Chapter 41.1 - Identity
Ji Ling didn’t know what happened with Jonah after he left. It was just something he’d done in passing, so he didn’t care at all whether the guy wanted to thank him or not.
Compared with that little sideshow, his situation with Carlos was the one that was turning him bald.
He couldn’t let it just go on like this. How long could he keep running away? When would Carlos’ patience run out? All these factors were unknown.
The system had gone back to help him submit an application, and likely wouldn’t return for a while. Ji Ling gave a sad sigh when he thought about all his various troubles.
Earl Gerard and the others looked at how sad and distraught Ji Ling appeared. They were all so nervous and tense that they didn’t even dare breathe too loudly. It seemed like Young Master Ji didn't look too happy with His Excellency Carlos...
Young Master Ji clearly still loves His Majesty deeply, so why does he want to marry Carlos? Could it be that he was threatened by Carlos?
Suddenly, all their brains filled with thousands of words of love and hate. They had no idea what secrets were really hidden behind the scenes. While there were many curious cats itching about inside them, they still didn’t dare to go scratch that itch, so it was quite difficult to bear!
It was getting later and later, so the attendees began to gradually leave.
Ji Ling really didn't want to go back. Right when he was struggling with the decision, everything around him suddenly turned silent. Then, voices rang out one after another, greeting: “Your Excellency Carlos."
Ji Ling heard this and looked back. Seeing Carlos approach step by step, his expression changed slightly.
Ever since he was enlightened that day, he’d been desperately thinking of ideas to avoid Carlos. All this time, he’d been pretending to feel very hurt and sad. For the time being, Carlos wasn’t forcing him or approaching him again, and it was relatively peaceful these days. So why was he suddenly coming over to him again today? Ji Ling remembered that little fiasco last time, and suddenly felt panicked.
Carlos was dressed in a double-breasted black suit. His each and every move was pure elegance. With a silver-black cane in his right hand, he strode next to Ji Ling. His brown eyes looked gentle and he gave a smile as he said: "I've come to pick you up."
Ji Ling complained bitterly in his heart, but the system wasn’t around, so he didn't dare provoke Carlos excessively. He put on a slightly cold expression, and said in a low voice: "I can go back by myself."
Carlos saw the distant coldness in the boy’s eyes. That pair of blue eyes was dull and dim, making his heart ache slightly. It was all his fault for behaving so crudely last time.
Because the guilt weighed on his heart, he left the boy free to escape away whenever. However, he hadn’t really let him go. He had the boy’s movements and whereabouts in the palm of his hand. His each and every move was relayed, but it was only through these reports that he could know what his beloved boy was doing, and whether he was happy or not…
That’s why when Ji Ling saved that civilian’s life, Carlos was also the first to hear about it.
Suddenly, he no longer wanted things to continue like this. And so he decided to come pick the boy up…
Because he wanted to see him.
Carlos looked at Ji Ling dotingly and said: "I know, but it just happened to be on my way, so I came by. It's late now. Shall we head back?"
Ji Ling still appeared unwilling, and refused to look at Carlos. His mouth was a line of indifference.
Carlos didn’t get angry in the slightest. He reached out directly to take the youth’s hand, and held it tightly, not letting him break free. His voice was low and magnetic, as he said elegantly: "Don't be so willful.”
Everyone watched this scene with their mouths gaping.
Was this really the terrible cold-blooded Archduke Carlos they all knew? Although he appeared to be a gentlemanly nobleman, they all knew that was only a front. They knew all too well how ruthless and cruel he was in nature. It was because of this truth that they were all in awe.
And now, Ji Ling clearly loved His Majesty deeply, and ignored him coldly, but not only did Carlos not mind, he even endured it patiently and coaxed the boy…
This was absolutely ludicrous.
They seemed to faintly see a dazzling green light of jealousy above Archduke Carlos’ head.
Wait…what the heck were they watching?
What had they seen?!
Ji Ling was absolutely fine. Ji Ling could be willful… but… what about them? Wouldn’t they die? How could they dare to watch Carlos making a fool of himself? They might as well give up on living!
And so fear surfaced in their eyes, and one after the other, they all lowered their gazes, not daring to watch.
Each and every one of them stood trembling.
The whole area was shrouded in silence.
Ji Ling's hand was held tightly by Carlos. The man’s palm was hot, like his skin was going to scald. Although Ji Ling was very reluctant, all he could do was gloomily leave with Carlos since everyone’s eyes were on them.
………………
As soon as they reached home, Ji Ling flung off Carlos' hand directly, and said lightly: "I want to rest now.”
However, Carlos didn't leave. He took a step forward and stubbornly locked onto Ji Ling’s eyes. Raising his hand, he tilted the boy’s face up, and met his gaze with a deep expression. In a muted tone, he said: "I know you’re still angry with me, but please believe me. My feelings for you are completely true and sincere.”
