Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 75

Qin Xu’s room had already been tidied up. As the three of them entered, the doctor opened his toolbox to prepare, while Qin Xu took off his shirt.

Li Nuo’s eyes instantly widened. Without considering whether his gaze might be impolite, he examined Qin Xu from head to toe.

Qin Xu’s body was covered in bruises, some of which were even swollen. His left rib was wrapped in gauze, with fresh blood slowly seeping through. Not to mention the numerous small wounds, his entire upper body was a shocking sight, making Li Nuo frown immediately.

Sensing the odd atmosphere in the room, the doctor, nonetheless focused on his job. He pointed to a nearby chair, signaling for Qin Xu to sit down.

Li Nuo frowned at the wound on Qin Xu’s side. Seeing that the doctor was about to begin treatment, he assumed that Qin Xu wouldn’t want others to witness his pain, so he turned to leave. “I’ll step out first. Let me know when the treatment is done.”

As soon as the door closed behind him, Qin Xu let out a quiet sigh. He hadn’t intended for Li Nuo to find out about his injuries, but in the end, he had been seen.

The doctor glanced at him. “You’d better explain things clearly later. Otherwise, that kid, who had no idea you were hurt and was dragging you around everywhere, will feel guilty.”

Qin Xu nodded. “Let’s get on with the treatment.”

By the time the treatment was complete, about half an hour had passed. When the doctor stepped out, he saw Li Nuo leaning against the wall, his head lowered, staring at the ground.

Knowing that the young man was well-liked by his master and had a gentle nature, the doctor was quite kind to him. He immediately said, “The treatment is finished. You can go in and see him.”

Li Nuo’s eyes were slightly teary. “Is Brother Qin in bad condition?”

“Only the wound under his ribs is serious, but it’s not life-threatening. As long as he rests properly, it will heal fine.”

“What about the bruises?”

“They’ll fade in a while. It’s best if he stays in bed for a few days.”

Li Nuo nodded in understanding. After the doctor left, he hesitated over whether to go inside. The doctor had mentioned that Qin Xu needed rest. However, before his internal struggle could last long, Qin Xu opened the door himself. “Why aren’t you coming in?”

“The doctor said you need rest.”

“I don’t need to just yet. Come in.”

Qin Xu stepped aside, making room for him. Li Nuo pressed his lips together before stepping inside.

The gauze on Qin Xu’s body had already been changed. Likely due to blood loss, his face appeared somewhat pale. Thinking back, it had been like this before too. Li Nuo inwardly berated himself for not noticing earlier. He had even taken Qin Xu for a stroll in the greenhouse. If he had known, he would have insisted on Qin Xu resting instead.

A large hand landed on his head. “I was the one who said I wanted to walk around. It’s not your fault.”

Only then did Li Nuo cautiously ask, “Was it a stab wound?”

“…More or less.”

His eyes widened. He had only seen such things in movies before. Witnessing it in reality was inevitably shocking.

“Then why are you here? Shouldn’t you have gone straight to a hospital?”

“The doctor just told you, didn’t he? I only need rest and regular dressing changes. Is there anywhere better for me to rest than here?”

“Well… That’s true, but what if something happens? Like if the wound gets infected or something…” As soon as he said this, Li Nuo felt bad. “I didn’t mean to jinx you. I just meant that sometimes these things happen.” His voice trailed off.

Qin Xu ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry. The doctor is highly skilled. I wouldn’t take risks with my own health.”

Seeing that Li Nuo was about to continue persuading him, Qin Xu cut him off. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I just worked up a sweat and want to wash up. You should go rest for now.”

Hearing this, Li Nuo wrinkled his nose. “Can you even get wet right now?”

“But I can’t rest properly like this. My whole body feels sticky.” Qin Xu looked troubled. “Unless… you help me wash?”

His tone carried a hint of teasing, but Li Nuo actually considered it seriously. “Alright, I’ll wipe you down.”

For a moment, Qin Xu was taken aback. No one had ever said something like that to him before. In the past, when he was injured, he had always just used waterproof bandages and cleaned himself.

While he was still in a daze, Li Nuo had already sprung into action. He walked into the bathroom, tested the water temperature, found it just right, and soaked a towel before wringing it out.

Now, Qin Xu was even more hesitant. Although Li Nuo had already seen his body earlier, there was still a difference between a brief glance and a closer look.

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Li Nuo directly motioned for him to come into the bathroom. Under the bright lighting of the bathroom’s heater lamp, Li Nuo saw Qin Xu’s injuries up close and held his breath.

He had only seen the front before, but now, looking at his back, he saw it was also covered in wounds. There were many old scars, overlapping with fresh ones. The sight made Li Nuo feel an involuntary ache in his own body. He suddenly hesitated, not daring to start wiping him down so easily.

“It’s not like you caused them, so why do you look so miserable?”

Since his injuries had already been seen, Qin Xu had nothing more to say. Seeing Li Nuo frowning, however, he found it amusing. “If it makes you uncomfortable, I can do it myself.”

He reached out, intending to take the towel, but Li Nuo refused. “You can’t reach your back, and stretching might reopen your wounds.”

“Then you wipe my back, and I’ll handle the front myself. There are more wounds there.”

Li Nuo, worried he might accidentally touch the injury on Qin Xu’s side, nodded and handed him another wrung-out towel.

Looking at Qin Xu’s back, Li Nuo was reminded of mercenaries in movies, especially with all those old scars.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, “How did you get so many injuries? I saw some on your hands too…”

The novel had never mentioned Qin Xu’s past. At least, in the parts Li Nuo had read, there had been no references to it. As the protagonist, Qin Xu had never suffered in the story’s events. But today, Li Nuo had witnessed it firsthand.

“They’re just old wounds.”

“It looks like it was really serious back then.”

