Meng Anli quickly memorized it.
The Crown Prince also gave the secret formula to Meng Shiwan.
Meng Shiwan said confidently, "Please give me time, Crown Prince. I will definitely create even more powerful explosives."
The Crown Prince did not care much. "As you wish."
He lowered his eyes to look at Meng Anli again.
The instant Meng Anli met his gaze, she seemed to suddenly realize something was wrong and hurriedly moved farther away from him.
Her cheeks flushed crimson as she bowed. "Crown Prince, I was too presumptuous."
"It should be I who was presumptuous toward Miss Xiao Ying." The Crown Prince reached out to help Anli up.
Meng Anli shyly rose before he could.
Meng Shiwan bit her lip and was about to move when Meng Liangmiao stopped her.
She simply turned her back and refused to watch.
Meng Anli called softly, "Wanwan, I'll be leaving first."
Meng Shiwan replied indifferently, "Whatever."
Meng Anli immediately looked wounded. She hastily bowed to the Crown Prince, gave him one deep look, then hurried away.
"Miss Xiao Ying!" The Crown Prince went after her without hesitation.
He caught up to her in just a few strides, only to find tears streaming down her face as she turned away from him.
He gripped her shoulders, forcing them to meet each other's eyes.
"Don't cry. Having your sincerity betrayed truly hurts. Just don't give it again next time."
Meng Anli nodded heavily.
At least he had said something worth hearing.
"Thank you for comforting me, Crown Prince. I should return now."
The Crown Prince asked, "Where is your home? I'll take you."
"I can go back by myself."
The Crown Prince softened his voice and teased, "Do you have another pair of shoes?"
Meng Anli smiled through her tears at just the right moment. "Crown Prince~"
"I have a carriage. I'll take you."
Meng Anli opened her mouth.
The Crown Prince said imperiously, "No one has ever refused me twice."
Meng Anli nodded with a blushing face.
The two left.
Meng Shiwan nearly ground her silver teeth to pieces.
"Damn green tea bitch! Damn faker!"
Meng Liangmiao turned back. Seeing her gnashing her teeth like that, he fell into a daze.
"Wanwan? How did you become like this?"
Meng Shiwan froze, recalling everything that had just happened.
She was startled as well. She had failed to control herself just now.
She had successfully developed explosives. Wasn't she entitled to be a little proud?
It was all that damn green tea bitch Meng Ying's fault. She was cowardly and useless, yet she dared to insult her.
Shouldn't she have been beaten?
She only wanted to prove herself. She only wanted the Crown Prince to see her in a new light and treat her with devotion.
Yet Meng Ying ruined things again and again.
Especially when she heard the words "firecrackers," it reminded her of the disdainful expression on that old bald donkey's face in class when he said "firecrackers."
She lost all reason and only wanted to prove herself.
She had fallen into the trap of proving herself.
Meng Ying must have deliberately provoked her.
Since when had Meng Ying become so scheming?
Once Meng Shiwan figured this out, her eyes reddened when she looked up again.
"Big Brother, I'm sorry. I was too impatient."
Whenever Meng Liangmiao saw her like this before, his heart would soften, and he would want to protect her.
But when he thought of the Crown Prince's disgust toward her just now, and how the Crown Prince had said they should not meet unless there was something important, he found her weeping appearance irritating.
Meng Shiwan looked at his faintly furrowed brows and put on a stubborn, resilient expression.
"To develop the explosives, I went without sleep or rest for two months. I finally succeeded, and my classmates praised me, so it was inevitable that I became proud. I'm sorry for disgracing you, Brother."
Whenever she spoke of her hardships in the past, her brother would certainly comfort her.
But now, the mention of explosives only made Meng Liangmiao think of the foolish way she had handed over the formula.
He sighed. "You do not understand the Crown Prince very well. His memory is extraordinary. He has likely already memorized the formula, and he will immediately find people to develop it. Do you think your strength alone can rival the Heavenly Realm Crown Prince's power and connections?"
Meng Shiwan looked as though she had been struck by lightning. Her face turned truly pale, carrying a trace of genuine pitifulness and brokenness.
"How... how could this be?"
Seeing her like this, Meng Liangmiao could not help but feel sorry for her. "You simply have never seen much intrigue and deception. It is not your fault."
Meng Shiwan still muttered, "How could this be? It should not have been like this."
