𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 || 敵の旦那様 (𝐁𝐋) ✔ [COMPLETE]

34. Mosquito in Many Ways

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Fu Lin followed the General's lead as he took the forefront and walked up the path towards the winding paths of the Zhou Manor until Fu Lin found himself standing in front of a podium that he was very familiar with.

Apparently, this awe-inspiring place where they could be each other's only spectacle was just the 'rooftop'.

He remained eerily silent as he stared at the podium and General interchangeably.

"What?" the General asked, a slight tinge of pride in his voice at the thought of coming up with the marvellous idea.

Still in disbelief, Fu Lin asked, "What does Your Grace intend to do here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The General asked rather triumphantly, "We'd be conversing on the rooftop."

Aside from the fact the General himself suggested something as blasphemous as undertaking a conversation above his holy heirloom look a-like that was the Zhou Manor, Fu Lin was more bewildered by the fact that the General considered himself to be... slender enough to cross the podium that even his servants found hard to cross.

Staring between the general's physique akin to a white elephant and the near-invisible crack of the podium that grants access to the rooftop, Fu Lin honestly found himself caught in a

dilemma of laughing his butt off and feeling irrepressible sympathy at his undeniable size delusion.

"And how do you presume we cross the podium, Your Grace?" Fu Lin asked. "By sliding through that narrow space, of course."

"Apologies for my presumptuousness, but I do not think that not just your body, but even your palm would not be able to cross that podium."

General Haoran's brows furrowed slightly. He took to his feet immediately and stood in front of the podium, looking through the narrow gap for a while. Then suddenly tried pushing his hips, scraping the edges of his haggard Zhou family clothes, through the narrow space and came to a quick stop. It seems he got stuck. He looked around helplessly, trying to push himself to no avail. Finally, he gave up and returned.

Looking at the laughter about to erupt on Fu Lin's face, he said lightly, "It seems this General is slightly, just a bit too... thick to get across the podium."

Fu Lin could hold it just fine in lieu of the respect he held for the General but not when the General tried to come up with lame excuses. As the sound of Fu Lin's mosquito-buzz laughter roared through the rooftop air, the General, feeling shame creeping unto him, walked over to the podium and crushed the podium into two- single-handedly.

Fu Lin's laughter died immediately.

"This..." The General gestured to the podium. "I only did this so we can talk on the rooftop. Not to scare you."

Fu Lin could hardly believe that the General had such an endearing facet to his everyday grumpy, 'only duty' demeanour. At this, a smile immediately surfaced on his and walked over the podium rather leisurely, with the general following behind him. With the cool nocturnal breeze brushing and caressing the red and black of their garments, the pair decided to stay on a spot with fragmented silver moonlight and sat down.

"What is it that you wanted to know?" Fu Lin asked, his gaze directed at General as the sow hum of the blowing air and the lull of his voice suffused into one pleasant resonance.

General Haoran momentarily forgot the question at hand and breathed. "...sweet." "What?"

"Nothing." He coughed and continued, "The first thing I want to know is..."

"Hmm?"

"...Why are you named Fu Lin (Mosquito)."

Fu Lin almost fell over in shock. It seems he had severely overestimated the General's headspace seriousness. He wanted to know that out of everything possible?

"It's laughable actually." Fu Lin fell into a trance in reminiscence, his eyes glowing a soft light. "When I was born, according to the astrology reading, I was supposed to be a child of fame and fortune. The one who would bring about joy and wealth wherever I went. Hence, my parents had decided on the name 'Fu Lin', the Kanglun equivalent of, "The Golden Wish'', which is a homophone of "mosquito" but differs in character and meaning wildly. After I was born, a man deemed the most imminent naming priest arrived at the palace and conducted the naming ceremony for me by recording my name into the family registry at the auspicious time and announcing to the world my name as 'Fu Lin'. Listening to this one, one would think I had one of the grandest naming ceremonies a person could have had, right, your Grace?"

The General appeared confused. "That's right. So what happened?"

"What nobody knew was that," Fu Lin said, smiling pitifully, "the infamous priest they deemed the master of the head Silver Mountain monastery was not only blind, deaf and illiterate but he was also a swindler!"

Shock was evident on General Haoran's face.

"The truth only came to light after a whole month passed since my naming when my mother, the Empress, found discrepancies in the characters of 'Fu Lin' in the family registry, which read the insect- mosquito in terms of characters. It was when she contacted the Head of the Monastery to inquire into the situation that the royal family was informed that the Head of the Monastery had already passed on 2 years ago."

Listening to this, General Haoran had enough sense to not ask why his parents didn't try changing his name later on because he already knew the answer. For the people of Kanglun, their birth name is of utmost preciousness and significance. It was considered an omen of death and misfortune to change one's birth name even if it legitimately meant "latrine" or "underwear."

"What about..." General Haoran hesitated, "...your medical condition?"

Fu Lin was visibly shocked for a split second. He wrinkled his eyes after a beat and curved his lips lightly as he asked, "The physician told you?"

"Yes," the General said gravely. Blood trauma.

The General couldn't bring himself to spell out the word. And Fu Lin couldn't find it in himself to ask the General whether he could trust him. Suddenly it struck the General that it could be rude of him to ask something quite so personal without the knowledge of his level of comfort of disclosing something akin to it.

Fu Lin felt a rush within himself. A rush of baring something he had never bared before. "You don't have to talk about it if you're uncomfortable-"

"No." Fu Lin cut in, "I'll tell you." 

"I'll tell you everything."

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( ' ▽ ' ) For anybody who's wondering about the condition, it is Blood Phobia or Hemophobia which is a medical term used to describe an irrational fear of blood. Because the term "phobia" sounds too modern and scientific for a historical novel, I have decided to use blood trauma. But please remember that "Blood Trauma" is a term that is only applicable for the fictitious purpose of this novel and is not to be used in real life or to be associated with real life situations. 

When you go from "The golden wish" to a "mosquito" 

(눈_눈) Of course life would suck. 

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