Ch90.2 - Borrowing Money from the Crown Prince

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.

Jian Mei gazed out the glass windows. Below, there were people who couldn’t afford the meals from the restaurant upstairs. A mother had bought a B-set meal and brought it out to her three children. The children ate it eagerly, but they didn’t forget their mother. They tried to share some of their meal with her. The mother smiled and shook her head, signaling that she wouldn’t eat, saving the food for her children.

Jian Mei sighed quietly, set down his chopsticks, and looked up. “But this… this is the commoners’ amusement park.”

Nanfeng’s words were caught in his throat.

“This is how we live. It’s different from your world.” Jian Mei’s tone was even, but firm. “You don’t have to accept it, but if you’ve ordered something, don’t waste it. And if you’re here, show some respect to the people who live here.”

Nanfeng countered, “But we already paid for it. Isn’t that enough respect?”

“On the water ride, you knew you’d splash people, but you did it anyway because you saw they were just commoners, and it didn’t matter to you.”

Jian Mei calmly called him out. “And now, here, you order food just to throw it away because you know the price doesn’t matter to you. You don’t care.”

Jian Mei took a deep breath and smiled wearily. “You don’t just look down on commoners—you look down on me too. The only reason you came here was to amuse yourself at our expense.”

Nanfeng’s expression shifted slightly. He asked, “Meimei, why would you think that? Why would you believe that?”

Ying, sitting beside him, added, “Meimei, don’t you think you’re being a little too harsh? And Nanfeng didn’t say anything. Isn’t it true that this commoner’s meal really doesn’t taste good? You’re not a commoner, so why would you think like that?”

“No, I am,” Jian Mei’s face remained serene as he replied softly, “I’m just an ordinary person.”

The group across from him fell silent.

Jian Mei picked up his plate, stood up, and walked towards the side. “You all eat first. I’ll go downstairs.”

As soon as he left, Xiao Ban stood up as well, preparing to leave.

Nanfeng called out, “Hey, what’s going on with you two? Why are you leaving? Xiao Ban, hurry up and talk to Meimei. How could I look down on him? Aren’t we friends?”

Xiao Ban’s steps faltered.

He didn’t want to get involved with these young masters and young ladies, but at that moment, he suddenly felt the urge to stop and say something. Turning around, he said, “Friendship is built on mutual respect. If you’re truly friends, you should think more about each other. Just like right now, if you’re worried that Meimei might misunderstand, you should explain it yourself, not send me to try to talk him down.”

Since you’re already looking down on him deep down, why not just admit it?

Xiao Ban’s words landed like a heavy punch to the others’ hearts, lingering in the air and leaving everyone speechless. After they left, the group exchanged looks in silence.

Yunshi forced a bitter smile. “Should we still go ahead and order food?”

Ying awkwardly replied, “I guess we won’t. Meimei’s upset.”

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She was a blonde noblewoman, looking refined and haughty.

Jian Mei was sitting in the restaurant on the second floor when he noticed something happening downstairs. He looked closer and saw Xiao Ban, so he quickly walked over. “What’s going on?”

Xiao Ban looked flustered. “I accidentally spilled something on her clothes.”

Jian Mei then turned around, carefully studied the woman, and said gently, “I’m truly sorry for soiling your clothes. Would you like us to pay for them?”

The blonde woman was furious. She rolled her eyes and said, “Pay for what? Do you think you can afford it? This outfit is a limited edition—there are only two in the entire Stan Star system. Do you have the money for it?”

Jian Mei froze.

He hadn’t expected this at all. Even Xiao Ban’s face went pale.

“Which school are you from? You’re being so careless. Can you get in touch with your family and discuss compensation?” the woman snapped.

Jian Mei knew Xiao Ban’s family situation—it was tough. If they contacted the school, Xiao Ban’s hard-won spot at the school could be in jeopardy because of this woman’s meddling.

Realizing this, Jian Mei softly asked, “How much do you need?”

The blonde woman didn’t expect the boy to be so bold. She responded, “At least 500 gold coins.”

500 gold coins?

Jian Mei was completely stunned.

Just as he was still in shock, a lazy voice called from upstairs, “Auntie, with your ragged clothes, you want 500? Why don’t you just go rob someone?”

Jian Mei looked up and saw Nanfeng leaning against the railing, giving the woman a mischievous grin.

