Ch88 - Always Looking at You

Jian Mei couldn’t help but think that Yunshi’s imagination knew no bounds.

But at this moment, he wasn’t so sure himself. Hesitating, he asked, “So… how do we make contact?”

Yunshi was caught off guard by the question for a moment. He glanced at Jian Mei and replied, “That’s something you’ll have to figure out yourself—after all, it’s your ability.”

Jian Mei clearly took those words to heart.

After thinking for a while, he withdrew his hand from Yunshi’s grasp and placed it on Yunshi’s back, trying to mimic the way characters in novels transfer their inner power. With a serious expression, he said, “Let’s try this.”

The corner of Yunshi’s mouth twitched.

The other teachers couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes, it really seemed like Jian Mei was here just to provide comic relief.

Lu Xingwang, however, watched Jian Mei quietly. His gaze never wavered, never leaving him for a second. The principal had intended to observe the crown prince’s reaction, only to find him staring at the screen, completely motionless.

……

As expected of the crown prince.

His focus was truly remarkable.

Yunshi didn’t bother correcting Jian Mei. Instead, he concentrated on channeling his own power to heal the war-wounded villagers. As time passed and exhaustion began to take its toll on both of them, the villagers—who had remained drowsy and unmoving on the ground—finally began to stir.

One of the villagers’ eyelids fluttered as he slowly regained consciousness. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw two figures standing beside him. Although they weren’t dressed like the invading soldiers, he remained on guard. “You… who are you?”

Yunshi opened his mouth to speak. “We mean no harm. We just want to ask you a few questions.”

The villager remained suspicious. “I don’t know anything.”

Yunshi’s brows furrowed in frustration.

He had always disliked dealing with people who danced around the truth.

Beside him, Jian Mei crouched down and pulled out a bottle of water, offering it to the villager. His voice was gentle as he asked, “You just woke up. Want some water?”

His calm and soothing tone was naturally disarming.

The villager looked at him, surprised and hesitant. “Did you save me?”

Jian Mei pointed to Yunshi and said, “He’s the one who saved you. How are you feeling? Any discomfort?”

The villager hadn’t expected the person before him to be his rescuer.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “You’re not with the invaders, are you?”

“Of course not,” Jian Mei replied firmly. “If we were with the invaders, we wouldn’t have saved you. Our goal is to protect you, find the informant, and get him out. He’s in serious danger right now.”

Yunshi appeared cold and ruthless, while Jian Mei, with his refined demeanor and eloquence, naturally gained the villager’s trust.

The villager took a sip of water, weighing Jian Mei’s words carefully. Swayed by his reasoning, he finally spoke up:

“When the invaders arrived, our informant escaped through the emergency tunnel—so did our children. They fled to the back mountains for shelter. We can’t all leave, or the invaders will track us down without mercy. If that happens, no one in the village will survive.”

His brief words revealed the harsh realities of war and the brutal actions of the invaders.

Jian Mei furrowed his brows, swallowing the ache in his chest, and asked, “Where is the shelter in the back mountains?”

The villager shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never been there, but it should be somewhere in the back mountains. But you shouldn’t go now—the invaders are searching the area. It’s too dangerous.”

They had no choice. This was their mission.

Jian Mei reassured him, “Thank you. Find somewhere safe to rest in the village—we’ll be careful.”

Lu Yunshi and Jian Mei exchanged a glance before heading toward the back mountains.

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Aster said, “He kept the villagers calm, responded quickly when his teammate was injured, and didn’t slow the team down under intense pressure. This kid has great potential.”

The school primarily trained elites, who, after graduation, would serve society and become the backbone of the nation. Some would rise to become top-tier scientists and government officials, while others would dominate in finance and business. Nearly all of them were among the best in their fields.

Many enrolled not only for education but also to build valuable connections.

The principal smiled and said, “He’s always been outstanding.”

Professor Hu Kan, who had never liked Jian Mei, scoffed. “Aren’t these just the basics?”

He had always been a sycophant to the crown prince.

Hu Kan looked at Lu Xingwang with a smile and said, “If it were you, Xingwang, you would have done even better.”

Lu Xingwang listened in silence as the instructors evaluated Jian Mei. At those words, he glanced sideways. In the past, he had little interest in such discussions, but now that it involved Jian Mei, he spoke softly, “If it were me, I might not have done any better.”

The room fell into silence the moment he spoke.

The instructors who had taught Lu Xingwang, including the principal, understood him well. Since his days as the third prince, he had always been fiercely competitive—he could never tolerate being weaker than others. And yet, this proud, gifted young man, who had always stood at the top, was now elevating a common-born child, openly admitting that he might not have done any better.

