Yuan Heng chuckled, finding the pouting ger unbearably cute, he longed to bundle him into his arms and pamper him thoroughly. If walking pained him, he'd gladly be his legs all day.
But Yuan Heng's ambitions were thwarted, guests had arrived. Wang Jin went out to greet them, finding his usual courtyard chair now piled with multiple layers of furs, clearly prepared earlier by Yuan Heng.
This sight slightly mollified him.
Yet the moment he sat, the soreness made him gnash his teeth in frustration...
"Jin... Jin ger..." Xi ger called hesitantly. Wang Jin quickly smoothed his grimace into a polite smile. "Please, sit."
Xi ger explained, "When you invited me yesterday, I was attending a patient. You're not upset I didn't come, are you?"
Wang Jin blinked, recalling, Xi ger indeed hadn't appeared yesterday, though he'd sent an invitation.
He shook his head. "Not at all."
"What did you need me for yesterday?" Xi ger asked.
"Nothing important," Wang Jin said. "Just wanted you to try some fruit wine I made. But now I realize it's nothing good!"
His vehement tone suggested the wine had personally offended him. Xi ger looked puzzled.
Yuan Heng chuckled, presenting a sealed ceramic bottle to Xi ger. "Don't listen to him. The wine tastes excellent, take some to try."
Xi ger's eyes widened in shock, this was the first time Yuan Heng had ever treated him so amiably!
The beastman seemed in unusually high spirits, the corners of his mouth perpetually upturned.
Wang Jin shot him a glare before loudly declaring, "I want honey! I want white jade fruit! I want budberries! Ten pounds of each!"
"......" Xi ger's mouth twitched.
These three items grew in completely different areas, procuring all would require trips to three separate locations. And ten pounds each? Thirty pounds total? Even for a beastman, carrying that much would be difficult. Moreover, no ger could possibly consume that quantity... Was this an intentional, unreasonable demand to punish the man?
Would Brother Heng agree?
"Alright." The man fondly ruffled Wang Jin's hair, his indulgent gaze overflowing with tenderness.
"......" Xi ger rubbed his nose, feeling inexplicably fed dog food.
But...
After Yuan Heng left the courtyard, Xi ger whispered, "Jin ger, can you really eat thirty pounds of fruit and honey?"
The honey was one thing, but the fruits would spoil within days...
Wang Jin pursed his lips. Of course he couldn't eat that much, he'd just been venting his pique, wanting to act spoiled... Never expecting the man to actually agree and depart immediately!
Those three locations, that heavy load, it would exhaust him to death!
Regret seeped in. He remained silent, so Xi ger changed the subject to the wine.
Mention of the wine reignited Wang Jin's irritation. He warned Xi ger, "You can taste it, but don't drink too much. This stuff intoxicates easily, and drunkenness leads to... impropriety..."
Remembering Xi ger was still single, he added, "Especially never drink it with a beastman. If anything happens, I won't take responsibility."
"......" Xi ger suddenly felt the bottle in his hands had become something perilous.
Seeing his apprehension, Wang Jin reassured, "Don't worry, many ger drank it yesterday. In moderation, it's harmless."
"Mm." Comforted, Xi ger smiled.
The more time he spent with Jin ger, the more he found him interesting and kind-hearted.
He couldn't understand why his friend Yue ger so disliked him, when he was clearly so amiable...
Shaking off these thoughts, Xi ger stored the wine and began asking pharmacological questions Wang Jin had previously left unanswered.
But Wang Jin seemed distracted. Before long, Mu ger arrived, saying Yuan Heng had asked him to keep Wang Jin company. Seeing this, Xi ger took his leave.
Returning home, Xi ger encountered an unexpected visitor, Yue ger.
Instinctively, he hid the wine bottle behind his back. Yue ger's sharp eyes noticed immediately, a shadow flitting across his face before being quickly concealed.
"Where have you been? I've been waiting so long," Yue ger said, reaching for Xi ger's hands, deliberately pulling forward the arm holding the wine to expose it.
"Oh? What's this? It smells wonderful!"
Yue ger naturally took the bottle, sniffing it with apparent delight.
Xi ger stood stunned, this warmth felt like their friendship had never fractured, like no harsh words had ever been exchanged...
Frowning, he snatched back the bottle. "Jin ger gave this to me. I just came back from his place."
"......" Yue ger's smile faltered, layers of darkness twisting his features, though with his back turned, Xi ger missed the ugly transformation.
By the time Xi ger looked, Yue ger had reassembled his pleasant expression.
"So it's Jin ger's creation. I've heard he's talented, the whole tribe adores him."
"I like him too," Xi ger said pointedly, still nursing grievances.
Yue ger's smile stiffened momentarily before recovering. "I thought so. You rarely visit others so frequently. Hearing you've been seeing Jin ger so often lately... he must be truly special to earn your favor. I remember you were so shy as a child, only clinging to me..."
His light tone carried obscure implications.
"......" Xi ger paused, remembering his childhood, that introverted, precocious version of himself, apprentice to the tribal healer, respected yet feared by peers. Only Yue ger had sought his company persistently, until they became inseparable.
Yue ger had filled his entire childhood. The memory softened Xi ger's stance slightly.
"Yue ger... when not being stubborn, you're just as wonderful as Jin ger."
Facing Yue ger squarely, he said earnestly, "Let it go, alright? Live your own life. Jin ger and Brother Heng are deeply in love, whenever I visit, they're practically glued together. No one could come between them. You'll find your own beastman someday."
Behind his back, Yue ger's nails dug into his palms, the pain anchoring his composure.
His face, however, displayed serene indifference, as if discussing trivial matters.
Puzzled by his calm, Xi ger didn't notice the darkness swirling in his eyes.
"I've already moved on," Yue ger explained smoothly. "I came to apologize, for worrying you, for those hurtful words."
Xi ger's eyes widened in delighted surprise. "No, that doesn't matter! What's important is, have you truly let go?"
If his friend could recognize his mistakes and emerge from this shadow, nothing else was significant.
"Of course." Yue ger smiled, though it never reached his eyes. Unfortunately, Xi ger's joy blinded him to the venom lurking beneath.
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