Last time, Ji Ling had underestimated Carlos' obsession with him, and almost burned himself playing with fire. That’s why this time, he didn't dare provoke Carlos too much. His eyelids trembled, and tears beaded in his eyes, as he said with a bitter laugh:"Uncle Carlos, why… can't you always just be my Uncle Carlos?"
Carlos paled slightly.
Ji Ling stared fixedly at him, and opened his mouth. It was hard for him to say this: "I trusted you so much, and you are the one who treats me the best… but you…Why must you treat me like His Majesty does?”
The boy looked incomparably sad and pained, like a small lost child who’d been abandoned and hurt by the person he’d trusted in the most, and was unable to accept the cruel reality before him… He still couldn’t bring himself out of what had happened last time.
Carlos knew the way to very easily regain the boy’s trust, and that was to become an uncle… and continue to care for him and approach him as an elder.
However…
Carlos replied huskily: "I only want to be your lover."
He could not just be an uncle figure forever.
He himself knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it.
Rather than wait until his lie was seen through later, it was better to tell the truth now.
Carlos closed his eyes and emphasized each word: "I cannot lie to you."
Ji Ling's face paled as soon as he heard this. He looked incredibly saddened and pained. Flinging off Carlos’ hand, he turned away and left.
Carlos didn't give chase this time. He just stood there silently the whole time, looking at Ji Ling’s figure as he left… watching the youth disappear from before his eyes without so much as looking back.
………………
Ji Ling didn't turn to look back, but he could still feel the man's persistent gloomy gaze on him from behind.
He seemed calm, but it was like the peaceful surface of the ocean hiding raging currents below. Really frightening.
Ji Ling fiercely slammed the door, and leaned back against it. At this moment, a certain suspicion had finally sprouted in his brain, a completely crazy notion… Could it be that Carlos really loved him?
Ji Ling was completely at a loss. But how was that possible?
Why would Carlos like him?
Last life, there really wasn’t much interaction between them. He didn’t have that deep forever love type of affection for Carlos in his character setting like with Jing Sui, and definitely not to the point where he’d be misunderstood like Jing Sui had. To Carlos, he should be even more of an insignificant passer-by, a stupid laughable rich kid, and a chess piece that could be discarded at any moment.
Even if he did help Carlos that one time when he was down, he’d done it to save himself more than anything. Let’s say he hadn’t reached out to him, nothing would’ve happened to Carlos, but he’d probably have died on the spot…
So, what did this cruel and ruthless big scary villain like about him?
He thought long and hard, but still didn’t know. This is really making me despair about the world…
He only wanted to be a cannon fodder doing his job in peace, but everyone had to go and love him.
Ji Ling fell weakly on the bed, like a hopeless fish. All he could do now was hope that the system would bring him some good news as soon as possible. He really couldn't hold on anymore!
There are too many crazies in this world! QaQ
He missed his home and family.
………………
Ji Ling was still sleeping early the next morning, when he was suddenly awakened by his communicator.
In order to avoid the hassle and people harassing him, he’d already changed his number. Only a handful of people had his new number, so who on earth would contact him? Ji Ling opened it and it turned out to be an unknown number he’d never seen before.
He hesitated for a moment, but still chose to take the call.
After it connected, a youthful figure with black hair and green eyes appeared in front of him. The young man looked up and revealed his handsome face from under his hat. Who could it be if not Ning Yu?
Ji Ling’s face went blank. How could Ning Yu possibly know his number? And why would he want to contact him?
Ning Yu looked at Ji Ling with mild and indifferent eyes. His thin lips parted slightly as he said: "I want to meet with you."
Ji Ling’s mood had been too foul lately, and he didn’t want to see anyone. Although Ning Yu was the original protagonist, he was about to drop to the level of passer-by. Even if that wasn’t the case, the two of them should be rivals in love. Now that things had fallen to this state, there wasn’t anything worth meeting up for. Ji Ling, who had already given up on going down his face slapping plot, was about to refuse, when Ning Yu suddenly spoke again.
As if he’d seen through Ji Ling's intentions, he looked him in the eye and said slowly: "I want to chat about His Majesty."
Ji Ling was stumped.
He originally didn't want to go, but when he heard this, he began to hesitate again. Although it seemed hopeless to complete his mission in the current situation, but this involved the feelings between the main gong and shou after all... Going home after completing the mission had long become Ji Ling’s biggest wish, so even though the plot had collapsed to this degree, he was still curious after he heard Ning Yu's words. There was no way he could refuse.
Ji Ling hesitated for a moment and said: "OK."
Ning Yu gave a slight smile. He waved and sent the coordinates to Ji Ling, then raised his hand to push down his hat, saying lightly: "I'll be waiting for you here in an hour."
With that, he hung up directly.
