Ch90.1 - Borrowing Money from the Crown Prince

When everyone turned to look at Xiao Ban, his expression was noticeably uneasy.

Jian Mei picked up on it right away and quickly changed his mind. “I’ll just stay here and wait in line with Xiao Ban. If you guys have express passes, go ahead and enjoy yourselves—it’s really fine.”

Hearing that, the others lost their interest.

Nanfeng said, “You can get into the express lane over there either by swiping an ID card or paying for an upgrade.”

It just meant paying a little extra, that’s all.

Jian Mei asked, “How much does it cost?”

“Not much,” Ying answered warmly. “Probably just five gold coins.”

Five gold coins didn’t sound like a lot. But the express lane was nearly empty because, for most families, that amount equaled almost a month and a half’s living expenses. And for some even poorer folks, it was an entire month’s pay.

Xiao Ban looked troubled. “Meimei…”

Jian Mei understood instantly and shook his head. “Forget it—it’s just not worth it.”

Nanfeng said, “But it doesn’t make sense for all of us to wait around for one person. Come on, I’ll cover it.”

He offered to cover the five gold coins, but when the words left his mouth, neither Jian Mei nor Xiao Ban felt relieved. On the contrary, they both looked a little uncomfortable.

Ying shot them a glance and said, “Let’s go.”

Jian Mei hesitated. “Do we really need to?”

“How long are we going to wait here?” Ying said with a laugh, waving him over. “It’s just five gold coins. Come on, come on—I haven’t been to an amusement park in ages.”

With that, Jian Mei and Xiao Ban couldn’t turn it down even if they wanted to.

The attendants guarding the noble express lane had never seen so many high-ranking nobles arrive at once. Not only were their ID cards red-tier, but they were also spending with impressive generosity.

One of the attendants smiled politely. “Please head inside. We also offer queue-free gold passes. Would you like to buy one? They’re just ten gold coins.”

Normally, no one would ever buy something like that.

Ying nodded. “Sure, I’ll take one.”

The attendant added tentatively, “It’s for one person.”

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The staff didn’t care who was paying—as long as money was coming in. Selling that many gold passes at once was a windfall, so he cheerfully rang up the total and handed them over.

Xiao Ban tugged Jian Mei to the side and whispered, “Meimei, your friends… they…”

Jian Mei had already noticed how uncomfortable Xiao Ban was. He lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry, Xiaoban, I—”

“No, no, I’m not blaming you,” Xiao Ban said quickly. Then he asked hesitantly, “They seem really rich… Are they really your friends? Is it always like this when you hang out with them? Doesn’t it cost you a lot?”

Jian Mei realized he was misunderstanding and quickly clarified, “No, no, I don’t normally spend money like this.”

Only then did Xiao Ban look relieved.

“Meimei, our financial situation is different from theirs. I know you’ve still got a bit of money, but you need to save it for when it really counts. Don’t spend it all so freely. Things aren’t like they were back at the estate—we don’t have a steady source of income anymore. I can work part-time to help out, but you’re different. You’ve got classes, and your spending needs to be more careful,” Xiao Ban said gently, full of concern.

Jian Mei nodded. “I know. Don’t worry.”

As they finished talking, Nanfeng and the others had just wrapped up their gold pass purchases.

Nanfeng waved them over. “Meimei! We’re done—come on, hurry up!”

Jian Mei called Xiao Ban to go with him, and the two of them quickly made their way to the front to line up for a ride.

Since neither Jian Mei nor Xiao Ban had any supernatural powers, they preferred to stick with the milder attractions. Nanfeng and the others, on the other hand, went straight for the high-energy water rides—and of course, they insisted everyone join in.

The first ride they chose was Water Sprint.

The Water Sprint ride had two separate entrances, dividing everyone into two teams that would rush downriver with the current. The team that reached the finish first would win. Each raft needed someone at the helm to steer.

Nanfeng immediately volunteered. “I’ll take the wheel!”

After strapping in, Jian Mei and Xiao Ban took the back seats. The raft launched from the chute, skimming down the current, and water immediately splashed all over them. Behind them, Ying shot a burst of fire to boost their speed, and Nanfeng cranked the power to max without hesitation. Nearing the end, he noticed the opposing raft catching up—and with a final surge, he sent theirs drifting ahead at full speed.

