Ming'er turns around to see who the owner of the voice is.
It's a tall and lanky guy dressed in what looks like a slightly worn-down version of a winter jacket (it's just a regular navy blue hoodie from Uniqlo) and long slacks (just a pair of regular sand-colored chinos, also from Uniqlo). His short, black crew-cut hair is slightly tousled, almost as though he'd only just woken up and got out of bed right there and then.
The guy shoots a grin at Ming'er as he scrambles to get something out of his pocket.
However, Ming'er doesn't recognize the guy.
He furrows internally.
/Who is this guy?/
/Is he one of Yuying's friends?/
Ming'er tries his best to recall the painting-like illustrations that he'd seen on Yuying's wall earlier. He realized that the illustrations must be of Yuying and her friends, and figured that this guy was probably in one of them.
However, Ming'er couldn't seem to remember seeing this guy on Yuying's wall.
Then again, Ming'er wasn't the best when it came to remembering people's faces and names, or memory work in general.
Ming'er is so bad at remembering people's faces and names that he couldn't remember any of the faces or names or the girls who'd confessed to him.
Not even that one particular girl who has been particularly persistent.
However, in Ming'er's defense, he's no stranger to having girls come up to him to confess their love for him.
After all, who wouldn't want to be with a prince, especially one who has both the looks and the intelligence?
As bad as his memory was in general, Ming'er could still remember the very first time that a girl came up to him to declare her love for him when he was just around five or six years old.
Coincidentally, that girl happened to be the very one who has been the most incessant when it came to pursuing Ming'er.
Yes, you heard that right.
That one particular girl has been chasing him for years and has yet to show any sign of giving up.
Ming'er remembered that she was the daughter of a lord with considerable authority and power, and that they'd come to the Imperial Palace for a visit as her father had an audience with his father, the Emperor.
Ming'er had been playing in the palace courtyard together with Chen Jun and Ruofei when she approached him.
...
The girl hid behind a persimmon tree as she stared at him from the distance. Ming'er had been so engrossed playing with Chen Jun and Ruofei that he hadn't noticed her until about a good half an hour later or so.
Ming'er could still remember the way that the girl widened her eyes upon realizing that he'd finally noticed her. She looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.
Concerned, Ming'er took a step forward and approached the girl. She was still hiding behind the persimmon tree.
Just as Ming'er was about to ask her whether or not she was alright, the little girl jumped out from behind.
"I like you!!!" she proclaimed as loudly as her little lungs could manage.
Ming'er had blinked dumbly in response.
He had no idea what she meant.
"I like you," she repeated herself as she beamed at Ming'er.
He still didn't know what she meant.
Just then, the little girl stepped forward and took Ming'er by the hand. He immediately withdrew it by reflex.
Ming'er felt a little bad for doing that when the light in the little girl's eyes dimmed visibly and when her shoulders sagged.
"I'm sorry," he had muttered softly, "But I don't understand what you mean."
Chen Jun and Ruofei, being the nosy bastards that they were, stood a good few meters away and watched on as though they were invisible.
They had looked like they would be down to just sit there and grab some popcorn to enjoy the show.
Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes lit up as she took Ming'er by the hand again. This time, he didn't let go, but only because he didn't want to make her cry.
"That means," the little girl hums, "That I want to be your wife!"
Ming'er widens his eyes at the little girl's bold confession. Chen Jun and Ruofei, who were watching them from afar, couldn't help but snicker slightly.
"B-But," Ming'er splutters as he turns slightly red on the face, "We're just kids!"
"So what?" the little girl retorts as she smiles at him again, "That isn't gonna stop me from wanting to be your wife!"
Ming'er turns even redder as Chen Jun and Ruofei laugh even harder.
None of the lessons on manners and etiquette that Ming'er has had to undergo as a prince had taught him how to deal with a situation like this.
"I want to be your wife," the little girl emphasizes, "So that I can spend all of my time with you."
Her eyes are sparkling so much that Ming'er couldn't help but feel like it would be cruel of him to turn her down.
Nevertheless, Ming'er knew that he couldn't possibly accept her offer.
Especially since he still didn't quite understand the concept of marriage, the concept of husband and wife.
And so, Ming'er splutters out the best excuse that his five or six-year-old self could come up with.
"I-I'm sorry," Ming'er stammers, "But I'm afraid that if I spend all my time with you, I won't have enough time to spend with my best friends."
Ming'er then gestures towards Chen Jun and Ruofei, who'd been so engrossed in the mini K-drama unfolding before them that they got surprised at suddenly being singled out, as though Ming'er was a character in the show and that he'd broken the fourth wall.
The little girl's face instantly falls. Her lips start to wobble, and she looked like her tears were about to roll down her cheeks at any moment.
Ming'er felt bad, but he really didn't know how else to handle the situation. At the same time, however, he didn't want to see the little girl cry.
"I've got to go now," Ming'er mutters before he turns around and dashes off quicker than he'd ever run.
He grabs Chen Jun and Ruofei by the sleeves as he does so and makes them run until the little girl was no longer in sight.