Ji Ling stared at the location Ning Yu sent. He gave a turn in the room, and then got dressed. Calling the aircraft, he headed to the address Ning Yu designated. Chapter 41.1 - Identity
Ji Ling didn’t know what happened with Jonah after he left. It was just something he’d done in passing, so he didn’t care at all whether the guy wanted to thank him or not.
Compared with that little sideshow, his situation with Carlos was the one that was turning him bald.
He couldn’t let it just go on like this. How long could he keep running away? When would Carlos’ patience run out? All these factors were unknown.
The system had gone back to help him submit an application, and likely wouldn’t return for a while. Ji Ling gave a sad sigh when he thought about all his various troubles.
Earl Gerard and the others looked at how sad and distraught Ji Ling appeared. They were all so nervous and tense that they didn’t even dare breathe too loudly. It seemed like Young Master Ji didn't look too happy with His Excellency Carlos...
Young Master Ji clearly still loves His Majesty deeply, so why does he want to marry Carlos? Could it be that he was threatened by Carlos?
Suddenly, all their brains filled with thousands of words of love and hate. They had no idea what secrets were really hidden behind the scenes. While there were many curious cats itching about inside them, they still didn’t dare to go scratch that itch, so it was quite difficult to bear!
It was getting later and later, so the attendees began to gradually leave.
Ji Ling really didn't want to go back. Right when he was struggling with the decision, everything around him suddenly turned silent. Then, voices rang out one after another, greeting: “Your Excellency Carlos."
Ji Ling heard this and looked back. Seeing Carlos approach step by step, his expression changed slightly.
Ever since he was enlightened that day, he’d been desperately thinking of ideas to avoid Carlos. All this time, he’d been pretending to feel very hurt and sad. For the time being, Carlos wasn’t forcing him or approaching him again, and it was relatively peaceful these days. So why was he suddenly coming over to him again today? Ji Ling remembered that little fiasco last time, and suddenly felt panicked.
Carlos was dressed in a double-breasted black suit. His each and every move was pure elegance. With a silver-black cane in his right hand, he strode next to Ji Ling. His brown eyes looked gentle and he gave a smile as he said: "I've come to pick you up."
Ji Ling complained bitterly in his heart, but the system wasn’t around, so he didn't dare provoke Carlos excessively. He put on a slightly cold expression, and said in a low voice: "I can go back by myself."
Carlos saw the distant coldness in the boy’s eyes. That pair of blue eyes was dull and dim, making his heart ache slightly. It was all his fault for behaving so crudely last time.
Because the guilt weighed on his heart, he left the boy free to escape away whenever. However, he hadn’t really let him go. He had the boy’s movements and whereabouts in the palm of his hand. His each and every move was relayed, but it was only through these reports that he could know what his beloved boy was doing, and whether he was happy or not…
That’s why when Ji Ling saved that civilian’s life, Carlos was also the first to hear about it.
Suddenly, he no longer wanted things to continue like this. And so he decided to come pick the boy up…
Because he wanted to see him.
Carlos looked at Ji Ling dotingly and said: "I know, but it just happened to be on my way, so I came by. It's late now. Shall we head back?"
Ji Ling still appeared unwilling, and refused to look at Carlos. His mouth was a line of indifference.
Carlos didn’t get angry in the slightest. He reached out directly to take the youth’s hand, and held it tightly, not letting him break free. His voice was low and magnetic, as he said elegantly: "Don't be so willful.”
Everyone watched this scene with their mouths gaping.
Was this really the terrible cold-blooded Archduke Carlos they all knew? Although he appeared to be a gentlemanly nobleman, they all knew that was only a front. They knew all too well how ruthless and cruel he was in nature. It was because of this truth that they were all in awe.
And now, Ji Ling clearly loved His Majesty deeply, and ignored him coldly, but not only did Carlos not mind, he even endured it patiently and coaxed the boy…
This was absolutely ludicrous.
They seemed to faintly see a dazzling green light of jealousy above Archduke Carlos’ head.
Wait…what the heck were they watching?
What had they seen?!
Ji Ling was absolutely fine. Ji Ling could be willful… but… what about them? Wouldn’t they die? How could they dare to watch Carlos making a fool of himself? They might as well give up on living!
And so fear surfaced in their eyes, and one after the other, they all lowered their gazes, not daring to watch.
Each and every one of them stood trembling.
The whole area was shrouded in silence.
Ji Ling's hand was held tightly by Carlos. The man’s palm was hot, like his skin was going to scald. Although Ji Ling was very reluctant, all he could do was gloomily leave with Carlos since everyone’s eyes were on them.
………………
As soon as they reached home, Ji Ling flung off Carlos' hand directly, and said lightly: "I want to rest now.”
However, Carlos didn't leave. He took a step forward and stubbornly locked onto Ji Ling’s eyes. Raising his hand, he tilted the boy’s face up, and met his gaze with a deep expression. In a muted tone, he said: "I know you’re still angry with me, but please believe me. My feelings for you are completely true and sincere.”
