The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 599: What Now?

Chapter 599: What Now?

Xu Feng leaned back slightly, his fingers idly tapping against the wooden table as he let his thoughts drift. His mind wasn’t on the woman’s frantic ramblings anymore, nor on the weight of the information she had just spilled.

There had to be more to the story.

’Sun Ming Hua.’

The name had been spoken with a mix of scorn and annoyance, as if just mentioning him was enough to invite bad luck. But was that truly the case? Or was he simply a boy who had been given too much favor by the wrong person and hated for it?

Xu Feng let the thought settle in his mind as his brother, Xu Zeng, continued his line of questioning.

"What’s your name?"

The woman jolted as if she had forgotten her own existence for a moment. "Chun Tao," she answered quickly, voice small.

Xu Zeng’s eyes narrowed. "And you are really a servant of the Sun household?"

"Yes," she nodded fervently. "I—I’ve served in the young mistress’ courtyard for years! I swear it!"

Xu Feng remained quiet, listening to the way Xu Zeng worked her over. His younger brother wasn’t loud or forceful. His voice was steady, his expression unreadable, but there was a weight to his questions—a methodical precision that made it clear he was cutting straight to the truth.

"You serve Sun Ming Hua directly?"

Chun Tao hesitated. "I—I serve the household first, but yes, I was assigned to the young mistress’ courtyard."

Xu Zeng tilted his head slightly. "And that means you would know the family well."

Another beat of hesitation.

Then, begrudgingly, Chun Tao nodded.

"Tell me."

Xu Feng watched, barely masking his intrigue, as she finally gave up whatever small loyalty she had left to the Sun household.

"Sun Ming Hua is the only legitimate ger son of his father," she said bitterly, as if just saying it left a bad taste in her mouth. "His ger dad was the one officially married to the current master of the Sun family."

Xu Feng blinked, interest piqued. But then again, the fact that the servant was sharing such rudimentary information showed just how much she knew about the Xuan family—or at the very least about the Xuan family’s new daughter-in-law.

Xu Feng didn’t mix up in the circles of Yilin Town, only spending time with Bai Mo. And when his brother, Xu Zeng—who was even newer to the area, arrived, he was just as introverted as his brother. The servant clearly knew they had no interest in the prominent families of their town.

With the information she shared about Sun Ming Hua and Sun Ming’s ger dad and mother was all new information for the Xu brothers. Sun Ming Hua’s father was actually the official spouse of the Sun patriarch? Then what about the first son?

Chun Tao didn’t make them wait for the answer.

"Sun Ming—the young master—was born of a concubine, one who only received a proper title after Sun Ming Hua’s ger father died giving birth."

Xu Feng scoffed lightly. The chance of a ger dying in childbirth was quite high, and multiple births were also hard on them. Even with a well to do husband, Sun Ming Hua’s ger dad had not escaped that unfortunate fate.

But this wasn’t just any concubine who had taken over.

"This woman," Xu Zeng’s voice was even, but sharp, some unknown emotion hidden beyond his cool stare, "the new wife. She dislikes Sun Ming Hua?"

Chun Tao laughed dryly, as if the very idea of it was ridiculous. "Resents? She hates him."

Xu Feng’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"She was always in the shadow of a ger," Chun Tao sneered. "Her husband only ever saw her as a replacement to handle social niceties. Even her position—her title—wasn’t hers because of love or respect. She was just... there. But Sun Ming Hua? He was the legitimate wife’s ger son, able to inherit. But with a son, who would let a ger inherit?"

"And she hated him for that?" Xu Feng mused. For the ability to inherit what she deemed her son’s.

"She hates that he exists at all," Chun Tao corrected, a small smile playing on her lips.

The revelation was unpleasant, but not surprising. But Chun Tao seemed to feel some kind of perverse joy in all of this. It was as if the chaos of the Sun household was her own personal telonovella.

Sun Ming Hua wasn’t the only ger born to his father, but he was the only one who mattered. The only legitimate one. And that legitimacy—without the protection of a mother—became a curse.

The woman continued. "The mistress of the Sun family always pretended to treat Sun Ming and Sun Ming Hua the same. In front of others, she played the perfect mother, but inside the household, everyone knows the truth."

