Leng Jin Yu nervously rubbed his fingers against his palms. Ah, he could only hope that Jinde would listen to what he had to say. This whole situation … He shook his head and took a deep breath. There was no use in speculating. He had to go in there and try. Well, he had to be careful though or Jinde might get even angrier.
Leng Jin Yu knocked on the door. "Jinde? Can we talk?"
"Eh! Did you forget about me?" Qiu Ling leaned forward and frowned. This guy was the reason why his beloved had broken up with him. He definitely wouldn't allow him to have a heartfelt reunion with the old geezer as long as he was still without his beloved.
Leng Jin Yu ignored him. "It really isn't as it seemed. I brought Longjun over to explain to the two of you. Please let me in."
Inside the house, Jinde raised his chin and snorted. "What are you begging for? It's your house anyway. I'm just a guest. Naturally, I've left the door open." But even a guest can invite someone. Just wait until I call Xin Lan over! We'll see if you still refuse to marry me with a rival in front of your nose!
Leng Jin Yu gave a relieved sigh and opened the door, motioning for Qiu Ling to step in.
Qiu Ling threw him a warning look before marching in. He found his way into the study and looked around. Hmph. How come the old geezer hadn't even taken out any wine? He felt like drinking a cup or two …
Jinde frowned when he saw Qiu Ling's searching gaze. "There's none. As if I would get drunk over something like this." And as if I would let your father get close to that wine after what happened the last time.
Qiu Ling pursed his lips and sat down on the other chair in the study. Ah, first his beloved got stolen and now he wouldn't even get the wine. Life sure was hard.
Leng Jin Yu sighed when Jinde and Qiu Ling finally sat at the table. He went over and wanted to kneel down next to Jinde but the look he got in return froze him on the spot. "That …"
"No need to get so close."
Leng Jin Yu wanted to refute but finally backed a step up before kneeling down. "All of this is a misunderstanding."
Jinde picked up the teapot next to him. "You know what happens when you repeat something very often?" He poured himself a cup of tea and lifted it to his lips. "It starts to ring hollow. It's like someone saying he loves you over and over again and then he goes to sleep with somebody else."
Qiu Ling propped his elbows up on the table and put his chin on his hands. "You should mention in his defense that he was dead drunk that night."
Leng Jin Yu frowned. Those two were talking as if he wasn't there at all. Well, he couldn't really blame them. It would probably be best if he ignored those remarks and just got to the point.
"You know that Longjun's fiance is the reincarnation of the Son of Heaven. And you also know that the God of War sent me to help him pass his trial. Well, he did manage to do that but there were some complications. Longjun should know about this but your fiance remembered parts of his life as crown prince Jing He."
Qiu Ling blinked. Now that this Leng Jin Yu said it like that … "This doesn't make sense! If he remembered, shouldn't he want to be together with me?" He tilted his head and pondered. "Ah!" Qiu Ling leaped to his feet and pointed at Leng Jin Yu. "You're saying that Jing He remembers who he is but he doesn't know that he already passed the trial so he forced himself to separate from me to pass his trial like that? Because he knew that that would break his heart? Heavens! My poor beloved! I should —"
"Brat, sit down and shut up for me!" Jinde slammed the teacup on the table, making both Qiu Ling and Leng Jin Yu flinch. He harrumphed. That's what you get for being such a bother. He was still angry at Leng Jin Yu but at least it seemed as if there really was a good explanation. "So what about him remembering his past life now?"
Leng Jin Yu took a deep breath. "He only remembered parts of it and not even in order. As a result of that, he has misunderstood some things." He looked at Qiu Ling and furrowed his brows. "He probably remembered you but because he had no context to the things he saw he believes his past lover to be someone called 'Tian'."
"Tian?" Qiu Ling repeated the name and his gaze grew distant.
This wasn't impossible. Jing He had told him the story of Tian and Xing once and it had seemed like it was very important to him. He had referenced bits and pieces of that story every now and then and sometimes he would murmur Tian's name. So maybe …
"In other words, he knows that we were a couple but he doesn't know it's me?" He frowned. This sounded stupid.
Leng Jin Yu nodded. "Yes, something along those lines. I don't know why he would suddenly pretend he has fallen in love with me though."
Jinde pursed his lips. "What does he believe to know about that Tian?"
"I'm not too sure. He didn't say much. Just that … he had made a promise to him and … that he definitely couldn't break it. That them being together was fate. He wasn't very precise."
Against better knowledge, Qiu Ling grinned. Ah, so his beloved loved him this much! He would even break up with him because he loved him so much! It seemed he had worried without reason.
In a good mood, Qiu Ling stood up and straightened his sleeves. "Thank you for telling me. I understand now. I'll use this to get him back. It shouldn't take long but don't worry!" He raised his hands in a magnanimous gesture. "I'll stay outside with Jing He for a while. I won't bother you while you're rekindling things with the old geezer. I guess I can also forgive you for falling for my mother's stupid tricks."
"Ah?" Leng Jin Yu stared blankly at him.
Then a cup of tea flew across his field of vision and shattered on the wall. "Get out, bear child! You're already bothering us!"