Chapter 1: Fallen Prince.
Edited by: Mochiusagi
9 o'clock in the morning.
Ding Ling~ The door of the shop was pushed open, making the chimes sound.
"Welcome~" Chen Xiao, wearing a fast food restaurant uniform standing behind the counter, politely greeted and bowed. He gave a professional smile to the person who just came in. Chen Xiao's face was fair and had handsome features, but his face was slightly pale, which made him look a little weak.
The person who just came in took off her hat, and revealed a smiling face. Although the girl's face was not some heavenly beauty, she was still pretty; her smile and cute dimples added a pleasant aura.
Chen Xiao sighed when he saw the girl: "You are late again. Aren't you afraid that the manager will deduct your salary?"
The girl stuck her tongue out and made a cute face: "I'm not afraid! I know that you will definitely help me make excuses..." Although she said that she was not afraid, she nonetheless subconsciously glanced carefully at the back of the shop, to see if their manager was present.
"Manager is not here— when he asked about you just now, I told him that you had gone to deliver food." Chen Xiao looked at the clock on the wall, and then took out a takeout order receipt from his pocket: "Here, show this to the manager, don't snitch."
"Thank you, I will certainly introduce you to a beautiful woman on another day." The girl took the order receipt with a smile, ran to the "staff room" and changed. She then came out wearing her work clothes and stood behind the counter with Chen Xiao. She wore a refreshing ponytail and her face was devoid of any cosmetics, which showed the unique youthfulness of a girl her age.
Chen Xiao didn't say much with her, and instead put on working gloves. He started to carefully cut the bread, and started making sandwiches.
The girl looked at the silent Chen Xiao and her eyes showed a bit of disappointment. After some thought, she took the initiative to chat: "Hey, today is the weekend, business is not that good. Maybe we can finish work early? I heard that the stores on West Street have a sale today? I'll buy you an MP4."
Chen Xiao, slightly thought for a moment, but shook his head:" No, I still have work."
"Do you have another job?" The girl opened her eyes wide.
"Well, I'm a tutor." Chen Xiao didn't seem to want to say much and simply replied. He then bowed his head and continued working.
Since it was the weekend, there's no school and work, so the breakfast sales of the fast food restaurant in the morning were naturally affected. But by 9:30, the business in the shop was getting better.
More than 80% of the guests were girls in groups of twos and threes. These girls ranged from twelve to twenty-two years old. It seems that most of them were students. They should still be sleeping at home, but for some reason, they came here for breakfast...
Seeing this scene, Chen Xiao's female colleague was quite surprised. And then she sighed, these girls were all here for Chen Xiao.
Ever since Chen Xiao came to this small fast food restaurant, after the female students came to know that there was a handsome young male clerk, they began to come here in swarms.
Chen Xiao is tall and slender, with a straight figure. His face has delicate features. Although he doesn't like to talk, when he smiles, it seems like he has a "lethal power" that makes these girls scream. He was more handsome than those guys who appeared on TV. Pretty boys with a refined temperament are very popular. It was the "Prince" type of boys that are very popular with ignorant little girls nowadays.
Since he came to work here, the proportion of young women among the shop’s guests has increased dramatically. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, there are always younger girls in the shop who come to see Chen Xiao in groups of twos and threes. Those girls bought meals and always dined in, never take out. They could easily sit in the store for more than half an hour, with just a glass of Coke and a sandwich in their hands. What’s more, they were blatantly staring at Chen Xiao as they supported their chins with their elbows on the table.
'Hah! Group of nymphs!'
She didn’t know why, but the more the female colleague looked at these female customers, the more upset she was. When seeing two female customers, aged no more than fourteen or fifteen years old staring at Chen Xiao, almost drooling, she couldn't help but feel angry.
What's even more hateful is that there are obviously two shop clerks, Chen Xiao and her. But those little girls would rather wait in line, and wait for Chen Xiao's counter than just order the food from hers!
The more she thinks about it, the madder she got!
She puffed up her cheeks and looked at the pair of customers in front of her who had lined up to her counter: it was a man and a woman. Judging from their intimate appearance, they were clearly a couple. She rolled her eyes and then changed her attitude, she smiled politely: "This brother and sister, may I take your order?"
"..."
Chen Xiao quickly made the burgers and sandwiches ordered, then served them with sodas.
His movements were fast and not messy, his fingers were soft and flexible, and his face was always as calm as water. No matter how many customers stood in front of the counter, his expression did not change. In the eyes of those little girls, this was a "cool" performance.
