The sun of early September still carried the lingering heat of summer.
In the old residential compound, elderly men and women dragged small stools to gather under the shade of a tree, sitting around a worn stone table, gossiping about this family and that.
"Jin Fei from the Jin family..." a gray-haired old woman covered her mouth with her left hand and pointed to her head with her right, her expression mysterious and intriguing, "Has her mental condition improved?"
"Ha!" another elderly woman in a floral blouse smoothed back a few strands of hair that had escaped from behind her ears, pressing them firmly in place. "I doubt it. Just the other day, she was hopping around the yard with a stick, insisting she wanted to join the army. But she swung the stick wrong and ended up hitting her own knee."
The group of elderly listeners exchanged looks of mixed amusement and pity.
"Well, that's... the worse her mind is, the grander her dreams," an old man who didn’t get along with Grandpa Jin shook his head, his tone firm. "Forget about how spoiled the Jin family’s granddaughter is—just her reputation alone would disqualify her from being a soldier."
"What reputation?"
A clear, youthful voice rang out behind the old man.
"Of course..." the old man’s voice trailed off as he turned to see a young girl crouching beside him, looking up at him with wide eyes. His face flushed with embarrassment.
Gossiping was a harmless pastime for the elderly, but being caught by the subject of their gossip was mortifying.
Maintaining harmony was, after all, a cherished virtue among the older generation.
The thrill of gossip instantly evaporated when the person being talked about was right there.
"Go on, tell me more," Jin Fei said, resting her chin on her hands, waiting eagerly for the rest of the story.
The elderly folks exchanged uneasy glances.
No, they didn’t want to continue.
As the old men and women awkwardly dispersed, Jin Fei stood up and sat down at the stone table. "How stingy of them!"
She, Jin Fei, a prince of the Phoenix Kingdom, renowned for her martial and literary prowess, adored by countless admirers, was now reduced to being the subject of old folks’ gossip.
Ah, life was truly harsh!
Just as she was lost in thought, a young man in a tank top and shorts jogged past her. Jin Fei quickly averted her gaze.
She, Jin Fei, a paragon of virtue and talent, a prince beloved by all, was certainly not the type to ogle men.
"Sis!" Jin Bo called out as he entered the compound, carrying a bag of snacks. Spotting his sister sitting alone under the tree, he hurried over, nervously glancing around. "What are you doing sitting here?"
His sister’s mental state wasn’t the best, and he worried she might be taken advantage of.
Remembering past events, Jin Bo cursed inwardly: Damn that scumbag!
"It was too stuffy inside, so I came out for some air," Jin Fei replied, noticing that two buttons on Jin Bo’s shirt were undone. She reached out and fastened them.
Jin Bo: "..."
He really didn’t want to know what his sister’s gesture implied.
In a corner of the compound, a group of elderly men and women were dancing to music through their headphones, their movements slightly out of sync but their expressions content.
Nearby, children played noisily, their laughter filling the air.
Jin Fei sighed. "This is what a prosperous era looks like—where the elderly are cared for, and the young are nurtured."
Jin Bo: "..."
"Brother, though you may not remember the past, it’s good that you don’t have to be sent away for a political marriage anymore," Jin Fei said, her eyes shining with emotion. "To prevent you from being sent to the enemy kingdom, I led our troops in a three-day battle at the border. That fight was so fierce, it darkened the sun and shook the heavens..."
Jin Bo: "..."
Yeah, right. You make me carry your bags, pour your water, and even steal the biggest, reddest strawberries.
"There was this enemy general named Wei Xin—he was quite skilled. He shot an arrow through my arm..."
At this, Jin Bo’s expression grew complicated. When he was young, he was small and skinny, and a bully named Wei Xin from the neighborhood often picked on him. When his delicate sister found out, she stormed out and got into a fight with him.
The fight was brutal—his sister scratched Wei Xin’s face and pulled out chunks of his hair.
Wei Xin bit her arm, and she ended up wailing all the way to the doctor.
"But he didn’t fare well either—I smashed his skull with a single blow..."
Jin Bo sighed inwardly. His sister’s condition didn’t seem to be improving.
After recounting her heroic battle, Jin Fei snatched the bag of snacks from Jin Bo’s hands. "You’re too delicate to carry something so heavy."
A young woman passing by paused, giving Jin Bo a disdainful look.
Feeling the judgmental gaze of his neighbor, Jin Bo’s heart sank. He could already imagine her going home and posting online: "Exposing the shamelessness of a pampered man from a male-favoring family!" or "The weirdest guy I’ve ever met."
"What are you doing?" Jin Fei frowned as Jin Bo tried to take the bag back. "I’m not one of those cruel women who mistreat their brothers. Just walk behind me properly."
Jin Bo: "..."
No, please, be cruel!
The Jin grandparents lived on the third floor of the old building, which had no elevator. However, the stairwell was kept clean by the residents, and everyone knew each other.
"Jin Fei, Jin Bo, you two aren’t home yet?" a middle-aged man carrying a child in one arm and a stroller in the other asked as he descended the stairs, his thinning hair swaying with each step.
