Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 1)

102 He Made Up His Own Version

Outside the door, Qiang Yan looked up at the ceiling with a defeated expression. He hadn't known what to do after closing the door and stood on the spot, debating whether he should wait if Li Yin would come out to ask what was going on or just silently leave him to his matters and wait for him to come by after he finished. Then, he heard the sound of something crashing to the ground.

His brows twisted and he rubbed his neck. It seemed like ... his good friend wouldn't be done all that soon. It also seemed a little dangerous to stay here. While the arrays were designed to keep voices at a regular volume inside the rooms and not let them travel outside, that didn't go for other sounds. If he continued to stay here ... who knew what he'd hear?

Just imagining what else might be coming out of that room, he finally hurried down the corridor again and waved at the official in the corner with some embarrassment. "It seems he really is too busy. I'll leave now. You can tell him he doesn't have to follow up with me. I think ... I think I can solve it on my own." He didn't wait for a response and instead hurried away as fast as he could as if the Court of Justice would go up in flames the next second.

He wasn't sure where to go and just wandered the streets aimlessly. He didn't want to go to his brother-in-law's palace yet and get caught up in the issues over there but he also hadn't decided yet what to do about inviting his son. He really didn't have the face to bother Li Yin anytime soon again either.

Ah ... Li Yin, he still wasn't sure what to think about that. It wasn't like he wasn't happy for his friend that he seemed to have found somebody. On the contrary, he felt ecstatic! Heaven knew that he himself had never managed to get over Huan Yin. Even now, her loss still pained him. And while Li Yin had never said anything, he was sure that his situation should be similar.

Back then, Li Yin carried that child Ru Zhen back with a serious expression. At first, he had thought that Li Yin had just picked him up somewhere while traveling outside but ... no, after watching for a while, it was clear that there was something more. When he finally asked, Li Yin hadn't hesitated to tell him that this child was his. As Ru Zhen grew up, it also became obvious that there was some resemblance.

As for who Ru Zhen's other parent was or any other detail surrounding this ... Li Yin had never mentioned it. Even when Qiang Yan asked, he only got a vague response. Clearly, this wasn't something Li Yin liked to speak about so Qiang Yan didn't press the issue. After all, he knew the feeling. He was the same when it concerned Huan Yin.

Over time, with no word from Li Yin regarding what had happened, Qiang Yan had more or less made up a version of what should have gone down by himself: Li Yin probably fell in love at first sight while out on a trip for the Court of Justice, things got out of hand somehow, and he was swept up in a whirlwind romance. When they realized that she was pregnant, they were still ecstatic but then, something went wrong. The mother didn't survive but the child did so Li Yin returned brokenhearted but swore to himself not to let her down. From then on, he focused on his role as his father, not even entertaining the idea of finding a new partner for himself.

Well, even if it hadn't gone down exactly that way, Qiang Yan still felt that his guess was reasonable. Ru Zhen's other parent should long be dead and Li Yin hadn't quite gotten over it. The specifics weren't all that important as long as he had gotten the gist of it right. And he didn't doubt that for a single moment.

Li Yin had never shown much inclination to find somebody for himself. This was also why he originally believed that he should have picked up Ru Zhen randomly and never would have thought he could be Li Yin's blood-related child. But this only seemed to be further proof of how deep Li Yin's attachment to Ru Zhen's mother should have been. It also meant that Li Yin was unlikely to easily find somebody new.

Ru Zhen was only slightly older than Jing He but that also meant he had already come of age. That boy didn't have any hang-ups when it came to dating and regularly turned the heads of men wherever he went. It was as if he intended to live life exactly the opposite way of his father. Still, seeing Ru Zhen so outgoing and his friend still mourning the loss of his lover, Qiang Yan also felt a bit lost.

Now, it was great. Even though he had no idea who the guy inside the study just now had been, it seemed that Li Yin was serious about this. At the very least, his expression had seemed relaxed and with how close they had been, they seemed really familiar. To be honest, he felt a bit hurt that Li Yin hadn't mentioned it to him when he met somebody new but maybe he was reluctant because of the past. Who knew if he hadn't intended to introduce Ru Zhen's mother to him shortly before things went wrong? Maybe this time, he wanted to wait until he was sure of where the future would lead them before making it official. It didn't seem impossible.

Anyway, as long as Li Yin was happy, then he was happy for him! He definitely wouldn't disturb him with his matters right now. As for who that guy was ... well, he could still ask later. For now, he should focus his energy on his own family.

Making up his mind, Qiang Yan finally stopped at the corner of a square and pulled out a transmission stone. So much could go wrong in life, Li Yin was proof of that. If something were to go wrong in his own family, he wouldn't want to leave behind any regrets. So since there was a chance to spend more time together and have his most beloved people meet each other, he shouldn't be timid and just reach out.