Chapter 5: A broken nail requires saline, iodine, and gauze.

Before Lou Dongcang could speak again, He Guan waved dismissively, then realized Lou Dongcang couldn't see his gesture.

Lowering his hand, he said, "I still have things to move. Stay there or go upstairs. I'll call you when the food's ready."

The pale, tall man released his grip on the railing, his voice laced with sarcasm, "The new caretaker? Put some cyanide in my meal."

Many people despise the current Lou Dongcang and wish him dead.

There had always been two caretakers.

One was Lou Dongcang's nanny, who left on her own, and the other was bribed by Lou Jun to poison Lou Dongcang's food with cyanide. She vanished after being discovered.

He Guan responded as if he hadn't heard, "What are you talking about? Now that I'm here, this is my home from today."

He made a circle, arms outstretched, and took a deep, appreciative breath, "It's so spacious. I love big houses. If you don't come down, can I assume the ground floor is my territory?"

Lou Dongcang: "..."

Before Lou Dongcang could respond, he heard He Guan exiting the door and shut his mouth in annoyance.

By the time He Guan returned with the last two buckets of water, Lou Dongcang had come downstairs and sat amidst an array of bottles and jars, hand on a jar, eyes closed, feeling its content.

He Guan remarked, "That's a bottle of oyster sauce."

Lou Dongcang: "..."

He Guan placed the water before him, "Isn't the floor cold?"

Lou Dongcang replied icily, "No, mind your own business."

He Guan: "Oh."

He Guan sank into the sofa, exhaling in comfort as he looked up at the ornate ceiling.

After a pause, he spoke, "I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm a minor celebrity, but I've hit a rough patch in my entertainment career. Money's been tight, so I've been thinking of quitting the industry. That's why I struck a deal with your father. Before the wedding, he gave me fifty million. After the wedding, he promised to pay me a daily wage."

True, he had received fifty million before the wedding, but that money was squandered away.

He Guan had checked his bank statements online; now, he had just under a million left.

The idea of receiving a daily wage post-wedding was pure fabrication on He Guan's part.

The Lou family is prestigious, maintaining appearances, but what happens behind closed doors remains unscrutinized.

All that's publicly known now is that Lou Dongcang married a man and lives with him. That suffices.

After-sales service?

A daily wage?

Wishful thinking.

He Guan simply gave himself a reason to stay, while preventing Lou Dongcang from becoming suspicious.

Concluding, He Guan said, "From now on, we're family. I'll take care of you. Otherwise, there's no money in it for me."

Lou Dongcang: "..."

He Guan: "Hey, have you had breakfast?"

Lou Dongcang: "No."

Turning to him, He Guan asked, "Perhaps I phrased that wrong. Should I ask how long it's been since you've eaten? It seems there's no housekeeper here."

Lou Dongcang: "Two days. She was just let go."

He Guan: "Oh..."

Two days without food, though he must've had some water, judging by his slightly weakened voice.

Only now did He Guan take a closer look at him.

By that account, Lou Dongcang must've lost his sight relatively recently, no more than a couple of months ago.

The book had mentioned that his first caretaker, his nanny, left shortly after he became blind, while the second was dealt with in a mere week.

Altogether, less than two months.

After enduring two months of blindness, Lou Dongcang now looked gaunt. His distinct facial features appeared even more chiseled, casting heavy shadows, with an unmistakable pallor of illness.

He Guan settled in with casual ease, quickly adapting to the role of the homeowner. "If you're hungry, reach to your left. There's a box of cheesecake that should tide you over for a bit."

"I'm going to sleep now and will cook later. Don't worry about me poisoning you. If you die, it'll be a mess for me. Fifty million is still a lot, enough to buy five days of my conscience, at least."

He placed his hands behind his head, choosing to lie on his back. "Next to the oyster sauce bottle is a small bottle of water. If you choke, take a sip, but not too much. Don't want to upset your stomach with cold water."

Large sofas are the best; you can sprawl out however you want.

After saying this, he nestled into a comfortable corner of the sofa and fell silent.

Lou Dongcang: "..."

Lou Dongcang's hearing had sharpened considerably during this time.

He could discern He Guan's breathing gradually slowing down, becoming more subdued.

He was genuinely asleep.

It had been a long time since anyone visited here or even opened the door.

Even when the door opened, he couldn't perceive any light.

Despite there being nothing wrong with his eyes, he was blind.

He had already gone through the phases of breaking and smashing things in frustration. Now, there's a pale scar on the palm of his right hand from a cut by a shard of glass.

Not a single one of his subordinates had inquired about his condition.

His nanny, who also acted as his caretaker, promised to stay by his side but left without a backward glance.

Lou Dongcang was wealthy.

He had a lot of money.

So, when his caretaker left, he had uncharacteristically asked her the reason.

The moment he spoke, he instantly regretted it.

He shouldn't have asked.

She had replied, "It's not about the money. I have to go. Take care."

Clearly, money couldn't retain people.

