Three points, Qin Zhi had only rubbed some powder out of his flower, and hadn't even given him his powder yet, so how did it increase so much?

It was already as much as the previous two times combined!

Looking at the healing value that was only four points away from being full, Su Duan asked the system in disbelief.

The system explained: "According to the system's data analysis of the healing value increases over the past few times, there is a positive correlation between the healing value and the intimate behavior between the host and the healing target, and the pattern of point increases conforms to the pattern of a second-order arithmetic sequence."

Suddenly, Su Duan's hiccuping motion paused: "..."

Su Duan asked in a low voice, "What is a second-order arithmetic sequence?"

How come he could understand every word, but when put together, they made him dizzy?

As a little spirit, his memory was actually very strong, but for some reason, ever since studying and homework appeared in his life, this rule was ruthlessly broken.

So Su Duan only vaguely remembered seeing this term in one of his textbooks, as for the specific content, he really had no impression at all.

The system stalled for three seconds and explained in the most easy-to-understand way: "It means that each increase is a little more than the previous increase."

Su Duan calculated in his heart: "One, two, three, four... so the next time it will increase by four points, ninety-six plus four." His voice paused for a moment, then asked tremblingly, "- Full?"

The system ruthlessly confirmed his speculation: "According to the pattern, that's right."

Su Duan was stunned for a while, feeling that he could not face this reality. He asked blankly, "System... how exactly do you calculate this healing value? Why does it increase when Qin Zhi does weird things to me, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with his illness?"

The system said, "Actually, it does."

"Stockholm syndrome is an illness from being 'imprisoned', and in the original plot, the healing target also fell in love with 'Su Duan', but that kind of love appears because of the healing target's illness, it is a passive and abnormal state. Now that the healing target is beginning to actively love someone in a normal way, it indirectly offsets the possibility of illness." The system explained.

Su Duan seemed to understand, but also seemed to not understand, slowly saying, "I see."

......

When he heard Su Duan's whimpering cries, Qin Zhi's bit of drunkenness, whether real or fake, sobered up a lot.

His body stiffened, his hand withdrew from under the covers, not daring to use this hand with criminal evidence to touch Su Duan, but afraid that he would run away, so he tightly grasped Su Duan's shoulder with his other hand, his body also only rising up a little, keeping him still confined.

Su Duan seemed to understand that his strength could not match Qin Zhi's, after struggling a few times, he no longer moved, lying there quietly like a dying fish.

When Su Duan cried, he was also very well-behaved, transparent tears quietly rolling down from the corners of his eyes, flowing down his fair cheeks, occasionally making a small sob, his nose slowly turning slightly red.

After crying for a while, not knowing what he thought of, he began to space out, and then slowly started hiccuping again.

Qin Zhi lowered his eyes to look at Su Duan's eyes, those eyes that were originally as clear and pure as obsidian, now lost their luster, like two inorganic glass beads, lifelessly inlaid there.

In the dim room shielded by the curtains, Qin Zhi lost his sense of time. He stared fixedly at the little young master in his arms, feeling half of his heart scorched by surging emotions and half soaked in ice water, almost being split into two.

A little person knocked on his head, muttering and saying, the little young master is so stupid, he doesn't even know how to lie, if he really doesn't like you, how could he not show any signs? Details don't lie, Su Duan's closeness and dependence on him, the soft light shining in his eyes when he looks at him, couldn't all be an act.

But another little person solemnly reminded him in his ear, have you forgotten today's cautionary tale from your good friend? Their five-year relationship is a full ten times the length of your interactions with Su Duan, and he still didn't notice anything before things were exposed?

Moreover... Qin Zhi's Adam's apple rolled. Because he suspected Su Duan had a psychological barrier to that kind of thing before, he had looked up a lot of psychology materials and happened to come across the term "transference" and had some understanding of it.

If a person has a particularly deep obsession with a past regretful relationship or person, then in their later life, they are very likely to seek fulfillment from another new relationship or person.

Especially when the two have overlapping characteristics, this phenomenon is even more likely to occur.

For example, his face that resembles Qin Feng's is a very typical overlapping characteristic.

Actually, when his subordinate gave him a reply, he didn't listen carefully to the details of what happened between Su Duan and Qin Feng, but the fragmented words that entered his ears were enough to prove how unreservedly the sixteen-year-old Su Duan liked someone at that time.

He could feel that Su Duan definitely had feelings for him, but whether those feelings originated because of him or were transplanted from someone else, he had no basis to explore.

