OL CH27

Quietly curling the corners of his lips, Chen Tian took hold of Bai Su’s arm and pulled him over.

Caught off guard, the youth bumped into his chest, feeling as though his heart were about to leap out of his throat.

Looking up in flustered confusion, he wanted to demand what the man was doing, only to find that the other had already let go of his arm. Instead, he gently took Bai Su’s wrist, using his other hand to pry open the boy’s tightly clenched palm.

Only then did Bai Su realize that when he took that fall earlier, his palm had scraped against the pavement.

So much time had passed, yet he had not even noticed it himself.

The scrape was soiled with fine gravel and dirt, and his palm was coated in gray dust, though in reality, it was merely a minor scratch. Even so, that tiny injury made Chen Tian’s heart ache terribly.

Frowning, he pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket, unscrewed a bottle of water to dampen the cloth, and gently began wiping down the boy’s hand.

Although Chen Tian had not appeared directly before Bai Su in recent days, he had been busy orchestrating plenty behind the scenes.

He already knew from the original storyline that the orphanage was facing trouble. The faction attempting to seize the land parcel indeed possessed considerable influence, and by sheer coincidence, they happened to be business rivals of the Qin family.

The original Qin Yichen had long sought to bring that group down, but had lacked solid leverage against them.

Now that Chen Tian had taken his place, he naturally knew which angle to attack from. Having 009 effortlessly gather ironclad evidence of their illegal dealings, he resolved the threat smoothly.

Even with such swift action, however, the process had taken nearly a week.

Worrying that Bai Su might act rashly and do something foolish before the issue was settled, Chen Tian had recently submitted a proposal to the city government, offering for the Qin Corporation to fund free road maintenance across several districts.

That was why, whenever Bai Su stepped outside, Chen Tian was able to have workers set up road barriers along the stretches where the boy lingered, reducing traffic flow in those areas.

While Bai Su had been spacing out by the curb earlier, Chen Tian had 009 monitor every vehicle nearby. At the critical moment, the system took control of the oncoming car, preventing any accident.

He then had Xiao Liu drive forward, guaranteeing that if his lover were to stage an accident, it would be against his own car.

In truth, Chen Tian had considered showing up directly at the orphanage to play the domineering CEO who crushed their enemies on the spot.

However, that felt a little too theatrical and immature, hardly fitting his steady, dependable image. Besides, a fated encounter like today’s was simply too delightful to pass up.

Since he was currently a corporate titan, there would be plenty of opportunities to show off later. Fated encounters like this, on the other hand, were rare treasures.

Sitting beside Chen Tian and being treated so tenderly, Bai Su was entirely at a loss, completely unaware of the wild fantasies racing through the man’s head.

Regardless of his inner thoughts, Chen Tian maintained absolute calm on the surface. Lowering his voice slightly, he asked, “I’ll clean the wound for you first, and then have a doctor disinfect and bandage it in a little while, alright?”

The deep, velvety tone brushed past Bai Su’s ear, laced with an unspeakable gentleness that made the youth’s ears turn red.

He nodded, allowing the other man to hold his hand, even lifting his arm obediently to cooperate with Chen Tian’s movements.

Such a minor scratch was nothing to him; normally, he would have merely given it a quick rinse with water without even applying ointment.

Yet seeing how carefully this man treated him, he found himself completely unwilling to pull away. He even harbored the absurd wish that the scrape were worse, just so the man would look after him a little longer.

No, this was completely abnormal.

Leaving aside the fact that he was never one to indulge in self-pity, children raised in orphanages had all witnessed the harsh realities of the world, and their guard was never this low.

Yet why did he experience such strange reactions whenever he faced this man?

It felt as though a deep sense of closeness welled up from the depths of his soul, making him unconsciously yearn to stay by this person’s side.

Pressing the tip of his tongue against his canine tooth, he sought to use the slight sting to snap his vigilance back into place.

Bai Su looked at the man before him with conflicted emotions, only to see him keeping his eyes lowered, gently cleansing his scraped palm as if polishing a fragile treasure.

His sharp, austere features seemed to soften completely in this moment.

Bai Su stared at Chen Tian in a daze, having lost all concept of time. Even after the wound was fully cleaned, he remained holding his hand up blankly.

Only when a low chuckle sounded near his ear did he realize he had done something foolish.

Bai Su hastily pulled his hand back, stiffening his handsome face while unconsciously licking his canine tooth again, trying to act composed. Little did he know that his bright red ears had already betrayed him.

“Am I good-looking?”

“What?”

The sudden question left Bai Su turning his head in bewilderment. He saw the man lean in, asking softly by his ear once more: “I saw you staring blankly at me just now, so I wanted to ask. Why were you staring at me? Am I that good-looking?”

Hearing this, Bai Su’s face flushed bright red. He wanted to retort, but opening his mouth and looking at the man’s features, he could not bring himself to deny it.

In the end, he could only slump his shoulders in defeat, casting a glare at the man beside him before muttering reluctantly, “Yes, good-looking!”

At that reply, the smile at the corners of Chen Tian’s lips widened, making his radiant mood unmistakable.

