He raked a hand through his hair, not sure if he should say more than that. Jing He was well aware of how his father had usually reacted to him. It probably made little sense to discuss this more. Especially so since Jing He had his own issues to worry about.

He thought for a moment but finally just leaned closer and kissed Jing He’s forehead. “Don’t worry about it. I will keep trying. Maybe it’ll work out by some sort of miracle. Maybe it won’t but then we’ll see how to deal with that after you have made your decision. You shouldn’t take on anything additional right now.”

Jing He nodded but it was difficult to ignore this when it would be the easiest way to solve the whole issue. “He hasn’t said anything either, has he? I mean, something you could use to … maybe get a little closer.” He didn’t have much hope on his father’s side but Qiu Ling would be willing to try. So as long as he noticed something, he’d do anything he could to make this possible for him. He was sure of that.

Qiu Ling naturally would have tried to do this but … there was nothing. Even though it broke his heart to see Jing He’s hope extinguished, he had to shake his head. “No, I’m afraid not. If I stay away, he’ll say I’m plotting something. If I stick to his side, I am an annoying pest, trying to hoodwink him. It’s … hopeless, I’m afraid. He has already formed his opinion of me and isn’t willing to let it go.”

“I see.” Jing He hung his head. He hadn’t expected anything else. Not really, at least. But there was always this faint glimmer of hope that maybe his father could find it in his heart to do this. If not because he genuinely found Qiu Ling not to be an eyesore any longer, then at least because he loved him as his son and wanted him to be happy. But it seemed that this … was still too much to ask for.

Qiu Ling felt as if his own heart would break seeing Jing He like this. His opinion of the Heavenly Emperor had never been high if he was being honest but he had ignored his personal dislike for the sake of the alliance. When his advisers pushed him to go over and interact with him, he would.

Granted, he might have been a bit perfunctory while interacting with him, only going through the motions of what he was supposed to do but … he had been like that with everyone and nobody else had complained. They only thought it was a quirk in his personality that they had to live with and since the job itself got done, it never was an issue.

Anyway, after falling in love with Jing He, he had cleaned up his act and tried to leave the man with a good impression. He wasn’t sure if it had been too late at that point but nothing he did seemed to help. On the contrary, any attempt seemed to enrage him even more.

By now, he had to admit that he was fed up with the Heavenly Emperor’s behavior. They stood on the same side in the war. They should show a united front no matter their personal feelings. But at this time, it might be easier for him to sit down with the new king of the demon race than to face the Heavenly Emperor to talk about business. At least that guy could put on a pleasant expression and talk politely. The Heavenly Emperor? Not so much.

If this was just about him, he could look the other way without issue. So what if the guy didn’t like him? He didn’t have to be liked by him. He didn’t even need him to be all that polite as long as the tasks that needed to be done got finished. Anyway, he dealt with the God of War a lot more than he did with the Heavenly Emperor and Jing He’s uncle was someone who could deal with others easily by focusing on the task more than on anything else. So why should he care?

But this wasn’t only about him any longer. The Heavenly Emperor’s refusal to show him even the smallest degree of politeness was negatively affecting Jing He. That was something Qiu Ling couldn’t simply ignore.

In the dragon realm, where one’s partner was more important than one’s own life, people were often judged more by the way they treated your partner compared to how they treated you. You couldn’t expect a dragon to show you a good face if you didn’t treat the one they loved kindly.

Qiu Ling wasn’t much different. Seeing the Heavenly Emperor put Jing He in such a miserable bind, pushing him to the point where even his soul shattered due to his demands, his originally slightly negative view had gotten even worse. It took a lot for him to continuously ignore that guy’s behavior these days and the only reason he tried so much was because he knew that Jing He cared. Despite that, it didn’t change anything.

Seeing Jing He’s despondent look, Qiu Ling couldn’t help himself. He hugged him tightly, his fingers burrowing into his hair as he held him. “I’m sorry. I’ll continue to try. I’ll try for as long as I can. Maybe … maybe it’ll work somehow.” He didn’t think it would but he hated seeing Jing He this way. He … he wanted to see him smile again, to show a few signs of happiness. But he also knew that this was unlikely for as long as the situation did not change. Where that change would be … whether it was in Jing He’s own mindset or his father’s attitude didn’t matter. He just didn’t want him to suffer any longer.

Jing He doubted it as well but hearing Qiu Ling promise this, he felt at least a little better. As long as Qiu Ling continued to try, there might be a chance. Anyway, he believed that this man could do anything. Even if it wasn’t easy, he wasn’t one to give up.