Chapter 144: Did You Mastermind This?
Hu Ao was now cornered. He couldn’t possibly admit that he wasn’t here to pick up Hu Yan. Otherwise, tomorrow’s trending topics would be a series of headlines like "Eldest and Third Princes at Odds," "Eldest Prince Opposes Third Prince’s Resurrection," and "Eldest Prince Deliberately Targets Third Prince."
He could only play along, or at least not give himself away at a time like this.
So, Hu Ao put on his trademark smile and greeted the surrounding crowd.
Seeing Hu Ao respond, they immediately shouted, "Eldest Prince! Are you here to pick up the Third Prince? You two must be so close!"
Hu Ao forced a smile and sidestepped the question, saying, "Everyone, please don’t crowd together. Stay safe. We’ll be leaving shortly."
To everyone else, Hu Ao’s response was a tacit admission that he was, in fact, here to pick up Hu Yan!
This instantly triggered a wave of excited shouts. "See! I knew the Eldest Prince must be here to pick up the Third Prince!!"
"Eldest Prince, you have to treat the Third Prince well! He’s only just come back to us. Please don’t let him go to the battlefield again. We really can’t bear to lose him a second time!! We’re begging you!"
"The Third Prince has finally returned; we absolutely can’t lose him again!"
Hu Yan was in an excellent mood, watching Hu Ao—who clearly wished he could kill him—force himself to remain composed and not lose his cool as the crowd begged him to treat Hu Yan well.
Hu Ao desperately wanted to leave, but from the look on Hu Yan’s face, he clearly had no intention of doing so. Hu Ao had no choice but to stand there and listen to the crowd "brainwash" him.
Hu Yan was in no hurry. Though the crowd around them was large, everyone maintained a respectful distance and didn’t press too close.
After they stood there a while longer, the crowd, far from shrinking, was only growing larger, yet Hu Yan still showed no intention of leaving.
Finally, Hu Ao’s lips twitched into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and he had no choice but to say, "Third Brother, let’s get going. We shouldn’t keep Father waiting."
Hu Ao knew very well that if they continued this stalemate, the only thing that would change was the size of the crowd.
And for Hu Yan, a scene like this clearly played to his advantage.
And so, the first confrontation since Hu Yan’s return ended with Hu Ao backing down.
Hu Yan took the opening and spoke gently to the crowd, "Thank you all for your support. We will be holding a press conference later. To prevent any accidents, please be careful and clear a path for us, if you would?"
Upon hearing Hu Yan’s words, nearly everyone present answered in unison, "Alright!"
The moment they replied, everyone spontaneously parted, creating a path wide enough for two or three people to walk side-by-side, making it easy for them to leave.
Witnessing this scene, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but marvel internally. ’Hu Yan’s influence is truly incredible!’
His fans were as devoted and obedient as any celebrity’s.
Seeing this, a sinister gleam flashed in Hu Ao’s eyes. It was so fast that almost no one noticed.
The question of who would walk in front—Hu Yan or Hu Ao—became their next point of contention.
By rights, Hu Ao was the Eldest Prince, so he should walk in front. But Hu Yan had just ’risen from the dead,’ countless people there wanted to see him, and according to the narrative the crowd believed, Hu Ao was here to escort him. It stood to reason, then, that he should let Hu Yan go first.
But they both knew this was merely the public’s perception, not the actual situation.
The Eldest Prince’s attendants knew exactly what kind of man their prince was. So just as they were expecting a stalemate, the Third Prince let out a soft chuckle, made a polite gesture forward with his right hand, and said, "Imperial Brother, please."
"SOB, as expected of the Third Prince! So gentlemanly, so handsome!!"
"AHHH, what am I going to do? I adore him even more now!!"
Hearing the excited gasps from the crowd, the Eldest Prince’s attendants glanced at his expression and took a deep breath.
’What a brilliant move—retreating in order to advance!’
Though Hu Ao was smiling, the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Let’s go together," he said.
The two princes then left the shopping mall together, followed by the Eldest Prince’s retinue. Zelda deliberately had Bai Zhi and the others walk at the very back, blending in with the rest of the crowd following them out.
Zelda looked at Bai Zhi seriously and said, "You all head back first. I’m going to follow them and keep an eye on things. If we’re not back from the Imperial Palace by evening, and you haven’t received any other message from Hu Yan, take this to the Sel family and call for reinforcements."
With that, he handed Bai Zhi an object made of an unidentifiable material, but it was clearly some sort of token.
Bai Zhi nodded with a solemn expression. "Alright."
Zelda added, "The crowd was large, and the Eldest Prince’s attention was mostly on Hu Yan. I’m not sure if he noticed you, but it’s best you stay home for the next two days and don’t come out."
"I understand." Bai Zhi nodded firmly. This was a matter of life and death; of course she wouldn’t be careless.
Seeing Bai Zhi nod in agreement, Zelda turned and quickly went after them.
Hu Yan’s party wasn’t walking quickly, so Zelda soon caught up. Because he had been lagging behind to begin with, no one paid much attention to him rejoining the group from the rear.
Zelda walked up to Hu Yan’s side and exchanged a look with him. Hu Yan gave a slight nod.
Their interaction didn’t escape Hu Ao’s notice. He spoke in a passive-aggressive tone, "Third Brother, what sort of riddle are you and Zelda sharing? Is there something that can’t be said in front of me?"
He had tried to win over the Sel Family countless times, but they had always refused to join his faction. Yet the moment Hu Yan returned, Zelda was immediately trailing after him like an eager puppy. Anyone who didn’t know better might think there was something going on between them.
But Zelda apparently had a female he was interested in. Hu Ao had even entertained the idea of sending a couple of females his way, but now that Hu Yan was back, winning Zelda over was even more impossible.
Hu Yan casually retorted, "Since my Imperial Brother already called it a riddle, it naturally can’t be spoken openly."
Stung by the retort, Hu Ao fell silent. They had just walked out of the shopping mall, where a car was already waiting at the entrance. He got into the car with a grim face. By the time he turned back, he had already composed himself, asking nonchalantly, "Third Brother, aren’t you getting in?"
Hu Yan glanced at another car that had just pulled to a stop and calmly refused, "No, thanks. Zelda’s car is here. We’ll see each other at the Imperial Palace."
At his words, the door to Hu Ao’s car slowly swung shut.
"Let’s go," Zelda said, heading toward his own car first.
Hu Yan strode over and got into the car as well.
He had just gotten settled when he heard Zelda ask, "Did you mastermind everything that happened today? If you hadn’t leaked it, how could Hu Ao have possibly known your exact location? I don’t buy that he found you on his own."
Hu Yan just responded with a quiet, "Mm."
Receiving Hu Yan’s confirmation, Zelda couldn’t help but click his tongue. "I can’t even imagine how popular that little female’s shopping mall is going to be after today! The trending news is probably already out, right? If you weren’t the type who’s completely uninterested in this kind of publicity, I’d almost suspect you did all this just to drive traffic for that female of yours."