Journey to the Beautiful Ending

C7 - Realization

A cool gush of air entered the open window. It was mid-autumn and the season was preparing for the upcoming winter. Speaking of winter, Jin Ling will turn 16 in a month.

The night was peaceful but a loud thud of heart was thumping as the person who owns it couldn't sleep. Jin Ling clenched the blanket as his eyes was looking at nothing. He was not really looking at nothing but his mind was imagining a sweet smile of certain someone. It was very sweet.

"What was going with you, Jin Ling?" He asked himself. He had a conversation with his uncle before he proceeded to his room in Cloud Recesses. He doesn't want to overthink but with the things that's been happening to him these past weeks, he'd like to think that his uncle might be correct.

"Do you like Sizhui?" Jiang Cheng asked Jin Ling after his disciples brought him from the back mountain to his guest chamber.

Jin Ling replied, "Who wouldn't like him? Even you couldn't say anything wrong about him."

"That's not what I mean."

Jin looked at his uncle with confused eyes. "Then what do you mean?"

Jiang Cheng, "Do you have feelings for him?"

Jin Ling, "What feelings? You're confusing me."

"Huh!" His Uncle huffed. "So you're still confuse right now."

Jin Ling frowned, "Uncle, can you just be straight?"

"Straight?" Jiang Cheng with mockery on his voice. "You're not even straight."

"What are you talking about?" Jin Ling with so much confusion, unable to bear it, he raised his voice.

"Jin Ling," With firm tone, Jiang Cheng told him. "Before you realized something, you must get rid of it."

"Realized what?"

"That you're a cutsleeve like Wei Wuxian!"

Jin Ling frowned. "I'm not a cutsleeve!"

"Then why your eyes are shooting hearts towards that Lan boy?"

"Sizhui?"

"See. I did not even mention a name but you really did know I was referring to him."

"You're crazy, Uncle!" He told Jiang Cheng before he ran away from him.

"Sizhui, do I really like you? Of course not, right? I was just admiring you because..."

"Sizhui, taste this." Jin Ling offered him a bowl of lotus root soup he attempted to cook. Sizhui scoop a spoonful of soup to his mouth.

"This is good. It just kind of salty but not that much."

"Really? I'll be careful next time."

"You cook this?" Sizhui was surprised to taste Jin Ling's cooking.

"Yes."

"I believe you could perfect this very soon." Sizhui said showing his intoxicating smile.

"Jin Ling, why did you only let Sizhui taste it?" Jingyi whined at him. "Where's my share?"

"You get your own."

Jin Ling bit his lower lip with that memory. It was the time when the two dropped by at LanLing and personally invited him for a night hunt.

"Jin Ling, don't stare too much at my friend. He's gonna melt, you know."