Chapter 3: Framed
1213 Words
In this age where appearances reign supreme, how surreal does it become when personal beliefs waver with the contours of one's face?
In the lavish home of Xiao Jie, a handsome young man, he embodied the idealized image of the white knight for many girls in his class, long before any fantastical journey began.
Initially, the chaos unfolding was merely a personal grudge between Hei Jiu and a chubby guy, a conflict that only attracted the attention of a few nearby boys wanting to play peacemakers. But when Xiao Jie shouted, it was like a bell had tolled, summoning nearby girls who had previously shown little interest in the fray. Without fully grasping the situation, they rallied, ready to pick sides and voice their opinions.
“How is it always you, Black Dog? Can’t you let us have some peace?”
“Right! With zero skills, yet always dragging others down. If I were you, I would have left the palace in shame!”
“Honestly, how crude! Why resort to violence?”
“You've even made the class president angry this time. How outrageous, Hei Jiu! Apologize to the president right away!”
Their chattering was relentless, a chorus of naive young girls unaware of how their words could bite. Anyone unacquainted might think they were a gang of streetwise hags rather than innocent schoolgirls.
Should Hei Jiu intervene? He deemed it unnecessary. The prejudices they'd formed had become a mountain far too vast to move, and he had no desire to play the role of a selfless laborer undertaking their heavy lifting.
Silently, he turned away, leaving behind a crowd of sneering onlookers, their contempt palpable.
Surreal? Absolutely.
He had witnessed the consequences of stepping on someone’s toes, seeing others bullied for getting too chummy with a boy's crush. But have you ever seen someone face collective disdain merely for possessing an unlikable aura? Perhaps such cases existed, yet they were likely few and far between.
---
As he exited the cave, Hei Er, who had been tending to a pregnant goblin, crossed paths with him. Seeing the commotion, he quickly deciphered the expressions and gestures of the others before rushing to catch up with Hei Jiu, who was making his way back to the palace.
“Are you heading back, my lord?”
Hei Er inquired, and Hei Jiu nodded.
“Do you need me to bring you something...?”
“No, thanks!”
And with that, he mounted the horse he'd ridden in on, returning to the palace alone. Hei Er sighed in resignation, fully aware of the tension between Hei Jiu and the other heroes. He had intended to offer some words of comfort but figured it was redundant at this point.
That night, no one came to summon Hei Jiu for dinner. He chose not to go either, but Hei Er, ever perceptive, brought him a bowl of noodles.
Around nine o'clock, their homeroom teacher, Wang Li, knocked on the door. She wasted no time launching into an inquiry: “Why didn’t you come for dinner? Everyone said the servant called for you, but you threw a tantrum and didn’t show up.”
It was clear that someone had stirred the pot, trying to sour her opinion of him.
“I just don’t have an appetite!”
He knew further explanation would fall on deaf ears. Wang Li, in her late twenties with stylish short hair, was both attractive and overly trusting of others—often taking what people said at face value. This was her first class to lead, and she was undeniably stubborn with her preconceptions.
“I’ve heard you hit He Wei?”
Aha, as expected! Hei Jiu thought, realizing that those troublemakers had undoubtedly ratted him out.
“He struck first,” Hei Jiu replied, but Wang Li frowned, clearly unconvinced.
“I’ve heard from everyone else that He Wei didn’t provoke you at all…”
“If you’ve already made up your mind, what’s the point of asking me?”
His voice was calm, but Wang Li’s annoyance became evident.
“Black Jiu, you’re in the wrong here!”
“I’m tired. Can we discuss this tomorrow, Ms. Wang?”
That was his way of showing her the door.
“What kind of attitude is this?”
Her tone grew increasingly impatient, although she seemed to wrangle her temper back. Then, adopting a more earnest, compassionate demeanor, she said, “I understand, Black Jiu. It’s not entirely your fault. You’re an orphan, but you can’t let your misfortune cause you to hurt others…”
As she droned on, Hei Jiu merely flopped onto his bed, pulling the covers over himself as if he hadn’t heard a word.
In a fit of fury, Wang Li stomped her foot, leaving behind a parting shot: “I won’t deal with you anymore!”
Yet, halfway down the corridor, she spun on her heels, snorted, and slammed the door she'd forgotten to close behind her.
---
Days turned into weeks without Hei Jiu receiving any word about team missions. However, every day, Hei Er would come after work to report on daily happenings. Though Hei Jiu insisted it was unnecessary, Hei Er, perhaps fearing his lord would grow bored, continued his routine.
Slowly, the monotonous days blurred into a month. Throughout this time, the library in the palace became Hei Jiu’s sanctuary, where he sought to better understand this world.
After all, he knew he couldn’t stay here forever. More accurately, he vividly anticipated the moment he would be cast out.
This feeling nagged at him, clear and undeniable.
And soon enough, his hunch proved right.
Another half a month rolled by, and on this particular day, a significant incident erupted in the palace: a statue of the first king of the White Kingdom had been smashed to pieces overnight. Just two meters high, it had crumbled into dust in a single night.
While this had nothing to do with Hei Jiu, a patrolling soldier claimed he spotted someone resembling him fleeing the scene.
Thus, Hei Jiu found himself summoned to the grand hall, standing before the king and an assembly of others to confront the soldier.
The soldier, unable to meet Hei Jiu's gaze, periodically glanced toward Xiaojie and the plump He Wei.
Understanding the silent exchange of glances between them, Hei Jiu pieced together the unfolding drama.
Before he could speak, Captain Xiao Jie stepped forward: “Your Majesty, I’ve already sent someone to search Hei Jiu’s room. I believe we’ll have results shortly.”
“Report!!!”
Just as his words faded, a soldier bolted into the hall, kneeling on one knee.
“Your Majesty! The hammer used to destroy the late king's statue was found beneath Hei Jiu’s bed, and there are remains of the statue on it. May Your Majesty confirm this.”
He gestured, and another soldier emerged, carrying the hammer, placing it for all to see in the grand hall.
At this point, it seemed the verdict had been sealed.
In this world, the technology for fingerprint recognition did not exist; hence, Xiao Jie and his crew devised this method to frame Hei Jiu.
One could not deny the efficacy of their scheme—their plan had seemingly succeeded.
- Writer
