Since Qin Zhi had said so, Su Duan could only obediently go take a shower. He took one last look at his pollen, feeling a bit strange as he washed it all away.

After cleaning up, Su Duan called out. Qin Zhi opened the bathroom door a crack and passed in a towel and change of clothes.

Su Duan had no sense of wariness. He ran over barefoot and unguarded to get them. Although Qin Zhi knew he should avert his eyes for safety's sake, Su Duan's water-soaked skin seemed to stick to his gaze, making it impossible to look away. He even forgot to loosen his grip.

Su Duan tugged on the other end of the towel he was holding. Finding he couldn't pull it free, he asked the increasingly craning Qin Zhi in puzzlement, "Why aren't you giving it to me?"

Only then did Qin Zhi seem to startle awake. He coughed a couple times and released his death grip on the towel. "Be good and go dry off. Be careful not to slip."

Su Duan nodded. "Mm-hmm." Actually, after slipping that first time showering, he had never slipped in the bathroom again.

Just as Qin Zhi was about to close the bathroom door, the corner of his eye suddenly caught something amiss.

He opened the door again. After frowning for a few seconds, he stepped forward and turned Su Duan by the shoulders to look.

There were some glaring red marks on Su Duan's body, interspersed with a few small patches of bruised fingerprints.

The young master had been raised pampered. Even when his parents passed away and his older brother was imprisoned, the family butler had still taken care of his every need. He had never suffered any hardships in life. So his skin was not only dazzlingly white, but also so tender it seemed it would break with a pinch.

A level of force that might only leave white marks for a few seconds on an ordinary person would turn into eye-catching red marks on Su Duan. If the force was a bit heavier, it would leave even more serious bruising.

The corners of Qin Zhi's mouth tightened. These marks were obviously freshly made. As for the culprit, that went without saying.

Seeing the small but glaring marks on Su Duan's body, the flirtatious thoughts from earlier seemed to be doused with a basin of cold water. Qin Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed. Afraid of hurting him again, he loosened the hands gripping Su Duan's shoulders.

Every time he thought the mistakes he had made were outrageous enough, reality would give him new punishments.

Su Duan was still hugging the towel cluelessly, looking completely unaware of what had happened. He asked, "What's wrong? Did I not rinse off all the foam on my body?"

Qin Zhi touched one of the red marks and asked, "Does it hurt?"

After asking, he felt it was all pointless words meant to comfort himself. With how delicate Su Duan was, how could it not hurt?

Su Duan shook his head and said softly, "It doesn't hurt." Actually, when the hot water hit them earlier, it was a bit uncomfortable. But if he didn't touch them, he couldn't really feel anything. If Qin Zhi hadn't brought it up, he would have almost forgotten about it.

Qin Zhi apologized to him again in a low voice. He bent down and kissed Su Duan's misty cheek, then took the towel from his hands. Using the gentlest force, he dried the water from Su Duan's body and roughly toweled his hair half-dry. He didn't put the clothes he had brought on Su Duan, but directly wrapped him in the towel and took him out.

Su Duan held the towel wrapped around his head with both hands and asked Qin Zhi for his clothes. "My clothes... I'm not wearing them?"

Qin Zhi said, "Mm, after blow-drying your hair in a bit, I'll put some medicine on you before you get dressed."

The bedroom heating had been turned on. Wrapped in a small towel, Su Duan wasn't cold at all. After Qin Zhi blow-dried his hair into a soft fluff, he found some blood-activating and stasis-dissolving medicinal oil from the medicine kit. He warmed it in his hands before massaging it onto the marks.

Su Duan whimpered as Qin Zhi rubbed him. The medicinal oil was very cooling. Rubbed on the slightly sore bruises, it stimulated him so much he couldn't help wanting to escape. But he was immediately pressed back by Qin Zhi.

"Bear with it a bit longer, Duan Duan." Qin Zhi kissed the top of his head. "It'll be fine once it's worked in."

Su Duan: "...Okay."

However, although Qin Zhi coaxed him sweetly, his hands didn't stop at all. Su Duan was rubbed until tears glistened in the corners of his eyes and the whole herb wilted listlessly.

After applying the medicine, Qin Zhi didn't put on the clothes he had prepared earlier. Instead, he found a set of soft pure cotton pajamas, making sure they wouldn't chafe the injuries on Su Duan's body at all.

Su Duan was pressed to sit on the edge of the bed. Like a child with no self-care ability, he was attended to and dressed by someone else. Feeling very embarrassed, he reached out and tugged on the pajamas in Qin Zhi's hands, saying softly, "I can put them on myself."

