Chapter 25: The Meaning of Knights and Princesses

At school, under the dim glow of the streetlights—

Jiang Ning stood at the entrance of the corridor, arms crossed over her chest. The warm-colored light cast a soft haze around her delicate features, giving her an indescribable ethereal beauty.

However, the faint smirk on her face made Li Mingwei feel increasingly uneasy.

Even so, the thought of what he was about to do tonight quickly steadied his nerves.

Just then, Hu Gugu, standing beside him, awkwardly spoke up:

“Uh… I’ve got something to do at home, so I’ll be heading off first.”

With that, he turned to leave. But before he could take more than two steps, someone grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

“If you leave now, you’re dead meat!”

The sheer threat in those words made Hu Gugu resign himself to fate. He cast a helpless glance at Li Mingwei from an angle where Jiang Ning couldn’t see before turning around with a cheerful smile toward the girl in front of them.

“Jiang the Hero, what brings you here today?”

“Wind of Betrayal.”

Jiang Ning glanced at the curious passersby watching the scene unfold, then said to the two of them, “Change of location.”

With that, the three of them moved to the side of the teaching building, a dark corner untouched by any light.

Once they stopped, Jiang Ning was the first to speak.

“Xiao Mingwei, let’s be honest here—have I ever set you up?”

“No,” Li Mingwei answered crisply, without hesitation.

“As far as I recall, I haven’t done anything to wrong you either, have I?”

“Also no.” His answer remained just as firm.

Something about his uncharacteristically straightforward responses made Jiang Ning feel that something was off.

Still, she didn’t dwell on it too much and instead continued, “So… what exactly are you up to today?”

A long silence followed. Then, Li Mingwei’s voice drifted out from the darkness.

“A few days ago, an elder told me something.”

“He said that when he was young, he was a lot like me—reserved, never drawing attention to himself, especially when it came to the person he liked.”

“He always stayed in the background, silently watching over her.”

“But then he told me… if I kept going like this, I would always just be a knight.”

“And a princess will always end up with a prince.”

“So, I don’t want to be a knight anymore.”

“Jiang Ning, I—”

At that moment, an ominous feeling surged through Jiang Ning’s heart. She immediately interrupted him before he could continue.

“Stop.”

“I know what you’re about to say.”

“Hold that thought—I have a few questions for you first.”

“Go ahead,” Li Mingwei said calmly, though a keen ear could detect the slight tremor in his voice.

But Jiang Ning paid no mind to it. She knew that some things had reached a point where they had to be addressed, one way or another.

“Do you really know me?”

“From the time we met until now, it’s only been about a month. Do you truly understand me?”

“Do you know my personality?”

“Do you know my likes and dislikes?”

“Do you know my family situation?”

“And most importantly, if your family knew about this, would they support you?”

A string of questions left not only Li Mingwei in silence but also Hu Gugu standing beside him.

Seeing the two boys rendered speechless under the weight of her reasoning, Jiang Ning felt a pang of guilt. But some things had to be said.

Just like her aunt once told her—

If you don’t like someone, you should make a clean break.

After some thought, Jiang Ning stepped forward, patted Li Mingwei on the shoulder, and spoke earnestly:

“I know my words probably feel like a bucket of cold water dumped over your head.”

“But I hope you understand my point.”

“Because I don’t like you.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

— — —

Perhaps it was the effect of that rejection.

Over the past few days, the number of senior boys coming to “sightsee” had dwindled, and not a single upperclasswoman had shown up to cause trouble.

Even more mysteriously—

Wang Zekai, who used to linger around the garage every night, had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Did he finally take the hint?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

What a joyous occasion.

As for that brat Li Mingwei—

After their conversation that night, he took two days off and went home.

When he returned, people said he was a completely different person.

He had become obsessed with studying, either solving problems or reading books all day long.

He didn’t even go to the arcade anymore.

Hu Gugu even asked Jiang Ning multiple times if she had drugged him, earning himself an exasperated eye-roll.

