Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 86

Wu Jing asked once more, tugging at Ning Qinghong’s sleeve and pleading, “Brother, could you just discard it?”

Ning Qinghong paused for a moment, rubbing the smooth, patterned surface of the wooden box with his fingers. He chuckled softly and asked in a low voice, “Is Wu Wu afraid of them, or afraid of me?”

Wu Jing was momentarily stunned. He carefully observed Ning Qinghong’s expression, hesitated, and, after some internal struggle, finally composed himself and pressed his face against Ning Qinghong’s.

He was already being held in Ning Qinghong’s arms, his arms wrapped around Ning Qinghong’s neck, his face buried in the crook of Ning Qinghong’s neck. When he looked up, his head brushed against Ning Qinghong’s ear, his soft, dark hair grazing Ning Qinghong’s face.

“I’m afraid of them, but not very afraid of you.”

His voice was soft, trembling, and not very firm.

But he wasn’t lying.

No matter how Ning Qinghong comforted him or indulged him, the psychological trauma Wu Jing had experienced earlier couldn’t be easily erased. It was something he would remember for a long time and that would resurface whenever he encountered similar situations.

But it was also contradictory.

He couldn’t help but rely on and be affectionate towards Ning Qinghong. He had grown accustomed to it, and whenever he saw him, he instinctively wanted to be close and to be held and kissed.

He couldn’t tell if it was muscle memory or a genuine emotional response.

Because it had become instinctual.

Ning Qinghong smiled, “So you’re still afraid of me.”

Wu Jing shook his head vigorously, stumbling over his words, “No, not afraid, not afraid.” Hearing the hint of danger, he quickly corrected himself, “I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

The tears still streaked across the boy’s face, making him look both aggrieved and pitiful. As Wu Jing pressed his face against Ning Qinghong’s cheek, the wet marks on his face transferred to Ning Qinghong, the moisture almost sticky, making their faces cling together.

Tears also stained his lips, and the hot breath from his small mouth was almost tangible. Ning Qinghong could feel the boy’s burning breath without needing to lean down.

Seeing the boy fighting back tears and trying to please him, Ning Qinghong said, “Brother said before that you must agree to one request from me each day.”

Wu Jing mumbled, “You said you would keep your word.” He emphasized, “You said you would do what you said.”

Ning Qinghong held him on the bed, “Let me see, how many requests did Wu Wu make the day before yesterday?” He said, “The next day you asked me not to wake you up, to let you eat what you like, and to move things out of the study.”

“Wu Wu has already made three requests.”

“And I agreed to them all. The one just now is the fourth.”

Ning Qinghong calculated, “But you haven’t fulfilled any of the promises you made.”

Wu Jing protested, “I did fulfill them.”

Ning Qinghong responded, “Really?” He detailed each point without showing any leniency, “The day before yesterday, you stayed up late reading medical books in the study without resting properly, isn’t that right?”

Wu Jing was momentarily at a loss, then heard Ning Qinghong continue, “Yesterday was a holiday, and you didn’t attend the academy. Today, you went out to drink and skipped school.”

The boy clenched his lips tightly, still feeling unjust, but unable to refute Ning Qinghong’s facts. He could only stubbornly remain silent.

Ning Qinghong smiled as he concluded, “So, Wu Wu still owes me three requests and now wants to defer a fourth.” He asked slowly, “How does Wu Wu plan to repay this?”

Wu Jing was confused, suddenly finding himself burdened with so many debts. He let go of his lip and stared blankly.

He also felt something was off about Ning Qinghong’s attitude. Though he spoke gently, it seemed different from the previous lighthearted tone when he had given him gold coins.

Even though it seemed he was still coaxing him.

Wu Jing repeated in a daze, “I, I owe you three?”

When did he owe them? He counted on his fingers and realized that Ning Qinghong was not wrong; he had indeed not been deceived.

Wu Jing began to feel guilty. His resolute demeanor softened, and he stammered, “How, how do I repay it?”

