Seeing how Youqun had tamped down his rage, Linlin was grateful to her best friend Shishi. She could almost see how Shishi had taught her in the cla.s.s called "How to Make Someone Want to Leave the House," and the confident glow on Shishi"s face was as if the world was her oyster.
She had not thought the skill was useful, but now . . .
What Linlin taught her was very useful; no matter whom and where, if you felt you might be annihilated, kneel and beg for forgiveness. The VIPs in heaven tended to want to save face and were supposed to have a forgiving nature, so if you owed up to your mistake, they were less likely to punish you.
The fact that a rule-follower like Linlin would know these tricks was all thanks to Shishi"s teachings.
Linlin had no idea she was being led astray.
It was just that the misdirection wasn"t obvious yet . . .
When it came to social anxiety, Linlin thought she might have figured out why the Heavenly King was so resistant to going out. While the heavenly beings rarely got sick, they only stayed physically healthy—it didn"t always include mental health.
Maybe the Heavenly King had suffered somehow, and got social anxiety as a result.
Linlin looked at Youqun with mother-like affection.
The Heavenly King was checking file briefs. He hadn"t yet realized Linlin was treating him as a victim, and was gazing at him indulgently.
"Heavenly King, don"t worry. Whatever you"ve been through in the past, it"s over now. No matter what, I will stay your most faithful fairy servant and never betray you."
Youqun, who preferred to be silent, suddenly paused. His pen-holding hand shook and his gaze deepened; it was only a second, though, before he recovered to keep writing.
His handwriting was firm, each line and stroke seeming more powerful than before.
The ink was made from stormy clouds and water from the enchanted seven-color lake, and the pen was a plush feather from the peac.o.c.k fairy—quality that took a few days to complete. There were but ten bottles of ink in heaven, and only he dared to use it so brazenly. Linlin was filled with envy as she looked at the ink.
As Youqun finished reviewing all the briefs, he stretched, and looking a bit hesitant, he said, "Little fairy, you said you"ll never betray me?"
Linlin"s eyes were still glued to the ink on his desk as she answered absent-mindedly. "Of course I will never betray you."
"Never?" Youqun squinted and chuckled without warmth. "Forever is a long time. Are you certain?"
"Even if it"s forever and ever, I will never betray you." Linlin looked at Youqun, her eyes serious.
Youqun had the sensation that this minor fairy wasn"t so annoying as before; at least the way she vowed fidelity was rather adorable.
But the feeling was short-lived.
For in the next moment, Linlin said rather seriously, "If I did betray you, I"d betray the heaven, and since I don"t like the human world, the monster world, and the demon world, wouldn"t I be homeless? I don"t like having no place to go, so it"s better not to betray you . . ."
Wait, so she"s only faithful because of heaven?
Youqun"s eyes had a glimmer of disappointment. He gritted his teeth and asked again, "None of the reasons you won"t betray me is because of me?"
Linlin hesitated as she frowned and uttered, "I"m sorry, Heavenly King. I"m afraid I don"t understand. Why would I not betray you because of you?"
"You said you wouldn"t betray me!" Youqun declared. "If you were faithful to me, it"d be because of me, because it"s me you"re being faithful to . . ."
Youqun was confused by his own words at this point.
Linlin understood. However, her IQ still prevented her from knowing where he was stuck. She sighed. "But Heavenly King, you"re not just you. You represent the whole heavenly realm. Your image is the whole heaven."