I Became the Darling of the Wealthy Through Gossip - Chapter 18

His body sank bit by bit, the water submerging his shoulders as he slid into the water. Gloop, gloop, gloop…

Small bubbles rose to the surface of the water, like a pot of water that had just started to boil.

In the room opposite, Bai Muxuan had just finished showering. He carelessly wrapped a bath towel around his waist, the mermaid lines faint and visible, his abdominal muscles clearly defined. Warm water droplets slid down the grooves of his body one by one, landing on the floor. He scratched his hair and shook it.

The room opposite was quiet unnaturally so.

He checked the time; nearly half an hour had passed. The ginger and brown sugar water in the cup had already turned lukewarm, not even emitting a wisp of steam anymore.

Bai Muxuan decided to go see exactly what Qi Beichen was doing.

“Beichen?”

Clang, clang, clang…

A series of knocks sounded outside. Qi Beichen, who had slipped halfway down, had water bubbles in his mouth; he wanted to respond, but the sound he produced was just “Gloop, gloop, gloop…”

The door was slightly ajar, and Bai Muxuan pushed it open with a light nudge.

His eyes swept across the room—no one was there. He turned his head to look at the bathroom, but there was no sound from inside either. Given Qi Beichen’s previous temperament, he usually would have been belting out a song in the bathroom.

He walked to the bathroom door and tapped on the frosted glass. He could faintly see the silhouette of a person.

There was no response from inside.

Gloop, gloop… The water surface stirred with dense bubbles.

“Beichen, are you inside? Are you still showering?”

Qi Beichen’s head was swimming. He heard the voice outside, sometimes far and sometimes near. He reached out to touch, but he didn’t have an ounce of strength, and even his eyelids were drooping without any vitality.

“Beichen, soaking in the bath for too long will make your body uncomfortable, increase the burden on your heart, and it’s not good for your skin.”

Qi Beichen still didn’t respond.

Bai Muxuan looked inside with concern and then turned the doorknob.

“Qi Beichen, what on earth are you doing in here!”

Bai Muxuan hauled him out of the water in one go. In his daze, Qi Beichen was like a drowning fish; the moment he regained air, he grabbed the bathrobe Bai Muxuan had been wearing around his waist.

It wasn’t a strong grab, but the loosely tied bathrobe couldn’t withstand such a tug; it came loose and fell directly to the floor.

Qi Beichen had been bewildered, but now he was instantly awake. He kept his eyes open, staring for a long time, unable to help but sigh inwardly: What did this guy grow up eating? It’s truly huge.

Bai Muxuan immediately picked the bathrobe up from the floor and tied it around his waist in a chaotic hurry. “Qi Beichen, the water in the bathtub is almost cold. Were you practicing how to hold your breath while sinking to the bottom?”

Qi Beichen was dizzy. “No, it’s just… it’s really comfortable in the water, and I fell asleep by mistake.”

Qi Beichen’s skin, originally fair, was now stained with a layer of pink from being soaked in hot water for so long; he looked exactly like a little cake, soft and fluffy.

His strength had been sapped away by the heat, and his whole body slumped limply into Bai Muxuan’s arms. Bai Muxuan rolled his Adam’s apple, swallowing hard.

He had no choice. Qi Beichen was like a creature without bones; even walking was a problem. Bai Muxuan had to carry him in his arms to the sofa, tossing a cashmere blanket over him.

“Qi Beichen, it’s easy for something to go wrong when you’re like this.”

“Brother Muxuan, I trust you; you won’t do anything ‘worse than a beast’ to me. I just have a bit of a cold, and the water temperature was just right, so I fell asleep.”

“Qi Beichen, if I were a beast, do you think you’d still be lying safely on this sofa?”

Qi Beichen shook his head; his head hurt a bit, and the blanket was also a bit soft.

Bai Muxuan turned and entered the bathroom. When he came out, he had a hairdryer and a towel in his hands.

Buzz, buzz, buzz… Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The warm air blowing through his hair was absolutely comfortable. It blew warmly against his neck, and a faint flush appeared on his shoulders and neck.

It was more comfortable than the warm air at home, and the pink on his cheeks deepened, as if he were drunk.

Qi Beichen curled up on the sofa, his delicate toes digging into the edge of the sofa; his nails had a faint reddish tint. His hands were clutching the blanket loosely over his body. He lowered his head, burying it between his legs for a while until his energy recovered slightly.

His throat felt itchy. “Achoo…”

“Did you catch a fever from being in the rain and wind?”

Bai Muxuan set the hairdryer on the table to the side and reached out to probe his forehead; it was slightly hot.

He rummaged through the bedside cabinet and found an electronic thermometer. The moment it touched his forehead, it flashed a red light. Thirty seconds later, the temperature settled at 38.6 degrees not a low fever.

Bai Muxuan’s brow furrowed slightly. The ginger and brown sugar water on the table had already cooled down; it was tepid and couldn’t be drunk anymore.

“Qi Beichen, you should have some self-knowledge about your own body. If you’re weak, you should get some proper rest.”

