Chapter 320 - What happened in the past

Chapter 320: Chapter 320 - What happened in the past

Jian watched Bian for one last second before turning away and hurrying after his grandfather.

Grandpa Rue had already made it halfway down the corridor with the two children. Jian caught up easily and fell into step beside him. After a few moments, he glanced at the endless branching halls ahead and then at the old man.

He leaned closer and whispered, "Do you have any idea where you’re even going?"

Grandpa Rue slowed.

His eyes moved from one unfamiliar corridor to another before he smiled faintly.

"I have no clue."

Jian burst out laughing.

"And you were walking so confidently!"

"I assumed I’d eventually find something."

"In this palace? I’ve been here longer than you and I still get lost."

Grandpa Rue chuckled, and Jian looped his arm through his. "Come on. I’ll take you to my room first. I’ll have the servants arrange a room right next to mine. It’s safer that way."

"Safer for me or easier for you to keep watching me?"

"Both."

Jian led him back toward his chambers while a servant took Quangya and the little girl to get something to eat and rest after their long day. By the time they reached Jian’s room, Grandpa Rue was beginning to look tired despite stubbornly pretending otherwise.

Jian guided him to the bed.

"Sit."

"I can sit by myself."

"I know. Sit anyway."

Grandpa Rue gave him a look but obeyed.

Jian crouched in front of him, intending to check his bruised arm again, when something suddenly struck him as strange. He took Grandpa Rue’s wrist and turned it gently in his hand.

Years ago, his grandfather’s wrists had been thin and bony. Jian remembered how easily the old man’s hands used to tremble and how tired he became after even a little exertion.

Now there was noticeably more flesh beneath Jian’s fingers.

He looked up in surprise.

"Is it just me, or have you gotten stronger?"

Grandpa Rue raised a brow.

"Seriously." Jian squeezed his forearm gently. "You’re different. Back on Earth you were always trembling. Sometimes I thought a strong wind would carry you away."

"Are you calling your grandfather weak?"

"You were weak!"

Grandpa Rue lightly smacked the top of his head.

Jian laughed and ducked away.

"See! Even that hurt more."

Grandpa Rue looked down at his own hands, flexing his fingers thoughtfully. "I noticed it too. I don’t get tired as quickly here. My joints don’t hurt as much either."

"Maybe it’s Gia."

"Perhaps. The food here is strange, but it’s very nourishing. Even after all these years, I don’t understand half of what I’m eating."

Jian smiled.

Considering how different Gia’s environment was from Earth, it wasn’t impossible that the food and atmosphere had affected Grandpa Rue’s body over time. Whatever the reason, Jian was simply grateful. The old man still looked old, but there was more strength in him than Jian remembered.

Grandpa Rue’s expression softened as he looked down at Jian.

He gently patted the top of his head.

"Enough about me. Tell me about you."

Jian blinked.

"Are they treating you well here?"

The question caught him completely off guard.

Grandpa Rue’s fingers moved through his blond hair in the same familiar way they had when Jian was younger.

"Are they bullying you? Tell Grandpa. I’ll handle everything."

Jian’s eyes immediately burned.

It was ridiculous.

His grandfather had just survived years of hiding and a sabotaged transport crash. He had arrived at an alien royal palace where Jian was technically a prince, surrounded by soldiers and powerful Farians.

And the old man was still worried someone might be bullying him.

Jian tried to smile, but his vision blurred.

"No."

Grandpa Rue frowned slightly when he saw the tears gathering.

Jian immediately leaned forward and wrapped both arms around him.

"No one is bullying me," he mumbled against his shoulder. "They love me."

Grandpa Rue’s hand settled against his back.

"My father loves me. My brothers love me too. Everyone has been good to me." Jian pulled back enough to look at him, smiling despite his wet eyes. "I’m very much loved here, Grandpa."

For a moment, Grandpa Rue simply stared at him.

Then the tension that had remained in the old man’s face since arriving at the palace finally eased.

Lin Rue had worried about this child for most of his life.

Jian had always wanted a family more than he admitted. He could laugh, cause trouble and pretend things didn’t bother him, but Grandpa Rue had watched him grow up. He knew how deeply the boy had wanted to belong somewhere.

Now he did.

Grandpa Rue cupped Jian’s face between his hands and wiped away one of his tears with his thumb.

"I’m happy."

Jian sniffed.

"I’m happy my precious Lin Jian is finally happy."

Jian laughed softly and buried his face against his grandfather’s neck again.

"I’m happy too. I thought I’d never see you again."

Grandpa Rue held him without speaking.

Jian allowed himself a few moments before sitting up and hurriedly wiping his face. His happiness remained, but another thought had already begun pressing at the back of his mind.

Bian.

His expression became serious.

"Grandpa."

"Hmm?"

"What did Bian do to you?"

Grandpa Rue’s hand paused.

"Tell me everything. Did he really starve you?"

The old man sighed.

For several seconds, he seemed reluctant to answer.

"He has changed a lot, Jian."

"I know."

"No. I don’t think you understand how much."

Grandpa Rue looked down at his hands.

"When we were brought here, he didn’t want us around. I think merely seeing us reminded him of you. He hated that." His mouth tightened. "He ordered us locked away. Food was withheld. He wanted us frightened and miserable because hurting us was another way of hurting you."

Jian’s fingers slowly curled into his palms.

Grandpa Rue continued quietly, "Thankfully, not everyone followed his orders blindly. There were soldiers who helped us. Later, people belonging to your elder brother kept us hidden and moved us whenever it became dangerous. That’s how we survived."

Jian said nothing.

His nails dug painfully into his palms.

That fucking Bian.

He had already known Bian was cruel. He had known the bastard hated him enough to hurt anyone close to him.

But Grandpa Rue?

The old man had raised both of them.

And now someone had sabotaged the transport bringing Grandpa back to the palace.

Jian’s eyes darkened.

He didn’t believe in that kind of coincidence.

If Bian was behind this too...

The thought alone made anger burn through him.

He wanted to march out of the room and drag the truth out of Bian himself, but Grandpa Rue was finally safe beside him. Starting another fight without evidence would only worry him.

So Jian forced his clenched fingers to relax.

He reached out and held his grandfather’s hand instead.

"It’s over now."

Grandpa Rue looked at him.

Jian smiled, carefully hiding everything else behind it.

"You’re here with me. That’s what matters."

But inside, his decision had already been made.

He wasn’t going to give Bian another chance to hurt his family.