The little people with opposing opinions in his mind fought, turning his brain into a pot of paste. Qin Zhi lost his usual calmness, all sorts of messy and even self-contradictory thoughts flashing through his mind.

In this unresolvable chaos, the only clear thought was that he could not let go of his little young master.

Dragged back to the den, he is his, and he will not let Su Duan leave again.

Qin Zhi's hand on Su Duan's shoulder trembled slightly.

Three years ago, Qin Feng stood in a high position and forced him into a desperate situation, easily grasping his mother's life in his hands. In order to gather the surgery fees that he didn't know would come in time or not, he did not hesitate to abandon his studies and dignity to become a servant. In the end, he still had to use his newly born love as an exchange to get enough surgery fees.

Three years later, their identities were reversed. Qin Feng had already become a drowning dog that anyone could step on, only daring to hide far away from him and live a frugal life abroad, but he could still easily snatch away his things.

When Qin Zhi drove Qin Feng out of the Qin family, he felt that he had finally won. From then on, Qin Feng could no longer bully and rob the people close to him at will. But until today, he realized that he was still living under Qin Feng's shadow and had never walked out of it.

Qin Zhi bit his teeth, the soreness of his gums making his throat taste bitter.

......

Feeling the hot liquid dripping onto his chin, Su Duan, who was still immersed in the sadness of his healing value rising by a full three points, was stunned for a moment. He hiccupped lightly and finally came back to his senses, blinking his eyes to look at Qin Zhi.

Qin Zhi was crying.

There was no expression on his face, his brows and eyes drooping very low, and wet tears fell along his eyelashes, slowly dripping onto Su Duan's cheeks and neck.

Su Duan had never seen him cry. In his impression, when Qin Zhi was unhappy, he would only furrow his brows deeply and occasionally sigh.

This was the first time he had seen Qin Zhi like this. Su Duan's mind began to stall. He wanted to reach out and wipe away Qin Zhi's tears, but his body was being suppressed. The tiny gap between their chests was not enough for him to lift his arms up. Moreover, as soon as he moved, Qin Zhi pressed him even tighter, so his arms were stuck there, neither up nor down.

"Qin, Qin Zhi," Su Duan called out to him with the remnants of his crying voice, hiccupping as he called, "Hic - wuwu, Zhi Zhi..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhi's body suddenly stiffened. His pitch-black eyes lifted slightly, but before Su Duan could see the emotion in his eyes clearly, Qin Zhi buried his head in the crook of his neck, his whole body's muscles tense like cold, hard rocks, enveloping him and making it impossible to move.

Su Duan looked at the ceiling in confusion and panic.

There was the smell of alcohol in Qin Zhi's mouth. He had smelled it when they kissed just now, and it had made him a little dizzy. So he subconsciously thought that Qin Zhi had been drinking outside and was stimulated by the alcohol, unable to control himself. That's why he came back so fierce, as if he wanted to devour him. He didn't think of anything else.

They say drunk people are unreasonable.

After all, humans are animals that mate all year round. Qin Zhi had been holding back for so long, so he could barely understand if Qin Zhi couldn't help himself after getting drunk, although the rise in healing value made him very sad. But this wasn't Qin Zhi's fault in the first place.

Actually, he had stopped crying by the end, but he couldn't stop hiccupping, which made him look a bit miserable.

It wasn't until he saw Qin Zhi crying too that Su Duan finally realized that something seemed wrong. He was dumbfounded, being pressed down by Qin Zhi, staring at the ceiling for a while. Only when he felt the wetness on his neck becoming more and more obvious did he hurriedly ask the system, "What's wrong with Qin Zhi? Why is he crying? Was he... bullied by someone outside?"

The system said, "Please wait, the system is conducting relevant tests."

The system asked, "Testing completed, a suspected cause has been found. Does the host want to see the relevant playback?"

Su Duan said, "Yes, I want to see it, thank you."

The system pulled out a light screen and played back in front of Su Duan what Qin Zhi had heard in the hotel at noon, the gossip between the two rich second-generation heirs.

Su Duan watched quietly and said softly to the system, "No, that's not it."

It's not like that. What's between him and Qin Zhi has nothing to do with Qin Feng. To be honest, except for those images in the original's memory, he hasn't even seen Qin Feng once in reality. His only impression of him is "a bad guy who bullied Qin Zhi".

The system said, "Please remember that the host must conform to your own character settings and must never reveal that you are a task participant."

Su Duan said softly, "I know. But can I say I don't like Qin Feng?"

