BPSB Chapter 36: Dr. Xu, you’re like Hua Tuo reincarnated, with miraculous healing hands!

Xu Xiliu had already made preparations. Back when the villain called him in the middle of the night, he had immediately marked the number as spam. He figured the other party wouldn’t just call once, and who knew what time they’d call again? He could never guess what kind of outlandish thoughts might pop into the villain’s mind. What if he was with Qin Li and the villain suddenly called? Wouldn’t that be basically handing himself over on a silver platter?

So, he pulled this move. As for how the villain might feel about being flagged as spam—he didn’t care.

He was confident that as long as he stayed by Qin Li’s side, the villain would keep trying to contact him, no matter what.

Thinking of this, Xu Xiliu’s lips curled into a smile.

He praised himself in his heart—truly a genius.

See? Didn’t he predict it?

But then… why did the protagonist gong look a little off right now?

He was staring at him in utter silence, eyes fixed and pitch-black, like a brewing storm—and maybe even a little dazed? That look was both gloomy and calm, with a touch of madness. Teetering on the edge between deranged and sane. Was he about to have another episode?

Xu Xiliu grew a little worried. He reached out and cautiously waved a hand in front of the man. “Mr. Qin, are you… alright?”

Qin Li snapped out of it instantly. His pupils shifted slightly before settling on Xu Xiliu’s face. After a pause, he slowly responded, “…Mm.”

He was fine.

It was just another moment of being faked out.

Why did this little fox hide his tail so well? So hard to catch?

Qin Li’s gaze was complicated.

Xu Xiliu, seeing this, let out a breath of relief.

As long as he wasn’t going crazy.

He smiled, brushing past the previous topic. “Weren’t you saying you’d let me feel your muscles? Can I touch now?”

Qin Li was momentarily stunned. Meeting the youth’s expectant and smiling gaze, he pressed his lips together uneasily, looked away—only to glance back despite himself. In the end, he mumbled lowly, “You… can.”

The last two words came out a bit awkwardly—his tone was dry, even a little strained. But Xu Xiliu didn’t notice any of that. Seeing the man extend his arm, he unceremoniously laid his hand on it, touching and squeezing as he carefully examined it. “So firm—blocky, even. Not bad at all. Looks like I was wrong saying you were weak before…”

Qin Li had initially been lost in the sensation of the youth’s touch, his dark eyes half-lidded, thoughts drifting. But that last comment hit his ears out of nowhere, and his face immediately darkened a bit. He emphasized once again, voice low and firm, “I’m really not weak.”

“Okay, okay,” Xu Xiliu replied with a grin, much more genuine this time. After all, the protagonist gong’s body really was impressive—those sculpted muscles and strength. If someone like that was truly weak, then he himself might as well be terminally ill. “I really misjudged you. I apologize, seriously—sorry, please forgive me. But if that’s the case, then the other day you really were just hot, huh? You were sweating buckets.”

After all his effort to defend his reputation, Qin Li was too tired to even get angry anymore. Hearing what sounded like a teasing jab, he merely let out a cold snort to show his displeasure, but didn’t say anything more.

Xu Xiliu continued to pinch his arm, then patted the man’s broad back. Every little movement Qin Li made caused his muscles to shift from relaxed to taut, a sight that was seriously enviable.

As he touched, squeezed, and patted away, Xu Xiliu was thoroughly pleased—he only regretted that this gorgeous physique didn’t belong to him. He let out a soft sigh, then as if remembering something, his peach blossom eyes curved behind his gold-rimmed glasses. He looked at Qin Li and asked, “You said I could come here anytime. Well, I want to come tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“As you wish.”

Qin Li didn’t think much of it.

Xu Xiliu was delighted by the response. Just as he was about to say something else, a phone ringtone suddenly rang out. Xu Xiliu froze for a moment, instinctively thinking that it was the clingy villain calling again, and cursed him a few times in his heart. But soon, he realized—the sound wasn’t coming from his phone.

It was coming from the one Qin Li had left nearby.

Meeting Qin Li’s gaze, Xu Xiliu made a snap decision. “You take the call, I’ll step out.”