Ever since Qin Zhi had left the Su family, because he wasn't used to having a completely unfamiliar servant attend him closely, he had started learning to dress himself. It had been a long time since he let anyone help him.

Qin Zhi pried open his slender fingers and held them in his hand. His jet-black eyes gazed at Su Duan intently. "I want to help the young master dress one more time, okay?"

Su Duan blanked for a moment and curled his fingers. "Um, I already said you don't need to call me Young Master anymore."

Qin Zhi bent down and kissed his forehead, then deliberately provoked him by whispering in his ear.

Scorching breath blew into his ear with the exhale. The tips of Su Duan's ears instantly flushed pink. When Qin Zhi moved his head away, he touched his ear and found it hot.

......

By the time Su Duan was finally dressed, it was almost 5pm. It was spring, so the sky darkened relatively quickly. The sunlight outside the window had already turned very gentle.

Su Duan ate dinner in his own bedroom that night.

Although he felt that other than his body feeling a bit chilly after the medicinal oil was applied, nothing was wrong, Qin Zhi was as nervous as if he had fractured his whole body. He wouldn't even let Su Duan go downstairs.

And he could never win against Qin Zhi, so he could only obediently stay put in his room and wait to eat.

When the butler helped bring up the meal, he saw that Su Duan had already changed into pajamas so early and asked what had happened.

Su Duan said he was feeling a tiny bit unwell.

The butler smelled the medicinal fragrance filling the room. Frowning, he rolled up Su Duan's sleeve and saw a bruise on his arm. His eyes grew a bit heavy as he asked, "Young Master, what happened to your body? Are there injuries anywhere else?"

Su Duan said softly, pretending to be honest, "I bumped it while showering, just a little. Qin Zhi already massaged it for me." The butler silently lifted Su Duan's clothes and examined his body, confirming that the injuries weren't severe and had been properly treated. He didn't pursue the matter further.

Su Duan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was a terrible liar, and if the butler had questioned him further, he might have gotten stuck.

Fortunately, the butler didn't seem to suspect anything.

However, as soon as he walked out the door, the butler's face darkened. With his vast life experience, his eyes were exceptionally sharp. The bruise on Su Duan's arm couldn't possibly have been from a bump - it was clearly a fingerprint left by someone gripping forcefully.

When the butler went downstairs, Qin Zhi was still helping Su Duan make juice. The crushed fruit kept spinning in the juicer as the tall young man rolled up his sleeves, carefully observing the process.

The butler approached him and politely said, "You are a guest. Please let me handle this."

Qin Zhi was equally polite. "There's no need to be so formal. I'm just making Duan Duan a glass of juice."

But the butler insisted, "Our young master has always been spoiled since childhood and is picky about his drinks. I'm more familiar with his tastes, so please allow me."

Although his words were courteous, his tone was cold, and his cloudy eyes held a piercing chill.

The butler had practically watched Su Duan grow up and doted on him like his own child. He listened to Su Duan even more than Su Zheng. As long as Su Duan was willing to be with Qin Zhi, he wouldn't interfere much.

However, Qin Zhi had now caused harm to Su Duan. Although the butler understood Su Duan's physique and knew the bruises only looked frightening but weren't serious, his life experience told him that if it happened once, it would quickly happen again and again.

If this continued, it would eventually spiral out of control.

Yet the young master clearly didn't realize the gravity of the situation and was even covering for Qin Zhi.

So he had no choice but to warn Qin Zhi.

Qin Zhi met his gaze and didn't respond until the juicer automatically stopped with a "beep". Then he said softly, "It won't happen again. I promise."

......

Su Zheng returned to China three days later.

By then, the bruises on Su Duan's body hadn't faded yet, and Qin Zhi still had to regularly apply medicinal alcohol, leaving a strong scent that was impossible to hide. However, the perpetually single President Su was far less perceptive than the butler. Hearing Su Duan's explanation, he actually believed the marks were from bumping into things in the bathroom.

Seeing how carefully Qin Zhi cared for Su Duan, he felt quite satisfied.

Now that he was back, Su Zheng planned to have a talk with Qin Zhi as scheduled to properly discuss Qin Feng's situation.

He prepared a whole host of reasonable arguments and was even ready to hold his breath and reason with Qin Zhi if he became angry.

After all, they had concealed the truth first, and Su Duan was already in too deep. If the two broke up over this now, his brother would definitely be heartbroken.

If Su Duan fell seriously ill like last time with Qin Feng, Su Zheng felt he really couldn't bear it.

