"Jing Shaoyu!"
A sharp cry halted Jing Shaoyu and the six girls as they prepared to return to their hotel. Turning toward the source, they saw Dai Yun'er, dressed in casual clothes, beckoning to him from a corner.
Jing Shaoyu and the girls were momentarily stunned. Their impression of this mischievous princess was quite vivid—though not necessarily positive—but they certainly remembered her. Seeing her again after several days made them frown slightly.
Though none of them particularly wanted to engage with her, she was still a princess. To avoid giving anyone grounds for criticism, Jing Shaoyu reluctantly approached her.
Gu Yue and the other girls exchanged glances before silently following behind him toward Dai Yun'er.
"Your Highness, what can I do for you?" Jing Shaoyu asked politely.
Instead of answering immediately, Dai Yun'er glanced unhappily at the girls behind him. She reached out to grab his arm, saying, "Come with me. I have something to tell you."
Jing Shaoyu instinctively leaned back, avoiding her touch, his demeanor clearly signaling his unwillingness to engage. "Your Highness, can't you say it here? They're all close to me."
Dai Yun'er stared blankly at her outstretched hand, a surge of indignation rising in her chest. Never in her life had a boy dared to treat her like this. She felt utterly humiliated.
"Jing Shaoyu… do you really hate me that much?" Her eyes welled with tears as she asked in a daze.
"If that's how you see it, then yes," Jing Shaoyu replied with a slight headache, nodding.
"Why?" Dai Yun'er's voice trembled with hurt, though anger quickly overtook it. She planted her hands on her hips and demanded, "I know I'm beautiful, and my status is unmatched. Why can you like them but not me?"
As she spoke, she pointed accusingly at Gu Yue and the other five girls.
"I've already given you the answer," Jing Shaoyu said flatly. "Compared to them, you're not even worth mentioning."
"You—! Just you wait! Waaah!" Dai Yun'er's face flushed crimson with rage. Her trembling finger, initially aimed at the girls, now pointed at Jing Shaoyu. Her entire body shook with fury and humiliation. Unable to bear his cold rejection, she let out an angry cry before turning and running away in tears.
Jing Shaoyu watched her flee without a hint of remorse, while the six girls behind him wore mixed expressions.
"Shaoyu-gege, wasn't that a little too harsh on her?" Xu Xiaoyan said softly, her gentle heart aching at the sight of Dai Yun'er's distress.
Jing Shaoyu wasn't surprised by her reaction—this was simply Xu Xiaoyan's nature. It was precisely this kindness that had led her to befriend both Ye Xinglan and Wu Siduo, turning them from mere acquaintances into sisters.
A fond smile tugged at his lips as he prepared to respond, but Wu Siduo beat him to it.
"Xiaoyan, why do you always feel sorry for everyone? That Dai Yun'er was practically throwing herself at Shaoyu—she doesn't deserve your sympathy!" Wu Siduo's tone carried a hint of exasperation.
"I just thought she looked pitiful when she cried," Xu Xiaoyan admitted, sticking out her tongue playfully.
Gu Yue rolled her eyes and said, "When Shaoyu actually gets involved with her, you won't think she's pitiful anymore." As she spoke, she cast a subtle glance at Ye Xinglan and Wu Siduo.
"Alright, I've already said it—she's different from you," Jing Shaoyu interjected at this point. "I have no interest in princesses, nor do I want to be some consort! To be honest, outdated systems like feudal empires should be swept into the dustbin of history sooner rather than later."
Hearing this, Ye Xinglan and Mo Hentian, who had remained silent until now, both turned their gazes toward Jing Shaoyu. Neither of them had expected him to harbor such ambitions.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's head back to the hotel first," Jing Shaoyu said with a faint smile, leading the way toward their accommodation.
Meanwhile, Dai Yun'er, who had run all the way back to the imperial palace in tears, collided head-on with a young man. Tall and well-built, the youth had a handsome, masculine face and appeared to be around twenty years old. Dressed in simple, unadorned clothing, he carried an air of grandeur and innate nobility.