“No need.” Qin Li instinctively reached out to stop him. Glancing at the screen, his black eyes revealed nothing. “You can stay.”

Xu Xiliu paused and blinked.
“Alright then.”

Since the man said so, there was no need to deliberately avoid suspicion. He casually found a spot nearby and sat down.

Qin Li answered the call right after.

He didn’t say anything at first, only listening to the person on the other end call his name.

He responded coldly with a simple, “Mm.”

“You’ve been living away from home for quite a while now. How’s it over there?” The voice on the phone was aged, yet carried an unmistakable authority. That kind of authority, once it reached a certain point, became inevitably rigid. Any trace of warmth was completely buried beneath it. Even when speaking to his own grandson, Old Master Qin never set aside his airs. “If you’re not doing well out there, you can always move back. Your place at home has been well maintained.”

Qin Li let out a cold, derisive laugh. His tone dripped with sarcasm. “Don’t you think it’s a little too late to say that now?”

Before the other side could speak again, he cut them off directly. “I’m not going back. Not now, not ever. Don’t bring it up again.”

Xu Xiliu couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the man when he heard this—startled by the cold air emanating from him.

Just moments ago, the man had still been warm enough to joke around a little. But now, that trace of warmth had vanished completely, replaced with a biting chill that made people instinctively fall silent. Not only that, his body looked incredibly tense, like a wild beast on high alert, ready to strike. His black eyes were dark and brooding, deeply unsettling. In just a couple of sentences, he’d sneered twice, as though whatever the other person had said was utterly laughable—his mood had plummeted to rock bottom.

Xu Xiliu had a pretty good guess at what that “going back” meant—most likely returning to the Qin family estate. After all, Qin Li was currently living in a remote mountain villa. If someone was asking him to return, it could only be an elder—Old Master Qin, the only close blood relative the man still had.

Xu Xiliu quietly lowered his eyes.

On the call, Qin Li was growing impatient. His tone turned blunt. “If you only called to say this, then I don’t think there’s any point in continuing this conversation.”

There was a pause from the old man’s end, then a sigh. “Your uncle had an accident a few days ago. Broke his leg. As his nephew, you should come back and see him.”

Though phrased like a request, the tone was purely commanding.

Hearing this made Qin Li feel utterly disgusted.

His voice turned even more mocking. “What’s there to see? It’s not like I was the one who broke his leg.”

His brow furrowed deeply, fingers clearly hovering at the edge of hanging up the call—when unexpectedly, the old man dropped another sentence.

“Even if you won’t come back to see your uncle, you should at least return next month for the memorial.”

“Your father’s death anniversary.”

The moment the words “death anniversary” were spoken, it was like a blow to the head. Qin Li’s expression instantly turned dark and sinister. His hand clenched so tightly that it took all his strength not to hurl the phone across the room.

Before the old master could say anything else that might push him over the edge, he gritted his teeth and cut the call. The next second, a faint blood-red haze surfaced in his eyes. His breathing became rough and heavy, his jaw clenched so hard it looked painful, and the muscles along the side of his face were pulled taut.

While Xu Xiliu had been sitting quietly, lost in thought, he suddenly heard the heavy, ragged breathing beside him. He instinctively turned his head to look.

To his shock, the man’s hands were clenched so tightly at his sides that his nails looked like they were about to pierce into his flesh. His expression was even more terrifying—dark and stormy, a vein bulging at his temple. His gaze had gone vacant and unfocused, and his entire body radiated a dangerous, about-to-lose-control frenzy.

Xu Xiliu was startled again.

What was going on? He just took a phone call—how did that turn into him almost losing his mind?

Although it seemed utterly baffling, Xu Xiliu still immediately stood up and called out twice, “Mr. Qin? … Qin Li!”

When there was no response, he raised his voice and called his name again with more force.

This time, the man reacted—lifting his gaze toward him. His dark eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving heavily, clearly struggling under a violent surge of emotion. Seeing this, Xu Xiliu couldn’t help silently cursing Old Master Qin in his heart. What kind of family member was that? Knowing full well his grandson’s mental state was unstable, yet calling just to say things that would deliberately trigger him.

