The unattainable beauty was driven to depravity and madness by a wicked seed.

"Genetics".

"very beautiful."

Lu Sui paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

"It's nothing serious for you. You'll recover after taking six doses of medicine. Once you're fully recovered, your silver bracelet won't turn black anymore."

Six doses of medicine, each dose boiled into three bowls, to be taken twice a day, morning and evening, for nine days. Liu Qiushui and Lu Sui's prescription contained a lot of medicinal herbs, costing them over a thousand yuan. The pharmacy gave them five boxes of toothpaste, a box of ten packs of wet wipes, three bottles of Vitamin C nourishing glycerin, and two bags of Banlangen granules.

After returning home, Liu Qiushui left two tubes of toothpaste, and the rest were left in Lu Sui's car. Shen Qinghuai left five packs of wet wipes, a bottle of glycerin, and a bag of Banlangen granules, and gave the rest to Liu Qiushui.

Back in the room, Shen Qinghuai saw Lu Sui rummaging through his bag. He walked over and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Face cream." Lu Sui quickly found an unopened bottle. Shen Qinghuai didn't remember putting this in his container; Lu Sui must have done it herself. "For Auntie."

Shen Qinghuai couldn't resist and hugged him without even closing the door. "Were you angry just now?"

"No." It was just awkward. He knew Shen Qinghuai meant well.

When he left, he took three pieces of cured pork. He didn't take too many because cured pork is heavy on oil and salt, which is not suitable for Lu Sui to eat. Besides, one piece can last for three or four meals. Lu Sui said he would give one to Chen Jingmo and one to Jiang Xiu, and keep one for them. When no one was watching, Shen Qinghuai stole a kiss on Lu Sui's ear.

Shen Qinghuai sent the prescription to the nutritionist. He needed to adjust his diet next week, so it couldn't conflict with the Chinese medicine. He also reported Lu Sui's weight. The nutritionist said that he didn't need to come back today. Shen Qinghuai replied, "Okay."

Liu Qiushui was still in a daze at the door.

It's normal for two boys to hug each other.

She thought this way, but she always had doubts.

Shen Qinghuai is so clean, yet he drinks the water left over by Lu Sui, wipes Lu Sui's mouth while eating, ties Lu Sui's hair and puts on his coat in the morning, and waits outside with his clothes while Lu Sui takes a bath. The nursing home where Zhao Wenxiu lives was found by Lu Sui. The tone of his voice, his eyes, his expression, and all those bags of supplements he brings to Lu Sui... it all feels like he's bringing his girlfriend to meet his parents.

"Qiu Shui, Qiu Shui?" Xu Suya waved her hand in front of Liu Qiu Shui.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

"I called you several times, why didn't you answer?" Xu Suya turned her head to look at the cars that were nowhere to be seen on the road, and teased with a smile, "Last time I asked you to come with me to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, but you complained that the medicine was bitter. This time your son is taking you, so you have to drink the medicine whether you want to or not!"

Liu Qiushui said, "Indeed."

She spent so much money, she had to swallow the stench even if it tasted terrible.

Xu Suya pulled Liu Qiushui inside, "Your son is 20 this year, right? Does he have a girlfriend? My daughter is interested in your son, we can all tell. If he doesn't have a girlfriend, we can play matchmaker and let them date for a while—"

"Yes," Liu Qiushui blurted out before her mind could process it, "Qinghuai has a boyfriend."

"What?!" Xu Suya exclaimed instantly, her curiosity piqued. "How old is that girl? What's her family like? Is she tall? Is she pretty? Is she in the same major as Qinghuai?"

Hearing her ask a bunch of questions all at once, Liu Qiushui felt even more strongly that Shen Qinghuai was dating Lu Sui. How could two men be so intimate?

"Don't ask anymore, I'll tell you later."

"Why are you keeping it a secret? We're like family. It's just that I feel sorry for my daughter," Xu Suya said. "She's liked Qinghuai for years. Now that your Qinghuai has a girlfriend, she'll probably be sad for a long time."

Liu Qiushui remained silent.

She thought to herself that if Wen Chengyu knew that Shen Qinghuai's partner was a man, she would probably be upset for even longer.

She didn't want to overthink it. Maybe Shen Qinghuai was just taking care of Lu Sui as a friend, but if you changed Lu Sui's gender, those actions would be exactly like the interactions between lovers.

Lu Sui is so rich, how did Shen Qinghuai get to know him?

It's really worrying.

Liu Qiushui couldn't say whether she agreed or disagreed with the relationship; it mainly depended on Shen Qinghuai, who was dating Lu Sui, not her.

Let's pretend we don't know for now.

