Became the Terminally Ill Supporting Male Lead's Rabbit Spirit

The girl gazed at Lu Zhe intently, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He gripped the hem of his shirt, hesitating before saying, "I can just lower the collar a bit."

Su Ci looked at him with reproachful eyes. "No!" She insisted on seeing him take off his shirt.

Back when she was a rabbit, she used to watch Lu Zhe exercise almost every day, and she knew exactly how good his physique was.

She felt it had been too long since she'd last watched him exercise, and she missed it.

"Hurry up and take it off," Su Ci urged impatiently, resembling a shameless little rogue harassing an innocent person.

Lu Zhe gave her a helpless look. "Someone might come..."

Su Ci cut him off immediately, "No one will come, and the security cameras can't see this pavilion. You can undress without worry."

Lu Zhe: ......

He could tell how eager the girl was for him to remove his clothes.

Su Ci grew impatient with Lu Zhe's dawdling. She raised an eyebrow, "Come on."

The girl sat in her blue dress under the moonlight, looking like a beautiful sprite yet acting like a mischievous devil.

Lu Zhe gave her a long look, bit his lip, and finally took off his black T-shirt.

The night breeze swept past, and Lu Zhe instinctively straightened his posture.

Lu Zhe: "Give me the medicine, I'll apply it myself."

Su Ci removed her high heels and stood up, her bare feet touching the floor as she positioned herself in front of Lu Zhe.

In the moonlight, the girl who looked as beautiful as a sprite had an expression of barely contained anticipation.

Su Ci kept her eyes fixed on Lu Zhe: "You can't see your own back, I'll help you apply it." She acted coy despite taking advantage of the situation, "Aren't you happy to have me taking care of you?"

She had seen male models at photo shoots for magazines before, and while she'd thought they maintained their figures well, she hadn't felt anything special.

But now, looking at Lu Zhe before her, who usually wore white and blue school uniforms and had a tall, lean figure like a typical teenager, she found his shirtless form quite captivating.

The thin layer of muscle with perfect definition wasn't too slight nor overly bulky.

Su Ci suddenly realized she could be quite lustful too.

"Weren't you going to help apply the medicine?" Lu Zhe couldn't bear the girl's intense gaze any longer and turned his head away.

"Oh." Su Ci snapped out of her daze, having been mesmerized by the young man's beauty.

Lu Zhe turned sideways, his back facing Su Ci.

He straightened his posture, fully exposing the wound on his shoulder to Su Ci.

The wound was about half the size of a palm, with blisters from the burn that had been rubbed open, the area red with dried blood around it.

Su Ci, whether before or after transmigrating into the book, had always been well-protected and rarely got hurt, let alone suffered burns.

Just looking at such a wound made her feel pain.

How had Lu Zhe endured the pain all afternoon and evening without treating it?

With only the occasional cricket chirping in the nearby bushes, the surroundings grew increasingly quiet, and as the girl had said, no one came by.

Lu Zhe lowered his gaze, watching the moon's reflection in the lotus pond, occasionally broken by swimming fish.

After a while, feeling no movement behind him, Lu Zhe asked Su Ci, "Are you done?"

Su Ci didn't respond.

Just as Lu Zhe was about to turn around to look at her, the girl's soft, jade-like hands touched his back.

Lu Zhe's back muscles instinctively tensed.

Then, something landed beside his wound.

The slight pain and tickling sensation made Lu Zhe straighten his posture even more, his back muscles tensing painfully.

Lu Zhe frowned, "Su Ci..."

"Don't move." The girl's small hand pressed against his back, preventing him from turning around.

This time, Lu Zhe's sensation was clearer - Su Ci was kissing him!

Her soft lips landed beside the wound, gentle yet stimulating with a slight sting that made him itch.

Lu Zhe's entire body tensed severely as he tried to endure the tingling sensation running down his spine. "Tuantuan!" His usually cool voice was slightly hoarse in the night air.

"Did I hurt you?" Su Ci lifted her head.

Lu Zhe's dark eyes were filled with deep emotion as he softly replied, "Mm."

Her kisses were more unbearable than the burn itself!

Su Ci had kissed him out of sympathy for his injury, "Then we should apply the medicine quickly, the wound is all red and swollen."

She opened the cap and gently dabbed the ointment on his wound with a cotton swab. Lu Zhe's shoulder would occasionally tremble, probably from the pain.

Su Ci became even gentler, applying the medicine while softly blowing on the wound, trying to ease his pain.

