Chapter 39 - There Is Nothing Going on Between Us! (1/2)

Shun Tao watched another gap open up in crown prince Jing He's scroll of fate. He didn't even sigh anymore. After experiencing it multiple times, he couldn't muster the energy for that.

”At least, this time I managed to injure one of them. Mn, I should work with that.” He ground the ink and picked up his brush, his thoughts circling around this special fate. Separating the family to let something happen seemed to be the right approach. Even if he couldn't do something to Zhong Jing Yi directly, this would still influence him. And the loss of loved ones was a trial, too. Like that, the crown prince wouldn't fail his trial and the heavenly emperor might let Shun Tao keep his head. Wouldn't that be the perfect outcome?

With that in mind, he started to write: The Zhongs reach the capital and move in with the main family there. Mister Zhong, who doesn't want to inconvenience them too much, pours himself into work, disregarding his injury. His state of health slowly worsens, but Mister Zhong doesn't dare confess to his wife. When she finally notices, that something is wrong, it is already too late to help him.

Shun Tao put the brush down and nodded. He couldn't include too many details or it might go awry because of one of them. But such a broad situation should be able to come true. As long as Zhong Jing Yi didn't notice anything, whoever that person sent to help, it shouldn't make a difference.

Right, that person … Shun Tao furled the scroll of fate and put it into his sleeve again. It hadn't been a day, since Hong Bao went to investigate again, but maybe he was lucky and she had already found out something? He stood up and left the scribe's palace for the courtyard, where the young gods lived.

At that moment, Hong Bao still sat with Leng Jin Yu and pouted because of Shun Tao's lack of attention.

Leng Jin Yu had just grabbed the last cookie, when he saw Shun Tao outside the courtyard. He nudged Hong Bao and motioned outside with his head. ”Stop complaining, your crush just came here on his own accord.”

”Ha? What?” Hong Bao turned around. Her face lit up, as soon as she saw Shun Tao. ”I'll go then!” Without deigning to look at Leng Jin Yu again, Hong Bao sprang to her feet and rushed out. ”Fate's scribe!” She smiled broadly, but only got a slight movement of Shun Tao's lips as a response. Her good mood instantly deflated. ”Did you come to see me?”, she asked, but she didn't feel hopeful anymore. He really didn't seem interested.

”Mn. I wanted to ask … those two people, have you found out anything?”

Hong Bao stared at him unblinking. He came over because of that? Just how urgently does he need someone in the scribe's palace? ”That …” She looked back at the courtyard and was met with the sight of Leng Jin Yu munching on the last cookie. What had he said? She should look for him for help, if she couldn't figure out Shun Tao's preferences?

I should get him to help me right now. What observing him? If Shun Tao doesn't like women, I shouldn't continue to hope. It's better, if I find out now. In case he does I still have time to make him fall in love with me. Mn, that's the right thing to do!

She turned back to Shun Tao and smiled again. ”As I said, it's a little difficult to find out, without alarming them —”

”So you don't know anything.” He hung his head, igniting Hong Bao's guilty conscience, because she hadn't told him the whole truth before.

”Ah, no no no! That's not it!”

Shun Tao instantly came back to life. He lifted his head and looked expectantly at her. Hong Bao gulped. If she didn't know, he was just asking about work related matters, she might misunderstand this.

”Well, I asked someone for help. I hope, that's alright?”

”Someone?” Shun Tao broke out in cold sweat. She couldn't have said something to someone who shouldn't know of this, right? What if the culprit knew, that he was trying to catch him?

”He's called Leng Jin Yu! He's also in the court—”

Shun Tao's eyes went wide.

Hong Bao waved her hands defensively. ”Don't worry! He's not interested in the scribe's palace anyway. He wants to go to the god of war, Qiang Yan's, palace.”