Playing The Victims [BL]

Chapter Twenty-Seven | First World

The chief advisor chuckled but nevertheless agreed.

This little conversation, although light, was being watched closely by the woman with blood-red lips. Her seething anger, resentment for the boy who had somehow outsmarted her, made her grip tighten on her drink, her rings damaging the sides. Beside her, her son who held quite a likeness to XeLeader, eyed his mother discretely. When he followed her gaze, over to the Chief Advisor who uncharacteristically sat so far from them, and beside some runt, he felt his own good mood dissipate.

As XeLeader had initially thought, XeSon also believed that this newcomer was someone who was entertaining Kang Guiren, so to speak. So his image of the boy wasn't great. Not that he thought a lot of anyone seated at this table.

"Mother, your veins are protruding." He whispered to the woman who had groomed him since the day he was born, moulding him into a figure that was befitting of the future leader of XeClan. And she responded quickly, clearing her throat lightly and curving her lips into a receptive smile. Without any words spared to her son, she joined a conversation with the next person.

XeSon looked back over to the boy who had accumulated so much hatred from his mother, or perhaps it was towards the man by his side? No, his mother wasn't foolish enough to go after the old crone Kang Guiren.

Bringing up his own drink, XeSon sipped on the red liquid and after a few moments his expression lightened as he, like his mother, continued a conversation with no evidence of his shift in mood.

"Will you be alright?" Elder Kang asked later on that evening, when everyone had long finished eating and were now spending the remainder of the time walking about, talking and enjoying themselves. Up until then, both men had happily stayed by each other's side and were enjoying the evening.

That was until Elder Kang had been summoned for a private conversation with XeLeader. Though the man was of high status, he still couldn't reject a summons, so he reluctantly left ShuNing on his own. But he wasn't that way for long, as in the process of five minutes he was swarmed by strangers who tried to learn everything there was about him and his relationship with Elder Kang.

ShuNing smiled accommodatingly, in no way showing the slight anxiety he was feeling just being surrounded by these people.

"You must be quite talented for our beloved Chief Advisor to favour you so much." Someone in the crowd commented snidely.

Whilst ShuNing was immune to such comments, and intended to ignore it, another voice responded instead. "You should be ashamed of yourself." The deep, purposefully authoritative voice belonged to XeSon as he strode over.

Unlike his mother who had draped herself head to toe in red, he wore a black robe with red trimmings. He didn't have to prove himself to anyone now that he had achieved his position. The man, who was tall in stature, was easily able to look down on the group that swarmed ShuNing.

And the person who had previously spoken negatively, quickly escaped in fear of being reprimanded any further. And knowing the temperament of XeLeader's son, the rest followed, leaving behind ShuNing.

But ShuNing was no fool, and made a point of bowing out of respect for the egotistical man. In the beginning, bowing was completely foreign to him, as he originally came from a country that greeted people with a slight head gesture or a smile, but for the umpteenth time since he came to this world, he had gotten used to bowing.

Though, it did irk him knowing he had to do it for people like XeLeader and his followers.

"Thank you for such generosity, XeSon."

The man quirked one his sharp eyebrows as he monitored ShuNings actions. He stood towering over him, but his height wasn't as great as ZhangFeng's. That man was a mountain.