The system said, "The host can say you don't like him now. What the original did cannot be changed. Forcibly denying it may lead to the collapse of the character setting. But fortunately, humans are fickle creatures, so it's very normal for the host to have a change of heart later."

Su Duan sighed, "Okay then."

Feeling his arm going numb, Su Duan couldn't help but start to struggle. His arm was still squeezed between the two of them and couldn't move at all. After a while, he felt uncomfortable.

Qin Zhi felt that he seemed to want to struggle, so he vigilantly pressed him down a bit tighter. Su Duan felt like a turtle being crushed by a giant rock, and his little turtle shell was about to be crushed.

Su Duan, who was almost out of breath, "...Hic." Even his hiccups were not smooth, and they slowly stopped on their own.

"Zhi Zhi, my arm hurts." Su Duan said softly.

As if he had lost his language function, only then did Qin Zhi have a little reaction. He reached out and fished Su Duan's arm out from under him, rubbing his stiff veins.

The numb and sore feeling spread with the rubbing, and Su Duan whimpered uncomfortably a couple of times.

Qin Zhi's eyelashes were still wet, sticking together in strands and drooping down. His black pupils were filled with emotions that Su Duan couldn't understand, and his face was still expressionless and taut.

Su Duan looked up at Qin Zhi's eyes, and Qin Zhi's sluggish gaze crossed with his, then quickly moved away.

If one day he found out that Qin Zhi had liked someone who looked a lot like him a long time ago, he would definitely be very sad too. Su Duan imagined that situation and felt like the leaves on his head were about to explode. He wanted to hit someone.

Su Duan looked for a while, then used his other hand that hadn't gone numb to touch Qin Zhi's eyelashes. His fingertips quickly became wet. Qin Zhi closed his eyes from his touch, and when he opened them again, he said to him in a low voice, "Sorry."

His voice was hoarse with an undeniable roughness, like an injured giant beast unable to even lick its wounds.

After saying that, Qin Zhi continued to silently rub Su Duan's arm, turning his originally numb arm warm.

Su Duan immediately said softly, "I forgive you."

He moved his hand from Qin Zhi's eyelashes and covered Qin Zhi's still damp cheek with his palm. But his hand was much smaller than Qin Zhi's, and Qin Zhi's face was also larger than his. Of course, he couldn't easily cover half of his cheek like Qin Zhi could.

Su Duan spread his slender fingers, trying to cover as much area as possible with his palm.

With his cheek covered by a slightly cool palm, Qin Zhi seemed to not have expected to be actively touched after doing something excessive. His movements stopped, and his jet-black eyes turned to stare fixedly at the boy beneath him.

Su Duan thought for a moment and said, "You're not happy."

Without waiting for Qin Zhi to answer, he asked, "Were you bullied outside?"

His thoughts still somewhat empty, after a long while, Qin Zhi lightly hmmed in response.

The other arm that had been rubbed had already regained normal sensation. Su Duan took the opportunity while Qin Zhi was not moving to pull it out, and pressed his other hand on Qin Zhi's face, cupping Qin Zhi's entire face. Although his voice was small, it was very forceful as he said, "Who bullied you? Tell me, I'll go - uh, I'll go ask my brother to bully them back for you."

Qin Zhi looked at him and shook his head very slightly, saying, "No need, I already bullied them back."

His young man not only didn't get angry with him, but quickly turned around to comfort him. Qin Zhi didn't expect things to develop this way at all.

Looking at the tear stains left on Su Duan's face from his bullying just now and the glimmer of starlight in his eyes, a sense of panic suddenly uncontrollably spread in Qin Zhi's heart.

After the impulse mixed with the effects of alcohol subsided, he belatedly realized that even if Su Duan had lied to him, treating him as a substitute for Qin Feng, an emotional container, he had never hurt him, whether it was three years ago or three years later. The warmth and tolerance his young master had given him were rare in his life.

He was the one who did something wrong first, violating the agreement between the two of them and forcibly touching Su Duan -

Realizing this point, Qin Zhi hurriedly stretched out the hand he had not moved, grasping the back of Su Duan's hand covering his cheek, and pressed it hard against his own face before feeling a little sense of truly holding the person in his hand.

Su Duan's hand was actually a little sore from his pinching, but it wasn't a big problem. He looked into Qin Zhi's eyes, and although he couldn't quite understand the messy emotions entangled in them, he felt his own heart tighten up as well.