Li Nuo reached out and lightly touched one of the old scars. Qin Xu’s muscles tensed, his back twitching involuntarily.

“Ah, sorry.”

Li Nuo quickly picked up the towel again and carefully wiped his back. Setting aside the scars, Qin Xu’s physique was impressive, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Li Nuo couldn’t help but admire it.

Comparing himself to Qin Xu’s frame, Li Nuo felt a tinge of envy. He didn’t necessarily want to train his body to Qin Xu’s level, but he did wish he had at least a bit more muscle, just enough to improve his physique. That way, he wouldn’t catch a cold every time he got caught in the rain.

He had heard that swimming was a full-body workout. Maybe he should start swimming.

After carefully finishing with Qin Xu’s back, Li Nuo turned his attention to the bruises. “Let’s apply some medicine.”

“It’ll stain my clothes afterward, and it’s really sticky. It will feel uncomfortable.”

“But it’ll help you heal faster. I will apply it for you.”

Before Qin Xu could refuse, Li Nuo had already dashed out and returned with the medicine the doctor had left behind.

As Li Nuo’s small hands gently applied the ointment, Qin Xu’s muscles finally relaxed a little, easing the tension.

The medicinal scent lingered at the tip of his nose, making his mind momentarily dazed.

That detestable smell… When he was a child, no matter how much pain he was in, that person would never take him to the hospital. He had to endure it alone. Wounds on his back were impossible to reach, and in the sweltering heat, they would fester until he could barely walk from the pain.

Even later, when he had tools to help, the application process was always agonizing. He had never looked forward to it.

“Does it hurt?”

Li Nuo’s question pulled him out of his painful memories.

“No, you’re being very careful.”

“How did you get all these injuries? Why were you fighting with someone?”

“…Is this really that important?”

“Well, you got hurt, and I’m really worried about Li Yan. You got bruised all over…” Li Nuo mumbled.

“…So you weren’t actually worried about me?” Qin Xu sounded slightly disappointed.

“I was! You look really terrible.”

“That’s because the opponent was huge.”

A truck wasn’t exactly small.

“How huge? You’re already over 190 centimeters, aren’t you?” Li Nuo asked, amazed.

“Over two meters.”

“Whoa, that’s tall! But still, why were you fighting?”

“There were reasons. But don’t worry, Li Yan is fine.”

Qin Xu dodged the question, managing to gloss over the topic.

……………

Having company made things much less boring for Li Nuo. While Qin Xu rested, Li Nuo sat beside him, reading quietly so as not to disturb him. When he woke up, they would chat for a bit.

Even if Qin Xu wanted to get up, Li Nuo would persuade him to rest longer.

He even offered to help wash Qin Xu’s hair. However, since he wasn’t particularly skilled at taking care of others, the foam ended up getting into Qin Xu’s eyes and ears.

In the end, Li Nuo had to admit defeat and leave the job to the staff.

“How about we watch a movie tonight?”

As soon as Qin Xu finished changing his bandages, Li Nuo eagerly appeared.

“Anything except the one we watched yesterday.”

“Why? Wasn’t it good?”

“That kind of animated film? You can watch it yourself.”

Their movie preferences were quite different. For the past two days, Qin Xu had been accommodating Li Nuo’s tastes.

“Alright then, let’s watch something you like today.”

Later, Li Nuo regretted saying that.

“Ahhh! His head—his head exploded!”

The sharp scream ringing in his ears made Qin Xu wonder if he was about to go deaf.

Li Nuo had his eyes tightly covered, curling up next to Qin Xu. Yet, despite his fear, he couldn’t resist peeking through the cracks between his fingers.

“Stop watching…”

“No, it’s almost over. I want to finish it.”

The movie was about a vengeful protagonist, the kind that was particularly satisfying to watch, with plenty of action scenes.

“Brother, did you get revenge on the person who hurt you?”

“Of course.”

“Oh.”

Li Nuo didn’t say anything to dissuade him. In the novel, this man had even killed people. It was obvious he wouldn’t let his enemies off so easily.

He had asked about the reason before, but Qin Xu had brushed him off. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it.

The movie eventually ended. The latter part wasn’t as gory; it focused more on revealing the protagonist’s past. Yet, it left Li Nuo feeling uncomfortable.

He let out a heavy sigh. “If they weren’t going to treat their child properly, why did they even bring him into the world?”

The protagonist had endured a miserable childhood—abused, abandoned, forced to wander, and ultimately set on a path of no return.

Li Nuo thought of the father of this body, that old scoundrel who only knew how to demand money now.

Oh, and his mother, who had abandoned the family when he was just a child.

Seeing his downcast mood, Qin Xu, who had already investigated his background, knew he was thinking about his parents. He offered some words of comfort. “Not all parents are like that.”

After a moment’s thought, he realized that such words wouldn’t be much consolation to someone who had truly suffered. So, he changed the subject. “Do you think you’d be a good father?”

Li Nuo lifted his head to look at him, considering the question carefully. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever have children, but if I do, I will be a good father.”

With his weak constitution, even if he had a child, they’d probably be sickly too. Why bring them into the world just to suffer?

“So sure?”

Li Nuo flashed a bright smile. “Because I think I’m a pretty decent person.”

Qin Xu reached out with his large hand and covered Li Nuo’s smiling face. “But maybe those parents were once good people too.”

“Um—”

“People change.”

Li Nuo thought of that old scoundrel and fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally muttered, “I still believe that if you bring a child into this world, you should treat them well. If you know you won’t, then you shouldn’t have had them in the first place.”

“Then… Do you regret being born?”

“……”

Li Nuo buried his face in a cushion and mumbled, “No. I think things are pretty good now.”

“It’s just… my parents…”

He was referring to his original parents. Those memories had already faded, and he could no longer remember them.