Chapter 118 – Black-Bellied Regent VS Loyal Shadow Guard (22)
Although he felt that Mu Jin would not refuse him, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. On the other hand, he also had some worries, afraid that his beloved might not want to marry him. Because once Mu Jin really married him, he would never be able to leave.
Taking a deep breath, Wen Renhong clenched his fists. After having the pastries wrapped up by his servants, he returned to his carriage and headed toward the mansion. It wasn’t long before the man returned, but this time, upon entering his room, he didn’t find Mu Jin as usual.
Normally, he would see Mu Jin quickly whenever he returned, and Mu Jin would often greet him at the door.
However, today there was no one at the door, and no one in the room either, which made Wen Renhong’s heart tighten. He hurriedly asked his staff where Mu Jin had gone.
Mu Jin’s martial arts skills were much higher than those of ordinary guards, especially since his injuries had completely healed, leaving only a slight scar, so he could move freely around the mansion. It was understandable that the guards hadn’t noticed his whereabouts.
But when Wen Renhong heard the servants’ response, he felt a moment of panic and immediately started searching everywhere, terrified that Mu Jin might have left. Despite searching all over with his companions, he still couldn’t find any sign of his beloved in the mansion.
By this point, Wen Renhong’s heart had already sunk, rapidly thinking of all the possible places where Mu Jin could be. He even suspected that Mu Jin had gotten wind of the imperial decree granting the marriage and had decided to flee, rather than marry him.
The man was completely losing his composure, without realizing that as a shadow guard still recovering in the mansion, there was no way he could have received news from the palace so quickly.
Just as Wen Renhong was about to lose his mind with worry, a nearby servant timidly suggested, “My lord, perhaps you should check the shadow guards’ rest area in the south courtyard.”
Wen Renhong froze upon hearing this, suddenly recalling that there were other places to stay in the mansion besides the main courtyard, with the shadow guards having their own rest area.
Before he and Mu Jin were together, Mu Jin had his own room in the remote south courtyard. Since he was a shadow guard, he was mostly invisible, and these guards generally didn’t interact much with others.
Holding onto the last bit of hope, Wen Renhong rushed to the south courtyard. Without knocking, he burst through the door, and sure enough, there was the person he’d been looking for.
With relief, he hugged Mu Jin tightly, not letting go for a long time. Mu Jin could feel his lover’s slight trembling in his arms, indicating he had really scared him.
Having found his beloved, Wen Renhong finally began to calm down. Only then did he notice his surroundings, realizing he had never been to Mu Jin’s previous room.
Although the room wasn’t small, it was almost empty. Besides a bed, a table, and a chair, there was only a tiny box beside the table, which likely contained some of Mu Jin’s clothes and personal items.
Seeing the small bed covered with clothes and accessories he had recently prepared for Mu Jin, Wen Renhong paused. Although Mu Jin had been living in his room with him, why had his beloved suddenly moved his things here?
Thinking of this, Wen Renhong couldn’t help but ask Mu Jin, “Xiao Jin, why did you bring your clothes to this room?”
Mu Jin hesitated for a moment before saying awkwardly, “Master, you’re back. Would you like to rest, or should I have the servants prepare some food? My room is too simple, so you’d better return to the main courtyard. I’ll be there soon.”
Hearing Mu Jin use the term ‘master‘ again, Wen Renhong felt something was wrong. He quickly grabbed Mu Jin’s arm and sternly asked, “Xiao Jin, what’s going on? No avoiding the topic.”
The person who usually acted straightforwardly seemed hesitant. After a while, he replied with difficulty, “Your room will have new people, so I need to take back what’s not supposed to be there.”
When Wen Renhong heard this, he immediately frowned. If he hadn’t realized something was wrong by now, he wouldn’t be worth living all these years.
Refusing to let Mu Jin avoid the topic, Wen Renhong grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into his eyes, and firmly asked, “Xiao Jin, did someone visit today? Who was it? What did they say? Why do you call me ‘master‘ again when we agreed you’d call me ‘husband‘?”
However, as he finished speaking, the young man’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. He took a deep breath and replied, “Please, Master, retract your command. Today, the second young master from the Marquis’ mansion made it very clear.”
“What second young master?” Wen Renhong was a bit confused; after all, he wasn’t aware that Ye Ran had visited.
