Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 11, Part 1)

150 No Time to Grieve

Leng Jin Yu looked up when he saw a portal suddenly open next to him. He felt some relief knowing that Xiang Yu had indeed managed to find Xin Lan and apparently also convinced him to give talking to Jinde a try. His expression stayed more or less the same as before though.

He couldn't help it. It had been several weeks since the battle and Jin Ling's death but there wasn't the slightest change in Jinde's condition. Since the moment they had returned from sending Jin Ling off, he had hardly interacted with anyone. By this point, it was pretty much impossible to get him to move or even talk.

At the same time, the additional energy they had supplied their unborn child with to keep them safe inside the shell was running out. He had waited for as long as he could but in another day or two, it would be completely gone. By then, the child that had grown well so far would start to wither inside the shell until finally, they ceased to exist. How could he take that thought?

He had tried everything but it was as if Jinde couldn't even hear him. Qiu Ling hadn't had any luck either. He wasn't sure if Xin Lan would have a way. In fact, he somehow doubted it. After all, it wasn't like they hadn't tried. It was just ... Jinde had pulled so far away that nothing reached him. In that case, what could Xin Lan do that they hadn't tried? Even if he knew more about Jin Ling and the situation back then compared to them, Jinde still had to actually listen to him so that could play any part. Thus, his hope wasn't high.

Xin Lan scrutinized his expression closely as he stepped through the portal and then looked at the shell at the side of the pond next to him. No wonder Leng Jin Yu was desperate enough to send Xiang Yu to get him. It seemed that if nothing was done, they would indeed lose the child. In fact, not much time remained.

Xin Lan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sighing faintly. Opening his eyes, he pushed any other thoughts away. "Where is he?"

Leng Jin Yu motioned to the door. "Inside. He doesn't react to anything we do or say. I hope you'll have more luck."

Xin Lan gave a hum and walked inside. He didn't know if he'd have more luck. He actually had his doubts. If it was the usual, maybe it wouldn't be too bad but his own state of mind wasn't the best right now. So would he be able to help Jinde get out of this? It didn't seem likely.

Stepping into the room, he already saw Jinde huddled up in bed. He had his back turned to the door so he couldn't see his expression but just the way he was lying there said a lot.

Xin Lan's expression chilled, thinking of the state Jinde had been in back then after Chun Yin left with Biao Han and Qiu Ling and he made that awful deal with Jian Heng. At that time, he had been there to see all of it from the moment Chun Yin refused to be with him because of his position to the time he finally seemed to relent only to then get married to Biao Han, finally pushing Jinde into Jian Heng's arms.

That deal had been the stupidest idea Jinde had ever had. But it wasn't like he couldn't understand. All his dreams had been crashed by Chun Yin's previous behavior and this ... it seemed like the only way out. Of course, it had come back to bite him and more than once even. This now ... it was just one more time of Jian Heng's schemes fucking up Jinde's life.

Xin Lan closed his eyes and sighed before finally walking up to the bed and sitting down on the edge. He glanced at Jinde's expression which could only be described as blank. It seemed he had completely pulled back. No wonder he didn't react when his husband or Qiu Ling tried to talk to him. He probably wouldn't either when he gave it a try.

Xin Lan hung his head, his brows furrowing deeply. Jinde was grieving and there was likely a lot of guilt mixed into that feeling. Even if he was still listening, it was hard to say how one should go about making him pull himself out of this despair.

"Jinde ..." He reached out and took his hand but his gaze stayed fixed on his expression to try and see if there was any change. "If you can hear me, then it's time to get up. I know how much you loved Jin Ling but he's gone. You still have two other children though and they need you right now."

His gaze bore into Jinde's expression but there wasn't the slightest movement. His eyelids didn't even twitch. It seemed he really didn't hear him.

Xin Lan turned back around and let go of his hand. Yeah, as expected, he wasn't having any luck either. And right now, he couldn't think of another approach. Talking wouldn't work and he was afraid that even if they picked Jinde up and carried him outside, the most he would do was curl up next to his unborn child. He wasn't in any condition to do more than that though. Most likely, his energy wasn't stable enough to provide for the child either.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, once again feeling helpless. Jinde had always loved children and even though he had exiled Jin Ling back then, that didn't change his love for him. He had simply realized that it would be better for them if they stayed apart.

Losing him ... it was hard. And Jinde would need a long time to grieve this loss. The problem was that he didn't have that time. If they let him have it, only for him to wake up to his unborn child dead as well, he would only spiral further. To prevent that ... they might need to take some extreme measures.