Chapter 31 "A princess? I only want to be a queen..."
Jiang Shan only said two words, but her words were like an electric shock, making Zhu Meng's body tremble slightly, and a thin layer of goosebumps appeared on his beautiful forearm.
He hates asking for favors and has never asked anyone for one.
From childhood to adulthood, Ms. Zhu has never wronged him in any way, except for a stable emotional bond.
When he was a child, it wasn't difficult for him to get whatever clothes, accessories, cars, and houses he wanted; he could simply swipe his supplementary card to Ms. Zhu's account and buy them for him.
After growing up, he had his own stable source of income, achieved financial freedom, and could get whatever he wanted.
When it comes to asking for favors, it's others who ask him for favors, not the other way around.
But by simply uttering a casual "please," he could enjoy the treatment he had always dreamed of. From a businessman's perspective, this was a deal with no downsides and profits exceeding expectations.
But... this isn't a good idea...
Jiang Shan hesitated for three minutes before Zhu Meng was about to ask another question when her cervical spine, which she often used to look down at her phone, gave out a warning signal of soreness.
She withdrew her hand, and had to twist her neck a couple of times before continuing to ask him.
"What's wrong? Are you embarrassed?"
Zhu Meng bit her lip even tighter.
What an obvious provocation.
...He won't fall for it.
His pride, accumulated over thirty-two years, wouldn't allow him to lower his head and beg others.
However... Jiang Shan is none other than someone else.
"Please..." Zhu Meng's voice was very dry, like a baby learning to speak trying to pronounce a syllable it had never uttered before, or like a speaker who hadn't drunk water for most of the day and was still talking nonstop on the stage, his vocal cords at their limit.
It is said that difficulties are like springs: the stronger you are, the weaker they become, and the weaker you are, the stronger they become.
Jiang Shan had only hoped to see this stubborn man soften his stance a little, but to her surprise, his reluctance to yield only fueled her excitement.
She prefers conquest to taking away weak prey without paying anything in return.
It's really funny to see him get his comeuppance.
"What did you say?" Jiang Shan still had that faint smile on his lips. "I didn't hear you clearly."
Zhu Meng gripped the umbrella handle with his fingers and forcefully pulled the entire umbrella down.
The small umbrella, which can be used for both sunny and rainy days, was placed directly behind Jiang Shan, forming a physical barrier that was waterproof and protected from ultraviolet rays, blocking most of the prying eyes from the outside world.
Jiang Shan pressed forward, while Zhu Meng gritted his teeth and refused to retreat, causing the distance between them to shrink further and further.
When you get close, every subtle movement and sound is amplified as if by a loudspeaker; even the "gulping" sound of swallowing saliva can be clearly heard.
"...Please."
Zhu Meng's face turned bright red, and even her pale neck flushed slightly pink.
He closed his eyes tightly and uttered two emotionless words.
The more Zhu Meng yields, the worse the situation becomes.
She never knew that her brain, which had only ever focused on studying since childhood, could, without any instruction, harbor so many astonishingly wicked thoughts when looking at Zhu Meng's face.
"Open your eyes and say it again."
Zhu Meng squinted slightly, catching a glimpse of Jiang Shan's upturned lips, before quickly closing them again.
Hmm, what is he afraid of?
...He didn't know either.
Jiang Shan counted to thirty in his mind.
All that could be seen was Zhu Meng's lips rubbing together at a speed slower than a snail's crawl, without making a sound.
Yes, he remained silent, just like the moon.
“Anyway, the rain has stopped, and you don’t need any physical contact anymore.” Jiang Shan snatched the umbrella from Zhu Meng’s hand, pressed the switch close to the umbrella surface, and neatly closed the umbrella. His tone was indifferent. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.”
Zhu Meng suddenly opened his eyes.
"I……"
He had originally planned to put aside his useless pride and say it again with feeling.
But just as he finished agonizing over it, Jiangshan called a halt.
Jiang Shan ignored his hesitation.
She raised her hand to stop Zhu Meng from speaking and walked towards the nearest project: "Let's go, there are already enough people. If we wait any longer, we won't even be able to get a number for express tickets."
