At the same time, Jing He opened his eyes to faint sunlight spilling onto his bed. He blinked his eyes slowly, his mind feeling sluggish. It was a new morning and he had the vague feeling that it was an important one at that. After thinking for a moment, he realized that just yesterday, he had met Tian but the supreme sovereign had not said much and instead opted to meet him again today. Since this was the case, he truly shouldn’t waste any time.

Jing He slowly sat up, brushing through his hair with his fingers in case somebody was there to see, and then reached out to brush the curtain in front of the bed away. When he looked up, he paused slightly.

A figure stood in the doorway to the garden, very much like Tian had yesterday. He didn’t even need a second glance to realize that this wasn’t the supreme sovereign though. “Qiu Ling.” He only whispered his name while he hurriedly tugged at his sleeves and then pulled up the blanket, worried about how he might look right now.

The person turned around and smiled, clearly not caring at all about the creases in his robe or the faint disorder to his hair. “You’re awake, my love.” He left the spot by the door, walking over unhurriedly and sitting down on the edge of the bed. “We haven’t seen each other for so long. It feels like a century to me.”

Jing He lowered his gaze, unsure how to respond. Surely, it had only been slightly more than a day but … yes, he also felt that it had been longer. To be separated from the one he loved, that always felt as if time was frozen, stretching into eternity in the most torturous way.

“I missed you.” Qiu Ling reached up, his fingertips lightly touching Jing He’s jaw and turning his head toward him. Then, he leaned in, their lips touching just as gently.

Jing He closed his eyes in turn, humming faintly. Yes, he had missed him as well. He had missed him so much that his heart hurt as if it wanted to burst. Only now that he finally saw him again did his heartbeat seem to calm down, restoring tranquility to his very being.

Qiu Ling reached up and brushed through his hair, leaning forward until their foreheads touched. “I know you must have been shocked. I wanted to tell you but there was never the right time. I hope you won’t despise me.”

Jing He’s thoughts unwittingly jumped to the matter of Qiu Ling’s heritage he had remembered from his trial and a light sigh escaped his lips. “I would never.” Yes, no matter what, he loved this man so much. How could he ever bear to dislike him? Much less for something he had had no control over? Even just the notion seemed ridiculous to him.

Qiu Ling’s lips curved and he hummed. “I dared to hope but did not dare to feel any certainty. I shall count it as my blessing that you are willing to overlook this matter.”

Jing He pulled back slightly, his gaze resting on Qiu Ling’s face. Nothing had changed about the way he saw this man so he could hardly agree that there was any blessing in this alone. Still … “I am afraid my father won’t accept it. I worry about that. Of course, he doesn’t know yet and I will not tell him but it seems unlikely he won’t ever find out.”

Qiu Ling nodded and his fingers brushed through his hair once more, returning to his cheek, lightly tracing the cheekbone, trailing down, and finally following the curve of his lower lip as if he were sketching out the form of his lover’s face. “I suppose we will have to ensure that this won’t disturb our relationship then.”

Jing He trembled, hardly sure if he heard the right words. All his attention was drawn to the way Qiu Ling touched him right now. He hastily lowered his head, his cheeks flushing. “I …” He wanted to respond but could not form a coherent sentence. His heart which had just calmed down earlier upon seeing Qiu Ling again beat out of rhythm, racing like a frightened animal being pursued by a predator.

Qiu Ling lowered his hand, grasping Jing He’s chin and tilted his head back up, their lips meeting once again. This time, the touch lingered, and only after half a minute had gone by did Qiu Ling pull back. “You know, as much as he dislikes me and as much as he dislikes the idea of the two of us being together, he also loves to save face. Since this is the case, why not use that to ensure that he can not separate us any longer?”

Jing He gazed at Qiu Ling, not sure if he understood. “But how to do so?”

Qiu Ling raised his other hand, brushing Jing He’s hair back behind his shoulder. “When the facts can not be changed any longer, even your father can not refuse to acknowledge them, can he?”

Jing He still did not quite understand although he had a vague notion that Qiu Ling was suggesting something out of the ordinary. A fact that could not be changed … “We …”

Qiu Ling leaned in, one arm wrapping around Jing He’s waist and pulling him closer while the other remained raised, his fingers still grasping his lover’s chin. “Worry not. Just let it happen. I will take care of everything.”

Before Jing He understood, he fell back, his body touching the thin mattress and crumpling the blanket beneath as their lips once again met in what was a much deeper kiss than the ones he had experienced before.