The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 412: Pain is Painful

Chapter 412: Pain is Painful

The room seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment, the weight of Xuan Jian’s sigh pressing down on Bai Mo’s heart like a leaden weight. It was more than just a sound—it was an almost tangible spike of the pain and sorrow that hung in the air like a shroud.

As Bai Mo’s gaze shifted from Xu Hu Zhe to Xuan Jian, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of empathy washing over him. It was as if he could feel the raw ache of Xuan Jian’s grief pulling at his own heart, tugging at the frayed edges of his emotions.

His earlier determination to engage in a silent stare down with Xu Hu Zhe evaporated in an instant, replaced by an overwhelming urge to offer some kind of support to Xuan Jian, even if it was just a wordless gesture.

But before Bai Mo could even formulate a response, Xuan Jian’s voice shattered the fragile silence, slicing through the air like a knife.

And with each word that passed his lips, Bai Mo’s heart felt as though it were being pierced by a sword, the pain radiating outwards in waves.

In that moment, Bai Mo realized that his own pain was not solitary. It was a shared burden, borne by all those who had been touched by Xu Feng’s presence in their lives.

The loss of his parents had been unbearable, leaving him adrift in a sea of loneliness. But with Xu Feng, he had found a sense of belonging, a sense of family that he had never known since he lost his parents.

Now, with Xu Feng gone for two agonizing months, the pain of his absence threatened to consume Bai Mo whole. And yet, he felt a sense of guilt creeping in—the belief that he had no right to mourn so deeply for someone who had so many others who loved him.

But as he looked around the room, he could see that the pain was not reserved for those who ranked highest in Xu Feng’s affections.

It didn’t matter if they were lovers, children, adopted family, or even just friends—they all felt the sharp sting of his absence, the gaping hole left in their lives by his departure.

"I have to go," Xuan Jian started and Xu Zeng’s grip on Bai Mo’s hand tightened, "I lost... I lost Feng Feng, I can’t lose Yang too."

The pain was so raw, and there was even a slight hitch in Xuan Jian’s voice, a vulnerability Bai Mo had never seen in the tall and toned man.

He often seemed like a moving fort to the ger, but today, even after theorizing the other was an Immortal Beast, he felt Xuan Jian was the most human than he’d ever been before.

It was such a shock to the system that Bai Mo found himself forgetting the painful grip on his hand. And wasn’t just a small pain, his hand felt numb at this point.

"If they have their way, Yang will never come back, and I can’t move back to the capital without the cubs. With them so close to so many large families, we’ll be tempting powers we aren’t equipped to resist to snatch them from us.

I wish, I wish I were stronger...

If I were stronger, no one could touch our cubs, but I’m not. And I also can’t loose all my loved ones at once."

...

Xuan Jian’s eyes were shut tightly, as if closing his eyes and balling his fists up would make him less vulnerable, as it if would take away the pain.

Bai Mo doubted it though. It had never worked for him. Not as a child, and not in the last two months.

Everyone in the room had likely felt the pain from a deep personal loss, but the revelation and vulnerability were still hard to watch.

"I thought you would run off with the garden— with Xuan Yang, and live a life unburdened by the little ones." Xu Zeng finally relented, his voice no longer cold, he was showing his vulnerability too. "I’m sorry for doubting you."

"You weren’t doubting me." Xuan Jian said resolutely, "You were doubting those who sired you."

The statement was true and hit Xu Zeng directly on target. The ger’s grip that was murderously tight a moment ago, causing Bai Mo to wince silently in pain, had now slacked almost completely.

"Just like they left you and Feng Feng to fend for yourself, I was left to my own devices after hatching. I won’t let my cubs live like that if I can help it."

"You wouldn’t let Da Long and Xiao Long live like that either, would you?"

Xu Zeng could only shake his head in response. It was clear he wouldn’t abandon his nephews. This conversation wasn’t about abandonment, only misunderstandings and hurt feelings.

"I’ll stay back and watch the cubs." There was almost a collective sigh across the room. The biggest problem was solved with Xu Zeng’s words.

What should have been left was Xuan Jian, Jie, and Bo going to the capital and retrieving Xuan Yang. In a perfect world, everything would work out, but Xu Zeng wasn’t done yet.

"Once you and Xuan Yang return, I’ll go back to Sun Village."

"You are leaving?" Xuan Jian wasn’t the only one shaken by this declaration.

The other four bodies in the room seemed to swivel their heads toward Xu Zeng in unison. Wasn’t he the one carrying on about abandonment just a moment ago?

Now he was going to abandon all of them? What about the cubs?

It was now Bai Mo’s turn to grip the other’s hand for dear life—the dear life he was daydreaming of was slipping away before it was even formed in his mind.

"I need to return before the busy season comes and goes." Xu Zeng didn’t seem to notice the pointed stares directed at him. Instead, he continued his train of thought undisturbed. He was more worried about the fall harvest than the men in the room.