Jin Bo forced a smile but didn’t respond.
The man didn’t seem to care for a reply. He looked at Jin Fei, his expression a mix of schadenfreude and condescension. "It’s best for a girl to find a steady man and settle down. Don’t chase after wealthy families or handsome men—good looks often come with a wandering heart."
Jin Fei glanced at the man’s slightly squished face and shook her head inwardly. Men’s jealousy was truly something.
Afraid Jin Fei might recall painful memories, Jin Bo quickly said, "Uncle Liu, you should take your kid for a walk. We’ve got things to do at home."
With that, he pulled Jin Fei toward their apartment.
Jin Fei glanced at Jin Bo, tolerating his impetuous behavior.
A mature and composed older sister must endure her brother’s less-than-manly habits.
When the siblings returned home, their grandparents urged them to wash up and join for dinner.
Grandma Shen, a retired middle school teacher and an open-minded woman, noticed Jin Fei’s hearty appetite and had Jin Bo serve her another bowl of rice.
"Grandma, I failed to join the army," Jin Fei said gravely after finishing her last grain of rice, as if a victorious general had just suffered a crushing defeat.
Grandma Shen’s hand holding the chopsticks froze. How could she tell her granddaughter that the family had never expected her to succeed in the first place?
"It’s alright. Our Fei Fei is so capable—she can do anything," Grandma Shen comforted gently. "It’s been hot lately, so take some time to rest at home."
As long as the child was safe and sound, that was all that mattered.
Grandpa Jin silently sipped his soup, saying nothing.
After dinner, Jin Fei sat in a corner of the sofa, playing with her phone.
Phones were truly miraculous inventions—they had everything.
Jin Bo peeked over and saw his sister watching *Tom and Jerry*, her face breaking into an embarrassingly goofy grin.
He quietly slipped into his grandparents’ study, where the elderly couple was practicing calligraphy. "Grandma, Grandpa," he said dejectedly, "Do you think my sister will ever get better?"
Grandma Shen handed the brush to Grandpa Jin and looked at Jin Bo calmly. "Let things take their course. As long as she’s alive and well, that’s what matters most."
Jin Bo’s expression darkened.
His sister had been pampered since childhood, the kind of child other parents held up as an example. She excelled in academics, was strikingly beautiful, and even at Imperial Capital University, she was revered as a goddess by many.
If only...
Jin Fei burst into laughter at the antics of the foolish Tom Cat, but after a few chuckles, she remembered her esteemed status as a beloved prince and quickly straightened up, pretending to be the dignified and graceful fairy she was.
Just then, a tabloid headline popped up on her phone:
"Royal Prince and Cinderella’s Grand Engagement Banquet?"
Jin Fei frowned in confusion. Jin Bo had told her there were no royal families anymore—so where did this prince come from?
She curiously clicked on the news headline, only to see a somewhat blurry photo of a young man in a white suit, holding hands with a delicate-looking young girl, both smiling brightly.
"Xie Lisu, a graduate of Imperial Capital University and a descendant of the prestigious Xie Family, has always been the subject of much attention regarding his romantic life. Now, let’s talk about the eight women he has been romantically linked with…"
Eight women?
Jin Fei clicked her tongue in disapproval. This man, though young and somewhat handsome, seemed to have no sense of propriety, no wonder his smile looked so frivolous.
She clicked to read the full article, only to find out she needed to download some news app to continue. Instantly, she lost all interest.
With her strong sense of female superiority kicking in, Jin Fei disdainfully closed the page and glanced toward the living room. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she quietly clicked on *Tom and Jerry* again.
Her grand aspirations of ruling the Phoenix Kingdom were gone, and now she could only pass the time by watching cartoons, barely maintaining the semblance of a normal life.
Originally, she had considered joining the military to defend the borders, seeing how the current nation's territory matched that of the Phoenix Kingdom. But who would have thought she wouldn’t even pass the initial screening?
She, Jin Fei, the revered prince of the Phoenix Kingdom, couldn’t even pass the first round of military recruitment!
Did she not deserve some dignity?
After watching a few episodes of the cartoon, Jin Fei heard the sound of the door opening behind her. She quickly closed the video and sat up straight, pretending to be serious.
Jin Bo pretended not to notice Jin Fei’s act and sat down beside her. "Sis, I’m heading to school tomorrow to check in. Are you staying here with Grandpa Jin and Grandma Shen, or are you going back to Mom and Dad’s place?"
"Going to school to check in?" Jin Fei’s ears perked up instantly. "You’re going alone?!"
"I’m already a junior in college. Do I really need my parents to escort me?"
"No way! A delicate boy like you can’t just wander around on your own!" Jin Fei looked at her brother’s beautiful eyes and spoke with grave concern. "You’re a boy. You have no idea how dangerous women out there can be. I’ll take you to school tomorrow."
Jin Bo: ?????
Wait, hold on. Let’s get this straight—who exactly is the dangerous one here?
