Chapter 37.1 Second Prince

“Does Teacher also believe the rumors?”

The houses in the village were rarely made of bricks, most of them were made of wood planks and rice straw with yellow mud, so the soundproofing wasn’t very good.

Although Yan Mu was behind the door, she could still clearly hear the conversation inside.

“Don’t ask me whether or not I believe it, first just tell me if you did it or not?” Teacher sighed.

“……” Yu Yuan didn’t speak for a long time.

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“I didn’t expect it to be true……” Teacher said.

“Forget it, now that the rumors are going strong, you should stay in the village for the time being and save going to the capital for the future,” Teacher said.

Yu Yuan didn’t say anything.

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Zyd Yw blyae obyv pswdele zkjl Zw Zwyd’p qssvpvlrp nsxkdt vsoyaep vbl essa.

Fbl oyp ycswv vs cynj yoyu obld pbl blyae Mlynbla pyu, “Psd’v nsxl vs pnbssz yduxsal.”

Zyd Yw oyp pvwddle.

Mlynbla ypjle Zw Zwyd…… vs easr swv sq pnbssz?

Zyd Yw’p lulp okeldle, bla blyav clyvkdt zkjl y eawx.

Wsa psxlsdl zkjl Zw Zwyd obs zshlp vs pvweu, obs jdsop bso elhypvyvle bl’zz cl vs jdso bl’p clld lmrlzzle qasx pnbssz?

Zyd Yw oyp osaakle.
Fbl nswzed’v bsze cynj ydu zsdtla yde kxxlekyvlzu rwpble srld vbl essa.

Zw Zwyd oyp ycswv vs zlyhl yde bye fwpv alynble swv bkp byde.
Jlqsal bl nswze srld vbl essa, bl pyo vbl tkaz naypb kdvs bkp yaxp zkjl y nyzq.

The faint sweet scent lingered in his nose, inexplicably dispersing the gloominess in his heart.

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Yu Yuan hid his emotions and reached out his hand to support Yan Mu, who was dizzy from the collision.

“Are you alright?” Yu Yuan was still traumatized by Yan Mu’s nosebleed from last time.

“I’m alright,” Yan Mu rubbed her head.
Remembering Yu Yuan’s current awkward situation, she instantly sobered up.
“But what about you, Yu Yuan, are you okay?”

Looking nervous, she grabbed Yu Yuan and observed him for a long while.

“……I’m alright.” Yu Yuan calmly pulled Yan Mu away.

Everyone in the world was blaming him, but only Yan Mu cared if he was okay.
Bitterness rose in Yu Yuan’s heart, but there was a hint of sweetness within it.

But then he thought better of it.
If Yan Mu knew what things he’d done, would she avoid him like the others?

The sweetness in his heart suddenly disappeared and what surged up instead was a much stronger bitterness.

He couldn’t imagine even Yan Mu being cruel1 to him.

Yan Mu…..

Yan Mu was the only light in his bleak sixteen years of life!

I absolutely can’t let Yan Mu know.
Absolutely not!

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Yu Yuan tightly pressed his lips and suddenly pushed Yan Mu out.

Yan Mu was confused by the push.

“……Yu Yuan?” Yan Mu was pushed out of the room.

She tripped over her left foot and stumbled, almost falling.

Yu Yuan immediately supported her.

The teenager’s arms had grown some muscle, they were hard to the touch and weren’t as thin and delicate as before.

Yan Mu just stood in place, about to look up and ask what was going on, but she saw Yu Yuan immediately let go of her and slam the wooden door in her face.

His movements were like moving clouds and flowing water2.
When Yan Mu finally reacted, there was already a wooden door between them.

“……Yu Yuan?” Yan Mu tentatively knocked on the door.

It was empty, and there was no response.

Inside the room——

Yu Yuan’s back pressed against the wooden door and he dejectedly slumped to the ground.

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“If you knew it would come to this, why would you do it3?” Teacher sighed and shook his head.

Yu Yuan pursed his lips and stubbornly didn’t speak.
After all, Teacher used to be so fond of him, so now he couldn’t bear the wounds cut that much deeper.

“Teacher, let me stay here for a while,” Yu Yuan said, almost pleadingly.

“Since the whole village already knows, Yan Mu will too sooner or later,” Teacher looked at him pityingly.

