Chapter 62
Wang Jin was taken aback. The excitement in Yu-ger's eyes was unmistakable. He narrowed his eyes, pondering for a long moment before speaking slowly, "He... has entered your family. Shouldn’t he now be your..."
The term "sister-in-law" obviously didn’t fit. Wang Jin paused, then said, "brother's ger?"
He had confronted Yu-ger’s "brother's ger," yet this person was thrilled about it?
In such a short time, the tension between Yu-ger and Yue-ger seemed to have escalated.
"He’s not my brother's ger!" Yu-ger pouted unhappily.
Mu-ger interjected, "But he and the leader have already married. The entire tribe attended the wedding banquet, you were there too."
Yu-ger looked on the verge of tears. "If I’d known earlier, I would never have let him into our home! He’s too domineering, too terrifying!"
Mu-ger chuckled. "Is it really appropriate for you to say this to us?"
After all, this person had once been at odds with them.
Yu-ger straightened his back. "Appropriate? Of course it is! There’s no one more appropriate to talk to than you two. Starting today, I’m following you two. As long as you help me teach Yue-ger a lesson, you’ll be my friends!"
"Friends?" Wang Jin blinked, his long lashes casting delicate shadows under his eyes, making his expression seem inscrutable.
The ger before him spoke softly, his voice like the faint chirping of a small animal. Those two lightly uttered words carried no intimidation, yet they made Yu-ger’s heart waver. Unbidden, memories of how he had once wronged this person surfaced in his mind.
Even though he had already apologized, Yu-ger’s heart pounded nervously.
As the leader’s younger brother, his words carried weight in the tribe. Many people wanted to befriend him, and he had been confident that Jin-ger wouldn’t refuse his overtures of friendship.
But now, with just two softly spoken words, he hesitated. His certainty wavered.
Somehow, he sensed that this person wouldn’t agree to be his friend.
He wanted to say something to change Wang Jin’s mind, but his words came out stuttered and disjointed.
"You... being my friend... has... has many benefits. I... I’m the leader’s brother. If my brother has any news... or extra food... I can..."
By the end, his voice had dwindled to a whisper.
Yu-ger had always been domineering, speaking with bold confidence. It was rare for him to lower his voice like this.
Seeing this, the distance in Wang Jin’s eyes lessened slightly, replaced by a hint of gentleness. "We can be friends. But if you’re expecting me to fight your battles for you, you’ve come to the wrong person."
Not only could he not interfere in Yu-ger’s family matters, but dealing with Yue-ger - a master manipulator, gave him a headache every time. He had no desire to invite that kind of trouble.
Yu-ger’s expression twisted into a mix of joy at not being outright rejected and sorrow at Wang Jin’s bluntness.
He muttered dejectedly, "But... friends are supposed to help each other. If you help me this once, I’ll listen to whatever you say."
He seemed genuinely miserable under Yue-ger’s oppression, his face fell, tears welling in his eyes as if he were about to burst into loud sobs.
"I’m really suffering! Not enough to eat, not enough to wear, even the furs at night are thinner now. But worst of all, he frames me every day. He gives away huge amounts of fruit and meat, then claims I ate it all or that I caused trouble outside and he’s compensating for it. I didn’t do anything, yet he pins everything on me!"
Earlier, Yu-ger had ranted endlessly about Yue-ger stealing his food and skimping on his necessities. But this framing was new information.
Mu-ger and Wang Jin exchanged glances. They had wondered why the leader’s family allowed Yue-ger to give away so much food.
They had assumed it was because the leader doted on Yue-ger. Now it seemed Yue-ger had fabricated excuses.
Mu-ger asked, "Didn’t you... tell your brother and father?"
"I did!" Yu-ger gritted his teeth. "I’ve been telling them! But that guy is an expert at acting. A few fake tears, a sob about how ‘unfair’ things are, and my brother and father side with him. Then they scold me instead! They say I eat too much or bully others outside. Even if I had ten mouths, I couldn’t argue against his crying!"
"..." Given Yu-ger’s past behavior, the accusations of overeating and bullying weren’t entirely unfounded. No wonder no one believed him.
Yu-ger sniffled. "I don’t know what to do. He struts around in front of me, even ordering Zhen-ger and the others around, and they were my friends!"
"..." Friends? Those two had always seemed more like lackeys, fawning over Yu-ger before.
Wang Jin lowered his eyes in thought. "So what you want now is to clear your name with your brother and father?"
Yu-ger nodded vigorously. "Not just that, I want Yue-ger to know I’m not someone he can push around!"
Wang Jin pondered for a moment, a sly glint flashing in his lively eyes.
"I have an idea." Wang Jin smirked, leaning close to whisper into Yu-ger’s ear.
Yu-ger’s face immediately brightened, all gloom and grievance vanishing as fiery determination took its place.
"That’s perfect!" He rubbed his hands together, itching to get started.
"Don’t be too obvious," Wang Jin reminded him.
Yu-ger quickly reined in his excitement, scratching his head sheepishly. "Got it. I’ll keep it under wraps. Let’s see how he tries to frame me then."
Wang Jin nodded, his own delight barely contained. "If this plan doesn’t work, come find me again."
"Mm! Okay!" Yu-ger beamed with gratitude. "Thank you, Jin-ger! I’ll head back now."
"Mm." Wang Jin watched as Yu-ger left.
Mu-ger tugged at his sleeve. "A-Jin, didn’t you say you wouldn’t get involved?"
Wang Jin turned back with a grin. "I didn’t."
"?"
"Giving advice isn’t getting involved." Wang Jin winked, his cunning gaze resembling a sly fox’s. "With Yu-ger keeping Yue-ger busy, we’ll have some peace for a while."
Mu-ger stared blankly for a second before realization dawned. "A-Jin, you’re just using—"
Wang Jin clapped a hand over Mu-ger’s mouth. "A-Mu, don’t say it like that. I gave him a good plan, this is mutual benefit!"
"What exactly did you tell him?" Mu-ger pulled Wang Jin’s hand away but kept hold of it, curiosity burning in his eyes.
In his haste to silence Mu-ger earlier, Wang Jin had leaned in close, so close their noses nearly touched. With his hand blocking the way, the proximity hadn’t seemed so intimate. But now, with their hands clasped and no barrier between them, their breaths mingled, creating an inexplicable sense of intimacy.
Their unblinking gaze into each other’s eyes, from a distance, could easily be mistaken for a pair of lovers lost in a tender moment—on the verge of a kiss.
Yet neither noticed how compromising their position was, maintaining this closeness as they whispered.
Until—
"A-Mu!" A beastman’s shocked voice cut through the air, startling them.
They turned to see Yuan Heng and Lai Yuan standing at the courtyard gate.
Yuan Heng’s face was ashen, his lips pale. Lai Yuan looked utterly stunned.
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