Xu Xiliu had only turned away for a moment—just long enough to pour a glass of water—and yet, when he turned back, Qin Li had already dry-swallowed the pills.

Who does that?!

Stunned, Xu Xiliu stared as the man chewed the bitter tablets with nothing more than a faint twitch of his lips. The sight alone made his own mouth twist in phantom bitterness. His hand, still holding the glass of water, found its way to his own mouth instead. He gulped it down, then quickly dug a candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

No wonder this man was a tycoon. The sheer willpower required to endure such bitterness without so much as a wince was terrifying.

At least Xu Xiliu could console himself with the fact that, no matter how wealthy he became, he’d never have to endure such hardships.

Qin Li glanced up at him, his gaze sharp. "Why are you just standing there?"

Xu Xiliu’s eye twitched. He bit down hard on the candy in his mouth, his mind flashing with annoyance.

Stop talking, you masochist. I can practically taste the bitterness from here.

Still, he dutifully refilled the glass and handed it over, just in case the pills got stuck in Qin Li’s throat and the man decided to blame him for it. After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Xiliu pulled out another candy—not his precious rose-lychee flavor (he only had three left!), but a simple milk candy.

Can’t have him dying of bitterness, I guess.

Seizing the opportunity while Qin Li drank, Xu Xiliu deftly unwrapped the candy and shoved it into the man’s mouth before he could protest.

"What the hell did you just—?!"

Qin Li’s eyes widened in shock. His mind immediately jumped to poison—how dare this doctor try something so brazen?! He moved to spit the candy out, but Xu Xiliu was faster, clapping a hand over his mouth to stop him.

The atmosphere instantly turned glacial.

Qin Li’s gaze darkened dangerously, but Xu Xiliu—equally startled by his own reflexes—could only offer an awkward smile. He coaxed, "Don’t spit it out. It’s something good."

"What?" Qin Li growled, the words muffled by Xu Xiliu’s palm.

"Milk candy," Xu Xiliu explained cheerfully, his voice light despite the tension.

Qin Li froze for a long moment before pulling back slightly. He stared at Xu Xiliu, his anger momentarily smothered by a mixture of confusion and skepticism.

"......"

By now, the rich, creamy sweetness had already begun spreading across Qin Li’s tongue, overpowering the medicinal bitterness. The taste was so sudden and smooth that it almost caught him off guard.

"Medicine is awful," Xu Xiliu continued, his tone casual. "I thought something sweet might help. Didn’t mean to startle you—my apologies."

Qin Li shot him a glare, but he didn’t eject the candy. Instead, he allowed the sweetness to linger, its flavor oddly reminiscent of the doctor’s own unflappable demeanor.

As his mind calmed, Qin Li looked away, his lashes lowering to shield the cold glint in his eyes.

Even if he meant no harm, I don’t regret my caution.

He had been in the dark for too long to trust blindly, especially with so many people around him looking for opportunities to take advantage. In his world, everyone had an agenda. Flattery was the tool of a fox angling for a feast, and no one understood that better than he did.

His gaze returned to the candy in his mouth. The soft sweetness lingered, an unexpected solace in the midst of his otherwise harsh world. He swallowed it slowly, as if savoring the moment of rare calm it brought.

Xu Xiliu, meanwhile, mentally tallied his completed tasks: examination—done; lunch—eaten; medication—successfully shoved down the patient’s throat.

Time to go home and collapse.

The mere thought of it filled him with joy.

But just as he was about to make his exit, Qin Li’s voice stopped him.

"Stay for two days, Doctor."

"...What?"

Had he misheard? Since when was he being detained?

A horrifying suspicion struck him—Was this a kidnapping?!

Actually, given the male lead’s infamous madness in the novel, it wasn’t entirely impossible. But what had he done to deserve this? They had just collaborated beautifully at lunch!

The silence between them thickened, and Xu Xiliu felt an uncomfortable knot tightening in his stomach. Finally, Qin Li spoke again, his tone laced with mockery. "My condition has been unstable. Having my personal physician on hand seems prudent." His lips curled into a razor-sharp smile. "Unless you’ve changed your mind about caring for me?"

"Of course not," Xu Xiliu replied smoothly, his mind already working. He was relieved that it wasn’t life-threatening. "I was just surprised."

Private doctors did, after all, stay at their employer’s residence from time to time. It wasn’t entirely unusual.

Could’ve phrased it less like a threat, though.

Meeting Qin Li’s glower with unshaken politeness, Xu Xiliu shrugged. "If Mr. Qin insists, I’ll gladly stay."

His smile grew mischievous. "However, during these two days, I will be supervising your medication. Prepare yourself."

Try skipping doses now, you little—

Qin Li’s expression darkened even further. "Do what you want."

With that scintillating exchange concluded, Qin Li dismissed him with a wave, as if even looking at him was unbearable.

Xu Xiliu, sensing his chance to escape, wasted no time leaving the room.

Back in his guest room, he finally had the chance to dissect the man’s motives.

Qin Li didn’t act without reason. Their relationship, while tense, was purely professional—no conflicts of interest, no reason for hostility.

And yet, there was something suspicious about his request for extended supervision. Given his condition, it was clear that Qin Li couldn’t be trusted to make decisions that were entirely in his best interest, but the why of it nagged at Xu Xiliu.

There’s another angle here.

Xu Xiliu’s gaze turned thoughtful. He remembered the lunchtime power play—Qin Li’s calculated manipulation to remove the cook, a subtle but powerful demonstration of control. If that was any indication, there were layers of complexity behind the request. And even though Xu Xiliu had no intention of playing political games, he had to acknowledge that there was something deeper going on.

He sighed, rolling his shoulders back. Whatever.

Mental wounds needed mental medicine, and until the protagonist arrived to heal Qin Li’s mind, Xu Xiliu would focus on patching up the man’s body.

Can’t have the male lead collapsing on my watch. How unprofessional would that be?

Meanwhile, in the villa’s secluded servants’ quarters, tension was thick in the air.

The villa’s staff lived on-site, and this particular room currently housed two conspirators: a middle-aged woman and the steward, Xue Bo.

"It’s true, then?" Madam Zhao wrung her hands nervously. "He really ordered me out?"

"Would I joke about this?" Xue Bo snapped, his face stormy with rage. "That lunatic’s lost it completely!"

"But I’ve served the Qins for years! Can’t you reason with him—?"

"You think that madman will listen?" Xue Bo interrupted sharply, his voice laced with disdain. "If there were room for negotiation, do you think I’d be here?"

He muttered a string of curses, his fists clenching.

Xue Bo had been with the Qin family for decades. He’d been assigned to this remote mountain "retreat" recently, and he hated every minute of it. But it wasn’t just the isolation that irked him. It was the fact that the so-called "heir" was nothing more than a discarded madman—and their only duty was to keep him alive.

During Qin Li’s worst periods, Xue Bo had flourished. Isolated from the main family, he’d turned the villa into his personal fiefdom, smuggling in relatives and skimming profits with impunity. The "master" had been too consumed by his personal torment to notice—or care.

Until today.

That bastard had actually dared to challenge him!

Xue Bo’s face twisted with rage. A worthless cripple, playing lord of the manor?

And that pretty-faced doctor—another fool sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

No... this isn’t over.

His gaze fell on his phone, and an idea began to form. Slowly, he turned back to Madam Zhao, his voice low and dangerous.

"You’re leaving. But first—the item I had you keep. You still have it?"

"Y-Yes, hidden safe..."

With trembling hands, Madam Zhao retrieved a small vial from a hidden compartment in a drawer.

Xue Bo pocketed it with a grim smile.

Let’s see how long that mad dog lasts now.