Huai Zhen hiccupped. He tightly squeezed his fists and shifted further away from Ge Nianlan. Under the sparkling gaze of the handsome boy, he continued to hiccup until his face burned red hot. He finally found it in himself to turn away, but his heart raced in his chest. Embarrassment ate at his skin and anxiety boiled in his stomach.
This was the worst first impression ever!
Ge Nianlan watched him in fascination.
Perhaps it was from the lack of sun exposure, but Huai Zhen’s skin was quite pale. When his cheeks got red, it was like the blooming of red ink on a blank canvas.
Ge Nianlan liked it.
“Young Lord,” Zheng Yuying quickly jumped forward and tugged the boy back. “Don’t be rude to your new friend.”
Ge Nianlan snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Zheng Yuying quizzically. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s go inside first,” Nie Chenhui said as he tried his best to hide his laughter. “Let’s—let’s go inside and—ahem—settle down first.”
Ge Nianlan wanted to protest, but he was scooped up by Zheng Yuying before he could say anything. He looked over Zheng Yuying’s shoulder at Huai Zhen as they walked. At one point, Huai Zhen risked a glance, but upon seeing Ge Nianlan watching him intently, his hiccups started up again.
Huai Zhen’s face grew red once more and he hid in Ye Mingxi’s arms. He was embarrassed. He never thought it was possible to get embarrassed anymore, but he was so embarrassed!!
Once their entourage arrived at the drawing room, Ye Mingxi tried to set Huai Zhen down.
“…Xiao Zhen, I have to greet His Excellency first or it would be rude,” Ye Mingxi whispered.
“Take me with you,” Huai Zhen squeezed out.
Ye Mingxi glanced at Ge Nianlan. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “It’s a new place. Xiao Zhen isn’t comfortable being here with so many strangers either, so, for now, I’ll—”
“Then, everyone else can leave, right?” Ge Nianlan said.
…Was this what Nie Chenhui meant when he said that Ge Nianlan was abnormal?
“If it’s just me, then it would be less intimidating, right?” Ge Nianlan added.
…You’re the problem though.
“I’ll take good care of him,” Ge Nianlan said. “I promise.”
……
Huai Zhen’s grip on Ye Mingxi loosened slightly. He glanced at Ge Nianlan, whose eyes were sparkling with anticipation, and suddenly felt a little guilty.
He came to become this boy’s playmate, so he was probably very excited. However, Huai Zhen had done nothing but hide from him this entire time. He met the boy’s enthusiasm with reluctance. Would…would the Young Lord resent him later because of this? If that were the case, won’t everything be worse if he didn’t confront him now?
Zheng Yuying couldn’t stand it anymore. “Young Lord, can’t you see that you’re—”
“…Okay.”
The small squeak made Zheng Yuying stop talking. They all glanced at Huai Zhen, who had willingly slipped down from Ye Mingxi’s embrace.
“Um…”
“You’re okay with just talking to me, right?” Ge Nianlan asked.
Huai Zhen nodded.
Ge Nianlan looked at his companions triumphantly.
Luo Qianwu felt complex about the outcome. While Zheng Yuying and Nie Chenhui thought the whole situation was ludicrous, they couldn’t help but be impressed by Huai Zhen’s courage.
“Then, it’s settled,” Ye Mingxi said. He glanced at Huai Zhen, who was staring adamantly at his hands and gave his head a light pat. “However, Young Lord, if Xiao Zhen no longer wants to play, please come and find me, okay?”
Ge Nianlan nodded. “I will!”
After all, he wanted to be on good terms with the Supreme Devil God. It would do him more harm than good if he harassed the child into hiding from him, right?
Once everyone silently filed out of the room, Ge Nianlan and Huai Zhen sat in complete, unmoving silence.
…
…
…
Huai Zhen felt as if he should talk first.
He risked a glance at Ge Nianlan, but the boy was too busy fussing over the brocade pouch from earlier. He watched as Ge Nianlan tied the strings in various ways before settling with a simple ribbon. Then, Ge Nianlan placed the brocade pouch on the table and slid it over to Huai Zhen’s side. After making brief eye contact, Ge Nianlan turned away again and picked up a pastry to eat.
Huai Zhen looked at the pouch in front of him. He glanced at Ge Nianlan again and hesitantly picked the pouch up.
When Ge Nianlan didn’t show any reaction, Huai Zhen slowly undid the perfect ribbon and peered inside.