Instead of feeling grateful that Ming'er had pretty much turned a girl down for them, Chen Jun and Ruofei wouldn't stop teasing their friend ever since.
They wouldn't let Ming'er hear the end of it even after many years had passed when they grew older and enrolled into Qilin Academy.
"You basically said, 'bros over hoes', Ming'er," Ruofei had cackled one night when the three of them were hanging out in their room just before lights out, recalling the good old days.
"What can I say?" Ming'er had shrugged as he took a sip of water from his bottle, "I'm not a simp."
Ruofei guffawed so loudly at this that he rolled off his bed and started laughing maniacally on the floor.
"I heard that she's at the academy now," Chen Jun mused as he sat on his bed calmly, completely unfazed by Ruofei laughing like a madman in the middle of their shared bedroom in the dormitory.
"Who?" Ming'er frowned.
"Her," Chen Jun clarified, "That one girl who confessed to you back then."
"Miss Big Fat Crush," Ruofei added as he wiggled his brows suggestively.
"She's at the academy?" Ming'er furrowed as he ignored Ruofei and his usual antics, "What's she doing at Qilin Academy?"
"Apparently, she's on exchange right now," Chen Jun explained, "She's actually a student at Tuohua Academy."
"Tuohua Academy?" Ming'er furrowed, "Are you talking about the best and most prestigious academy for the art of cultivation medicine in the nation?"
"That's right," Chen Jun nodded in confirmation, "Apparently, she's so good that she's one of the very few female doctors-in-training there."
"W-Wait a second," Ruofei wheezed slightly as he finally calmed down, "How do you know all this, Chen Jun?"
Chen Jun doesn't even get a chance to explain himself when he's once again bombarded by Ruofei's incessant teasing.
"Don't tell me," Ruofei wiggled his brows mischievously, "That you've been stalking her?"
Chen Jun immediately went so red in the face that the tip of his ears turned red as well.
"T-That...that's not true!" Chen Jun insisted, "I-I...I barely even know her, for crying out loud!"
"You'd better watch out, Ming'er," Ruofei whistled cheekily, "It looks like you have some competition."
"N-No, he doesn't!" Chen Jun declared indignantly as he slapped his hands over his cheeks, only to nearly take them off by reflex because of how hot they were.
Ming'er rolled his eyes as he watched his two idiotic but ever-dependable best friends fall into their usual banter.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Chen Jun and Ruofei immediately stopped bickering as their perked up like meerkats on alert.
"Who's there?" Chen Jun quipped.
Ming'er shrugged.
"I'll go get it."
And so, Ming'er stood up to open the door.
Chen Jun and Ruofei clasped their hands over their mouths as soon as they saw who was standing there.
It was her.
"H...Hello, Second Prince Zhao" the girl at the door stuttered shyly. "I heard that you recently enrolled into the academy."
Ming'er, unlike Chen Jun and Ruofei, did not recognize the girl at all.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "Have we met before?"
The girl faltered for a moment before she bit her bottom lip and continued.
"I..." the girl looked like she was debating whether or not to tell him her name before she ultimately decided against doing so, perhaps in hopes that Ming'er would figure it out for himself.
"I'm the girl who confessed to you eight or nine years ago." the girl murmured quietly, "I happen to be here on exchange, so I decided to drop by your room to say hello."
She then looked up at Ming'er with a certain glimmer in her eyes.
While Ming'er still doesn't know her name, nor that of any of the other girls who'd confessed to, he'd been confessed to so many times over the past few years that he instantly recognized what that glimmer was.
/It's that glimmer in someone's eyes when they have a crush on you./
...
"Hello? Earth to Yuying?"
Ming'er blinks as he's taken back to reality.
It's the guy whom Ming'er assumes to be one of Yuying's friends.
The guy whose name he still doesn't know.
He's waving one of his hands in front of Ming'er's face while holding a tray with the bowl of noodles that the latter had ordered with the other.
"Hello," the guy chuckles.
"You zoned out there for a second."
Ming'er internally thanks the guy for speaking in Chinese.
However, Ming'er doesn't really know what else to say aside from thanking him for speaking in a language that he could understand. He couldn't say that though, obviously.
And so, Ming'er decides to play it simple.
"Hello," he replies as normally as he can.
The guy holds up the tray as he chuckles.
"I got you your noodles," he states.
"Oh," Ming'er blinks, "Thanks."
The guy chuckles again. Ming'er doesn't get what's so funny.
"You know, I happen to be eating lunch here as well," the guy hums, "Do you want to sit with me?"
Ming'er blinks again.
/He's most probably Yuying's friend, right?/
/Friends sit together, right?/
/I guess I should say yes then./
And so, Ming'er shrugs as casually as he can.
"Sure," he replies.
The guy's eyes light up as soon as Ming'er says this.
Ming'er widens his eyes internally.
He recognizes that look.
/That glimmer.../
/...it's that glimmer in someone's eyes when they have a crush on you./
.
.
.
Ming'er doesn't know why, but he feels a strange pang in his chest.