Ch82 - The Green Grasslands of the Mortal World

Jian Mei hadn’t expected that to be the reason. He wanted to laugh but couldn’t hold it in, and with a soft “pfft,” he ended up laughing out loud.

Lu Xingwang raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Jian Mei said, amused. “I just didn’t expect someone like you, the perfect student, to ever get bored in class.”

Lu Xingwang parted his lips slightly and replied, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Jian Mei found this oddly novel. It was like realizing that someone he had always seen as infallible was, in the end, just another person.

Jian Mei asked, “So, do you ever ditch class? Or just slack off and skip homework?”

Lu Xingwang was flipping through official documents. When he heard the question, he paused for a moment before responding, “Skipping class isn’t something I can be accused of.”

Jian Mei asked, “Huh?”

“Whenever I skip, the teachers assume I’m handling state affairs,” Lu Xingwang said flatly. “And as for homework, I’ve never needed to do it—I get perfect scores in every subject.”

“……”

Jian Mei was stunned.

What was he feeling now? Probably that, just a second ago, he thought he was somewhat close to being on the same level as a top student, but now he felt like the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Jian Mei sighed sincerely. “I really envy you. You’re amazing.”

Lu Xingwang replied, “What’s there to envy? No matter how amazing I am, I still can’t solve your math problems.”

Jian Mei was taken aback, then couldn’t help but laugh. The unpleasantness of the day at school seemed to slowly fade away. Gradually, he began to realize how, after coming to this world, he had been completely clueless about the new characters and knowledge. And he wondered—how hard must it have been for Lu Xingwang back then?

Who could possibly master all this knowledge to a junior high school level in just three months?

The professors were always raving about how talented and exceptional Lu Xingwang was, but to Jian Mei, those had always been vague, distant concepts. It wasn’t until he faced the same challenge that he truly understood.

His Dazhuang-ge… was really something else!

However…

He was also just such a good person. How could someone like him even exist?

Jian Mei’s heart felt warm, and he softly asked, “Dazhuang-ge, why did you help me so much back then?”

Lu Xingwang was reading memorials. He flipped a page before finally processing Jian Mei’s question. The ever-pragmatic crown prince didn’t think much of it and answered honestly, “There was some trouble back then. I got sick, and since I was stuck in the palace with nothing better to do, I helped out.”

“……”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

Lu Xingwang hesitated before speaking, “Hello?”

A moment later, the call disconnected.

…?

The crown prince froze for a second. Did he just hang up? Was he rushing off to do his homework or something?

……

The next day.

When it was time to turn in their assignments, most students had written their reflections. But Jian Mei had no idea what to write, so he ended up submitting a blank sheet. Unsurprisingly, the result was disastrous—Professor Hu Kan criticized him severely.

Professor Hu Kan didn’t hold back at all. “Students like you—I really don’t understand how you got into the SA class, or even into our school!”

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Jian Mei softly replied, “Thank you, Professor.”

The other students, seeing their professor momentarily speechless, couldn’t help but stifle their laughter. The rest of the class turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining.

Still frustrated, Professor Hu Kan couldn’t shake the feeling that he had lost face in front of the students. Before leaving, he delivered his punishment. “Since you didn’t take the assignment seriously, I’m deducting 10 credits. You’ll also be staying after class to clean the classroom for a week.”

Jian Mei gave a small nod, showing that he understood.

“I expect all of you to focus on your studies and stop thinking about shady shortcuts or improper tricks!” Professor Hu Kan snorted, his tone sharp. “You should rely on your own strength, not luck. Don’t be like certain people who refuse to put in the effort to master divine power and improve themselves. Instead, they just talk their way out of things and coast through with slick arguments!”

This wasn’t just a veiled jab—it was practically calling someone out directly.

However, Jian Mei wasn’t bothered in the slightest. He let the words go in one ear and out the other. After Professor Hu Kan stormed off, sleeves flicking in irritation, Jian Mei calmly packed up his stationery and prepared to clean the classroom.

The other students quickly gathered around.

Nanfeng grinned and teased, “Xiao-Meimei, the professor really knows how to cut deep, huh? Are you feeling hurt? If you are, come cry on my chest. I’ll even let you do it for free!”

Jian Mei was thoroughly grossed out by his smooth-talking antics.

Ying rolled her eyes and walked up from behind, giving Nanfeng a good smack on the head. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? With that chest of yours, who knows how many people have already cried on it? Isn’t that bad luck?”

Nanfeng winced and clutched his head. “How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t hit me on the head! What if you mess up my hair? I’m trying to impress the girls here!”

