Anli Plays Weak

Meng Anli picked it up, "But these were sewn by Mother, stitch by stitch."

"Is she a Weaver Girl? Is what she sewed a Heavenly Robe? Go back and tell her I'm doing very well now. Don't you come looking for me anymore, I will be even better."

Meng Anli was genuinely getting angry, "Even a dog doesn't despise its master's poverty, how can you disdain your mother's heartfelt effort?"

"You! How dare you scold me?" Meng Shiwan raised her hand to slap her.

Meng Anli could have easily dodged it, but a familiar and terrifying voice echoed in her ears.

She took the slap squarely and stumbled back as if on cue.

Just as she was about to fall, a pair of large hands steadied her back.

She looked up and saw a face of unparalleled handsomeness.

It was this face that had coldly and ruthlessly trapped her in a Jade Bottle and dissolved her.

It was the Crown Prince.

Meng Anli trembled, her eyes instantly reddening.

The Crown Prince found her gaze too complex and, for a moment, didn't let go of her.

He subconsciously asked, "Do we know each other?"

Meng Anli shook her head in fear and trepidation, trying to stand up, but then softly collapsed.

The Crown Prince again subconsciously supported her.

Meng Anli's voice was delicate, her eyes filled with fear, like a startled fawn.

She tightly clutched the hem of the Crown Prince's robe with her small hands, "I'm sorry, I... I was just too scared."

"Don't be afraid," the Crown Prince soothed her gently, "Tell this Prince, who bullied you?"

"I..." Meng Anli glanced towards Meng Shiwan, biting her lip carefully, "No one bullied me, I just tripped by accident."

Meng Shiwan looked pleased, but she felt Meng Ying was unworthy of being in this handsome brother's embrace.

Too much of an eyesore.

"Brother," she took a light step, deliberately adopting a posture of a willow swaying in the wind.

But before she could get close to the Crown Prince.

Meng Anli raised both hands, placed them on her cheeks, and adopted a defensive posture.

Delicately, quickly, and clearly, she said, "I'm sorry, little sister, I was wrong. I will never bring Mother's handmade clothes to you again. What you're wearing now is Floating Light Brocade; Mother's handmade work isn't good enough for you."

The Crown Prince's expression shifted slightly. He pulled Meng Anli back a step and lowered his gaze to her face.

A bright red slap mark.

He gently touched her face, "Does it hurt? Your beautiful eyes just now captured all my attention."

Meng Anli felt only revulsion.

And at the same time, she felt a sense of irony.

In her previous life, how desperately she had wanted to interact with the Crown Prince, but he had ordered her to stay far away from him.

Now, he was willing to touch her voluntarily.

Meng Anli's eyes instantly filled with tears, but she forced herself to hold them back.

"It didn't hurt at first, but it hurts now that you ask."

The Crown Prince's eyes darkened, and he said in a husky voice, "Don't cry, did your sister bully you?"

Meng Anli: "No."

Meng Shiwan: "Brother, don't listen to her nonsense."

The two spoke in unison.

The contrast was stark.

The Crown Prince looked at Meng Shiwan with utter disgust, "Don't listen to her nonsense? She says no, and you mean to say that you bullied her?"

"I..."

Meng Shiwan, usually eloquent, was speechless at this moment.

As she was struggling, her elder brother's voice came from a distance, "Your Highness, I've inquired. My sister left in this direction."

The Crown Prince remembered why he had come. He lowered his gaze and said gently to Meng Anli, "Wait for me here. When I return, I will seek justice for you."

He released Meng Anli.

But he still lingered, rubbing her shoulder with a hint of reluctance.

Meng Anli felt a swarm of goosebumps erupt on her back.

So disgusting.

She suppressed her nausea and looked at Meng Liangmiao, unable to hide her surprise.

Why did her elder brother, usually so bright and upright, exude such an aura of gloom?

He stood tall and graceful, but now his back was slightly hunched.

Although he was smiling, the smile didn't reach his eyes, and the curve of his lips was awkward.

The forced smile was far inferior to Mo Ziqian's natural, mask-like grin.

The Crown Prince noticed the meaningful look in her eyes as she gazed at Meng Liangmiao.

He pinched her cheek with a hint of jealousy, "Do your eyes see destiny in everyone you look at?"

Meng Anli looked up at him, her expression innocent.

Meng Liangmiao naturally saw their interaction and appeared accustomed to it.

"Your Highness, let's go see our sister first. It will be inconvenient once she returns to her own Zen room."

The Crown Prince frowned in displeasure. Before he could speak, Meng Shiwan exclaimed, "Big Brother!"

The Crown Prince shifted slightly to the side.

Meng Liangmiao also saw her and broke into a genuine smile, "Wanwan."

Meng Shiwan then looked at the Crown Prince, her gaze growing more and more satisfied the longer she looked.

The Crown Prince became even more displeased.

Meng Shiwan stepped forward and tilted her head to examine him, "You are the Crown Prince? Just as the rumors say."

Meng Anli retreated at the opportune moment, performing a beautiful and standard bow with feigned humility, "Greetings, Your Highness. It was Xiao Ying who was impolite just now."

After speaking, she felt a flutter of anxiety in her heart.

In her past life, the Crown Prince had said his Wanwan was very special.

Everyone called him Crown Prince, but only Wanwan said everyone was equal, calling him by his name, calling him Brother Shaoguang, making him feel loved as a man.

Meng Anli just felt that the Crown Prince was a bit displeased at the moment.

He probably didn't like being offended.

But then again, maybe the Crown Prince liked Meng Shiwan's bold and rash behavior?

A sharp reprimand came from above, "Presumptuous!"

Meng Anli's lips curled slightly. This "presumptuous" was clearly not directed at her.

As expected, in the next moment, the Crown Prince questioned Meng Liangmiao, "Is this the kind, polite, gentle, and quiet sister you told me about?"

Meng Liangmiao quickly explained, "Sister is still young, after all. She's innocent and carefree..."

"Being young and carefree doesn't mean one should be ill-mannered. Since you already know my identity, you stare at me and don't even bow?"

Meng Shiwan interjected, "Your Highness, all people are born equal. Although you are the Crown Prince, in my eyes, you are just a very handsome older brother."

Meng Anli's heart skipped a beat.

It was this "everyone is equal" that had moved the Crown Prince.

She hugged the parcel in her arms and timidly reminded, "Sister, he is first the Crown Prince, and then an elder brother. Even as an elder brother, he is older, and you should bow."

The Crown Prince looked at the round hairpin shaped like a peach on her round head, his expression softening.

His gaze swept over her small hands, and when he saw the parcel, he remembered her earlier words about Meng Shiwan wearing Floating Light Brocade and her disdain for the clothes her mother had sewn.

The Crown Prince's expression turned cold again, "Everyone is equal? Fine, I won't punish you for disrespecting me, but you bullied your elder sister..."

Meng Liangmiao anxiously interrupted him and explained again, "That was all Meng Anli's fault."

"Did I mention Meng Anli? Why are you dragging her into this?" The Crown Prince took Meng Anli's hand, "Mine is this sister of hers."

Meng Shiwan said, "I didn't bully her, she's faking it. She's not my sister either, just my wet nurse's daughter."

The tears Meng Anli had been holding back finally fell.

She choked out her accusation.

"Let's not even mention that Mother carried you for ten months. Would you call her your wet nurse just because she's a mortal? My own sister came to deliver clothes to you, and you recognized her as a maid. You just said everyone is equal, is this how you practice equality?"