"Yun'er, why are you crying? Who bullied you? Tell me, and I'll make sure they regret it!" The young man had been smiling, but the moment he saw Dai Yun'er in tears, his expression darkened, and anger radiated from his entire being as he asked in a suppressed voice.
"Fourth Brother!" Dai Yun'er cried out upon seeing him and immediately threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Dai Yueyan, the fourth son of the current emperor, Dai Tianling, and Dai Yun'er's full-blooded elder brother, was nineteen years old. Among Dai Tianling's many sons, he was the most outstanding, deeply cherished and valued by the emperor. It was said that as soon as he turned twenty, he would be directly appointed as the crown prince.
Being born from the same mother, Dai Yueyan doted on Dai Yun'er no less than Dai Tianling did—if not more. Seeing his beloved little sister in such distress instantly filled him with boundless fury. Holding her gently, he comforted her in a soft voice, "My little princess, who made you so upset? Don't cry, tell Fourth Brother, and I'll make them pay!"
Dai Yun'er remained silent, continuing to cry as her body trembled incessantly.
This only made Dai Yueyan more frantic. "Don't cry, don't cry! Yun'er, be good, be good. Tell Fourth Brother what happened to make our little princess so sad? No matter who it is, I'll make sure they suffer for it!"
Perhaps exhausted from crying, Dai Yun'er finally lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and asked, "Fourth Brother, am I really that unlikeable?"
"Of course not!" Dai Yueyan denied without hesitation. "Our Yun'er is so beautiful, so lively, so adorable, so radiant—the most stunning girl in the empire! How could anyone dislike you? If such a person exists, it's fine—just tell Fourth Brother, and I'll help them get their eyes checked!"
"But... why is Jing Shaoyu so mean to me? I just wanted to be friends with him!" Dai Yun'er sobbed.
"Jing Shaoyu?" Dai Yueyan's eyes flickered. "That male student from Shrek Academy?"
Dai Yueyan paid close attention to the students from Shrek Academy within the Douluo delegation. After all, reputation speaks volumes, and Shrek Academy was a colossal institution with a legacy spanning twenty thousand years. As the future emperor of the empire, how could he not take notice?
Thus, when Dai Yun'er mentioned Jing Shaoyu, the image of an extraordinarily handsome young man immediately surfaced in his mind.
He had to admit that Shaoyu indeed possessed striking looks—no wonder Yun'er had taken the initiative to approach him. But to dare reject her and even jest about his imperial position? That was simply ungrateful and audacious.
"Mhm!" Dai Yun'er nodded, no longer sobbing, though her voice still carried traces of tears. "I went to cheer him on today, but not only did he brush me off, he even said I was insignificant!"
"He actually said that?!" Dai Yueyan's eyes widened with a tiger-like intensity, his voice laced with authority.
He didn't doubt Yun'er's honesty, but he simply couldn't believe a student from Shrek Academy would utter such words—especially on the soil of their Star Luo Empire. To dismiss the beloved daughter of the reigning emperor as "insignificant"? That wasn't just an insult to a person; it was outright contempt for their White Tiger Imperial Family!
He refused to believe a representative of Shrek Academy, part of the Douluo delegation, would speak so recklessly.
"Uh—" Dai Yun'er hesitated briefly before doubling down. "Fourth Brother, I swear it's true! He really said I was insignificant! I've never been humiliated like this in my entire life! Waaah—"
With that, she burst into loud, dramatic sobs once more.
Seeing his beloved little sister cry so bitterly, Dai Yueyan instantly believed her. A flash of ruthless fury flickered in his eyes.
"Don't cry, Yun'er! Your brother will make sure he pays for this!" he said coldly. "An outsider dares to disgrace a princess of our Star Luo Imperial Family? Outrageous! Isn't he competing in the tournament? Our Monster Academy team has byes for the first two rounds. By the third round, we'll utterly humiliate them!"
"Mhm!" Dai Yun'er nodded fiercely, her teary eyes now gleaming with smug satisfaction.