On the Ark.

Without realizing it, my eyes had already become a little red.

She hadn't cried for many years; the last time was five years ago, when the Second Prince casually told her on her birthday that the ship he had painstakingly arranged for her brother to smuggle out had sunk in the East Sea. From that moment on, she never cried again, not even when she learned she was to marry into the Eastern Kingdom.

But now, she finally couldn't hold back anymore. Because that voice was so familiar; she felt that person had returned, and she always cried and sobbed in front of that person.

But she tried hard not to cry out loud, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Let me ask you for a favor."

"Ok?"

"Don't speak, let me speak."

Although Lin Ye was somewhat confused, he nodded and said, "Okay, go ahead."

Ying Li took a deep breath, feeling the gentle breeze dry her tears. She turned to look at the figure in the darkness and softly said, "Brother, I'm getting married soon. I'm so happy right now..."

pat.

The balcony light suddenly turned on.

The sudden light made Lin Ye squint involuntarily. When he opened his eyes completely, he saw a stunningly beautiful girl standing in front of him. Even though he was covering one eye with his hand, tears were still streaming down his face.

"You don't need to worry about me anymore. No one will bully me anymore..."

At that moment, Lin Ye felt as if something had stabbed his heart, and it hurt a lot.

She was a girl I didn't know.

……

"That's strange." The Iron-Eating Beast's voice came from behind, "Dr. Lin, why didn't you turn on the lights when you were enjoying the breeze on the balcony?"

Chapter 553 Untitled

Ying Li tried very hard to hold back her emotions. She thought to herself that her brother was gone, and if he had a spirit in heaven, he should rest in peace and not worry about her anymore. So at this moment, she didn't want to cry; she simply told her brother in a calm tone that she was fine, that she was getting married soon, and that he didn't need to worry.

Unfortunately, she couldn't resist.

Despite countless reminders to herself that the voice only sounded like her brother's and that he was gone, she still felt as if he were alive and standing beside her when he spoke. And in his presence, she was never the decisive and assertive fourth princess, but a tearful little girl.

So, years later, just like when she was a child, she wept bitterly in front of her "brother." She even forgot what her original purpose was; only one thought remained in her mind: how wonderful it would be to see her brother again.

Just as she was thinking this, the balcony light suddenly turned on.

The light was so bright that Ying Li, who was used to the dark, felt uncomfortable and closed her eyes.

Then she heard the other person's angry voice: "You damn national treasure! Why did you turn on the lights like that!"

Then she slowly opened her eyes and saw a profile that was all too familiar to her, and she was stunned.

"Why can't you turn on the light? You're not doing anything sneaky... Hey, you're chatting with someone late at night. Who are you talking to? Let me see."

"Can you stop meddling in other people's business, you chubby little thing!" Lin Ye glared angrily, then looked at Ying Li apologetically, "Sorry, it was this damn national treasure who had a loose tongue..."

Now, Ying Li could finally see his entire face clearly.

Although many things have changed, it still slowly overlaps with the little boy in my memory.

……

"Um... Nice to meet you, I am... Ah, don't cry. I'm not a bad person, I am the Third Prince Ying... no, I am your brother."

……

Am I dreaming?

Ying Li thought to herself.

It can only be a dream, after all, where else can we see him besides a dream?

But whether it's a dream or not, Ying Li only wants to do one thing right now.

Lin Ye's eyes widened: "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?! This is the thirtieth floor!"

Ying Li and Lin Ye were separated only by a door, so Ying Li chose to jump over it. This was the thirtieth floor of the Starlight Hotel. If Ying Li were even slightly careless, even slightly slippery, she would fall from the thirtieth floor. If the manager of the Starlight Hotel witnessed such a scene, he would most likely be so frightened that he would faint on the spot, and upon waking up, he would immediately dismantle the door.

Lin Ye felt similarly; his heart soared high with Ying Li's movements, then plummeted just as quickly, like he was on a rollercoaster.

Fortunately, no accident occurred. Ying Li climbed over the glass door in just a few seconds and then staggered to the ground.

