Qiu Ling gulped, still not feeling all that good about the situation. Still, he gently rubbed Jing He’s back and kissed the top of his head again in reassurance that he was there. “What’s the matter, my love? What has you worried?”

Jing He raised his head and looked at him. He couldn’t put all those thoughts into words and he also felt that maybe he shouldn’t. Qiu Ling had told him that he could be sure of his feelings but now here he was again, questioning if Qiu Ling wouldn’t be happier with someone else. It was even more ridiculous if he reminded himself that the dragons couldn’t fall in love twice. So since he was in Qiu Ling’s heart now, nobody else had a chance.

Reminding himself of this should have helped but … he instead felt that he had taken something from Qiu Ling. If they couldn’t find happiness because of all the issues that constantly came up, then wouldn’t Qiu Ling never be able to have the life he hoped for? That thought was even worse than losing him.

Jing He furrowed his brows and tightly clung to Qiu Ling. “It is just … during the trial, I thought being a trueborn god was better to stand beside you. Now, I can’t help but realize that you’d have so many fewer issues if the one you fell in love with was a dragon instead. It is a pity … you are bound by the curse so it seems that apart from me, you don’t have another choice.”

He looked at him, his gaze wavering as if he couldn’t make up his mind how to think about this. In fact, this was very much the case. He wanted to be with Qiu Ling but felt that he didn’t deserve to be and that Qiu Ling deserved better and would be happier with somebody else. He felt that he should wish him well with whoever that person might be, even if it would break his own heart. But now, there was the curse that prevented this from ever happening so … it seemed that Qiu Ling was trapped with him who was a substandard choice. Wasn’t that pitiful?

Qiu Ling met that gaze and shook his head. “I don’t need another choice. I love you. I want to be with you, not with anybody else.”

“But that … might be the curse speaking. Have you ever thought about that?”

Qiu Ling shook his head again. He felt a bit empty inside and once again had to remind himself to be patient. “It isn’t. Jing He …” He searched for the right words, his brows faintly furrowing. “You … What do you think the curse on the dragons is?”

“They can only fall in love once. This is what you told me.”

Qiu Ling nodded. “Yes, but the curse doesn’t affect who we love. We fall in love and the curse only prevents us from doing so a second time. If we lose our partner, we lose half of our heart with them and we will never be able to give it to somebody else. Yes, the curse probably means that we are drawn to them more strongly than it was the case in the far past but … the feelings were there from the beginning and the dragon race has always been passionate.

“So no matter whether there was a curse or not, I still would have chosen you as my partner. You … might not think about this much but I am quite a bit older than you. I have seen … many people. And yet, in those ten thousand years I have on you, I never saw a single one that could move my heart the way you did. Does that count for nothing in your eyes?”

Jing He fell silent. Of course, he felt flattered when he heard Qiu Ling say this and he knew that it was special that he had managed to elicit those feelings in him. It was just that … he felt like he had somehow cheated Qiu Ling out of the future he should have had. He still didn’t understand what had attracted him in the first place and he just couldn’t imagine that this was the right choice for Qiu Ling. Yes, maybe he should trust in it but … he had no trust in himself so how could he trust this?

Qiu Ling continued to look at him and finally sighed. In the end, his words were still useless. “I wish I could find the right words to finally make you believe me. If there was anything I could do to let you feel the deep love I hold for you and see yourself with my eyes for just a moment … I would do it.”

But even though he said this, Qiu Ling also knew that it was useless. Jing He remembered his trial and as such, he also remembered the trip to his inner self he had made. At that time, he had seen a projection of the moment Qiu Ling saw him for the first time, and yet … he still doubted all of it.

This kind of person couldn’t be convinced from the outside. He could only find the strength to believe somewhere in himself. Until then, he could only be reassured again and again. Even if the words had been said hundreds of times, they still had to be repeated. This was something they could not get around and if it helped to tide Jing He over until he could find a way out of this himself, then it was worth it.

Qiu Ling hugged him tightly and leaned down until his forehead touched Jing He’s. “I have made my choice and I will never regret it. I hope that … you will be the same and one day, we can look back on this and feel that we have come so far that the worries of these days seem like something we can laugh about. I sincerely hope for that day to arrive fast.”