There were many odd things, but Huai Zhen felt like most of them were probably toys. But these toys were all some kind of replica of weapons. It made Huai Zhen reluctant to stick his hand inside. However, amongst the replica of wooden weapons, something a little odd caught his eyes. He glanced at Ge Nianlan again before reaching in and pulling out the only fluffy thing inside.
Ge Nianlan beamed at the sight of the item.
A soft black lion toy.
Huai Zhen held it in his hands and looked into its ruby red eyes.
The stuffed animal was about the length of his torso. It was very soft, unlike any toy that Huai Zhen had held before. Its mane was fluffy, almost like dragon’s beard candy. He couldn’t help but touch it a few more times. A small smile rose on his lips as he fiddled with the plush toy. He had seen children walk around with similar items before and he had always envied them. However, he could never bring himself to ask his shizun for one. Now that he was able to hold it and hug it, he realized that it was far more delightful than it was in his imagination.
“Do you like it?”
The question jolted Huai Zhen back to reality. He awkwardly held the plush at arm’s length.
Ge Nianlan smiled. “I spent a lot of time working on that! It took a while to choose the right fabric and the correct colored eyes.”
Huai Zhen glanced at the lion again. “It’s…um…”
“A black coated lion,” Ge Nianlan said. “Isn’t it cute?”
Huai Zhen’s face warmed slightly, but he nodded.
Ge Nianlan grinned.
He spent a lot of time thinking about this specific gift and he had put his all into talking the seamstresses into rushing his order.
This black lion was a preemptive apology gift. The lion itself had ruby eyes, just like Ge Jinsheng. And Ge Jinsheng had the nickname of “lion”! Therefore, Ge Nianlan had the brilliant idea to make this stuffed toy, as a silent promise that he would one day give this boy back his father.
Ge Nianlan thought it was a clever idea. Unfortunately, it was the kind of cleverness that would never be praised by others nor seen by the light of day.
He shifted closer to Huai Zhen and tapped the lion’s eyes. “His eyes look like yours.”
Huai Zhen started. He glanced at Ge Nianlan.
In certain lighting, his reddish-brown eyes would appear red. Many children back at Yunkong Pavilion mocked him for this, saying that he was a demon spawn. He fidgeted and waited for Ge Nianlan to finish his thought, but all Ge Nianlan did was look at him.
Huai Zhen looked like a prettier version of Ge Jinsheng.
Perhaps it was because his facial structure was more similar to his mother’s. But his eyes, from the shape down to the color, resemble Ge Jinsheng extremely closely. If his lips were thinner and if his nose was sharper, there would be no mistaking him for anyone else’s son. Perhaps in another few years, he really will look like the spitting image of Ge Jinsheng.
For now, Ge Nianlan felt that he just looked pretty. He was probably the prettiest boy Ge Nianlan had ever seen.
“…Young Lord…?”
“Nianlan.”
“What?”
“Just call me Nianlan,” Ge Nianlan said with a toothy grin. He straightened. “What should I call you?”
“Um…Huai Zhen…is my name,” the boy awkwardly said.
“Then, can I call you A-Huai?”
Huai Zhen looked at Ge Nianlan in shock. “Um…”
“I want to get closer to you,” Ge Nianlan said. “If I call you by a nickname, I feel like we can get closer faster!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Dea…”
“Tbe mjc mjii wf C-Ojc,” Xf Rljcijc boofgfv. “Yg Rljccljc. Ojcijc lr bxjs abb! Qtlmt bcf vb sbe atlcx lr yfaafg? P’ii ifa sbe mtbbrf. Qtlmtfnfg bcf sbe kjca, sbe mjc ub klat. Yg sbe mjc mjii—”
“Rljcijc.”
Lejl Itfc uijcmfv ja Xf Rljcijc. “P’ii mjii sbe Rljcijc. Pr atja bxjs?”
A smile slowly spread across Ge Nianlan’s face. “As long as you call me by my name, I’ll be satisfied.”
Huai Zhen averted his gaze.
Was this…a different kind of harassment?
Ge Nianlan wasn’t doing much, but for some reason, Huai Zhen found it exceptionally hard to breathe. He also felt as if his skin was going to be seared off any minute now from how hard Ge Nianlan was staring at him. His heart hammered against his chest, but it was different from the horror he normally experienced. There was a slight flutter at the end of each anxious pulse, making Huai Zhen question his own sanity.
