Fireflies and summer light

—Jealous?

…Is Huo‍‍​​‍​‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍​‍​​​⁠‌⁠‍​ Xianfeng jealous???

Though Jiang Ci found it shocking and almost unbelievable, it seemed such thing was happening right in front of his eyes. Everything had been fine until he mentioned He Zhun—then Huo Xianfeng had turned and stormed off the moment he brought him up.

[—Then go find He Zhun.]

That line—it was obvious that Huo Xianfeng was bothered by him mentioning He Zhun.

But that was He Zhun.

He Zhun was a beta, yet Huo Xianfeng was still jealous?

“Plus, He Zhun’s like my brother…he’s family…”

Jiang Ci hurriedly caught up, still somewhat unwilling to believe Huo Xianfeng could feel jealous of He Zhun. It felt too surreal.

So surreal it was like a dream.

But Huo Xianfeng still ignored him, striding forward with a cold face.

—He really was angry.

Jiang Ci was now sure of it.

In his memory, Huo Xianfeng was always carefree, always the one in control. From the start of their relationship till now, Huo Xianfeng had maintained the upper hand, whether in handling their dilemmas or navigating their complicated relationship. He seemed to hold the reins in everything.

Even if Jiang Ci tried to mask his feelings, Huo Xianfeng could always keenly sense and answer them.

Huo Xianfeng was undeniably strong—not only in his physical abilities but also in his mental and emotional strength. Always calm, always rational, always surpassing everyone else.

So, seeing this childish, almost petty jealousy from him was genuinely unthinkable and wholly out of character.

Jiang Ci felt it was unprecedentedly novel.

“Huo Xianfeng?”

He jogged after him, his gaze fixed on Huo Xianfeng’s face. The night was dark, and despite the distant lights from the First Legion’ temporary camp and the restored parts of the central temple, he still couldn’t see clearly.

“Huo Xianfeng, wait!”

The uneven ground was full of debris, and, distracted by Huo Xianfeng’s face, Jiang Ci tripped over a steel bar.

For Jiang Ci, this was nothing; he could catch himself easily, and even if he fell, it wouldn’t matter—he’d been through far worse during his time at the academy.

Pa—!

As he lost his balance, a hand instantly grabbed his elbow, steadying him. Jiang Ci blinked in surprise and looked up.

“…Huo Xianfeng?”

“Tripping over nothing?”

Huo Xianfeng let out a mocking laugh,

“Guess I’ve seen it all now—turns out there’s someone even clumsier than Huo Chao.”

Jiang Ci: “…”

Although Huo Xianfeng never lost to anyone in a duel of verbal criticism, most of the words he said to Jiang Ci were not meant to be offensive or mocking, and were mostly joking or teasing him.  Moreover, Jiang Ci could sense that Huo Xianfeng always held back with him.

Therefore, this was the first time he’d genuinely mocked him.

— Looks like he is really angry.

And not just a little.

Jiang Ci was now certain and began to feel a little uneasy.

Jiang Ci could be sharp and indifferent with others because they didn’t matter to him. But once he allowed someone into his heart, he cared deeply for them.

Everyone only saw the talent and potential Jiang Ci had inherited from Jiang Jinsheng and Zhou Jiuya, but in truth, he was very much like his mother, Bai Min—reserved, sensitive, kind, and very, very caring to those close to him.

So, when someone truly entered his heart, Jiang Ci would care immensely about everything they did, even allowing their moods to affect his own.

Like with He Zhun, Jiang Ci, even in his weakest moments and despite countless reasons to doubt him, had gone alone to the perilous Winter Day Planet just for him.

And when He Zhun later on hurt him with harsh words, Jiang Ci’s first reaction had been to self-reflect, reflecting on his failure of neglecting He Zhun’s state and his pain all along.

And later, when He Zhun left for the dangerous Church mission, Jiang Ci felt he’d once again failed to protect someone important to him.

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“Huo Xianfeng, listen to my…” explanation

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“…?”

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Some were hidden underground, silently smoothing the path for their King, while others flew in the air, tiny antennae glowing with soft lights that illuminated the darkness.

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The Zergs’ fearsome appearance melted away in the night as they unfurled their bony wings, the thin wing membranes shimmering in the soft glow.

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Breathtaking and romantic.

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Seriously, how were his legs so long?

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“Huo Xianfeng.”

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—All of it.