Meng Liangmiao gently patted her shoulder. "Remember this: never reveal your foundation to anyone."
"Mm." Meng Shiwan nodded, tears swimming in her eyes. "Thank you, Big Brother. Please explain it to the Crown Prince for me. Meng Ying truly is very scheming."
Meng Liangmiao sighed and disagreed. "He is the Crown Prince. There are countless immortal maidens in the heavens who wish to serve him. Since childhood, he has seen every kind of woman's schemes. If she were truly scheming, how could he fail to see through it?"
Meng Shiwan froze and asked in disbelief, "Brother, what do you mean?"
Meng Liangmiao was growing irritated and simply said, "Tell me, is Meng Ying your elder sister?"
Meng Shiwan wanted to deny it, but she felt that such a lie would fall apart at the first poke.
She lowered her head and made herself look pitiful. "She is my elder sister, but she bullied me since childhood."
"A woman crossed mountains and rivers, gnawed on dry rations, drank cold water, and wore through several pairs of shoes to find you. Is that how she bullied you?"
"Big Brother, I..." Meng Shiwan's tears fell.
"Cultivate properly here." Meng Liangmiao turned and left.
Meng Shiwan wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with hatred.
Meng Ying, you really know how to pretend!
Then her fighting spirit soared.
What use was merely pretending to be a green tea bitch?
She could also make shampoo and body wash, and she had plenty of advanced ideas and creativity. She would definitely win back the Crown Prince's favor.
A future Heavenly Emperor like the Crown Prince.
Only she, the true fated maiden, was worthy of him.
Meng Anli had already boarded the Crown Prince's carriage.
She sat quietly, examining the glazed pearls on the carriage roof. From time to time, she looked at the snow-white Sky Horse and the clouds outside.
Her eyes were full of surprise, yet she did not make a single sound.
The Crown Prince kept watching her, a smile in his eyes.
Meng Anli happened to turn back and meet the Crown Prince's gaze, then lowered her head shyly again.
The Crown Prince greatly liked this look of hers. "There is no need to be shy. It is normal to be curious when seeing these things for the first time."
Meng Anli looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Thank you, Crown Prince. So you are the Heavenly Realm Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince proudly adjusted his collar. "Let me formally introduce myself. I am Shaoguang, the Heavenly Realm Crown Prince."
Meng Anli murmured softly, "Shaoguang... even radiant spring blossoms cannot compare to a fraction of Shaoguang."
The Crown Prince's heart stirred. "What did you say?"
Meng Anli waved her hands repeatedly, her eyes shimmering. "Nothing, nothing."
"What is your name?"
Meng Anli smiled bitterly. "Compared to Crown Prince Shaoguang, I am merely roadside wild grass beneath the shade of a tree. You may call me Xiao Ying."
The Crown Prince saw her sadness. "I will not allow you to belittle yourself."
"I am not belittling myself. It has simply been this way since childhood. Father did not love us, my younger sister was not right in the head, and mother worked hard to raise the two of us, relying on vegetables grown in our courtyard to make a living."
Meng Anli pinched her cheek and smiled. "I look like this now entirely because mother grows such good fruits and vegetables."
Watching her pinch that soft, bouncy cheek, the Crown Prince could not help reaching out and pinching her other cheek as well.
Meng Anli stared at him blankly.
The Crown Prince released her and could not suppress a laugh. "Mm, your mother raised you very well. But you said your younger sister was not right in the head?"
"Mm. She had been dazed and foolish since childhood, but she was very lovable. More than two years ago, she accidentally fell into the water. Yet a misfortune turned into a blessing, and after she woke up, she was well. We were very happy, but then..."
Mockery curled at the Crown Prince's lips. "But then she abandoned you both, climbed Chongwu Mountain alone, and went to enjoy herself in the Heavenly Court, is that it?"
Meng Anli waved her hands repeatedly. "Crown Prince, please do not say that. As long as she is happy, it is enough. Mother and I both hope she will be well."
The Crown Prince sighed. "You are simply too kind."
Meng Anli lowered her eyes, looking utterly bashful.
Yet she was concealing the mockery in her gaze.
See? Today, she had made Meng Shiwan lose all face, and now she was still poisoning the Crown Prince's mind against her.
So very scheming.
Yet the Crown Prince still called her kind.
Sure enough, to accomplish anything, one needed to take a roundabout path and play the pitiful card.
Before you continue