Zhu Meng felt a sudden chill, as if a cold wind from Siberia had swept through his heart.
Oh no, Jiangshan is angry.
“…Sorry.” Zhu Meng’s height of over 1.8 meters was not for nothing. His legs were a little longer than Jiang Shan’s. He took a few bigger steps and caught up with Jiang Shan in less than two seconds.
Jiang Shan quickened his pace when he saw him catching up.
Aside from taking a leisurely dog walk a few days ago, Jiangshan hasn't had any serious exercise in a long time.
Without doing any warm-up exercises, she suddenly started walking briskly, her voice slightly out of breath: "The one who suffered the loss isn't me, so why are you apologizing to me?"
What's infuriating is that Zhu Meng didn't even pant, and he took two steps to reach her.
"If I made you angry, I should apologize."
Zhu Meng blocked Jiang Shan's path, but fearing that raising his voice would anger Jiang Shan again, he deliberately kept his voice very low.
Like a big dog that has angered its owner but doesn't know how to apologize, it can only block its owner's way with its body and clumsily push its dog food onto the owner's dining table.
Jiang Shan felt more disappointment than anger.
But this disappointment lasted only two seconds before being swept away by the surge of rational thinking that had occupied his mind for years.
Actually, Zhu Meng's resistance is normal.
He was born at the top of the pyramid, possessing wealth that ordinary people could never achieve in their entire lives. The fact that he was willing to roll up his sleeves and cook for her shows how patient he was.
But as the saying goes, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Zhu Meng was only willing to cook and do housework for her, which doesn't mean he had changed as a person.
His proud nature is still deeply ingrained in his bones; how could he possibly bow down for a momentary petty gain?
"Oh, I see."
Jiang Shan nodded and took a step to the left, intending to go around Zhu Meng from the left. However, he happened to be right next to her. She frowned and took a step to Zhu Meng's right, but he followed her like a shadow.
The two of them sat facing each other, their actions mirroring each other like a mirror image. Jiang Shan was the first to lose patience: "Excuse me, could you please move aside? I need to get in line."
Zhu Meng's mouth looked as if it had been sewn shut.
They remained silent.
"Hey handsome, how about buying your girlfriend a headband? She's so cute, this Mickey Mouse headband would be perfect for her." A man suddenly appeared, carrying a large basket of Disney-related toys and accessories, chuckling as he interrupted the two men's argument.
"You've misunderstood." Jiang Shan usually focused on the issue, not the person, but today he was so angry with Zhu Meng that he was a little confused, and his tone towards the salesman wasn't much nicer either. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend."
The man selling his goods scratched his head awkwardly: "Sorry, I noticed you two are standing so close together..."
Zhu Meng suddenly turned his head, interrupting the merchant.
How much does a headband cost?
"It's not expensive, just fifteen yuan." The man was pleasantly surprised and pointed to the QR code on the cart. "Handsome, just scan it."
Jiang Shan, with a stern face, didn't want to pay attention and walked away quickly. Zhu Meng scanned the code to pay and hurriedly followed.
He followed Jiangshan closely, like sunlight and the shadows of various creatures on Earth, only able to temporarily break free when the sun's altitude angle reached ninety degrees.
Jiang Shan could only briefly avoid seeing Zhu Meng when she went to the toilet. Just as she came out of the stall to wash her hands, Zhu Meng, carrying her handbag, silently moved closer to her while refusing the advances of both men and women who asked for her WeChat.
Jiang Shan walked around the park for almost eight hours, stopping several times to rest and eat.
Zhu Meng remained silent, simply moving with the world, stopping when the world stopped, and silently taking over any food the world couldn't finish, acting as its garbage can.
Jiang Shan gradually got used to this strange way of getting along, but he wondered, didn't Zhu Meng need to go to the toilet?
But a nagging feeling lingered in her heart. Not wanting to be the first to speak, she simply buried her doubts deep inside.
Who knows? Maybe he has good kidneys.
Following the guide, the two stopped and rested at different times, and just as night fell, they arrived at the Honey Pot area, where the flow of people was relatively less.
