A Little First Love Shock for the Demon Lord - Chapter 27.1
The Demon Lord kept wavering—one moment he wanted to leave, the next he didn’t. Luo Su was truly confused.
At that moment, Minglou had already walked to Ying Ning’s door, intending to say a few words to her. But considering the late hour and that she should be resting, he changed his mind and entered the room Ying
Ning had prepared for him instead.
Luo Su and Zhuzhu followed him into the room. Minglou sat down by the bed, leaning silently against the bedframe, lost in thought.
No one knew what he was thinking about. Luo Su couldn’t help but ask, “Your Lordship, why don’t you want to leave anymore?”
Minglou didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he suddenly looked serious and asked in return, “Do you know what it means to be truly thoughtful and gentle?”
“Uh…” Luo Su was stumped. He scrunched his face, thinking hard before answering, “Maybe it means sticking by someone all the time and doing everything as gently and carefully as possible?”
Even if Minglou didn’t know the right answer himself, he knew that wasn’t it.
Since Luo Su was clearly unreliable, Minglou turned to Zhuzhu, who stood by the window.
Noticing his gaze, Zhuzhu rolled her eyes in disdain and pointed at her still-sealed mouth.
With a snap of his fingers, Minglou unlocked her mouth and asked in a low voice, “You tell me—what does it mean to be truly thoughtful and gentle?”
Zhuzhu worked her stiff lips a bit before asking coolly, “Why are you even asking this?”
Her question made Minglou’s gaze shift evasively. After a long pause, he answered in a low tone, “Just curious, that’s all. Asking randomly.”
“Oh, just asking randomly, huh?” Zhuzhu dragged out her words and walked over to him with a knowing smile. “Didn’t think someone like you would be curious about words that have absolutely nothing to do with you.”
“You talk too much,” Minglou snapped, clearly irritated.
Zhuzhu pouted but replied, “To be thoughtful and gentle to someone, you have to know that person—understand what she likes, what she dislikes, remember those things, and act accordingly…”
As she trailed off, she stopped beside Minglou, leaned in, and asked quietly, “So, Your Lordship, do you actually know Ying Ning?”
“I…” Minglou was momentarily dazed. He quickly recovered and shot her a stern look. “Why are you bringing up Ying Ning?”
Zhuzhu straightened up, stifling a smile. “No reason. Just using her as an example…”
She paused, then walked over to the table with her hands behind her back, turned around, and added, “Actually, no—I shouldn’t use Ying Ning as an example. Because someone like her would never be with someone like you.”
That made Minglou sit up straight instantly. His brows furrowed, and his voice rose slightly. “What do you mean by that?”
Zhuzhu answered without hesitation, “Exactly what it sounds like. You’re cold, indifferent, and always speak harshly. Ying Ning, on the other hand, is gentle, kind, cheerful—and beautiful too. I can’t find a single flaw in her. A girl like her would never fall for a man like you.”
“You!” Minglou roared, fury flashing in his eyes. The room’s temperature plummeted.
Clearly, Zhuzhu had hit a nerve.
Their raised voices grew louder and louder. In the next room, Ying Ning, who was lying in bed staring blankly at the ceiling, suddenly became alert.
She sat up quietly, her brow furrowed in concern, and glanced toward the wall.
Who’s in the next room?
Minglou was supposed to have left. No one should be talking in that room.
Suspicious, Ying Ning got out of bed, dressed quickly, picked up the axe by her bedside, and tiptoed to the next room.
At the door, she took a deep breath, raised her leg, and was just about to kick the door open and scare off the intruders when the door swung open by itself.
Minglou stood inside. His eyes lit up the moment he saw her.
He greeted softly, “Ying Ning…”
But her raised leg was already in motion and couldn’t be stopped—she kicked him squarely in the stomach.
It was a solid kick, with full force behind it.
Minglou hadn’t been prepared. He stood frozen, gasping.
From behind, Luo Su and Zhuzhu exchanged a silent thought.
Thank goodness we didn’t rush to open the door like Minglou did.
“Mi-Minglou?!” Ying Ning stared at him in shock. She knew exactly how hard she’d kicked. Worried, she asked quickly, “Are you okay? Didn’t you leave? Why are you still in this room?”
Minglou gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to subside. When he finally recovered, he looked at her with a calm expression.
“I’m not leaving. I’m staying here.”
Ying Ning froze.
His words echoed in her mind again and again before her face turned cold. Her tone hardened. “Minglou, what do you take this place for? Come and go as you please?”
“I…”
Before he could explain, Ying Ning cut in sharply, “I’m moving the stuff I took out back in. There’s no room for you here. Please leave.”
She stepped aside, creating a clear path for him.
Faced with her cold expression, Minglou was at a loss.