Jian Mei was hit square in the face by the rushing spray. Forcing his eyes open, he caught sight of a group of people on the shore and quickly shouted, “Nanfeng, slow down! You’re going to splash everyone!”

But it was too late. The raft barreled forward, overtook the second team, and crashed into the lake with a huge spray of water.

……

A bunch of bystanders got soaked before they could react.

Jian Mei’s breathing came in sharp bursts. He looked up, glaring at Nanfeng. His voice was light, almost crisp—but unmistakably angry: “Why did you have to go that fast?!”

Nanfeng shrugged. “Isn’t this supposed to be a race?”

Jian Mei gestured to the drenched crowd on shore. “Look, you splashed a bunch of people! And the safety staff explicitly said we’re supposed to slow down before the finish.”

“How was I supposed to know they wouldn’t move?” Nanfeng leaned against the raft, genuinely puzzled. “And aren’t you supposed to buy raincoats for rides like this anyway?”

But when he saw that Jian Mei still looked upset, he sighed and shrugged again. Knowing full well he might’ve gone too far, he said lazily, “Fine, fine. I’ll talk to the staff later—everyone who got hit can ride again for free. I’ll cover it.”

Jian Mei’s breath caught.

Is it really so hard to just say you’re wrong and apologize?

Is slowing down at the end really that difficult…?

Jian Mei sighed. “That’s not the point at all.”

As they were talking, the ride ended, and the group made their way back to shore. After going on two more attractions, it was time for dinner. Xiao Ban suggested they eat at the central plaza of the amusement park since it was nearby.

Of course, no one had any objections.

When they got to the central plaza’s restaurant, they saw that there were tons of meal sets available, and Jian Mei was briefly overwhelmed by all the choices.

Nanfeng and the others didn’t hesitate—they ordered the most luxurious set meals and went back to their seats. Jian Mei and Xiao Ban, however, chose the simpler combos.

Thanks to the gold cards Nanfeng and the others had bought, they all had access to the top floor of Lixia, a dining area typically reserved for families with better financial standing. When Jian Mei and Xiao Ban, dressed plainly, walked in, they drew quite a few curious glances.

Nanfeng tossed his fork onto the tray and let out a sigh. “What is this? It’s terrible.”

Ying also didn’t seem to be enjoying her meal.

The SA class normally had meals prepared by top chefs. As one of the most elite schools, their cafeteria food was excellent, and the students were used to that high standard. Naturally, their spoiled taste buds couldn’t handle such average fare.

Sitting across from them, Jian Mei saw they’d barely touched their food. He spoke slowly, “I think it tastes pretty good.”

“No way, you’re kidding.”

Nanfeng gave him a look like he couldn’t believe it. “You can actually eat this?”

Jian Mei felt a little disheartened.

What was supposed to be a fun outing had slowly turned sour. With this group around, it felt as if he was constantly reminded of the gap in their social standing—not through blunt words, but through subtle comments. Every time someone suggested ways to improve things or seemed surprised that he could enjoy something so ordinary, it drained the joy out of the moment.

Xiwu Heng stopped eating after just a couple of bites.

Ying casually suggested, “Should we order takeout? I’ll have them send me another dish.”

Yunshi slowly set down his chopsticks. “No need. My family has a food branch nearby with a great chef. I’ll call them and have something sent over.”

With his legs crossed, Nanfeng said, “I think we have a property around here too, but the chef’s just average.”

Ying, always the most straightforward, smiled and said, “Well, that’s not too great. Let’s just have it delivered then.”

Xiao Ban was the most stunned. He went to a public school, so he couldn’t imagine this kind of aristocratic lifestyle. Hesitating, he said, “Isn’t that… a bit much? I mean, the food’s fine. You guys already ordered the best set meals, and I think they taste great. Do we really need to go through the trouble of having food delivered?”

Nanfeng scoffed lightly. “Who could eat this? Only commoners would consider this an A-level meal.”

“……”

Both Xiao Ban and Jian Mei paused for a moment.

In Golden Town, many families and children couldn’t even afford a proper meal. They lived on nutrient drinks, and it was only during holidays that they could have a decent meal. But here, in the bustling imperial capital, the elites enjoyed the best resources and privileges—almost as if they’d never heard of people struggling just to eat, let alone dream of eating something like this.

Translator’s Notes:

Here’s a bonus chapter this week since I was out for the past few days. Enjoy!