Chapter 5

The maids cleared the water fast.
Xiao Deng sprinted back. “Mr. Bai—ice pack and kit. Everything’s here.”
---
Bai Xu pulled a chair to the bed and took Yanxiao’s wrist to look. Brow creased—
He’d stopped it in time, but some of the scalding water had still splashed the man who couldn’t dodge. Red welts. Three or four blisters already rising.
No hesitation. Ice pack.
To work easier, the hand under his slid forward—calloused fingertips and palm brushing skin, almost like holding hands.
Cold against heat. A prickle of itch.
Xiao Deng saw the closeness and wavered. “Mr. Bai—should I do it?”
Bai Xu set the ice on the burned arm without looking up. “You’ve got time for that—call Xie Qi. Figure out what happens to the caregiver.”
“If Old Madam hears about this, all three of you are out of a job.”
“……”
Xiao Deng went pale. “Then—sorry to trouble you, Mr. Bai. I’ll call.”
Lesson learned. He didn’t leave the hall—hovered at the door in case he was needed.
Bai Xu didn’t care about him. Eyes down on Yanxiao’s hand—
Long fingers, clean knuckles, veins faint under the skin. Good-looking. A little unfair, honestly.
Bai Xu already thought Yanxiao’s face was top tier. He also had a thing for hands.
Nobody watching. No act. Soft laugh, mutter. “Nice hands. Bit cold though.”
The man in the bed kept his eyes shut. Unmoved by the compliment.
Ten minutes of ice. Then the kit.
Sterile needle, disinfected, careful pop of the blisters. Burn cream with a cotton swab.
Professional. Smooth.
Footsteps at the door. Xiao Deng brightened. “Assistant Xie!”
Xie Qi glanced at him, strode in—serious, urgent still not shaken off.
He’d only gone to the company to sign a deal. Short trip. Near home when he got the news.
“Mr. Bai, you—”
Bai Xu met his eyes and stood. “Not much damage. I did first aid. Double-check if you want.”
Pale, pretty face. Words that sounded older than they should.
Xie Qi paused a beat. “Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Mm. I’ll head back if that’s all.” Bai Xu didn’t ask about the caregiver. Time to go.
Right place, right time—patch Yanxiao up. Fair trade for the bride money on that card.
Everything else wasn’t worth his energy.
Xie Qi didn’t stop him. Walked him to the master bedroom door. “Rest well, Mr. Bai.”
“Mm.”
When Bai Xu was back across the hall in his room, Xie Qi’s face cooled. Low order to Xiao Deng. “Nobody in without permission.”
Xiao Deng got it. Nodded.
Door shut. Locked. Xie Qi crossed to the bed in long strides.
At the same time Yanxiao dropped the coma act. Sat up. Ripped off the monitoring leads. Eyes dark as storm.
Xie Qi met that gaze. Chest tightened. “Third Young Master.”
Almost nobody knew he was awake—cover from friend Zhang Changxu playing doctor, plus Xie Qi and two guards.
Chen Yufei and the others outside were Yanxiao’s call—pat-downs, noise on purpose, warning for the “sleeping” man inside.
Nobody expected someone this desperate—his own caregiver bought off.
Yanxiao felt the burn rolling up his arm. Voice rough, edge underneath. “Checked yet?”
Xie Qi had the story from Chen Yufei. Straight. “First thing—we checked his phone. New WeChat account, no ID trail yet.”
Chats wiped as they went. Scared of getting caught.
Yanxiao said nothing. Eyes went deeper.
“I’ll trace who registered the account.”
Xie Qi paused. “They paid him well. Mouth’s shut.”
Money moves mountains.
Even when Chen Yufei scared him with hot water, he just cried and begged—wouldn’t talk.
Yanxiao wasn’t surprised. “They won’t slip that easy.”
Probe or not, the caregiver was negligence at worst. No line to the people behind it. Clean plan.
“Call the police. Keep watching him.”
Cops wouldn’t go hard—few days inside. But it was a paid job. Something always leaks.
“The rest……”
Yanxiao looked up. No room to argue. “Chen Yufei knows what to do.”
What else?
Eye for an eye.
“Got it!” Xie Qi nodded, still shaky. “Your hand—need someone to look at it again?”
---
“Fine.”
Yanxiao looked at the treated burn. No first-person memory—but his brain filled in the scene anyway—
Bai Xu at the bedside, cradling his palm, gentle, skilled, hot and cold and that strange numb buzz the whole time.
And the line with zero agenda—pure, teasing:
“Nice hands. Bit cold though.”
“……”
Yanxiao blanked a second. His wrist tingled again.
Xie Qi caught the drift. “Third Young Master?”
“Hm?”
Attention back. Casual fist curl. “Small burn. Two days.”
Xie Qi exhaled. “Lucky Mr. Bai was in the room. Stopped the worst.”
Otherwise the arm could’ve been worse—maybe blow the whole coma act.
Yanxiao didn’t deny. One thought stuck—
Old Madam’s fortune-teller had sworn: Bai Xu’s fate was hard, brought luck, warded disaster, turned bad to good for himself and others.
First night in the house. This happened. Weird coincidence.
Yanxiao never bought that stuff. “Also—dig into Bai Xu.”
“Mr. Bai? Him?”
“Mm.”
Dijing’s rich circles were all connected. Secrets, rumors—wind blows and they scatter.
Yanxiao had heard the Bai kid’s story and jokes. Seen him once at a banquet years ago—hunched in a corner, scared to speak.
“Everything on Bai Xu these years. As detailed as you can.”
Caution. And curiosity.
“Tell Old Madam about tonight. From now on you and the medical team handle my body. Everyone else—out.”
Xie Qi nodded. “Understood.”
…
First night at the Shangs, Bai Xu slept better than expected.
He woke past noon, lazy in bed, head to toe refreshed.
Quick wash. Mirror—bangs too long. Closet empty. Today had a plan.
Dressed. Out the door.
Xiao Deng heard him and perked up. “Mr. Bai—just up?”
Bai Xu nodded. “Mm. Heading out.”
Hesitation on Xiao Deng’s face. “Where to?”
Xie Qi came up the stairs.
Bai Xu remembered the car talk yesterday. Plain. “Pick up some things, buy clothes. Won’t take long.”
Original’s old sets worn thin—not his style. Didn’t bring any.
Xiao Deng looked at Xie Qi for the call.
Xie Qi got the look. “Mr. Bai, write a list. We’ll send someone. I can have a boutique manager bring selections later.”
Rich-people fix for a rich-people problem. Why leave the estate?
Bai Xu refused. “No need.”
He didn’t like the house rules. Shopping was secondary—he wanted intel on the outside.
Xie Qi looked like he had something to say.
Bai Xu read him. “What? Scared I’ll take Old Madam’s money and run?”
Gaze drifted to the master bedroom. Playful flicker. “Wait.”
“No, I—” Xie Qi started. Bai Xu was already walking toward the master suite.
Bang!
Door open.
Chen Yufei inside went tight. Looked at Xie Qi behind Bai Xu. “Mr. Bai—problem?”
“No problem. Won’t help if I tell you—” Bai Xu smiled thin, sidestepped them to the bed. “I’ll ask someone else.”
He bent over the “sleeping” Yanxiao. Voice suddenly sweet.
“Honey, I’m going out for stuff. You okay with that?”
“……”
Smooth as hell. Xie Qi and Chen Yufei stared at each other—stunned by that nuclear “honey.”
Day two in the house and he was already—
“Silence means yes, right?”
Bai Xu waited a few dramatic seconds, turned to the frozen guard and assistant. Punchline delivered.
“See? Head of household approved.”