Chapter 45: Angry and Needing to Be Coaxed

“Moore… Moore?”

As soon as Moore stepped off the speeding car, he walked away from Ji Feng without responding to his calls. Instead of heading toward the house, Moore went straight to the back garden of the villa.

The two men left behind exchanged glances, but Wip quickly averted his eyes in embarrassment and entered the house without a word.

Ji Feng, however, followed Moore without hesitation.

The Houston Villa stood high among the clouds, its back garden facing a sea of colorful mist. With its unique design, the garden looked like a fairyland.

Moore stood quietly. As a child, whenever he was upset, he would come here. He often sat on the swing, sometimes even falling asleep, only to be carried home by his dad.

In those moments of drowsy confusion, he always felt his dad’s warmth and heard his gentle voice coaxing him. His anger would fade, replaced by the comfort of curling into his dad’s embrace.

After his dad’s accident, Moore unconsciously returned to this place whenever he faced difficulties—standing silently or sitting on the swing, now reduced to a small toy, gazing at the drifting clouds.

When Ji Feng arrived, Moore was staring at the swing in a daze.

“Are you still angry?” Ji Feng asked, stepping beside him and tilting his head playfully.

“I’m not angry,” Moore denied.

But deep down, he knew he was. Why should he be angry? Ji Feng had exposed himself, but it wasn’t Moore who was in danger. Besides, Ji Feng was only his fake husband—someone who would leave sooner or later…

Ji Feng asked with amusement, “If you’re not angry, then why won’t you admit it to me?”

Moore paused, pursed his lips, and muttered, “I didn’t hear.” The words left him feeling even more depressed. Had he really followed this liar for so long? Why did Ji Feng always twist things?

Ji Feng chuckled outright. “Moore, you’re becoming more and more adorable.”

As he spoke, Ji Feng instinctively raised his hand to stroke Moore’s hair, his gaze lingering on him, unwilling to let Moore turn away. The golden light reflected in Moore’s deep blue eyes, shining like sunlight rising from a vast sea of stars—beautiful and mesmerizing.

Ji Feng’s hand froze midair, his attention caught by the brilliance in Moore’s eyes, as though he were being drawn into a galaxy of light.

Moore tilted his head evasively, yet his own gaze was caught in Ji Feng’s. From this angle, he could even see his own reflection in Ji Feng’s bottomless eyes, and for a moment, he lingered there unconsciously.

But Ji Feng’s teasing words about his “cuteness” made Moore break eye contact in embarrassment. “Don’t say that to me.”

No matter how “cute” Ji Feng claimed he was, Moore thought bitterly, aside from his face, he was probably just annoying.

“Don’t want me to call you cute?” Ji Feng smiled, stroking his hair again. He seemed to enjoy being close to Moore more and more.

Moore turned his face away, refusing to look at Ji Feng, though the tips of his ears had grown faintly warm.

Unfortunately, by turning his head, he exposed those slightly flushed ears directly to Ji Feng. Ji Feng noticed immediately, his amusement deepening. He lightly tapped the reddened tips with the hand that still hovered near Moore. “Look at you—you’re so cute.”

Ji Feng smiled openly. Why hadn’t he realized this before? Perhaps he had been too focused on cultivation to notice.

Moore was startled by the intimacy of his actions and stepped aside, staring at Ji Feng in astonishment. Did this man even remember that they were only pretending to be husband and wife? And whether Ji Feng’s gesture was deliberate or not, it seemed to carry no ulterior meaning.

Moore glared at him, his frustration mounting.

In truth, Ji Feng was simply acting on instinct. He hadn’t thought too deeply about it, nor did he understand what Moore was feeling. Seeing Moore’s glare, he assumed he was still angry. Softening his voice, he coaxed, “If you’re angry, I’ll explain everything to you now, alright?”

Moore grew even more embarrassed at Ji Feng’s gentle tone. What was he truly angry about? Rationally, he should have been grateful—Ji Feng had helped him resolve a major problem. Yet, for reasons he couldn’t explain, his emotions refused to settle.

What had happened to his rational, mature, steady self? It felt as though those qualities had vanished with the passing of the last season, leaving Moore quietly unsettled.

“Yeah.” Moore lowered his head gloomily and gave a faint hum.

Ji Feng couldn’t help the corners of his mouth from lifting. “Really good,” he said with a smile.

Moore: …

Ji Feng then gave a brief explanation of his analysis of the black wolves and his cooperation with Wip.

The more Moore listened, the more astonished he became. Finally, he caught the most important detail. “Father?”

“Does Father know you have that ability?” Moore asked, shocked.

He recalled the moment they had returned to Yong An Warship from Lungu. His father’s words at that time had seemed strange, but Moore had dismissed them as overthinking. Now, it appeared far less simple.

Moore’s thoughts raced. His mind was transparent enough to connect the dots—his inexplicable master-brain matching, his father’s insistence on the marriage with Ji Feng, and his unreasonable attitude throughout. Did his father truly know something?

Was there another purpose behind his father arranging this marriage? The thought weighed heavily on Moore’s heart.

“I’m not sure how much he knows,” Ji Feng said seriously, “but he must know something.”

In truth, Ji Feng was more puzzled than anyone. By all logic, no one should know. He had not been in this world long, and there was no way he could contend with an existence like Wip.

