Sickly Bigshot CH 25 Warning Signs
Translated by The BL Muse (ko-fi)
Shi Zhou looked like he had been struck by lightning, utterly shocked.
“Qin—Qin Yancheng, you didn’t know I like men?”
Before Qin Yancheng could respond, Shi Zhou quickly added, “Don’t be scared! I don’t like every man, and I definitely don’t like you!”
It was the truth—Shi Zhou only liked beautiful faces with godlike looks.
He’d have to be insane to like someone as cold as this guy, who clearly wouldn’t respond no matter what. Total waste of emotion.
Qin Yancheng’s expression wasn’t one of surprise at discovering Shi Zhou’s orientation.
He frowned slightly, his gaze complex as he looked at Shi Zhou.
Of course he knew Shi Zhou liked men. The first time they met, Shi Zhou clung to him like glue, spouting flirtations nonstop. Qin Yancheng looked nothing like a woman—clearly not a case of mistaken gender.
But he had never met such an exaggeratedly thirsty little pervert before. Shi Zhou had surely seen other men’s bodies over the years—or at least looked at himself in the mirror. Yet just one glance made his nose bleed?
Shi Zhou huffed, “My bathtub broke. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bathed at your place.”
Qin Yancheng took a deep breath and calmly replied, “The hairdryer’s on the shelf. If you need clothes, just call me.”
Logically, being lusted after to this extent was disgusting.
But for some reason, when it was Shi Zhou, he didn’t find it unbearable. What did bother him was Shi Zhou’s blunt, unequivocal “I don’t like you.”
Shi Zhou tilted his head. “Qin Yancheng, what’s that annoyed look? Don’t tell me… you’re homophobic?”
Qin Yancheng said nothing, just closed the door and left.
—Well, that confirmed it. Definitely homophobic. The air pressure in the room had dropped instantly. No need to get so pissed, right?
I didn’t even bring up your psychotic issues, and you dare be homophobic?
Shi Zhou got dressed and washed off all the blood from his nose. Though the dining table was piled high with fragrant delicacies, he couldn’t stop replaying that shocking sight in his head.
Qin Yancheng placed Shi Zhou’s favorite fried chicken wings in front of him. “Eat up. You won’t get to after the day after tomorrow.”
Shi Zhou grinned. “Aw, you’ll miss me?”
The day after tomorrow, he was heading off to film the reality show. They said the location had mountains, sea, great scenery, and food and fun—which was why he agreed to go in the first place. But none of it could compare to Aunt Zhang’s cooking—or the rare dishes Qin Yancheng occasionally made himself.
He asked Qin Yancheng that teasing question, but in truth, he was the one reluctant to leave.
He didn’t know what spell he was under, but he actually felt a twinge of longing for this handsome, frosty statue of a man.
At least Qin Yancheng’s health had improved in the past two days. Shi Zhou kept a close watch—forcing him to eat, take meds, and go to bed early. Qin Yancheng’s lips finally regained a light rosy tint. Shi Zhou felt a strange sense of pride, like he was raising a beautiful man himself.
—It’s just one week away. Qin Yancheng should be fine, right?
But that night, when Shi Zhou closed his eyes, the image he’d struggled to forget came rushing back again.
He wanted to leap up and scream to his little smut-loving fans: I saw it! I really saw it! It’s HUGE! The “big and good in bed” trope? At least the first word was confirmed. The last part… pending further research. But hey, half my fic’s already validated!
Think dirty by day, dream dirty by night. Shi Zhou dreamed of “springtime pleasures” and didn’t wake up until 9:30. Upon waking—yikes—he was in quite an embarrassing state.
Face flushed, cursing Qin Yancheng under his breath, he washed both himself and his underwear squeaky clean before heading downstairs to scavenge for food.
In the drawer beside his bed, Shi Zhou had hidden two inhalers and some nitroglycerin pills—just in case Qin Yancheng had a sudden angina attack. Originally, one set was for Qin Yancheng to carry, but he’d coldly refused. In the end, Shi Zhou had to keep everything himself.
When he opened Weibo, it had exploded from the few photos of Qin Yancheng he posted yesterday. Followers were surging. He was now a top-tier stan—known not only for his writing but also for the thirst-trap content he provided. A dual-threat in both land and sea, so to speak.
While browsing his album to pick more photo “gifts,” Secretary Bai Ran suddenly called. “Mr. Shi, President Qin’s not feeling well. Can you try convincing him to go to the hospital? We’re all too scared to bring it up—he might flip out…”
In Bai Ran’s eyes, Shi Zhou had long since become the rightful madam of the house. She used to suffer in silence, but now she had someone to call for reinforcements.
Shi Zhou asked urgently, “What happened?”
“He’s better now. But just earlier, he had trouble breathing and got dizzy. Almost passed out in the meeting room. Scared us all to death.”
“Shit!” Shi Zhou gasped, his heart shooting to his throat. “Hang tight, I’m coming over now!”
