Little Pink Starfish

The Emotionally Wounded Jing Mo

Yu Xiaoxiao climbed up to the top of the wall. Xiao Wei helped Gu Xinglang sit beside her with a perfectly straight face, as if he hadn’t just witnessed their passionate kiss minutes ago.

Jing Mo remained squatting on the wall and asked Yu Xiaoxiao, “What’s going on?”

Yu Xiaoxiao pointed down. “Isn’t the National Preceptor Wuhuan down there?”

Jing Mo replied quietly, “I see him. But why is he in Fengtian? And… Princess, you already knew him before this?”

Yu Xiaoxiao answered, “Oh, Wuhuan came here to get revenge on that sissy Wen Fenglin.”

Wuhuan has a grudge with Wen Fenglin? Jing Mo doubted his ears.

Yu Xiaoxiao shifted her gaze from Wuhuan to Jing Mo. “Now that Mo Wen’s here, Wuhuan was nearly killed by his men just now. Mo Wen’s got people watching all four city gates, so I brought Wuhuan here to hide.”

Jing Mo went stiff.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Gu Xinglang. “Little Gu, do you think we should negotiate with Mo Wen, or just take action?”

Jing Mo raised a hand. “Don’t talk to your Little Gu yet. Did you say Mo Wen is here in Fengtian?”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. “Yup. He’s probably having tea with my dad right now. Although, my dad usually prefers watching exotic dancers or something… but Mo Wen probably wouldn’t—”

“You said Mo Wen wants to kill Wuhuan?” Jing Mo cut her off.

“Yeah,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, frustrated. “Didn’t I just say that?”

Jing Mo stared at her. He’d heard the words, but he simply couldn’t accept them.

Gu Xinglang glanced at him and said, “Didn’t you guys from Zhuri say you’re always up-to-date on what happens in Fengtian? And you didn’t even know Mo Wen was here?”

Xiao Wei rubbed his face. Seriously, Prince Consort? Picking fights right now?

Jing Mo glared at Gu Xinglang. “I was preparing to leave your Fengtian capital. Right now, I only care about what happens on my way home.”

Gu Xinglang said, “That’s just unfortunate timing.”

Jing Mo couldn’t help but feel bitter. He had already taken Yu Ziming out the front gate, planning to say goodbye to Emperor Xianzong and then return to Zhuri. Then one of his guards reported a disturbance in the back garden. He shouldn’t have come to check. If he had just kept walking—even if he met Mo Wen in the palace—he wouldn’t have known a thing. What could Mo Wen do about that?

Yu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, beamed and said, “It’s fate!”

Jing Mo exhaled into the chilly autumn air, his breath turning into a puff of white mist. If this is fate, someone else can have it. I want none of it.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Gu Xinglang and asked, “Just now, you said ‘Fengjing’—where’s that?”

Gu Xinglang choked.

Jing Mo coughed, nearly swallowing his own spit.

Xiao Wei hesitantly explained, “Princess, Fengjing is our capital here in Fengtian.”

Yu Xiaoxiao instantly realized she’d had another “idiot moment.” They’d been calling it the capital all this time, but no one had told her the city’s actual name was Fengjing. Ugh!

Jing Mo took a few deep breaths. Stay calm. Stay calm.

Xiao Wei added, “Princess, you didn’t know?”

If Yu Xiaoxiao admitted that, it’d mean admitting she was clueless. So she laughed awkwardly and said, “Of course I knew. I was just joking, trying to lighten the mood.”

Jing Mo was once again emotionally wounded by her casual “hehe.” “Don’t ‘hehe’ me. Why does Mo Wen want to kill Wuhuan?” He couldn’t wrap his head around how Wuhuan could still be the National Preceptor of Zhuri if he was Mo Wen’s enemy. It made no sense.

Yu Xiaoxiao said, “Just look at Wuhuan’s face.”

Jing Mo glanced at the wooden mask and said, “What about it? Wuhuan’s face is as delicate as a woman’s—too striking—so he’s always worn a mask in public. But he used to wear silver. Why wood now?”

“I broke the silver one,” Yu Xiaoxiao admitted frankly.

Jing Mo’s eye twitched. What the hell happened between them that she ended up breaking his face mask? “You two fought?”

“Yup,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “But then I realized he was a good person, so now we’re teammates.”

Jing Mo looked at Gu Xinglang like: You okay with your wife just picking up random ‘teammates’ like this?

Gu Xinglang asked, “Your Highness, what do you plan to do now?”

What do I plan to do? Jing Mo was about to go crazy. He didn’t know anything yet! “What’s going on between Mo Wen and Wuhuan?” he asked Xiao Wei. Maybe the bodyguard knew something useful.

Xiao Wei shook his head. He didn’t know either.

Yu Xiaoxiao sighed dramatically. “It’s a very sad love story.”

Jing Mo turned to Gu Xinglang. “What did she just say?”

Gu Xinglang rubbed his forehead.

Yu Xiaoxiao added, “But that’s Wuhuan’s privacy. I can’t tell you.”

Jing Mo felt his temper flaring. So after all that, I still don’t know anything. Then what the hell am I even doing squatting on this wall?!

Down below, Tian Xingzi’s neck was sore from craning it so long. He whispered to Wuhuan, “Why are they still talking on top of the wall? Aren’t they afraid of eavesdroppers?”

Wuhuan wobbled slightly.

Tian Xingzi turned to him. “Hey, kid, are you even listening?”

Wuhuan stared at his own hand.

Tian Xingzi frowned. “Am I seeing things, or are you shaking?”

No sooner had he said that than Wuhuan collapsed backward like a puppet with its strings cut.

Tian Xingzi quickly caught him and shouted up, “Hey, Princess! Can you finish the chatting later? This guy just passed out!”

“What?!” Yu Xiaoxiao immediately jumped down from the wall.

Xiao Wei acted quickly too, supporting Gu Xinglang as they both leapt down into the courtyard.

That left Jing Mo still squatting alone on the wall, deeply, deeply reluctant to come down.

Xiao Wei helped Gu Xinglang sit on a large stone in the courtyard while Yu Xiaoxiao crouched beside the unconscious Wuhuan.

“What happened to him?” Gu Xinglang asked.

“He said he was poisoned,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “Xiao Wei, what kind of poison do you think it is?”

Xiao Wei crouched beside her. “Princess, I don’t know anything about poisons.”

“My Little Gu never studied medicine either… Jing Mo?” Yu Xiaoxiao called out.

Jing Mo jumped down at last, walked over to Wuhuan, and said, “I’m just like Gu Xinglang—I don’t know medicine. But Princess, if you could cure Gu Xinglang’s injuries, surely you can cure our National Preceptor’s poison too, right?”