Chapter 226: Remember The Name
"Shut up..."
The Eighth Prince rolled his eyes in annoyance as the little red ladybug continued nagging him to kick both Xie Rong and Wang Gege back to wherever they had come from.
"But they originally came from here..." he continued, explaining patiently despite his growing irritation. "Kicking them out is not exactly a good option."
The little ladybug crossed its tiny arms and puffed out its cheeks.
"They may have originated from this world, but they are no longer following the roles they were supposed to play!"
The Eighth Prince frowned slightly. "That still doesn’t mean I should simply remove them."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" the ladybug demanded. "You have already appeared only three times in two hundred and twenty-six Chapters!"
The Eighth Prince’s expression instantly darkened.
"Must you remind me of that?"
"Yes!" The ladybug fluttered closer, waving its tiny wings impatiently.
"Your Highness, you are supposed to be the main character! Yet the Young Master Xie and his wife have taken over almost everything. Their story keeps expanding, while yours keeps getting pushed further into the background!"
The Eighth Prince continued walking toward the door, his expression slightly irritated.
"You know... I don’t care about all those things. Let them take it. Main character or whatever. As long as I can do whatever I want..."
"Your Highness!" The ladybug hurried after him. "I told you before, you will cease to exist if no one remembers your existence anymore!"
The Eighth Prince stopped. His hand, which had been reaching for the door, paused in midair.
For a moment, the room fell silent. The Eighth Prince slowly turned his head toward the little red ladybug.
"How could someone forget about the existence of the Eighth Prince?" He smirked. "You know... I’m not trying to brag, but every time I appeared—"
"Basically three times," the little red ladybug interrupted.
"Three times, yes... whatever." The Eighth Prince waved his hand dismissively. "But those three times, my impact on the story—"
"Was still less than Young Master Xie’s impact in a single Chapter."
The Eighth Prince’s smile immediately disappeared.
The little red ladybug fluttered innocently in front of him.
"Did you really have to say that?" He frowned.
"I am merely stating the facts, Your Highness." The ladybug blinked innocently.
"Your honesty is becoming rather annoying."
"Thank you!"
"That wasn’t a compliment."
The ladybug ignored him and continued, "The problem isn’t whether people remember your name—"
It suddenly stopped.
Its tiny body froze in midair, surrounded by a faint crackling sound of static.
The Eighth Prince raised an eyebrow.
"What now?"
The ladybug remained motionless for several seconds before slowly turning toward him.
"Wait..."
Its expression changed.
"I just realized something..."
"What?"
"They don’t even know your name."
The Eighth Prince’s expression stiffened.
The ladybug flew closer, looking increasingly shocked by its own discovery.
"I mean your actual name! Everyone only knows you as the Eighth Prince!"
The room fell silent.
The Eighth Prince’s eyes twitched slightly.
The ladybug tilted its head.
"So technically..." It paused dramatically, "they don’t even remember the person behind the title."
The Eighth Prince slowly covered his face with one hand. "Don’t say another word."
"But Your Highness..."
"I said don’t."
The little ladybug’s wings fluttered excitedly. "This might actually explain why your main character’s presence is so low!"
The Eighth Prince lowered his hand and stared at it coldly. "Then perhaps your first mission should be teaching everyone my name."
The ladybug’s eyes sparkled. "Excellent idea!"
A holographic screen suddenly appeared.
[NEW MISSION GENERATED]
[OBJECTIVE: MAKE THE WORLD REMEMBER THE EIGHTH PRINCE’S REAL NAME.]
The Eighth Prince stared at the screen.
"What is my name again?"
The ladybug froze.
He narrowed his eyes. "You don’t know either?"
The little red ladybug slowly looked away. "System error."
"Bibi!" he screamed in frustration. "My name is Jiang Zhaoyuan!"
The little ladybug blinked. "Ah..."
The Eighth Prince’s expression darkened. "What do you mean, ’ah’?"
"I was just wondering..." The little ladybug spun one time.
"What?"
"Why does your own system need to be reminded of your name?"
The Eighth Prince took a deep breath, trying very hard not to throw the little creature out the window.
"Jiang Zhaoyuan," he repeated coldly. "Remember my name..."
He paused before turning his gaze toward the closed door.
"And you... whoever is reading this right now... remember my name too."
His expression became unusually serious.
"Jiang Zhaoyuan."
The little red ladybug stared at him for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Your Highness is kind of petty..."
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s eyes twitched.
"Petty?"
"Mm!" The ladybug nodded enthusiastically. "You are even asking the person outside the story to remember your name!"
