What was I Thinking when I Ditch the Second Male Protagonist Chapter 128

Chapter 128

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Xie Duo’s voice contained a suppressed excitement, not pain.

Han Jiao had never heard Xie Duo make such a low, muffled sound. Suddenly, he felt a sense of imminent danger, as if a buried painful memory deep in his mind was warning him: “Get out of danger immediately.”

So, Han Jiao’s initial reaction was to keep some distance by pressing one hand against Xie Duo’s chest and grabbing the sword hilt to move aside.

However, this action didn’t last long. Xie Duo quickly caught the hand gripping the sword hilt.

This grip was quite strong, causing Han Jiao’s hand to instantly weaken.

Xie Duo stared at him with a furrowed brow, showing surprise, confusion, and a hint of a desire to attack in his eyes.

Xie Duo’s expression, along with the belated awareness in his palm, made Han Jiao understand what had happened.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed in his mind.

After that drunken night, he finally understood why he couldn’t get out of bed for two days. Was this size a joke? Han Jiao realized that this time, he might be risking his life in the name of love!

“I’m sorry…” Han Jiao quickly abandoned his teasing plan, lowering his head in apology. “I hurt you.”

He discreetly glanced at Xie Duo’s expression from the corner of his eye, only to see the graceful curve of his jaw, with the Adam’s apple moving slowly.

After a while, Xie Duo responded, “It doesn’t hurt. I’m your husband. Even if you do this often, I won’t blame you.”

Han Jiao: “……”

This statement sounded quite strange.

Why did the big boss start by announcing their relationship in a deep and stern tone, but then his tone lifted, seemingly quite happy? What was going on!

Saying “won’t blame” and then “do this often” really made it hard to understand His Highness’s intentions.

Han Jiao didn’t fall into the trap and replied softly, “I’m going downstairs to eat.”

“What’s wrong with your leg?” Xie Duo bent down, pinched his knee pit, and looked up at him. “Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“It’s not uncomfortable, I just zoned out when I went downstairs.”

“I thought you only had trouble standing when playing cuju,” Xie Duo chuckled. “You can’t just focus on studying. In the future, I’ll teach you some balance skills.”

Han Jiao didn’t expect that Xie Duo could still stand confidently and talk in this state. Clearly, under his dark gold belt, his front was lifted high, showing that his balance and lower body strength were indeed solid and enduring

Before this, Han Jiao had always admired Xie Duo’s lower body skills, but when he “got a firsthand experience” just now, he realized that love could be risky, and friendship should be approached with caution.

Right now, Xie Duo stared at him with unblinking eyes, as if trying to bridge the gap from their reserved meeting earlier.

Xie Duo’s intense gaze made Han Jiao hesitant to walk away on his own. He had a “stay still if the enemy doesn’t move” mindset because he was afraid that if he moved, Xie Duo would follow, and he wouldn’t be able to outmaneuver Xie Duo.

It was better to maintain relative stillness and hope that Xie Duo would cool down on his own.

When Han Jiao saw Xie Duo raise his hand, he tensed slightly, but Xie Duo simply adjusted the piece of cloth on his arm, covering his shoulder.

Xie Duo’s long and cool fingertips traced his arm and shoulder, gently brushing aside Han Jiao’s damp hair near his ear. It felt like a subtle electric current was passing from his fingertips through Han Jiao’s entire body.

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” Xie Duo’s voice was soft and husky, demanding, yet restrained.

Han Jiao’s breathing became irregular. He took a deep breath and looked up at Xie Duo.

Xie Duo lowered his head and fixed his eyes on Han Jiao, his gaze filled with a childlike desire, making Han Jiao suddenly want to embrace him.

Beauty was captivating. After Xie Duo’s delicate features were touched by restrained desire, the impact increased exponentially. It could truly render a person defenseless in an instant.

Han Jiao lowered his head, unable to conceal his rapid, shallow breaths, only able to slightly part his lips to breathe.

“Unfair.” Xie Duo gazed at him with a slightly sulky expression, furrowing his brow. “Is it only me who can’t look away from you? You truly have some magic.”

Han Jiao’s face suddenly turned as red as a beet. He raised his head and grumbled, “Yes, yes, I’ve bewitched the Great Chu’s War God. I’m guilty, and I apologize. Your Excellency, War God Master, would you kindly overlook the sins of a mere mortal and allow this wizard to go downstairs and have a warm meal?”

Xie Duo suddenly smiled. His two sharp little tiger teeth returned to their mischievous state. His amber eyes were filled with fascination as he approached and nodded seriously. “You admit it?”

Han Jiao couldn’t help but smile too. “Stop fooling around.”

“Han Xiaobai, you admit to bewitching me.” Xie Duo laughed joyfully. He grabbed Han Jiao’s wrist and pulled him into his embrace. “From now on, I won’t be responsible for anything I do. Master Wizard, I’m not in control of myself anymore, so whatever I want to do, it’s because you want me to.”