Honestly, Jiang Ning was a little curious too. What exactly happened to that guy when he went home?

But it was just idle curiosity, nothing more.

Right now, the only real issue she had was that every morning when she got to class, her desk drawer was filled with colorful love letters.

They were always from the same names.

Gao Ye, the long-haired pretty boy from Class One.

Chen Chaoyang, the sports committee member from Class Two.

Li Wei, the brooding heartthrob from Class Four.

Tian Huali, the class representative.

And that prankster from Class Five… what was his name again?

In any case, they were all people she had heard of but never actually met.

Jiang Ning’s method of dealing with these love letters was straightforward.

Most of the time, she didn’t even bother opening them before tossing them into the trash.

Only when she was in a good mood would she sit down with Luo Shanshan and the others to open a few and read them for fun.

And just like that—

A week passed.

It was finally time for the grand opening of “Shi Ning Ji.”

Tuesday, September 26.

Lunar Calendar: August 29.

Auspicious for business openings, travel, moving, and construction.

Jiang Ning woke up early that morning.

She went to school first, sweet-talked her teachers, and after repeatedly promising to make up for the missed time, successfully secured a half-day leave.

Then she headed out, stopped by a firecracker shop, and bought a thousand-shot firecracker string, which she strapped onto her bicycle before leisurely riding to her little store.

Today was the opening day of her very first shop in this lifetime.

Standing in front of the storefront that she had poured her heart and soul into, Jiang Ning felt an immense sense of joy.

And so, she began setting up.

Just as she finished positioning the firecrackers, Tian Wenhao arrived, pedaling a tricycle loaded with several flower baskets.

At the sight of the baskets, Jiang Ning smacked her forehead.

No wonder something felt off—it was because she forgot to prepare flower baskets!

Blame it on all those practice exams these past few days—her brain was fried.

Quickly adjusting her mindset, Jiang Ning stepped forward to help Tian Wenhao unload the baskets.

At that moment, the two girls she had hired earlier also arrived.

After a flurry of activity, the store was finally ready for business.

Just as Jiang Ning was debating whether to light the firecrackers for some celebratory noise—

Another tricycle pulled up, also carrying flower baskets.

The delivery man silently unloaded them and left without a word, completely ignoring Jiang Ning’s attempts to call him back.

Left with no other choice, she and Tian Wenhao turned to examine the inscription on the flower baskets.

“The Jiangzhou Women’s Federation congratulates ‘Shi Ning Ji’ on a successful opening.”

“Hey, when did you become acquainted with the Women’s Federation?” Jiang Ning asked.

“Wait… wasn’t it someone you knew?” Tian Wenhao responded.

Both of them stared at each other in stunned silence.

Before they could process it, the same delivery man returned on his tricycle, hauling two more flower baskets.

Without missing a beat, he unloaded them, got back on his vehicle, and sped off.

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but wonder if this guy had some kind of side hustle in the past.

“Jin Mahua Decoration Company congratulates ‘Shi Ning Ji’ on a successful opening.”

Okay, this one made sense.

It was the decoration company she had worked with for the store’s renovations.

But why would a big company with hundreds of employees bother sending flower baskets to a tiny snack shop like hers?

Jiang Ning couldn’t shake the strange feeling that something was off.

As she and Tian Wenhao stood by the entrance, trying to make sense of it all—

Not far away, inside a parked car, sat two women.

The driver, an elegant lady in her prime, exuded an air of sophistication in every movement.

The middle-aged woman in the back seat, however, was much simpler in appearance.

Both of them were staring at the soon-to-open store in deep thought.

After a long while, the older woman sighed.

“Capable, independent, and good-looking.”

“This girl is indeed impressive.”

“But it’s a pity…”

“A pity what, Mom?” The woman in the driver’s seat, Li Mingyu, couldn’t help but ask.

“A pity that our family requires a marriage of equal standing.”