Professor Hu Kan sputtered for a moment before replying, “Xingwang, you’re being too modest.”

“He truly did well,” Lu Xingwang defended Jian Mei. “Let’s wait and see.”

Only then did Hu Kan fall silent.

From beginning to end, the white-bearded old man sitting quietly in the corner of the instructor’s area said nothing. He watched the screen with a faint smile, paying close attention to the students’ evaluation.

Meanwhile, Jian Mei and Lu Yunshi had already entered the forest.

After conducting several rounds of inspections and eliminations, they finally located the shelter the villagers had mentioned. However, the information they uncovered was disheartening—the intelligence officer had already left and moved to another town. This was a significant setback for Jian Mei and Lu Yunshi. Their mission was time-sensitive, and searching elsewhere now was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

As they left the shelter, they remained on high alert—remnants of the invading army were still scattered throughout the forest. Just as they were about to exit, they came across a group of soldiers hunting down a villager.

Jian Mei frowned in concern. “Will he be okay?”

Lu Yunshi, watching with an indifferent gaze, replied coolly, “That has nothing to do with us.”

They were searching for the hostage, but since the target had already left the forest, the NPC villagers no longer mattered to him—they were just a waste of time.

Yunshi started to leave, but Jian Mei remained rooted to the spot.

A distance grew between them. Yunshi stopped, turned around, and called his name. “Jian Mei.”

The invading soldiers were gone. The villager had jumped into the water, struggling desperately before his strength failed him, and he sank to the lakebed. His frantic cries for help still echoed through the water. Jian Mei’s expression darkened.

Yunshi cast a dispassionate glance at the lake’s surface and said, “We should go.”

Jian Mei turned to look at Yunshi.

That gaze—just that one gaze—would stay with Yunshi for decades. Those dark eyes shimmered with unshed tears, filled with pity and sorrow. While everyone else saw only the mission and efficiency, he saw the lives that made up the world.

In those eyes, Yunshi saw his own cold, indifferent self.

Jian Mei whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Then, without hesitation, he jumped into the lake. The air in that instant wasn’t warm, and the water was freezing to the bone. The splash was loud, echoing like a shockwave through Yunshi’s heart.

Standing motionless on the shore, he found himself at a loss for words.

He was the eldest son of a renowned medical family, destined to be a healer—the kind who saved lives in moments of crisis. But Jian Mei wasn’t. Yet in the end, it was Jian Mei who leaped into the water, not him.

Jian Mei struggled as he dragged the boy out of the lake. Soaked to the bone, he coughed up a mouthful of lake water, gasping for air.

Yunshi crouched down and checked for the boy’s breath. His voice was calm, almost indifferent. “He’s dead.”

Jian Mei froze for a moment. At first, Yunshi only noticed a slight tremor, but then—no, he wasn’t just trembling. His whole body was shaking, uncontrollably. When he lifted his head, his eyes were bloodshot.

Without thinking, Yunshi murmured, “Let it go.”

But Jian Mei took a deep breath, then dropped to his knees beside the boy and began CPR. His hands overlapped, pressing firmly and rhythmically against the boy’s chest.

Yunshi froze for a moment. “What are you doing?”

Jian Mei’s voice was hoarse as he replied, “Saving him.”

Yunshi was silent for a moment before saying, “He’s already dead.”

He didn’t understand why Jian Mei was so insistent.

It was just a commoner. Someone irrelevant to their mission. Why did it matter?

“When I pulled him out, he held my hand,” Jian Mei’s voice trembled, caught between a quiet plea and something he needed to believe. “Maybe he can still be saved.”

He and Yunshi lived in two different worlds.

Maybe here, the lives of commoners were as insignificant as weeds. But back on Earth, in his country, no one was born noble or lowly. There was no such thing as abandoning someone just because they had no value.

Jian Mei had lived in this world for almost two years. He thought he was starting to fit in. But today, he realized—he couldn’t. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die.

“You’re just wasting your time…” Yunshi said.

Jian Mei crouched down and breathed air into the boy’s lungs. His arms burned with exhaustion, but he didn’t stop.

Just as Yunshi was about to speak again, the unconscious boy suddenly coughed, sputtering up lake water. His heart began to beat again, slowly but surely. When he opened his eyes, they were filled with confusion.

Jian Mei’s face lit up. “He’s awake!”

Yunshi stood frozen in place.

Jian Mei turned to him, his voice trembling with excitement. “Look! He woke up!”

Yunshi listened to Jian Mei’s hoarse voice, and an unfamiliar, complicated emotion stirred in his heart.

