The Best Prince

Jiang Ling City

Jiangling, a city with a population of a million, wasn't particularly developed in 2004. After all, it was an inland city.

Tang Sheng appeared in this city quietly. It didn't differ much from the Jiangling in his previous life. He had lived and studied in Jiangling for two years, and his memories of Jiangling were from the period of 2004 to 2006. After that, he rarely visited Jiangling.

Today, he returned to this city filled with regrets, and Tang Sheng felt an inexplicable excitement in his heart.

After spending about ten minutes at the train station, he finally received a call from a troublesome relative.

"... Is this Tang Sheng? I'm your uncle, Tang Yu. Have you arrived in Jiangling?"

"Yes, I've arrived. I'm at the exit of the train station."

"Great, come to the front of the station square. My car is parked by the roadside. The license plate is JL65888..."

Tang Sheng hung up the phone, grabbed his luggage, and swiftly made his way to the station square. The road was bustling with traffic, and there was a large Mercedes-Benz parked by the roadside. A portly man in his fifties stood next to it, and behind him were several men. One of them, wearing glasses and in his thirties, had a shrewd look, seemingly of some importance, while the rest seemed like his entourage.

"Are you Sheng-ge, right? Haha... I'm your uncle, Tang Yu."

"Hello, Uncle. I'm Tang Sheng!"

"Well, not bad, you're a handsome young man. Haha... You can leave your luggage to them. Come, get in the car..."

The man with glasses casually took Tang Sheng's luggage. Inside, he couldn't help but be puzzled. Who was this kid? Why did the big boss personally come to pick him up? The bodyguards with him were thinking the same thing, eyeing Tang Sheng.

Tang Sheng, however, didn't pay them any mind. These people lacked intelligence and were just following Tang Yu's orders, running errands.

Once they got into the big Mercedes-Benz, Tang Yu also joined him in the back. He gestured for the man with glasses and the others to take another car. Behind the big Mercedes-Benz was another business-class Buick, also part of Tang Yu's convoy. This troublesome relative had quite the presence.

In Tang Sheng's memory, Tang Yu had indeed done well in Jiangling. Since his father had taken over as the main official in Jiangling, Tang Yu had risen even higher. When one had a powerful backing, they tended to become more confident, and Tang Yu was no exception. It was clear from his face that he was a shrewd individual.

After the car started, it quickly merged into the traffic. Inside the car, there was only the driver and Tang Sheng.

"Sheng-ge, I got a call from your dad, so I just happened to be passing by the station to pick you up. It's good that you're coming to study in Jiangling. It's much better than the remote and impoverished place you're from. Don't disappoint your dad. Study hard, and if you need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Tang Sheng thought this Tang Yu was really putting on a show. Was he afraid that the driver would leak his identity? These words were probably premeditated, indicating that his father's instructions were strict, not allowing him to have any sense of superiority. Well, did I still need a sense of superiority at this point?

"No need to thank me. After all, your dad helped me back in the day. It's not a big deal for you to study here. I've already arranged everything. You can stay in the old Tang Lane with my father. The old man has a reserved personality and likes living alone. Having you there to keep him company is a good thing."

"Sure, Uncle, please take me directly to Old Tang Lane."

Tang Sheng's first encounter with Tang Yu was limited to this cycle. Tang Yu didn't pay much attention to Tang Sheng, thinking of him as just a kid.

When the car stopped outside Old Tang Lane, Tang Yu had the man with glasses accompany Tang Sheng inside, and he didn't even get out of the car himself.

Tang Sheng was also aware that Tang Yu and his father had a strained relationship, especially because of the relocation and resettlement of Old Tang Lane. Tang Yu was now the most prominent representative of the Tang family in Jiangling. The Tang family was a prominent clan in Jiangling and Jiangzhong Province, but not everyone with the Tang surname was directly related. They could be considered an extended family from five hundred years ago.

Old Tang Lane had dozens of households and is now home to several families. Tang's father lived in the old mansion, a relatively large quadrangle. The man with glasses led Tang Sheng to the front door, but didn't dare to go in.

"Hey, young man, go in by yourself. Your uncle and the old man talked on the phone earlier, and he knows about your arrival. Just tell him the general situation, and he'll understand. That's it..."

The man with glasses handed Tang Sheng his luggage and turned to leave. On the street, many people were pointing and whispering about Tang Sheng. They didn't know him, but they recognized the man with glasses, who was with Tang Yu. This first impression didn't do Tang Sheng any favors. He was dressed quite stylishly, and in the eyes of these less fortunate people, that made him a rich child.

"...I don't know what kind of relative Tang Yu is, but he's probably not a good person. Just look at him, all flashy and oily."

"...You said it! Are there any good people among Tang Yu's relatives? They all seem like bloodsuckers and troublemakers."

