Chapter 21 – He Must Be in Pain

There was a moment of silence in the operating room.

Then, Lu Xingwang opened his lips and answered her, “No.”

Despite receiving this answer, Wen Sheng did not feel relieved because she had been focused on Lu Xingwang the whole time. So when this question was thrown at him, she swore that Lu Xingwang hesitated for a moment, even if it was just a fleeting moment, but it still existed.

Someone had entered his heart.

What kind of person could do something that they couldn’t?

Wen Sheng said, “May I ask another question? Your Highness, what kind of person do you actually like?”

Lu Xingwang stood in front of the mechanical table, expressionless. “Miss Wen is joking. With my crippled and broken body, I have no right to love someone.”

So it’s not that there is none, but rather, he doesn’t want to hold someone back, right?

Wen Sheng, somewhat defiantly, said, “Your Highness at least has self-awareness.”

“The Emperor intends to arrange a marriage between me and the Crown Prince,” Wen Sheng gritted her teeth inwardly and snorted, “If I marry the Crown Prince, I might become the future Empress, your sister-in-law.”

Lu Xingwang replied indifferently, “Congratulations.”

Wen Sheng said, “You…”

She felt so sad.

She didn’t know why, but she just felt so sad. Her heart felt suffocated, and she was both sour and in pain.

The pampered young lady raised her proud head as if she wanted to regain her dignity and said angrily, “It’s me who wants to break off the engagement with Your Highness. Your face is ruined, and you’ve lost your divine power. You’re not worthy of me.”

In fact, she regretted saying those words as soon as they left her mouth.

But when she looked at the young man, she met Lu Xingwang’s surprisingly calm eyes. The young man nodded faintly and said, “I wish Miss Wen a bright future.”

With a “swoosh,” tears rolled down Wen Sheng’s cheeks.

The feeling of not being loved is like being a deserter even when you win.

In this moment, she knew that her youth had officially come to an end, and from now on, she and the Third Prince were going on separate paths.

…

The Courtyard of the Jian Family

Jian Mei was stepping on a ladder in the small pharmacy, fetching medicine for Aunt Li. While frantically searching for a particular herb, the wind chimes on the courtyard gate outside tinkled. Jian Mei glanced through the window and caught sight of a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar figure. Wasn’t that… his older brother?

At the entrance, a black-haired youth carrying a backpack walked in and drank water under the vines.

Jian Mei hurriedly descended the stairs and called out excitedly, “Brother!”

The person drinking water stiffened, turned his head towards the figure rushing from the pharmacy, and his expression gradually became serious. As Jian Mei approached, Jian Changjia almost choked on the water.

When Jian Mei came closer, he met his own brother’s unbelieving gaze and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Dad sent me here.”

“Why didn’t he mention it when I called him?” Jian Changjia’s expression changed, and he seemed to remember something that made him even more uneasy. He muttered a curse and was about to call their father back.

Jian Mei felt a bit at a loss. “Brother…”

When Jian Changjia turned completely, he could clearly see the noticeable scars on the boy’s neck. Unlike Jian Mei, who was treated like a porcelain doll by their parents, Jian Changjia, as the older brother, wasn’t as fortunate. While their parents were at the hospital with Jian Mei for treatment, Jian Changjia, who was home alone with the nanny, had a fall down the stairs. That’s how he ended up with the scar, starting from his chin and extending to his collarbone. It was a large dark gray mark, spreading like a terrifying pattern of withered branches.

Jian Changjia dialed a phone number while glaring at his younger brother. “So annoying, don’t follow me!”

Jian Mei quickly halted his steps, standing a few steps away from his brother, cautiously.

Not far away, Jian Changjia was arguing with their father on the phone, seemingly about why he wasn’t informed in advance that his younger brother was here, making it difficult for him to go back, and so on.

In the courtyard, Jian Mei crouched by the well, washing vegetables.

Jian Changjia walked back to the trellis to retrieve his luggage. But before he could leave, he almost bumped into Jian Mei. He paused and reprimanded, “Why are you standing behind me?”

Jian Mei was hit on the nose and lowered his head, covering his reddened nose. Then he lifted the cucumber and said, “Brother, would you like some fruit?”

“…”

Jian Changjia didn’t take the cucumber but put down his luggage, bending down and hesitantly asking, “Where did I hit you?”

Jian Mei lifted his head, and his round eyes met his brother’s serious gaze. Due to the proximity, he could see his brother clearly, and his gaze landed on the particularly prominent and horrifying scar. There was a brief pause.