Last time, Ji Ling had underestimated Carlos' obsession with him, and almost burned himself playing with fire. That’s why this time, he didn't dare provoke Carlos too much. His eyelids trembled, and tears beaded in his eyes, as he said with a bitter laugh:"Uncle Carlos, why… can't you always just be my Uncle Carlos?"
Carlos paled slightly.
Ji Ling stared fixedly at him, and opened his mouth. It was hard for him to say this: "I trusted you so much, and you are the one who treats me the best… but you…Why must you treat me like His Majesty does?”
The boy looked incomparably sad and pained, like a small lost child who’d been abandoned and hurt by the person he’d trusted in the most, and was unable to accept the cruel reality before him… He still couldn’t bring himself out of what had happened last time.
Carlos knew the way to very easily regain the boy’s trust, and that was to become an uncle… and continue to care for him and approach him as an elder.
However…
Carlos replied huskily: "I only want to be your lover."
He could not just be an uncle figure forever.
He himself knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it.
Rather than wait until his lie was seen through later, it was better to tell the truth now.
Carlos closed his eyes and emphasized each word: "I cannot lie to you."
Ji Ling's face paled as soon as he heard this. He looked incredibly saddened and pained. Flinging off Carlos’ hand, he turned away and left.
Carlos didn't give chase this time. He just stood there silently the whole time, looking at Ji Ling’s figure as he left… watching the youth disappear from before his eyes without so much as looking back.
………………
Ji Ling didn't turn to look back, but he could still feel the man's persistent gloomy gaze on him from behind.
He seemed calm, but it was like the peaceful surface of the ocean hiding raging currents below. Really frightening.
Ji Ling fiercely slammed the door, and leaned back against it. At this moment, a certain suspicion had finally sprouted in his brain, a completely crazy notion… Could it be that Carlos really loved him?
Ji Ling was completely at a loss. But how was that possible?
Why would Carlos like him?
Last life, there really wasn’t much interaction between them. He didn’t have that deep forever love type of affection for Carlos in his character setting like with Jing Sui, and definitely not to the point where he’d be misunderstood like Jing Sui had. To Carlos, he should be even more of an insignificant passer-by, a stupid laughable rich kid, and a chess piece that could be discarded at any moment.
Even if he did help Carlos that one time when he was down, he’d done it to save himself more than anything. Let’s say he hadn’t reached out to him, nothing would’ve happened to Carlos, but he’d probably have died on the spot…
So, what did this cruel and ruthless big scary villain like about him?
He thought long and hard, but still didn’t know. This is really making me despair about the world…
He only wanted to be a cannon fodder doing his job in peace, but everyone had to go and love him.
Ji Ling fell weakly on the bed, like a hopeless fish. All he could do now was hope that the system would bring him some good news as soon as possible. He really couldn't hold on anymore!
There are too many crazies in this world! QaQ
He missed his home and family.
………………
Ji Ling was still sleeping early the next morning, when he was suddenly awakened by his communicator.
In order to avoid the hassle and people harassing him, he’d already changed his number. Only a handful of people had his new number, so who on earth would contact him? Ji Ling opened it and it turned out to be an unknown number he’d never seen before.
He hesitated for a moment, but still chose to take the call.
After it connected, a youthful figure with black hair and green eyes appeared in front of him. The young man looked up and revealed his handsome face from under his hat. Who could it be if not Ning Yu?
Ji Ling’s face went blank. How could Ning Yu possibly know his number? And why would he want to contact him?
Ning Yu looked at Ji Ling with mild and indifferent eyes. His thin lips parted slightly as he said: "I want to meet with you."
Ji Ling’s mood had been too foul lately, and he didn’t want to see anyone. Although Ning Yu was the original protagonist, he was about to drop to the level of passer-by. Even if that wasn’t the case, the two of them should be rivals in love. Now that things had fallen to this state, there wasn’t anything worth meeting up for. Ji Ling, who had already given up on going down his face slapping plot, was about to refuse, when Ning Yu suddenly spoke again.
As if he’d seen through Ji Ling's intentions, he looked him in the eye and said slowly: "I want to chat about His Majesty."
Ji Ling was stumped.
He originally didn't want to go, but when he heard this, he began to hesitate again. Although it seemed hopeless to complete his mission in the current situation, but this involved the feelings between the main gong and shou after all... Going home after completing the mission had long become Ji Ling’s biggest wish, so even though the plot had collapsed to this degree, he was still curious after he heard Ning Yu's words. There was no way he could refuse.
Ji Ling hesitated for a moment and said: "OK."
Ning Yu gave a slight smile. He waved and sent the coordinates to Ji Ling, then raised his hand to push down his hat, saying lightly: "I'll be waiting for you here in an hour."
With that, he hung up directly.
Ji Ling stared at the location Ning Yu sent. He gave a turn in the room, and then got dressed. Calling the aircraft, he headed to the address Ning Yu designated.