To his surprise, after listening to him, Qin Zhi showed none of the negative emotions he anticipated. He just nodded calmly, his voice steady. "I understand."

Su Zheng: "..." He's this rational? All the persuasive arguments he prepared hadn't even been used yet.

He imagined if he encountered this situation himself, his first feeling would definitely be the sting of a green hat. Forget staying calm - not beating someone up on the spot would be a man's last shred of reason.

How could Qin Zhi be so magnanimous?

Or perhaps - this person was especially good at enduring, appearing calm on the surface while his heart might already be twisted with rage.

Su Zheng frowned, leaning towards the possibility that Qin Zhi was hiding his emotions too deeply.

So Su Zheng didn't dare let his guard down. He still meticulously broke down all the explanations he had prepared and went over them with Qin Zhi, trying to make it clear that "although my brother once liked your brother, he definitely loves you now, so don't worry."

"If Duan Duan still had feelings for Qin Feng, with how badly you hurt Qin Feng, he wouldn't be able to get close to you. He doesn't have that kind of scheming heart. You should understand this yourself." Su Zheng brought out the reasoning Su Duan had used to convince him before.

Qin Zhi's eyes flickered with complex emotions from time to time, but he listened calmly from start to finish. When Su Zheng finished talking until his mouth was dry, Qin Zhi even thoughtfully poured him a glass of water.

Su Zheng: "..."

He stared at the glass for a few seconds, then tilted his head back and drained it dry. Frowning at Qin Zhi, he said, "If you feel uncomfortable or have any doubts, you can speak frankly or go talk to Duan Duan. You don't have to act so magnanimous."

President Su, known for his tough and domineering methods in A City's business circles, swore that aside from family, this was the first time he had been so patient with someone.

Qin Zhi still smiled with a good attitude. "Big Brother, you don't need to worry so much. Of course I can feel whether Duan Duan likes me or not."

Su Zheng felt conflicted. "...It's very surprising that you can remain rational."

Hearing Qin Zhi call him "Big Brother" in this situation, for the first time he felt the term wasn't so annoying.

Qin Zhi lowered his eyes and said softly, "Rest assured, Big Brother. No matter what, I will never hurt Duan Duan."

It was unclear whether he was promising Su Zheng or himself.

......

Soon after, Qin Zhi also went abroad on business.

Of course, business was just a front. The real purpose of his trip was to meet someone.

His biological elder brother, Qin Feng.

Although the two had clashed several times, strictly speaking, Qin Zhi had never exchanged more than a few words face-to-face with Qin Feng, and they had rarely even met.

When Qin Zhi first graduated, as a penniless, powerless, and unfavored illegitimate son, he wasn't worth Qin Feng personally dealing with. Qin Feng simply had to give orders and a bunch of people would tirelessly create obstacles for him.

Later, when Qin Zhi fought Qin Feng for Qin Group, he didn't confront him directly either, but hid in the shadows, slowly eroding Qin Feng's power bit by bit.

Until Qin Feng was driven out of the Qin family and fled abroad in a sorry state, he had never directly faced Qin Feng.

He had always thought he didn't want to see Qin Feng out of extreme disgust, but after losing control last time, he suddenly realized there was probably also an element of avoidance.

The root of his avoidance of Qin Feng was likely the fear from when his mother was dragged to the brink of death back then.

Having just graduated from a top university in the country with the hottest major and grades far ahead of his class that year, he actually didn't have any grand ambitions for the future at the time, just wanting to quickly work and save up money for his mother's medical treatment.

It was such an ordinary wish that didn't harm anyone, yet because his brother whom he had never met looked too similar, before he could even take the first step, it was ruthlessly crushed.

The feeling of his only close relative's life being in someone else's hands ultimately left an indelible shadow in his heart.

Even later when he became powerful and could easily trample those who had bullied him under his feet, he still couldn't get over that hurdle in the end.

When he found out back then that Su Duan had liked Qin Feng and directly lost control, violating their agreement to touch Su Duan, although the feeling of betrayal did play a part, at the root of it was that the name "Qin Feng" itself was a scar he didn't dare touch.

He subconsciously feared that the person who had nearly taken his mother away from him would once again snatch away his lover too.

......

After getting off the plane, Qin Zhi didn't rush to inspect the policies and environment here according to his work plan. Instead, he changed into casual clothes, slightly concealed his appearance, and drove to a bar in the neighboring city.

It was an ordinary small bar found everywhere, with an area under 100 square meters, an environment so mediocre it was even a bit dirty and messy. The prices were low too, and those who came here were basically all poor folks without much money.