Qi Beichen tugged at the blanket hard, but the blanket was a bit small. With a pull and a tug, his feet leaked out again. His whole body was emanating coldness—it was uncomfortable.

He just felt incredibly sleepy; his eyes even narrowed into a slit. Every time he blinked, a few tears would spill out until the searing tears slid down his cheeks to his chin, dropping onto Bai Muxuan’s palm.

Bai Muxuan was stunned for a moment, then looked at Qi Beichen again. “Why are you crying?”

Qi Beichen sniffled. “I’m not. It’s… the cold; I’m crying involuntarily. Just drink some medicine and sleep on it, and I’ll be fine.”

Qi Beichen rubbed against the sofa. The texture was soft, and the drowsiness hit him completely. The more he lay there, the more dizzy he felt, until he emitted a faint sound of breathing.

The rain outside the window showed no signs of letting up. The rainwater formed a curtain of water on the balcony railing, pitter-pattering and hammering out a series of pits.

Seeing Qi Beichen asleep, Bai Muxuan helped him onto the bed. His breath sprayed out warm currents scalding. His cheeks were flushed a faint pink, and he was smacking his lips as if he were dreaming about something.

Qi Beichen was woken up by a full bladder; it was quite urgent. When he got up, he was still dizzy, and in his carelessness, he saw stars, bumping into the edge of the toilet. He almost fell and accidentally drank the toilet water.

His already swollen fingertips seemed to have worsened; he didn’t know if it was because of the fever, but his whole person felt swollen.

When Bai Muxuan returned to the room with the ginger and brown sugar water, Qi Beichen wasn’t on the bed. A corner of the quilt was turned back, and a rustling sound came from the bathroom.

He placed the bowl on the nightstand, waiting for Qi Beichen to come out.

Qi Beichen stumbled out, his gait unsteady. “Splash…”

He’d been sitting for too long, and his feet were a bit numb and terribly sore. For a second, he didn’t stand steady. “Thump…”

A muffled sound.

Bai Muxuan’s inner alarm bells rang wildly; it shouldn’t be that he’d fallen. He got up immediately, walked to the bathroom door, and saw Qi Beichen twisting left and right while holding his waist, hobbling.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Qi Beichen blinked his watery, wide eyes and lifted one foot. “This foot is numb. I just tried to kick the floor tile, and it doesn’t hurt at all.”

“I say, Qi Beichen, what is your brain made of?”

“Probably tofu blocks. Doesn’t craniotomy show that? The brain is soft and fluffy, and you can even eat pig brains in daily life…”

“Alright, that’s enough. If you say any more, I won’t be able to eat dinner tonight.”

Bai Muxuan walked to Qi Beichen’s side, supporting him as he walked slowly. “The ginger and brown sugar water is freshly stewed, and I’ve prepared cold medicine. What anti-inflammatory drugs do you usually take? Are you allergic to anything?”

“Probably not.”

After all, this body wasn’t his. His original body was hardy and not afraid of anything; even eating mangoes and having an allergy only meant his mouth would be swollen for a few days. But this was different.

“What is ‘probably’? Do you not even understand yourself?”

Qi Beichen finally returned to the bed, tucked the quilt in neatly, and leaned against the soft, fluffy cushion. “Previously in the orphanage, when I had a fever, I would just tough it out. I didn’t take any medicine and I got better. I don’t know if I’m allergic to anything.”

Bai Muxuan looked at Qi Beichen with surprise. He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and placed it by Qi Beichen’s lips. It had to be said, this action was a bit ambiguous.

Bai Muxuan glanced at him. “No, I just have a natural talent for making trouble for myself. I always pick up cats and dogs and bring them home. After taking good care of them, they might even bite me back.”

That didn’t sound right. Absolutely not right.

“…” He pouted and looked at the spoon. “Really? Then you’re quite kind-hearted. Does that mean I’m not the first one you’ve picked up?”

“You think this is picking up corpses at a bar? You think I pick up whatever I want? Are you going to drink it or not?”

Qi Beichen lowered his head immediately and took a sip. The ginger taste rushed straight to his brain, almost killing him. “Cough, cough, cough… cough, cough, cough…”

“What kind of ginger is this? The taste is so strong…”

“This was grown in the land behind Jiangcheng People’s Hospital. Even if you wanted to buy it on the market, you couldn’t. Just be content.”

Qi Beichen felt that the current script was going a bit too smoothly, which was frightening. Although this was exactly what he wanted—filled with crises—he took a few sips. The ginger and brown sugar water was a bit unpleasant, but his whole body felt warm, and it was quite comfortable.

Bai Muxuan grabbed his hand again and checked his fingertips. They were slightly red and a bit swollen. “What’s going on? It’s infected because it touched water.”

Bai Muxuan’s palm was warm, and Qi Beichen’s fingertips hooked his little finger.

“That’s because I’ve had to do my own chores these days, and I was careless. Oh, right, my equipment is still at the hotel over there, and the orthopedic director’s bagua diagram…”

“I’ll go get them when I go to work tomorrow.”