Chapter 41.1 - Identity
Ji Ling didn’t know what happened with Jonah after he left. It was just something he’d done in passing, so he didn’t care at all whether the guy wanted to thank him or not.
Compared with that little sideshow, his situation with Carlos was the one that was turning him bald.
He couldn’t let it just go on like this. How long could he keep running away? When would Carlos’ patience run out? All these factors were unknown.
The system had gone back to help him submit an application, and likely wouldn’t return for a while. Ji Ling gave a sad sigh when he thought about all his various troubles.
Earl Gerard and the others looked at how sad and distraught Ji Ling appeared. They were all so nervous and tense that they didn’t even dare breathe too loudly. It seemed like Young Master Ji didn't look too happy with His Excellency Carlos...
Young Master Ji clearly still loves His Majesty deeply, so why does he want to marry Carlos? Could it be that he was threatened by Carlos?
Suddenly, all their brains filled with thousands of words of love and hate. They had no idea what secrets were really hidden behind the scenes. While there were many curious cats itching about inside them, they still didn’t dare to go scratch that itch, so it was quite difficult to bear!
It was getting later and later, so the attendees began to gradually leave.
Ji Ling really didn't want to go back. Right when he was struggling with the decision, everything around him suddenly turned silent. Then, voices rang out one after another, greeting: “Your Excellency Carlos."
Ji Ling heard this and looked back. Seeing Carlos approach step by step, his expression changed slightly.
Ever since he was enlightened that day, he’d been desperately thinking of ideas to avoid Carlos. All this time, he’d been pretending to feel very hurt and sad. For the time being, Carlos wasn’t forcing him or approaching him again, and it was relatively peaceful these days. So why was he suddenly coming over to him again today? Ji Ling remembered that little fiasco last time, and suddenly felt panicked.
Carlos was dressed in a double-breasted black suit. His each and every move was pure elegance. With a silver-black cane in his right hand, he strode next to Ji Ling. His brown eyes looked gentle and he gave a smile as he said: "I've come to pick you up."
Ji Ling complained bitterly in his heart, but the system wasn’t around, so he didn't dare provoke Carlos excessively. He put on a slightly cold expression, and said in a low voice: "I can go back by myself."
Carlos saw the distant coldness in the boy’s eyes. That pair of blue eyes was dull and dim, making his heart ache slightly. It was all his fault for behaving so crudely last time.
Because the guilt weighed on his heart, he left the boy free to escape away whenever. However, he hadn’t really let him go. He had the boy’s movements and whereabouts in the palm of his hand. His each and every move was relayed, but it was only through these reports that he could know what his beloved boy was doing, and whether he was happy or not…
That’s why when Ji Ling saved that civilian’s life, Carlos was also the first to hear about it.
Suddenly, he no longer wanted things to continue like this. And so he decided to come pick the boy up…
Because he wanted to see him.
Carlos looked at Ji Ling dotingly and said: "I know, but it just happened to be on my way, so I came by. It's late now. Shall we head back?"
Ji Ling still appeared unwilling, and refused to look at Carlos. His mouth was a line of indifference.
Carlos didn’t get angry in the slightest. He reached out directly to take the youth’s hand, and held it tightly, not letting him break free. His voice was low and magnetic, as he said elegantly: "Don't be so willful.”
Everyone watched this scene with their mouths gaping.
Was this really the terrible cold-blooded Archduke Carlos they all knew? Although he appeared to be a gentlemanly nobleman, they all knew that was only a front. They knew all too well how ruthless and cruel he was in nature. It was because of this truth that they were all in awe.
And now, Ji Ling clearly loved His Majesty deeply, and ignored him coldly, but not only did Carlos not mind, he even endured it patiently and coaxed the boy…
This was absolutely ludicrous.
They seemed to faintly see a dazzling green light of jealousy above Archduke Carlos’ head.
Wait…what the heck were they watching?
What had they seen?!
Ji Ling was absolutely fine. Ji Ling could be willful… but… what about them? Wouldn’t they die? How could they dare to watch Carlos making a fool of himself? They might as well give up on living!
And so fear surfaced in their eyes, and one after the other, they all lowered their gazes, not daring to watch.
Each and every one of them stood trembling.
The whole area was shrouded in silence.
Ji Ling's hand was held tightly by Carlos. The man’s palm was hot, like his skin was going to scald. Although Ji Ling was very reluctant, all he could do was gloomily leave with Carlos since everyone’s eyes were on them.
………………
As soon as they reached home, Ji Ling flung off Carlos' hand directly, and said lightly: "I want to rest now.”
However, Carlos didn't leave. He took a step forward and stubbornly locked onto Ji Ling’s eyes. Raising his hand, he tilted the boy’s face up, and met his gaze with a deep expression. In a muted tone, he said: "I know you’re still angry with me, but please believe me. My feelings for you are completely true and sincere.”
