At Yu Xiaogang's insistence that it was a misunderstanding, Yu Tianheng nodded furiously.
"Yes, yes, of course not. Absolutely not."
He wore a smile full of consideration for his elder, as though he had already seen through Yu Xiaogang's embarrassing secret.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'll keep this a secret for you."
What the hell do I have to hide?!
Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched, and he swallowed the explanation on the tip of his tongue.
He knew his glorious image in his nephew's mind was now inseparable from the stench of urine. Any further explanation would only make things worse.
Yu Xiaogang closed his eyes and silently told himself to stay calm.
"Tian Heng, this isn't the place to talk."
He glanced around, confirmed that no one was nearby, then raised a hand and pointed.
"Come on. Let's find somewhere quiet and have a proper chat."
Yu Tianheng nodded obediently.
"All right."
Yu Xiaogang turned and left.
Yu Tianheng followed him. After only a few steps, he secretly dropped half a step back, putting a little more distance between them.
It wasn't that he was disgusted.
His nose simply hadn't recovered yet.
The two arrived at a pavilion, one following the other, and sat down facing each other.
Yu Xiaogang adopted an earnest, sympathetic air and said gently, "Tell me what happened, Tian Heng."
"It hurt me to see you like that earlier."
Facing his uncle, who had treated him well as a child and hailed from the same Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng finally found someone he could confide in.
All the grievances that had piled up inside him came pouring out.
His humiliation, Dugu Yan, the pressure from the clan, and his increasingly precarious position as heir.
By the end, even his voice had begun to