Mr. Pei! Don't force yourself into circles you can't fit into.

This location is too tricky. It's on the side of the waist and abdomen, close to the internal organs, but it's not a vital spot. It looks more like an injury sustained during close combat.

Furthermore, judging from the neatness of the wound's edges, the weapon wasn't large, probably a fruit knife or a dagger. But the problem is... how could someone like Pei Lin allow a threatening person to get this close?

"Caught off guard," Pei Lin said, uttering only four words.

Chu Haonan paused for a moment. He looked up at Pei Lin, whose expression was calm and unreadable. Chu Haonan knew that anyone could be caught off guard. Pei Lin's lack of vigilance meant that either he hadn't expected the other to attack, or... he had willingly stood there to take the blow.

Chu Haonan didn't press further, and instead, carrying the first-aid kit, began to speak.

"Come upstairs and I'll take care of it for you. You're lucky you didn't damage any internal organs. I can stitch it up, but you'll need to rest well afterwards and avoid moving around too much."

Pei Lin nodded and stood up.

Shen Jicheng took a step almost simultaneously, "I'll go too."

Pei Lin turned to look at him. Shen Jicheng's red eyes hadn't completely faded, his lips were slightly pursed, and there was a trace of moisture at the corner of his eye.

"Sweetie, I'll be down in a bit," Pei Lin coaxed patiently.

Shen Jicheng remained silent, but took another step forward.

"I don't want to." His voice was low, filled with barely concealed unease. "I want to go with you."

Pei Lin frowned, his tone turning serious. "Listen to me."

Shen Jicheng ultimately did not follow. He stood in the center of the living room, pursing his lips, watching Pei Lin and Chu Haonan disappear one after the other around the corner of the stairs.

He looked down at his hands. The blood had dried, turning into dark brown stains embedded in the lines of his palm.

In the study on the second floor, Pei Lin leaned back in a recliner, letting Chu Haonan lift his shirt to treat his wound. When the alcohol swabs were applied, he didn't even flinch; he simply kept his eyes closed and his breathing even and deep.

Chu Haonan wasn't one to keep quiet. While pressing gauze against the still-bleeding wound, he glanced at Pei Lin's face. His lips were indeed much paler than usual, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.

"Tell me, what happened?" Chu Haonan snorted. "What do you mean, 'unprepared'? You might use that to fool your kid, but you think you can fool me?"

Pei Lin kept his eyes closed, and after a long while, he spoke, his voice somewhat deep.

"Something unexpected happened. As we were getting ready to leave, I thought I heard his voice."

Chu Haonan paused for a moment. "Shi Jiaming?"

"Hmm." Pei Lin's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his brows furrowed involuntarily. "I was walking towards the stern when someone jumped into the sea. At that moment, I didn't think about anything... He can't swim and has thalassophobia. I only had one thought in my mind: if that person was him, and I missed that second, I might never be able to get him back in this lifetime."

Chu Haonan didn't reply, but simply threw the stained gauze into the trash can and replaced it with a new one.

"So I reached out and pulled that person up." Pei Lin raised his hand and pressed his knuckles to his brow. "After I pulled him up, he stabbed me. I wasn't prepared and he injured me. He also took advantage of the chaos to run away."

Chu Haonan frowned. "You saw her face clearly?"

No. I'm wearing a mask.

"Wearing a mask..." Chu Haonan's hands didn't stop, but his mind was already racing. "That means they came prepared, specifically targeting you. Who have you offended recently?"

Pei Lin was silent for two seconds. "He's offended quite a few people, but not many have gone this far. I'm still not sure what his purpose is."

"I need to check." Chu Haonan deftly cut a piece of gauze. "I'll stitch up your wound first, don't move."

He bent down to thread the needle, then suddenly seemed to remember something and casually added, "The anesthetic is quite expensive, so I won't use it on you."

Pei Lin: "...Hmm."

The air was still for a few seconds. Chu Haonan noticed out of the corner of his eye that the sweat on his forehead had condensed into a fine layer and was sliding down his temples, so he deliberately asked slowly, "Does it hurt? Your forehead is covered in cold sweat."

Pei Lin lifted his eyelids and glanced at him indifferently, "You'll know once you try."

"Then let's skip it." Chu Haonan's hands moved a little faster, but his mouth didn't stop. "Hey, why don't you let them come up? Didn't you see that the person downstairs has eyes as red as a rabbit's? They're worried about you."

Mentioning Shen Jicheng, Pei Lin's expression finally softened slightly. He turned his head, his gaze falling on the rain outside the window, and his voice lowered, "I don't want him to see."

"Are you afraid he'll be scared?"

"Hmm." Pei Lin closed his eyes. "He's timid, I don't want to scare him."

Chu Haonan chuckled, the needle and thread weaving between the skin and flesh, but his words were merciless. "He's a coward? How is your explanation any different from what you told me before about him being obedient and docile? I think that guy is anything but cowardly. His eyes were red as he argued with you. Either you have a misunderstanding about him, or you're just blind to his beauty, your filter is thick enough to stop bullets."

Pei Lin didn't refute, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly, the curve being extremely shallow.

After Chu Haonan finished sewing the last stitch, cut the thread, and carefully covered it with gauze, he was about to get up to wash his hands when he paused. His back to Pei Lin was turned, and his voice was lower than before, tinged with a rare hesitation.

"Did you...talk to him?"

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow at him.

Chu Haonan turned around, his expression unusually serious. "Your illness."

Pei Lin's expression visibly darkened. He remained silent for a moment before speaking, his tone flat.

No. It's normal now.

"You're normal now, but what about later?" Chu Haonan threw the blood-stained gauze into the trash can, looking at him. "You can't guarantee you'll always be normal. I think you should subtly let him know. He has the right to know about this. I'm saying this for his sake, and also for yours."

He took a step forward, his tone turning serious. "He needs to know what he might encounter after being with you. For example, your paranoia, or what you're like when you have an episode. It would be best if he could accept it. If not, leaving sooner will cause less harm to both of you."

The clock in the room ticked away. Pei Lin leaned back in his chair, his pale, slender neck taut in a fragile arc, sweat slowly trickling down his jawline.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Chu Haonan thought he wouldn't answer, before he heard his hoarse voice finally break through.

There's no need to tell him.

Chu Haonan opened his mouth, but Pei Lin's next words shut him up.

"I will not let my illness harm him. Not even in the slightest."

"I will never let my paranoia affect our relationship."