Last time, Ji Ling had underestimated Carlos' obsession with him, and almost burned himself playing with fire. That’s why this time, he didn't dare provoke Carlos too much. His eyelids trembled, and tears beaded in his eyes, as he said with a bitter laugh:"Uncle Carlos, why… can't you always just be my Uncle Carlos?"
Carlos paled slightly.
Ji Ling stared fixedly at him, and opened his mouth. It was hard for him to say this: "I trusted you so much, and you are the one who treats me the best… but you…Why must you treat me like His Majesty does?”
The boy looked incomparably sad and pained, like a small lost child who’d been abandoned and hurt by the person he’d trusted in the most, and was unable to accept the cruel reality before him… He still couldn’t bring himself out of what had happened last time.
Carlos knew the way to very easily regain the boy’s trust, and that was to become an uncle… and continue to care for him and approach him as an elder.
However…
Carlos replied huskily: "I only want to be your lover."
He could not just be an uncle figure forever.
He himself knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it.
Rather than wait until his lie was seen through later, it was better to tell the truth now.
Carlos closed his eyes and emphasized each word: "I cannot lie to you."
Ji Ling's face paled as soon as he heard this. He looked incredibly saddened and pained. Flinging off Carlos’ hand, he turned away and left.
Carlos didn't give chase this time. He just stood there silently the whole time, looking at Ji Ling’s figure as he left… watching the youth disappear from before his eyes without so much as looking back.
………………
Ji Ling didn't turn to look back, but he could still feel the man's persistent gloomy gaze on him from behind.
He seemed calm, but it was like the peaceful surface of the ocean hiding raging currents below. Really frightening.
Ji Ling fiercely slammed the door, and leaned back against it. At this moment, a certain suspicion had finally sprouted in his brain, a completely crazy notion… Could it be that Carlos really loved him?
Ji Ling was completely at a loss. But how was that possible?
Why would Carlos like him?
Last life, there really wasn’t much interaction between them. He didn’t have that deep forever love type of affection for Carlos in his character setting like with Jing Sui, and definitely not to the point where he’d be misunderstood like Jing Sui had. To Carlos, he should be even more of an insignificant passer-by, a stupid laughable rich kid, and a chess piece that could be discarded at any moment.
Even if he did help Carlos that one time when he was down, he’d done it to save himself more than anything. Let’s say he hadn’t reached out to him, nothing would’ve happened to Carlos, but he’d probably have died on the spot…
So, what did this cruel and ruthless big scary villain like about him?
He thought long and hard, but still didn’t know. This is really making me despair about the world…
He only wanted to be a cannon fodder doing his job in peace, but everyone had to go and love him.
Ji Ling fell weakly on the bed, like a hopeless fish. All he could do now was hope that the system would bring him some good news as soon as possible. He really couldn't hold on anymore!
There are too many crazies in this world! QaQ
He missed his home and family.
………………
Ji Ling was still sleeping early the next morning, when he was suddenly awakened by his communicator.
In order to avoid the hassle and people harassing him, he’d already changed his number. Only a handful of people had his new number, so who on earth would contact him? Ji Ling opened it and it turned out to be an unknown number he’d never seen before.
He hesitated for a moment, but still chose to take the call.
After it connected, a youthful figure with black hair and green eyes appeared in front of him. The young man looked up and revealed his handsome face from under his hat. Who could it be if not Ning Yu?
Ji Ling’s face went blank. How could Ning Yu possibly know his number? And why would he want to contact him?
Ning Yu looked at Ji Ling with mild and indifferent eyes. His thin lips parted slightly as he said: "I want to meet with you."
Ji Ling’s mood had been too foul lately, and he didn’t want to see anyone. Although Ning Yu was the original protagonist, he was about to drop to the level of passer-by. Even if that wasn’t the case, the two of them should be rivals in love. Now that things had fallen to this state, there wasn’t anything worth meeting up for. Ji Ling, who had already given up on going down his face slapping plot, was about to refuse, when Ning Yu suddenly spoke again.
As if he’d seen through Ji Ling's intentions, he looked him in the eye and said slowly: "I want to chat about His Majesty."
Ji Ling was stumped.
He originally didn't want to go, but when he heard this, he began to hesitate again. Although it seemed hopeless to complete his mission in the current situation, but this involved the feelings between the main gong and shou after all... Going home after completing the mission had long become Ji Ling’s biggest wish, so even though the plot had collapsed to this degree, he was still curious after he heard Ning Yu's words. There was no way he could refuse.
Ji Ling hesitated for a moment and said: "OK."
Ning Yu gave a slight smile. He waved and sent the coordinates to Ji Ling, then raised his hand to push down his hat, saying lightly: "I'll be waiting for you here in an hour."
With that, he hung up directly.
