Chapter 39 – Will The True Prince Notice Me

Uncertain at first, Jian Mei still looked at Cheng Yu in a daze and asked, “What did you say?”

Cheng Yu stood up and tried to explain the situation to Jian Mei. “Cai Zhenzhen fell on the track. It seems quite serious. What I mean is…”

Jian Mei’s expression changed slightly. Unlike Cheng Yu, who had been rehearsing with Cai Zhenzhen all day, his first reaction as a stranger was to ask directly, “Where is she?”

Jian Shencheng happened to be nearby and walked over to look at his son. “What’s wrong?”

“Dad, someone got hurt,” Jian Mei turned around and said, “It seems she fell while running, and it’s quite serious.”

Jian Shencheng’s face immediately turned serious. “Where is she?”

Jian Mei immediately looked at Cheng Yu, feeling nervous. “Where is she?”

Cheng Yu couldn’t answer that question. His first thought upon hearing about Cai Zhenzhen’s accident was how to salvage the losses in the play. How would he know about the girl?

He couldn’t say, but the assistant standing nearby spoke up, “She’s right over there.”

Jian Mei looked in the direction and indeed saw a crowd gathered around the national flag. Perhaps those who studied medicine couldn’t ignore someone getting injured. Pushing through the crowd, he saw Cai Zhenzhen sitting on the ground, crying. She had scraped her knee, and some people were trying to help her to the infirmary, but she cried and shouted that she couldn’t walk. A teacher came over, wanting to carry her there.

Jian Shencheng stepped forward and stopped them, saying, “Hello, teacher. If the child has injured her bones, she shouldn’t be moved arbitrarily.”

The teacher looked puzzled. “Who are you?”

Jian Shencheng smiled and showed his identification. “I’m a doctor. Let me take a look.”

Jian Mei also crouched down next to Cai Zhenzhen. While his father talked to others, he performed a basic examination of the patient and asked, “Where does it hurt the most in your leg?”

Cai Zhenzhen, with teary eyes, saw Jian Mei and was somewhat surprised but also disdainful. “What’s it to you?”

Jian Mei didn’t argue with her, he simply said calmly, “Don’t move around. If you’ve injured your bones, you might not be able to dance in the future.”

The blunt threat worked. Cai Zhenzhen immediately dared not move. With teary eyes, she looked at Jian Mei and asked, “Is that true?”

Jian Mei didn’t say anything. He usually appeared soft-spoken, but when examining a patient, he was very serious. His inherent presence became powerful. They say that serious men are the most handsome, and this was a side of Jian Mei that Cai Zhenzhen had never seen before. Despite previously disliking Jian Mei’s soft temperament, at this moment, she stared at the handsome and earnest profile of the young man and found herself somewhat lost in thought.

Jian Mei remained focused on the patient. He reached out and lightly pressed on Cai Zhenzhen’s ankle. When his father arrived, Jian Mei calmly said, “I examined her briefly, and there doesn’t seem to be any problem with the leg bones. It’s probably just a minor ankle dislocation. We can fix it right away.”

Jian Shencheng confirmed it and tapped her leg. Finally, he nodded. “Indeed, no fractures. That’s fortunate.”

Knowing that his father was capable of doing it, Jian Mei looked up at Cai Zhenzhen and said, “Endure it a little longer. It’ll be fine soon.”

Before Cai Zhenzhen could react, a sharp pain surged from her ankle. Jian Shencheng helped her relocate the dislocated ankle, and Cai Zhenzhen cried in pain. Jian Mei handed her a tissue and said softly, “Don’t cry. It won’t hurt in a while.”

The gentle voice seemed to soothe the patient’s heart, something only the patient could feel in that moment. A gentle and patient doctor was truly important. Cai Zhenzhen no longer cared about her previous grievances. She took the tissue and wiped her tears, feeling completely embarrassed.

At this moment, her parents had just arrived at the school and learned about their daughter’s accident. They hurried over and, after understanding the situation, were very grateful to Jian Shencheng. They kept insisting on treating him to dinner that evening, but Jian Shencheng politely declined.