The boy’s bewildered expression was almost too pitiful to continue deceiving. He hesitated and said, “I will definitely repay it. I will follow Brother’s advice and won’t skip school. Can I defer one more? I will eat well, sleep well, and attend school properly for the next four days.”

He completely forgot that fulfilling the first three requests had coincided with satisfying an unreasonable demand: staying up later and eating well, which he wouldn’t have otherwise.

The third request was the only one that truly made up for it.

Ning Qinghong laughed, “What if Wu Wu, like before, promises something but fails to deliver? How should we handle that?” He said gently, “Brother can’t agree to defer it just yet.”

Wu Jing was stunned, biting his lips and staring down at his hands.

He felt both wronged and uncertain about what to do.

Ning Qinghong looked at him for a while, then sighed lightly, “Never mind, I misunderstood.” He said, “Wu Wu’s random kisses were also a fault.”

“Punishment—”

Wu Jing immediately looked up at him.

Ning Qinghong spoke slowly, “But I won’t punish you.”

Wu Jing was puzzled about how this had become related to his family, and what “random kisses” meant. He couldn’t think too much and just looked at Ning Qinghong, listening to him say, “But we can’t leave it all to Wu Wu. We need a compromise.”

Ning Qinghong picked up the box, playing with it in his hands, “Since it’s here, we can’t just throw it away.” He said, “But Brother promises Wu Wu, it won’t be used on you for now.”

Wu Jing thought of covering his mouth but then breathed a sigh of relief, stammering, “Said, said it’s a promise.”

Ning Qinghong placed the box back down.

Wu Jing’s gaze uncontrollably followed his movements. Seeing that Ning Qinghong simply set the box down and withdrew his hand, Wu Jing was momentarily stunned and asked after a while, “Just leave it here?”

Ning Qinghong smiled and agreed.

Wu Jing couldn’t help but glance at it again and was instantly alarmed, “What if someone sees it?”

This place is cleaned daily by servants.

Ning Qinghong gently replied, “Apart from Brother and Wu Wu, no one dares to open this box.”

Even if it isn’t locked.

Wu Jing’s mind was a bit muddled. He wanted to argue that even if no one would open it, it shouldn’t be left here so openly. Every day when he wakes up and before he sleeps, he would see it.

He feared that it would cause him constant anxiety,

and prevent him from sleeping well.

Wu Jing wanted to say more and negotiate, but he was afraid that if he spoke too much, Ning Qinghong might change his mind. He hesitated, feeling increasingly distressed.

In the next moment, Ning Qinghong picked him up effortlessly. “Alright, Wu Wu, are you hungry? Let’s go have dinner.”

As he was carried away, Wu Jing, resting on Ning Qinghong’s shoulder, would catch glimpses of the small wooden box whenever he looked up, quickly averting his gaze but unable to resist peeking at it repeatedly.

He only felt relieved when he could no longer see it.

However, after finishing his meal and returning to his room, Wu Jing’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the wooden box again. His anxiety returned, oscillating back and forth, but he managed to endure it within his tolerance.

At night, when Ning Qinghong went to the study to handle the remaining court affairs, Wu Jing would cautiously get up from the bed in the absence of others and look at the box again.

Knowing that the item was not dangerous to him, his fear turned purely into fresh curiosity.

It was the first time he had seen such an object from this era, so he was naturally curious. However, he was still shy and did not dare to touch it like before, when he had been somewhat naive.

He would open it to look, then close it,

then open it again,

and close it once more.

Wu Jing didn’t realize he was subtly adapting to the situation, not perceiving the malicious intent behind it.

The next day, he even paid full attention at the academy and fulfilled the three requests as agreed.

When night fell and he returned, Wu Jing, who was generally forgetful, almost forgot about the box. But after bathing and being led back to his room by Ning Qinghong, seeing the box placed so prominently reminded him.

He couldn’t ignore it,

and he couldn’t forget it.

Even though it was within reach and frightening to see, he clung to Ning Qinghong’s assurance, finding comfort in his words.

But at the same time, he couldn’t stop being anxious.

He felt a grievance he couldn’t quite place,

because Ning Qinghong hadn’t done anything.