Great—while that old man sat comfortably at the ancestral home without a scratch, his workload here had just skyrocketed.

Please don’t go crazy again.

The wounds on his body had only just finished healing.

Though he was cursing inwardly, Xu Xiliu carefully observed the man and realized he hadn’t fully lost control yet—he was right on the brink, the stage before complete mental break. It felt like the slightest emotional push could become the last straw, sending him spiraling into total instability.

But if he interrupted now, maybe he could pull him back to normal?

With that thought, he didn’t bother with politeness.

In sheer urgency, he reached out and grabbed the man’s… nose.

He couldn’t help it—calling out to him hadn’t worked, and the man wasn’t responding.

So the only option left was to force him back to awareness.

If he couldn’t breathe, he wouldn’t have the time or energy to go crazy, right?

With that reasoning in mind, Xu Xiliu kept pinching and asked, “Mr. Qin, are you okay? Can you hear me?”

Qin Li had still been drowning in the sound of his grandfather’s voice saying death anniversary. Those two words had dredged up too many memories—memories tied to that day, every year, filled with darkness and torment so suffocating he could taste blood just thinking about it.

His chest heaved violently, and it felt as if he had returned to that pitch-black ancestral hall with no one around, swallowed whole by a silence so terrifying it drove one to madness—
But in the next second, his nose suddenly hurt, then stopped working, and then—no more air.

His vicious, shadowed gaze froze instantly, his mind blanking, and because he couldn’t breathe, his eyes even rolled back slightly.

In that instant—
no more death anniversary,
no ancestral hall,
no darkness.

His vision finally focused, and he clearly saw the young man standing in front of him, face filled with worry and anxiety. He also felt the other’s hand currently gripping his nose—completely unreserved.

The pinch was tight—so tight not even the slightest bit of air could pass through.

As a result, Qin Li could only grab the other’s wrist, gritting his teeth and saying in a muffled, nasal voice, “…Let go!”

Xu Xiliu immediately released his hand.

He scrutinized the man carefully and saw that his gaze was now clear. Other than his face being a little red from holding his breath, there were no other issues. Finally, he relaxed. “You’re awake now? You gave me a scare. How’d a phone call mess you up this badly? If the other person’s words were unpleasant, you could’ve just hung up. Why torture yourself like that?”

Qin Li took two deep breaths, finally catching his breath. Unable to hold back, he called out through clenched teeth in a low, dangerous tone, “Xu. Xi. Liu.”

He actually dared to do something like this to him!

“Yeah?” Xu Xiliu responded, and when he lifted his gaze, he noticed the sides of the man’s nose were bright red from being pinched. That handsome face of his lost a few degrees of its charm—it even looked a bit ridiculous. Feeling a little guilty, he waited two seconds, then straightened his back and said confidently, “What? I was just afraid you’d lose it. Mr. Qin wouldn’t blame me for that, right?”

He blinked innocently and smiled with an air of elegance.

Qin Li pressed his lips into a tight line, glaring at him darkly.

The butler, who happened to walk past the gym and had witnessed the entire scene, couldn’t help but praise him. With a grin, he gave Xu Xiliu a big thumbs-up. “Dr. Xu, you’re like Hua Tuo^[1] reincarnated, with miraculous healing hands!”

Xu Xiliu was a little surprised to hear the butler’s voice—when had he arrived? But faced with the praise, he could only smile back and blink without replying.

He was afraid the man next to him would die of anger and drag him down too.

Qin Li, on the other hand, turned visibly darker at the comment.

Dark-faced or not, his mind was perfectly clear now. He recalled what the old man had said earlier and sneered again—it was likely that his dear uncle had found some way to speak ill of him in front of the old master.

Now that his foot had recovered, he immediately put an end to working from home. Without wasting any time, he headed straight to the company.

While video conferences were convenient, there were some matters he had to personally handle. After arriving at the office, Qin Li immediately held another meeting and took the opportunity to suppress Qin Zhangyuan’s influence once again. With the latter bedridden and unable to attend to affairs, it was the perfect moment to strike.

Qin Li remained occupied with this for quite some time.