Cai Zhenzhen’s parents turned to their daughter and said, “Zhenzhen, you must thank Dr. Jian and his son. They helped you a lot this time.”

When the school doctor rushed over, Jian Shencheng had already finished the initial treatment.

“Mr. Jian did a great job handling this.” The school doctor praised, “You’ve been a tremendous help.”

Cai Zhenzhen’s parents quickly said, “Yes, yes. Zhenzhen, thank them properly, and also thank Jian Mei. He’s such a good kid. You should thank him too.”

Cai Zhenzhen looked up at Jian Shencheng and glanced at Jian Mei next to him. There were also many classmates and schoolmates around. Not long ago, she had told her friends that Jian Mei was a spoiled and effeminate guy. But in the blink of an eye, Jian Mei and his family had saved her, and now she had to express gratitude here. It was a huge irony.

Cai Zhenzhen’s mother nudged her and gave her a stern look, full of threatening meaning.

“Thank you,” Cai Zhenzhen managed to say with difficulty.

Jian Shencheng replied politely, “It was just a small effort.”

Jian Mei, being generous, smiled and said, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

His radiant smile was gentle and sincere. If the previous Cai Zhenzhen would have been angry, now she felt a mix of complex emotions. For some reason, she suddenly couldn’t bring herself to dislike Jian Mei anymore. Moreover, when she saw him smile at her, she felt a fluttering in her heart. She didn’t understand why Jian Mei would come to her aid after her attitude towards him during the day. Could it be… that he also liked her?

So, as she passed by, Cai Zhenzhen asked softly, with a hint of hope, “Why did you help me?”

Jian Mei looked up at her, his gaze so pure, but for a moment it made her feel as if only those eyes could be heartless. “I didn’t help you.”

Cai Zhenzhen was stunned.

Jian Mei spoke in a volume only they could hear. “Even if someone else got hurt today, I would still help if I had the ability. It’s a matter of basic moral values, unrelated to whether it’s you or not.”

He didn’t stand idly by because of personal grudges, nor did he help someone with the intention of gaining any benefit. He was so open and straightforward, just like his clear eyes, untainted by dust. He didn’t say anything excessive, but it suddenly made Cai Zhenzhen’s heart feel particularly uncomfortable, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her. She realized that she had treated Jian Mei like a thorn in her side, but in Jian Mei’s heart… she seemed to be nothing at all.

This was truly the greatest irony.

…

At Noon

Jian Mei was approached by the teacher, who explained the situation with the play. However, the teacher hesitated, beating around the bush and not getting to the point, leaving Jian Mei in a state of confusion.

Finally, Jian Mei widened his eyes and asked, “Are you saying you don’t want me to play the role of the dwarf?”

The teacher nodded.

Jian Mei felt very aggrieved. “Did I do something wrong, teacher?”

“No, no, you misunderstood,” the teacher reassured him. “What I meant is that I feel you are too talented to play the dwarf, so I’ve decided to give you a more important role.”

Jian Mei was puzzled. “No, I actually like the role of the dwarf.”

…

The teacher sighed. “Consider it a favor for me.”

Jian Mei inquired, “So, what important role does the teacher want me to play?”

Hunter, king, prince… could it be the mirror? But those roles already have someone. Thinking carefully, the only vacancy so far was… Snow White!

……

Stan Star

During noon, the waves in the Golden Sea were rough. Legend has it that the territory of the Lan family is located in this area. Not many people dare to enter here. There is a small fishing village by the seaside, where only local fishermen come and go. In the afternoon, there weren’t many people in the village as most of them had gone out to sea. When they learned that there were outsiders entering the village, many people wore vigilant expressions on their faces.

Zuo Qingshan finally found the only small rest station in the fishing village and complained softly, “What kind of place is this? According to reason, the northern part of Stan Star is the most fertile, and it gets richer the further north you go. Just look at the Golden Town, but this village… it’s like a rundown place.”

Lu Xingwang glanced at him indifferently. “This village doesn’t rely on selling medicine to make a living.”

Zuo Qingshan leaned closer and said, “Is the seafood market doing so poorly now? It’s so impoverished.”

