I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 30: Candy

The young prince is the smallest in age and stature in the entire Imperial Academy, making it indeed unsuitable for him to be seated in the second-to-last row.

Nearby, Rong Qijun, undeterred by Gu Lan’s mockery, said flamboyantly upon seeing Rong Yunhao wanting to sit beside Gu Lan, "Gu Lan, I’ll do you a favor. Qin Zhenghu, go to the back row and sit with Rong Heng, let Yunhao sit over here."

Being the Second Prince, Rong Qijun was different from others in configuration; besides Yuan Lang, he also had a companion study partner, whom he referred to as Qin Zhenghu.

Initially, Gu Lan only felt that the young man beside her looked composed, presumably older than the rest, and realized he was the one who attempted to stop Rong Qijun from getting angry at the young prince a few days ago—unsuccessfully.

Upon hearing the name Qin Zhenghu, she suddenly remembered.

Qin Zhenghu is the Minister of Industry in Yan Country mentioned in the book.

In the book, it is said that Minister Qin, when young, encountered a flood disaster and was fortunately saved by Rong Heng. Since then, he has been working tirelessly for Rong Heng and later became a significant figure in the water management, dedicating his life to serving the country and the people, managing countless water projects.

Unexpectedly, such a small Imperial Academy gathered so many people of note.

Yet ironically, only Rong Qijun was nothing special and also the most arrogant.

Truly, ignorance is fearless.

Originating from a humble background, Qin Zhenghu had passed the Advanced Scholar examination two years ago and was lucky to become the companion reader for the Second Prince. Hearing the Second Prince’s words, he trembled and glanced back at Rong Heng, whose visage was filled with brooding, his gaze gloomy, then shivered, truly unwilling to sit with this person.

Rong Heng had been at the Imperial Academy for several days, never speaking a word to anyone. His constant somber appearance alone was intimidating.

The Second Prince dared to bully Rong Heng, but that doesn’t mean a weak scholar like him dared to; after all, Rong Heng bore the Imperial Family bloodline.

"No need!"

Rong Yunhao suddenly stepped forward, clutching his books, and ran with his short legs to sit beside Rong Baoyi, "Sister, I’ll sit with you."

Rong Baoyi raised an eyebrow, "You’re unwilling?"

"Willing."

Rong Yunhao’s expression was like a woeful elementary school student learning that their homeroom teacher lived next door.

The young prince sat down with a face full of grievance, looking sorrowfully at Gu Lan with his chubby, soft face.

Alas, who let him be exceptionally wise, discerning that Qin Zhenghu wasn’t interested in switching seats?

He wants to be the pride of his parents, unwilling to force others, nor be labeled as someone who bullies like Rong Qijun, and he certainly doesn’t need Rong Qijun’s help!

Rong Yunhao cheered himself to study hard and then fished out two pieces of almond pastry from his pocket, savoring them.

Brother Lan only gave him one piece of almond pastry daily; today, at the start of the semester, he generously gave him two pieces.

With the seating arrangements concluded, Gu Lan satisfactorily sat in the seat of her choice, ignoring Rong Qijun’s irritable gaze.

She placed her bag and arranged her books seemingly, then under the watchful eyes of the crowd, turned and looked at the boy seated behind her.

"From today on, we’ll be front and back desk mates, Brother Heng, aren’t you happy?"

Brooding and full of evil qi, Rong Heng met those clear eyes and paused slightly before lowering his gaze, his expression unclear, speaking in a cold yet mischievous voice:

"If I say I’m not happy, will you leave?"

The surroundings fell instantly silent.

Gu Lan leaned against Rong Heng’s desk, saying cheerfully, "Nope."

In his eyes, layered with deep aversion, she was kept at a distance.

Gu Lan felt the temperature around her drop, as if entering a dead zone, yet she adapted well, knowing Rong Heng only had a tough exterior in front of others, secretly tending to injured kittens.

Rong Heng’s eyes briefly showed astonishment; the person with arched brows showed neither fear nor confusion but continued to smile foolishly at him.

Is it because she is too foolish?

Or is her skin too thick?

By this time, it was already 7 a.m., and the lessons at the Imperial Academy began; Gu Lan turned back around.

Everyone felt Gu Lan had suffered a setback; Rong Qijun gave a snide snort, low but audible, "Gu Lan, you’d better stay away from Rong Heng."

