Chapter 390 - 3 Years Without Him

"I will never give up on you no matter what. My love for you is pure and serene, it's true and I am confident that no one would ever love you as much as I love you, no one can give you that place in their life as you hold in mine.... You captured my heart as well as my soul.... any distance from you is unbearable but I will wait for you for all eternity."

Stroke after stroke Ji Yao wrote down his true feelings as he sat crossed legged in front of his Kang table. These words were meant for his love that was in a place he couldn't reach. Night after night he had hoped Rui Fei would appear in his dreams but it never happened.

He could only hope he was okay where ever he was. Putting down the brush he stared at these words lost in thought that he didn't even notice Ji Wen walk in with a plate of sliced fruit.

It was only after Ji Wen said, "Still thinking about him?" that he raised his head extricating himself from his entranced state. Ji Yao glimpsed over in his father's direction before picking up the piece of paper and setting it aside.

Seeing this Ji Wen sighed as he sat opposite him placing the fruits on the table. "What are you hiding it for? I have already seen that dirty painting of yours which means," he said picking up a piece of sliced peach with a pair of chopsticks, "nothing you can do can surprise me."

Ji Yao just stared at him with a look that seemed to say 'why the hell were you going through my stuff.'

Ji Wen grinned seeing that look. He stretched out the chopsticks towards Ji Yao and said, "Uhh..... eat.c" Ji Yao stared at the slice of peach pinched in between the pair of chopsticks and hesitated.

"Why," he asked looking at his father with an arched brow, "I have hands."

"Tsk..... Aiya this kid... do it for dad. Just this once amuse me," he exclaimed and Ji Yao could only indulge him this once. The man had just come back home after a long expedition and it would be a shame if he is met by his son's cold attitude.

Ji Yao leaned forward took a bite and as he chewed Ji Wen smiled happily and said, "It's just a love letter. Nothing to be embarrassed about.... Oh, I also found out that you are the bottom in this relation...."

He didn't get to finish because Ji Yao began to cough choking on tiny bits of peach.

"*Cough, *cough, *cough... *cough *cough..... fuck *cough," he struggled to breathe as his face turned red with the veins on the side of his neck throbbing. Ji Wen had only been gone for two and half years yet he had learnt to speak nonsense.

Ji Wen's face fell seeing this. He poured out some water into a teacup and gave it to Ji Yao to drink. Seeing that Ji Yao had settled he asked, "Are you okay? Tsk, no need to be embarrassed..... you can talk about these things with dad."

Ji Yao loudly cleared his throat before asking, "Where did you hear such things?"

"Not telling," replied Ji Wen thinking if he told Ji Yao that his mother was the one who said it he might not speak to her ever again. These past few years Qilin Hao had used the excuse to spread Qilin San's influence on earth to run away from interacting with Ji Yao. She could have brought him along but she didn't. Not that Ji Yao would have loved to go with her though. It's safe to say that she had no idea how to interact with him without them fighting.

So Ji Wen accompanied her but didn't dare involve the concord in this mess. He didn't approve of what was happening but neither could he resist it. He could only back his wife in establishing the Qilin clan on the throne so as to keep his son and the concord safe.

He knew if it were up to Qilin Hao she would have much preferred staying on their island and living out the rest of their lives in peace. Unfortunately, Qilin San was holding their lives against her.

Ji Yao almost rolled his eyes at his father but he resisted the urge as he asked, "How have you been?"

Hearing this Ji Wen's chewing action paused and a beaming smile spread across his face. He got up and sat next to Ji Yao before pulling him into a hug. "Aahh..... my son still cares for me... I guess it's true, absence makes the heart grow fonder," he said with Ji Yao's entire face buried in his curly hair.

Ji Yao pushed his dad away and spat out the hair that had gotten onto his mouth. He felt like a cat with a hairball stuck in his throat. Ji Wen apologized before scooching even closer.

While Ji Yao removed a strand of hair on his face Ji Wen placed an elbow on the table and used his fist to prop up his head as he said, "Seriously though, have you painted anything these years? Maybe if you do you can also know if he is close to finding the keystones?"

Ji Yao stretched out his hand staring at that shed hair that was tailbone length and replied, "No, I haven't."

Ji Wen who wasn't expecting this sort of hoped that his son had seen more things through his paintings but he had really locked up his brushes and paint steering clear of creating anything. This truly put a damper on the surprise he and Qilin Hao had cooked up all this time.

"Why not? Are you afraid he has truly gotten involved with that woman you painted the last time?" he said with a serious look in his eyes as he carefully studied his reaction.

At that moment Ji Yao's body stiffened as he pressed his lips tightly into a thin line. Yes, that was the reason he had refrained from holding a painting brush. It's because he still had hope and he didn't want anything to shake that hope burning inside him.

Like a flickering candle burning to the bottom drowning in a puddle of wax, his hope was extremely fragile. He didn't want anything to blow out this little hope he had left.

Ji Yao exhaled deeply before saying, "What's with the insensitive questions now? Did Qilin Hao put you up to it?" As he said this he averted his gaze ignoring that probing stare Ji Wen was glaring at him with.

Ji Wen flat out denied it because it wasn't the truth. He had come here out of his own initiative to get Ji Yao to open up. For a long time, it had just been the two of them and ever since he left six months after the crisis he was really worried about him.

He could have stayed with his son but knowing his character he knew Ji Yao needed time to himself and recover. Now that he was back he could finally ask the sensitive questions.

"No... I just want to make sure you are okay that's all. If I don't check on you who else will?" he said as he raised his hand and hesitantly placed it at the back of Ji Yao's head, "You are still my son even though you are technically an adult now."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Ji Yao's face that Ji Wen actually missed. He was glad that his father still cared for him but he would never openly admit it.

"Mn," he responded as he took the hand stroking the back of his head away, "you are messing up my hair."

Ji Wen chuckled as he took his hand back. "Will you let me touch it then if I tell you that we found another place where the portal can open?"

Ji Yao who had just been fixing his hair that had been ruined by Ji Wen turned his gaze sharply with a perplexed look.. Ji Wen picked up a piece of cut apple and said, "Now you are willing to look at me?" before shoving the apple into Ji Yao's slightly open mouth.