The way Lu Xingwang looked at him seemed to be looking at a fool.

The Young General lived in the military for years, but compared to Lu Xingwang, who had spent most of his time in the palace, there were still many underground news that he wasn’t familiar with.

Lu Xingwang sat on a wooden chair and looked at the coastline not far away. He reminded him, “If this place relies on selling seafood for a living, we would at least see seafood trading markets on our way here, and there would even be transportation lines at the docks.”

Zuo Qingshan’s reaction was a beat slow. “It seems like there really aren’t any. What do you mean?”

Lu Xingwang raised an eyebrow and looked at him with determination. “This place doesn’t rely on seafood for a living at all.”

With that, the question followed. If it wasn’t seafood, what does this village’s livelihood depend on? If the fishermen didn’t go out to sea, where did they go?

Zuo Qingshan admired Lu Xingwang more and more along the way and approached him directly to ask, “Does Your Highness have an idea?”

Lu Xingwang said, “I have some clues.”

Just as Zuo Qingshan was about to ask about the next step of their action plan, he saw Lu Xingwang standing up and walking towards the upper floor of the rest station, looking like he was going to rest. Zuo Qingshan was surprised and quickly followed behind, asking, “Your Highness, where are you going?”

He hadn’t seen Lu Xingwang have a habit of taking a nap before.

Lu Xingwang had one foot on the stairs and glanced back at him. “I’m going back to my room to handle some important matters. We’ll talk about the fishing village in the evening.”

?

What important matter?

Zuo Qingshan was puzzled, but he didn’t want to ask directly. After all, the matters His Highness needed to handle should be important state affairs. Thinking like this, Zuo Qingshan gradually felt the disparity of the world. Look at Third Prince, always so diligent, while he only thought about taking a nap. It was really inappropriate!

…

On the other side,

Lu Xingwang, who had mentioned handling important matters, returned to the prepared room and sat down. He opened the information terminal, ready to click on the link Jian Mei had sent him to watch the live broadcast.

“Ding dong.”

However, he received a message on the information terminal.

It was from Jian Mei, sent in a hurry: “There’s been a change of plans. I’m not playing the dwarf anymore. DaZhuang ge, maybe you shouldn’t watch.”

It seemed urgent. Jian Mei sent this message and didn’t say anything more. Lu Xingwang was a bit confused about suddenly not playing the dwarf anymore. Then what role would he play?

Glancing at the time, it seemed to be the scheduled time for the live broadcast. Lu Xingwang hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he clicked into the live stream. In the past, he would have had no interest in these stage plays at all. But with Jian Mei’s fussing, it was like wanting to see what kind of spectacle their own little friend could create. So, His Highness clicked in after all.

The webpage of the live stream slowly opened up, and the image quality was fairly clear. It was a stage set with elaborate decorations. The host stood at the front, saying, “Next, we bring you a wonderful performance by the junior-year students, the classic stage play ‘Snow White.’ Enjoy!”

Applause thundered from the audience.

There were even whispers among the students:

“Who is playing Snow White?”

“I heard it’s the school’s beauty. She’s so pretty.”

“I envy the prince.”

As the curtains slowly opened, a gentle female voice began to narrate the story. “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a beautiful queen and a handsome king were watching the snow. The queen sighed and said, ‘If only our daughter were as fair and beautiful as snow…'”

The props on the stage were made of papier-mâché1 , portraying a castle.

The child playing the queen wore a golden plastic crown and a puffy skirt in yellow and red, looking serious. The corner of Lu Xingwang’s lips curved up, and memories of the queen’s glamorous and noble appearance came to his mind. Then he compared it to the current attire, finding it inexplicably amusing.

The plot continues.

The actress playing the stepmother appears, resembling a little girl dressed like a dark sorceress, standing in front of a mirror and shouting, “Mirror, mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world”

The mirror replies, “Snow White.”

“Damn it!” the stepmother stomps her feet. “I’ll kill her! I am the most beautiful in the world!”