"Of course." He crossed his arms and raised his chin slightly. "After being forgotten for 224 Chapters, this prince deserves to make sure my name is remembered."
The ladybug covered its mouth, trying not to laugh again.
"Your Highness really does hold grudges..."
"Silence, Bibi."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
A brief pause.
Then the ladybug quietly muttered, "Jiang Zhaoyuan..."
Jiang Zhaoyuan glanced at it. "What?"
"I’m memorizing it."
"Good."
The Eighth Prince then opened the door and stepped outside. "Tell me now... how much has the stat changed?"
The little ladybug stiffened in disbelief. "Excuse me, Your Highness? You just introduced your name to the world, and you already expect the statistic to change this quickly?"
"It should change." Jiang Zhaoyuan took another step out of the door. "I couldn’t possibly cease to exist that easily. Besides, I don’t want to follow all those ridiculous rules your system keeps asking me to obey just to remain the main character."
The ladybug fluttered after him. "Your Highness, that is not how the system works!"
"Then how does it work?" He arched his eyebrows.
"It requires narrative influence, character interactions, major events, emotional connections, and—"
"Ahh... Too troublesome." He waved his hand.
"Your Highness!"
Jiang Zhaoyuan ignored its complaints and continued walking down the corridor.
"Starting today, I will play by my own rules, because the last few times I followed your suggestions to get rid of Xie Rong by hiring assassins, everything ended badly..." He sighed. "I don’t want to play dirt—"
His words suddenly stopped in his throat. At the end of the corridor stood two familiar figures.
Wang Gege and Xie Rong had just turned the corner, their eyes meeting him.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
Xie Rong’s voice was calm, but there was a faint sharpness beneath it.
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s expression remained composed, though his eyes flickered briefly toward the little red ladybug hovering beside him.
The ladybug immediately hid behind his shoulder.
Wang Gege blinked as she looked between the two men. She had clearly heard what Jiang Zhaoyuan had said, but she seemed more confused than angry.
"Hiring assassins?" she repeated softly.
Xie Rong’s gaze remained fixed on the Eighth Prince.
"Your Highness," he said slowly, "I believe there is something this prince should explain."
Jiang Zhaoyuan stared at him for a moment before calmly folding his hands behind his back. "This prince believes you have misunderstood."
"Misunderstood?" Xie Rong raised an eyebrow.
The little red ladybug peeked out from behind Jiang Zhaoyuan.
"Your Highness..." Xie Rong wanted to continue, but—
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s expression tightened as he raised a hand. "Not another word."
Wang Gege’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Were you talking about the time my husband was attacked at the Lantern Festival?"
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s head turned slightly toward his side.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath before quickly clearing his throat. He glanced at the little red ladybug. "Bibi, help me..."
The ladybug blinked at him. "Help you with what?"
"Get me out of this situation... of course..." he replied through gritted teeth.
The little ladybug tilted its head, then glanced at Wang Gege and Xie Rong before looking back at him. "Ah..."
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t just say ’ah.’ Do something."
"But what can I do?" Bibi whispered. "You were the one who admitted everything in front of them!"
"I did not admit anything." Jiang Zhaoyuan’s mouth fell open in frustration, his expression twisting as he stared at the little ladybug.
"Fine!" He turned toward Wang Gege and Xie Rong, his expression becoming unusually resigned. "Yes... the assassins that night... It was my doing."
The little ladybug’s jaw dropped. "Your Highness, did you decide to give up altogether or what?"
Jiang Zhaoyuan glared at it. "What else am I supposed to do? You told me to get out of this situation!"
"I meant to make an excuse, not confess!" The ladybug sighed in disbelief.
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s lips already twitched, holding a curse, "Then you should have said that earlier!"
The ladybug puffed out its cheeks. "I thought Your Highness was supposed to be clever!"
Xie Rong’s eyebrows furrowed, while Wang Gege stared at Jiang Zhaoyuan in disbelief.
"Wait..." Wang Gege mumbled slowly.
"What?!" Jiang Zhaoyuan and the little ladybug answered at the same time.
Wang Gege’s eyes remained fixed on the tiny red creature hovering beside Jiang Zhaoyuan, curiosity already filling her gaze.
"That little ladybug..." She pointed at it hesitantly. "Is it a system?"
At that moment, Jiang Zhaoyuan and the little ladybug looked at each other.
Both of them froze. They had just realized what had happened.
The little ladybug slowly covered its mouth and Jiang Zhaoyuan’s expression became stiff.
Neither of them had meant to reveal it but it was already too late.
Wang Gege’s eyes sparkled with even more curiosity. "A system?!"