Chapter 6: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [6]

Chapter 6: Will a Mad Tyrant Be Forced Too? "6"

Mu Jin felt conflicted: [...Xiao Liu, are you being serious right now?]

After thinking for a moment, he added, [...And I don't like men.]

648 said casually, "Don't worry, host. The male lead must have his reasons for this. Even if you accept him, he won't do anything to you."

"The plot isn't set in stone anyway. Going by the plot, you wouldn't be blind right now either. No matter how it happens, as long as the end result is right, it's fine."

648's words did put Mu Jin's mind at ease.

[...Got it.]

Mu Jin replied softly, then turned to Ying Huaifeng with a low chuckle:

"If you want to be my consort, Ying Huaifeng, you're not worthy yet."

Mu Jin's expression was calm, but his tone left no room for argument.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes. You can ask for something else. Otherwise, I'll kill you right now!"

Even though 648 said he could do it, if Ying Huaifeng's identity came out later, it would inevitably cause problems.

A flicker of regret crossed Ying Huaifeng's eyes—some things just couldn't be done in the open anymore.

He knelt, hiding all emotion in his eyes, and spoke in a low voice:

"Then... please, Your Majesty, play along with me in a little act."

A smile tugged at Mu Jin's lips. Finally, they were back on the original storyline.

"Deal."

The two each had their own schemes in mind. Only 648 watched the scene, feeling something was off but unable to say what.

Ying Huaifeng agreed to cure Mu Jin's poison and heal his legs, while Mu Jin agreed to play along and fool Yun Fuyue.

Everything was going according to the usual plot. 648 figured he was probably overthinking it.

That very day, word of Mu Jin's poisoning and blindness spread through the palace.

Three days later, the mood in the palace was suffocating.

Everyone knew the emperor's temper had gotten worse and worse, and Young Master Ying, sent over personally by the National Preceptor, had been tormented almost to death.

Right then, Yun Fuyue claimed the heavens were showing strange signs and sent someone to invite Mu Jin to the National Preceptor's residence for a chat.

Mu Jin naturally wouldn't refuse. In fact, given his current state, even if he did, Yun Fuyue's men would just drag him over anyway.

He didn't bring Ying Huaifeng along.

To fully fool Yun Fuyue, Ying Huaifeng had been hard on himself and was still stuck in bed.

But when they arrived at the National Preceptor's residence, even Zhou Fuhai was turned away.

Yun Fuyue's men pushed the wheelchair to a spot and stopped. Their tone was cold and flat, with zero respect:

"The National Preceptor still has important things to deal with. Your Majesty, wait here."

With that, the person turned and disappeared.

Mu Jin caught the faint smell of plum blossoms but said nothing.

He didn't know how long it was before he felt something land on the tip of his nose and melt into water.

He blinked and tilted his head up, and more and more snow fell onto him.

Feeling the chill, Mu Jin pulled his cloak tighter, held the hand warmer close, and sighed.

He wondered when his eyes would heal.

Just as he was betting with 648 on how long Yun Fuyue would make him wait, a furry little thing suddenly jumped into his arms.

"Huh? What's this?"

Having been out in the snow for a while, Mu Jin's reactions were a bit slow. He held the little thing in his arms, confused.

He felt around cautiously, trying to figure out what this ball of fluff was.

But the little thing clearly liked his touch and even nuzzled his palm on its own.

648 glanced over. "Oh, that's a cat."

"A cat?"

Mu Jin was a bit surprised and instinctively tightened his grip on the cat's neck.

"Meow!"

The kitten's struggling cry and movements snapped him out of it, and he immediately loosened his grip.

Mu Jin's eyes flickered as he pinched the cat's tail, sounding puzzled:

"Aren't cats supposed to be tall, fierce creatures?"

The "cats" he'd seen—even the smallest cubs were as tall as a person.

Their sharp claws were great for forging weapons, and their razor-sharp teeth could easily snap a person's neck.

More importantly, they loved attacking people. When they did, their fur would turn rock-hard—they were a type of demonic beast that was tough to fight.

But now 648 was telling him that this thing rolling around in his arms... was really a cat?

Mu Jin was skeptical.

Seeing his confusion, 648 explained cheerfully, "Ah, cats in this world are like this—super cute."

"Not just this world—cats in lots of worlds are like this. You'll see later."

Mu Jin said nothing but held the kitten seriously, petting it over and over.

Mm, it had teeth and claws, both sharp, but its body was fluffy, its paws were soft, its tail was short and couldn't strangle anyone, and it felt nice to touch.

So this really was a cat.

The kitten looked at Mu Jin and let out a soft little "Meow?"

Mu Jin's heart almost melted right then and there.

The cats in this world are really well-behaved.

Mu Jin's eyes crinkled slightly as he picked up the cat, stroking it gently.

But he didn't realize how close he'd brought the cat to his face, until the kitten gave the tip of his nose a gentle lick.

Mu Jin paused for a moment, then his smile widened, clearly in a great mood.

648 suddenly piped up, "Host, Yun Fuyue is here, just to your left and behind you."

Mu Jin instinctively turned his head toward where 648 had indicated.

This is what Yun Fuyue saw standing not far away.

Amidst the swirling snow, Mu Jin sat beneath the plum blossom tree dressed in a bright yellow cloak embroidered with cloud motifs, snowflakes and a few small red plum petals dusting his ink-black hair.

He cradled his white cat in his arms, his expression gentle, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips. Though his gaze was unfocused, his eyes were strikingly bright.

Maybe from sitting there too long, his complexion looked a bit pale.

Yun Fuyue stared at the scene, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

His mind wandered for a moment—was this little emperor really this handsome?

For some reason, an absurd thought crossed Yun Fuyue's mind—that the little emperor hadn't always looked like this.

But on reflection, though he'd had little contact with the young emperor, the one in his memories really did look like this.

Yun Fuyue narrowed his eyes, pushing the thoughts aside, and walked over to Mu Jin's side, umbrella in hand.

Mu Jin felt the snow blocked above him and caught the scent of Yun Fuyue's incense. He raised an eyebrow, smiling:

"Has the State Preceptor finished his business?"

Yun Fuyue said softly, "I've kept Your Majesty waiting."

Mu Jin's tone was languid: "Indeed, quite a wait. If the State Preceptor has no time next time, there's no need to send for me."

Yun Fuyue lowered his eyes and extended his hand toward the white cat.

The cat in Mu Jin's arms looked at Yun Fuyue and docilely rubbed its head against his hand:

"Meow~"

Mu Jin frowned, then heard Yun Fuyue laugh and say, "It seems Little White really likes Your Majesty."

Mu Jin said flatly, "The cat is nice—better than people."

Yun Fuyue: "If Your Majesty likes it, you can take Little White back with you."

"But a cat is just a cat, after all—it still can't compare to a person."

Yun Fuyue paused, then smiled again, "I heard Your Majesty really likes the person I sent. Why didn't you bring him along today?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Mu Jin's pale, bloodless lips, and his expression shifted slightly.

Sending Ying Huaifeng to Mu Jin had originally been meant to have Mu Jin torment Ying Huaifeng to the fullest.

But now, Yun Fuyue suddenly regretted it.