So, why did this man decide to stay for money?

Lou Dongcang turned his head in the direction of the sofa, shifted his hand to feel for the cheesecake He Guan had mentioned.

He was indeed famished. After his caretaker left, while she didn't take any food with her, everything left was either semi-prepared or raw.

Lou Dongcang wasn't accustomed to eating sweets.

But he doesn't know how to cook.

Cooking was never part of his life plan.

Yesterday, while chopping vegetables, he chipped half of the nail on his left index finger. He wonders if there's still a trace of blood on the cutting board.

Lou Dongcang reached for the tape, tore it off, and lifted the lid of the cake.

The cake felt slightly cool for this season but was very soft and tore apart effortlessly.

Taking a bite, the soft and bouncy texture melted between his lips and tongue, quickly sliding down his throat. His first impression was that it tasted good.

Had sweets always been this fragrant and overwhelmingly sweet before? There's a faint hint of yogurt taste too.

He doesn't know.

Because at all the various banquets he'd attended, he never touched the desserts.

He used to think they'd be too rich and cloying.

Lou Dongcang finished a cake in just a few minutes, felt slightly choked, and went to get water.

Thanks to He Guan's prior guidance, he could easily access the water.

The water tasted sweet and refreshing.

He had been drinking untreated water for the past few days; with no electricity at home, he couldn't boil water. Comparatively, the untreated water he'd consumed seemed to cause a phantom stomachache.

Lou Dongcang set down the empty water bottle, sat quietly in the slightly cool breeze for a moment, felt the headache subsiding, and finally headed upstairs without any flare-ups.

Even though he couldn't see when the door was opened, he felt the long-missed breeze.

When He Guan woke up, the living room was empty except for himself.

He stood up, stretched, and realized his arms were sore and his calves swollen.

This body is really weak. It needs exercise.

A whole white-cut chicken.

He Guan rubbed his arms, glanced at the clock, seeing it was already past 1 pm, and began moving the groceries to the kitchen.

Only Lou Dongcang lived here, and with the maid, that made two. The refrigerator wasn't very full.

Half a broccoli floret wilted, several yellowing green onions scattered on the floor, and the freezer contained just a piece of pork.

There was a dead fish on the cutting board.

He Guan examined the blood on the fish closely.

It's not from the fish.

Given the current cool temperature, the fish isn't smelling foul, just a hint of fishiness.

He Guan tossed the inedible items into the bag from the supermarket and wiped away the thin layer of dust in the kitchen.

It's rather clean, just unused for a couple of days.

He proceeded to place the meat he bought in the freezer, arranged the beverages neatly, sorted the instant food, and placed the condiments and oil on the counter. Grains, flour, and water went directly into the cabinet beneath the kitchen island for easy access.

In the process, he found half a fingernail.

...It seemed cleanly cut, with a decisive edge. Clearly, it had been severed with force. He wondered about the state of the injury.

Abandoning his initial plan to make noodles, He Guan searched the bag for gauze, iodine, and glucose, and poured a bottle of saline solution into a bowl.

Holding these items, he ascended to the second floor and called out at the stairway exit, "Lou Dongcang, where are you?"

He didn't proceed further.

The second-floor living area was quite spacious. Looking at the ceiling height and overall size, He Guan felt that playing badminton here should be feasible.

But it was a bit messy at the moment.

Rolled up bed sheets lay discarded on the floor, windows were ajar, allowing the cold wind to whistle in.

There were faint noises coming from the innermost room on the second floor.

He Guan advised, "If you're okay with me coming to find you, stay put and wait. If not, come out on your own. There's a pillow half a step to the right in front of the door, be careful not to step on it."

He mentioned this because according to the book...

After becoming blind, Lou Dongcang had been ambushed and beaten in this place by those who wished him dead.

The attackers were incredibly cunning, silently closing in on him, letting out their frustrations with punches and kicks before quickly retreating.

There was more than one assailant.

But he didn't die in the end.

Because he hadn't been forgotten by the world yet. Any incident involving him now would only cause trouble for those who wanted him dead.

Lou Dongcang had been severely injured at that time – a broken right hand, numerous contusions across his body. He took a long time to recover. If He Guan's guess was right, unhealed scars still marred Lou's body.

There was no heating in the house, or perhaps the heating supply wasn't contacted in time, but the water and electricity cutoff was likely their doing.

He Guan had inspected the circuit breaker; someone had manually switched it off. Given its height, one would need a ladder to reach it. It certainly wasn’t Lou Dongcang, trying to harm himself.

Moreover, these people might fear someone coming to visit Lou Dongcang and easily switching the power back on. So, they simply cut off all utilities.

Even in his own home, he wasn't safe. Thus, He Guan wouldn't rashly invade his comfort zone and could understand Lou Dongcang's fluctuating emotions.

Lou Dongcang: "Come in."

He Guan's tone lifted lightly, "Alright."

He Guan entered the innermost room, picking up the pillow on his way.

