Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 3, Part 1)

373 A Bad Memory

Guanyu continued with her temper tantrum while Qiu Ling and Jing Yi ignored her until the end of the dinner and just concentrated on eating their food. As soon as they finished, everybody got up and hurried away, trying to get as far away from Guanyu as possible. Jing Yi hurried to the room he shared with his mother while Qiu Ling went in the other direction, hid from mortal eyes once again and then followed his beloved.

Anyway, nobody could expect him not to go and be with his beloved, right? If anybody did, they were simply delusional! As if an opportunity like this could be given up on.

For the time being, the two of them managed to escape. When they saw each other again the next morning, everything seemed to have passed.

Jing Yi gave a happy smile and couldn't help but tease Qiu Ling for once. "Good morning, senior martial brother Qiu."

Qiu Ling's expression fell when he was greeted like that. He gave Jing Yi a pitiful look. "My love, didn't we agree that you would just call me Qiu Ling?"

Jing Yi requited his gaze with a complicated expression. "We did." Well, in fact, it had been Qiu Ling who decided that on behalf of the two of them without really waiting for any agreement. The only reason Jing Yi had given in was because he felt that it would've been worse not to do so at that moment.

"Then ..." Qiu Ling looked at his beloved questioningly, wondering what this was about.

Jing Yi gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, there's something I've been thinking about."

"What kind of thing?"

Jing Yi looked at Qiu Ling with the same complicated expression that he had had since they started to talk about this. "Say, do you remember that person I was with when we met again the day after the Gathering of Practitioners?"

Qiu Ling furrowed his brows and then nodded. "I do. Why?"

Jing Yi nodded slowly when Qiu Ling said so. "Then do you remember his name?"

Qiu Ling was startled. His name? Wasn't he that child of Yi Zan's sister? Why would he know his name? He didn't even know the name of that child's mother! It was good enough that he could remember who Yi Zan was, wasn't it? Thus Qiu Ling honestly shook his head.

Jing Yi looked at him as if he had expected that. "Then do you remember what my cousin's name is?"

"That stupid girl?"

Jing Yi stared at him in a daze. What had he just said? This wouldn't have been an attempt at using her name right?

Qiu Ling tensed as if he had just noticed that he had said this out loud. "Uh ... I ... I'm not quite sure what her name is. What was it again?"

"It's Guanyu."

Qiu Ling nodded. "So that was her name." Actually, he didn't care at all.

Jing Yi didn't say anything else and walked over to the dining room, sitting down at the table. This time, the others weren't there yet. Qiu Ling sat down next to him, smiling happily. Ah, to think that they would have the opportunity to be alone together ... This was really too great!

Jing Yi observed his expression and then leaned closer, crossing his arms on the table. "So you were in the Yun Zou Sect for five years, yes?"

Qiu Ling nodded. "Yes, just like you."

"Then what kind of people did you get to know there? Is there any of the other disciples you're close to?"

Qiu Ling blinked his eyes. The other disciples? He didn't know any of them. But could he just say that? His gaze darted around and he finally found a dignified excuse. "Uh ... It's ... It's a little complicated. You know, I was so busy with learning that I had hardly time to spend with anybody else. So it was only ever my Master and me."

Jing Yi nodded again. "Yes, your Master ... Grandmaster ..." He looked at Qiu Ling questioningly, waiting for him to supplement the name.

Qiu Ling looked at him expectantly, not getting Jing Yi's drift at all.

Jing Yi gave an embarrassed smile in return. "I'm afraid I forgot his name. What was it called again?"

Qiu Ling pondered. "Grandmaster ..." He interrupted himself and put on a thoughtful expression. Right. What was his name again? "I'm not quite sure. You see, I only ever called him Master. His name must have slipped my mind temporarily."

Jing Yi nodded. Sure it did. Just like Xiao Dong's name and Guanyu's name and even his name. He could probably be happy that Qiu Ling at least remembered his own name. Well, that at least showed that Qiu Ling constantly forgetting his name wasn't because he didn't care but just because he really had a bad memory in that regard. It seemed he should let go of the matter now.

This he leaned back and waved. "Well, maybe you'll remember sometime later. Or maybe I'll think of it another time."

Qiu Ling nodded, not caring about that at all. Instead, he went back to being happy about the fact that the two of them were alone. Unfortunately, this didn't last for too long. And soon enough, the very same scene from the previous evening was reenacted again. Jing Yi and Qiu Ling ate quietly, concentrating on the food while they ignored Guanyu constantly glaring and giving snide remarks. Then, they rushed out of the house together with Jing Yi's mother and went to open the teahouse.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy to get rid of Guanyu. A while after they had opened the teahouse and served the first few customers, Guanyu walked through the door, giving Jing Yi who was currently serving an older woman that had brought over her daughter and granddaughter a dark look. Then she huffed and went to look for Qiu Ling.

Needless to say, the dragon king wasn't impressed. He ignored her just like at home and instead served the customers together with Jing Yi, throwing over some flirtatious glances every once in a while, making Jing Yi hurry away as fast as he could.