Chen Xiao could vaguely feel that a girl sitting in the shop was secretly looking at him while biting on the straw, and even more girls looking at himself while whispering with each other.
In regards to these, Chen Xiao was used to it.
He knew what these girls were talking about. In fact, Chen Xiao's hearing has been very sensitive since he was a child. In the midst of working, he could hear the two girls sitting closest to the counter talking about something like "The Palace Prince..." and so on.
"Prince?"
Chen Xiao could only smile bitterly in his heart.
Girls in this world generally like to gossip.
But Chen Xiao doesn’t really care—he was used to being the topic, especially after the incident that happened two years ago—
His mother's surname is Xiao and that's what his parents were planning on naming him, and he should be called 'Chen Xiao.' But later, a fortune teller said that his five elements were short of water, so they changed the character "Xiao" to "Xiao".
(Tl: The ‘Xiao’ mentioned are different characters, but are both written as ‘Xiao in pinyin’)
Speaking of which, an eighteen-year-old boy like him rarely has such a quiet and steady temperament.
But since childhood, his father and mother had rarely spent time with Chen Xiao. Both of his parents seem to be engaged in some kind of scientific research work... It was hard to imagine how his father, who always looks serious and cold like Frankenstein in the comics, was able to woo his beautiful mother.
Because of work, Chen Xiao's parents traveled back and forth between different countries all year round. When Chen Xiao was three years old, his parents entered a research institution in North America as the main R&D personnel for an unknown project.
They then became a shareholder of the scientific research institution, and became a partner soon after. It went from a part-time job to a boss status. This made the couple's time more expensive than gold. So how can these two workaholics still have time to take care of their child?
Therefore, Chen Xiao went to boarding school in his childhood. In order to keep his “Chinese identity”, his parents left him in the country and did not take him to North America. They hired a housekeeper to take care of his daily life. This is why Chen Xiao has been accustomed to living independently. He could already cook his own rice, and tomato and egg soup when he was nine years old.
Both his parents seem to be very wealthy, and the North American scientific research institution seemed to pay them a lot of money, so Chen Xiao has never been short of money. It's just that they never really see each other.
After careful calculation, since the age of four, he probably saw his parents less than four times. This situation continued until Chen Xiao was sixteen.
He was at school that day, but when he came back home, he suddenly saw the housekeeper look at him with red, teary eyes.
Then he got the bad news: The research institute where his parents were working in, had a huge accident. In that accident, both of his parents were killed and died in the laboratory.
After the investigation, it was deemed that the accident was indeed an accident, and not deliberately planned. The scientific research institution was also shut down due to this accident. It was said that it had gone bankrupt. His parents had previously invested all of their wealth in the scientific research institution, but they died in the accident. The bankruptcy and disintegration of the scientific research institution had caused all of their research to be destroyed along with it. With all this, poor Chen Xiao who was still a sixteen-year-old child at that time, only received a pension.
Then the debt collectors showed up. All of the cars, the villas and the family mansion was taken away. Later, Chen Xiao learned that his parents had an disagreement with a partner of the scientific research institution on the research direction. So they insisted on continuing their research while bearing all the costs without the partner's help. They mortgaged their property and cars to the bank for the research funding.
The original rich boy became a poor man overnight. Fortunately, his parents placed their old house where the family lived prior, under Chen Xiao’s name a long time ago, so it was not taken away by the bank.
After Chen Xiao used the pension to hold a funeral for his parents, he moved back to the old house.
If it was any other boy the same age as Chen Xiao, who received such bad news, nine out of ten, they would have already collapsed from shock. But Chen Xiao had been accustomed to living independently since he was a child, and his endurance was surprisingly strong, so he could survive by himself.
It's just that later, he became more withdrawn and less talkative.
He knew the cruelty of the world. When his family was still rich, all of their relatives were very affectionate towards him; but after the accident, they avoided him as if he was the god of misfortune. His uncles, aunts, etc., were nowhere to be seen after the funeral.
It's not like Chen Xiao wanted to rely on these people anyway. He was sixteen years old at the time, and he was already considered an adult by law. Moreover, he had been alone all these years and was used to it. He didn't bother himself with those relatives.