"...Would you like to play this?" Jiang Shan thought for a moment and finally asked Zhu Meng for his opinion.
She said in a polite yet distant tone, "It might be a bit childish."
Most of the attractions at Disney are designed for children. Although Jiang Shan didn't find them particularly exciting, she noticed that Zhu Meng's brows were constantly furrowed, and she had a feeling that he was about to reach his limit.
Zhu Meng finally got to hear Jiang Shan speak to him, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed subconsciously, only to furrow even more deeply a couple of seconds later.
I can't say anything wrong again, or I'll really miss my chance.
"I'll do as you say." Zhu Meng hesitated for two seconds before handing over the choice. "If you play, I'll play."
Jiang Shan stared at Zhu Meng's brows, which were furrowed even more tightly for some reason, wishing he could cut open Zhu Meng's chest with a knife to see what he was thinking.
Is he happy or angry?
His face was so calm, yet his words were as heartfelt as the classic romantic line from the movie "Titanic," "You jump, I jump."
Jiang Shan waved his hand and joined the queue, casually pointing to a nearby bench where Zhu Meng could wait: "If you don't want to play, you don't have to. Just sit there and browse your phone. There's no need to force yourself."
Zhu Meng stepped on the spot behind her, his tone as flat as plain water: "No pressure."
Jiang Shan didn't understand, nor did he want to understand, so he nodded casually and took out his phone from his pocket to play with it.
Fortunately, she and Zhu Meng were just friends, not boyfriends. Otherwise, it would be too painful for her to stare at Zhu Meng's expressionless face every day and try to guess what he was thinking.
Jiang Shan originally wanted to keep her distance from Zhu Meng, each having their own honey pot, but there were just too many people in line. The staff herded them like ducks, pointing them into the same honey pot and slamming the small door shut.
The two sat facing each other in the same honey pot, maintaining the greatest social distance between a man and a woman.
Zhu Meng harbored selfish motives, wanting to get closer to Jiang Shan. However, as soon as he shortened the distance slightly, Jiang Shan, like the most sensitive machine on the market, detected the subtle change using scientific methods and stepped aside.
Before the machine even started turning, the two of them had already inexplicably and tacitly spun around inside the little honey pot.
Jiang Shan casually looked down at his phone, reading a short post over and over again three or four times, while constantly keeping an eye on whether the people around him had moved.
Zhu Meng was afraid of angering Jiang Shan, so he gripped her handbag tightly and dared not move. His long legs had nowhere to go, so he could only awkwardly put his knees together and lean against the seat.
After waiting for more than ten seconds without seeing any action from Zhu Meng, Jiang Shan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The machine starts up, and all the honeypots in the field begin to revolve.
Jiang Shan gripped the lever in the center of the honey pot and tentatively twisted it twice. The pot beneath her began to spin violently, making her feel dizzy. She quickly let go of the lever.
Couples all around raised their phones, smiled at the camera, and took photos. For a moment, the laughter of men, women, young and old filled the sky above the project site, accompanied by the rotating circles.
Jiang Shan endured the dizziness and took out his phone to take some photos as a memento.
The warm yellow and dark brown hues here create a sweet and cozy atmosphere, making it a top-rated photo spot according to travel guides.
Although she has a bit of social anxiety and prefers taking pictures of scenery rather than close-up shots of people, her photos of scenery are often blurry and lack visual appeal as she moves around.
Since we're already here, it would be such a shame not to take a picture of ourselves.
Jiang Shan opened the camera app and flipped the lens he hadn't used in ages, awkwardly pointing it at himself on the phone screen and changing shooting angles.
No matter how I adjust it, the head always looks huge and the background looks tiny.
Even if she stretches her arm to its limit, it makes no difference.
Jiang Shan felt a little embarrassed. He rubbed the tip of his nose with the hand that wasn't holding his phone and looked up at Zhu Meng across from him.
Whether Zhu Meng had been watching her the whole time or just happened to be looking at her, their eyes met.
With precise instruments, the angle of the reflector is adjusted so that two rays of light that would not normally intersect meet exactly.
Jiang Shan didn't notice Zhu Mengsheng's Adam's apple bobbing awkwardly; he was just secretly pleased.