Rong Heng, that kind of freak, should remain in the gutter forever like a piece of sludge, and yet Gu Lan went on to stick to him, truly a brain damaged by falling into Yuanqing Pool.

Suppressing the upheaval within, Rong Heng heard these words and gave a self-deprecating, cold laugh.

He sat alone in the last row, his eyes dark and profound.

The next moment, Rong Heng’s downcast pupils shook violently.

On the pale-colored book pages, at some unknown time, appeared a few round sugar candies.

One, two, three, four, five—

Rong Heng carefully counted, the Young Master Gu gave him five candies, the same kind he threw into his mouth after eating noodles last time.

The fine sweet-sour scent filled his nose, with no change in expression, Rong Heng quietly turned a page to cover them.

A faint smile involuntarily graced his thin lips.

The morning class ended, and as soon as the teacher stepped out of the Imperial Academy, the hall instantly bustled with noise.

Gu Lan, rubbing her eyes, stood up. Today’s lesson was on the foundational classics of the Four Books and Five Classics, all in classical literature. It was, quite simply, the world’s most melodious lullaby and less engaging than her own studies at the Marquis Mansion in recent days.

Did the heavens see that she never experienced exam-based education in her past life, thus having her taste it this time?

She glanced back at Rong Heng, finding him still maintaining his posture, sitting at his desk, half-closed eyes gazing at the book in front of him.

Amid the hall’s clamor, Rong Heng seemed able to isolate himself from everything around, the noon sunlight casting on his robust brow, forming a sharp shadow, making the eye sockets appear more profound and defined.

Even bathed in light, he still appeared cold as the autumn frost.

She stared blankly for two seconds, her heart stirring slightly, then quickly ran out.

"Brother Lan, wait for me!" Behind her, the young prince darted after her like a firecracker, followed quickly by Rong Baoyi.

The Imperial Academy disallowed leaving at noon, so the palace attendants serving these young masters had to wait early with food boxes outside the hall, ensuring the meals weren’t too hot nor too cold, but just right when served to the masters.

Gu Lan asked Zijin specifically to prepare a double portion.

—Braised noodle with exquisite pastries, incredibly aromatic, she wanted to share them with Rong Heng.

As the phantom before him vanished, Rong Heng lifted his head slowly, gazing blankly ahead.

The Maoqin Hall soon filled with the fragrance of various cuisine, even the Wei country’s Crown Prince Yuan Lang had attendants from Wei delivering his meal.

Nothing lay on Rong Heng’s table.

But he didn’t mind, as long as he had his candy.

He delicately picked up a candy from the book page; the semi-hard texture at his fingertips, reminiscent of the jars Gu Lan brought yesterday.

When Rong Heng was young, he loved candy; the sweetness seemed to ease millions of thoughts, but Xiao Ning always said too much candy would cause rotten teeth, giving both him and his sister only one or two tiny candies each day.

His sister, hearing that tooth decay would make her ugly, gave all her candy to him.

Before he got tooth decay, Xiao Ning had died.

Afterwards, he never ate candy again.

Rong Heng delicately placed the candy near his lips—

At this moment, a loud bang, the desk shook.

The remaining candies on the book page, with the vibrations, clattered onto the ground.

Rong Qijun didn’t see them, stepping on the candies, crushing them into fragments. He still maintained his action of slamming Rong Heng’s desk, his voice grating on the ears:

"Rong Five! If you serve as this prince’s horse, this prince will share this dish of meat with you."

Rong Heng maintained his previous posture, unmoving.

After a long while, he clenched the only remaining candy in his palm, slowly raising his head.

Rong Qijun got startled; he had bullied Rong Heng for so long, yet had never seen this expression on his face before.

The dark eyes were bloodshot and terrifying, staining the rim of his eyes red.

Rong Heng, previously reclusive and indifferent to the extreme, remained composed despite any humiliation from Rong Qijun, as if, in his eyes, the Second Prince of Dayan was nothing more than a clown.

This was why Rong Qijun disliked Rong Heng, a sinner who seemed more proud than anyone, whose bones he wanted to break apart to see if they were truly so firm.

And now, those dark eyes were profound like an abyss; he saw only a blood-red hue as if a fierce beast.

Rong Qijun suddenly felt fear, unable to stop stepping back two steps.

He quickly snapped back, "Zhenghu, Yuan Lang, hold Rong Five down for me!"