This was Shi Zhou’s first visit to the Qin Group headquarters. The front desk ladies greeted him in perfect sync with, “Hello, Mr. Shi!” Clearly all fangirls—totally unshocked to see the real-life protagonist walk in. Instead, they looked delighted, their eyes screaming OTP real!
After all the way to the top floor, he pushed open the office door. Qin Yancheng looked deathly pale, lips tinged with purple, slumped on the sofa with eyes closed.
His suit jacket was draped over the side. He wore only a white dress shirt, with two or three top buttons undone. The crisp fabric around his chest was slightly wrinkled—probably from when he clutched at it during his breathing episode.
Hearing the noise, Qin Yancheng didn’t even open his eyes. “Leave.”
Shi Zhou walked up. “Where do you feel unwell? Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“Shi Zhou? Why are you here?” Qin Yancheng’s face eased slightly, though still annoyed. “Who told you?”
Bai Ran had long since fled. Shi Zhou naturally wouldn’t rat her out. Puffing up his chest, he said, “I had a premonition! And hey, I was just out practicing my driving. Thought I’d stop by.”
A few days ago, Qin Yancheng let him pick a car for daily use. Shi Zhou had chosen a white Lamborghini—a model he’d loved in his past life but missed out on due to lack of stock.
He died in a car accident, so truthfully, he was a little scared. Thankfully, after some practice, his confidence returned—as long as he didn’t run into a drunk, speeding, wrong-way-driving idiot again.
Qin Yancheng seemed to accept the explanation. He closed his eyes again, voice hoarse. “I’m fine. Go home.”
Shi Zhou had just relaxed yesterday, but now he was tense again. Clearly Qin Yancheng hadn’t recovered. These symptoms were edging closer to asthma-triggered cardiac failure. It was terrifying.
Shi Zhou began to consider pulling out of the reality show.
He asked, “How do you feel now? Does your chest hurt? Still having trouble breathing?”
“I’ll say it again—I’m fine.” Qin Yancheng’s tone was cold, clearly annoyed.
Looking at that moody, sharp-edged face, Shi Zhou figured one more question and he’d be stepping on the tail of a psycho and causing him to explode like a landmine.
—But then he thought, What the hell, I came here out of concern and you give me attitude? Want a fight, huh?
Luckily, Qin Yancheng still had some conscience left. Before Shi Zhou could start scolding, he said with a softer tone, “A girl in Sales raised a hamster. It just had a litter.”
Shi Zhou snorted. “So? I’ve pet a hamster before.”
He had, once. His terrifying father wouldn’t even allow pets. When he was in middle school, his older brother secretly got him one.
When their dad found out, he nearly crushed the poor thing to death. Shi Zhou never dared keep a pet again.
“She's giving them away. Too many born.”
Shi Zhou’s eyes lit up. “Wait, you mean I can have one?”
Still a child at heart—his attention diverted in an instant.
Qin Yancheng sighed. “The company bans pets. Don’t let them know I told you.”
“You’re such a nice boss—wait, but I remember you’re allergic to furry animals. Can I keep it at your place?”
“In your room, fine.”
When people saw Shi Zhou appear, they thought the “madam” had come to inspect. They panicked, scrambling to hide the hamster cages.
Shi Zhou blinked innocently. “Do you still have hamster babies?”
A petite girl cried out, “I’m sorry! I’ll take them home today, Teacher Zhouzhou—Madam! Madam, if I lose this month’s bonus, I’ll have to eat dirt!”
Shi Zhou cringed at the weird “Madam” title. Clearly they weren’t on the same page. He patted his chest, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it!”
The girl, confused but relieved, asked, “Wait, you’re not here to inspect? President Qin doesn’t know?”
Shi Zhou shrugged, pretending Qin Yancheng was clueless, and urged her to take the rest home—Qin Yancheng was allergic after all.
Eventually, Shi Zhou sat contentedly in Qin Yancheng’s office, playing with the baby hamster.
Then he remembered: Crap! I came to take him to the doctor! But the man had gone back to meetings. Couldn’t drag him out now.
—Damn! What kind of idiot am I?
Got played like a fiddle by Qin Yancheng!
Left with no choice, he asked when the meeting would end.
It was the quarterly executive meeting—expected to last four hours.
Shi Zhou was horrified by the length. He couldn’t yank Qin Yancheng out of there, so he had to wait.
Bored out of his mind, he dared not play with the fragile baby hamster too much, lest he accidentally hurt it.
So, he pulled out his phone and checked the comments and DMs from his alt account—fans starving for content.
He’d ghosted them for two days. Yesterday’s encounter with Qin Yancheng had given him massive inspiration. Today, he had to write!
Once again, the steamy, stunning image of Qin Yancheng’s naked body flashed in his mind. Inspiration surged.
His fingers itched. Creativity was fleeting—if he didn’t write now, the moment might be lost forever.
Shi Zhou’s inner angels argued, and finally, he made a bold decision.
He looked toward Qin Yancheng’s computer.
—I’ll just use it real quick. I swear I’ll delete all the evidence afterwards.
.
.
.
AN: Playing at the edge of danger.JPG