The nagging on the phone was endless.
Qi Sui bent her legs, grateful that she had worn pajama pants instead of a nightgown. The silk fabric clung to her ankles, rubbing against her skin with every slight movement of the man. The faint tickle made her rise on her toes and pull her calves back toward herself, away from the burning heat nearby.
Outside the call, the man docilely watched her with those rare, innocent eyes, as if sending out an urgent plea for help.
Yes, that was it. He really did need Qi Sui's help.
But did it have to be at this exact moment?
Did it have to be now, to apply the medicine?
Did it have to be Qi Sui?
Wouldn't it have been better if he had waited a little, or found any server in the hallway, rather than seeking help at night, in a subordinate's room, while she was on the phone with her husband's mother?
Qi Sui turned her head, pinning the phone between her ear and shoulder. She lowered her lashes, examining his wound in the dim light.
It was just an ordinary dermatitis. The swollen, red skin occupied the area from behind his ear to his shoulder blade like a mountain range. It was so large that any movement would cause intense friction. Hives and similar skin inflammations are pathological conditions caused by friction or pressure on the skin.
She glanced roughly—no open wounds, no exudate. Clearly, it was typical, simple dermatitis, likely triggered by his body suddenly entering an unfamiliar environment and contacting hotel sheets with high bacterial levels.
LEO lowered his eyes, seemingly not in pain or discomfort.
Qi Sui frowned.
She sighed softly.
The elderly woman on the phone suddenly fell silent, tentatively probing: "Suisui, am I disturbing you? Maybe we can talk another day."
Usually, when she said that, Qi Sui would comfort her—after all, she was her husband's mother, her mother-in-law. But at this moment, the man's eyes were dejectedly fixed on the floor, revealing his vulnerable side.
This sight made Qi Sui pause. She even forgot to explain that it wasn't her mother-in-law causing trouble. She simply replied: "Mom, let's talk next week during Dad's birthday. We didn't quarrel; don't worry. If anything comes up, send me a message; I'll reply when I see it."
"Alright, alright. Suisui, you get busy then."
The call ended quickly.
Silence returned to the room.
Qi Sui turned off her phone screen and held out her hand to LEO. "Give me the cream. I'll help you."
"Mm."
LEO felt an immense satisfaction. This feeling was both nauseating and lingering, a shame mixed with pleasure. It made him loathe himself while also wanting to smile. It was as if, in an unseen battle, he had won shamelessly. At least she had set aside that man's mother to look at him first—wasn't that worth being happy about?
The swollen skin radiated heat. The sensation of her fingertips touching the soft flesh reminded Qi Sui of a lazy Sunday afternoon in the quiet kitchen, where she deftly sliced a piece of bright red beef tendon on the cutting board. But this was different. The fingertip muscle was firm and elastic, covered by a layer of skin that shimmered faintly.
Her slender, pale fingertips dabbed the white, greasy cream, spreading it along the path of her fingers, melting and penetrating into the red, wet skin. It seeped down through the dermis until it reached the target site of the medication.
Neither of them could predict whether the medicine would work wonders. But at this moment, the cream acted as a lubricant between the muscle fibers. When her gentle movements caused pain, the water-oil agents in the cream soothed with a slight coolness. This sudden sensation reaching his brain gave LEO an illusion—that his large, terrifying inflamed skin was slowly healing because of her simple, casual actions.
It was too wonderful. Like that cough spray. It was like a witch's potion—rashly and easily working in his body in a magical way, spreading like a virus, and finally healing.
LEO clearly knew it was just psychological, mistaking the analgesic effect for a sign of healing. He also felt satisfied because the woman before him was patiently and carefully applying medicine to his wounds with lowered eyes.
"Am I disturbing you?" LEO asked.
Was he pushing his luck? Wasn't that like getting an advantage and then acting innocent?
Qi Sui paused, glanced at him, and her voice turned cold, as if she sensed his ulterior motive. "No."
Of course, it was disturbing. And it felt terrible. When her mother-in-law asked the same question, LEO was half-kneeling between her legs, assuming a humble posture seeking help. This feeling brought a huge, terrifying resistance. She didn't care about maintaining her persona anymore. Being invaded, being approached in an abnormal way—this felt unfamiliar and disgusting to Qi Sui. It was like having her tail grabbed and having her privacy explored in a strange way—a social interaction she detested.
"I'm sorry," LEO apologized first. "I didn't know you were on a call, and I shouldn't—" No, the first half wasn't the point; the point was the latter. Qi Sui stopped and asked, "What?"
LEO squinted. The burning pain on his skin made him almost unable to stop swallowing. He was trying hard to suppress the desire in his throat and swallow it down. "I shouldn't have pushed my luck."
Qi Sui was silent. Her fingertips dipped into the cream, quickly covering the swelling on half of his shoulder. The bitter scent of the medicine spread in the tight space between them, as if about to give birth to a strange emotion. This emotion shouldn't exist—at least not here, not now, not between them.
When applying the cream, the skin couldn't absorb it instantly, so some of the warm medicinal residue remained on her fingertips. Qi Sui reached for a tissue from the box on the bedside table and wiped her fingers clean. "Done."
Her expression had returned to normal. She stretched her neck to confirm that she had covered all the areas LEO couldn't reach, then resumed her usual demeanor. "You can go back now. Remember not to touch the bedsheets directly. If you need, I have a disposable bedding set here; you can take it."
She was as cold as a medical professional.
The man's face was calm. He slowly pulled up the collar of his shirt, covering the oiled, shiny skin where the cream had been applied. Occasionally, a faint groan of pain escaped his throat. Qi Sui suspected he had ulterior motives, but she had no evidence. After all, she couldn't just take a video of his strange behavior with her phone and interrogate him about his intentions. Saying too much would be too deliberate.
"Thank you. Get some rest early."
He stood up, his figure abruptly larger than Qi Sui's. He touched the temperature of the glass on the nightstand—it had gone cold. Then he picked up the air conditioner remote, adjusted the temperature to 26°C, took the glass to the entryway, filled it with hot water, and calmly placed it back on the nightstand. The whole process was smooth and practiced, like a hotel service professional. He was even more at ease than Qi Sui in her own home.
As he moved, the bitter scent of the medicine mixed with the faint fragrance of his detergent. Qi Sui sat still, her emotions complicated. She really felt like she didn't want him to work, but couldn't stop him from insisting.
Finally, she saw her immediate supervisor to the door. His gaze was soft, like autumn water rippling, but that autumn wave couldn't reach Qi Sui's heart.
"Tuesday and Wednesday count as compensatory leave. After you get back to the company, send your leave request directly to me; I'll approve it."
Qi Sui hesitated. "Is that okay?" It wasn't that she didn't want to rest, but strictly speaking, she wasn't LEO's direct subordinate. The company's internal system didn't allow cross-level management, as it could easily lead to some unspoken dangerous mistakes. Of course, she didn't mean that there was some inexplicable relationship between them. It was just that she was overly cautious and nervous.
LEO nodded. "It's fine. It's not against the rules, because I have some direct authority, and indeed, it's work done on non-work days." He sighed softly. "You're still sick. It would be unreasonable not to approve."
You know that?
Qi Sui nodded without hesitation. Who wouldn't be happy to get two extra days off? Her mood improved slightly, and she added a few more instructions: "Don't let the affected area get wet when you get back. That cream needs to stay on your skin for at least 12 hours."
"I know. I already showered before I came."
Alright. Alright. That's enough.