Lu Zhe lowered his eyelids, the night concealing the look in his eyes.

"There, when you shower later, make sure you don't get the wound wet, or it might get infected," Su Ci instructed Lu Zhe.

"Mm." Lu Zhe picked up his shirt to put it back on, but the girl grabbed his hand.

"You can't put your clothes on yet, I just applied the medicine and it hasn't dried. Your shirt will wipe it off," Su Ci glared at him. "You can't waste all my hard work."

Lu Zhe: ......

So, she wanted him to sit shirtless with her in the pavilion and chat?

Su Ci casually set aside the ointment and cotton swabs, walked in front of Lu Zhe, and to his astonishment, sat sideways on his lap.

Su Ci's eyes curved up as she justified herself matter-of-factly: "The stone bench is too hard, it's uncomfortable."

Lu Zhe asked her softly, "And my legs aren't hard?" He remembered her complaining before about his legs being uncomfortable.

Su Ci leaned against his chest, somewhat lazily, "A bit more comfortable than stone."

Lu Zhe exercised regularly, and his thighs were all muscle and quite firm, not particularly comfortable to sit on, but she preferred his lap to the stone bench.

Su Ci was always sensitive to heat, and Lu Zhe's skin temperature ran cool, making him like a big ice block in the hot summer - very comfortable to lean against.

Previously when Lu Zhe had held her, they'd both been fully clothed, but now with his upper body bare and her dress being so thin, this skin contact created an indescribable intimacy.

The girl's body was soft and light, molding against him as if boneless, and her formal dress was sensual with a somewhat low neckline. If Lu Zhe looked down, he could see quite an alluring view.

His jaw tightened as he turned away his gaze and said coldly, "Tuantuan, sit properly."

Su Ci was used to being shameless.

In the moonlight, she was like a wicked, alluring sprite, "I just finished helping you apply medicine, and now I'm so tired, I have no strength left, I can't sit properly." She looked up at him with a slightly wronged expression, "Are you trying to cast me aside now that you're done using me?"

Lu Zhe gave in: "No."

Only then did Su Ci smile. If she hadn't been worried about pushing Lu Zhe too far, she would have wanted to touch his tense muscles long ago.

The night breeze blew past, making the lotus flowers in the pond sway.

Su Ci remembered something and her red lips curved up, her eyes carrying a mischievous glint, "Lu Zhe, there's no one here, you should kiss me."

The last time he saved Wen Duoyu from their class, she had saved the golden cotton candy she got as a reward for him. Fu Gui had been eyeing it every day, but she hadn't been willing to share even a bit with Fu Gui.

Lu Zhe gave her a bland glance. The girl's eyes held that familiar gleam he knew well. He coughed and replied, "The number of kisses from last time should be enough to last you until the college entrance exam."

Su Ci refused to accept this. She told a blatant lie with wide eyes, "You counted wrong." She lifted her delicate chin and urged, "Quick, I have something good for you."

In Lu Zhe's experience, whenever Su Ci said she had something good for him, he knew she wanted a kiss.

Under the warm yellow light of the pavilion, the girl's face was fair, her bright eyes fixed on him, looking as if she might bite him if he refused.

Lu Zhe lowered his head, his well-shaped thin lips cooled by the night air, meeting her red lips.

Their eyes met, and he saw the sparkling laughter in hers.

Lu Zhe's kiss was very gentle, just a light taste. After Su Ci took the opportunity to give Lu Zhe the golden cotton candy, she clung to him insatiably.

The fish in the pond were so embarrassed they hid under the lotus leaves, creating ripples on the water's surface.

Su Ci sat sideways on Lu Zhe's lap, leaning weakly in his embrace, her watery eyes enchanting, her small face tinged with a light pink, and even her little mouth seemed thoroughly kissed, a deep red.

Su Ci felt that compared to Lu Zhe's loss of control last time, this gentle exchange of kisses made her heart flutter just as much.

The young man's stern features had softened, and in the moonlight, he looked elegantly handsome. She loved it so much.

After they just kissed, the small beauty mark below Su Ci's eye corner appeared even more alluring. She softly nestled in Lu Zhe's embrace before bringing up the main topic, "Why did you suddenly come to City B?"

Lu Zhe adjusted his position, trying to make the girl more comfortable, "Uncle Fang wants to collaborate with me to open a company. We came to look at office spaces."

Su Ci was a bit surprised, though she knew Lu Zhe was very capable. "Why didn't you tell me?"