“I have no intentions for Your Highness to do anything!” Han Jiao rested his hand on Xie Duo’s shoulder and smiled. “The magic I used on Your Highness is to prevent you from making mistakes.”

“Mistakes? What counts as a mistake?” Xie Duo tightly pressed him into his embrace, leaned down to kiss his lips, gently nibbled and explored, all the while closely watching Han Jiao’s reactions. He only released him when Han Jiao was almost out of breath. “Is this a mistake? Master, teach me the right way.”

Han Jiao couldn’t take it anymore. He had forgotten that he was the one who had initiated all of this.

However, after “activating” Xie Duo in an unexpected way, it was he who couldn’t resist the assault first.

How was he supposed to control the situation like this!

Han Jiao needed to calm down. The first step was to move his eyes away from this stinky little brother’s infuriatingly handsome face.

He lowered his head to focus on Xie Duo’s chest, attempting to create some distance to regain his composure. However, his waist was tightly held, and a certain scorching “hilt” pressed firmly against his lower abdomen.

How was he supposed to stay calm like this!

“Let me go downstairs, Your Highness,” Han Jiao humbly pleaded.

“Call me ‘husband.'” Xie Duo refused to let go.

Han Jiao suppressed a smile and said, “You’re truly crazy today.”

“These days without seeing you, I’ve already gone mad.”

Han Jiao lifted his eyes, his voice filled with resentment. “When did Your Highness want to see me but couldn’t? It’s just anger. You deliberately avoided me, making me suffer in the cell.”

Xie Duo furrowed his brow slightly, looking down at him. “Did the guards mistreat you?”

“Not at all,” Han Jiao replied, glaring at him. “If Your Highness has them provide me with good food and drink, why not just release me and punish me in person?”

The smile disappeared from Xie Duo’s face. He released his grip, stepped back, and held onto the railing while gazing at Han Jiao. “I know about your recent interactions with Liu Tong. You promised me not to communicate with Sixth Brother, and that includes not going through his intermediaries.”

“I haven’t conveyed any messages to Prince Yan through Liu Tong.”

Xie Duo continued to regard him with a wary expression. “I don’t know what you intended to do, but I had Liu Tong imprisoned to sever your connection with him. Yet, you willingly confessed and landed in jail for him.”

Han Jiao hurriedly explained, “Liu Tong is crucial to Prince Yan. He is the Prince’s teacher. If you were to—”

“So, you decided to involve someone important to me?” Xie Duo questioned. “Liu Tong is just an advisor in Sixth Brother’s residence. I, on the other hand, am your husband. You can’t use yourself to threaten me. Han Jiao, look at me, Han Jiao! Tell me there won’t be a next time.”

Han Jiao looked up at him. “I had no other option. I feared you might act impulsively and wrongfully convict Liu Tong. Prince Yan couldn’t bear such an outcome.”

“Do you have anyone else besides Sixth Brother?” Xie Duo furrowed his brow. “Do you know how I’ve spent these days? You used your own safety to threaten me, and I wanted to stand my ground. I thought that making you witness Liu Tong’s confession would be the best punishment for you. But I couldn’t eat or sleep for these two days, feeling like life wasn’t worth living. I was all alone while you chatted and laughed with Liu Tong, waiting for Sixth Brother to come and rescue you!”

“Those were just comforting words for Liu Tong,” Han Jiao explained. “You had released the others, leaving just him and me. I couldn’t deceive him by saying that you would come to rescue us, especially if you didn’t relent. How could Prince Yan save us then?”

Xie Duo gazed at him for a while, then calmed down. “These past days, you’ve been in close contact with him to convince him to resign from his position?”

Han Jiao nodded like a pecking chicken. “I simply wanted Master Liu to voluntarily resign from his position to prevent any dispute with Prince Yan.”

Xie Duo lowered his head and said dejectedly, “This Master Liu has been serving in Prince Yan’s residence for so many years, yet he hasn’t paid attention to Sixth Brother’s feelings like you do.”

“I’m not! I…” Han Jiao was so distressed that he clenched his fists, his eyes reddening. But how could he explain that he did it all to save Xie Duo’s life?

How could he make Xie Duo understand that his actions were driven by a desire to preserve their brotherly bond?

Should he mention that he read a book that foretold Xie Duo and Prince Yan’s future?

Xie Duo didn’t actually believe he was a wizard, and besides, the book only vaguely hinted at Xie Duo’s eventual suicide without specifying a reason. Han Jiao couldn’t even convince himself.

“Whether you believe it or not,” Han Jiao said in a hoarse voice, his fists clenched, “I did all of this for you, Xie Duo. We have different personalities, especially when it comes to emotions. I’ve always been reserved, a trait instilled in me since childhood by my father. I sometimes feel burdened by it, but I can’t change who I am. You can’t judge my feelings for you just because our ways of expressing them differ. That’s unfair!”

Xie Duo looked down with a hint of nervousness, stayed silent for a moment, and then glanced at Han Jiao, as if admitting his fault, and softly reminded, “Your eyes are red.”

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