If this was a torture technique that devil cultivators used, then it was very effective. Not only did it make Huai Zhen disoriented, but he also didn’t know what Ge Nianlan’s next move would be.
“Do you want to read? Or do you want to eat?” Ge Nianlan asked. He held up a book. “I guess we could do both.”
“…Okay…”
The book was placed into Huai Zhen’s hands. Huai Zhen looked at the book, then at Ge Nianlan.
“I can’t read,” the boy said with an overly endearing smile.
Huai Zhen wanted to vomit.
“…Are you teasing me right now?” Huai Zhen finally asked.
Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “No! I really can’t read! I had, um, some complications up until recently, so I was never officially taught. I’m learning now, but I still have trouble recognizing words in sentences.”
Ge Nianlan pouted slightly as he looked away. “I’m not trying to tease you. If you think I’m lying, you can ask anyone. They all know my education was delayed.”
Huai Zhen’s grip on the book tightened.
Oh no. He said the wrong thing.
Huai Zhen glanced at the book and flipped it open. After a few more minutes of silence, the boy suddenly spoke again.
“Are you sure you want to read this book?”
Ge Nianlan glanced at the boy. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s…” childish.
Ge Nianlan looked at him expectantly.
“Cute,” Huai Zhen said.
Ge Nianlan grinned. “You think so too? I think the rabbit is very cute.”
…For some reason, Huai Zhen felt a shiver of danger from how Ge Nianlan said that. He glanced at the boy but found that nothing was out of sorts.
“I want to know if he gets eaten by the wolf at the end,” Ge Nianlan said.
“Eaten by the wolf?” Huai Zhen asked in surprise.
Ge Nianlan nodded. “I didn’t get to finish reading it with my tutor earlier, so I’ll have to wait till tomorrow. But I want to know now.”
The boy was impatient, Huai Zhen noted.
“Um…I can read it to you, I guess,” Huai Zhen muttered.
“Really? A-Huai, you’re so nice!” Ge Nianlan exclaimed.
Huai Zhen awkwardly coughed. “Um…there once was a white rabbit…”
Ge Nianlan craned his neck to look over Huai Zhen’s shoulder as the boy read. After the first few pages, Huai Zhen’s stuttering disappeared and his nervousness seemed to have eased. By the time he finished reading the short story, he glanced behind him to find that Ge Nianlan was still tentatively paying attention.
“Hm, so the wolf let the rabbit go?” Ge Nianlan said. “With everything that happened, I thought the rabbit was going to die.”
“But it’s a children’s story,” Huai Zhen said.
“Still. The rabbit did so much to mess with the wolf,” Ge Nianlan said. “With the wolf’s personality, shouldn’t it have eaten the rabbit?”
Huai Zhen fiddled with the book. “I suppose.”
Ge Nianlan leaned against the back of the sofa, his eyes directed at Huai Zhen. “If someone messed with you, what would you do, A-Huai?”
Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan. “Um…I don’t know.”
Ge Nianlan tilted his head. “You don’t know? How could you not know? What’s your first instinct when someone hurts you?”
Huai Zhen averted his gaze. He thought about it, but could only draw a blank. He had ideas, but none of them could be considered the self-defense Ge Nianlan was talking about.
After another beat of silence, Huai Zhen awkwardly said, “Um…usually, I just protect my face.”
“…Huh?”
“Because if they hit my face, then Shizun will notice, and then he’ll have to deal with those disciples from affluent families again, so I just hide…my…um…” Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan, whose expression had seemingly darkened. Huai Zhen shifted uncomfortably. “Nianlan?”
“You don’t think about fighting back?”
“I was able to when I was younger, but now everyone is either at Qi Condensation or Foundation Building stages, so they’re stronger than me. I can only lay there and get kicked around now,” Huai Zhen mumbled to himself.
Huai Zhen’s eyes widened when he realized he had spoken out loud. He glanced frantically at Ge Nianlan and tried to smile.
“Um…Nianlan, don’t tell the Pavilion Master,” Huai Zhen said. He pressed a finger to his lips. “Keep it a secret.”
Ge Nianlan nodded with a bright smile. “Alright. If you don’t want me to tell anyone, then I won’t tell anyone.”
Huai Zhen breathed a sigh of relief upon thinking that the worst of his issues could be buried away. However, in his relief, he didn’t notice the way Ge Nianlan’s expression had fallen.