Then, she quickly moved forward and hugged Lin Ye tightly.

"I finally, finally..." Ying Li's voice choked with emotion, "I've finally seen you again."

Lin Ye was completely bewildered. He hadn't expected that as soon as the Iron-Eating Beast turned on the light, Ying Li would climb over from the balcony and hug him, wiping her snot and tears all over him. He wanted to ask, "Girl, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? I don't remember ever having a sister. Are you hallucinating because you miss your brother so much?"

Lin Ye thought this, but he couldn't say these words or reach out to push Ying Li away.

Because he sensed Ying Li's sorrow.

He sensed it when the lights came on and he saw tears streaming down her face from those glassy eyes. So he slowly reached out and hugged Ying Li tighter, whispering in her ear.

"Yes, I'm back."

……

"Did the Second Prince really say that?" Wei Yanwu asked, sipping his tea as he looked at the subordinate who had come to report.

The subordinate nodded and said, "Yes, he told you to stop investigating."

"Tsk, interesting." Wei Yanwu put down his teacup and said lightly, "This Second Prince is much worse than I imagined, but his reaction was within my expectations."

The subordinate was somewhat puzzled: "What do you mean?"

“His response is enough to prove that Lin Ye is indeed His Highness the Third Prince Ying Zhen,” Wei Yanwu said softly. “More than ten years ago, before I was transferred to the position of Governor of Longmen, I saw him at His Highness Ying Zhen’s first birthday banquet. However, he looked very different back then, and I really couldn’t confirm his identity. But now His Highness Ying Jie has confirmed it for me.”

The subordinate thought for a moment and asked, "Does the Second Prince's reaction suggest that the Third Prince's untimely death was related to him?"

"If that's not the case, why did he warn us not to continue the investigation?" Wei Yanwu said calmly.

"Then..." the subordinate asked, seemingly struck by a thought, "Could we pass this message on to His Highness the First Prince? If His Highness can make a move on this, the Second Prince's situation will become very difficult, right? And once there is solid evidence proving that the Second Prince harmed the Third Prince, then the Second Prince will completely lose any chance of succeeding to the throne. Then only the First Prince will be able to inherit the throne, and we can get that information from him..."

"It's not that simple," Wei Yanwu interrupted his subordinate, saying calmly, "Why don't you think about why the Second Prince would attack the Third Prince?"

"Uh..." The subordinate really hadn't thought of that. "Yes. Logically speaking, the Third Prince poses no threat to the Second Prince. Only the First Prince is the biggest threat to the Second Prince's throne, right?"

“Who said there’s no threat?” Wei Yanwu said slowly. “The emperors of Yan Kingdom throughout history have always considered two aspects when choosing their successors. Either they choose the eldest son or the most virtuous. If it’s the eldest son, then naturally it’s the eldest prince. But if it’s the most virtuous, is it really Yingjie’s turn?”

When his subordinates saw Wei Yanwu addressing the Second Prince by his given name, they roughly understood Wei Yanwu's attitude towards the Second Prince.

"Furthermore, although the current emperor is old, he is not senile. The third prince was abducted by the second prince in the deep palace. Does the emperor really not know?"

"You mean, the Emperor tacitly approved of the Second Prince's attack on the Third Prince? But why would the Emperor do such a thing?"

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Wei Yanwu picked up his teacup again and said with a light laugh, “Didn’t Ying Jie ask us about the whereabouts of the Third Prince? Then go and tell him that the Third Prince is currently in Yan Kingdom.”

Chapter 554 I'm Not Your Brother (3K)

Lin Ye didn't know why he could reply so fluently, "Yes, I'm back."

Because Ying Li gave him no time to process what was happening, he instinctively embraced the girl who was crying her heart out, but who was still a complete stranger to him. Yet, he responded to her as if a program ingrained in his very being had been activated.

Perhaps it was because Ying Li's sadness truly touched him that he was willing to give her a warm hug at this special time, because he didn't think it was a bad thing.

