The young man seemed to have lost all strength from the pain, and obediently leaned into Qin Zhi's embrace.

The youth in his arms had a slender figure, with a hint of childlike softness that had not yet been shed. Perhaps due to frequently drinking medicinal tonics to nourish his body, there was a very faint herbal scent about him.

After instinctively catching the person, thinking of this young master's mysophobia and his rumored personality, Qin Zhi's hands gripping Su Duan's arms instantly stiffened.

He almost reflexively thought, would this offend the young master, and if he was held accountable afterwards...

Because of his elder brother's targeting, he could no longer find work outside. Although his current job required him to put aside his pride to serve others, the salary was also very generous. He really needed this sum of money to pay for his mother's medical expenses.

The hospital's side could not be delayed for too long... and he still needed to quickly raise funds for the surgery.

Qin Zhi thought distractedly as he held the young master whose whole body carried the scent of medicine.

However, he was only distracted for that instant. Very quickly, the pale complexion and pained expression of the person in his arms captured his full attention, and he could no longer think of any other concerns.

After a moment of intense pain passed, Su Duan regained some control over his body. However, he did not indicate for Qin Zhi to let go of him. Instead, he raised his head, moved his lips, and struggled to form words: "Help... help me sit up."

Hearing his words, Qin Zhi immediately followed the command with action. Using some strength in his arms, he helped him sit down on a chair.

Looking at the youth curled up leaning against the chair, his delicate brows furrowed together, eyes closed, and face pale as paper, Qin Zhi couldn't help but purse his lips.

Although rumor had it that this young master had a bad and fickle temper, good-looking people always had a natural advantage. Seeing him pitifully curled up like this, no matter what, one could not be on guard against him. Instead, it made one feel a bit of uncontrollable distress.

Qin Zhi didn't know where he got the courage, but he quickly said the longest sentence to the young master since they met: "I'll take you to sit on the sofa, then go call the doctor."

He had just arrived yesterday, and today was his first day on the job. The butler had not clearly explained many things to him, so he did not know where Su Duan's medicine was placed. The butler who knew was out handling affairs, so he had to go out and find someone.

The chair was hard and slippery, with no place to hold onto. The young master was now weak all over and couldn't muster any strength. He was afraid that after he left, the young master would quickly slide back onto the floor while sitting here alone.

The young master, in too much pain to even speak clearly, opened his eyes and looked at him with those jet-black eyes misty from the pain. He slowly nodded.

Qin Zhi helped the person over to the sofa again, adjusting him to a posture where he was not likely to fall, then turned and went out to find someone.

After Qin Zhi left, the system suddenly spoke: "Host, host."

Su Duan: "What is it?"

The system said: "Actually, we have a system mall constructed based on short-term research results. The host can use experience points to exchange for various items in it to help complete tasks, including painkillers."

As the system spoke, it pulled out a panel with all sorts of item icons, only these icons were all displayed in gray, clearly unable to be purchased.

Su Duan had not heard it mention the system mall yesterday. It was the first time he learned that one could also use merit - the system called them experience points - to buy things.

The sudden appearance of a shop and whatnot always gave him a sense of confusion, as if cultivation and technology were combined.

Although his body was still in pain, after listening, Su Duan quickly grasped the main point: "But I don't have any experience points."

The first task was not yet complete, so his current experience point balance was zero. He could be said to be penniless.

The system said: "Yes, one vial of painkiller only requires ten experience points. These ten points are actually not considered a lot. After the host completes a task, the system will automatically evaluate the host's performance and results. The grades from low to high are D, C, B, A, up to S rank. If the rating for a task can reach A rank or above, the host can obtain at least 5,000 experience points. Of course, for the current host, these ten experience points are temporarily unaffordable."

The system paused for a moment, its electronic voice seeming to lower by a degree: "I just tried, the system does not have a credit function, so the painkiller exchange failed."

Su Duan was silent for a moment: "It's fine, it's actually not that painful."

He was telling the truth. As a spiritual herb that could not move, when his spirit first formed and his spiritual power was still very weak, insufficient to protect himself, it was not as if he had never been injured by people or animals before. The pain he felt at that time was on a completely different level compared to this.

His reaction being so intense this time was mainly related to not being used to the human body yet.

System: "Host, you don't need to comfort me QAQ"

Su Duan, an ancient herb who had already slept for several thousand years and was completely derailed from the modern world, looked at the crying emoticon the system displayed at the end and couldn't help but fall into deep thought: "..."

In the future starry sky, did people very much enjoy communicating with these letters that could express emotions?

In any case, no matter what, he felt that this system... seemed quite personable?

The system said again: "Host, work hard. Completing tasks in this world will let you buy lots of painkillers."

Su Duan said: "Okay."

Within five minutes of Qin Zhi leaving, he brought the butler back. The butler fed Su Duan medicine and called the doctor.

By the time the doctor left with his medical kit, it was already close to noon.

Su Duan was in low spirits and had taken a painkiller with a sedative component. After the pain in his body passed, he was forcefully fed half a bowl of congee by the butler and quickly fell into a daze, not waking until evening.

Qin Zhi followed beside the butler the whole time, busy with this and that. Su Duan's stomach pain this time was an old ailment. The doctor said it might be because he caught a chill at night. The situation was not severe at the moment, and he would be fine as long as he paid attention to resting. If he wanted to err on the side of caution, he could drink a few doses of medicine to recuperate.

Not daring to be careless, the butler had the doctor leave some medicine.

What was left was Chinese medicine, six doses, to be taken twice a day in the morning and evening for three days.

Su Duan was practically never apart from Chinese medicine year-round.

Because of his poor immunity, Su Duan had begun incessantly taking medicine since he was young.

