How could a Puppy-like Boy Ever Have Any Bad Intentions? - Chapter 15

The bathtub filled steadily, steam billowing and misting the air.

Discarded clothing was tossed casually into the laundry hamper beside the shelf. As the fabric brushed past, it grazed a vase of pink-and-white roses; the petals swayed gently, sending droplets of water sliding from their centers.

The bright bathroom light washed over Su Lixu’s body as he soaked in the tub. The ripples distorted the water, making his fair skin appear dazzlingly bright, and the bite mark over his heart remained starkly visible.

With a splash, he emerged from the water, gasping for air while bracing his hands against the rim of the tub. Water dripped from his fingertips and slid down his wet hair onto his collarbones and shoulders. He stared at the roses in the vase nearby.

—”Brother, I miss you so much. Why can’t you spend more time with me?” —”Brother, let me go. I don’t want to stay in the hospital; I’m really going crazy.” —”Brother, I’m not sick. Why do I have to take medicine? As long as you stay with me, I’ll be fine. I don’t need to be hospitalized. Please don’t leave, okay?”

The 922 perfume had uncontrollably triggered memories of his younger brother, Su Liyang, yet the sadness wasn’t as crushing as usual. His hand instinctively moved to the tooth marks on his left chest, but he trembled the moment his fingers brushed against the spot.

—”Doctor Su, I’m always thinking about biting you right here. Do you think I’m a pervert?” —”Doctor Su, I’m so scared. I can’t control myself. What should I do? But I don’t want to stay in the hospital anymore.” —”Doctor Su, you have to save me, okay?”

In his mind, Fu Xingran’s face gradually overlapped with Su Liyang’s image.

Was he projecting his grief? Perhaps, but being kind to Fu Xingran made his own pain more bearable. It gave him a way to ease the guilt. Even if he didn’t know if Fu Xingran had ulterior motives for getting close, it wasn’t a burden to him; on the contrary, it offered him a sense of relief.

He stayed in the tub until he felt dizzy from the heat. As he tried to step out, his foot slipped on the wet floor, and he fell hard. As his weight slammed into the floor, the jolt to his twisted back turned his face white.

“…”

After a long while, he tried to push himself up, but his back was in too much pain to exert any force.

Knock, knock, knock.

The bathroom door was tapped from the outside. Fu Xingran’s voice drifted in. “Brother? I heard a noise. Is everything okay?”

Su Lixu glanced at his current, humiliating position. If he let Fu Xingran in, he would be completely exposed. But if he didn’t, he might be lying on this floor until morning.

“Xingran… can you come in for a second?”

Outside, Fu Xingran’s hand froze mid-knock. Hearing the request, his throat tightened. He stared at the door, his eyes swirling with excitement. Could things really be this good?

He pushed the door open and froze instantly.

The bathroom was brightly lit. The man sitting by the tub was completely unclothed, his hair dripping. His skin was so pale it seemed to glow with a cold, porcelain-like luster against the white tub. His long, slightly bent legs were flawless, with water droplets sliding down them as if the water itself were coveting his skin.

Su Lixu met Fu Xingran’s stunned gaze. The situation was beyond embarrassing; it was a level of humiliation deeper than any he had ever experienced, but he had no choice.

Fu Xingran’s gaze lingered on Su Lixu’s reddened earlobes and slowly traveled downward. He realized the man was truly incredibly fair; his shoulders and arms were flushed a faint pink, just like the roses on the shelf—white with a hint of pink, and breathtakingly beautiful.

“How could you be so careless?” Walking into the room, Fu Xingran snatched a large bath towel from the rack, stepped toward Su Lixu, and knelt to drape it over him.

Inadvertently, his eyes caught the tooth marks on Su Lixu’s left chest. The sight triggered a surge of excitement—the marks were still there. They were his marks, his traces. The corners of his mouth curved slightly downward.

He forced himself to look away, wrapped Su Lixu securely in the towel, and slid his arms under the man’s knees to lift him in a steady bridal carry.

“I just wasn’t paying attention and slipped,” Su Lixu said. Seeing how easily Fu Xingran lifted him, he marveled at the boy’s strength. Youth really is something else, he thought.

“Did you twist your back and ankle again?”

“A little.” Su Lixu decided not to mention the pain in his backside; hopefully, that would fade on its own.

Fu Xingran carried him back to the bedroom and laid him gently on the bed, pulling the duvet over his body so only his lower legs remained exposed. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully held Su Lixu’s ankle. Feeling the chill of the skin and seeing that the swelling was worse than it had been that afternoon, his face darkened.

Su Lixu watched Fu Xingran’s expression. With his bangs shadowing his eyes and a somber look on his face, the boy gave off a silent, overwhelming pressure—completely different from his usual clingy, “puppy” persona. His features were cold and stern.

“Does this hurt?” Fu Xingran asked, moving the ankle slightly.

“A little.”

“More than this afternoon?”

“Mm.”

“What about your back?” Fu Xingran let go of the ankle and slid his hand under the duvet, pressing against Su Lixu’s waist.

When Su Lixu felt the touch on his lower back, his waist instinctively twitched, and he let out a short laugh from the ticklish sensation. In the next second, he accidentally moved the side with the sprain and hissed in pain, though he bit his lip to hold it back.

Fu Xingran caught every flicker of emotion. His hand remained, kneading the side of the waist where Su Lixu felt discomfort, his palm taking in the slenderness of the frame.

“Is it this side?” His waist is so thin. He’s too frail, Fu Xingran thought.

“Yes, right there.”

“So you couldn’t stand up after you fell?”

Fu Xingran decided he couldn’t leave Su Lixu alone. He wasn’t at ease; he had to stay. Good, another excuse, he thought.

Su Lixu nodded. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been caught in such a compromising state.

Fu Xingran’s expression remained neutral as his hand reluctantly left the man’s waist. He looked at Su Lixu seriously. “I’m not comfortable leaving you alone. I’ll stay with you tonight. Let me dry your hair first.” He stood up to get a towel and the hair dryer, acting with practiced ease.

Su Lixu: “…” How did this become so natural?

Because his back was in so much pain, he could only lie prone on the bed, letting Fu Xingran sit beside him to dry his hair. Perhaps because the warmth was so comforting, he began to feel drowsy. He rested his head on his arms and yawned.

“Are you sleepy?”

Fu Xingran sat by the bed, the soft strands of hair sliding through his fingers as he used the dryer. He watched Su Lixu, who had closed his eyes. The man’s refined profile, outlined by the amber lamplight, looked incredibly gentle.

“Mm,” Su Lixu murmured in a daze. “It feels so good.”

“I can make you feel even better.” Fu Xingran switched off the dryer and leaned in close to Su Lixu’s ear. “Brother, how about I give you a massage?”

Su Lixu laughed softly with his eyes closed. “You know how to massage, too? Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Do you want one?” Fu Xingran’s hand moved to the back of Su Lixu’s neck, feeling the delicate, firm skin. He kneaded it gently. “My massages are very effective. I can help with your back, too. That way you won’t have to go to a clinic and let another doctor touch you.” How could I let anyone else touch him? Then my Doctor Su would be seen by someone else, he thought.

“Okay,” Su Lixu said, opening his eyes and resting his chin on his arm. He turned his head slightly to look at Fu Xingran. “But don’t be too rough. I’m afraid of pain.”

Fu Xingran met those sleepy amber eyes, which were swirling with a moist, lingering ripple. The low, soft voice sounded almost as if he were acting spoiled, which sent Fu Xingran’s mind into a whirl and his hands along with it.

He looked down and smiled. “Okay.”

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