Prince Charming

"Hello? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Liu Muye glanced at his phone, confirming it was Han Juyou’s voice call. He spoke again, "Did something happen? Where are you? I’ll come find you right now!"

"……"

Han Juyou remained silent on the other end, but Liu Muye could faintly hear rustling sounds.

He guessed she might be quietly wiping away tears.

Liu Muye softened his voice and asked again, "Han Juyou, where are you?"

"……beep beep."

This time, Han Juyou abruptly hung up.

Staring at the disconnected call, Liu Muye’s heart lurched with fear—what if she did something reckless? He dropped his chopsticks, stood up, and headed for the elevator.

Zhou Min watched his sudden movement and called out, "Son, aren’t you eating?"

Liu Muye replied, "You and Dad go ahead. I need to step out for something."

With that, he pressed the button for the underground garage.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Zhou Min muttered under her breath, "What’s gotten into this kid? One phone call and he forgets about dinner."

"Our son’s grown up. It’s normal for him to have his own affairs," Liu Chenghan said cheerfully, taking a bite of food. "Why does tonight’s beef taste like mutton?"

"That was mutton you just picked up. Maybe you should consider donating those useless eyes of yours."

……

Liu Muye sped away from home in his Koenigsegg.

If he remembered correctly, Han Juyou lived in a shantytown over ten kilometers from the city center. When he’d written about it in his book, he’d only given a vague description—he wasn’t entirely sure of the exact address.

Shangjing City at night was a dazzling spectacle of neon lights and endless traffic. But as he drove toward the outskirts, the scenery shifted drastically.

The closer he got to the shantytown, the more dilapidated the surroundings became…

Half an hour later, the flashy supercar came to a stop in a vacant lot outside a cluster of cramped, pigeonhole-like buildings.

Liu Muye stepped out slowly and stood silently before the densely packed structures. An invisible force seemed to tug at his thoughts, pulling him into a daze as fragments of the past flickered through his mind like slides.

This place… was nearly identical to the old suburban neighborhood he’d lived in with his parents as a child.

But now wasn’t the time for reminiscing. He had to find Han Juyou before her emotions drove her to do something irreversible.

Relying on memory, Liu Muye walked toward the cluster of buildings…

Han Juyou was crouched by a stone railing near the entrance, piecing together her torn notebook under the dim glow of light spilling from someone else’s window.

The moment Liu Muye’s call had connected earlier, hearing his voice had only made her cry harder. She couldn’t bear for him to see her in such a pitiful state, so she’d hung up after barely ten seconds.

As she worked on the notebook, her mind kept circling back to Liu Muye. She regretted calling him.

Hadn’t she always endured life like this? Hadn’t she long grown accustomed to this dim, joyless world?

So why—why had she reached out to a man she’d known for barely two weeks?

He was a true prince charming, but she was no Cinderella. What right did she have to expect his salvation?

"Rustle—"

A gust of wind sent a few loose pages fluttering upward. Han Juyou lunged to catch them.

But the wind seemed to taunt her—the moment her fingers grazed the paper, it danced away, drifting farther.

Clutching the broken notebook, she chased after the pages.

Just as she was about to grab them, a slender, pale hand suddenly snatched the papers mid-air.

Han Juyou lifted her gaze slowly, her eyes settling on the young man before her. The faint light spilled over his striking features, carving out the sharp lines of his handsome face. His deep, enigmatic eyes held an irresistible pull, locking her in place.

Around them, the towering, pigeonhole-like buildings loomed, their overlapping silhouettes blotting out the sky. Only slivers of moonlight seeped through the gaps.

Under that oppressive canopy, the two stood frozen in silence.

The disheartened girl hugged her notebook tightly, staring up at the boy bathed in silver moonlight—like a prince stepped straight out of a dream, ethereal and untouchable.

For a moment, time itself seemed to stand still, the world steeped in a quiet, unspoken tension.

Then, softly, Han Juyou broke the silence.

"Liu Muye."

Her voice shattered the stillness, and time resumed its flow.

Liu Muye handed the pages back to her and asked gently, "What happened?"

His gaze lingered on her face, catching the faint redness at the corners of her eyes. He knew she’d been crying.

But he also knew her pride. So he didn’t mention it—just asked what was wrong.

Han Juyou bit back the tears threatening to spill and shook her head. "It’s nothing."

"……"

Seeing her reluctance, Liu Muye didn’t press further.

Instead, he took her wrist and led her toward where his car was parked.

Han Juyou offered no resistance, letting him guide her in silence.

Once inside the Koenigsegg, Liu Muye didn’t start the engine immediately. "Have you eaten?"

"I…"

Her hesitation was answer enough. Without another word, Liu Muye drove toward the city center.

Han Juyou paid no attention to the luxury car’s lavish interior. Her eyes stayed fixed on Liu Muye’s profile.

Liu Muye found it strange. In his book, Han Juyou was a gold-digging antagonist desperate to marry into wealth. But this Han Juyou didn’t seem obsessed with money at all.

Why was she so different from the villainess he’d envisioned?

Unnerved by her stare, he finally asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Han Juyou answered quietly, "I’m afraid you’ll disappear."

"Why would you think that?"

This time, she didn’t reply. Instead, she turned the question back on him. "Liu Muye, why are you so kind to me?"

Liu Muye scoffed. "Can’t a guy just be helpful?"

"I don’t believe you." Han Juyou shook her head.

"Believe what you want."

He rolled his eyes.

Han Juyou responded with a faint, enchanting smile.

……