The moment the blonde woman heard the remark, her expression shifted, and she snapped, “Who are you talking about, you ill-mannered child?”

She was about to say more, but upon noticing the luxury brand of Nanfeng’s clothes and realizing he had come down from upstairs, her confidence faltered instantly.

Ying heard the noise and came over. Peeking around, she smiled and said, “Auntie, is that outfit of yours a knockoff?”

The blonde woman froze, clearly flustered. “Who are you calling a knockoff?”

“I’m talking about you,” Ying said slowly. “Although you said it’s a limited edition piece, that’s true—there are only two of these outfits, and on our planet, only two people have bought them.”

The blonde woman smiled, “Looks like you know your stuff.”

Ying curled her lips. “Hmm, this brand never uses dyed fabrics like this. Your juice soaked into the fabric and changed its color—this is clearly fake. In my opinion, this outfit is worth no more than 50 gold coins at most.”

The blonde woman choked, her face reddening with anger. “What do you know? Don’t slander me! Do you know what my family does?”

Ying was curious. She asked, “What do they do?”

“My father is the director of a hospital,” the blonde woman said proudly. “I would never buy fake goods. Do you understand?”

On Stan Star, the position of a healing priest is highly regarded.

Yunshi, walking slowly toward them, raised an eyebrow and spoke in a cultured tone, “Which hospital is it?”

The blonde woman didn’t expect him to ask, and suddenly she had a bad feeling. “Why do you want to know?”

“Nothing, it’s just that my father manages various hospitals,” Yunshi replied slowly. “I just wanted to see what accomplishments this director has that could afford his daughter such a comfortable life.”

The blonde woman’s face went pale. She stammered, “You’re lying, how could that be?”

“You still won’t admit it’s fake?” Ying said, hands on her hips. “Come with me to the store for authentication. If it’s real, I’ll compensate you!”

Jian Mei was slightly puzzled, leaning in closer and quietly asking Ying, “How can you be so sure it’s fake?”

Ying curled her lips and smirked. “Because I bought one myself.”

“……”

At that moment, the blonde woman’s face turned pale. She hadn’t expected to run into a crown prince in this humble amusement park, and one who knew his stuff. She immediately backed down, saying, “Fine, 50 it is.”

The price had been slashed so much that it was already acceptable.

However, 50 coins was still a large sum for commoners. Jian Mei didn’t have enough money on him and was still short by 10 coins. He thought for a moment and said, “Wait a minute.”

The blonde woman nodded, suddenly becoming very agreeable.

Xiao Ban looked at Jian Mei with concern and whispered, “Jian Mei…”

Jian Mei gently patted his hand, signaling for him not to worry.

It wasn’t easy to ask Nanfeng and the others for money, but without it, they wouldn’t be able to leave today. After thinking it over, the only person Jian Mei could turn to was Lu Xingwang.

He figured the crown prince must have at least 10 gold coins. The others were waiting, so Jian Mei didn’t want to delay too long. After a brief hesitation, he dialed Lu Xingwang’s communicator and waited for the connection.

……

On the other side.

Lu Xingwang was holding a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Revenue, discussing the financial deficit issues from the past few years.

Suddenly, a call came in. He hesitated for a moment before picking it up and speaking in a low voice, “Hello, what’s going on?”

The other officials were shocked and almost felt as though they were seeing a ghost when they saw the crown prince take the call in the middle of the meeting. After all, Lu Xingwang had always been known as the most disciplined person. Who could be important enough to make the crown prince take a call during such an official meeting?

Jian Mei, on the other end of the line, felt a little embarrassed as he explained why he was calling.

Lu Xingwang opened his mouth, “Borrow 10 gold coins?”

The other officials pricked up their ears, hearing the crown prince, who had just been discussing sums of 1 million gold coins, now talking about borrowing just 10 gold coins.

“That’s fine, no problem,” Lu Xingwang replied, then added, “After borrowing, do you still have enough money on you?”

Jian Mei answered his question.

Lu Xingwang nodded and said, “I’ll send you a little extra, don’t hold back, okay?”

Jian Mei obediently responded.

“It’s fine, no interest required.” The crown prince spoke casually in front of the group, “Hmm, my funds are flexible, there’s no rush for you to pay me back.”

The officials: “……”

Translator’s Notes:

Another bonus chapter for this week! Just a reminder that starting May, three chapters every week will be posted on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Happy reading!