"Exactly, Tang Dashu, keep a close eye on your daughter. Don't let her get involved with this kind of guy. It's never a good thing..."

The surrounding discussions had already isolated Tang Sheng. He looked around, and across the narrow street was the small quadrangle of Tang Jin's house, with an elderly man sitting at the entrance. It was her grandfather, Mr. Tang, staring at him with a cold gaze.

The streets inside Old Tang Lane were quite old, with uneven hexagonal bricks paved on the ground. These were bricks used on city streets in the early 1990s. Due to subsidence in many places, the hexagonal bricks had sunk along with it, forming large puddles after rain.

Out of politeness, Tang Sheng still smiled and nodded towards Mr. Tang, but the old man snorted and turned away.

At this moment, a pure and beautiful young woman emerged from the courtyard that Mr. Tang's left, and Tang Sheng's mind... short-circuited.

Tang Jin, it was Tang Jin.

Tang Sheng's hand, carrying his luggage, began to tremble. Tang Jin, who was supposed to have jumped off a building in his memories, stood before him, alive.

At this moment, Tang Sheng had an urge to cry, but he held back the tears that were about to burst from his eyes and stared at Tang Jin without being able to look away.

The clear and pure girl, like a crystal-clear spring, was so transparent and captivating. She wore a simple white T-shirt that was slightly loose on top and faded jeans on the bottom. Her slender figure and youthful charm were on full display.

With delicate willow-shaped eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes that were lively and calm, a straight and cute nose, and plump cherry-like lips. Her fair and flawless cheeks had no blemishes, and her natural beauty required no makeup. Her jet-black hair was tied in a small bun on her head, giving her a fresh and lovely look.

Tang Jin, this was the beautiful Jin I had yearned for day and night. At this moment, there was a dreamlike sense of unreality in meeting her face to face.

Tang Sheng stared at her, forgetting everything, forgetting where he was at that moment, forgetting what year it was in this life... at this moment, there was only her in his eyes, and there was no room for anything else. The run-down alley, the mottled old walls, slowly faded from his field of vision, and it seemed that only she remained in the world, even Tang Lao Tou seemed to blur, she was the only existence.

"...Grandpa, it's lunchtime, let's go back!"

The tender and melodious voice, like a warbler, shattered the silence of that moment. For Tang Sheng, it had been a century since he last heard that voice.

But it was still so familiar, so real, so intimate, and so heartwarming...

Staring at her like this, he didn't feel tired at all, even if it were a lifetime...

And Mr. Tang had no favorable impression of the young man, dressed as a dashing young gentleman, Tang Sheng.

Tang Jin naturally saw the dusty and handsome young man, Tang Sheng. But she didn't linger on his face for long; she just stared for a second before looking away. However, she felt a strange sensation from Tang Sheng's gaze. Why was he staring at her like that? Who was he? She didn't seem to have seen him before. Did he want to enter Grandpa Tang's courtyard?

Who was he? Was he a relative of Tang Yu's family? He didn't look like he came from a poor family; his clothes were quite good, and he had an air of elegance.

Grandpa Tang, with the support of his granddaughter, got up and snorted before turning to leave. Obviously, he had noticed that Tang Sheng was staring at his granddaughter.

"Jin-er, these days, there are all sorts of people who look decent on the surface. Be careful when making friends!"

Tang Jin naturally understood her grandfather's underlying message. Before entering the door, she turned her head and gave Tang Sheng a glare, as if to say, "What are you looking at?"

This charming glance almost made Tang Sheng go weak at the knees and stirred a tidal wave of emotions in his heart.

She hadn't changed at all; she was still the pure and untainted goddess in his heart.

His hand holding the luggage trembled gently, and the tears that filled his eyes were held back forcefully. But as Tang Jin turned and entered the opposite courtyard, the tears spilled over... Tang Sheng suddenly turned his head, and in his heart, there was boundless joy, surprise, and ecstasy!

It was so good, really, really good. She was here, so close, within reach, real and beyond imagination.

In an instant, the dilapidated and old-fashioned Old Tang Lane transformed in Tang Sheng's eyes. It became a paradise on earth.

Yes, as long as Tang Jin was there, even if everything else was a hundred times worse, it would still be a paradise for him because she was there.

There were occasional passersby in the alley who would glance at Tang Sheng, a stranger. Who was this kid?

Tang Sheng just smiled at them with a full heart. He couldn't explain it, couldn't describe it, but it was joy, pure joy... Tang Jin, I have finally seen you again. It's really good, it's so damn good.

Turning around, Tang Sheng confidently stepped into the courtyard of Mr. Tang (Tang Yu's father). It was right across from Tang Jin's courtyard. Ha... what was this called? This was called a close neighbor, the Moon Palace Fairy was right across, and she couldn't escape.