It wasn’t until he took a break and glanced at his phone that he noticed a message his personal doctor had sent at some point:

[Mr. Qin, remember to take your medicine on time even at the office.]

Qin Li was momentarily stunned. The cold, grim look in his eyes eased slightly.

This little fox really is quite a handful.

Always muttering about something, never sitting still for even a moment.

Qin Li let out a snort, his mood oddly complicated. He suddenly recalled how, not long ago, when they were wandering in the mountains and woods, the other had stopped to gaze and take photos of a bunch of wildflowers, completely engrossed. Lost in thought, by the time he came back to his senses, he had already dialed his secretary Zhuang An’s number.

“President Qin, did you need something? Did something happen with Qin Zhangyuan?”

Qin Li paused for a moment.

He had merely been thinking: that little fox likes flowers so much—even random wildflowers make him so happy—if it were a carefully arranged, well-protected bouquet, wouldn’t he be even happier? The idea of giving him flowers had just started forming in his mind, and before he realized it, he had already called his secretary?

…Unbelievable.

Similar things had been happening a lot lately. Qin Li felt a little dazed. He wearily pinched the space between his brows but still opened his mouth and instructed Zhuang An: “Order me a bouquet. Big and bright.”

“Flowers?” Zhuang An, whose mind was filled with corporate warfare, was stunned for a second, then couldn’t help asking, “President Qin, who are you sending them to?”

Realizing his question sounded a bit nosy, Zhuang An quickly added, “It’s just that different people receive different kinds of bouquets. I need to know who it’s for, to choose the appropriate type.”

The image of the young man’s bright and smiling face flashed across Qin Li’s mind—those peach blossom eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses, smiling slyly. He paused for a second, then parted his thin lips and said three words: “Doctor Xu.”

“Uh—” Zhuang An was briefly surprised, then quickly came to an understanding, even feeling like, of course. “So it’s for Doctor Xu.”

He had already suspected the boss had an unusual relationship with that doctor.

Back in the meeting room, the boss had even brought him in and let the doctor sleep peacefully nearby, refusing to let him out of sight. And now things had escalated—sending flowers openly. And not just any bouquet—big and bright ones. But with Doctor Xu’s gentle and elegant demeanor… did that kind of vibrant bouquet really suit him?

Zhuang An’s thoughts were racing, but on the surface, he dutifully responded and said in all seriousness, “Then President Qin, I suggest roses for Doctor Xu—vivid Carola roses. They’ll better express your feelings.”

Qin Li didn’t know much about flowers. This was just a spur-of-the-moment idea that had popped into his head. He hadn’t even decided what kind of bouquet to get the young man. Lately, he’d been having more and more of these impulsive thoughts, which left him feeling quite baffled and confused. In that moment, he was a little distracted, gave a low “Mm,” and hastily ended the call.

A new stack of documents was already at hand, so Qin Li quickly focused back on work, pushing the matter from his mind.

It wasn’t until Zhuang An sent him a message:
[President Qin, the bouquet is ready. You can pick it up after work,]
that Qin Li finally remembered. Attached was a photo of the bouquet: ninety-nine large Carola roses, layered and wrapped meticulously in elaborate and exquisite wrapping paper. Just looking at it, the bouquet appeared particularly elegant—strikingly bright and luxurious.

As he stared at the bouquet, Qin Li couldn’t help but imagine how the young man’s face would look framed by the flowers. It would definitely be beautiful.

He became lost in thought just like that. By the time he snapped out of it, he rubbed his brow and told himself it must be because he didn’t sleep well last night.

Meanwhile, back at the villa, Xu Xiliu was leisurely wandering about.

Ever since the man had personally given him permission to come and go from the gym as he pleased—and said that he could go anywhere else too—Xu Xiliu had happily begun living what felt like early retirement life in the villa.

Whenever he was hungry, Chef Zheng would feed him—his skills rivaled Michelin chefs. When he was bored, the villa had a home theater, gaming room, gym, billiards room, and even a small hot spring tucked away deeper in the mountain estate. The scenery was on par with some well-known tourist spots.

