Chapter 37: How Could I Ever Bear to Beat Him to Death?
Gu Lanxiao carried his medical kit into the pitch-black storage room. His slender brows furrowed slightly, but he stepped inside regardless.
The moment he entered, he was met with the heavy, metallic scent of blood and a faint, lingering trace of hormones.
But he was used to it.
Having been forced into midnight emergency calls many times before, in the same place and with the same smells, Gu Lanxiao didnât even need to guess what that beast-like Yu Shao had done!
The room was dim, with no lights turned on. Only the moonlight filtering through the glass window allowed him to barely make out his surroundings.
A tall, upright man stood by the window, smoking nonchalantly. Meanwhile, on the massage chair lay a youthâhis skin torn and flesh mangled, his face as deathly pale as a corpse.
Even though he had seen this time and again, Gu Lanxiao still felt a wave of revulsion upon witnessing the scene once more.
In particular, the sight of Shen Yuan dressed in that erotic nightdress, covered in whip marks and wounds, was simply eyesore-inducing! No matter how many times he had seen these perverted fetishes over the past two years, he still felt nauseated.
“In the future, don’t call me for things like this again.”
Hearing that cold voice tinged with faint anger behind him, Yu Xiuqing stopped smoking. He slowly turned around, his sharp gaze carrying a mocking smile. “Doctor Gu is known for his healer’s heart. How could you just let my Yuanyuan die?”
“If you keep beating him like this, even if I were the reincarnation of Hua Tuo, I wouldn’t have the power to bring him back from the dead!”
Gu Lanxiao barked back. His gaze swept over the bloody, mangled whip marks on the youth’s back, and he let out a helpless sigh. He knelt down, opened his medical kit, and began preparing the instruments.
Yu Xiuqing stepped over to Shen Yuanâs side. He lowered his gaze, staring fixedly at the boy’s face. His eyes were filled with a tenderness as soft as water, brimming with a twisted kind of doting affection. He said with feigned heartache:
“I love him so much, how could I ever bear to beat him to death? Yuanyuan was just being a bit willful, so I gave him a small punishment. I didn’t expect him to be so fragile.”
His gaze was filled with contradictory emotions; a yandere-like obsession and revulsion were tightly intertwined.
Hearing these words that sounded like they came from a madman, Gu Lanxiaoâs hand trembled as he injected the medicine into the syringe. An instinctive fear surged from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
He felt a deep sorrow for Shen Yuan.
It was even harder to imagine how this frail, weak youth managed to survive under such a demon.
But this fool will die sooner or later.
With that thought in mind, Gu Lanxiao simply treated the wounds, stopping the continuous flow of blood.
He stood up and tossed a large pile of blood-soaked cotton balls into the trash. The process was so familiar that it had made him numb; even his voice sounded exhausted:
“Is there a room available? Move him to a proper room. I need to clear the clotted blood blocking his respiratory tract, and I can’t set up oxygen tanks or an IV drip here.”
The sight of that massive pile of blood-red cotton stung Yu Xiuqingâs eyes. The fingers holding his cigarette trembled uncontrollably for a split second, but this inexplicable emotion vanished quickly.
“Qi Yunzhao, come in.”
He turned and barked an order toward the door. Feeling a surge of irritability, he took a deep drag of his cigarette andâwhether intentionally or notâflicked the half-finished butt into the pile of red cotton.
In an instant, the contents of the trash can ignited. The blood-stained cotton burned into ash, leaving only a few wisps of white smoke rising into the air.
Gu Lanxiao immediately grabbed some water and poured it into the trash can, glaring at the man as if looking at a complete ignoramus.
“Sanye, what are your orders?”
Qi Yunzhao stood respectfully beside the man.
Yu Xiuqing gestured with his chin toward the youth on the massage chair and began walking out. He commanded: “Move him to the study annex across from my bedroom.”
“Yes.”
Qi Yunzhao nodded and leaned down to pick up Shen Yuan.
The pink lace nightdress fluttered gently with the man’s movements. One shoulder strap had slipped more than halfway down, exposing a pinkish, jade-like collarbone and a large patch of snow-white skin.
Tear tracks still marked the youth’s face. His small frame shivered, and broken murmurs escaped his lips as he whispered:
“Xiansheng… don’t… it hurts…”
Hearing this moan that sounded like a whimpering kitten, Yu Xiuqingâs heart tightened. He glanced sideways, his vision sweeping across the youthâs chest. Seeing the boy disheveled and piteously cradled in someone elseâs arms, a wave of uncontrollable anger suddenly rose within him.
“Forget it, Iâll carry him.”
His voice was cold and deep, sounding like a declaration of sovereignty. His eyes were full of possessiveness as he took the boy directly into his own arms.
Qi Yunzhao bowed slightly and took a step back.
Suddenly, he noticed that his white shirt had been accidentally stained with Shen Yuanâs blood.
He frowned slightly and tried to wipe it away with his thumb, but it wouldn’t come off. He had no choice but to pull his suit jacket tight to hide the small bloodstain.
After all, his superior did not allow a single thing belonging to Shen Yuan to remain on anyone elseânot even a strand of hair.
Gu Lanxiao followed closely behind. Seeing the youthâs skin so exposed, he felt as if his eyes were being polluted. Truly unable to watch any longer, he questioned: “Canât you change his clothes? This is a disgrace!”
“Then you can gouge your eyes out.”
Yu Xiuqing let out a cold snort. His ruthless gaze turned incredibly tender as he looked down at the youth. He said with a manic obsession:
“My Yuanyuan is so beautiful; he is only for me to see. No one else is worthy.”