Qi Beichen opened his eyes wide. The “big shot’s” meaning—was this letting him stay here? No, no, how could the progress be this fast…

Qi Beichen抓著bed sheet shyly, biting his lip tightly. The plot was too smooth, and the future would be rocky—this was a rule. Moreover, the author of this book loved bad endings. That wouldn’t do; he had to set some obstacles for himself.

“Brother Muxuan, um, I think staying over there is also quite good. In a few days, I’m planning to find a place to rent and take it slow.”

Bai Muxuan held an alcohol cotton swab, carefully treating the wound on his hand. The red, swollen wound had raw flesh slightly turned outward; it was indeed somewhat infected.

“Can you take care of yourself?”

“Hm? Ah, I’m already twenty-something. I can take care of myself.”

“Qi Beichen, I have extreme doubts about your survival ability. If you don’t feel at ease, then just pay me rent every month. Consider it you’re renting my house. How about that?”

Qi Beichen looked around, then looked at the light on the ceiling—the luxurious crystal chandelier. He’d asked before; the average price of a house over there was 4,000. How much would this be? It would be the death of him.

“Um, Brother Muxuan, I think, perhaps, I can’t afford your house…”

“Given that the Bai family and the Qi family are family friends, my uncle asked me to take good care of you before. Although this is my own decision now, just give me 300 yuan a month.”

Qi Beichen’s jaw almost dropped. What kind of heaven-sent good luck was this? Could it be that heaven felt he’d been too unlucky, so according to the law of conservation of energy, his luck had started to turn?

“What kind of expression is that, Qi Beichen? If you aren’t willing, that’s fine. When the time comes…”

Qi Beichen nodded hurriedly, like a chick pecking at rice. He was still a bit dizzy. “Um, why don’t I, just like this, just like this, stay here?”

Bai Muxuan finished applying the Band-Aid on Qi Beichen and inspected his fingers worriedly, but fortunately, there were no more wounds.

He picked up the forehead thermometer and dinged his forehead. His body temperature had risen again 39 degrees.

Qi Beichen sipped the ginger and brown sugar water, making chew, chew, chew sounds.

“It seems you still need to take medicine, and you likely have inflammation; you have to drink Pudilan.”

Qi Beichen didn’t like taking medicine; he’d been like that since he was a child. He hated the bitterness and also hated that he’d feel groggy after taking it, especially in his current situation.

“Don’t give me that ‘I’m dying’ look. The medicine must be taken. Qi Beichen, you’re twenty-something, not a child.”

“I have a childlike heart and fun-loving spirit; I’m only eighteen forever!”

Bai Muxuan fished out two pills. “Eat or not?”

Qi Beichen immediately took the medicine from Bai Muxuan’s hand and swallowed it down. “Like this, is that fine?”

Qi Beichen felt a bit aggrieved. The medicine was truly bitter, and his eyes were covered in a film of water, his eye sockets flushed red.

“If this look of yours were snapped by the media, who knows what kind of idle gossip they’d come up with. I certainly didn’t bully you.”

Bai Muxuan casually fished a green candy out of his pocket.

“Is this… give a slap and then offer a candy?”

“Or, if you want life to go on, your head must carry a bit of green (implying infidelity).”

“Qi Beichen, if you don’t want to eat, you don’t have to. When did I ever slap you, and when did you ever ‘carry a bit of green’? I’m single, single! People chasing me could line up from the villa entrance to Beijing!”

Bai Muxuan peeled the candy. “This is what we use in the hospital to coax children. I just think you’re quite like a child.”

Qi Beichen lowered his head, maneuvering the candy onto his tongue, and took the opportunity to lick Bai Muxuan’s palm.

“Get some good rest. The weather hasn’t been good lately; it’s been gloomy and rainy for days, and the temperature is turning cold. You must get better quickly, or it’ll be easy to catch a cold all winter long.”

Qi Beichen blinked. “Brother Muxuan, I have nothing to repay you with. How about this? When I’m a bit better, let’s go to Nanshan Temple. I heard it’s quite spiritual over there. Let’s go ask for a divination.”

“It’ll take about five or six days to go there. My annual leave has a few days left, anyway; if I don’t use it, it’ll expire.”

Bai Muxuan glanced at Qi Beichen, who had curled up into a meatball in the quilt. “Do you want to bring along those few, little social butterflies?”

Qi Beichen made an ‘X’ sign. “Impossible!”

The original host was a social butterfly, but he wasn’t. He was a dedicated, cautious little wolf-dog. The original body was “buying stocks,” but he certainly wasn’t! He was dedicated to the core.

“What, those brothers didn’t take you in?”

There seemed to be a hint of sourness drifting in the air.

Author’s Note: Qi Beichen: Brother Muxuan, I really, really, really have only you left. Aren’t I pitiable? Bai Muxuan: With your glib tongue, you could talk black into white. Qi Beichen: Hehehehe, Brother Muxuan understands me!