Ji Ling stared at the location Ning Yu sent. He gave a turn in the room, and then got dressed. Calling the aircraft, he headed to the address Ning Yu designated. Chapter 41.1 - Identity
Ji Ling didn’t know what happened with Jonah after he left. It was just something he’d done in passing, so he didn’t care at all whether the guy wanted to thank him or not.
Compared with that little sideshow, his situation with Carlos was the one that was turning him bald.
He couldn’t let it just go on like this. How long could he keep running away? When would Carlos’ patience run out? All these factors were unknown.
The system had gone back to help him submit an application, and likely wouldn’t return for a while. Ji Ling gave a sad sigh when he thought about all his various troubles.
Earl Gerard and the others looked at how sad and distraught Ji Ling appeared. They were all so nervous and tense that they didn’t even dare breathe too loudly. It seemed like Young Master Ji didn't look too happy with His Excellency Carlos...
Young Master Ji clearly still loves His Majesty deeply, so why does he want to marry Carlos? Could it be that he was threatened by Carlos?
Suddenly, all their brains filled with thousands of words of love and hate. They had no idea what secrets were really hidden behind the scenes. While there were many curious cats itching about inside them, they still didn’t dare to go scratch that itch, so it was quite difficult to bear!
It was getting later and later, so the attendees began to gradually leave.
Ji Ling really didn't want to go back. Right when he was struggling with the decision, everything around him suddenly turned silent. Then, voices rang out one after another, greeting: “Your Excellency Carlos."
Ji Ling heard this and looked back. Seeing Carlos approach step by step, his expression changed slightly.
Ever since he was enlightened that day, he’d been desperately thinking of ideas to avoid Carlos. All this time, he’d been pretending to feel very hurt and sad. For the time being, Carlos wasn’t forcing him or approaching him again, and it was relatively peaceful these days. So why was he suddenly coming over to him again today? Ji Ling remembered that little fiasco last time, and suddenly felt panicked.
Carlos was dressed in a double-breasted black suit. His each and every move was pure elegance. With a silver-black cane in his right hand, he strode next to Ji Ling. His brown eyes looked gentle and he gave a smile as he said: "I've come to pick you up."
Ji Ling complained bitterly in his heart, but the system wasn’t around, so he didn't dare provoke Carlos excessively. He put on a slightly cold expression, and said in a low voice: "I can go back by myself."
Carlos saw the distant coldness in the boy’s eyes. That pair of blue eyes was dull and dim, making his heart ache slightly. It was all his fault for behaving so crudely last time.
Because the guilt weighed on his heart, he left the boy free to escape away whenever. However, he hadn’t really let him go. He had the boy’s movements and whereabouts in the palm of his hand. His each and every move was relayed, but it was only through these reports that he could know what his beloved boy was doing, and whether he was happy or not…
That’s why when Ji Ling saved that civilian’s life, Carlos was also the first to hear about it.
Suddenly, he no longer wanted things to continue like this. And so he decided to come pick the boy up…
Because he wanted to see him.
Carlos looked at Ji Ling dotingly and said: "I know, but it just happened to be on my way, so I came by. It's late now. Shall we head back?"
Ji Ling still appeared unwilling, and refused to look at Carlos. His mouth was a line of indifference.
Carlos didn’t get angry in the slightest. He reached out directly to take the youth’s hand, and held it tightly, not letting him break free. His voice was low and magnetic, as he said elegantly: "Don't be so willful.”
Everyone watched this scene with their mouths gaping.
Was this really the terrible cold-blooded Archduke Carlos they all knew? Although he appeared to be a gentlemanly nobleman, they all knew that was only a front. They knew all too well how ruthless and cruel he was in nature. It was because of this truth that they were all in awe.
And now, Ji Ling clearly loved His Majesty deeply, and ignored him coldly, but not only did Carlos not mind, he even endured it patiently and coaxed the boy…
This was absolutely ludicrous.
They seemed to faintly see a dazzling green light of jealousy above Archduke Carlos’ head.
Wait…what the heck were they watching?
What had they seen?!
Ji Ling was absolutely fine. Ji Ling could be willful… but… what about them? Wouldn’t they die? How could they dare to watch Carlos making a fool of himself? They might as well give up on living!
And so fear surfaced in their eyes, and one after the other, they all lowered their gazes, not daring to watch.
Each and every one of them stood trembling.
The whole area was shrouded in silence.
Ji Ling's hand was held tightly by Carlos. The man’s palm was hot, like his skin was going to scald. Although Ji Ling was very reluctant, all he could do was gloomily leave with Carlos since everyone’s eyes were on them.
………………
As soon as they reached home, Ji Ling flung off Carlos' hand directly, and said lightly: "I want to rest now.”
However, Carlos didn't leave. He took a step forward and stubbornly locked onto Ji Ling’s eyes. Raising his hand, he tilted the boy’s face up, and met his gaze with a deep expression. In a muted tone, he said: "I know you’re still angry with me, but please believe me. My feelings for you are completely true and sincere.”