Ge Nianlan smilingly offered Huai Zhen pastries, as his mind ran a mile a minute.
There was no way this boy was acting right now. After all, even if someone was acting, they couldn’t make themselves this pathetic, right? Then, did that mean Ge Nianlan was lucky enough that Huai Zhen had yet to develop a strong hatred for people?
Still, taking a beating and not fighting back was a little too much. How could the future Supreme Devil God be this much of a pushover? It was a disgrace to devil cultivators everywhere! His followers would cry and vomit blood if they realized that their future leader was this puny child that could get kicked around by people of Qi Condensation.
Ge Nianlan thought about it.
His plan was to just make sure he didn’t get on anyone’s bad side and then immediately leave when he was capable enough, right? Then, that meant that when he left, his seat as the Young Lord would be given back to this wimp! What if he lets people bully him then as well?! Black Mane Palace won’t have a place to stand in Jianghu any longer with this kind of heir!
Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan, who had fallen silent after he blurted out his circumstances.
Ge Nianlan wouldn’t think that Huai Zhen was trying to get pity, right? He really had just blurted out his feelings on accident…
“A-Huai.”
Huai Zhen flinched. “M-mn?”
“Do you get bullied a lot?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“Not that much,” Huai Zhen said.
…He was definitely lying.
Ge Nianlan smiled sweetly and leaned in closer. “Don’t worry, A-Huai! While you’re here, no one will be able to bully you.”
Huai Zhen leaned back slightly and nodded. “Okay…”
“But we have to make sure you don’t get bullied when you get back either,” Ge Nianlan said with a grin.
“…Okay?” Huai Zhen frowned slightly.
“So, how do you feel about taking sparring lessons with me?” Ge Nianlan asked.
Huai Zhen’s eyes widened. “Sparring…lessons?”
Huai Zhen hiccupped. He tightly squeezed his fists and shifted further away from Ge Nianlan. Under the sparkling gaze of the handsome boy, he continued to hiccup until his face burned red hot. He finally found it in himself to turn away, but his heart raced in his chest. Embarrassment ate at his skin and anxiety boiled in his stomach.
This was the worst first impression ever!
Ge Nianlan watched him in fascination.
Perhaps it was from the lack of sun exposure, but Huai Zhen’s skin was quite pale. When his cheeks got red, it was like the blooming of red ink on a blank canvas.
Ge Nianlan liked it.
“Young Lord,” Zheng Yuying quickly jumped forward and tugged the boy back. “Don’t be rude to your new friend.”
Ge Nianlan snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Zheng Yuying quizzically. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s go inside first,” Nie Chenhui said as he tried his best to hide his laughter. “Let’s—let’s go inside and—ahem—settle down first.”
Ge Nianlan wanted to protest, but he was scooped up by Zheng Yuying before he could say anything. He looked over Zheng Yuying’s shoulder at Huai Zhen as they walked. At one point, Huai Zhen risked a glance, but upon seeing Ge Nianlan watching him intently, his hiccups started up again.
Huai Zhen’s face grew red once more and he hid in Ye Mingxi’s arms. He was embarrassed. He never thought it was possible to get embarrassed anymore, but he was so embarrassed!!
Once their entourage arrived at the drawing room, Ye Mingxi tried to set Huai Zhen down.
“…Xiao Zhen, I have to greet His Excellency first or it would be rude,” Ye Mingxi whispered.
“Take me with you,” Huai Zhen squeezed out.
Ye Mingxi glanced at Ge Nianlan. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “It’s a new place. Xiao Zhen isn’t comfortable being here with so many strangers either, so, for now, I’ll—”
“Then, everyone else can leave, right?” Ge Nianlan said.
…Was this what Nie Chenhui meant when he said that Ge Nianlan was abnormal?
“If it’s just me, then it would be less intimidating, right?” Ge Nianlan added.
…You’re the problem though.
“I’ll take good care of him,” Ge Nianlan said. “I promise.”
……
Huai Zhen’s grip on Ye Mingxi loosened slightly. He glanced at Ge Nianlan, whose eyes were sparkling with anticipation, and suddenly felt a little guilty.
He came to become this boy’s playmate, so he was probably very excited. However, Huai Zhen had done nothing but hide from him this entire time. He met the boy’s enthusiasm with reluctance. Would…would the Young Lord resent him later because of this? If that were the case, won’t everything be worse if he didn’t confront him now?
