Chapter 171: My Dearest Princess

Mu Ran took the elevator to the live broadcast platform at the very top of the ski slope.

Nanyang?
Where is Nanyang?

After all these years, she was finally going to meet her idol, Nanyang!

"Where is Beibei?"
Where on earth had Gu Beicheng gone?

Mu Ran searched around, standing on the platform and looking all over. Gu Beicheng had just been standing right here—why was he gone?
And Nanyang hadn't appeared either.

"Where is Nanyang?"
Mu Ran blurted out in confusion.

The host smiled and said, "President Mu, Nanyang is currently on his way here. He watched your competition with Shao Ping through the live stream, and his score is displayed on the big screen."

Mu Ran's pretty face sank, her expression gradually turning cold.
She had thought Nanyang was already here.

"Don't be disappointed, President Mu. President Gu asked me to let you know that Nanyang will arrive at the scene right after the next round of competition."

"Mm." The frost on Mu Ran's face slowly melted away.

Host: "Everyone, please look at the big screen! Nanyang has already given his scores for Mumu and Shao Ping!"

The live stream screen displayed the scores of Mu Ran and Shao Ping.
Shao Ping: 9 points
Mu Ran: 8.5 points

In the end, Shao Ping won!
This outcome was completely unexpected.

Why had Nanyang only given Mu Ran 8.5 points?
Mu Ran's moves just now were easily worth well above 8.5 points.

"Hahahahaha, Mu Ran lost! That bitch Mu Ran, she totally deserved it! Go to hell, Mu Ran!"

Down at the very bottom of the ski slope, Feng Chun, who was still sprawled out on the ground, laughed hysterically. Her vicious gaze shifted to Shao Ping, who was staring at the big screen in disbelief.

"You should be happy, Shao Ping. You won—you beat Mu Ran."

Shao Ping gave the woman a blank stare, his tone ice-cold. "Shut your trap."

Shao Ping was baffled...
What on earth was Gu Beicheng playing at?
He knew that Gu Beicheng was Nanyang.
Only Mu Ran was kept in the dark.

But what was the deal with Gu Beicheng giving Mu Ran an 8.5?
Just now, Shao Ping had watched the replay of the match, and his master Mu Ran's technical execution was easily a 9 or higher.

He just didn't get it...
He truly couldn't make sense of the dynamics between this couple...
Wasn't Gu Beicheng afraid that his little wife would get angry by giving her such a low score?

Up on the broadcasting platform, the corners of Mu Ran's mouth twitched, a hint of playful amusement flashing deep within her eyes. It seemed her dear idol was not entirely satisfied with her skiing skills.

The woman's gaze turned somewhat dangerous.

Busy running around with his good buddy Shen Mubai, Gu Beicheng suddenly sneezed.

Back on the stage.

Host: "Shao Ping successfully advances to the semifinal. Mu Ran will need to have her next opponent randomly drawn by the big data system."

Mu Ran smiled faintly at the live broadcast camera, a quiet confidence radiating through her entire being.

The names of the contestants on the big screen scrolled rapidly.
Ten seconds later.

Charles!

The host's voice trembled with excitement, "It's Charles! Prince Charles of Country B!"

Country B was a constitutional monarchy.
Charles was the most outstanding, handsome, and dashing prince of Country B's royal family.
Having dabbled in Country B's entertainment industry himself, he had won the adoration of numerous female fans in China.

"The Prince of Country B?"
Mu Ran murmured to herself. She had never had any contact with the royalty of any country.
Was this Prince Charles of Country B really that famous in the skiing world?

"President Mu, Charles is a freestyle skiing genius from Country B! He swept all the major awards in local competitions in Country B in just a single year! He's a once-in-a-century genius competitor!"

Mu Ran: "..."

Wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?

"Can't you be a little more composed?" Mu Ran was left somewhat amused and exasperated. She massaged her forehead with a small hand and smiled faintly, revealing her pearly white teeth.

The host gave a dry cough to regain her composure, hiding her inner fan-girl excitement deep in her heart. "Next, let us welcome Prince Charles of Country B."

As soon as Charles stepped onto the stage, the viewers in the live stream went wild! They practically wanted to dive through the screens and crawl straight onto the live broadcast set.

Live stream barrage:
[Charles! Holy shit!]
[My husband! Charles!]
[Slept with him! He's very strong!]
[I seriously give up on you upstairs! He clearly slept with me!]
[You two stop arguing. To be honest, he slept with me!]

"My dear princess, long time no see."

Charles spread his arms wide and strode over to Mu Ran on his long legs, attempting to pull her into an affectionate embrace.

"I don't know you."

With agile movements, Mu Ran sidestepped out of the way. Even though she was wearing a bulky ski suit, it couldn't restrict her nimble footwork.

Standing beside the host, Mu Ran wore an aloof expression, the gaze in her eyes turning gradually icy. She detested physical contact with other men.
No matter how handsome this man claimed to be, she found him repulsive.
Besides, this Charles lacked Gu Beicheng's striking good looks and quiet poise.

This Charles before her could be summed up in three words:
"Social butterfly."
Even more unreliable than Gu Xiao.
And just like Gu Xiao, he was a Eurasian mix.
A mixed-blood royal prince?

Mu Ran curled her lips, her sharp, fox-like eyes narrowing as she sized up the man for a moment before letting out a cold scoff.

The royal family of Country B had always been traditional, worshiping racial purity, and generally did not accept intermarriage with foreign women.
The mother of this Charles must have been a woman of considerable skill and ambition.