No matter how you looked at it, there was always something to do. Without even stepping outside, he could enjoy all kinds of pleasures. Xu Xiliu absolutely loved this lifestyle.

While enjoying himself, he was also constantly thinking about how to escape his cannon-fodder role—pain and pleasure coexisting.

Xu Xiliu had just finished watching a movie and came out feeling quite pleased. The lights hadn’t been turned on yet. Hugging an empty popcorn bowl, he took a different path out. He hadn’t walked far when he tripped over something. Fortunately, he didn’t fall, but he did kick that light, box-like object away with one foot. It wobbled and crashed against the door, spilling out what was inside.

Xu Xiliu turned on the light and went over to take a look. It was soft—seemed like a piece of clothing—and it was off-white. He picked it up for a better look: it was a woman’s dress. A very elegant and refined style. The tag hadn’t even been cut off—clearly brand new.

He was a bit surprised.

Women’s clothing.

Whose was it? Were there any women in the entire villa?

He, Qin Li, and the butler were all male. The only women here were a few maids, but even if it belonged to one of them, they wouldn’t casually leave it lying around in the owner’s room, right?

Besides, even though Xu Xiliu didn’t know much about women’s clothing, from the tag and the packaging box, he could tell this dress wasn’t cheap.

Then whose could it be?

Xu Xiliu frowned in confusion and clicked his tongue. Since it was something he’d accidentally kicked out, it wouldn’t be right to just leave it there. Resigned, he carried the dress and the box and went to find the butler to ask.

“Uncle Zhong, do you know what this is? I just finished watching a movie and accidentally ran into it.”

The butler turned around with a smile, took a good look—and his expression froze for a second.

Xu Xiliu noticed the subtle change in his mood and asked, a little worried, “Is it something bad? It was in the corner, and the lights were off so I didn’t see it. I even gave it a kick.”

The butler came back to his senses, took the dress, and shook his head. “It’s nothing. This doesn’t belong to Mr. Qin—it was something someone else sent over.”

“Huh?” Xu Xiliu was even more confused.

He knew this thing didn’t belong to the protagonist gong—after all, Qin Li was a grown man, and he didn’t have a fetish for wearing women’s clothes.

But saying it was sent by someone else made it even weirder—to the point where you’d seriously question if that person had something wrong in the head. There wasn’t even a female owner in the villa, so why send women’s clothing? Planning ahead for some future need? However you looked at it, it was strange.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitating in the end. He felt it wasn’t right to pry into someone else’s privacy. Judging by the butler’s earlier frown, it was clear that there was more to this dress than met the eye.

Unexpectedly, it was the butler who spoke first: “This was sent by Mr. Qin’s uncle.”

Xu Xiliu’s eyes widened slightly.

Good grief—turns out it was the villain?!

The butler added, “Doctor Xu should be able to guess when Mr. Qin received this ‘gift’—it was that day when there was a huge storm.”

Xu Xiliu, overwhelmed by shock, nodded.

It was also the night he transmigrated into the novel.

“I heard from Mr. Qin that you ran into Qin Zhangyuan a few days ago. I wonder if Doctor Xu could tell—Qin Zhangyuan is actually very wary of Mr. Qin. His intentions are far from honorable. As an uncle, he can’t stand seeing his nephew doing even slightly well, and every now and then, he’ll come around just to provoke him.”

The middle-aged butler lowered his eyes, his expression unpleasant. “Every time he comes, Mr. Qin has an episode. That day, he didn’t come in person—likely due to the bad weather—and instead chose to send this ‘gift’ directly. The moment Mr. Qin saw the dress, it triggered him. Coupled with the stormy night, it nearly cost him his life. Fortunately, Doctor Xu, you arrived in time.”

As he spoke, the butler gave a small smile and looked at Xu Xiliu, who waved his hand in response and said, “This is just what I should do.”

While he said that, inwardly he couldn’t stop thinking.

He had assumed the man’s episode that night was simply due to the heavy storm—but to think there was another reason behind it… But why? It was clearly just an ordinary dress. Or did this dress carry some deeper meaning he didn’t yet know about?

“If Doctor Xu is curious about anything, feel free to ask,” the butler suddenly said.