He opened his mouth, then hesitated for a long while before finally saying, “I didn’t think things through before, that’s why I said I’d leave. But now I’ve made up my mind…”
“That’s your problem,” Ying Ning replied, still not meeting his gaze. “Whatever you think, I don’t want you staying here.”
Minglou frowned. “But don’t you still need help dealing with the demons drawn to you?”
“You said you’d come during the day and leave at night, right? We don’t have to stay together all the time. Let’s just do that.”
Her words were like a slap in the face—repeating what he had once said.
Minglou’s heart twisted in a tangle of confusion.
“Ying Ning…” he murmured.
She didn’t respond. Instead, she walked a few steps away and pointed to the gate.
“I’m going to rest. You should leave. Whatever it is, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
She spoke without once lifting her eyes to look at him.
The atmosphere dropped, heavy and suffocating.
Luo Su felt like he couldn’t breathe. He quietly turned to Zhuzhu for help. “Sister Zhuzhu, help the Lord out, please.”
But Zhuzhu crossed her arms, smirked, and stepped past Minglou, walking out without a backward glance.
“Your Lordship, let’s go. Ying Ning already said it—talk tomorrow.”
Luo Su quickly followed her out, eager to escape the oppressive air in the room.
Minglou hesitated a moment before stepping outside.
As he passed Ying Ning, he whispered, “Alright. Tomorrow.”
Only after the three left did Ying Ning slowly lower her hand. The hurt she’d just managed to suppress surged up again…
________________________________________
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Ying Ning got up to wash and dress.
When she stepped out, the first thing she saw was Minglou standing outside the courtyard gate.
He was too tall—hard to miss.
After a good night’s sleep, Ying Ning felt she had composed herself. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and walked toward the gate calmly.
The moment she opened it, Minglou stepped forward.
“You’re here early,” she said indifferently.
Minglou hesitated before responding with a quiet “Mm.”
In truth, he hadn’t arrived early—he hadn’t left at all.
Luo Su had gone back to check on his little cat. Zhuzhu didn’t want to stand around, so she left too. Only Minglou had stayed, standing outside Ying Ning’s courtyard the whole night, thinking about what had made her so upset.
He finally realized—his inconsistency must have pushed her away. She had said it herself: he came and went at whim, and she couldn’t tolerate that.
So, he said in a low voice, “I admit I’m difficult… In the future…”
He wasn’t used to saying such things. His voice turned awkward as he forced out the rest of the sentence: “In the future, I won’t be like that anymore.”
“That’s your business. You don’t need to tell me,” Ying Ning replied.
Minglou, who had lived so long without ever being at a loss for words, suddenly felt rattled.
As he searched for something else to say, Ying Ning asked, “Shall we hold hands now?”
Yes—holding hands. He could hold her hand now.
Just the thought of it brought a trace of joy to his heart, and he slowly raised his hand.
But before he could fully extend it, Ying Ning added, “Let’s get it over with now so you can leave earlier.”
Minglou froze. He hurriedly shoved his hand behind his back.
Ying Ning looked at him, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Why are you hiding your hand?”
“I…” He scrambled for an answer but couldn’t find one. In the end, he muttered, “I don’t want to hold hands right now.”
Ying Ning stared at him for a moment, then said softly, “It’s alright. Even if you don’t want to help me anymore, I won’t blame you. You can leave now.”
Hearing that, Minglou quickly protested, “That’s not what I meant!”
But Ying Ning didn’t respond. She turned and walked back inside, leaving him standing at the gate, alone.
Minglou was truly lost. He’d already promised not to be fickle again, yet Ying Ning hadn’t softened at all.
What else can I do to make things right between us?
He simply didn’t know anymore.
Suddenly, laughter rang from the willow tree nearby.
He looked up and saw Zhuzhu sitting on a branch, swinging her legs and clapping her hands.
“This is so entertaining! Watching Your Lordship fall flat like this is a hundred times better than teasing men!”
Minglou immediately reverted to his cold, aloof demeanor. “If you don’t want to die, get lost.”
But Zhuzhu wasn’t fazed. She replied in an exaggerated tone, “Hey! Didn’t you want to learn how to be thoughtful and gentle? Then stop saying things like ‘die’ and ‘get lost!’ No woman likes a man with those words on his lips!”
Minglou opened his mouth to retort—then slowly closed it again. He clenched his jaw, swallowed his words, and made a silent vow.
From now on, he would bury those words deep inside.
Zhuzhu, surprised to see him actually taking her advice, found it fascinating.
So even a man like Minglou becomes this earnest when he falls in love…
Swinging her legs thoughtfully, she remembered her own business with Shen Xuanyi. She decided to give Minglou a little more advice.
“Your Lordship, take my word for it: don’t enjoy a girl’s kindness while clinging to your own pride and retreat path.”