How could a Puppy-like Boy Ever Have Any Bad Intentions? - Chapter 1

The room was dim, muffled sounds of suppressed pain escaping into the air.

“…Let go.”

“Dr. Su, am I going crazy?”

The boy’s timid, trembling voice rang in his ear. Yet, beneath that seemingly harmless tone was a terrifying ruthlessness. He bit down with a force that seemed intent on tearing the flesh away, only to loosen his grip a moment later to soothe the pain—before sinking his teeth in again, as if trying to devour the very mark he had made.

“Xingran, you’re just sick. I will save you, but you can’t—” The man’s unfinished sentence was swallowed by another wave of agony, leaving him shivering from the pain.

Hearing this, the boy gripped the man’s arms tightly, feeling the tremors racking his body. His cowardly eyes suddenly flared with a light that bordered on paranoid madness. He watched the man with an obsessive gaze before losing control and biting down once more on the spot he was so infatuated with.

It tasted sweet—just like the scent of the man’s “August Night Osmanthus” perfume. Osmanthus and jasmine, honey and woodsy notes; it was an intoxicating blend that had become his addiction.

Dr. Su had told him: being obsessed with biting this spot wasn’t being a “pervert.” He was just sick.

There was a cure. Su Lixu would save him.

And Su Lixu was his only medicine.

“Dr. Su, I’m so scared. I can’t control myself. What should I do? I don’t want to be hospitalized again; I just finally got out.” He let go and looked up at the man with tearful eyes. His hands gripped the man’s trembling arms, his gaze meeting the man’s flushed, tear-stained eyes. This version of the man—shaking and vulnerable—was a world away from the gentle, composed doctor in the white coat.

It pleased him immensely.

Only I get to see Dr. Su like this, right?

“Dr. Su, please hold me. I’m so scared.”

It wasn’t until he tasted blood and left a deep, permanent mark that the boy finally released the man, who had fainted from the pain. He slowly, methodically dressed the man in a white shirt, fastening the buttons one by one.

Finally, unsatisfied, he placed his hand over the man’s heart, lingering there through the thin fabric of the shirt.

“Dr. Su, you have to save me, okay?”

The boy’s cowardly, spoiled pleas for help and his unspeakable fixations echoed in the dim room like a nightmare, piercing through the man’s psyche.

Day after day.

He thought Su Lixu would surely regret trying to save him.

But he didn’t regret doing it at all.

The Reunion

Su Lixu startled awake from the dream. He opened his eyes, gasping for air, staring blankly at the ceiling as if he were still in shock.

The dawn was breaking. Pale light filtered into the room, and a breeze from the slightly ajar French windows ruffled the curtains. The shadows danced against the light. A faint sound caught his ear, as if awakening an old memory.

That dream just now…

After a moment, he reached for his phone on the nightstand. It was just after 6:00 AM—two hours before he had to be at work. Knowing he wouldn’t fall back asleep, he threw off the covers to take a shower.

Today was his first day as a psychological counselor at University A.

Stepping out of the bathroom, the mirror reflected his bare torso. On his excessively fair skin, a deep tooth mark near his chest was jarringly clear. It wasn’t an ordinary mark; otherwise, it wouldn’t have remained as a permanent scar.

He had fainted from the pain back then.

Because he was a neat freak who valued cleanliness, his skin was usually flawless. Yet this mark had persisted for four years. He had tried every ointment, but nothing worked. He had considered laser removal, but the nature of the injury made it too embarrassing to explain, so he had given up.

He glanced at the mark in the mirror for a moment before looking away.

He put on his white shirt and slowly fastened the buttons, one by one.

Fine Arts College, University A

“Unbelievable. They suddenly added a mandatory Mental Health course this semester. How much do they think we’re going to lose our minds?”

“It’s because of that student who jumped off the building last semester. The school is terrified. They figure brainwashing us with some ‘wellness’ info might offer some comfort.”

“Hey, Fu Xingran, didn’t I hear you picked Psychology as your second major last semester?”

Fu Xingran was dozing on his desk. Feeling his roommate’s shove, he raised his head. His eyes flared with a sharp, cold irritation. He was naturally handsome in a cold, piercing way; one look from him was enough to make someone shiver.

“None of your damn business.”

“Fu Xingran, you—!” The roommate, Zhuo Yi, snapped. All his pent-up frustration boiled over. “I swear, I finally understand why those top students poison their roommates! Sometimes I really want to poison you to death, you prick! Can’t you just speak like a normal person?”