Seeing Xu Xiliu freeze in surprise, he smiled, then placed the dress back into the box and said, “It’s not a big secret. I’m guessing Doctor Xu is wondering why this would trigger Mr. Qin so strongly?”

Having his thoughts pointed out so directly, Xu Xiliu blinked blankly, but still nodded honestly.

“…Yeah, I’m definitely curious.”

The butler smiled tolerantly, returning to his usual gentle demeanor, and slowly began to speak.

“Madam… that is, Mr. Qin’s mother—she liked to wear dresses like this. This brand of dress was actually one she used to wear quite often. Her name was Tao Wan—I don’t know if Doctor Xu has ever heard of her. She used to be the eldest daughter of the Tao family. Later, she married into the Qin family and became the wife of the eldest Qin son at the time, Qin Mohui. Their life was a happy one.”

As he spoke, the butler narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of nostalgia flickering within them.

“She was a very gentle person, kind to everyone. But later, some things happened… things most people know about. After Mr. Qin’s father, Qin Mohui, died in a car accident, Madam changed.”

Xu Xiliu, now intrigued, asked, “What… happened to her?”

He remembered the butler had once mentioned that the man’s parents were both deceased.

So this gentle, kind Madam…

Sure enough, the next second, the butler calmly said, “She went mad.”

Xu Xiliu was so stunned he opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.

So that’s what happened.

Although the middle-aged butler’s face remained composed, his eyes couldn’t hide their sorrow. “Madam couldn’t bear the blow of her husband’s sudden death. Her mind broke. She seemed to believe that all of it was Mr. Qin’s fault. She placed her grief onto him—at that time, he was only five years old. And he had just been through a kidnapping, hadn’t even recovered from the fear, when he was suddenly faced with a mother who had gone insane…”

“A gentle mother suddenly turning mad—anyone would struggle to cope. From that moment on, Mr. Qin’s previously peaceful and happy life was completely overturned. That impact… has stayed with him to this day.”

After finishing, the butler fell silent and packed the box away, smiling faintly. “Last time Mr. Qin had his episode, things were so urgent no one had time to deal with this dress. I’m not sure which servant tossed it aside back then. Those staff have all left now, and I couldn’t find it or remember it. I didn’t expect Doctor Xu would stumble upon it by accident. I’ll go dispose of it, so Mr. Qin doesn’t see it when he returns.”

Xu Xiliu responded softly and watched the butler leave with the box in hand.

He stood there thinking for a moment. He no longer felt like playing and returned to his room, his mind circling around the matter nonstop. He roughly sorted through everything himself.

Last time, from the butler, he learned that the man had strong reactions to stormy nights and often had episodes after being triggered. It must mean he experienced something bad on a rainy night. And now he found out that the other also had a significant reaction to what seemed to be his mother’s clothing—just as intense an impact.

He guessed that the stormy night might be related to Qin Li’s father’s car accident. He vaguely remembered hearing online that the accident had happened on a rainy day. And the butler had said that Madam went mad after the accident and even believed everything was Qin Li’s fault. If that was the case, Qin Li’s life afterward must have been very difficult. He even suspected that Qin Li’s condition of occasionally “going mad” now was directly related to that Madam, which would explain why he reacted so violently to something that resembled his mother’s clothing.

The more Xu Xiliu thought about it, the more it made sense.

But at the same time, new questions arose. Although he didn’t know the full truth, he could tell from the butler’s story that this Madam Tao Wan had been an extremely gentle woman before she broke down—kind to everyone, and very loving toward her son. For such a gentle, graceful woman, it didn’t make sense that after her husband’s unexpected death, she would place all the blame on her still-young child, even if she was mentally unstable.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that there must be some deeper truth beneath it all.

Furthermore, this morning when Qin Li spoke with his grandfather, for some unknown reason he had also almost been triggered into an episode.

These things touched on matters far more private. Even if the butler didn’t explain further, Xu Xiliu could understand why.

Xu Xiliu sorted through it again and again, his understanding gradually becoming clearer, and he couldn’t help clicking his tongue.

He had to admit—the protagonist gong was really miserable.