Xu Zeng’s eyes darkened. "She made his life miserable."

"She made his life difficult," Chun Tao corrected with a roll of her eyes, forgetting the threat in front of her. "But she never dared to be too direct about it. He had one saving grace."

"And that was?"

"Sun Ming."

Sun Ming. The elder brother, and the new wife’s son.

The only one who truly favored Sun Ming Hua. Even their father was more concerned with bedding his concubines and his face in front of others. He never had much time for his children, even the child of the love of his life. His love was hollow.

Unlike Bai Mo’s father, whose love was so strong he followed his ger lover in death shortly after, the Sun family’s patriarch was sad for a few days, and buried his sorrow in his concubines, and recruited more to "fill the void."

One didn’t have to die to show their dedication, but even the mourning period wasn’t adhered to.

Xu Feng felt a strange weight settle over him. The description wasn’t foreign. Not at all. It sounded similar to Xu Zeng’s life too, not just Bai Mo’s...

The stepmother trope was overused in stories, but here it was playing out in real life for the second time.

Xu Feng exhaled slowly.

He was no fan of the brat. That much was certain. But for all his arrogance, all his pretentiousness, he was still alone. The haughty young mistress who flitted about like he was untouchable was, in reality, trapped in his own cold tower.

Xu Feng rubbed his temple lightly.

And what about his so-called fiancé?

He turned his gaze toward Chun Tao. "Wasn’t Sun Ming Hua engaged? Or close to it?"

Chun Tao snorted. "Close to it, maybe. But not officially. The young mistress wants it—wants him

—but the young master’s friend hasn’t made an official proposal."

Xu Feng tilted his head. "And do you know anything about this ’young master’s friend’?"

Chun Tao blinked, caught off guard by the question, showing once again that she knew much more about Xu Feng than he knew about the Sun family. She knew he and Bai Mo were friends... and of course, Bai Mo was once her ’young master’s friend’s’ fiancé. "I... wouldn’t say he’s a bad man."

That was not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Xu Zeng, who had been quietly absorbing the information while keeping his own emotions in check, finally spoke again.

"So, in the end," he murmured, "Sun Ming Hua is just another pawn."

Chun Tao licked her lips nervously.

Xu Feng hummed, still lost in thought.

Sun Ming Hua was far from innocent. But in the grand scheme of things? He was a caged bird.

Trapped in a life where his survival depended on the favor of his brother and his ability to play pretend for the people who despised him.

Xu Feng exhaled through his nose. He wasn’t sympathetic. Not exactly. But he understood.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Feng caught movement beyond the window. His sharp senses registered the shift instantly, though his expression remained unchanged. Two silhouettes had appeared in the backyard, their figures distinct even in the fading afternoon light.

Xuan Jian. Xuan Yang.

His husbands were home.

They hadn’t forced their way through the front, despite having a key to the front of the shop. Instead, they lingered beneath the very tree where they had shared tea earlier that day, making their presence known in a way that allowed Xu Feng to find them.

He exhaled, his fingers briefly curling against his sleeve before he nodded toward Xu Zeng, subtly catching his brother’s attention. Xu Zeng, who had been maintaining his unrelenting grip on Chun Tao, met his gaze but did not speak. There was no need for words. Xu Feng’s look was clear—he would handle things from here.

Closing the door behind him with measured ease, Xu Feng stepped out into the backyard.

The crisp air wrapped around him, grounding him in the present moment. As much as the interrogation inside had kept his mind occupied, there was something about seeing Xuan Jian and Xuan Yang standing there, waiting for him, that made everything feel more real.

This wasn’t just someone else’s life he was living... anymore. This wasn’t just a game of strategy and survival.

This was his life. His family. His people.

Xuan Jian was the first to acknowledge him, tilting his head slightly as Xu Feng approached. Xuan Yang took in Xu Feng’s lingering tension in his shoulders.

"You locked up tightly," Xuan Yang noted, his voice calm, but there was an unspoken question beneath the words.

Xu Feng hummed. "We had an unexpected visitor."

Neither man pushed immediately. Instead, they let him settle, let him decide how much he wanted to share in that moment.