"Xiao Ran, you are my princess, and I am your future husband."

Completely oblivious to Mu Ran's displeasure, Charles flashed a wicked, charming smile and pressed closer to her.

Mu Ran continued to circle around the host to dodge him. She couldn't afford to provoke a prince of Country B, but surely she could afford to run away from him!
Was this Charles currently going through some kind of mating season?
Did he just call every single woman he laid eyes on his princess?

Mu Ran gave the man an impatient, sideways glance.

Little did she expect that this single glance would completely shatter Charles's heart.
For all these years, he had been endlessly pursued by women, and their gazes toward him were always filled with bashfulness and starry-eyed adoration.
Only Mu Ran!
She was the only woman who had ever looked at him with that kind of expression!

Unique!
This woman Mu Ran was exquisitely delicate and icy-cold—she would undoubtedly make a magnificent princess if he coaxed her back home!

Mu Ran heard his inner thoughts...
She could only conclude that this prince was the undisputed pinnacle of delusional men.
How could someone be so confident?
How could someone be so greasy and sleazy?

"Princess, be a good girl, stop playing hard to get, and come into my arms!"

Mu Ran could only marvel at this man, momentarily rendered speechless.
How could anyone possibly like or fawn over such a slick, greasy man? Had they never seen a real man before?

The expression on the woman's face couldn't possibly be more helpless, nor more filled with disgust.
Yet Charles remained completely oblivious to it all.

"Uh, Your Highness, shall we start the competition now?"

The host stepped in front of Mu Ran, speaking timidly and in a delicate, sycophantic tone to the tall man before her.
Inside, the host was experiencing wild euphoria. In her wildest dreams, she never imagined she would get to see Prince Charles of Country B—a mixed-blood man with out-of-this-world looks—in person and at such close range.

It turned out she had made the right choice by attaching herself to Mu Ran!
She got to witness all kinds of extraordinary spectacles!

If this prince fell for President Mu, wouldn't she get to lay eyes on the handsome and dashing prince frequently around President Mu?
Wow... his physique was incredible! His facial features were so deeply chiseled!
His otherworldly looks surpassed even those of Director Gu Xiao.

"If you like him so much, go get him yourself." Mu Ran had overheard the host's inner monologue.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say about these women who were utterly obsessed with good looks.
Although Mu Ran herself was also a card-carrying member of the looks-first club.
But this prince from Country B? Absolutely not.
He failed on every front: he was fickle, a chatterbox, a walking social air conditioner, and completely devoid of personal boundaries.
He just gave off an intensely uncomfortable vibe.

And besides... Mu Ran truly had never met this Prince Charles before, yet his face looked somewhat familiar...

"Uh, President Mu, let's... let's begin the match."

The host was also a beauty. Compared to Mu Ran's icy, breathtaking elegance, she belonged to the gentle and poised variety.

"Mm. Don't go randomly shipping me with people ever again," Mu Ran whispered a warning close to the woman's ear.

The host nodded repeatedly, gently tugging at Mu Ran's ski suit while her eyes darted around, occasionally glancing sideways at Charles as he prepared his skiing equipment.

"President Mu, I like him. Help me hook him."

Mu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly, a rare trace of astonishment flashing across the depths of her eyes.
SY's artists truly lived up to being trained by An Lan.
Equally wild, equally bold, and equally fearless in chasing after love.

"For this kind of thing, you should go find President An." Mu Ran curved her lips. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but rather that she wanted nothing to do with this Prince Charles.

"President Mu, just help me get his contact info, I'm begging you." The host affectionately nudged Mu Ran's shoulder, batting a pair of bright, sparkling eyes.

Mu Ran sighed helplessly. "Fine. You'd better hook him successfully, so he stops going around wreaking havoc on others."

The host giggled, nodding frantically at Mu Ran.
As expected, President An was right!
Her own big boss, President Mu, was just an iceberg beauty with a cold exterior and a warm heart!

Live stream barrage:
[Did these two forget they're currently on a live broadcast?]
[Is it just me, or is Mu Ran extremely doting toward her company's artists?]
[What? This pretty MM is an artist under SY?]
[Of course! SY's variety show naturally uses SY's hosts. Are people upstairs out of their minds?]
[This host is trying to steal our husband!]
[Steal him if you want; Charles is only meant for appreciation from afar anyway.]
[Does the B country prince even care about a little host like her?]
[You're wrong upstairs, this little host is no ordinary person; she's a wealthy heiress.]
[Judging by all of SY's artists, they all seem to have some background.]

The second round of competition began.

Charles descended first.
Charles's descent speed was slightly faster than Shao Ping's.
His takeoff height was also higher.

Airborne, flipping—requiring three full rotations in the air while simultaneously spinning five times, grabbing the board, and executing a smooth landing.

The strength of this Country B prince was not to be underestimated!

"Mu Ran is bound to lose. This Charles is even stronger than you are."

Still sprawled out at the very bottom of the ski slope, Feng Chun curved her lips into a smile and looked toward Mu Ran, her eyes dripping with disdain.

Shao Ping gave the old woman on the ground a cold look, stood up, and walked away.

"Get out of the way!"

Charles's descent speed was extremely fast as he barreled straight toward Feng Chun's direction.

"Move aside!"

Charles shouted at the top of his lungs, a hint of panic flashing in his deep brown eyes. He was about to crash into someone.

"Help me up! Quick! Save me!" Feng Chun panicked, but her legs were so weak she couldn't stand up at all.

"Bang—"

The woman was sent flying a full ten meters away by the sheer force of Charles's collision.