagonist, he could only let the frustration swirl in his chest before sending it back to his face in the form of an even brighter smile.

The angrier he was, the more genuinely he smiled.

Especially when he spoke. His tone was so soft and caring that anyone watching would think he was the perfect doctor. But in truth, schemes were already brewing in his mind.

“Mr. Qin must answer my question properly.”

Without giving in, Xu Xiliu directly said he wanted to check on Qin Li’s medication usage.

Butler Zhong appeared out of nowhere, perfectly cooperative, silently retrieved Qin Li’s medicine, then disappeared just as quietly. Xu Xiliu opened the bottle and, sure enough, just as he expected, it was nearly full. It probably hadn’t even been opened more than once or twice. No wonder the butler seemed so anxious.

Xu Xiliu gave a sly smile and sat down again in front of the man.

Qin Li had just been inwardly cringing at the sickeningly sweet tone of his private doctor and was about to snap and tell him to shut up, when suddenly a bottle of pills was shoved in front of his face.

Qin Li narrowed his eyes dangerously, on guard. “What are you doing?”

Xu Xiliu smiled. “Nothing much. I just wanted to help Mr. Qin recognize these.”

Before the man could voice a refusal, he began. “Mr. Qin, look at this one. It’s for stabilizing mood. Three times a day, three tablets each time. Got it? This one is for relieving insomnia and poor sleep quality. Take it before bed, four tablets. And this one…”

Xu Xiliu kept up his cheerful smile, explaining one bottle after another without the slightest hint of annoyance. For each one he introduced, he pulled out a label and pen from his bag, wrote the instructions clearly, stuck the label on the bottle, and handed it directly into Qin Li’s arms. At the end, he even smiled and asked,

“Mr. Qin, did you understand everything?”

“Absolutely do not grab a random handful and eat them,” he said in a voice gentle as water, attentive and thoughtful in his tone. Anyone who knew the situation would say he was a highly paid private doctor. Anyone who didn’t might think he was a kindergarten teacher for older kids, just one step away from saying, “Mr. Qin is a big baby, you need to behave now.”

Qin Li, sitting in his wheelchair, watched helplessly as one bottle after another was shoved into his arms. Soon, his lap was filled with medicine bottles. The vein at his temple twitched uncontrollably, and the atmosphere around him grew colder and colder.

After hearing Xu Xiliu’s strange little lecture, his brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly. His entire face radiated disgust. Finally, he couldn’t hold back and spoke in a sinister tone.

“Enough. That’s enough. Shut up and get out.”

Seeing the gloom all over his face, Xu Xiliu knew when to stop.

He nodded. “Alright. Then I won’t disturb Mr. Qin any further. Please take care of your health.”

He obediently stepped out the door, returning to his usual polite and warm expression. The closing door cut off the man’s gloomy, heavy gaze.

Xu Xiliu was quite satisfied.

Hmph. A rebellious brat needs a proper method of discipline.

Today’s routine checkup was a great success.

Feeling pleased, he pulled a fruit hard candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. Lychee flavor. He rolled it with his tongue and decided to inform the butler before heading back.

But just as he was about to leave, Butler Zhong stopped him. “Dr. Xu, please wait. The sir said to have you stay for lunch.”

What?

Xu Xiliu froze.

He instinctively turned his head and met the cold, unreadable smile of the man behind him.

Was this… a banquet with hidden intentions?

Was this revenge for treating him like a child earlier?

This vengeful protagonist gong…

With the candy in his mouth, Xu Xiliu suddenly felt this might be a bit tricky.

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T/N: Dr. Xu is such a good doctor eh, so patient~