Zheng Yuying couldn’t stand it anymore. “Young Lord, can’t you see that you’re—”
“…Okay.”
The small squeak made Zheng Yuying stop talking. They all glanced at Huai Zhen, who had willingly slipped down from Ye Mingxi’s embrace.
“Um…”
“You’re okay with just talking to me, right?” Ge Nianlan asked.
Huai Zhen nodded.
Ge Nianlan looked at his companions triumphantly.
Luo Qianwu felt complex about the outcome. While Zheng Yuying and Nie Chenhui thought the whole situation was ludicrous, they couldn’t help but be impressed by Huai Zhen’s courage.
“Then, it’s settled,” Ye Mingxi said. He glanced at Huai Zhen, who was staring adamantly at his hands and gave his head a light pat. “However, Young Lord, if Xiao Zhen no longer wants to play, please come and find me, okay?”
Ge Nianlan nodded. “I will!”
After all, he wanted to be on good terms with the Supreme Devil God. It would do him more harm than good if he harassed the child into hiding from him, right?
Once everyone silently filed out of the room, Ge Nianlan and Huai Zhen sat in complete, unmoving silence.
…
…
…
Huai Zhen felt as if he should talk first.
He risked a glance at Ge Nianlan, but the boy was too busy fussing over the brocade pouch from earlier. He watched as Ge Nianlan tied the strings in various ways before settling with a simple ribbon. Then, Ge Nianlan placed the brocade pouch on the table and slid it over to Huai Zhen’s side. After making brief eye contact, Ge Nianlan turned away again and picked up a pastry to eat.
Huai Zhen looked at the pouch in front of him. He glanced at Ge Nianlan again and hesitantly picked the pouch up.
When Ge Nianlan didn’t show any reaction, Huai Zhen slowly undid the perfect ribbon and peered inside.
There were many odd things, but Huai Zhen felt like most of them were probably toys. But these toys were all some kind of replica of weapons. It made Huai Zhen reluctant to stick his hand inside. However, amongst the replica of wooden weapons, something a little odd caught his eyes. He glanced at Ge Nianlan again before reaching in and pulling out the only fluffy thing inside.
Ge Nianlan beamed at the sight of the item.
A soft black lion toy.
Huai Zhen held it in his hands and looked into its ruby red eyes.
The stuffed animal was about the length of his torso. It was very soft, unlike any toy that Huai Zhen had held before. Its mane was fluffy, almost like dragon’s beard candy. He couldn’t help but touch it a few more times. A small smile rose on his lips as he fiddled with the plush toy. He had seen children walk around with similar items before and he had always envied them. However, he could never bring himself to ask his shizun for one. Now that he was able to hold it and hug it, he realized that it was far more delightful than it was in his imagination.
“Do you like it?”
The question jolted Huai Zhen back to reality. He awkwardly held the plush at arm’s length.
Ge Nianlan smiled. “I spent a lot of time working on that! It took a while to choose the right fabric and the correct colored eyes.”
Huai Zhen glanced at the lion again. “It’s…um…”
“A black coated lion,” Ge Nianlan said. “Isn’t it cute?”
Huai Zhen’s face warmed slightly, but he nodded.
Ge Nianlan grinned.
He spent a lot of time thinking about this specific gift and he had put his all into talking the seamstresses into rushing his order.
This black lion was a preemptive apology gift. The lion itself had ruby eyes, just like Ge Jinsheng. And Ge Jinsheng had the nickname of “lion”! Therefore, Ge Nianlan had the brilliant idea to make this stuffed toy, as a silent promise that he would one day give this boy back his father.
Ge Nianlan thought it was a clever idea. Unfortunately, it was the kind of cleverness that would never be praised by others nor seen by the light of day.
He shifted closer to Huai Zhen and tapped the lion’s eyes. “His eyes look like yours.”
Huai Zhen started. He glanced at Ge Nianlan.
In certain lighting, his reddish-brown eyes would appear red. Many children back at Yunkong Pavilion mocked him for this, saying that he was a demon spawn. He fidgeted and waited for Ge Nianlan to finish his thought, but all Ge Nianlan did was look at him.
Huai Zhen looked like a prettier version of Ge Jinsheng.
