The farce had finally come to an end, settling the matter once and for all.

Xu Xiliu, who had been ready for bed only to be dragged into this spectacle and unwittingly used as a human shield, felt his face alternate between shades of green and white in sheer exasperation. He took a deep breath, forcing a smile to calm himself. It's fine. No need to get angry. Why bother? Stay calm, stay calm...

But damn, this was ridiculous.

Reaching into his pockets out of habit for a candy to distract himself, Xu Xiliu realized with dismay that he wasn’t wearing his own clothes but the sleep robe provided by the villa. His attention immediately snapped back to his stolen sleep time.

He’d rushed over without changing, so of course, his appearance wasn’t exactly pristine.

Thankfully, his belt was securely fastened—otherwise, half his chest might have been on display.

The thought made his peach-blossom eyes flatten into dead-fish slits.

The villa buzzed with silent activity. After the shocking revelation that the master’s medication had been tampered with—potentially lethally—the remaining servants moved like frightened mice under Uncle Zhong’s direction, tiptoeing across the carpets before vanishing entirely.

Silence reclaimed the villa—that particular stillness unique to the dead of night.

The quiet was so pervasive that Xu Xiliu couldn’t help but yawn, his eyes glazing over with drowsiness.

Qin Li studied the young man’s overly earnest expression and gave a faint, inscrutable smirk.

Just as Xu Xiliu was about to excuse himself, Qin Li lazily crooked a finger at him. "Come here, Dr. Xu. Keep me company for a while."

His tone was light, almost teasing. "Caring for your patient’s emotional state is part of your duties, isn’t it?"

What could Xu Xiliu say to that?

Clenching his fists in resignation, he sat down.

Qin Li watched his reluctant expression—the way he perched on the edge of the chair as if it were lined with needles—and smirked again.

"What would you like to discuss, Mr. Qin?" Xu Xiliu asked, his smile thin.

The fact that he could still smile at all was purely out of courtesy.

"What should we discuss..." Qin Li mused softly. "What do you think of this mountain villa, Dr. Xu?"

"It’s very beautiful," Xu Xiliu replied succinctly.

"And very large," Qin Li continued. "Such a remote, expansive, beautiful place... doesn’t it resemble an elaborately prepared tomb? One could die here without anyone knowing."

His voice was low, drifting between introspection and mere venting, his words meandering aimlessly.

At first, Xu Xiliu responded with a few comments, but he soon realized it made no difference—Qin Li was content to monologue without needing any input. Xu Xiliu might as well have been a piece of furniture.

Great. Now I’m a conversational prop too.

Xu Xiliu was beyond exasperation.

Just let me go back to sleep!

Once settled, lethargy quickly set in. Finding a comfortable position, Xu Xiliu listened to Qin Li’s droning voice, which buzzed like a lullaby in his ears. The drowsiness that had been nibbling at him earlier now swallowed him whole, his thoughts turning to mush. He kept himself upright purely through sheer force of will, occasionally mumbling, "Mhm, mhm," in response.

The room was silent aside from their voices—Uncle Zhong had discreetly withdrawn when the "conversation" began.

Qin Li had initially proposed this chat on a whim, spurred by a mischievous urge to see the exhausted doctor struggle to stay awake. Yet once he started speaking, something about Xu Xiliu’s warm, drowsy murmurs compelled him to continue. He revealed nothing consequential, but somehow, more of his thoughts spilled out than he’d intended.

Qin Li’s lips twisted wryly at his own uncharacteristic openness.

When he finally fell silent, the quiet became palpable.

Turning his head, he found the young man beside him half-slumped, long since ceased responding.

Then, suddenly, a soft mumble: "Mhm... yeah..."

The sheer half-heartedness of it was almost impressive.

Qin Li smirked.

He stopped speaking altogether, watching with amusement as his usually composed private doctor teetered on the edge of sleep, eyelids fluttering, still occasionally offering token noises of agreement as if on autopilot.

Hah.

Quite the expert at feigning attentiveness.

A cool mountain breeze drifted through the open window, making Xu Xiliu shiver slightly. Half-asleep yet still clinging to some semblance of awareness, he murmured, "Yeah... that’s right... buying oversized properties isn’t practical..."

Qin Li chuckled again.

Xu Xiliu blinked blearily at him, realizing belatedly that he’d dozed off.

He didn’t notice, right?

Meeting Qin Li’s gaze, he quickly roused himself and asked with faux attentiveness, "Where were we, Mr. Qin?"

"Discussing little foxes sleeping in the woods," Qin Li replied meaningfully.

"Foxes?" Xu Xiliu frowned. "There are foxes in these mountains?"

That’s... unexpected.

Qin Li let out a soft huff of laughter, some of the perpetual gloom lifting from his brow. "Perhaps," he said, his gaze lingering on Xu Xiliu’s face. "It’s late. We’ll stop here—I’ve taken enough of your rest time."

Xu Xiliu belatedly realized this torturous "chat" was finally over.

He stood immediately.

"Good. Goodnight then, Mr. Qin."

He turned to leave.