With that, he kicked open the study door and strode inside with the youth in his arms.
Gu Lanxiaoâs lip twitched. His hand gripped the medical kit tightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
He swore in his heart that if this scumbag dared to call him in the middle of the night to save someone again, he wouldn’t come! Not even if it killed him!
Once everyone was inside, Qi Yunzhao cautiously closed the door. He didn’t leave, instead standing guard at the entrance.
Su Huaiyao, who had been hiding behind the wall, quickly retracted his head. His heart was pounding wildly. He didn’t dare continue eavesdropping, fearing he would be discovered by the highly alert Qi Yunzhao.
He tiptoed away, appearing absentminded. His mind was filled with the words he had just overheard.
Yu Xiuqing actually protected that fool so fiercely that heâd gouge out the eyes of anyone who even looked at him!
He had never seen the man act so possessively toward him; he always felt a sense of distance between them.
So what about him?
What did he count for?
He was clearly the one who had known Yu Xiuqing first!
Why should the appearance of that fool be able to so easily snatch away the doting and wealth the man had given him all these years!
He was not resigned!!
This intense jealousy made him wish he could rush into the study right now and stab Shen Yuan to death!
Uncle Wu happened to walk out carrying a pot of roses. He caught a glimpse of Su Huaiyao standing there with his crutch, his face twisted with gritted teeth, and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
How could the gentle and pure Su Xiansheng ever show such a sinister expression? He didn’t believe it, assuming his old eyes were failing him. He walked up with a fawning expression and called out:
“Su Xiansheng!”
Su Huaiyao jolted at the sudden shout. Already feeling guilty, he nearly screamed.
Fortunately, his self-control was decent enough that he could turn around with a blank expression. Looking at the butler approaching him, he let out an awkward smile, though he was already cursing him in his heart.
What the hell?! Does this old man want to be kicked?!
Uncle Wu, naturally unaware of his inner thoughts, eagerly handed over the potted plant. His old face was piled with smiles as he looked for credit:
“Su Xiansheng, here are the roses you wanted. I’ll put this one in your bedroom; I’ve already planted the rest in the garden.”
“Alright, thank you, Uncle Wu!”
Su Huaiyao shrank his neck, forcing himself to act happy as he took it, though the disgust in his eyes was undisguised.
He truly hated looking at the butler’s greasy old face. He made up a random excuse and hurried back to his room.
Once inside, Su Huaiyao felt irritable. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of a foul odor coming from the roses.
He wrinkled his nose, his features twisting. His long, clean fingers were also stained with slimy mud.
“Old man, you did this to disgust me on purpose, didn’t you?!”
He cursed and ran to the balcony, tossing the potted plant onto it. He then rushed into the bathroom, washing his hands over and over again before he finally felt a bit better.
But when he came out and saw that vibrant red rose, the fire in his chest flared up again.
“On what grounds? Why does Shen Yuan get to be loved by you? Xiuqing-gege, were you lying to me all along?!”
Su Huaiyaoâs face turned red with rage as he roared. Since his room was soundproofed, no one would hear him.
After roaring, he directly uprooted the rose and violently tore the petals into shreds, throwing them onto the floor and stomping on them with all his might!
“I won’t allow it! Xiuqing-gege! I won’t allow you to have any feelings for Shen Yuan! Your heart can only have room for me! I will definitely kill that fool!”
His manic roars echoed in the empty room, accompanied by the harsh sound of his feet grinding the petals into the floor.
This hysterical screaming and cursing lasted for a full thirty minutes before Su Huaiyao finally ran out of strength. He slumped to the floor, panting, looking like a fragile, staged mess.
But his eyes were still bloodshot, and his expression was gruesome. It took a long time before he squeezed out a sentence:
“Shen Yuan, j-just you wait! Unless Xiuqing-gege kicks you out, I will use every means possible to kill you! Let’s see who Xiuqing-gege loves more!”
Where was there a trace of his usual gentleness now? His eyes were full of resentment and malice, like a vengeful shrew.
The Study.
Gu Lanxiao had been busy for a long time. He finally managed to stitch up the poor thing’s wounds and administered potions to restore his vitality and promote tissue healing.
Seeing Shen Yuanâs breathing stabilize, he let out a long sigh. He pulled off his plastic gloves and tossed them into the trash, taking a tissue to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
To carefully clean and repair the wounds, his eyes had become severely dry. Gu Lanxiao gently pressed on them as he walked from the annex into the study, saying impatiently:
“Fine. Pay me the fee and let me go.”
Yu Xiuqing immediately stood up, tossing aside his cigarette butt. He asked urgently: “When will he wake up?”
Gu Lanxiao kept one hand in his pocket and held the other out toward him. “He’ll wake up tomorrow. Give me the money.”
“Give it to him.”
Yu Xiuqing instructed his bodyguard. He then impatiently walked toward the annex. The urgency in his heart held a sliver of worry, but it was mostly a burning desire for Shen Yuan.
Translatorâs Note
Hey everyone! The angst is definitely piling up. Gu Lanxiao is probably the only one with a shred of sanity in this manor. Also, Su Huaiyao’s “Green Tea” facade is starting to crackâhe’s definitely a piece of work.
Vocabulary Corner:
- Hua Tuo (čŻä˝): A famous physician from the late Eastern Han dynasty. Saying someone is the “reincarnation of Hua Tuo” is a way of saying they are a legendary healer.
- Sanye (ä¸çş): Refers to Yu Xiuqing’s rank in the family (Third Master).
- Xiuqing-gege (俎ć ĺĽĺĽ): “Gege” means elder brother, but it’s used here as a term of endearment by Su Huaiyao.
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