Moore suddenly felt as though he did not truly know his father—or even the world itself. Just like the man standing beside him, everything he thought he understood had been shattered, leaving him feeling small and ignorant.

Frustration welled up inside him. Since meeting Ji Feng, everything had unfolded in ways he never expected. Ji Feng had opened the door to an unknown world, and all the things Moore once took pride in now seemed trivial, almost laughable.

“Don’t think too much. I’ll take care of it,” Ji Feng said softly, noticing his expression.

“Alright,” Moore murmured.

But almost immediately, another thought struck him. If his father truly knew about this, then he was not alone in this world. Wouldn’t Ji Feng be in great danger for exposing the bead in front of representatives from all six planets?

“Why did you do that?” Moore pressed. “Father already attributed the amnesia to the black wolves. You could have just killed them and denied everything.”

“You mean the Yufeng Bead?” Ji Feng smiled and pulled another one from his pocket. “This explanation seems more reasonable.”

After all, it would be far more suspicious if he—a supposedly weak, ordinary man—remained unaffected by the amnesia. That anomaly would draw even greater attention.

Another reason Ji Feng acted as he did was because, after realizing there might be people in this world who understood cultivation, he was motivated by curiosity. He wanted to see how much of a stir the Yufeng Bead—an object not belonging to this world—could cause.

On the other hand, his account in the Dark Gods domain already had four to five million followers, yet he had not released any new products for some time. Why not take this opportunity to promote himself?

It was simply a matter of preheating the stage. Such a confidential incident would not spread on a massive scale, but it would certainly circulate enough to fetch a high price when the time came.

Moore, unaware of Ji Feng’s plan, looked at him suspiciously.

He had intended to ask more questions, but just then, Little Kerry’s cheerful voice rang out behind them.

“Uncle Moore! Uncle!”

Both men turned their heads at once to see Little Kerry running toward them.

“Uncle!” Kerry leapt into Ji Feng’s arms, and Ji Feng naturally bent down to lift him up.

The little boy was thrilled, wrapping his arms around Ji Feng’s neck. “Uncle, did you miss me?”

“Of course,” Ji Feng replied, teasing his nose. Kerry giggled, ticklish as always, but he truly had missed his uncle after several days apart, so he let Ji Feng playfully nudge his nose.

Watching the scene, Moore suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. Kerry was his nephew, raised by him, yet somehow Ji Feng—the “fake uncle”—seemed closer.

Ji Feng noticed Moore’s slightly aggrieved expression immediately. He held Kerry’s hand and patted the boy’s back. “Why don’t you ask Uncle Moore if he missed you?”

Though Kerry was usually shy around Moore, he obediently turned and asked, “Uncle Moore, did you miss me?”

The discomfort in Moore’s heart vanished instantly. “Yes, I missed you,” he said softly.

Kerry’s joy overflowed. Even if Uncle Moore wasn’t easy to approach, it didn’t stop him from adoring him. After all, Moore had always been an idol to him and his brother.

In his excitement, Kerry forgot Moore’s dislike of physical closeness. He stretched his neck forward, grabbed Moore’s arm with one hand and his shoulder with the other, then leaned in to plant a kiss.

“Kerry missed Uncle Moore too!” he declared happily.

Moore froze for a moment. Although he loved his nephew and often showered him with gifts, he was never good at expressing affection. He didn’t know how to show care, and as a result, the children rarely sought closeness with him. That had always left him a little disappointed.

This rare moment of intimacy warmed his heart, and the corners of his mouth lifted in quiet joy.

Ji Feng squeezed Little Kerry’s chin. “Only kissing one uncle and not the other?”

Little Kerry held Ji Feng’s face and planted another kiss. But as soon as he finished, he cried out, “Oh, it’s prickly! Uncle’s beard is prickly!”

Ji Feng rubbed his chin. “Prickly? I just shaved the day before yesterday.”

“It grows fast—just like my father’s,” Kerry replied.

Ji Feng leaned closer to Moore, tilting his chin toward him. “Can you see it?”

Moore pursed his lips and examined it seriously. There was indeed a faint stubble, so he nodded. “Yes, a little.”

“It shouldn’t be. I can’t feel it,” Ji Feng muttered, touching his chin again. Then he looked at Moore with a teasing smile. “Why don’t you touch it?”

Moore blurted out, “Don’t touch it.”

“Uncle, I’ll touch it!” Kerry declared. He reached out with his chubby little hands and patted Ji Feng’s chin. After feeling it, he nodded with certainty. “Prickly!” Then he rubbed his soft cheek against Ji Feng’s chin and giggled. “Very prickly!”

Ji Feng couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I’ll shave again when we get back.”

The little boy happily dragged his uncle toward the swing. He refused to sit alone—both uncles had to sit beside him, surrounding him as the three of them swung together.

Ji Feng let the child fuss over him, his expression half-drowsy. Kerry clutched one hand from each uncle, and though Moore sat stiffly, it was clear from his eyes that he was quietly happy.

Su Qi, who was standing at a distance, simply watched Ji Feng with a fond expression. Surrounded by one big figure and one small, it was as if he were looking at two children. The scene was so beautiful that Su Qi could not bear to disturb it.

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