It would be even better if the Iron-Eating Beast wasn't watching so longingly.

Ying Li cried in Lin Ye's arms for a full minute. During this time, Lin Ye, who had gradually calmed down, didn't dare to do anything. So he stood there stiffly like a wooden stake until Ying Li's crying gradually stopped and her shoulders stopped trembling from crying.

At this moment, Lin Ye assumed that Ying Li had calmed down, so he slowly began to speak: "Um..."

Then, as if remembering something, Ying Li suddenly raised her head and grabbed Lin Ye's collar. Before Lin Ye could react, she exerted force and slammed him against the wall.

Lin Ye was taken aback by Ying Li's sudden action. Before he could speak, he heard Ying Li speak in an angry tone with a trembling voice.

"Why did you come back!" Ying Li gritted her teeth, her excessively beautiful eyes only centimeters away from Lin Ye's. "Since you survived, why didn't you live a good life? Why did you come back?!"

Ying Li's questioning tone left Lin Ye speechless, and she didn't give him a chance to answer.

"I went to so much trouble, sacrificed so many people to send you away! Why did you come back?!" Ying Li's voice was somewhat hysterical. "Brother... Ying Zhen! Do you have to die in front of me to be satisfied?!"

Yingzhen?

Is that her brother's name? She definitely mistook him for someone else. Seriously, they're this close and she still can't tell them apart? Just how much does her brother look like her?

Wait, Ying Zhen? Surname Ying?

This surname sounds so familiar.

Lin Ye's mind was in turmoil, unable to think clearly, but he didn't need to. When Ying Li called out "Ying Zhen," a crisp sound came from beside them, like something crashing to the ground. Lin Ye and Ying Li turned around simultaneously and saw a shattered glass. The glass had been taken out by the Iron-Eating Beast; she had only come out to get some hot water to make oatmeal, but she hadn't expected to witness such a spectacle—it was like something out of a movie.

So she originally intended to enjoy the view from the sidelines, but she felt that Ying Li looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.

It wasn't until Ying Li called out that name and heard that surname that the Iron-Eating Beast remembered Ying Li's identity. It was so shocked that it dropped the glass in its hand and stammered out five words: "Fourth...Fourth...Fourth Princess?!"

The Fourth Princess?!

Lin Ye was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized why Ying Li also seemed somewhat familiar to him.

This is the fourth princess of Yan Kingdom! The one whose photos he'd seen online several times! The one who'll be the bride at the engagement ceremony in six days!

Holy crap, how could we run into each other like this? The dignified Fourth Princess of Yan Kingdom actually lives next door to them and has been talking about life with him for two nights?

It really worked! The iron-eating beast's milk worked!

Lin Ye's lips twitched involuntarily. He thought to himself that he could never disbelieve the national treasure's words again; that mouth of his was truly blessed.

So what did he listen to these past two nights?

What Ying Li was complaining about was the engagement in six days, wasn't it? And the object of her dissatisfaction was none other than the Crown Prince of the Eastern Kingdom! Good heavens, how could a commoner like him possibly know about matters of the royal family? If the current Emperor of Yan found out, wouldn't he immediately silence him?

More importantly, it seems that he was treated as an older brother by this fourth princess.

The princess's brother is... the prince of Yan Kingdom!?

Lin Ye felt his right eyelid twitching wildly, and the word "death" seemed to be slowly being drawn on his forehead.

Being recognized didn't bother Ying Li. Instead, she grabbed Lin Ye's hand and said, "Let's not talk about that now. I'll find a way to get you out of Yan Kingdom right now."

"Uh, that..."

“Although I don’t know why you came back, or how you survived,” Ying Li wiped away her tears and said, “you have to leave now, because Ying Jie is in Luo City. He will never let you go once he knows you are still alive. You have to leave now, whether you go to Ursus, Victoria, or anywhere else, just don’t stay in Yan Country, and you can’t go to Dong Country.”

"Princess Yingli..."

"Calling my name won't do any good. I'm so happy you're alive, really happy, so you have to keep living."