His eyes sparkled. He felt that Xiao Bai was younger in this lifetime and considerably more childish, unlike his previous life where he had been deeply reserved, keeping everything bottled up inside.

He looked just like a feisty little cub, utterly adorable.

Faced with such a young partner, Chen Tian really wanted to pull him close and teach him a lesson.

He wanted to tell him not to display such lively, endearing expressions so carelessly. The boy was so cute that Chen Tian could barely hold back the urge to kiss his lips swollen, kiss him until he teared up.

Naturally, Chen Tian only entertained these thoughts in his head; he was not quite such a scoundrel in reality.

After that exchange, the tense atmosphere between the two seemed to dissipate considerably.

Up front, the driver Xiao Liu concentrated intently on the road, yet cold sweat slicked his palms. He felt their CEO was acting extraordinarily bizarre today.

Carrying the boy into the car was shocking enough, but treating him with such gentle patience on top of that?

And that smitten smile… could President Qin have been possessed by an alien soul?

Before long, the car pulled up to the Qin family’s ancestral estate.

Bai Su peered out the window, only to realize that this place looked nothing like a hospital.

“Where is this?” Bai Su asked, glancing warily at Chen Tian.

“This is my home,” Chen Tian replied with a smile.

As soon as the words left his lips, the youth pulled up his guard, exactly as expected.

Chen Tian found his lover endearing, looking like a little bristling beast, and reached out to lift him from the car just as he had done before.

However, Bai Su was fully alert now, and flatly refused to let a stranger carry him around.

Chen Tian could only rub his temples and explain, “My private doctor is already waiting inside. Should I call him out to attend to you?”

Hearing this, Bai Su relaxed slightly. Yet he was hardly injured to begin with, and even if he were, it had nothing to do with this man.

Feeling somewhat guilty at the thought, Bai Su took a deep breath, opened the car door himself, and stepped out crisply.

Scanning the unfamiliar surroundings, Bai Su realized he had no idea where he was.

Fingering the twenty-odd yuan in his pocket, he wondered whether it would be enough for a taxi back if he could not find a bus stop.

Nevertheless, he kept his composure, turning to thank Chen Tian: “I’m actually not hurt. I tripped and fell onto the street on my own earlier, so please don’t worry about it. Thank you for looking after me just now, but I’ll be heading back.”

Yet the man firmly blocked his path, asking out of the blue, “What is your name?”

Seeing that Bai Su did not answer, Chen Tian asked again.

Though the shift in topic was abrupt, Bai Su answered anyway. “My name is Bai Su. Bai as in white, Su as in trace back.”

Hearing the name, Chen Tian’s eyes softened. Bai Su’s reaction was within his expectations, but having coaxed him all the way to his doorstep, there was no way he would simply let him walk away.

“My name is Qin Yichen. You collapsed in front of my car, so I must take responsibility for you. This is my principle. If you don’t allow me to help you, my conscience won’t rest easy.”

Chen Tian spoke with such righteous conviction that Bai Su was completely stunned. In the end, he was persuaded, following him into the Qin family’s ancestral home.

Looking at the tall silhouette of the man walking ahead, Bai Su recalled the wandering thoughts he had harbored late one night.

So this man’s surname was indeed Qin.

Stepping inside the villa, Bai Su discreetly took in the house, which felt excessively vast to him.

The interior decor was grand and imposing, not the gaudy, tasteless luxury of the nouveau riche, but exuding the profound heritage unique to an established, prominent family.

Bai Su marveled inwardly, while also acutely realizing the vast chasm between himself and the man before him.

In the main hall, a private doctor in a white coat was indeed waiting, which put Bai Su’s mind entirely at ease.

The physician had served the Qin family for many years. Under Chen Tian’s instructions, he conducted a relatively simple full-body checkup on Bai Su.

The conclusion was that Bai Su was largely healthy, aside from mild anemia and malnutrition.

Hearing that his beloved was malnourished, though expected, still brought a pang of sharp ache to Chen Tian’s heart.

His expression turned solemn, blaming himself for arriving in this world so late and letting Xiao Bai endure so much hardship.

Bai Su cooperated throughout, though the doctor’s assessment left him somewhat embarrassed.

Clearly, he did not want the man before him to learn of his destitute circumstances; perhaps this was simply a youth’s pride.

After concluding his evaluation, the doctor prescribed several nutritional supplements and medications, carefully bandaging the scrape on his hand before taking his leave.

This left Bai Su clutching the bag of medicine somewhat awkwardly, debating whether he should bid farewell right now.

Fortunately, the butler, Uncle Qin, walked over at that moment, smiling: “Patriarch, the dining room is ready.”

Chen Tian nodded in satisfaction and extended an invitation to Bai Su: “Why don’t we have a meal together, and then I’ll have you driven home?”

Bai Su hastily waved his hands to decline. He had already caused enough trouble for this man, and could not shamelessly stay for a free meal.

“No, thank you, sir. I had a late lunch and I’m not hungry yet!”

Just as he said that, Bai Su’s stomach let out a loud, rumbling growl.

Bai Su: …

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Author’s Note:

Bai Su: Consider me dead on the spot! TAT