Qiu Ling noticed his gaze. Seeing the dependence in it, he couldn’t help but lean down and kissed his forehead again. “I’m glad you’re better as well.” Not just in general but also compared to just now. His beloved’s tears were truly lethal.

Jing He smiled and leaned closer against him as if he wanted to melt into one. To be honest, if he could always stick to Qiu Ling’s side, he would do it. It was a pity they weren’t married yet so that would need a little more time.

Seeing the two of them act so close, Rong Su finally couldn’t take it any longer. He might not be able to shake off his brother-in-law who was irresponsibly siding with that dandy but he could still make his unhappiness known!

Looking at the way Qiu Ling had encircled his poor son’s waist, with one hand in his hair, and how he now even dared to kiss him, he knew that he couldn’t wait any longer either. “What do you think you are doing to my son?!” He glared at him, hoping that it would make that bastard take a step back.

Qiu Ling … certainly didn’t intend to do so. Even though he had seen Jing He in between, those had been short visits with weeks passing between each of them. How could he be satisfied with that? Finally holding Jing He made him feel that his heart was whole again. Unless Jing He himself asked him to, he would never loosen his grip.

Looking at his beloved, it didn’t seem like he intended to do so. Even though his father was now making trouble, he was still holding onto him tightly, not pulling back even the slightest bit. In fact, it seemed that he hadn’t moved at all after his father’s voice sounded.

Qiu Ling absentmindedly brushed through Jing He’s hair, wondering if this was the benefit of Jing He’s prolonged absence. He … had gone to make his choice and it seemed that he had. Now, would he actually stand up to his father?

It was tempting to imagine but Jing He was timid. Even if he decided that he wanted to be with him, it was hard to picture him telling that to his father and then sticking with it when he received the expected backlash. After all, hadn’t they gone through precisely that once before? At that time, Jing He had actually told his father that he loved him and wanted to marry him but when his father started to rage, he still pulled back and quietly took his following actions. Could things really be different now?

Qiu Ling didn’t quite dare to believe it. As much as he hated to admit it, in this regard, their relationship had always been plagued with issues. He didn’t have all that much hope that that would suddenly change. Surely, even becoming a fallen god couldn’t change Jing He’s personality to that point. He just … lacked the confidence to stand up for what he wanted and believed in. It was his only fault.

With both Qiu Ling and Jing He ignoring his words, Rong Su only became more irate. “Didn’t you hear what I said? You let go of him at once!” He pulled at his arm, trying to storm up the stairs and pull Jing He out of that bastard’s arms if he had to. Unfortunately, his brother-in-law was still holding on tightly.

“Rong Su, you calm down. Jing He just got back.” Qiang Yan also had a headache. Jing He had barely returned and considering how he had cried earlier, he clearly wasn’t doing well. Was that a time when you should make such a fuss?

The Heavenly Emperor wasn’t interested in what he had to say though. “You let go of me right this instant! I’m not going to let him get handsy with my son right in front of my eyes!”

Qiang Yan rolled his eyes in response. Please, even discounting the history between those two, he had come early enough to see that it had been Jing He who threw himself into the dragon king’s arms and not the other way around. Plus, Qiu Ling was looking rather restrained today by simply holding him. Even that kiss on the forehead couldn’t be construed as being inappropriate, not even in front of Jing He’s parents. The only one who could make an issue out of this was Rong Su who didn’t want to see the plain truth.

Jing He furrowed his brows while staying in Qiu Ling’s arms. He hadn’t wanted to pay attention to it and just focus on Qiu Ling but it was obvious that his father wouldn’t let this go. Pursing his lips, he finally turned around and looked at his father, a hint of accusation in his eyes. “I love him, father, and I want to marry him.” He had said so before and his father hadn’t accepted it but this time, he had to stay strong and not let his father shame him out of this decision. He just couldn’t bear the consequences if he let that happen.

Rong Su gaped. He really couldn’t believe what was happening. Even though his son had indeed said something like that before, he had let it go after he talked some sense into him. Why were they now back to this? “You’re absolutely not!” For a moment, he hardly knew what else to say. This whole situation was much too absurd! But, of course, he should have expected that.

Hadn’t he always known that that bastard was behind his son’s disappearance? Most likely, he had been quietly brainwashing him into defying him again. Who knew how much it would take to undo the harm he had done this time around? It was his good luck that his son was mostly sensible so he could certainly make him see reason.

Reassuring himself, Rong Su gave his son a stern look. “I will never let you marry that bastard!”

Jing He furrowed his brows in response, his grip on Qiu Ling’s robe tightening. “Then … then I will have to elope with him!”