Lu Xingwang finds it amusing to watch the stepmother, with her long teeth and claw-like hands. The characters in this play seem to portray the most genuine aspects of human nature, unlike in reality where everyone hides their true thoughts deep within. These children’s performance appears comical yet authentic. As he ponders, the lights suddenly dim, and in the silent darkness, a single spotlight illuminates the center of the stage. There sits a blonde girl in a vibrant red dress, her fair skin glowing against the vivid costume. Her face is delicate and beautiful, seemingly terrified, trembling with fear.

The hunter stands before her, saying, “Snow White, someone wants me to kill you!”

Jian Mei retreats in fear. When he speaks, his voice is dubbed by his mother, Shen Meina from backstage. A soft, feminine voice resounds, “Please, spare me.”

With her pitiful gaze, fragile and evoking a sense of protection, and her beautiful countenance, he seems to possess an innate nobility. Despite the inexpensive costumes, he exudes an air of elegance that captivates everyone’s attention, overshadowing other factors. He is breathtakingly beautiful, arousing covetous desires in all who lay eyes upon him.

Lu Xingwang’s eyes narrow dangerously, his expression shifting from nonchalant to focused.

Underneath the stage, students begin to discuss:

“Which class is this student from?”

“Is it Cai Zhenzhen?”

“Cai Zhenzhen isn’t that beautiful, are you kidding me?”

“She looks like a real princess…”

The plot has now reached the stage where Snow White encounters the dwarfs in the forest cottage. The dwarfs are angry, saying, “We don’t take in strangers. We stick together and don’t like outsiders interfering.”

Snow White earnestly replies, “As long as you’re willing to accept me, I’m willing to make your beds, wash your clothes, cook for you, clean the house, play games with you, read together— I’ll do anything for you!”

The dwarfs immediately soften their stance and say, “Okay, you’re welcome.”

Lu Xingwang reflects on Jian Mei’s lines, lost in thought.

On the stage, the stepmother, dressed as a witch, approaches Jian Mei with an apple in hand, giving a sinister smile and offering, “Sweet little girl, would you like to taste a red, juicy apple? It’s delicious, and Auntie is giving it to you for free.”

Snow White took it and said, “Wow, such a big and red apple, I really like it. Thank you.”

The queen, satisfied, walked away while laughing and said, “Hahaha, Snow White is certainly doomed this time. I am the most beautiful woman in the world now!”

The dwarfs returned home and were heartbroken to find Snow White unconscious and unresponsive. They placed her in a crystal coffin and carried her to the forest, where they let flowers and small animals accompany her. The prince from a neighboring kingdom saw the princess in the ice coffin and became infatuated. He half-knelt beside the coffin and said with some regret, “Poor princess, how wonderful it would be if you could come back to life!”

Cheng Yu, dressed in a meticulously designed knight’s attire, with his handsome face, captivated the young girls in the audience.

“Her skin is as white as snow, and her cheeks are rosy. She doesn’t look like someone who is sleeping,” Cheng Yu leaned closer to the princess lying in the coffin, as if he was about to kiss her. Others didn’t know, only Cai Zhenzhen knew that this scene should only be posing to kiss,but Cheng Yu was getting so close, with an intimacy in his actions that even the rehearsals didn’t have!

“Wow!”

The audience erupted with cheers and laughter.

Only the father, Jian Shencheng, and Lu Xingwang on the other side of the screen frowned at the same time, their gazes gradually turning icy and sharp.

Just as he was about to kiss her, the sleeping princess opened her eyes!

Cheng Yu was taken aback. The script didn’t call for her to wake up so soon. How did Jian Shencheng mess up the timing? This was getting chaotic, a complete disregard for the script. “You, you’re awake?”

Jian Mei nodded.

“How did you wake up?” Cheng Yu also unintentionally deviated from the script, “Didn’t you eat the poisoned apple?”

The important thing was that he hadn’t even kissed Jian Mei yet!

Jian Mei looked at the dwarfs not far away and pretended to be sorrowful, “Of course, I was just pretending. I didn’t eat it at all because my mother taught me from a young age not to eat things given by strangers and to have a basic sense of safety precautions.”

“…”

The air was filled with a dead silence.

The students in the audience were also dumbfounded.