Last time, Ji Ling had underestimated Carlos' obsession with him, and almost burned himself playing with fire. That’s why this time, he didn't dare provoke Carlos too much. His eyelids trembled, and tears beaded in his eyes, as he said with a bitter laugh:"Uncle Carlos, why… can't you always just be my Uncle Carlos?"
Carlos paled slightly.
Ji Ling stared fixedly at him, and opened his mouth. It was hard for him to say this: "I trusted you so much, and you are the one who treats me the best… but you…Why must you treat me like His Majesty does?”
The boy looked incomparably sad and pained, like a small lost child who’d been abandoned and hurt by the person he’d trusted in the most, and was unable to accept the cruel reality before him… He still couldn’t bring himself out of what had happened last time.
Carlos knew the way to very easily regain the boy’s trust, and that was to become an uncle… and continue to care for him and approach him as an elder.
However…
Carlos replied huskily: "I only want to be your lover."
He could not just be an uncle figure forever.
He himself knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it.
Rather than wait until his lie was seen through later, it was better to tell the truth now.
Carlos closed his eyes and emphasized each word: "I cannot lie to you."
Ji Ling's face paled as soon as he heard this. He looked incredibly saddened and pained. Flinging off Carlos’ hand, he turned away and left.
Carlos didn't give chase this time. He just stood there silently the whole time, looking at Ji Ling’s figure as he left… watching the youth disappear from before his eyes without so much as looking back.
………………
Ji Ling didn't turn to look back, but he could still feel the man's persistent gloomy gaze on him from behind.
He seemed calm, but it was like the peaceful surface of the ocean hiding raging currents below. Really frightening.
Ji Ling fiercely slammed the door, and leaned back against it. At this moment, a certain suspicion had finally sprouted in his brain, a completely crazy notion… Could it be that Carlos really loved him?
Ji Ling was completely at a loss. But how was that possible?
Why would Carlos like him?
Last life, there really wasn’t much interaction between them. He didn’t have that deep forever love type of affection for Carlos in his character setting like with Jing Sui, and definitely not to the point where he’d be misunderstood like Jing Sui had. To Carlos, he should be even more of an insignificant passer-by, a stupid laughable rich kid, and a chess piece that could be discarded at any moment.
Even if he did help Carlos that one time when he was down, he’d done it to save himself more than anything. Let’s say he hadn’t reached out to him, nothing would’ve happened to Carlos, but he’d probably have died on the spot…
So, what did this cruel and ruthless big scary villain like about him?
He thought long and hard, but still didn’t know. This is really making me despair about the world…
He only wanted to be a cannon fodder doing his job in peace, but everyone had to go and love him.
Ji Ling fell weakly on the bed, like a hopeless fish. All he could do now was hope that the system would bring him some good news as soon as possible. He really couldn't hold on anymore!
There are too many crazies in this world! QaQ
He missed his home and family.
………………
Ji Ling was still sleeping early the next morning, when he was suddenly awakened by his communicator.
In order to avoid the hassle and people harassing him, he’d already changed his number. Only a handful of people had his new number, so who on earth would contact him? Ji Ling opened it and it turned out to be an unknown number he’d never seen before.
He hesitated for a moment, but still chose to take the call.
After it connected, a youthful figure with black hair and green eyes appeared in front of him. The young man looked up and revealed his handsome face from under his hat. Who could it be if not Ning Yu?
Ji Ling’s face went blank. How could Ning Yu possibly know his number? And why would he want to contact him?
Ning Yu looked at Ji Ling with mild and indifferent eyes. His thin lips parted slightly as he said: "I want to meet with you."
Ji Ling’s mood had been too foul lately, and he didn’t want to see anyone. Although Ning Yu was the original protagonist, he was about to drop to the level of passer-by. Even if that wasn’t the case, the two of them should be rivals in love. Now that things had fallen to this state, there wasn’t anything worth meeting up for. Ji Ling, who had already given up on going down his face slapping plot, was about to refuse, when Ning Yu suddenly spoke again.
As if he’d seen through Ji Ling's intentions, he looked him in the eye and said slowly: "I want to chat about His Majesty."
Ji Ling was stumped.
He originally didn't want to go, but when he heard this, he began to hesitate again. Although it seemed hopeless to complete his mission in the current situation, but this involved the feelings between the main gong and shou after all... Going home after completing the mission had long become Ji Ling’s biggest wish, so even though the plot had collapsed to this degree, he was still curious after he heard Ning Yu's words. There was no way he could refuse.
Ji Ling hesitated for a moment and said: "OK."
Ning Yu gave a slight smile. He waved and sent the coordinates to Ji Ling, then raised his hand to push down his hat, saying lightly: "I'll be waiting for you here in an hour."
With that, he hung up directly.
Ji Ling stared at the location Ning Yu sent. He gave a turn in the room, and then got dressed. Calling the aircraft, he headed to the address Ning Yu designated.