She waited for Shen Qinghuai to confess to her.

Shen Qinghuai was very serious when he said he could repay Lu Sui's money. Liu Qiushui saw all of this and knew how he took care of Lu Sui. She couldn't bear to break up a couple who liked each other.

It was only a little past five when they got home. Shen Qinghuai bought ingredients to make melt-in-your-mouth beans for Lu Sui, used an air fryer to make toasted bread slices, and even made handmade spicy strips for Lu Sui. The kitchen was full of smells. Lu Sui said he smelled bad, but Shen Qinghuai hugged him and took a deep breath. "You don't smell bad, it's all the aroma of food."

The melt-in-your-mouth beans were delicious. Lu Sui ate a whole plate of them. Shen Qinghuai put an apron on him with a plump mushroom on it. He moved a small stool and a small table over, and Lu Sui ate in the corner while Shen Qinghuai busied himself at the table.

Lu Sui was calculating everything. He would eat three melt-in-your-mouth beans and give one to Shen Qinghuai as a reward for his hard work. He would eat five more and give one to Shen Qinghuai as a reward for his labor. He would eat eight more and give one to Shen Qinghuai as a reward for his labor. But then he stopped, saying he would give him none, since Shen Qinghuai liked them.

Lu Sui pinched the last two melt-in-your-mouth candies and fed them to Shen Qinghuai. He pinched them hard, and his hand broke. Shen Qinghuai sucked them clean, which disgusted Lu Sui. He kicked Shen Qinghuai's shin and said, "Shameless."

Shen Qinghuai said, "What's the point of having a face? I still have to wash it. What's wrong with me licking my boyfriend's fingers?"

Lu Sui ignored him. She had just washed her hands and he bit her again. She was very angry, but her emotions were diverted by one sentence: "Hide behind me, or the corn kernels will burst open."

Shen Qinghuai was popping popcorn for Lu Sui. The kernels were popping open with a series of crackling sounds. He held the lid down, and after about a minute, there was no more popping. None of the kernels were burnt. He picked one up, blew on it, and was about to feed it to Lu Sui when he turned around and saw Lu Sui washing his hands. His eyes darkened. "Do you dislike me that much?"

"Um."

Lu Sui never considers other people's feelings. He said whatever he thought at the time, which successfully angered Shen Qinghuai again. "I kiss you—you don't even mind—um."

Lu Sui tiptoed over Shen Qinghuai, her wet fingers grabbing his arm. "Don't say it. My saliva is sticky and uncomfortable. You're not allowed to bite my hand again."

"Are you trying to comfort me?"

"no."

"...This is how you coax me. You should coax me like this from now on."

Lu Sui looked at the popcorn and said, "I want to eat it."

Shen Qinghuai fed it to him, and he said, "It's the same as the ones sold in stores."

"What I made today is too dry. It tastes good, but I can't eat too much of it, or it will cause me to get a sore throat."

Shen Qinghuai put the unfinished spicy strips in the oven to dry them, then put them on Lu Sui's snack shelf after they cooled down, so that he wouldn't eat them.

"You don't trust me."

"Of course I don't trust you. You ate two of them while I was washing the dishes."

"...I didn't steal any food."

"You said you didn't steal any food, so why did I hear a crunching sound? Could it be a little mouse? If it is a mouse, I'm going to drag it out and give it a good scolding. There's only so much room in your stomach, and you ate so many other things, plus two spicy snacks. Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache in the middle of the night?"

"You're talking about me." Lu Sui frowned. "Don't say it."

"Which baby has such a big temper?" Shen Qinghuai smiled and clapped his hands at Lu Sui, who was sitting on the stool, then opened his arms to pick him up.

This is a completely subconscious behavior. It's like wanting to hug someone else's child and then clapping your hands to get their attention back. "If you eat too much, your throat will hurt tomorrow. You'll suffer if you don't listen to me."

Lu Sui slapped his hand, "You're a scoundrel who criticizes others."

"I didn't scold him." Shen Qinghuai moved the table in front of Lu Sui, took off his apron, picked him up, opened the kitchen door, went out, and then closed it again. "Want to go for a walk? I'll give the cured meat to Jiang Xiu."

Lu Sui nodded, "Give him all the cured meat, popcorn, and spicy strips."

Shen Qinghuai kissed his cheek and said he was a good baby who knew how to share.

After cleaning the kitchen, Shen Qinghuai brought out the popcorn and put it in a food-grade plastic bag. He also took a piece of cured meat from the balcony. Lu Sui sent a message to Jiang Xiu, asking where he was.

Little Ginger: I'm washing my brother's clothes at home.

Little Ginger: Do you know why I like to wash his clothes?