Jian Changjia’s gaze darkened, and he turned his face away, not letting Jian Mei see it. “It serves you right for bumping into me. Who told you to walk without looking?”

Jian Mei, holding a small cucumber, followed him closely, matching his steps and speaking softly, “Brother, are you hungry? Aunt Li gave me sweet cucumbers. There should be something to eat in the kitchen. Shall I get it for you?”

Jian Changjia was annoyed. “Eat what? I’m leaving.”

While the older and younger sibling were entangled in this argument, the grandfather, who had been napping in the living room, came downstairs. As the saying goes, wisdom comes with age, and he easily calmed down his irritable elder grandson with a few words.

Jian Changjia decided not to leave but added, “I’m not sharing a room with Jian Mei anyway.”

Jian Mei stood beside a small stool, feeling a bit wronged.

The grandfather sighed. “Fine, if you don’t want to share, you can sleep in the room on the second floor. Mei Mei, go get the key from the drawer for your brother.”

“Okay.”

“No need, I’ll get it myself.”

Jian Changjia seemed unwilling to spend time with his younger brother. He entered the room carrying his own backpack, and his departing figure was nothing short of cold. Meanwhile, Jian Mei sat dejectedly on the small stool, holding his phone. He was never good at hiding his feelings, but unfortunately, he didn’t have many friends to share them with. Poor Lu Xingwang had become a dumping ground for his troubles, and he blabbered on incessantly, nearly overwhelming Lu Xingwang’s information terminal.

After a while, Lu Xingwang replied, “Why does he dislike you?”

Jian Mei held his chin, sighed, and replied to Lu Xingwang, “My dad said that when I came home from the hospital after treatment, I was sleeping in the house. My brother came back from school to see me, but no one told me about the accident. I woke up in a daze and saw a person with terrifying scars by my bedside, and I cried out of fear.”

During his confused state of mind, he must have said some hurtful things.

Since then, Jian Changjia treated him like a resentful stranger and never showed him a pleasant face again.

“I want to apologize to my brother, but he doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“I don’t know how to get along with my brother.”

“He seems to really hate me.”

A series of messages appeared on the information terminal. Lu Xingwang’s dark eyes were deep, leaning against the cold mechanical desk. His slender fingers tapped the surface rhythmically. Actually, he didn’t really care. Even when Wen Sheng mentioned his appearance, his heart didn’t ripple in the slightest. But when Jian Mei mentioned crying in fear because of those scars, he felt strangely concerned.

After a moment of silence, Lu Xingwang finally asked him, “Do you care about those scars?”

People are always more willing to open up to strangers they have never met before and speak the truth.

Jian Mei held his chin and carefully considered his answer. He replied, “I do care.”

Like a bucket of cold water poured from above, Lu Xingwang’s tapping fingertips paused, and his dark, serene eyes stared unwaveringly at the two short words on the information panel. His heart felt a sudden pang, as if pricked by a sharp needle. He closed the information panel in silence but remained motionless for a long time, standing quietly in place, as if digesting some emotion. It was more than just caring; he even experienced the rare feeling of sadness.

It was ironic. Why did he place his hopes in others? Wasn’t he the one teaching Jian Mei not to do that?

Why shouldn’t he care?

Everyone would care about ugly scars. Who had the right to demand acceptance from others?

Lu Xingwang’s heart gradually grew colder, and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. As he took a step to leave the room, the information terminal shook again, once, and then once more.

…

Just one last time.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually opened the message panel. He saw Jian Mei’s soft voice saying, “How could I not care? Every time I see the scars, I can’t help but think that he must have been in a lot of pain.”

“Every time I think about it, I feel really sad.” Jian Mei clumsily yet earnestly guessed, “I feel a lot of heartache.”

Lu Xingwang stood by the console, his hand gripping the edge of the table, turning slightly pale from the force. He looked at the messages on the display screen, and a strange feeling surged in his heart—strange but warm.

After that incident, too many people looked at him with strange eyes—disgust, pity, even blame. No one cared about his feelings or how much he was hurting. There was no shortage of people around him who kicked him when he was down and mocked him.

It was like a wounded beast that could only find a deserted corner to lick its wounds. Its natural enemies sought opportunities to destroy it, and its followers only cared about its ability to remain strong and serve their purposes. Otherwise, it would become a discarded pawn, rejected and abandoned.

But at this moment—

A silly and foolish little creature ran up to him and sincerely asked if his wounds hurt.

This feeling…

It was truly strange and wonderful.