If not for today's accident, she wouldn't have known he was here. Was he planning to secretly see her, or perhaps not see her at all and just leave after finishing his business?

"There wasn't enough time. Uncle Fang and I have flights tomorrow morning." He knew Su Ci had to attend the banquet and must be very busy.

"You're leaving tomorrow?"

Lu Zhe softly responded, "Mm."

Su Ci pouted, "I just got to see you." She felt that waiting another month before seeing Lu Zhe again would be quite long.

Lu Zhe stroked the girl's hair, "I'll come after the college entrance exam."

Only then did Su Ci smile again.

As night deepened, it was getting late.

The ointment on his shoulder had long dried, and Lu Zhe put his clothes back on amidst the girl's playful teasing.

Lu Zhe gestured for Su Ci to get up, as she was still sitting on his lap.

Su Ci didn't move. She lifted her dress hem to show Lu Zhe her bare feet and began to act spoiled, "I'm not wearing shoes yet, will you carry me back?"

Not to mention there were many servants in the villa, and as Su Ci had mentioned earlier, her brother Su ZhiYuan was also there. Lu Zhe had been sneaked in by her, and if he carried her back, everyone would see them.

The girl didn't mind, but Lu Zhe couldn't be so indulgent.

Lu Zhe picked Su Ci up and placed her on the stone bench.

Su Ci glared at him angrily, "Lu Zhe."

Lu Zhe bent down to pick up the high heels from the ground. To the girl's surprise, he knelt on one knee, held her foot, patted away the dust on her foot, and helped her put on the shoe.

Su Ci's chest, which had been puffed up in anger just a second ago, immediately deflated.

Her heart melted.

She watched as her foot was held in the young man's large hands, his eyes lowered and focused on helping her put on her shoes. Though Su Ci hadn't drunk any alcohol, she felt intoxicated.

Otherwise, why would her face feel hot and her heart beat so fast?

What should she do? Lu Zhe was so good to her that she wanted to secretly hide him away.

"Little Ci!"

A sudden voice broke the quiet in the pavilion.

Su Ci looked up and immediately saw her tall brother Su ZhiYuan standing outside the pavilion, his brows furrowed as he looked at her disapprovingly.

Su Ci's heart skipped a beat.

It was too thrilling – she'd been caught by her brother.

In the study.

Su Ci stood in front of the desk, feeling nervous. If her brother scolded Lu Zhe, she would take all the blame.

After all, she was the one who had actively pursued Lu Zhe.

As the heir to the Su family, Su ZhiYuan had inherited the family business early and managed the vast Su Corporation. Even though his features were beautiful, they couldn't hide his aura of authority.

He looked at his sister, "Why didn't you invite Lu Zhe inside when he came?"

Su Ci didn't know how her brother had discovered her and Lu Zhe in the backyard. She was somewhat relieved that her brother had come late and hadn't seen them kissing. Otherwise, even her thick skin couldn't handle such embarrassment.

Su Ci answered, "He's shy."

Su ZhiYuan gave his sister an exasperated look, "Then why did he come to the Su family?"

"I wanted to thank him for saving Dad and Mom. He wouldn't let me go find him, so I had to make him come to me." Though expressing gratitude was secondary, wanting to see Lu Zhe was the real reason.

"You know about thanking people? Lu Zhe saved our family's lives," Su ZhiYuan said disapprovingly, "How could you let him kneel on the ground to put on your shoes?"

Huh?

Hearing this, Su Ci was a bit stunned.

Wasn't her brother angry about Lu Zhe being with her? She had prepared a belly full of words to defend her relationship with Lu Zhe, but now, her brother was scolding her, not Lu Zhe?

She had been ready to protect Lu Zhe to the death, but wasn't her brother's focus wrong?

"Little Ci, Lu Zhe has done our Su family great favors twice. He not only took care of you but also saved Mom and Dad's lives. You can't bully him as you please." Su ZhiYuan knew his sister's temperament – she had been spoiled since childhood and often liked to tease people, full of mischief.

Obviously, he thought Lu Zhe had been bullied into helping her put on shoes.

Su Ci hurriedly refuted, "Brother, I didn't bully Lu Zhe."

Lu Zhe helping her put on shoes was absolutely voluntary!

Su ZhiYuan clearly didn't believe Su Ci's words. He warned his sister, "When Dad gets out of the hospital, we will properly thank him."