Yu Yuan found Teacher’s gaze to be extremely irritating.
Even if he was stuck in the mud4, he still hated this kind of look of pity more than anything in the world.

He hated how weak he was.
Even using all his strength, like a mantis trying to block a chariot5, he still couldn’t defy fate.

The wheels of fate fell hard upon him, crushing even his soul to bits.
The line of defense in Yu Yuan’s heart collapsed.

It was clearly a blazing hot insipid summer, but Yu Yuan felt nothing but chills as he lowered his head.

Teacher sighed and said, “I don’t know what feelings you have for Yan Mu, but you’ve also just seen the current situation”

“Not only can you not protect Yan Mu, you’ll also implicate her, and even she will be treated by others with disdain alongside you.
Yu Yuan, is that what you want?”

Teacher’s words were like a heavy hammer that hit hard on his heart.

Yu Yuan bit his lip even harder and a strong taste of blood filled his mouth.
He was muddle headed and didn’t know how long he’d been in the room.

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After a long time, he pulled open the door like a wandering soul.
It was deserted outside the room, with no sight of the girl’s figure.

*****************

Yan Mu’s hand was extremely swollen.
She waited for a long time, but Yu Yuan didn’t come out.

She had no choice but to go home and take care of her injury first.

The originally small white hand had turned a horrible purplish-red, along with many blisters.
The thin skin was filled with fluid underneath, like an overripe fruit that was about to rot.

Yan Mu frowned and popped the blisters one after another, then found ointment to apply on them.
There were no bandages in the house, so she had to find a clean strip of cloth to wrap around her wound.

Yan Mu didn’t know how to bandage wounds, so the more she wrapped, the messier it became, until in the end, her hand was wrapped like a dumpling.

By the time she finished treating her wound, it was already noon.
She guessed it should be lunch break now, but Yu Yuan still hadn’t returned.

She waited for a long time, but she didn’t see Yu Yuan.
Although she didn’t really want to go to school, in the end, Yan Mu couldn’t stop worrying about him, so she went to the school to look for him.

Since it was lunch break right now the classroom was empty, all the students had gone home for break.

Yan Mu searched around and couldn’t find him but coincidentally met Teacher who was getting ready to cook.

“Teacher, have you seen Yu Yuan?” Yan Mu hesitated for a while, but still stepped forward to ask.

“He left by himself just now.” Teacher put down the vegetables in his hands, then turned his head to look at Yan Mu and asked, “He didn’t go back?”

“No.” Yan Mu paused for a while, then mustered up her courage to ask, “Teacher, what exactly did you say to Yu Yuan?”

“Why?” Teacher turned around.

“Yu Yuan…… has never not returned home before,” Yan Mu bit her lip.

Teacher sighed, then told Yan Mu about their entire conversation just now.

After listening, she lowered her head and didn’t speak for a long time.

“Teacher, do you also think that Yu Yuan did wrong?” Yan Mu softly asked.

“……I don’t think it matters whether he did wrong or not,” Teacher sighed.
“What matters is that gossip is a fearful thing6.
When I was young, I also offended people.
I know how dangerous rumors can be, so I ended up all alone7 and hid myself in this little mountain village to get some peace.”

“Letting Yu Yuan withdraw from school is both to appease the other students and to protect him.” Teacher’s eyes fell on Yan Mu’s dumpling-like hand.

“It’s good that Yu Yuan left.
Stay away from him for the meantime and you’ll be safer,” Teacher advised her.

“But……” Yan Mu looked up, her eyes shining as brightly as a sky of glittering stars, “If even I stay away from Yu Yuan, then wouldn’t he be very pitiful?”

“……” Teacher was stumped by Yan Mu’s question.

“I don’t want Yu Yuan to be sad all alone, and I don’t care what people think of me.
I’ll always be there for him.” Yan Mu smiled at Teacher, “Thank you for worrying.
I’m relieved that Teacher doesn’t hate Yu Yuan.”

Yan Mu said goodbye to Teacher, then turned around and walked out.

Teacher watched in silence as Yan Mu’s figure disappeared.

When he looked at Yu Yuan, it was like looking at his younger self.

Proud and intelligent, but laughably inferior because of his humble origin.

The difference was that Yu Yuan had Yan Mu.

And he had nothing.

In an instant, Teacher seemed to age ten years.
He sighed and slowly walked towards the house.