Qin Zhi looked so sad now. If he withdrew his hand at this time, Qin Zhi might continue crying, Su Duan thought. He felt that as a spirit who had lived for thousands of years, he should show more responsibility at this time.

In a situation where his body could hardly move, he laboriously raised his head from the pillow, pecked the corner of Qin Zhi's lips, and after falling back, he said seriously, "Kissing you, don't be sad."

Apart from this kind of comforting method, Su Duan couldn't think of any good ways for the time being.

Qin Zhi held his hand even tighter, his Adam's apple trembling, and said in a shaky voice, "Okay, I won't be sad anymore."

The two stared at each other for a while. Just as Su Duan was pondering whether to try to raise his head and kiss Qin Zhi again, Qin Zhi suddenly spoke.

"Young Master." Qin Zhi called out a title that Su Duan hadn't heard for a long time. He paused for more than ten seconds, waiting until Su Duan began urging him with his eyes, before asking in a very soft voice, "Do you like me?"

Su Duan blinked and said without hesitation, "I like you."

Qin Zhi turned his head, kissed his palm hard, and asked again, "Do you love me?"

This time Su Duan didn't answer immediately. Love seemed to be a very complicated matter. With his current level of understanding of human emotions, he still couldn't comprehend what this word actually represented, let alone talk about whether he loved or not.

Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, the light in Qin Zhi's eyes began to dim. Su Duan hesitated for a moment, but still honestly said, "I have never loved anyone, I don't know."

"But I only like you. No, that's not right, I also like my brother, but you two are different." Su Duan said softly.

The light in Qin Zhi's eyes gradually brightened again. He was like a person who had walked in the desert for a long time, firmly grasping his lost and found water bag. "Then it's agreed, apart from your brother, you're only allowed to like me."

Su Duan said, "Mm."

Qin Zhi repeatedly kissed his palm, forehead, cheeks and lips, like a still somewhat doubtful and uneasy beast, wanting to leave marks and scent on his prey.

After kissing for a while, Qin Zhi suddenly said, "Duan Duan, call me."

"Qin Zhi?"

Qin Zhi corrected him, "Call me Zhi Zhi."

"...Zhi Zhi."

"Duan Duan."

......

The two played the seemingly boring game of "you call me and I call you" until half an hour past nap time. The somewhat anxious butler knocked on the door and asked if something had happened. Only then did Su Duan clear his throat and reply that he had just woken up and would get up in a while, telling him not to worry about him.

There was still a hint of hoarseness in his voice, which matched well with the claim of just waking up. The butler didn't suspect anything and said okay, quickly leaving from the front of the door.

Qin Zhi got up from the bed, still pinching his wrist, and said in a low voice, "Want to take a bath? You're sweating."

Su Duan had been covered by him for so long that his body had been completely warmed up by him. He saw fine beads of sweat adorning Su Duan's neck.

Su Duan nodded and asked, "Are you washing too?"

Qin Zhi said, "I'll wash after you're done." He hadn't fully calmed down yet and was a little afraid to touch Su Duan.

Su Duan made two "mm" sounds and pulled his wrist out of Qin Zhi's hand, preparing to get out of bed to take a bath.

Not right.

Just as he was about to lift the quilt, Su Duan moved his right hand closer to himself.

There was something on it, it seemed to be - his pollen?

It was originally on Qin Zhi's hand, but Qin Zhi held his hand, so it got on his hand.

Su Duan, who remembered what had just happened, froze for a moment, and then a heat spread from his neck to his cheeks, making his whole person dizzy.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen his own pollen. So this is what it looks like.

Su Duan got closer and sniffed, unable to say what the smell was, anyway it seemed to be an unpleasant smell.

Sigh, it seemed that his flower smelled a bit strange. He didn't know if the flowers that would bloom when he turned back into a herb would have this kind of smell.

Seeing his movements, Qin Zhi's body also froze strangely. How did he forget about this just now, holding Su Duan for so long with that hand that hadn't been wiped clean.

His breathing became rapid. Qin Zhi clasped Su Duan's wrist with his other clean hand in a futile attempt to cover up, half-hugging him from the bed all the way to the bathroom door, opening the door for him, "Go wash quickly."

Su Duan looked at him blankly, "But I haven't taken a towel and clothes to change into yet."

Qin Zhi pushed him into the bathroom, bent down and kissed his flushed cheek, and said in a low voice, "I'll hand them to you in a moment. Don't catch a cold, go wash up."

Author's note:

Su Duan: Raises hand o(^▽^)┛

Qin Zhi: Stares——Licks.