Jiao Bai, with a grim expression, opened all the drawers and pulled out a pile of medicine—some for topical use, some for ingestion, and there were also some for bathing. He randomly picked up a box to check and discovered that it was expired.

He tossed it aside and grabbed another box. It was also expired.

……

Most of these medicines had passed the expiration dates, yet Wang Chuqiu had still been using them.

Jiao Bai cradled his head in his hands. This body had already deteriorated due to congenital factors and external causes. How was he supposed to restore it?

First, he needed money.

He couldn’t trust anything except money.

Jiao Bai found a savings card in a small metal box, with a little over a thousand inside. He held the card in his hand and sat motionless, feeling numb.

Shen Ji had plenty of properties and he visited Qinxin Estate no more than a handful of times throughout the year. Even when he did come, he wouldn’t stay overnight. He would just make a brief appearance and leave. The money Wang Chuqiu received wasn’t something Shen Ji had arranged. It was all handled by Madam Shen’s people. It was dubbed ‘living expenses’ and had nothing to do with being ‘kept[1].’

The money was sent on the first day of every month.

Jiao Bai checked his phone’s calendar and saw that there were still four days until then. On the day, the amount in the card would increase from four digits to five.

But even five digits were still not enough to give Jiao Bai, who was trying to change Wang Chuqiu’s fate, any sense of security.

“Chuqiu!” A clear, bright voice rang out from outside the door, accompanied by the sound of the door lock being turned. “Why did you lock the door from the inside?”

Jiao Bai put away the things on the table and went to open the door. “Shuangshuang, what are you doing here?”

“I was half asleep when I heard the noise outside.” Qi Shuang[2] was wearing sky-blue pyjamas and mumbled with eyes fogged by sleep, “Why did you only come back now? It’s so late. Where's Mr. Shen[3]? Did he come back with you?”

Jiao Bai looked at Qi Shuang, who was slightly shorter than him. He was the young master of the Qi family and also the other candidate selected by the Shen Family to become Shen Ji’s future spouse.

They had been arranged to stay in this estate and had been living here for 2 years now.

Qi Shuang wasn’t a friend listed in Jiao Bai’s account, so he didn’t need to worry about raising his activity level.

Jiao Bai pinched Qi Shuang's chubby little face.

Qi Shuang’s eyes went wide. Dumfounded, he stammered, “Chuqiu, you, you, you... why are you pinching me?”

“Because you’re cute.” Jiao Bai smiled. “Sleep with me tonight?”

Qi Shuang also smiled. He looked soft, chewy and sweet, making people want to take a bite. “Okay.”

Jiao Bai patted his head and said, “You go to bed first. I'll take a shower.”

“I'll wait for you.” Qi Shuang rubbed his eyes and asked him why his complexion looked so bad, why he was walking so awkwardly, and if Mr. Shen was difficult to look after.

He was very talkative.

Jiao Bai took off his pants, revealing two unappealing, skinny legs under the light. Both knees were covered by large bruises which starkly contrasted by his pale skin and looked extremely shocking.

Within the bruise, there was also a broken patch of skin, making it painful to look at.

Qi Shuang whispered, “That must really hurt.”

“Yes, it hurts.” Jiao Bai grabbed the hem of his shirt, lifted it up, and tossed it casually on the rack. He examined his body in the mirror—skin and bones, thin and dry.

Qi Shuang wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “How can be Mr. Shen so bad?”

Jiao Bai closed the door tightly. “Shuangshuang, you can say this in front of me, but you mustn’t say it outside."

“I'm going to say it!” Qi Shuang was indignant. “Chuqiu, you’re just too honest. Look at your knees. You definitely won’t be able to walk properly tomorrow.” He bit his lip, his watery eyes filled with concern. “Besides your knees, where else does it hurt? I’ll help you take a look.”

“Nowhere else.” Jiao Bai pursed his lips.

"You!" Qi Shuang stamped his foot. “Why don't you ever tell the truth in front of me? Have you cleaned it? If you don't clean it properly, you’ll get sick.”

