Chapter 74 - Talking Sense Into Him (1/2)

A storm was brewing in Qiu Ling's eyes. Damn, even when he courted Jing He back in the nine heavens, he hadn't dared to be this straightforward! How could that guy be this brazen?! He'd teach him a lesson!

Madam Zhong took one look at Qiu Ling's face and knew that it spelled trouble. ”They're just children.”

”You're way too laid-back, mother-in-law! This is dangerous. You wouldn't want him to lead your son astray, would you?” He looked up at her, frowning, but was met with an empty look.

Madam Zhong's thoughts were somewhere else. What did he just call me? Mother-in-law? It seems, whatever happened in Jing'er's last life wasn't that simple.

Qiu Ling blinked, now distracted himself. Why is she looking at me like this? He wanted to ponder on it, but with what was going on in the middle of the room he didn't dare lose focus. No, I can't think about this now. I have to separate that vile scum from my beloved!

His hand moved, but was caught in a soft grip. ”Don't. It's just a child. Nothing to worry about. Shouldn't you know Jing'er by now? He doesn't open up that easily in front of other people.”

Qiu Ling lifted his brows. ”Madam Zhong”, he stated solemnly, ”I tricked your son into opening up to me in less than ten minutes. Don't try to fool me with nice words.”

Madam Zhong didn't know how to answer. She certainly hadn't expected such words. ”So you don't have any confidence to make him fall in love with you again?”

Qiu Ling tensed up. How long had he courted Jing He? One year? Two? Even more? He had taken so long for that even in the nine heavens. In a place, where Jing He had been isolated most of the time, with not much contact to other people.

The heavenly emperor's love and protection might have been a little too much. He was always afraid to lose the son that was so precious to him so he didn't dare take any chances. Who knew if someone he trusted that day would turn into a traitor the next? Who could be sure that some unrequited affection wouldn't turn into hate and compel someone to take drastic steps? Who was to say that someone wouldn't get ambitious and kill the heir to the throne to pave a path for himself?

Finally, the only ones Jing He had regular contact with were his parents and uncle. The rest of the gods … they saw him. Whenever there was an occasion the crown prince should attend, he'd be there, quietly sitting in his place, never directly looking at anyone, only doing what was expected of him.

He seemed perfect looking from outside. But Qiu Ling knew him good enough. Jing He had been lonely. Lonely and scared. When he had started courting him, Jing He hadn't known what to do. On one hand he wanted to accept this love, he wanted to finally have somebody else in his life, whoever it might be. He didn't want to be so alone anymore. But on the other hand he was scared and didn't dare follow his heart.

It wasn't wrong to say he had lived like a prisoner until then, even through that prison was made out of the most luxurious materials and the one guarding it was a person he loved and who treated him kindly. With such a life, of course there would be some reservations. Of course he wouldn't believe that his father isolated him like that without good reason. And of course that made him suspect Qiu Ling's reason for getting closer to him.

Winning over such a person hadn't been easy. The trust between them had to be slowly accumulated and Qiu Ling certainly wasn't eager to wait that long. He wanted to sweep him up into his arms right from the first time he saw him. Persevering for so long … He himself was surprised he could do it. But he had already been head over heels for Jing He. Waiting some years, he had willingly made that sacrifice.

But that was all the more reason that he didn't want to yield to any other person now. He might be able to accept some little girl circling around his beloved, but this was different. From the very beginning Qiu Ling had never taken any woman as serious competition. With how Jing He behaved, he wasn't suited to be with any of them. He needed someone more outgoing, someone who would take the lead in their life and make him feel secure.