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“Oh…”

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Huo Xianfeng glanced at him briefly but said nothing, resuming his stride.

Uh-oh.

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—He was not so easy to appease anymore.

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But Jiang Ci had never looked so closely at Huo Xianfeng with such a cold expression.

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His narrow phoenix eyes glinted with a sharp chill, and a faint golden light seemed to shimmer within his left iris. His lips were pressed into a firm line, his jawline sharp and pronounced. Even from this deadly angle as Jiang Ci looked up at him, he was devastatingly handsome.

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For the first time ever, Huo Xianfeng was truly angry with him.

Jiang Ci thought about it and realized he had, indeed, been in the wrong.

After all, Huo Xianfeng had done so much for him just that afternoon—having the Zergs come to his aid, bringing the Legion Commander, then patiently teaching him close-combat mecha techniques one-on-one.

Later, he had stood up for him in front of the instructors, defending him.

And yet, in their most private moment, Jiang Ci had blurted out that He Zhun had said something similar.

Imagining it from Huo Xianfeng’s perspective, it was indeed quite insensitive.

—He had made a mistake.

For the first time, the Major General reflected on his actions, something he had rarely done before. Now, he could clearly recount every misstep.

“Huo Xianfeng, I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

Jiang Ci apologized sincerely.

He’d had a difficult personality since childhood, one that wasn’t exactly endearing. But he did have one redeeming trait—if he realized he had hurt someone, he would apologize right away in a serious manner.

This habit was instilled by his father from a young age.

“He Zhun is family to me, like a real brother. There’s nothing romantic there,”

“Maybe…I’ll try not to mention He Zhun in front of you?”

Of course, he couldn’t completely avoid mentioning He Zhun, since he was so important to him.

After thinking a bit, he added, “Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t bring up anyone else either.”

Huo Xianfeng’s pace slowed slightly, and he let out a cold hum. “Jiang Ci, it turns out that in your eyes, I am such a petty person.”

Though he hadn’t been pleased with Jiang Ci mentioning He Zhun at that moment, Huo Xianfeng wasn’t actually the type to be extremely petty. He understood that Jiang Ci had strong bonds with other human beings in his life; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been as accommodating as he had been these past few days.

“If I wanted to own you, if I couldn’t tolerate you having any other attachments besides me, if I wanted to make you entirely mine, like a beautiful collectible, Jiang Ci, you should know it wouldn’t be hard for me.”

Huo Xianfeng finally stopped in his tracks. He turned back and gazed at Jiang Ci for the first time in a condescending posture,

“For instance, I could suppress any resistance with sheer force, isolate you, sever all your connections with others, or even force you into constant heat with pheromones, endlessly, until pregnancy…”

He reached out, his fingertips lightly brushing against Jiang Ci’s warm cheek. His voice was soft and husky, but the words sent chills down Jiang Ci’s spine.

“You know how easy that would be.”

Jiang Ci froze, stunned.

 Yes.

He knew Huo Xianfeng was right. But the respect and gentleness Huo Xianfeng had shown made Jiang Ci forget that he was capable of such things.

Yet, Huo Xianfeng had never done anything of the sort. Since the First Legion arrived in Bright City, he hadn’t resisted Jiang Ci pulling him into his world.

At first, Jiang Ci had simply thought Huo Xianfeng was jealous over He Zhun. But thinking about it now, he realized that Huo Xianfeng wasn’t one to bottle things up. When he noticed Jiang Ci’s attachment to He Zhun, he had straightforwardly asked if Jiang Ci liked him.

But this time, Huo Xianfeng hadn’t said anything.

Which meant that he didn’t mind Jiang Ci’s bonds with others, nor did he mind He Zhun. Mentioning He Zhun had simply been a trigger at that moment.

Could it be that this wasn’t just about He Zhun?

If it’s not because of He Zhun, then what could it be?

Jiang Ci thought hard, trying to recall. He was certain that after the training session, Huo Xianfeng had seemed normal. Afterward, they had only gone to meet his instructors, which had taken less than twenty minutes.

So, the issue must have arisen during that brief time.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on him, and a look of extreme shock and disbelief instantly appeared on his face.

“Huo Xianfeng…don’t tell me that it’s because I said I didn’t want to get married…?”

Before the Major General could even finish, Huo Xianfeng turned and stormed off.

Jiang Ci: “…!!”

—So that’s it!

That was the reason!

It had nothing to do with He Zhun!!