Chapter 143: Causing Congestion
Yue Junxiao and the others noticed a large crowd suddenly surging toward them, forming a tight circle. They instantly tensed up, their muscles taut with vigilance. Along with Yan Yichen, they shielded Bai Zhi, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
Someone, their eyes red-rimmed, couldn’t help but shout, "Third Prince!!"
After the first person, a second and a third followed... and soon, countless people were chanting his title.
The cries of "Third Prince" were so piercing that they reached not only their floor but the one above as well. Almost everyone immediately started searching for Hu Yan. When they saw the crowd gathered below, they all rushed down.
In an instant, the mall was packed with a surging tide of people.
Hearing them call his name, Hu Yan turned and offered a reassuring smile. "Please be careful, everyone. Don’t crowd together."
Hu Yan’s words brought tears to countless eyes. "SOB... He answered!! He answered!! He is the Third Prince! It really is the Third Prince!!"
"He really is the Third Prince! The Third Prince is really alive... WAAAH..."
"I’ve waited for this! I finally got to see this day!!"
"The Third Prince, alive... SOB SOB... I knew he wouldn’t die! How could someone as powerful as the Third Prince possibly be defeated by the Insect Clan!!"
"He’s alive! He’s still alive! WAAAH... The Beast God heard my prayers all these years!!"
Amidst the chorus of sobs, a ’traitor’ emerged. A female, covering her face in excitement, exclaimed, "I can’t believe I get to shop in the same mall as the Third Prince in my lifetime!! I hereby declare that I’m never going to any other mall again! This is my one-and-only mall now!! I’m basically welded to this place from now on!!"
Her words immediately drew agreement from countless other females. "Me too!! My whole family is never going to another mall again!!"
Listening to them, Bai Zhi had a feeling. ’My mall is about to blow up!’
Hu Yan’s status here was far greater than any modern-day celebrity. This was like a hugely influential figure with a massive fanbase coming to her mall for a stroll. In the future, Hu Yan’s fans would flock here to check in on social media and shop, all because he had been here.
More importantly, this was the very first place Hu Yan appeared after coming back from the dead!
’Just think how devastated all the people who adored Hu Yan were when they heard he had died, and now, how ecstatic they must be to know he’s alive!’
And because Hu Yan had appeared in this mall, countless people who looked up to him would come here just for him starting today.
She couldn’t even imagine how popular her mall was going to become!
The foot traffic in her mall would multiply several times over!
Bai Zhi could almost see countless Star Coins waving at her.
Bai Zhi was once again astounded by the brilliance of Hu Yan’s mind. ’Killing three birds with one stone!’
First, with so many witnesses, the Eldest Prince wouldn’t dare make a move, no matter what he was planning. After all, everyone now knew Hu Yan was alive.
Second, he had given her a massive, free promotional campaign. If this wave of traffic had come any earlier, she might not have been able to handle it, since she had only owned the mall for less than an hour.
At the same time, it was an announcement to the entire world: he, Hu Yan, was back!
This whole affair made Bai Zhi’s blood boil with excitement.
The scene was a cacophony of wailing. Yue Junxiao was a bit dumbfounded. ’I thought these people were looking for a fight. So they’re all Hu Yan’s fans, huh?’
Because Bai Zhi was shielded by Yue Junxiao and Yan Yichen, the crowd hadn’t noticed her.
Hearing their shouts, Hu Ao’s expression grew darker and darker.
This was exactly why he disliked Hu Yan. His popularity was immense, and he was beloved by the people—a fact that made Hu Ao deeply jealous.
His attendants kept scanning the ever-growing crowd, afraid they would surge forward and injure the Eldest Prince. At the same time, they were stunned by the Third Prince’s incredible appeal.
’No wonder the Eldest Prince is so wary of him.’
’Although the Eldest Prince is the firstborn, and most imperial families since ancient times have favored the eldest, the Third Prince surpasses him in both background and popular support. After the Third Prince’s ’death,’ the Eldest Prince had sent people to search the area where his warship disappeared for years. He had finally confirmed the Third Prince was dead, but now, he’s alive again!!’
’If I were in his shoes, my expression would have soured long ago, but the Eldest Prince is somehow managing to watch this all unfold without a change in his expression.’
Eldest Prince Hu Ao’s inner thoughts: ’What choice do I have?! With so many people watching, what can I possibly do?!’
’Unless I kill every single person here, it’ll be impossible to keep the news of Hu Yan’s survival from getting out.’
Just then, someone with sharp eyes spotted the Eldest Prince standing opposite the Third Prince, Hu Yan. "Isn’t that the Eldest Prince? Why is the Eldest Prince here too? And with the Third Prince?"
As soon as he said that, someone else voiced their speculation. "Could he be here to escort the Third Prince back to the palace?"
They were unaware of the struggles within the imperial family. They simply assumed the brothers had a deep bond and that the Eldest Prince had come to bring his younger brother home after hearing news of his return.
How else could one explain both of them appearing in this mall at the same time?
His words earned nods of agreement from many.
Eldest Prince Hu Ao had obviously heard them. After all, they weren’t exactly whispering. It would have been hard *not* to hear them!
But hearing this, Hu Ao nearly choked.
Hu Ao couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’I should have worn a disguise before coming!!’
The attendant behind him couldn’t help but wonder: ’The Eldest Prince is here to escort the Third Prince back to the palace? You mean horizontally or vertically?’
’The Eldest Prince would certainly prefer horizontally, but the crowd clearly wouldn’t want to see that. And given Hu Yan’s abilities... ’
"It must be! I didn’t expect the Eldest Prince to be a decent guy. He doesn’t seem as sanctimonious as he does on screen. To think he’d be willing to come personally to pick up the Third Prince after hearing he’s back."
"I used to really dislike the Eldest Prince, but this has changed my opinion of him a bit."
Hearing this, Eldest Prince Hu Ao was speechless. "..."
If you looked closely, you could faintly see a vein throbbing on his temple.
’I’m not here to pick up Hu Yan!!’
’Even though I crave the people’s support, I absolutely do not want them to change their minds about me at a time like this!!’
’Especially not for a reason like this!!’
There were at least tens of thousands to a hundred thousand people in the mall now. The place was packed so tightly you couldn’t even move. Hu Ao had only been thinking about quickly confirming if it was really Hu Yan; he never expected things to turn out like this.
Hu Yan watched the subtle shifts in the Eldest Prince’s expression. The corner of his brow lifted slightly, and a faint smile touched his lips.
He hadn’t originally planned to reappear in this manner, but after yesterday’s accident, he decided to just go with the flow. He hadn’t planned on using this particular mall, either—it was just a ’coincidence’ that Bai Zhi happened to own one, which led to the current scene.
’The effect is quite good,’ he thought. ’Hu Ao’s expression is priceless. Forcing the ever-sanctimonious Eldest Prince into a corner like this... the fans in the mall today deserve all the credit.’