Wolf King And His Fox Consort

Chu Hean walked in a few minutes later, accompanied by Hua Nanyi and a tray of breakfast for two.

Chu Yun was already sitting down at the low table, untangling the knots from his hair with an unfocused gaze.

"You aren't staying?" He asked Hua Nanyi pleadingly, after she set down the tray and arranged all the plates and bowls.

She couldn't hide her panic in time. "No, ah, uh, I'm helping Concubine Min decide on...on, music, music for the games!"

She left before Chu Yun could call her out on her blatant lie. At least it was true that Min Sezhui had been more engaged lately. She still didn't look enthusiastic about anything, but at least she left her room regularly to help with preparations for the games.

In that aspect, Chu Yun's plan had worked wonderfully. Now, if she would only smile from time to time.

Across from him, Chu Hean dug into his millet porridge with little enthusiasm. His expression looked troubled, his gaze far off and distant.

"So, what is this is about?" Chu Yun asked, taking a spoonful of his own, incredibly bland porridge. He couldn't wait to no longer be pregnant and be allowed to eat food with seasoning again.

He failed to understand the logic behind all the bland food. Were the physicians afraid the child would sneeze inside of him and dislocate one of his ribs? With the way it insisted on kicking his bladder, Chu Yun would almost consider it an improvement.

Chu Hean ate two more spoonfuls before setting down his bowl and sighing deeply. "I don't know what to do."

That made Chu Yun want to laugh in his face.

So the one enlightened being in all of creation, he who knew more than the Yellow Emperor in the Heavens, and all the gods put together, didn't know what to do and had come to Chu Yun for guidance.

Chu Yun stopped himself at the last moment and simply hummed into his porridge, saving himself from incurring Chu Hean's wrath for a mere instant of gratification.

"I don't think Ru Long ever expected to make me his official spouse," Chu Hean finally said, with a defeated sigh. "He is engaged since birth, to the daughter of some lord in Su with ties to the throne." He spit out the words in annoyance as if they burned his tongue.

"The engagement is still standing I suppose?"

"He told me he would break it off as soon as he became King and marry me instead," Chu Hean said. "But now...I don't think he has any intention of doing that at all."

He looked away from the table, his clear eyes brimming with resentment. Chu Yun would never forget Chu Hean's arrogance when gleefully revealing that he had been fooling Chu Yun, and doing heavens know what under his nose for years. It must cost him tremendously to realise he had been deceived as well. 

It made a special kind of grim sense. Chu Hean was a highly trained assassin -- the blunder with Lieba Chun notwithstanding -- Ru Long had to be a fool not to understand the opportunity that represented.

"Did you ever carry out any particular 'assignments' for him?"

Chu Hean was silent for a long moment, but finally nodded -- just once, his neck barely moving.

That settled it, then. Whatever feelings Ru Long had, it was obvious he prized Chu Hean's use as tool even more.

Maybe it was the fear of losing his sharpest blade that made him chase Chu Hean all the way to the steppes, rather than any tender feelings.

Perhaps his insistence for Chu Hean to stop his Harmonious Resonance activities had more to do with wanting to monopolise his skills.

All those same thoughts must have been running through Chu Hean's mind as well, judging by his troubled look.

Chu Yun cleared his throat. "You don't know what to do regarding Ru Long or Lieba Chun?"

Chu Hean looked down at the table and turned the bowl of millet porridge around between his cupped palms. They wouldn't have had such a simple breakfast back in Xin. Even with all the other dishes on the table, it was still far more simple fare than they were used to.

He supposed they no longer were the same people as the last time they sat down for breakfast together.

"I gave him my heart, and...," he cut himself short, terribly embarrassed. Chu Yun understood the meaning all the same.

Not just his heart, he gave him other things as well.

"Well...I slept with a lot of people before marrying Xiao Zai," Chu Yun said, grimacing. This just wasn't the kind of thing he and Chu Hean ever discussed. "A lot of people. Many," now that he was talking Chu Yun didn't seem to be able to stop, even though Chu Hean's horrified look probably reflected his own. "I was well known in all of Lanzhou's best pleasure houses. I had favourite courtesans in each of them."

Chu Hean groaned and hid his face between his palms. "Please stop, I get it."

Chu Yun coughed into his fist to hide his mortification. "I was just trying to say, that the first person doesn't matter as much as...the, uhm, the last."

Somehow of everything he had said that was the most embarrassing. 

After a tense moment of silence Chu Hean cleared his throat. "Thank you, for telling me that." He sighed, still not meeting Chu Yun's eyes. "I suppose it's a reassuring. Omegas hear a lot about saving ourselves for the alpha who'll marry us."

Chu Yun knew that. Alphas didn't hear that kind of thing -- case in point: his own exploits.

"I don't know if it matters but...I don't think Lieba Chun cares?" Despite the uncertainty of his tone, Chu Yun bet that he was right. If Lieba Chun's reaction to overhearing the fight between Chu Hean and Ru Long was anything to go by.

It was only for a split-second but Chu Yun could swear the corner of Chu Hean's lips ticked up just before he said, "No, I don't think he does."