Inside, there was just a bed, an en-suite bathroom, a heater, and a wardrobe. Nothing else.

Lou Dongcang sat up from the bed.

Perhaps due to his blindness, from the moment He Guan saw him, his eyes remained tightly shut.

Understandable, since there's no difference whether they're open or closed.

He Guan: "Did I disturb you? Just woke up?"

Lou Dongcang, with a stiff tone: "I wasn't sleeping."

He Guan: "That's good then."

Handing over a bottle of glucose, he said, "Drink this, 100ml of glucose."

He inadvertently brushed against Lou Dongcang's fingertips.

They were as cold as if they'd just been taken out of a freezer.

The nails on the right hand seemed normal, so the injury wasn't there.

His left hand was under the blanket, out of He Guan's view, but it seemed likely that was where the injury was.

He Guan set down the bowl of saline on the bedside, sitting beside the bed, speaking rapidly, "Although there's no cyanide in the water, I did poison the glucose. After some thought, I believe that fighting poison with poison is best."

Lou Dongcang, chuckling sarcastically at being referred to as "poison": "Then I better drink quickly."

He Guan, leisurely swinging a leg: "Mmm, after you finish, I'll handle your body. What kind of urn would you like? Is wood okay?"

Lou Dongcang, handing back the empty bottle: "Phoebe nanmu."

He Guan, feigning shock: "Wow, that's pricey. Can't afford that."

Lou Dongcang, voice colder: "I'd be dead. Why would I care about your affordability?"

He Guan chuckled, "Well, that won't do. One should die with dignity. Let's put it on credit for now. Don't rush. Once I've made enough money off of you, you can go. I'll ensure the finest urn for you."

He took the empty glucose bottle from Lou Dongcang and asked, "Can you manage with one hand? I'll give you the gauze and iodine."

Lou Dongcang looked up, "For what?"

To He Guan, it felt like he was taming an alert snake. Even acts of kindness had to be approached cautiously. It was a stark contrast to the vibrant corn snake he had once kept, which would energetically curl around a tree branch in its terrarium.

Like a dangerously venomous krait, best admired from a distance.*

Or a sick snake.

As if he couldn't detect the undertones in Lou Dongcang's words, He Guan remarked, "Every room should have some emergency medicines. I'll leave these for this room; since you can't see, you can place them wherever you find convenient."

Lou Dongcang: "What did you place on the bedside earlier?"

He Guan: "It's a custom from where I come from. Salty water wards off negative energy. Even if you don't like it, you'll have to appreciate it. It aligns with your aesthetic. If you have a wound, immersing it in there would probably sting."

Lou Dongcang: "..."

He Guan was bluffing.

The first caretaker was Lou Dongcang's wet nurse. Childless herself, she looked after him more devotedly than his own mother, who was fifty-three when Lou was born.

The book mentioned that after the caretaker left, Lou Dongcang's mental state deteriorated further. He spiraled into depression and showed heightened aggression towards the outside world.

It was only natural for him to be wary of He Guan when he arrived today. In fact, his level of cooperation was surprisingly pleasant to He Guan.

He was much more approachable than anticipated, and it seemed he hadn't had an episode today.

He Guan continued, "I brought in the pillow from the entrance earlier. I'll stash it in the drawer under the wardrobe later. This afternoon, the technician..."

His phone started ringing.

He Guan answered, "Hello?"

Turning his head to speak, "The technician's arrived? The circuit box? It's behind the sixth door from the entrance. Yes, keep walking straight, the sixth door."

Lou Dongcang could hear the electrician's voice from the other end, "Your house is massive!"

With no time to chat further with Lou Dongcang, He Guan thrust the gauze and iodine into his hands and quickly stood up.

He chattered, "I'll be right down. The house is a mess since we've just moved and haven't had it tidied. Watch your step; there are leaves everywhere. Mind you don't slip. Right, just push the door to come in..."

He Guan's palm was warm, a bit warmer than usual, perhaps because of his youth.

In contrast, Lou Dongcang's palm was icy cold. When they made contact, it felt like a slight burn.

But upon reflection, the warmth was rather comforting.

Thoughtfully, He Guan closed the door behind him as he left. The sounds of his footsteps descending the staircase gradually faded.

Clutching the gauze and iodine, Lou Dongcang immersed his left index finger, where half the nail was sliced off and dried blood remained, into the saline solution.

After soaking for a bit, the dried blood loosened. Suddenly, in a fit of frustration, he hurled the bowl.

Landing on the carpet, the bowl fortunately didn't break, but the water splashed everywhere.

It didn't hurt at all.

The saltwater is so mild, it's more suited for rinsing wounds.

...Always playing the misguided good Samaritan.

Con artist.

A note from the author:

*Clarification: the snake mentioned here is a black-browed viper (highly venomous), not a black-browed corn snake (non-venomous). Both types have visually appealing variants. Regardless, if you come across a snake, never touch it without proper knowledge. Value your life and be cautious.