All they saw was Zhou Cheng pulling him back and saving him!
At that thought, a chill settled over the Crown Prince's heart.
He recalled his reaction just now and immediately understood why everyone wore those expressions.
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but could not get a single word out.
People would only believe what they saw and trust what they thought.
Would explaining really do anything except make him look even more unreasonable?
He quickly weighed the pros and cons, only to discover, to his dismay, that he had a mouth but no way to argue his case, a tongue but no way to speak. He had no choice.
Helpless, he forced an awkward smile onto his face, as though explaining to the others that everything just now had been an unintentional reaction to his fright.
The Crown Prince raised his hand, about to take the way out Zhou Cheng had offered and use his hand to stand, only to see Zhou Cheng withdraw it the next instant.
Yet none of the others found anything wrong with that.
More than a dozen breaths had passed while the Crown Prince reasoned things through and weighed his options.
Zhou Cheng had kept his hand out all that time, but the Crown Prince had refused to take it. In their eyes, the Crown Prince had failed to consider the bigger picture, and Zhou Cheng was perfectly justified in finally withdrawing his hand.
After all, leaving his hand hanging there would have been inviting humiliation.
The Crown Prince looked mortified, but could only feign composure, turn his outstretched hand in another direction, and rise with the others' help.
Some helped brush the dust from his robes, while others offered handkerchiefs for him to wipe his hands and sweat. He accepted them