From the moment he was born, from his family to the healing priests he had met, everyone only spoke of value—of worth, of benefit. The priests’ energy was limited, and they stood above all, never lowering themselves for those as insignificant as ants.

Was this right or wrong?

He didn’t know. He had no answer.

The power he was born with set him apart from others, and everyone sought to extract the highest value from him. He was just another cog in the machine. Without divine power, he would be nothing more than an ant. A powerless, worthless insect—a disgrace to his family. A failure better off dead.

This was the silent message in the eyes of his elder brother. In the eyes of everyone around him.

Did it hurt when he took on the pain of others? Of course, it did. But pain had to be endured. No one cared. If he didn’t train, didn’t work hard enough, he would become nothing. No one would even look at him.

Yunshi’s voice was quiet, tinged with bitterness. “Why do we have to save him?”

Jian Mei paused, then looked up, as if the question itself was incomprehensible. He let out a helpless smile before replying, “Because he needs help.”

……

It was nothing more than futile kindness.

The thought flickered through Yunshi’s mind, yet deep in his heart, a faint, uncontrollable joy stirred. Before he realized it, the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

As if he had been waiting for this very sentence all along. Waiting in the past, waiting now, waiting forever.

No one truly wanted to be beyond saving.

Even if someone was worthless, even if they held no value, the simple fact that they could still be saved—that reassurance—was something everyone secretly longed for. And if such certainty existed, then what was there to fear?

Revised Translation

Yunshi sighed, stood up, and said, “Let’s go. We need to find the intelligence officer outside the forest.”

Before he could finish speaking, the boy, now fully awake, looked up at them and asked, “Why are you looking for the intelligence officer?”

Jian Mei gave a brief explanation.

The boy nodded, then reached for his wrist and pulled off a button, handing it to Jian Mei. “This is the latest defense map. I was trying to leave the forest, but I got surrounded. With no way out, I had no choice but to jump into the lake and end my own life.”

Jian Mei and Yunshi froze, momentarily stunned.

Just then, a robotic voice echoed through the forest: “The exam is over. Congratulations, candidates, on completing the target assessment. The venue will close in ten seconds. Please prepare to exit.”

At the same time, the ranking boards for all candidates began recalculating.

The SA class ranking chart for the monthly exam flickered a few times before a familiar name appeared at the top. Based on the system’s big data calculations, the student who ranked first in the exam was—Jian Mei.

All the instructors were momentarily stunned when they saw the ranking.

Jian Mei stepped out of the cabin, still feeling a bit dizzy, his complexion pale. As he made his way down at a sluggish pace, the voices of the instructors reached his ears.

Aster, the homeroom teacher, was the first to approach him with a smile. “Congratulations, Meimei, you’ve completed the assessment.”

Jian Mei let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the other instructors had already begun writing evaluations and grading the exam.

Jian Mei turned around and saw Lu Xingwang sitting not far away. The Crown Prince also looked up, and their gazes met. Neither of them spoke, but it felt as though everything had already been said in silence. With so many people around, they couldn’t afford to appear too close.

Jian Mei hesitated briefly before stepping forward and bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Lu Xingwang rose to his feet and shook his hand. “Hello.”

Jian Mei glanced at his ranking—first place. He was happy, but that wasn’t the only reason. He had no interest in bragging to his friends or asking the instructors for a reward. Instead, he looked at Lu Xingwang with quiet anticipation, his eyes shimmering like a child waiting for a parent’s praise.

Jian Mei hesitantly asked, “How did I do in this assessment?”

Lu Xingwang gazed at the person before him, his dark eyes deep with contemplation. He was always composed, yet whenever his gaze met Jian Mei’s, his resolve seemed to waver without him realizing it. He parted his lips. “Very well.”

A warm, effervescent sweetness bubbled up in Jian Mei’s heart.

He wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around Lu Xingwang, to tell him how excited he was, how exhausting and nerve-wracking the exam had been. But as soon as he looked up and remembered the people around them, the excitement dimmed, and he lowered his head in quiet disappointment.

As Jian Mei wrestled with his emotions, a large hand suddenly landed on his head, gently ruffling his hair. Lu Xingwang’s deep, magnetic voice followed, murmuring, “You did very well. You’re outstanding.”

Jian Mei blinked, startled, and looked up.

Lu Xingwang lowered his gaze, locking eyes with him. Though there were people around, the crown prince didn’t hesitate to acknowledge his little one. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I saw.”

Jian Mei hesitated. “Did you watch everything?”

“Mn.” Lu Xingwang said, his voice low. “I was watching you the entire time.”