I felt I more or less understood adults now. Their way of doing things was no different from children’s—that is, don’t do what you want to do, and don’t say what you want to say.

I thought this was an experience that only children could summarize, but I hadn’t expected that adults were also following it.

The Jiejie before me was clearly a “Zodiac.” She killed without batting an eye and had already executed nearly a hundred family members, yet now she was teaching me how to survive. But back then, Uncle Wan kept saying everything was for my good, yet from time to time, killing intent would drift from his body. They all had two faces.

“But I want to help them…” I said. “Jiejie, if someone treated you as a ‘hero,’ wouldn’t you help them?”

“No, because I know I’m not one.” The “Zodiac” Jiejie said. “In this world, I can’t even grasp ordinary human nature, much less twisted human nature.”

“But this is what I want to do.” I said. “It’s also what I believe is right. As long as I keep doing what I believe is right, it doesn’t matter even if I die.”

I suddenly remembered Kuafu, the Foolish Old Man, and Jingwei.

They had done very well. I wanted to learn from them.

Seeing how stubborn I was, the “Zodiac” Jiejie didn’t continue speaking. She just shook her head helplessly.

She couldn’t understand me, and I couldn’t understand her.

At this moment, Siwei Jiejie was walking over from not far away, holding a large, flat cloth bundle in her arms. Seeing that I was talking with the “Executioner,” a trace of worry flashed across her body.

“Yingxiong Didi…!” She called out, then put the cloth bundle on the ground and ran over.

She positioned me behind her and looked at the “Executioner” with a serious expression, saying, “Hey… he’s just a child… you don’t need to drag him into participating in the game, right…?”

“Sigh…” The “Executioner” shook her head. “Don’t worry, I know how important he is. I’m not lacking for this one life.”

“Good… good…” Siwei Jiejie nodded with relief. “Thank you…”

The two Jiejies looked at each other. This was probably the first time Siwei Jiejie had spoken with her as well.

Although their personalities were completely different, I always felt they were very similar.

“Yingxiong, come with me.” Siwei Jiejie pulled at me, drawing me toward that cloth bundle.

I looked at this large thing with confusion. It was a bit bigger than my school desk, now wrapped in cloth, lying flat on the ground.

“Yingxiong Didi!” Siwei Jiejie looked very happy. “Do you remember what I said yesterday? I have something to give you!”

I stared at her blankly. She had said she would tell me where to find a sword and a crown, but why had she brought back such a large thing?

Jiejie propped up this large cloth bundle so it stood upright, then gently pulled off the cloth covering it.

It wasn’t until the thing revealed its appearance that my eyes went wide. Under the dirty cloth was a bicycle that looked relatively new.

I was stunned.

“Um… Yingxiong Didi, don’t despise it, okay.” Siwei Jiejie said. “After I finished talking with you yesterday, I ran to many places. A crown and sword were really too hard to find, but I found you the white horse that a ‘prince’ rides!”

Siwei Jiejie pushed the bicycle forward, placing it right before my eyes.

Although this bicycle was rusted in some places, the dust on it had been carefully and meticulously wiped clean, and the damaged seat had been re-sewn with a soft cloth cushion.

The bicycle’s handlebars were wrapped with a layer of sponge. It looked like Jiejie had used every method she could find and think of on this bicycle.

I didn’t step forward to take the bicycle. Instead, I froze.

“What’s… wrong?” Siwei Jiejie’s expression didn’t look too good. “Yingxiong Didi, I know the thing I’m giving you is a bit shabby—”

“No…” I said blankly. “I really like it…”

“Really…?”

“Yes!!”

I was truly so happy. I really, really wanted to have a bicycle of my own.

But this kind of request, I hadn’t even dared to mention.

When I was very young, there were many things I wanted. I would point at the huge lollipops hanging in the small shop and say, “I want that.”

Back then, my parents would tell me, “As long as you behave, I’ll buy it for you.” After I agreed, they would quickly lead me away from the scene.

Gradually, the words I said also changed. Whenever I walked on the street with my parents and saw something I wanted, I would point at it and say, “Abba, Ama, if I keep behaving, will you buy that for me?”

They would agree repeatedly, and I would be very happy.

No matter how much time passed, no matter how well-behaved I was, I never once received the things I wanted.

But now, I possessed a bicycle of my own.

That day, I rode this bicycle around and around in the small plaza downstairs. Siwei Jiejie and the “Executioner” Jiejie stood at the two ends of the plaza, watching me without saying a word.

It wasn’t until my legs were sore and my face was full of wind that I finally stopped in front of Siwei Jiejie.

“Not riding anymore?” She asked.

“Jiejie…” I said. “Now that I have my own bicycle… starting tomorrow I’m going out to search for a crown and sword, so I want to conserve my strength a bit.”

“I already found them for you.” She reached out and pointed at a small box on the bicycle’s rear rack. “Inside here are your crown and sword.”

I was slightly stunned and gently opened that box.

Inside lay a crown folded from newspaper and a sword folded from newspaper.

Although they were folded from newspaper, they looked extremely beautiful.

“A newspaper crown and short sword?” I was slightly stunned.

“I’m sorry, Yingxiong.” Siwei Jiejie smiled bitterly. “First, I need to clarify—I’m not treating you like a child by making these play-house-like things to humor you. I just hope your wish can be realized. Even in this city with such scarce resources, you can still obtain the things you want.”

Why was Siwei Jiejie apologizing to me?

I really liked them.

Whether I liked something didn’t depend on whether it was precious or what material it was made from, but rather on who gave it to me.

Although they were folded from newspaper, to me they held extraordinary meaning. I would protect this crown with my life.

That day, Siwei Jiejie personally placed the crown on my head. I became a true hero. I would be the “Happy Prince” of “Jade City.”

Even if the ending was being torn down by everyone together, someone would surely remember me.

But fairy tales were ultimately fairy tales. Even though their endings were already heartbreaking enough, they had still been beautified.

The dark side of human nature would be even uglier than the prince stripped of his gold leaf. When it was displayed naked and raw, all the ugly things in this world would be made to appear stunningly beautiful in comparison.

I had never imagined that one day the poor would capture the swallow, use the swallow’s life as a threat, and force “The Happy Prince” to serve them forever.