Ying sneered. “You? Picking up girls? Be careful, or one of them might break your legs.”

Nanfeng shot back, “You, you, you—what do you know? I’m super popular! Not everyone is as fierce as you. Keep acting like that, and you might end up single forever!”

The two continued bickering as they moved from the classroom to outside the window—a daily occurrence by now.

Meanwhile, Jian Mei just quietly went about cleaning the classroom, like always.

What he didn’t expect was that just as he was about to start working, someone walked over.

It was Xiwu Heng, a kid from the Xiwu family. He was always polite and well-spoken, but had a low profile, so seeing him still here after everyone else had left was a bit surprising.

Jian Mei crouched down slightly to meet his gaze and smiled. “Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you have gone home by now?”

After a long pause, Xiwu Heng finally spoke. “I’m waiting for you so we can go back together.”

Jian Mei was momentarily stunned. After class, he often invited Xiwu Heng to walk back to the dormitory with him, thinking the boy was still young and might not be safe alone. But Xiwu Heng rarely spoke, and Jian Mei had assumed he didn’t particularly care for his company. He hadn’t expected him to suddenly say this—it was unexpectedly touching.

Jian Mei smiled and nodded lightly. “Okay.”

He started cleaning the classroom. It was second nature to him—back at the estate, he had been used to doing such chores while serving the young master. He finished quickly, and since there was still some time left, he turned to Xiwu Heng and asked, “Xiaoheng, what do you want for dinner?”

This time, Xiwu Heng answered without hesitation. “Rice.”

Jian Mei realized that the boy wasn’t always slow to respond. As they became more familiar with each other, his answers started coming quicker. It was only around strangers or people he wasn’t comfortable with that he spoke so cautiously, as though lost in his own little world.

Jian Mei suggested, “I discovered there’s a small kitchen downstairs in our building. Honestly, I’m getting so tired of cafeteria food. Tomorrow’s the weekend—how about we go pick up some ingredients today? I’ll cook something nice for you when we get back.”

Xiwu Heng nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Jian Mei took the child’s hand and led him outside.

Although it was getting late, so going too far wasn’t a great idea, they were lucky the school had its own shopping plaza that sold both snacks and groceries. Jian Mei decided to take Xiwu Heng for a walk there. With their SA-class uniforms on, they stood out like beacons, drawing attention as soon as they stepped into any public space.

Soft whispers filled the air:

“It’s the SA class students.”

“Whoa, why are they out shopping today?”

“I haven’t seen that kid before—he a new student?”

By now, Jian Mei was used to the attention. After picking out some ingredients with Xiwu Heng at the supermarket, he unexpectedly spotted Ying in the corner of an aisle. Her fiery red hair made her even more noticeable. She was leaning against the wall, her gaze fixed on something in the distance.

Jian Mei called out, “Ying…”

The girl stiffened at the sound of his voice. When she turned and saw him, she quickly raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. “Shh.”

Jian Mei was puzzled. Following her gaze, he spotted Nanfeng standing under a tree not far away, surrounded by a group of girls. One of them handed him a small gift, which he accepted with ease. The carefree, charismatic boy flashed a grin, his smile effortlessly handsome.

Then, with a flick of his fingers, he plucked a leaf from the tree. Like a magician performing a trick, vines sprouted from it, twisting into the shape of a heart. It was smooth—too smooth.

The girls gasped softly, then burst into excited squeals.

Nanfeng handed the heart-shaped vine to the girl. Her face instantly flushed bright red, and between them, it felt as if pink bubbles had magically appeared in the air.

……

Jian Mei glanced to his side and saw Ying standing there, lost in thought.

A deep sadness clouded her eyes. He could tell she wasn’t happy. Ying was usually carefree and loud, the type to act as though she feared nothing. A little rough around the edges—almost like a tomboy. But right now, her expression was fragile, vulnerable in a way that made her unmistakably seem like a girl.

Jian Mei’s voice softened. “Ying…”

Ying snapped out of her daze. She looked like she might cry, but she quickly steadied herself and forced a smile. “Let’s go.”

Jian Mei hesitated. “Aren’t you getting anything?”

“Buy something?” Ying seemed momentarily confused. Then, after a brief pause, she walked over to the shelf, grabbed a few bottles of alcohol, and finally said, “Let’s go. Time to head back.”

“……”

Jian Mei held Xiaoheng’s hand and quietly followed behind.

The entire walk back, Ying didn’t say a word. She stayed silent even as Jian Mei busied himself in the kitchen, preparing food. It was only when he invited her to eat that she suddenly turned around and blurted out, “Meimei, do you like anyone?”

