Chapter 204: Shocking Secret

Chapter 204: The Shocking Secret

"Hmm?" Cheng Ge reached for another pastry, looked up, and unconsciously licked the crumbs from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with unguarded innocence as he gazed at him.

Caught off guard by those clear eyes reflecting his own image, Lin Nanshu felt the words die in his throat, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing him hesitate, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks as if he was struggling to say something, Cheng Ge's mind raced, and his brows furrowed.

Yuli was always restrained and proper. For him to be this troubled...

Suddenly, the shameless face of Lin Zhufeng flashed through Cheng Ge's mind.

His heart lurched!

A ridiculous, horrifying thought hit him like lightning:

Could it be... that Yuli... had been bullied by that old bastard Lin Zhufeng?!

At that thought, his fingers tightened, crushing the soft osmanthus cake in his hand, the sweet filling oozing out.

He stood up abruptly, face dark and furious, grabbed Lin Nanshu's wrist, radiating a chilling murderous intent.

"Is it your grandfather who...?" Cheng Ge was about to ask, but the words died in his throat.

He looked into Lin Nanshu's eyes, clear but now tinged with a hint of bewilderment, and his heart clenched.

Yuli respected his grandfather the most, and the Lin family was a noble household that valued face above all.

If he bluntly exposed this unspeakable disgrace, how could Yuli, a man of such restraint and propriety, face himself? Wouldn't it only make things more embarrassing for him?

He couldn't put Yuli in a difficult position—

The more he thought this way, the more convinced Cheng Ge became that his guess was correct.

His Yuli had such a gentle nature and looked as warm and pure as jade, like an untouched sheet of paper, making him an easy target for those twisted, perverted minds.

Seeing him hesitate, his face full of shame, it must mean he had suffered a great grievance.

Lin Nanshu was stunned by this sudden action and the terrifying murderous intent swirling in Cheng Ge's eyes.

His entire hand was tightly gripped in Cheng Ge's palm, the searing heat nearly burning him, and his eyelashes fluttered involuntarily.

The autumn wind swirled around them, and a yellowed leaf drifted down, landing quietly on his slender shoulder.

Cheng Ge's mind raced as he scrambled for the right words—something to hint at it without being too blunt and hurting Yuli's pride.

He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. Locking eyes with Lin Nanshu, he lowered his voice to a whisper and said mysteriously,

"Yuli, you know what? I recently discovered a shocking secret!"

He paused, ensuring he had Lin Nanshu's full attention before continuing.

"Actually... the Crown Prince and the Hereditary Prince... they're both gay!"

Lin Nanshu: "..."

Lin Nanshu had long noticed the Crown Prince and Hereditary Prince's feelings for Cheng Ge—it was practically obvious.

He just never expected Cheng Ge to bring up such a... not-so-surprising secret right now.

He hesitated for a moment, looking at the exaggerated expression on Cheng Ge's face that screamed "Act shocked!"

Though he didn't understand why, he played along, widening his eyes slightly and putting on a suitably shocked expression.

Seeing him play along, Cheng Ge pressed on, his tone growing more serious,

"It's not that they're gay—I'm not judging, everyone's got their preferences."

"But!" His tone shifted, his face a mix of indignation and reluctance. "They said... they even said..."

Cheng Ge seemed to be remembering something awful, his words stumbling.

Lin Nanshu had a vague sense of where this was going. He followed Cheng Ge's lead, continuing softly, his tone probing.

"They... really have feelings for you?"

Cheng Ge's eyes widened in surprise. "Holy shit! How did you know?!"

Lin Nanshu: "..."

He wanted to say that it was pretty obvious—probably only you were in the dark.

But in the end, he didn't say it—

Cheng Ge immediately acted like he'd found an ally, scooting closer and squeezing in beside Lin Nanshu.

Grabbing his arm, he spoke urgently, seeking confirmation: "You think it's ridiculous too, don't you? Don't you?!"

Lin Nanshu looked at his face so close, those eyes reflecting his own reflection,

Clear and pure, no trace of impurity, not a hint of the affection he so desperately wanted to see.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say it wasn't ridiculous—that it was only natural to have feelings for you.

But the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to say them.

He could only lower his eyelids, letting out a barely audible "mm" in response.

That response was more an acknowledgment of his own heartache than agreement with Cheng Ge.

Having gotten his affirmation, Cheng Ge put on a serious expression, took Lin Nanshu by the shoulders, and spoke earnestly,

"Yuli, listen to me. Some things need to stay on the path they're meant to be on!

You can't compromise and suffer in silence just because the other person has a special status, high position, or... or because of past feelings!"

His eyes burned with intensity as he tried to convey his conviction.

"If you run into something like this—something wrong that makes you uncomfortable—you have to steel yourself and say no!

Even if it means giving up that relationship, you can't compromise or let it continue!

Do you understand what I'm saying? Some feelings are just wrong from the start! You can't force them, and you can't give in to them!"

Lin Nanshu listened to his words, each word struck his heart like a cold, heavy hammer.

He looked at the unyielding certainty and righteousness in Cheng Ge's eyes, and felt as though all the blood in his body seemed to rush backward for an instant, then freeze solid.

The wind around him suddenly turned biting, piercing through his clothes and chilling him to the bone.

He thought to himself, *So that's it—Muyu... he had seen through my feelings, hadn't he?*

*That's why he used the Crown Prince and the Young Prince's situation as a comparison to warn me in such a roundabout way.*

*Warning me not to entertain delusions, not to cross the line, not to let this misplaced affection tarnish our bond.*

*So he actually found these feelings so disturbing that they must be ruthlessly rejected, even to the point of breaking off our relationship?*

A crushing sense of powerlessness washed over him, and the figure before him grew blurry and indistinct.

Carefully, bit by bit, he pulled his hand back from Cheng Ge's warm grip—slow and stiff.

He lowered his gaze, his face pale in the autumn sunlight.

After a long while, he turned his eyes to a few scattered yellow leaves on the branches above.

His voice was so faint it nearly dissolved into the wind, with a barely noticeable rasp: “I understand…”

He paused, as if mustering all his strength, before continuing: “Thank you for the advice, Muyu.”

“I naturally should not overstep my bounds…” With that, he slowly rose to his feet, not sparing another glance at Cheng Ge, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

His back was straight, yet it radiated an indescribable loneliness and desolation, as if all his vitality had been drained away.

Cheng Ge watched Lin Nanshu’s departing figure, and suddenly felt a hollow ache in his chest, a dull, throbbing pain.

*Yuli… did he take it to heart? But why does he seem even more unhappy?*