Calling it “miserable” wasn’t enough to cover everything he had experienced.

It was honestly quite sigh-inducing.

For a long while, Xu Xiliu remained immersed in the information he’d learned from the butler, distracted even while doing other things, all the way until Qin Li returned that evening.

When he ran into the butler, the other smiled and told him, “Doctor Xu, Sir brought you a gift when he came home.”

“…What?” Still occupied with his earlier thoughts, Xu Xiliu didn’t react at all, blinking in confusion.

“You’ll know if you go look. Sir just got back and is still by the entryway.”

With that, the butler left immediately, as though afraid of disturbing someone, not even giving Xu Xiliu the chance to ask anything. Xu Xiliu paused where he stood, then decided to go take a look at what gift the other had brought him. It was honestly a first—when he heard it, he had been a little startled.

Qin Li saw the young man walking toward him from afar. He tugged lightly at his tie, his black eyes sweeping over casually, but finally settling on the curious youth.

A flicker of amusement flashed through his otherwise gloomy gaze. He turned and picked up the bouquet, stuffing it into the young man’s arms.

His voice was light again, carrying a hint of impatience. “For you. Didn’t you like flowers? I saw them on the way home from work and bought them.”

Caught completely off guard, Xu Xiliu found his arms suddenly full of bright, lush Carola roses.

All ninety-nine of them. A huge bouquet, surprisingly heavy—he had to cradle it in his arms to keep it from slipping.

The vivid red immediately stung Xu Xiliu’s eyes, leaving him even more bewildered. “I do like flowers… but why are you suddenly giving me this?”

And wasn’t this bouquet a little too large?

If he wasn’t mistaken, these were roses. A huge bouquet of roses?

Their relationship… didn’t seem to be at the stage where they could calmly exchange gifts, right?

When he gave Qin Li the alarm clock before, it was only because he’d been annoyed after being tormented.

Thinking of this, Xu Xiliu blinked.

He looked down at the bouquet in his arms.

“Can’t I give you something for no reason?” Qin Li lifted his chin slightly, his tone carrying a trace of impatience. “I felt like it. Besides, take it as thanks for treating me these past days.”

As he said this, Qin Li’s gaze instinctively fell onto Xu Xiliu’s face.

The youth’s skin was already fair, and with the large red roses in his arms, he looked even fairer. And Qin Li hadn’t been mistaken—these big, vibrant flowers suited him very well. Just like the feeling the youth gave him: behind the gentle gold-rimmed glasses were upturned, lively peach-blossom eyes carrying calculation and seductive charm; the gentle, elegant temperament he used as a disguise would occasionally vanish, revealing the irritability and impatience hidden underneath—like a rose with thorns.

Qin Li clicked his tongue inwardly.

Holding the bouquet, Xu Xiliu listened to the man’s words and felt that they actually sounded quite reasonable.

But… giving a doctor roses as thanks for hard work—wasn’t that the wrong choice?

Shouldn’t it be carnations or lilies?

Xu Xiliu felt something strange in his heart, but seeing the man’s calm and straightforward expression, he suddenly felt he might be projecting his own thoughts too much—treating a gentleman with a petty mind.

Forget it, forget it. He probably doesn’t know any better.

Just look at that blockheaded face.

Besides, the flowers were very pretty.

After thinking for a moment, he curved his eyes and smiled.

“Then I’ll thank Mr. Qin. The flowers are beautiful—I really like them.”

Qin Li nodded with reserved composure and watched as the youth walked off happily hugging the bouquet. In his heart, he thought: it seems the little fox really does like flowers.

What should he bring him next time?

Meanwhile, as Xu Xiliu carried that gigantic bouquet back, he was seen by who knows how many servants along the way.

Thus, by the end of the day, everyone in the entire mountain estate knew—Mr. Qin, touched by Doctor Xu’s medical skill and the care he’d provided these past days, had given Doctor Xu a huge bouquet of roses.

Ninety-nine roses, no less.

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T/n: Hiding in a corner 🫣Was really busy last week and these chaps are so long 😭. But I managed to get a couple ahead so we’re safe for the next few days hehe