Jian Mei froze. “Huh?”

“I mean, someone you like.” Ying repeated, her voice calm but serious. “Do you have one?

Jian Mei was completely caught off guard by the question.

He wasn’t sure how to answer. To be honest, he didn’t even know what it meant to “like” someone in that way.

Seeing his clueless expression, Ying patiently explained, “Liking someone means they’re always on your mind, no matter what you’re doing. If they ignore you, you feel down. If they’re kind to you, it makes your whole day. You always want to be with them, and whenever something good happens, they’re the first person you want to share it with.”

Jian Mei asked, “But… don’t you feel that way about really close friends, too?”

Ying sighed and played her trump card. “Sure, but with friends, you want them to be happy, right? Like me—wouldn’t you want me to be happy? Wouldn’t you want me to find someone nice, get married, and live a good life?”

Jian Mei nodded seriously. “Of course, I’d want that for you.”

“Exactly!” Ying smiled knowingly. “Now think carefully. Is there someone who, when you imagine them with someone else in the future—spending their life with that person instead of staying by your side—it makes you feel… really sad?”

Jian Mei thought for a moment.

Xiao Ban, the young master, Ying, Nanfeng, Shen Huai—each of their faces flashed through his mind, one after another, until his thoughts finally settled on one person.

The moment he imagined that person with a wife in the future, no longer by his side, a strange and unsettling emotion surged within him. He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but deep down, he felt an overwhelming reluctance.

Then, an even more terrifying thought crept in.

He wished that person would never get married. That they would always stay with him.

Jian Mei was so startled by his own thoughts that he jolted slightly.

Noticing his reaction, Ying’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “So… you do have someone?”

Jian Mei still wasn’t sure. Was this what it meant to like someone?

Ying sighed, feeling that maybe she and Jian Mei were both destined for heartbreak. Waving a hand dismissively, she said, “Well, tomorrow’s the weekend. Let’s have a drink. We’re not stopping until we’re wasted!”

Jian Mei said, “I don’t drink.”

Ying pulled a pitiful face. “That’s fine. I can teach you. You wouldn’t just leave me to drink alone, would you?”

Jian Mei couldn’t refuse her.

They had dinner in his room, setting up a small table on the balcony. Xiwu Heng ate quietly, behaving himself, while Jian Mei and Ying drank.

The whole time, Jian Mei listened to Ying curse Nanfeng. At first, she was just venting, but the more she spoke, the harsher her words became—until, by the end, she was in tears.

“He’s absolute trash.” Ying clutched her wine glass, head lowered, her voice thick with frustration. “There’s nothing good about him. He has zero taste—can’t even tell that people are only after his power and status. No one actually likes him for who he is. And yet, he has the nerve to say he looks down on me? Who the hell does he think he is, some kind of prince? He dares to be so damn picky?”

Her anger flared again. “I didn’t even ask for much, and he still has the audacity to turn me down?!”

Jian Mei sighed, trying to soothe her. “Don’t take it too hard. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone even better.”

Ying gulped down another glass of wine, then slammed the cup onto the table with a thud. Wiping her face, she said, “Meimei, you’re right. I can’t just give up. So tell me—do you think I have a chance with the prince?”

“……”

Jian Mei froze.

He didn’t want Ying to have a chance with the prince. Because, if he were being honest, he was a selfish person.

But with Ying so fired up, outright rejecting her felt impossible. So instead, he took the easy way out and changed the subject. “I’m full. I’m gonna take a shower. Take your time eating.”

Ying waved him off lazily. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead.”

Jian Mei smelled like alcohol and wanted to wash it off. Without giving it much thought, he took off his bracelet, set it on the table, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed for the bathroom.

While Jian Mei was in the shower, Ying sat on the balcony, drinking to drown her sorrows. The sharp beeping of a communication device suddenly pierced the air from the nearby table. She ignored it at first, but after a few moments, impatience got the best of her, and she snatched it up. “Hello? Who the hell is this?”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

Then, a deep male voice asked, “Where is he?”

“Who?” Ying was already tipsy, and in her drunken state, all men were trash in her eyes. Her temper flared, and she snapped back without hesitation, “He’s in the shower.”

Lu Xingwang hesitated. “In the shower?”

“Yeah.” Ying wasn’t interested in explaining further—she just wanted to get back to drinking with Jian Mei. She waved her hand dismissively as though the caller could see it. “Alright, alright, we’ve got things to do tonight. If it’s not urgent, call back tomorrow!”