Chapter 5 (Part 2): A Farce

Xu Qi turned on the tap, took his hand and placed it in the sink. The cold water splashed onto his scalded skin, making him shudder. But doing so did seem to lessen the burning pain considerably. He silently let the other do as he pleased, his gaze unconsciously fixed on the other's focused profile.

He only feels a man's attention when he's sick or injured, and that hasn't changed. But now that their relationship is almost broken, the fact that he still receives this attention suggests that his performance has at least had some effect.

A few months ago, he orchestrated this marriage, successfully "framing" Antonio, dispelling Yao Jinghan's hostility, and also enabling Leander to successfully take Iris away—yes, Leander and Iris were originally a couple, but due to the feud between the previous generation of the Francisco and Miller families, they could not publicly marry. Si Qiang and Leander met a year ago and hit it off immediately, quickly becoming close friends. After learning about the other's situation, he thought of this not-so-good but effective method.

Call him despicable or shameless, everything he did, regardless of any potential benefits, was ultimately aimed at obtaining Xu Qi. This arranged marriage was a test of Xu Qi's character. However, until the farce ended, Xu Qi remained calm and composed, leading him to believe that the test had completely failed. Unexpectedly, a glimmer of hope appeared at the end, however faint, but it was his only hope.

Xu Qi helped him rinse off for a while, then gently dried him with a towel, turning to ask, "Are you feeling better? Do you have any medicine?"

Si Qiang was lost in thought when the man suddenly turned his head, and their eyes met unexpectedly. He reflexively looked away and said awkwardly, "It's nothing... no need to apply medicine."

Xu Qi was still a little worried; he knew Si Qiang's personality. From the beginning, Si Qiang had always cared more about others than herself. She was very good at taking care of others, but completely incapable of taking care of herself. He snorted and forcefully slapped the spot where she had been burned. He knew from holding the teacup that the tea was very hot; Si Qiang's hand had been directly scalded, and it was definitely in a lot of pain now. It would be best to apply a cold compress with ointment.

Si Qiang instinctively flinched, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Looking at Xu Qi's eyes again, he saw they had indeed darkened. He lowered his eyes guiltily, unsure how to excuse himself. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward; he vaguely thought, it felt like he was back in that time again.

"Don't you have any servants or anything here?" Seeing his state, Xu Qi thought that he hadn't had a good day either, so he softened his tone and asked.

Si Qiang stammered, "Yes. It's just that I don't like having other people in the house, so I usually have them stay in the room next door."

Xu Qi sighed: "Where's the medicine box?"

“In…the bedroom.” Si Qiang’s heart pounded before he could finish speaking. Regardless of the other person, the thought of being alone with a man in that kind of place made him unable to stop thinking about the scene at the Xu family’s house last time. That brief encounter was the reason why he had woken up in the middle of the night so many times since then and found himself shamefully soiling the sheets.

Xu Qi, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. He continued, "Go get the medicine now, we can talk later."

Si Qiang hesitated for a few seconds, but finally led him into the bedroom. She opened the cupboard, rummaged through the medicine box, found some ointment, and hastily applied it a couple of times. As she applied it, she felt a little helpless. Why was he so delicate? Had that person forgotten that all the injuries he had suffered were far more serious than this?

Xu Qi watched with satisfaction as he treated the wound, gradually feeling relieved, but those thoughts began to resurface in his mind. If Leander hadn't taken the bride away today, the other man would really have married that woman. This thought pierced his heart like a sharp blade; he knew he shouldn't have come now, but he couldn't resist.

When he came to California, the deal he made with Leander was that Leander would sabotage the wedding in exchange for him paying the price he could afford. He knew perfectly well how despicable this was, yet he still went ahead without hesitation. Because he absolutely couldn't bear to see Si Qiang with someone else. He was never a good person; ruthlessness was Xu Qi's true nature in achieving his goals.

He came tonight. He just wanted to see this man, this man who had somehow captured his heart.

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Finished writing this chapter...so embarrassing. How could these two be so...idiotic? Ugh...