Su Ci hadn't expected her brother's novel interpretation, thinking she had bullied Lu Zhe.

She gave up explaining. Let the misunderstanding be – anyway, they would be separated until after the college entrance exam.

In the hotel.

After returning, Lu Zhe worried that Su Ci would be scolded by her brother, since the latter's expression hadn't looked good when he left.

He took the initiative to call her.

The call was answered within seconds.

"Did your brother scold you?" Lu Zhe's brows furrowed slightly, regretting his earlier indulgence.

Su Ci had just finished showering and was lying on her bed, "Yes, he did."

Lu Zhe's hand tightened around the phone, his lowered eyelids hiding the gloom in his eyes, his handsome face growing increasingly rigid.

He would go to the Su family to apologize.

When Lu Zhe spoke again, his voice carried extra weight, "Don't be afraid, I'll resolve this."

It was he who wanted to steal a glimpse of the Su family's treasure; he deserved to be beaten or scolded.

Su Ci, uncomfortable lying on her stomach, turned to lie on her side, "What are you going to resolve? My brother now highly values you as our family's savior. When he saw you helping me put on shoes, he said I was being troublesome and told me not to bully you."

Lu Zhe's expression froze on the other end of the phone.

Then, the girl's sweet and slightly indignant voice came through, "You were the one who voluntarily helped me put on shoes, you were the one bullying me, holding my waist and kissing me hard. My brother didn't see that."

The girl's angry but straightforward words instantly broke through Lu Zhe's previously cold and gloomy expression, making his ears turn red, "Tuantuan."

Hearing Lu Zhe's helplessness, Su Ci's red lips curved into a smile like a cunning little fox, "But thankfully brother came late. If he had appeared while we were kissing, I would have died of fright."

Lu Zhe: ......

He had overthought it; the girl didn't need his comfort at all.

......

In the car.

Qin Shiyan had been filming advertisements all day and only now had time to check her phone.

Looking at the hotel fire news that had topped the trending topics, she narrowed her eyes, her hand unconsciously tightening around the phone.

She quickly scrolled down, wanting to know about the casualties in this incident.

When she saw one news report about the Su family hosting a banquet and both parents being hospitalized, she wasn't too surprised, but rather furrowed her brow.

With Su's Father and Mother in the hospital, what about Su Ci?

Had she escaped?

Qin Shiyan felt it was a pity, though her initial purpose had been somewhat achieved.

The hotel fire was deliberate – she knew this better than anyone, and the arsonist lived on the floor above her.

That person was a hotel employee who, due to a gambling addiction, had accumulated significant debt. Additionally, his mother had cancer and needed a large sum for treatment. He had started stealing hotel items to sell online.

After several incidents, the hotel discovered this and not only demanded compensation but also fired him.

That person needed money for his mother's treatment and refused to leave, but the hotel manager had security throw him out.

In the end, that person's mother died, and he hated the hotel for firing him, which had left him without money for his mother's treatment.

She had heard all this from her mother during dinner.

Unexpectedly, she happened to meet him in the elevator one time.

Qin Shiyan recalled how, while chatting with him, she had deliberately leaked the time when the Su family would be hosting their banquet at the hotel.

And now, that man had chosen the time she revealed to take revenge on the hotel.

He wanted to use the Su family to strike at the hotel, while she wanted him to ruin the Su family's banquet. Even if the Su family investigated, they could never discover that she had played a part in this, and even the arsonist didn't know she was using him.

Su Ci had returned from a brush with death, and the Su family had organized such a grand banquet for her. Now that it had been ruined, with many guests injured and some deaths, if people could be made to think that Su Ci was bad luck, specifically prone to causing deaths, and that being close to her would bring misfortune, that would be perfect.

After all, most people in wealthy families tend to believe in feng shui and fate.

Qin Shiyan pondered for a moment, thinking her idea wasn't bad.

If everyone believed Su Ci was that kind of person, even with her status as the Su family's young lady, no one would want to get close to her.

Perhaps the Su family would even abandon her.

...

Su's Father's injuries weren't severe; he had been knocked unconscious when hit and had injured his back, forcing him to lie on his side.

Su's Mother poured a glass of water for her husband when they heard a knock. A bodyguard entered to relay a message, "Sir, Madam, Miss Qin is outside requesting to visit."

At such a late hour, Su's Mother hadn't expected Qin Shiyan to come. After the previous incident with their younger son, although it was due to her carelessness, Su's Mother wouldn't tolerate it.