Western medicine was fast-acting but had major side effects. Su Duan had always had a delicate constitution since childhood, and the side effects of Western medicine were especially apparent in him. As time passed, the medicines on Su Duan's prescription were gradually all replaced with Chinese medicine.

But Chinese medicine has a notable characteristic - it's bitter. Even adults with strong endurance will scrunch up their faces after drinking it, with the lingering bitterness remaining on the tip of the tongue for a long time, as if all the taste buds can only sense that one flavor.

Qin Zhi drank it a few times when he was young, and still remembers that heart-piercing bitterness to this day.

But when Su Duan drank it, aside from slightly furrowing his brows, he showed no other reaction. Holding the bowl, although slow, he drank all the dark brown liquid inside without leaving a drop.

...Doesn't he dislike the bitterness?

Qin Zhi pondered for a few seconds before realizing that Su Duan was probably used to drinking it since he was young, which is why he could remain so expressionless.

But when he first started drinking it, he must have also found it very unpleasant.

After Su Duan handed the medicine bowl back to him, he slowly took the tissue handed over by the other person, wiped his mouth and returned it. After waiting a few seconds, seeing Qin Zhi not making any moves, he reminded: "Fruit."

Only then did Qin Zhi suddenly react, hurriedly handing over the prepared candied fruit.

Su Duan's gaze circled around the plate of candied fruit, selecting a medium-sized one from among them and picking it up to put in his mouth.

The fruit, after being preserved and processed, took on the sweet maple color of amber, its original variety no longer discernible.

In theory, as a plant, Su Duan should have some understanding of his own kind. Unfortunately, after the earth's upheaval, Su Duan slept for too long, his past memories seeming to be covered by a layer of gauze, becoming blurry with many details lost.

But those memories weren't really worth remembering anyway. As a medicinal herb that had gained intelligence but couldn't take human form, life was actually very boring.

The thing he did most over that long period of time was nothing more than observing the surrounding animals or plants, occasionally using a bit of spiritual power to "disappear" from people's sight when they approached, to avoid being taken away to be dried into medicine.

After holding the candied fruit in his mouth for a few seconds, a sweet but not cloying flavor spread from the tip of Su Duan's tongue, quickly dispelling the earlier bitterness brought by that bowl of medicine.

Qin Zhi tidied up the items and said to Su Duan who had his head lowered, cheeks bulging: "Young Master, I'll take my leave first."

Su Duan was still immersed in the feeling of eating this kind of food that was so sweet it felt like his whole brain was flooded with sugar water for the first time. Gently pushing with the tip of his tongue, he flipped the fruit over in his mouth, too preoccupied to speak - and speaking was also a bit unaccustomed for him - so upon hearing this, he just casually nodded.

Qin Zhi carried the bowl still containing remnants of the brown medicinal liquid and the remaining candied fruit plate out of the bedroom, closing the door for the young master to let him rest well.

Only after closing the door did he belatedly realize that from beginning to end, this young master had been so obedient it was unbelievable, doing whatever he was told, not at all having the vicious and unruly appearance of the rumors, and hardly even spoke.

Could the rumors be mistaken?

If it was just one person saying this, perhaps it could be bias, but when almost everyone thinks this way and solemnly warns him, the explanation of bias or misunderstanding doesn't quite make sense.

Qin Zhi couldn't figure out the reason.

Su Duan fell ill again. Although for Su Duan who got sick every few days, it wasn't anything rare, after the butler notified the master of the household, Su Duan quickly received an overseas call from this body's parents.

Su Duan's father and mother were very concerned about this sickly youngest son. Although they were abroad, as long as there was the slightest development on Su Duan's side, they would immediately become anxious.

As soon as the call connected, Su Duan's mother started saying a bunch of things, asking if he was still in pain, how he carelessly caught a chill again, etc...

Su Duan stiffly held the phone with one hand, listening to the gentle female voice on the other end speaking words of concern without pause, a hint of bewilderment appearing on his face.

He was Su Duan, but not "Su Duan". Even though he had the original owner's memories, the two people on the other end couldn't really be called his parents.

He was a person with very subdued emotions. Faced with the concern of this "mother" who could now be said to be a complete stranger, he really didn't know how to react.

After Su Duan's mother said a long string of words without hearing him respond, she asked in puzzlement: "Duan Duan, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything to Mom?"

Su Duan searched through the original body's memories, slowly finding a reasonable explanation: "Tired."

As soon as he said he was tired, Su Duan's mother felt distressed, telling him to rest quickly. No longer keeping him on the line to talk, she passed the phone to Su Duan's father. After Su Duan's father briefly expressed concern, he hung up.

Just as Su Duan's father and mother's call ended on this side, before Su Duan could rest, his older brother Su Zheng, now the head of the Su family's main domestic company, returned to the Su residence.

Unlike his sickly and delicate-looking younger brother, Su Zheng was not only strong and tall, his facial features were also very sharp. Although only in his twenties, he already had an imposing air. Based on their outward appearance, he and Su Duan were completely different types of people.

However, perhaps related to the good family atmosphere, Su Zheng, who looked stiff and unapproachable, actually placed great importance on family, especially caring a lot about his sickly younger brother. As soon as he heard he was ill, he immediately rushed back after his meeting, not even having time to change out of his suit.

Hearing from the butler that the eldest young master had returned, Su Duan, who had just been preparing to sleep curled up in bed, couldn't help feeling a bit troubled.

He had barely managed to fool his far away parents over the phone, but now that his older brother who the original body often met had returned, how could he avoid exposing any flaws?

Author's note: The male lead, completely unaware he's holding his future partner in his arms: Still worried about losing my job today as usual.jpg