"Master Bai, are you alright?" Meilan asked Yunyu, who was still dazed after a while. He was waiting for almost an hour, and the national exam would start in two hours. He still had to register himself.

He could just walk or use a carriage to the examination ground. But Huang Shu said it himself that he wanted to pick Yunyu up and personally accompany him to the exam ground.

That was the reason why Yunyu had been waiting for an hour for Huang Shu.

[Yo, did something happened to Huang Shu? There is no way he forgot about this, right? He is the one who keeps reminding me about today's exam…]

[Pupa: Something definitely happens to Huang Shu, maybe he finally realized your spicy chicken-ness, that's why he ran away.]

[Aish, Pupa, you just have to make it worse for me.]

The nine years old Xu Jiansheng looked up, staring at Bai Yunyu. He was visiting because he wanted to support his 'Yunyu Gege' for his exam.

Though, he was bitter that Yunyu Gege still had a secret relationship with that frivolous Seventh Prince.

Xu Jiansheng noticed Yunyu's restlessness and then commented, "Gege, I bet that Seventh Prince is still in his bed, sleeping with a woman or many of them. You're being lied to right now, Ge. I can always take you to the Exam ground with my carriage."

Yunyu was speechless with Xu Jiansheng's words. He always suspected that Xu Jiansheng actually remembered everything. But Pupa always rebuked him, saying there was no way Xu Jiansheng to be unaffected by the Rewind Stone, which was basically a God's artifact.

But after reconsideration, Yunyu finally yielded and requested, "Jiansheng, can you help Gege this time?"

…

Bai Yunyu arrived at the exam ground and registered himself immediately. He was lucky to have Xu Jiansheng with him, so he wasn't late.

Bai Yunyu stood out the most when he was being lined up by the rest of the participants. His cinnabar mole made everyone look at him curiously because this was the first time a Ger man took part in an exam.

But Yunyu ignored it because what he was concerned about the most was Huang Shu's absence in today's exam. Usually, the Emperor and all Nine Princes would watch over the exam, but the Seventh Prince was absent today.

The Emperor and the Princes all staring at Bai Yunyu, his beautiful face and attractive cinnabar mole standing out amongst the wave of men here, and Crown Prince Huang Bei was the one who stared at him the most.

He even gave Yunyu a smile when their eyes met, which made Yunyu shivered.

[Not going to lie, Huang Bei is alright, but after I've been spoiled by Huang Shu's god-given face, I just can't settle with someone less handsome!]

[Pupa: You damn face-con. Don't you know there's more than meets the eye?]

[Yeaaaa, but when you have sex, that is the first thing you see, right?]

[Pupa:…]

The exam started, and Yunyu did everything flawlessly. He was so quick that he didn't even break a sweat when answering everything. He was basically a guaranteed national champion today.

Bai Yunyu was the first one to finish his exam. He turned it to the examiner before leaving the exam ground.

He turned his head at the pavilion where the princes were staying, and there was no sign of Huang Shu at all. Which got him worried.

[Huang Shu is punctual and very disciplined, there is definitely something happening with him right now.]

[Pupa: Well, you can worry about that later because another prince is coming our way.]

[Huh?]

Bai Yunyu suddenly felt a big palm patting his shoulder. He turned around and saw Crown Prince Huang Bei standing in front of him with a smile on his face.

"A—Ah! Your Highness, Crown Prince, pardon me for not noticing you sooner!" Yunyu bowed his head politely. Huang Bei was pleased when he heard Yunyu finally addressing him for the first time since this was their first meeting.

His soothing voice made Huang Bei's heart beat faster, but he tried to act appropriately as the Crown Prince.

"I see that you're quite fast with your test," Huang Bei praised. "Impressive."

"T—Thank you, Your Highness. You're the most kind, but I'm not really the best…" Yunyu's cheek reddened slightly.

Yunyu tried to excuse himself, but before he finally left, Huang Bei suddenly called him again, "Bai Yunyu, I believe that you will be a good Empress in the future, don't you think?"

…

Bai Yunyu was dazed when the Crown Prince suddenly said that. He didn't expect Huang Bei to be so direct about this. It was already a foreshadowing that he wanted Yunyu to be his bride and his Empress.

"Y—Your Highness, that is a bit… Uhm… surprising…"

"I know, but you should get used to it, alright? We will talk about this later," Huang Bei then held Yunyu's hand and handed a carved jade stone with his name on it. This jade was the sign that the Crown Prince was serious about meeting him again later on. It would be a formal meeting or what they called as… formal marriage proposal.

Yunyu gulped after being handed such a thing, he hadn't even gotten the marriage proposal from Huang Shu, but he got one from Huang Bei now.

[Aish, where is he, seriously? If he's nowhere to be seen for the whole day, there is no choice but to accept Crown Prince's proposal!]

"T—Thank you, Your Majesty, please excuse me…." Bai Yunyu bowed his head again and then ran as fast as he could. Huang Bei chuckled with such nervousness in him, he mumbled,

'Cute.'

Meanwhile, Concubine Ai was watching from afar because she was one of the Imperial Concubines appointed by Emperor Jing to present during the Imperial Exam.

She leered at Bai Yunyu and scoffed, full of contempt. She knew that both her son, Huang Shu, and the Crown Prince, Huang Bei, were bewitched by that bitch Ger Bai Yunyu.

Maybe it was the secret that every Ger man kept because there was no way she could be beaten by an old Ger man in his forty that stole Emperor's attention.

'I will make sure that nobody will like you anymore, you bitch Ger. I will make sure everyone sees your true skin as a bitch who seduced all men to gain their favor, including my son!' Concubine Ai cursed in her heart.

Bai Yunyu left the Imperial exam ground and walked to his home in the city. He kept thinking about Huang Shu. He was worried that Huang Shu wouldn't show up before Huang Bei came and proposed to him. Since there was no way for him to reject a Crown Prince's proposal.

[Hmm… somehow, the fact that Huang Shu is not showing up is already a sign that something terrible will happen soon.]

[Pupa:… I won't lie this time. Yes, Huang Shu's absence feels so strange. So unusual of him]

[I know, right? It keeps giving me this ominous feeling…]

It took him almost an hour walking to reach the capital, and when he saw a black smoke puffing up high in the sky, and when he saw the directed where that smoke came from, his back went cold.

"DAD! MEILAN!!"