“Zhuo Yi, calm down. You know what he’s like. Why bother him while he’s sleeping? You’re just asking for it.”

The bickering in the back of the classroom was just a small part of the morning noise, though it drew a few extra admiring glances because of Fu Xingran’s presence.

Zhuo Yi leaned back with his arms crossed, eyeing Fu Xingran coldly. “Honestly, besides that face, I don’t know who could ever like you. That person must be blind.”

Those words were like a fuse, stinging Fu Xingran instantly.

Fu Xingran turned his head slightly. His deep eyes filled with a violent loathing, his entire body tensing like a leopard ready to tear the “waste” in front of him limb from limb.

“Someone does love me. He loves me very much. We’ve been together for four years.”

Zhuo Yi scoffed. “You’re delusional. You’re a psycho.” If they had been together for four years, how could the person have never shown up? Zhuo Yi had only ever caught a glimpse of a photo on Fu Xingran’s phone screen—a very handsome, gentle-looking man in a white shirt.

The word “psycho” made Fu Xingran’s hands clench into fists. His pupils constricted. An uncontrollable rage and a silent scream seemed locked inside him, causing a pain so sharp it felt like he was crying out to a god that wouldn’t answer.

Just like when Su Lixu disappeared from his world.

He was going crazy.

“Good morning, students.”

Just as he began to sink back into his self-made cocoon of dark emotions, a voice as gentle as a spring breeze drifted into his ears. In an instant, the silk binding his heart seemed to unravel and fall away.

He looked up in shock.

As Su Lixu walked into the classroom, he heard several gasps from the female students. He responded with a polite smile; he didn’t want the first meeting to be too somber. He hoped they would still be smiling after he announced the course requirements.

He stood at the podium, set down his books, and wrote his name on the blackboard.

Being college students, the room settled down instinctively. Their eyes were drawn to the sharp, elegant handwriting on the board—and naturally, to the gentle, refined aura of the man himself.

The name Su Lixu was etched into their minds the moment he finished the final stroke.

And for one person, it completely reignited a heart full of obsession.

Su Lixu turned around, set down the chalk, and lightly brushed the dust from his fingertips. He scanned the students and smiled. “My name is Su Lixu. I am the university’s new psychological counselor. I did my undergraduate studies here at University A and my Masters and PhD at Cornell. I am not exactly your ‘professor,’ but I will be teaching this professional course this semester. You can call me Dr. Su or Teacher Su.”

“If you have any problems in the future, feel free to visit me in the counseling office. I’d be happy to help.”

“Teacher Su, how old are you?” a girl suddenly asked, sparking everyone’s curiosity.

Su Lixu turned toward her, tilting his head slightly as if contemplating the best way to answer. Then he smiled. “About ten years older than you all. I’m thirty this year.”

“Ooh! Teacher Su, do you have a girlfriend?!”

This was the question everyone was waiting for. Many of the girls watched him with bated breath—even if they didn’t have a chance, they had to know.

One person, in particular, was staring intensely, his entire body rigid with tension, terrified of hearing an answer that would drive him to madness.

Su Lixu smiled faintly. “I’m single.”

“Whoo! Sisters, there’s a chance!!”

This was the College of Fine Arts, and Su Lixu had heard the male-to-female ratio leaned toward men. He hadn’t expected it to be this lively. He chuckled, and as he did, his gaze inadvertently collided with a pair of burning eyes.

It was a tall, handsome student with excellent style—a fruit-green crewneck sweatshirt over a large blue shirt, topped with a deep grey varsity jacket.

Almost instinctively, the tooth mark over his heart began to itch.

Then, he saw the boy raise his hand.

“Dr. Su, do you have a boyfriend?”

Su Lixu froze for a second. That voice… a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he didn’t ask directly. If he was wrong, it would be an awkward mistake.

He lowered his gaze to hide his confusion before looking back at the boy with a smile. “No.”

“Good.”

Su Lixu saw the boy smile, a brilliant, dazzling smile that looked like the morning sun. He couldn’t help but think to himself: It’s good to be young.

“Let’s begin the lesson.”

Throughout the class, Su Lixu remained completely unaware that those burning, obsessed eyes never once left his body.

He didn’t know that behind that gaze lay four years of paranoid devotion—a hidden infatuation that was now unsealing itself, simmering back to a boil.

Dr. Su, I’ve finally found you.

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