“I'm in the process of cleaning it.” Jiao Bai smiled despite himself, patting Qi Shuang heaving youthful back. “It's fine. It’s nothing to worry about.”

He lowered his head and said, “Shuangshuang, I’m really tired and want to finish my shower and go to sleep. Can you step outside?”

“Alright, you go ahead and shower,” Qi Shuang said, sniffling. “I’ll stay outside and keep you company. If you need anything, just call for me. Don't try to handle it on your own.”

Jiao Bai smiled at him gratefully.

.

At around three or four in the morning, Qi Shuang, who was lying next to Jiao Bai, suddenly made a retching sound.

Jiao Bai woke up with a start. “Shuangshuang?”

“Ugh—” Qi Shuang hunched over the edge of the bed and vomited non-stop.

“What’s wrong? Don't scare me!” Jiao Bai hurriedly turned on the light.

Qi Shuang's face and neck were covered with red spots, his lips were purple, and he emitted laboured breathing sounds from his throat.

Jiao Bai was at a loss. “Shuangshuang! Shuangshuang! Where do you feel unwell?!”

Qi Shuang scratched at his skin, leaving red marks. Twitching, he reached for Jiao Bai's arm, digging his nails in. “Help… help me…”

“I’ll go get help. Hang in there!” Jiao Bai stumbled out of the room.

Soon, the estate’s butler and servants emerged, their old wrinkled face showing expressions of panic.

It was a scene of chaos.

Jiao Bai stood by the window, looking down at the vehicles leaving the estate. The worry and nervousness in his eyes had long vanished. He wiped his face, a half-smile on his lips. The azrszqc who ran over and jhkkdc the original Wang Chuqiu tonight was Qi Shuang.

The young master of the Qi family was allergic to yellow peaches and couldn’t even tolerate the smell. Not many people knew about this, and Jiao Bai, who happened to have read the comic, was one of them.

There was no reason to not make use of this knowledge.

As for why Jiao Bai notified the butler and others at the critical moment to send Qi Shuang to the hospital, it was because Qi Shuang couldn’t die now. If he did, Jiao Bai would be thrown into the Shen family as the only option left, becoming the wife-in-name of the old cucumber[4] Shen Ji, whose son was only one year younger than Wang Chuqiu. The son was also the protagonist scumbag gong of this comic. Later in the comic, he would turn into a complete lunatic, even more deranged than his father. Jiao Bai did not want to be his stepmother.

Although he had to dive into the vortex of the main storyline, Jiao Bai didn’t want to be treated like livestock by Shen Ji like he did in “Diye.” He had another plan.

The first step of that plan was to keep Qi Shuang alive, teach him a lesson, and then...

Jiao Bai suddenly turned around.

The old butler stood at the door like a ghost, staring at Jiao Bai as if he were a buffoon[5]. “I’ve already called the Qi family. They’ll be here soon to inquire about the situation.”

Jiao Bai touched his nose, catching the scent of yellow peach on his fingertips. “Alright, got it.”


[1] Kept or financially supported or sponsored by a rtfzq czccx.

[2] Qi Shuang and Qi Yilao are not related. His surname (齐) Qí [qi2] uses a different character from Qi Yilao’s surname (戚) Qī [qi1] and is also pronounced differently. Shuangshuang is one of his nicknames.

[3] 先生 (xiānshēng) – means Mr. or Sir and is a formal way to address a man. He and Wang Chuqiu call Shen JI xiānshēng without the surname so if it’s directly translated, it would be ‘Sir’ or ‘Mister’ without the surname. It feels slightly off so I’ve opted to use ‘Mr. Shen’ instead.

[4] Cucumber refers to his chbj.

[5] 跳梁小丑 (tiàoliáng xiǎochǒu) – jumping clown or buffoon. Describes someone who is seen as a foolish or insignificant troublemaker, often engaging in ridiculous or disruptive behaviour