….

A dwarf came over and said, “Then why are you lying in this crystal coffin and didn’t let us know that you’re not dead?”

“Because I was worried that the bad guys will come back, because…” Jian Mei looked at the dwarfs seriously and said, “Your house doesn’t have a security door, which is very dangerous.”

These words shocked the entire family of dwarfs.

Cheng Yu struggled to regain his composure and squeezed out a sentence, “So, what should we do now?”

According to the script, he should be marrying Snow White and living a happy life. But unexpectedly, Jian Mei stood up from the ice coffin and loudly said, “Now we should call the police and catch that bad person.”

The dwarfs were also caught off guard, so they could only follow Jian Mei’s lead and agreed, “Yes, yes, why didn’t we think of that?”

“Don’t blame yourselves. It’s actually my fault for causing trouble for you,” Jian Mei wiped away tears that didn’t exist, sincerely expressing his feelings, “I shouldn’t have run away from home on my own without telling the king about the difficulties I faced. I believe my father would have stood up for me. I also hope that everyone understands that no matter when, our loved ones are our safest harbor.”

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

The parents at the parents’ meeting highly praised, “What a great child!”

“Yes, yes, Mom and Dad will always protect you.”

“See, this is the consequence of running away from home.”

The school leaders also praised, “This play has great educational significance.”

“They put their hearts into it, indeed.”

“This will definitely attract a lot of attention when it airs.”

The students in the audience were shocked and applauding, watching the program conclude. This version of Snow White was truly wild, and apart from applause, they couldn’t think of any other comments.

Jian Mei walked off the stage, and the other young actors on stage exclaimed that they almost couldn’t follow the script. But it was so exciting and fun. The teacher in charge of rehearsals received a phone call from the principal praising them, and was very happy. They quickly suggested celebrating with a victory banquet. Everyone, including the students, was happy. Only Jian Mei, who hadn’t even had time to change clothes, ran to the dressing room and found his phone to send a message: “Did you watch the live broadcast?”

Definitely you did’t watch it, definitely you did’t watch…

He prayed in his heart.

After a while, his phone vibrated, and Lu Xingwang responded: [I watched it.]

Jian Mei’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered that it was his own idea to make DaZhuang ge find time to watch him, and he wasn’t really angry anymore because DaZhuang ge was indeed a very punctual person. But… he didn’t expect it to be so embarrassing!

“You…” Jian Mei hesitated for a moment. “You probably couldn’t tell which one was me, right?”

Lu Xingwang looked at him, as if trying to hide something, and replied, “I could probably guess.”

Jian Mei covered his face, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into at this moment. It was strange because he didn’t care at all about other people’s gaze. Whether it was Cheng Yu or friends in the same class, he didn’t mind embarrassing himself in front of them. But the thought of possibly embarrassing himself in front of DaZhuang ge made him feel extremely embarrassed.

Jian Mei forcibly changed the subject and cautiously asked him, “What do you think of this play?”

Lu Xingwang was always straightforward and said, “Your performance was good, but it’s not realistic.”

Jian Mei was puzzled. “Realistic?”

Lu Xingwang agreed and answered, “In reality, people in the palace would never do these childish things.”

It was like playing around.

“The prince wouldn’t be so frivolous either” Lu Xingwang’s opinion of Cheng Yu was even higher than that of the brainless empress. “Even the least favored prince wouldn’t behave so rudely.”

Jian Mei didn’t expect DaZhuang ge to actually get angry and take it seriously. He quickly reassured him, “Hey, it’s just a fairy tale. Don’t take it seriously. After all, there aren’t really any princes and kings in reality, right? And you’re right, even if there were real princes, they would definitely be outstanding. How could they really be interested in someone like me?”

…

There was silence for a moment on the other end.

Then a sigh.

Jian Mei picked up his phone and opened WeChat, where he saw a short message that seemed serious: “[That’s not necessarily true].”

If Real prince don’t exist then –

LX-what am i then???

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(papier-mâché” refers to a technique of creating objects or props by layering and molding paper strips or pulp with adhesive, usually a mixture of glue and water.),