Perhaps it was because his facial structure was more similar to his mother’s. But his eyes, from the shape down to the color, resemble Ge Jinsheng extremely closely. If his lips were thinner and if his nose was sharper, there would be no mistaking him for anyone else’s son. Perhaps in another few years, he really will look like the spitting image of Ge Jinsheng.
For now, Ge Nianlan felt that he just looked pretty. He was probably the prettiest boy Ge Nianlan had ever seen.
“…Young Lord…?”
“Nianlan.”
“What?”
“Just call me Nianlan,” Ge Nianlan said with a toothy grin. He straightened. “What should I call you?”
“Um…Huai Zhen…is my name,” the boy awkwardly said.
“Then, can I call you A-Huai?”
Huai Zhen looked at Ge Nianlan in shock. “Um…”
“I want to get closer to you,” Ge Nianlan said. “If I call you by a nickname, I feel like we can get closer faster!”
“But…”
“You can call me A-Lan,” Ge Nianlan offered. “Or Niannian. Lanlan is okay too! Which one do you think is better? I’ll let you choose. Whichever one you want, you can go with. Or you can call—”
“Nianlan.”
Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan. “I’ll call you Nianlan. Is that okay?”
A smile slowly spread across Ge Nianlan’s face. “As long as you call me by my name, I’ll be satisfied.”
Huai Zhen averted his gaze.
Was this…a different kind of harassment?
Ge Nianlan wasn’t doing much, but for some reason, Huai Zhen found it exceptionally hard to breathe. He also felt as if his skin was going to be seared off any minute now from how hard Ge Nianlan was staring at him. His heart hammered against his chest, but it was different from the horror he normally experienced. There was a slight flutter at the end of each anxious pulse, making Huai Zhen question his own sanity.
If this was a torture technique that devil cultivators used, then it was very effective. Not only did it make Huai Zhen disoriented, but he also didn’t know what Ge Nianlan’s next move would be.
“Do you want to read? Or do you want to eat?” Ge Nianlan asked. He held up a book. “I guess we could do both.”
“…Okay…”
The book was placed into Huai Zhen’s hands. Huai Zhen looked at the book, then at Ge Nianlan.
“I can’t read,” the boy said with an overly endearing smile.
Huai Zhen wanted to vomit.
“…Are you teasing me right now?” Huai Zhen finally asked.
Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “No! I really can’t read! I had, um, some complications up until recently, so I was never officially taught. I’m learning now, but I still have trouble recognizing words in sentences.”
Ge Nianlan pouted slightly as he looked away. “I’m not trying to tease you. If you think I’m lying, you can ask anyone. They all know my education was delayed.”
Huai Zhen’s grip on the book tightened.
Oh no. He said the wrong thing.
Huai Zhen glanced at the book and flipped it open. After a few more minutes of silence, the boy suddenly spoke again.
“Are you sure you want to read this book?”
Ge Nianlan glanced at the boy. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s…” childish.
Ge Nianlan looked at him expectantly.
“Cute,” Huai Zhen said.
Ge Nianlan grinned. “You think so too? I think the rabbit is very cute.”
…For some reason, Huai Zhen felt a shiver of danger from how Ge Nianlan said that. He glanced at the boy but found that nothing was out of sorts.
“I want to know if he gets eaten by the wolf at the end,” Ge Nianlan said.
“Eaten by the wolf?” Huai Zhen asked in surprise.
Ge Nianlan nodded. “I didn’t get to finish reading it with my tutor earlier, so I’ll have to wait till tomorrow. But I want to know now.”
The boy was impatient, Huai Zhen noted.
“Um…I can read it to you, I guess,” Huai Zhen muttered.
“Really? A-Huai, you’re so nice!” Ge Nianlan exclaimed.
Huai Zhen awkwardly coughed. “Um…there once was a white rabbit…”
Ge Nianlan craned his neck to look over Huai Zhen’s shoulder as the boy read. After the first few pages, Huai Zhen’s stuttering disappeared and his nervousness seemed to have eased. By the time he finished reading the short story, he glanced behind him to find that Ge Nianlan was still tentatively paying attention.
“Hm, so the wolf let the rabbit go?” Ge Nianlan said. “With everything that happened, I thought the rabbit was going to die.”
“But it’s a children’s story,” Huai Zhen said.
“Still. The rabbit did so much to mess with the wolf,” Ge Nianlan said. “With the wolf’s personality, shouldn’t it have eaten the rabbit?”
