“Of … of course.” Jing He hastily nodded but felt a bit worried inside. Why was Jinde telling him this? Did he give the impression that he was dishonest? The idea that this might be the case really troubled him.

He loved Qiu Ling more than anything and he would never do anything that he would have to be sorry for toward him. Did Jinde think otherwise though? Would Qiu Ling share this idea? Just the possibility of this being the case made him panic.

Jinde watched his expression and suppressed a sigh. That child looked as if he had said something bad. Giving advice really wasn’t easy when the other person overthought everything. It seemed he could only try to explain more. “I remember when I was young. I admired him so much.” He raised his brows, his thoughts traveling back to those days.

“I felt that Chun Yin was the most perfect person in the world. All those years we had spent together … he had always treated me well and looking at it from the perspective of our race, he had many other admirable traits. It was easy to fall in love with him.”

He put down the teacup, turning it slowly between his fingers as he looked down at the steam wafting into the air. “He had his faults but I couldn’t see them at the time. What I saw though … were my own. The things I wasn’t good at or felt I was lacking in.” He raised his gaze to Jing He again and smiled. “You probably know what I mean: In front of the person you like, you want to seem just as perfect as they are to you, even if you know well that you aren’t the same.”

Jing He nodded with some hesitation. He indeed felt like that. He felt like he couldn’t measure up to his husband and that it was the luck he must have cultivated throughout many lifetimes that Qiu Ling would fall for him of all people.

Jinde smiled. It seemed that he was slowly getting through to Jing He. “The truth is that we all have our faults. They are more noticeable in some than others but nobody is actually perfect.” He faintly raised his brows, knowing pretty well what was likely going through that child’s head. “Even Qiu Ling has his issues.

“You’ve seen how much he has struggled with his heritage and his past and how much it took for him to open up about it even to the people who are closest to him. That is one of his faults but one he has worked on. In the future, he might overcome others. Either way, nobody is perfect and it doesn’t help anyone to pretend that we are.”

Jing He couldn’t bring himself to nod this time. He still felt that even Qiu Ling being slow to open up was not an issue. Wasn’t it just taking his time? There didn’t seem to be anything bad about that.

Jinde didn’t try to convince him of this either. He wasn’t trying to badmouth this child of his. No, he just wanted to scratch the surface a bit so Jing He could see that even his husband wasn’t larger than life, no matter how he had thought so far. But clearly, it was much too early for that. Instead, he’d better focus on the other side of things.

“When we love someone, we easily overlook their issues. I was certainly like that with Chun Yin and he was like that with me too. In our lover’s eyes, we always seem better than we actually are. So … you don’t have to worry.” He gave Jing He a poignant look, hoping that he’d get a bit more of a reaction. It was pretty difficult to have this kind of talk if the other side never told you their thoughts, after all.

Jing He caught his gaze but wasn’t sure how to react. What Jinde wanted to tell him … “I … I know I am not good enough for Qiu Ling.”

Jinde almost slipped from his chair. How was this what this child took away from everything he had said?! He kept quiet for a moment and finally cleared his throat, trying to gain back his bearing. “That’s not what I meant. You’re very good. Just like Qiu Ling. Of course, both of you certainly have things that you could work on but that is no big deal. Everyone does. The important part is taking the time to figure these things out slowly.

“What I mean to tell you is that you don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of Qiu Ling. If you feel uncomfortable with something or have worries, you can share them with him. He’ll listen and he’ll try to help and your marriage will only be better for it.

“You don’t have to hold back just to uphold the image of the best possible lover in front of him. I tried that and it backfired so I don’t want you to make the same mistake. Just keep in mind that Qiu Ling chose you and that means including whatever issues you might have. So don’t be afraid to admit to them and don’t try to keep your worries a secret. As your husband, he is there to help. That is what I mean.”

Jing He slowly nodded. There were indeed some things he didn’t quite dare to show or bring up for fear of being disliked. Maybe Jinde had noticed this. Or maybe Qiu Ling had and then asked Jinde to tell him because he felt that he would accept it from him more easily.

Thinking of this, Jing He felt somewhat tangled. More than anything, he didn’t want to worry Qiu Ling and add to his troubles but now he might already have. It made him feel guilty. But looking at Jinde who was painstakingly advising him, he felt that at least there was someone willing to guide him. Considering this, he hesitantly spoke up. “I just … don’t want to burden Qiu Ling.”