Qin Feng had fled the country in a sorry state to seek asylum. He didn't have much money to begin with, let alone that he had found people to trip Qin Feng up at every turn, just like how Qin Feng had done to him back then. So Qin Feng's life became more and more destitute, and he could only come to this kind of bar to drown his sorrows.

But he was a bit kinder than Qin Feng and didn't drive him to complete ruin. Instead, when the other party was at a dead end, he tossed him a bit of hope so he could continue eking out a living.

According to the report from his informant monitoring Qin Feng abroad, Qin Feng was in this bar right now.

Frowning as he approached this bar that looked quite unclean, then holding his breath to endure the stench of stale alcohol mixed with all sorts of strange odors inside, Qin Zhi painstakingly searched for Qin Feng's figure among them.

There weren't many people in the bar, just seven or eight, but each one was dead drunk, snoring loudly in the corners of the bar in various contorted postures.

Many had their faces hidden, so to confirm which one was Qin Feng, Qin Zhi had no choice but to turn each person over one by one to take a look.

The bar's security was nowhere to be seen, and the waitstaff paid no heed to his actions rummaging through the patrons.

In fact, after he entered the bar, the listless waitstaff only asked him "Sir, would you like a drink?" Upon receiving a negative reply, they continued leaning against the bar counter spacing out disinterestedly.

It seemed this bar didn't guarantee the safety of its customers, Qin Zhi thought.

When he flipped over the fourth person, Qin Zhi, who was dizzy and nauseous from the fumes and about to throw up at any moment, couldn't help but search his soul and ask why he had to come to this hellhole to see Qin Feng today.

Fortunately, life still had a shred of mercy for him. The fourth person under his hands was the target of this trip.

Honestly, at first glance, Qin Zhi couldn't recognize this was Qin Feng at all.

He had fallen too far. His hair had grown long enough to cover his face but hadn't been cut, and was greasy too. Although his features hadn't changed much, his skin had darkened and roughened a lot. His eyes were filled with decadence, and his entire bearing was completely different from before. It was only natural Qin Zhi didn't recognize him at first glance.

If not for the fact that the man's face was clearly East Asian, and he scrutinized him a couple more times, perhaps he would have left disappointed today.

On this person who seemed like a vagrant, he couldn't see a hint of the ambitious Qin family heir from back then.

Qin Zhi closed his eyes for a moment, feeling like something that had been weighing on him had left his heart.

Originally, he had only come to see Qin Feng with the intention of giving it a try, wanting to overcome that hurdle in his heart. But after seeing the person, he discovered things seemed much simpler than he imagined.

After all, no matter when, strength was the most convincing thing.

Compared to his current self, Qin Feng was just an ant he could easily crush.

Qin Zhi released Qin Feng's collar, letting the back of his head hit the ground with a thud, then took out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned the unknown liquid from his hands.

Qin Feng groaned from the impact and cursed, blearily opening his eyes. Seeing the person in front of him, he started swearing: "Fuck... who the hell hit me? ...I'll - hic - find someone to kill you."

Qin Zhi stood up from the ground, ignoring Qin Feng's threat that he couldn't carry out anyway. With a cold expression, he lifted his foot and prepared to leave.

He didn't want to waste any more time here. He had to quickly finish his work and return to accompany his little boyfriend. What was Su Duan doing right now? Once he returned to the hotel and thoroughly washed off the filth from this place, he would video call Su Duan first.

He missed him.

However, Qin Feng inappropriately hugged his calf, eyes wide: "No... you are? Why do you look so much like me? You're..."

Qin Zhi thought I'm way more handsome than you, don't get familiar with me. Then he mercilessly kicked the man away and strode out of this bar permeated with foul odors.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh air outside, he felt reborn, in every sense of the word.

"...Qin Zhi." Lying on the ground and watching that tall, unyielding back that loose casual clothes couldn't conceal, Qin Feng murmured a name.

......

At the Su family home, Su Duan, who didn't have his boyfriend to keep him company, was making milk cookie biscuits with his brother when an electronic voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Ding, the healing value for the healing target Qin Zhi has increased by 4 points. The total healing value for the target is currently 100. Congratulations to the host for perfectly completing the mission!]

With a splat, the dough that Su Duan had just kneaded fell from his hands onto the ground.

Author's note:

Qin Zhi: Satisfied ︿(￣︶￣)︿

Su Duan: Wait, what did you do behind my back Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

Milk Cookie: But what did I do wrong o(T^T)o