Huai Zhen fiddled with the book. “I suppose.”
Ge Nianlan leaned against the back of the sofa, his eyes directed at Huai Zhen. “If someone messed with you, what would you do, A-Huai?”
Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan. “Um…I don’t know.”
Ge Nianlan tilted his head. “You don’t know? How could you not know? What’s your first instinct when someone hurts you?”
Huai Zhen averted his gaze. He thought about it, but could only draw a blank. He had ideas, but none of them could be considered the self-defense Ge Nianlan was talking about.
After another beat of silence, Huai Zhen awkwardly said, “Um…usually, I just protect my face.”
“…Huh?”
“Because if they hit my face, then Shizun will notice, and then he’ll have to deal with those disciples from affluent families again, so I just hide…my…um…” Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan, whose expression had seemingly darkened. Huai Zhen shifted uncomfortably. “Nianlan?”
“You don’t think about fighting back?”
“I was able to when I was younger, but now everyone is either at Qi Condensation or Foundation Building stages, so they’re stronger than me. I can only lay there and get kicked around now,” Huai Zhen mumbled to himself.
Huai Zhen’s eyes widened when he realized he had spoken out loud. He glanced frantically at Ge Nianlan and tried to smile.
“Um…Nianlan, don’t tell the Pavilion Master,” Huai Zhen said. He pressed a finger to his lips. “Keep it a secret.”
Ge Nianlan nodded with a bright smile. “Alright. If you don’t want me to tell anyone, then I won’t tell anyone.”
Huai Zhen breathed a sigh of relief upon thinking that the worst of his issues could be buried away. However, in his relief, he didn’t notice the way Ge Nianlan’s expression had fallen.
Ge Nianlan smilingly offered Huai Zhen pastries, as his mind ran a mile a minute.
There was no way this boy was acting right now. After all, even if someone was acting, they couldn’t make themselves this pathetic, right? Then, did that mean Ge Nianlan was lucky enough that Huai Zhen had yet to develop a strong hatred for people?
Still, taking a beating and not fighting back was a little too much. How could the future Supreme Devil God be this much of a pushover? It was a disgrace to devil cultivators everywhere! His followers would cry and vomit blood if they realized that their future leader was this puny child that could get kicked around by people of Qi Condensation.
Ge Nianlan thought about it.
His plan was to just make sure he didn’t get on anyone’s bad side and then immediately leave when he was capable enough, right? Then, that meant that when he left, his seat as the Young Lord would be given back to this wimp! What if he lets people bully him then as well?! Black Mane Palace won’t have a place to stand in Jianghu any longer with this kind of heir!
Huai Zhen glanced at Ge Nianlan, who had fallen silent after he blurted out his circumstances.
Ge Nianlan wouldn’t think that Huai Zhen was trying to get pity, right? He really had just blurted out his feelings on accident…
“A-Huai.”
Huai Zhen flinched. “M-mn?”
“Do you get bullied a lot?” Ge Nianlan asked.
“Not that much,” Huai Zhen said.
…He was definitely lying.
Ge Nianlan smiled sweetly and leaned in closer. “Don’t worry, A-Huai! While you’re here, no one will be able to bully you.”
Huai Zhen leaned back slightly and nodded. “Okay…”
“But we have to make sure you don’t get bullied when you get back either,” Ge Nianlan said with a grin.
“…Okay?” Huai Zhen frowned slightly.
“So, how do you feel about taking sparring lessons with me?” Ge Nianlan asked.
Huai Zhen’s eyes widened. “Sparring…lessons?”
Huai Zhen is so shy haha
Tu for the chapter ✨ 🤗
thanks for reading!!
Huai Zhen is so much cuter than I expected ^^
Thanks for the chapter ^^
he’s just a wittle baby ;v; thanks for reading
ALXBAKDJSJ “…You’re the problem though” AND “different kind of harassment” AKCBAKXJS i get it tho, i need to hold Ge Nianlan’s brain in my hands and analyze how it works
HUAI ZHEN IS JUST A LITTLE GUY AND NOW HE HAS A LION PLUSHIE THE SIZE OF HIS TORSO!? those are the best to hug. we gotta carry that around EVERYWHERE
GNL’s brain waves are definitely different from a normal persons LMAO and huai zhen ;n; he’s just a wittle babie. never built to do harm ;v; thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!
Cute, thanks very much