She had issued orders preventing Qin Shiyan from freely entering and leaving the Su residence, and it had been quite some time since they'd last seen her.

Su's Mother frowned, "Let her in."

Qin Shiyan entered carrying flowers and a fruit basket. "Uncle Su, Aunt Su, I've come to see you." Her expression was sincere. "I'm sorry, I was filming advertisements all day, and I just noticed the news about you being in the hospital."

She asked anxiously, "I'm truly sorry I'm late. Uncle Su, Aunt Su, are you both feeling better?"

From the moment she stepped into the Su residence, Qin Shiyan had been carefully observing Su's parents' expressions. She knew better than anyone that the Su family would be her future backing, and to gain their trust, she needed to curry favor with them.

She probably understood Su's parents' expressions and emotions even better than Su Ci did.

"It's nothing serious," Su's Mother replied softly.

Qin Shiyan seemed not to notice Su's Mother's coldness and distance. Upon hearing there was nothing serious, her worried expression relaxed into joy. "That's wonderful, I was really frightened. My hands and feet were numb the whole way here." As she spoke, she secretly shook her fingers as if they were actually numb.

Su's Mother had always been gentle by nature and pure-hearted. Since Qin Shiyan had grown up alongside her daughter, she was like a junior family member she had watched grow up. The displeasure in her heart lessened somewhat, and her expression became less cold. "Thanks to someone who saved us, we escaped disaster."

"Uncle Su and Aunt Su are blessed and kind-hearted people. After surviving this great ordeal, everything will go smoothly from now on, with blessings rolling in," Qin Shiyan noticed the change in Su's Mother's expression, and her heart relaxed a bit.

"When did you learn to be as sweet-tongued as Ci-ci?" Su's Mother constantly thought of her daughter, even bringing her up when complimenting others.

Qin Shiyan responded as if used to it, smiling and agreeing with Su's Mother, "Aunt Su, is Ci-ci alright? I'm very worried about her too. May I go see her?"

Su's Mother had previously forbidden her from freely entering and leaving the Su residence. Though outsiders didn't know yet, it would eventually be discovered.

She now wanted to use this opportunity of visiting Su Ci to get Su's Mother to change her mind.

"She's fine. You're busy with work, you should go home and rest well. No need to see Ci-ci," Su's Mother remembered that her daughter currently strongly disliked Qin Shiyan.

Since her daughter disliked her, she certainly wouldn't allow someone her daughter despised to appear before her.

With her plans thwarted, Qin Shiyan maintained her expression unchanged. She chatted with Su's Mother for a while longer but still couldn't find an excuse to regain access to the Su residence.

After Qin Shiyan left, Su's Mother poured another glass of water for Su's Father and sighed, "That Qin child is becoming increasingly calculating." Though Su's Mother was gentle-natured, it didn't mean she was naive.

How could anyone in wealthy families be truly naive?

"No wonder Ci-ci doesn't like her now," Su's Mother said.

Su's Father finished his water and smiled at his wife's words, the sternness leaving his still-handsome face. He said with amusement, "Our daughter is even more calculating than her."

Su's Mother shot her husband a displeased look, "Ci-ci isn't calculating, she's clever." Su's Mother's heart was completely biased toward her daughter.

Su's Father completely agreed with his wife, "You're right."

Su's Mother brought up the day's rescue, "We're so fortunate that young man Lu Zhe saved us. Once you're discharged, we must properly thank him. He was the one who had been taking care of Ci-ci before, and now he's saved us today. We owe Lu Zhe two favors."

Su's Father nodded, "We should indeed thank him."

Su's Mother held her husband's hand, "You were unconscious, but at that moment, I thought we would die there. I had already given up hope when Lu Zhe suddenly appeared. He saved us without hesitation. That young man truly has a kind heart. Last time I paid him off with money, but doing so again this time would be too disrespectful."

Su's Father agreed with his wife, "There's no rush. We can think about what he needs, or we can promise that if he ever needs the Su family's help in the future, we'll do our best to assist him."

"I remember ZhiYuan mentioning that Lu Zhe had a difficult background, being an orphan, and he has a terminal illness." Su's Mother's heart was full of sympathy and regret.

She recalled Lu Zhe's appearance, finding it familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. But for the moment, she couldn't remember where.

Su's Father said, "In that case, if he needs it, we can help him search for his family, or provide him with the best medical team."

Su's Mother thought this was a good idea, "We'll ask Lu Zhe what he thinks about it."