That's great. Zhu Meng isn't busy taking pictures of herself, so she should... have time to take pictures of her, right?
She didn't want to bother him, but her selfie skills were really not good. Zhu Meng was sitting opposite her, and from that angle, the photo should turn out better than her clumsy selfies.
"Zhu Meng," Jiang Shan called softly to the person opposite him.
"……Um?"
Zhu Meng kept his lips tightly closed and only hummed through his nose.
His eyes remained fixed on Jiang Shan's face, as if his eyes and Jiang Shan's face were the positive and negative poles of a magnet, destined to be tightly attracted to each other.
Jiang Shan couldn't help but touch his face.
Why is Zhu Meng staring at her so intently? Is there something on her face?
Just then, the phone camera was set to a selfie angle, so Jiang Shan used the phone screen as a mirror to secretly check his face.
There's nothing there.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Shan touched his face, then his neck. "Why are you looking at me?"
Zhu Meng shook his head and remained silent.
He looked away briefly for a second, then lunged forward with even greater determination.
Why exactly did he keep an eye on Jiangshan? He couldn't explain it clearly. He only knew that he would be happy when Jiangshan was happy and hoped that she could stay happy forever. He would worry when Jiangshan was angry and wonder if she would get sick from being upset.
He didn't want to do anything but look at her.
Jiang Shan stared at Zhu Meng with a puzzled look, and Zhu Meng returned the gaze with a gentle one.
Surrounded by romantic pink bubbles, the two engaged in a fierce staring contest. Jiang Shan frowned, wanting to call a halt, when a subtle, persistent pain suddenly spread from his abdomen.
She unconsciously bent down, gently biting the soft flesh inside her lips with her front teeth.
What's wrong? Why is my stomach suddenly hurting?
It feels like being pricked with a needle.
Did you eat something wrong for dinner? Did you get food poisoning?
However, she ate dinner with Zhu Meng, who looked calm and seemed to have no symptoms of discomfort.
Or perhaps it was Mrs. Wind, who had deliberately worn a jacket over her shirt, but still couldn't ward off the cool breeze of the summer night.
That shouldn't be the case.
Before Jiang Shan could figure out what was going on, the sudden pain miraculously disappeared, just like water flowing into the sea.
How come it comes so quickly and goes so quickly, leaving no trace?
I have a bad feeling...
Feeling unwell and unable to pinpoint the cause, Jiang Shan was in a bad mood, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
What exactly do you want?
Zhu Meng was a little scared by her patiently exhausted gaze. She was afraid that if she remained silent any longer, it would cause some irreparable misunderstanding. She quickly reached for the bag hanging on her shoulder and pulled out the Mickey Mouse headband that she had been carrying all day.
"Can I try this?" Zhu Meng's voice was softer than the night breeze. "I think it would suit you very well."
“…Thank you.” Jiang Shan took the Mickey Mouse headband and casually stuck it on the top of his head.
She thought for a moment, and in exchange, handed her phone, which was in the camera view, to Zhu Meng: "Could you please take a picture of me?"
Zhu Meng listened to the sweet nothings exchanged between couples all day and managed to learn only a smattering of their sweet talk.
"It's my pleasure." He took Jiang Shan's phone with both hands, and took more than a dozen photos of Jiang Shan from three different angles.
Zhu Meng's amber pupils, set against a warm yellow background, made his eyes look like a sponge soaked in water; a gentle squeeze would reveal a winding stream.
"You are so beautiful, just like a princess."
His lips curled up slightly, a rare smile that was sweeter than the finest honey.
"Hmm...a princess?"
Jiang Shan in the camera shrugged.
As if he had heard some offensive words, Jiang Shan changed his reserved movements, stretched out his slightly hunched shoulders, placed his hands on the walls of the honey pot, and leaned back slightly.
"But all I want is to be queen."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Another short chapter today! I'm busy preparing for the CET-6 exam these next few days, so there will be no update on Thursday. I might update on Friday, and I definitely will update on Saturday. Don't come back empty-handed! Wishing you all a happy life, and may we all overcome every challenge! [droopy-eared rabbit head]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com