Seeing his reaction, Mu Jin realized that he didn’t know about Ye Ran’s visit, so he lowered his gaze and said with restraint, “The second young master of Anping Marquis’ mansion came by today. He said that the Emperor intends to grant you a marriage with him.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Renhong finally understood that Ye Ran must have done something during his absence. Although it wasn’t something he had orchestrated, Mu Jin’s reaction gave him a glimmer of hope.
Seeing Mu Jin’s expressionless face, Wen Renhong cautiously asked, “Xiao Jin, are you jealous?”
Mu Jin shook his head, his voice subdued, “Master is always master. I just want to be a qualified shadow guard. I’ll stay in my place and remember my role.”
He intended to push Mu Jin to care more about him, but all he got in return were these words. Furious, Wen Renhong grabbed Mu Jin’s arm as he turned to pack his things and pulled him into his arms.
He was about to angrily question whether Mu Jin ever truly cared about him when he felt the slight trembling of the person in his embrace.
Wen Renhong tilted his head down and grabbed his chin, forcing Mu Jin to look up at him. Sure enough, his beloved’s lips were tightly pressed, and his eyes held back tears.
But the young man seemed too upset, and soon tears began to fall, one by one, onto Wen Renhong’s fingertips, feeling as if they were burning into his heart.
Xiao Jin was really upset. He was jealous and sad. At this moment, Wen Renhong finally realized that Mu Jin did care; it was just that his personality was always restrained. As a shadow guard, his training taught him to accept everything his master did.
Even if he knew that Wen Renhong was to marry someone else, the best way he could protest was to detach emotionally, returning to the emotionless role of a dark guard.
He couldn’t believe that in trying to prove some absurd idea of love, he had hurt his beloved. Wen Renhong suddenly hated his own childishness, feeling like a complete jerk for making his beloved sad.
He didn’t feel any happiness from Mu Jin’s jealousy. Wen Renhong was filled with heartbreak, quickly lowering his head to kiss the tear stains on Mu Jin’s cheeks.
As he kissed, he whispered apologies, “Xiao Jin, don’t cry, don’t cry. Everything he said is a lie. I could never marry anyone else. Even if the Emperor decreed a marriage, I would refuse it, just like I did the last time he tried to marry me to the Marquis’ eldest daughter.”
“Today, I asked the Emperor for a decree to grant our marriage, so we’ll be getting married soon. If there’s a rightful lord and lady of this mansion, it’ll only be you. Sweetheart, I only have you in this lifetime. Will you stay with me forever?”
Wen Renhong looked tenderly at Mu Jin but still felt a hint of uncertainty.
The person in his arms widened his eyes in surprise, seemingly unable to believe what he heard. It took a while for the little shadow guard to process it and then, somewhat dazed, asked, “Master, is everything you said true?”
Seeing Wen Renhong nod, the young man’s tears began to flow even more. Realizing he was crying non-stop, feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly sniffed and raised his arm to wipe his eyes forcefully.
Before he could continue, Wen Renhong stopped him, grabbing Mu Jin’s wrist, not wanting him to rub his face with the fabric of his sleeves.
He quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiping Mu Jin’s reddened cheeks, and said in a gentle voice, “Xiao Jin, you still haven’t answered my question.”
Mu Jin, blushing slightly from Wen Renhong’s tenderness, looked at him and finally said, “But Master, I’m a man, unable to bear children.”
Wen Renhong smiled and nodded, “I know, so if you’re with me, you’ll never have children of your own. Baby, does that bother you?”
Mu Jin shook his head vigorously. As long as he could be with the person he loved, that was his greatest happiness; nothing else mattered.
But his face still showed an apologetic expression, and he said sadly, “I’m sorry, Master. I’m not a good shadow guard. I want to keep you all to myself. I don’t want to share you with anyone.”
I feel like reading this makes me so much more emotionally sensitive, before I saw the ml rips out his own spine, get disassemble, get his heart pulled out, and even erasing himself from existence for mc, and mc going against his creator and becoming a god even if it means great pain and suffering for thousands of years and splitting his soul into two (aka Kim Dokja card) for ml and only felt some heartache, now I see this melodrama and I’m cosplaying as a fountain for halloween 😭