Just as he reached the door, Qin Li’s voice stopped him again.

Xu Xiliu turned back warily, half-expecting the man to change his mind and demand an all-night heart-to-heart.

Instead, Qin Li said mildly, "Dr. Xu, you might want to wipe your drool."

What?

Startled, Xu Xiliu instinctively touched the corner of his mouth.

Dry.

When he looked up and met Qin Li’s mocking gaze, realization dawned.

He knew I was dozing off the whole time and waited until now to call me out?!

This bastard!

Fury surged in Xu Xiliu’s chest, his teeth grinding, but there was nothing he could say. He left stiffly without another word.

The next morning, Xu Xiliu woke still simmering over last night’s humiliation.

But when a sudden thought struck him—Can I leave now?—his anger evaporated instantly.

Xu Xiliu reasoned that he’d been kept here deliberately as Qin Li’s decoy. Now that the medication tampering incident was resolved and his role as a human shield fulfilled, surely there was no further need for him to stay.

After all, Qin Li clearly found him annoying.

The thought cheered him immensely.

A quick inquiry confirmed it—Uncle Zhong assured him, "The master’s condition is stable. You’re free to leave."

Xu Xiliu’s polite smile became genuinely radiant.

Sunshine and blooming flowers.

Then came the aftermath report:

The tested medication had indeed been swapped—maliciously so. The bottle contained potent stimulants loaded with caffeine, designed to induce mental hyperactivity. On its own, this might have seemed harmless, but combined with Qin Li’s condition, it was horrifying.

Qin Li’s psychological instability made emotional turbulence dangerous.

And caffeine was a notorious agitator.

This was nothing short of forcing a mental episode—potentially life-threatening if Qin Li had ingested it.

A meticulously planned murder attempt.

With the surveillance footage and drug analysis as irrefutable evidence, Xue Bo’s guilt was confirmed. He’d been hauled off to the police in the dead of night, along with the previously dismissed cook, Mrs. Zhao. According to Uncle Zhong, the two had been conspirators, systematically dosing Qin Li’s meals—thankfully, his illness-induced appetite had spared him from the worst effects.

Their removal was like excising a festering tumor.

Xu Xiliu listened, stunned, gaining new appreciation for how precarious Qin Li’s situation truly was.

Living like this—constant vigilance, perpetual danger...

Damn. Terrifying.

The revelation prompted him to dredge up more of the original novel’s plot.

His memories were hazy, but the basics were clear:

The male lead lived isolated in this mountain villa not by choice but necessity, entangled in the Qin family’s power struggles.

He recalled that Qin Li’s uncle was the story’s primary antagonist—a man who’d schemed relentlessly for control of the Qin empire, suppressing Qin Li until he was forced into this reclusive retreat. Weak in health, surrounded by spies, every move monitored...

Timeline-wise, this was likely when the uncle’s influence peaked.

But who would tolerate such threats around them?

Xue Bo and his wife must have been working for the uncle—why else poison Qin Li? And Qin Li’s urgency to purge the villa made sense now. Using Xu Xiliu as a smokescreen was

a calculated move to avoid alerting the uncle while buying time to regroup.

The epiphany left Xu Xiliu equal parts enlightened and resigned.

No wonder.

I really am the ultimate plot device in this story.

A brick to be moved wherever needed.

Shaking his head, Xu Xiliu headed home with mixed feelings.

Back in his own space, he enjoyed a blissfully lazy stretch of carefree living.

The original host had run a private practice, but since becoming Qin Li’s personal physician, he’d largely stepped back—the income from this gig was more than enough.

Xu Xiliu had no complaints.

When the time came for his next routine checkup, he packed his things and returned to the villa as scheduled.

The place had transformed in his absence.

Many familiar faces among the staff were gone, replaced by efficient newcomers who went about their duties with quiet focus, unbothered by Xu Xiliu’s presence—a far cry from the previous cowering, disorganized bunch.

Xu Xiliu understood immediately.

So he’s purged the villa in one sweep.

Honestly? He approved.

It meant Qin Li wasn’t as broken as he appeared—he was fighting back. And the sooner Qin Li dealt with his enemies, the sooner Xu Xiliu could retire comfortably on his earnings.

Perfect.

Buoyed by this thought, Xu Xiliu remained in high spirits all day, smiling more patiently than usual even at Qin Li’s gloomiest expressions.

He was practically radiant when supervising Qin Li’s medication.

Until, just before leaving, he overheard the most absurd rumors circulating among the staff:

"Dr. Xu didn’t like that maid, so Mr. Qin fired her..."

"The gardener offended Dr. Xu, and Mr. Qin dismissed him on the spot to appease him..."

"Dr. Xu suggested the villa was too crowded, so Mr. Qin cleared out half the staff..."

Each tale was more elaborate than the last.

The alleged protagonist of these rumors: "......?"

Xu Xiliu froze mid-step, brow furrowing.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

If my words carried that much weight, he’d actually take his damn pills properly!

The realization hit like a thunderbolt:

This bastard is using me as his permanent excuse to clean house!

He’s decided to milk me dry!