Chapter 29.2 – Scorn

Ji Ling woke up in a daze. He rubbed his eyes, and found that he was locked in a pitch black room. He couldn’t even see his fingers in front of him.

Beneath him was a cold metal floor.

His heart was beating extremely quickly, ba-dump ba-dump, and his palms were full of cold sweat. The terrifying experience of last life resurfaced from his memories again.

However, things were a little different this time. Last time, he had been caught by the rebels, and Gabriel wasn’t there at first. He had only appeared later when he was about to get killed.

This time, Gabriel had appeared and directly kidnapped him himself. All along the way, Ji Ling hadn’t seen any other rebel soldiers.

Ji Ling gave a sigh of relief at this thought. Although Gabriel was pretty terrifying, at least he was a rational leader! Luckily, he wasn’t one of those crazy lower ranked rebels who hated nobles with their guts. Those people wanted nothing more than to just kill him mercilessly.

When he was first kidnapped, Ji Ling was extremely shocked and surprised. Now that he’d calmed down, he found that there really wasn’t anything surprising about it. This showed that Carlos was still going on the same path as last life. He’d sold him to the rebels in an attempt to use his death to start a war, putting pressure on Jing Sui at the same time.

Thinking of this, Ji Ling cursed the old bastard a hundred times! He’d initially thought that Carlos was quite good to him after his rebirth, so he wouldn’t drop him in a pit again this life. It seems that he’d thought too much of Carlos. He shouldn’t have pinned any hopes on this kind of big villain!

Bad people don’t turn good because of rebirth after all.

Ji Ling took a deep breath. He told himself that no matter what, this was still his second time going through this experience. He had to stay calm. He’d already dealt with Gabriel once before anyway. Although the man didn't say more than a few words, he believed that a person like Gabriel wouldn’t kill him! There were no benefits to killing him, after all, because the rebel forces were simply not strong enough to challenge the empire at this point.

But…This was also what puzzled him. Since Gabriel didn't want to start a war, why did he kidnap him this time then?

This shouldn’t be the course of action he ought to take.

Ji Ling was a little uneasy thinking of this, but right now, he couldn’t do anything but fiddle his thumbs.

Who knows how long had passed while he was in that pitch black room. Everything was quiet, and all he could hear was his own breathing. In this dark and lonely environment, Ji Ling became anxious once again. At this time, he finally heard the sound of footsteps.

Suddenly, the door opened, letting in bright light. Ji Ling instinctively closed his eyes.

The piercing light made his eyes hurt a little. Looking up, his vision gradually went from blurry to clear. He stared fixedly at the cruel tall man in front of him wearing a silver mask. After a while, he put on a scared and frightful expression, as he said, "You… Why did you capture me? What do you want to do?"

The man didn't say anything. He just approached step by step, and looked at him from on high, as if he was admiring an interesting toy.

Ji Ling bit his lip nervously.

After a long while, he finally heard a harsh voice from under the mask. It sounded hoarse like his throat had been burnt. The man smiled and said: "Why did I capture you…?” He paused, and added in a meaningful tone: “Because Carlos told us that you’re very valuable."

Ji Ling’s pupil suddenly contracted. He widened his eyes in shock, and immediately filled them with fear. His lips quivered slightly.

If the fear before was faked, then it was 100% real fear now!

Something is wrong with this plot. Why did Gabriel answer my question so clearly? Shouldn't he have just ignored me like last life? Why did he have to tell me who was behind it? And so clearly, too… These actions make it seem like you’re telling me, because you’re going to kill the witness!

Ji Ling was almost scared to tears. He suddenly realized that so many things had changed this life, so perhaps Gabriel had also changed? Would this guy feel like killing him this time? Who could guarantee that this Gabriel would be like the one from last life?!

Those home-wreckers, Jing Sui and Carlos, are always fighting around with me in the cross-fire. Don’t they feel sorry for innocent little me?

Ji Ling's hand trembled slightly. His voice was stiff as he said with reddened eyes: "You… You’re lying to me. Uncle Carlos wouldn’t do this to me…"

“Really?” Gabriel gave a strange laugh. Stepping forward, he bent down and looked into Ji Ling's eyes. His tone was husky, as he said playfully: "So you believe in him to this extent…”

Covered in the man’s shadow, Ji Ling was filled with despair. From the moment Gabriel came in, he had thrown Ji Ling into a panic with his unorthodox behavior. Ji Ling instinctively wanted to retreat backwards, but his chin was suddenly seized.

The man's hands were also covered in silver metal gloves. From head to toe, not an inch of skin was exposed. It was so that nobody could guess his identity. The cold touch of the gloves made Ji Ling too afraid to move. His chin was pinched so hard that it hurt. Looking fearfully at the other man, he stammered in fright: “I… I…"

Gabriel lowered his head and got closer. Cold black eyes stared straight into Ji Ling’s. He laughed: "I heard that you’re the emperor's most favored one. He loves and dotes on you very much. If you were to die, I wonder if he’d be sad?"

Ji Ling stared dumbfounded, then felt so angry that he almost cried!

He finally figured out what the problem was.

Last life, I returned home all by my lonesome self. Although I was a highly ranked noble, nobody cared about me. I wasn’t even worth Gabriel’s attention. He only came, because he didn’t want to start a war because of me. In this life, however, Jing Sui doted on me big time the whole journey. If there were rebel spies in the army, then Gabriel must’ve gotten news of it. That’s why my value is different from what it was last life. Not only do I have the status of an imperial aristocrat, but I’m also deeply loved by the emperor. For the noble-hating rebel troops… my significance is on a completely different scale from last time.

So this was the reason I was caught again this life!

Even if Gabriel wasn’t really intending to kill me, he must believe that I can be used to threaten Jing Sui or give him an edge in negotiations. If it’s like this, then I probably won’t be able to sneak out so easily. What's more, I don’t think Jing Sui will be willing to pay a price for me. He might even abandon me! After all, Jing Sui isn’t the kind of person who’d give in to threats!

With how calm and cold Jing Sui is, how could he ever give in to the rebels for my sake?

Ji Ling began to despair more and more. Who told you to like me? What’s wrong with getting together with your main shou, huh? You sure dug me a pit to fall into.

He couldn’t pin his hopes on anyone at this time. He could only save himself!

Ji Ling suddenly burst into tears. He looked at Gabriel with tears in his eyes, and said sadly: “His Majesty… His Majesty doesn't like me at all. He wouldn’t like me… He likes Ning Yu!"

For some reason, right when he finished this sentence, he felt that the man's expression turned a little odd. The hand holding his chin's also stiffened slightly.

Ji Ling didn’t have time to care about this. He raised his hand and wiped at his tears, pressing on without stopping: "The one His Majesty really likes is Ning Yu. Haven’t you seen that the internet is full of gossip on him and Ning Yu? He dislikes rich kids like me the most. Of course he won’t be saddened if I died…”

When he finished saying this, he looked nervously at Gabriel and prayed hard that he’d believe him.

I'm only a nobody. Bro, just let me go!

But strangely, Gabriel didn't speak for a long time. A trace of playfulness seemed to appear in those dark eyes…

Ji Ling stared dumbfounded.