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

124 Worrying about the Future

Jing He felt stunned. Was it obvious what he should do? Why didn't he think so? But of course, he wouldn't dare to contradict the supreme sovereign so he could only nod his head in confusion.

Tian stared at him and finally hummed lightly. Turning around and looking out at the garden that was slowly shrouded in shadows, he figured it might indeed be best to leave him be for now. Jing He clearly wasn't completely there yet. He needed time to sort out his thoughts before they could have a meaningful conversation.

He turned back, his expression unchanged as if there was nothing odd about this whole situation. "It is getting late so I should leave for the time being. I will come back tomorrow morning. Until then, think a bit more about it." He turned and strode out of the door but stopped on the threshold. "Right. Tonight, you had better not leave your palace." He didn't explain why this was a bad idea and simply left.

Jing He watched as the supreme sovereign vanished around the corner, puzzled. He should not leave his palace? Why was that? He stood there in a daze and finally shook his head. Never mind that, actually, why had Tian been there in the first place?

He lowered his gaze and met An Xin's big eyes but, of course, the little Flame Heart couldn't tell him either why any of this had happened. Jing He could only sigh and give up trying to figure out the supreme sovereign's mind. Anyway, he had said that he would return tomorrow so he would likely tell him by then. Maybe he only hadn't done so now because of his embarrassing breakdown earlier.

Jing He's expression became a little sheepish and he went to close the door to the garden. He still felt a little odd about waking up a finding a stranger in his palace. Even though that person had turned out to be Tian who should be considered trustworthy overall, it wasn't a good feeling. While closing the door couldn't actually offer any protection, it helped him to calm down.

With this done, he took a deep breath and looked around the palace. Everything seemed just as it had been before but he somehow felt unsettled. Maybe it was because of what he had remembered from his trial or maybe it was the conversation with Tian but ... it just seemed odd. He had this sinking feeling that any moment, something horrible might happen.

His brows furrowed and he walked through the palace once, trying to see if he had overlooked anything. No, nothing was out of place. The palace was just as he had left it in the morning. The only difference was the bed that hadn't been made after he just woke up.

Well, maybe this was just the anxiety that his sudden meeting with Tian had caused or maybe he felt uneasy because he didn't know what the supreme sovereign actually wanted from him. Of course, that ominous warning that he shouldn't leave his palace at night hadn't done much to reassure him.

He sighed and put An Xin down on the table, patting its head. "Things seem a bit odd today but let's not think too much. It was a long day and much has happened but none of it is too odd if you carefully consider it. Tomorrow morning, Tian will certainly explain why he is here. Until then, there is no use pondering that issue. We should focus on what he asked us to do instead." He turned to the cupboard resting against the wall and started to brew a pot of tea by habit. He was lost in thought though, hardly registering any of the actions.

What Tian wanted him to think about was his future with Qiu Ling. While he hadn't said much, it seemed as if he saw no issue in him being with Qiu Ling despite his heritage. Was Tian simply that open to people with mixed blood? Or could it be that he felt this would never play a role? Of course, any negative consequences still depended on others finding out about this. It was just ... he himself had now found out. That made it difficult to trust that others wouldn't.

Jing He lowered his head and picked up the tray with the freshly brewed tea, quietly carrying it back to the table and putting it down next to An Xin. He sat down and sighed faintly. Actually, he probably didn't need to worry. He had spent ten years with Qiu Ling and had only found out because Qiu Ling wanted to tell him during his trial. Since this was the case ... most likely, others also wouldn't figure it out on their own. But even though he logically knew that, his heart couldn't easily calm down.

He couldn't imagine a life without Qiu Ling. He didn't want to either. This man meant so much to him that having to be without him would feel like losing half his life. Because of this, anything that threatened their relationship was naturally a major issue. His father's current attitude toward Qiu Ling alone scared him already, what more if he were to ever find out about his parentage. If he did, then even the small chance of accepting him as a possible spousal candidate that might still exist now would be gone. How could he calmly face such a possibility?

Jing He sighed, poured himself a cup of tea, and then held it with a lost expression. He had suddenly remembered and now didn't know what to make of all this. If Qiu Ling was there, maybe he would have had a few words to calm him down but from beginning to end, he hadn't appeared yet. Maybe that contributed to his anxiety as well. Until he saw Qiu Ling and they could reassure each other, this feeling of implicit worry might not fade at all.