The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 416: Xu Hu Zhe: The Heart Can Wait

Chapter 416: Xu Hu Zhe: The Heart Can Wait

*Xu Hu Zhe’s Perspective*

As the night descended, its chill seemed to penetrate deeper than in recent days, signaling the imminent arrival of fall. The air felt colder than a typical autumn night, wrapping around the lone figure standing in the midst of the darkness, illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon.

The figure stood tall and imposing, with a lean yet muscular frame, reminiscent of a sturdy tree standing firm against the backdrop of the night. For Xu Hu Zhe, these tranquil moments in the stillness of Nanshan Estate were cherished above all else.

In this quietude, there were no bustling servants or echoing voices, no idle gossip or lingering stares from the unmarried gers and women. It was during these serene interludes that Xu Hu Zhe found some sort of peace, relishing the calming atmosphere that enveloped the estate.

As he stood beneath the moon’s gentle radiance, a faint smile graced Xu Hu Zhe’s lips, a fleeting moment of reminiscence flickering across his features. He remembered the lively chatter and the mischievous antics of a certain ger that once filled these quiet spaces.

Closing his eyes lightly, Xu Hu Zhe tilted his face upwards towards the moon, allowing its soft beams to caress his scales and skin, casting a shimmering glow on his form.

In this moment, in the middle of the fading greenery nurtured by Xu Feng, he found a fleeting sense of tranquility. One that was too temporary now.

Yet, beneath the facade of calmness, Xu Hu Zhe couldn’t ignore the looming inevitability of change. Soon, the vibrant hues of autumn would give way to the blanketing whiteness of winter, signaling a new beginning.

Despite his efforts to pretend otherwise, he knew that nothing remained untouched by the passage of time, and that change was an inevitable part of life.

Brother Min had taken charge of ordering Xu Hu Zhe’s new mask, signaling a return to a time when he could hide parts of himself from the world.

With his scales now exposed, Xu Hu Zhe resigned himself to confining his movements within the estate’s confines, minimizing his interactions beyond and even within its walls.

It felt like a regression to the days when his immortal bloodline had first stirred within him, a peculiar sense of shame creeping over him.

Reflecting on his past, Xu Hu Zhe couldn’t help but marvel at the extravagance of the life he had led. From humble beginnings as a child of the streets, he had risen to enjoy privileges beyond imagination.

By his seventeenth year, he had been granted not just a room, but a private quarters among the servants’ quarters as well as a similar space in Budding Courtyard.

The rooms he owned were similar to those occupied by Midwife Lee and her children, or the one temporarily occupied by Bai Momo. They were lavish quarters set aside for guests.

Xu Feng hadn’t held back, throwing the silver to the wind.

The vision of Xu Feng’s hands throwing the silver to the wind, like it was the most natural thing in the world, brought a smile to Xu Hu Zhe’s face.

He had been gifted with two separate abodes and the freedom to traverse the entirety of the estate, even in the absence of Xu Feng’s physical presence.

Despite the passing of Xu Feng, his permissions remained intact, a show of the respect and regard he held within the estate. Xuan Jian and Xuan Yang continued to honor him, while his fellow brothers under Xuan Jian’s hand—Jie, Bo, Min, Liu, Jia, and Jun—treated him as one of their own.

He had not reverted to his former status as a lowly street urchin or even the lowest servant of Nanshan Estate’s hierarchy. He was still allowed to read any books from Xuan Yang’s private study. He could play with the young masters whenever he wished.

Still, the bloodline awakening had never fully dawned on him. He was more than just an average man. He was sought after, and respected.

Xu Hu Zhe wanted his cover back, that small barrier between him and the world. But Xu Zeng needed the cover more than he did. The man, Xu Feng’s brother, hadn’t lied. He could change from a man to a ger.

Xu Hu Zhe stared off into the silence full of confusion and many unknown feelings. This world was becoming stranger and stranger by the day.

One moment he was human, then he met a strange ger who awakened his bloodline and bought his freedom.

Now he had scales on his face and was as tall as a tree himself. He could now read and even learned to practice martial arts. He went hunting with his new brothers occasionally.

From a lowly servant to a sought after bachelor in Nanshan Estate, and even Nanshan Village below, his life was almost unrecognizable from what it was only a year prior.

Xu Hu Zhe reached up to his lips unconsciously, rubbing them with a strange longing. He didn’t want to be alone tonight.

His mind couldn’t help but wonder about the scene from earlier that evening, Bai Mo leaning in close to Xu Zeng, their eyes locked.

If he had come across the scene without knowing Xu Zeng could become a ger, would that change this stifled feeling in his chest? No.

Maybe.

No.

It didn’t change anything for him.

The other man, Xu Zeng, said he wasn’t looking for a partner or a mate, and then he declared them the perfect fit in the same breath. Finally, Xu Zeng seemed to promise he would change his gender for him, for them...

Only an incense stick of time later, and he found Xu Zeng close to Bai Mo. The two were a better match. Bai Mo would offer Xu Zeng a better life than he could, and was also an immortal bloodline carrier with status.

...

Xu Hu Zhe’s heart protested wildly. He’d been given so much by one brother, and now he felt entitled to the other.

"Hah," Xu Hu Zhe let out a stagnant breath. At the very least, he was glad Xuan Jian had agreed to move Midwife Lee from Blooming Courtyard.

One problem was taken care of. He would oversee the move the next day, he also needed to account for all the wine and other products to be sold, and then he needed to prepare for their trip to Sun Village.

There was much to be done. His heart could wait. Couldn’t it?