The only thing that made Chen Xiao a little emotional, was the housekeeper who had been taking care of him. She was a kind and gentle woman in her forties, who had worked as a part-time worker for many years. When Chen Xiao's family dropped to its lowest, the housekeeper aunt wanted to adopt Chen Xiao; but as a woman who only works as a helper, she does not have a good source of income, and she has her own children to support. So she really couldn't take in Chen Xiao given her circumstances, though she still tried to.
But Chen Xiao resolutely rejected her proposal of going with her, as that would just burden her more. He instead insisted on returning to the old house. Compared with those relatives, to Chen Xiao, this housekeeper was more like a family member than them.
In order to survive, Chen Xiao, who had lost his source of income (his family), began to work and earn money himself.
He was originally a child of a rich family. When his parents were still alive, he was considered well off. He lived in a mansion and had cars. He also wore international brand clothing.
He has been extremely smart since he was a child, he probably inherited his clever genes from his parents. He could play the piano well, and he even dared to drive a sports car on the highway at 200kph when he was only 15 years old. He also learned how to hack systems. He also learned karate and was preparing to take the test for it.
Unfortunately, he was now broke. It's hard to imagine that such a wealthy young man, who had never worried about not having money, food or clothes, could survive in a situation where he has to provide for himself now. It's probably the perseverance he inherited from his parents.
He goes to school during the day and goes to work at night. He has done maintenance in a computer company, played the piano in a hotel, and even worked as a packer in a supermarket. Although he is young and it is difficult to find a job, since he is sharp-minded and sincere in doing things-coupled with his handsome appearance, he was able to support himself slowly.
For example, ever since he came to work in this fast food restaurant and attracted many female students from several nearby schools to dine, the manager saw this as an opportunity and sort of made him a mascot. Chen Xiao even faintly knew that many of his own life stories were deliberately revealed to these female students by his manager, to arouse topics amidst their discussion.
As a result, the fast-food restaurant's business was getting better and better, and the manager naturally gained a lot of money from it.
However, although he has done all sorts of jobs, even in the most difficult time, Chen Xiao never did bad things. In fact, there was an acquaintance of his, a hacker who hacked other people's websites and wanted to get him to do some "business" together: like forging and cracking credit cards.
He had only one week of living expenses in his pocket at the time, but he refused the temptation.
Because, when he was younger, his father said to him: People in the world should behave in an upright manner and walk straight! If you do something bad, even if you don't get caught, you can't escape your own heart and conscience.
Although the relationship between him and his parents was not deep, he still kept this in mind.
Without having the expensive sports car anymore, Chen Xiao goes to school and to work on a bicycle. And even without a mansion, he's living in their 'old house' just as comfortable as he did before. Chen Xiao also enjoyed eating at the roadside stalls, just like he did in those expensive restaurants and hotels.
Fortunately amidst all the misfortune that befell onto him, before his parents passed away, the tuition for the prestigious school where Chen Xiao studies at, had been paid in full for the next few years. So he didn't need to worry about it.
After all, the tuition of this city's most expensive and famous aristocratic school was not something that Chen Xiao can afford by simply working.
...
"Wow, is that him...? He's the son of a rich family?!"
"Yes, so handsome and stylish..."
"Wow, he looked at us!!"
One of the girls had stars in her eyes.
Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows, and walked into the backroom. Seeing him go, the group of girls sighed disappointedly.
At noon, Chen Xiao finished work. He changed back to his casual clothes, and left after he greeted the manager.
"Chen Xiao." The cute female colleague called him as she stood behind the counter looking at Chen Xiao. She was squinting her eyes and smiling sweetly. She looked cute and lovable: "Hey, today is actually your birthday, right?" She lowered her voice: "I know, since I peeped at the employee register."
Chen Xiao was stunned, as he watched the girl look around to see if their manager was around. She then quietly took out a box wrapped in a gift wrap from her pocket and handed it to him. She said with a smile: "Happy birthday."
"…Thank you." Chen Xiao's expression was a little unnatural.
The gift box was not that big and the wrapping paper was a bit messy. Obviously, it was not packaged by a gift company, and his female colleague wrapped it herself.
According to courtesy, he opened the box right in front of the giver and found a new compact MP4 inside the box.
He was stunned for a moment and glanced at the girl.
The girl blinked: "Last time, you said you liked this one. My memory is very good!" Seeing Chen Xiao's expression, she quickly added: "Don't reject it! I had to specially go back and get it because I forgot. So if you give it back, that would mean you don't appreciate my efforts."
After saying that, she said softly, "If you are still embarrassed... Then it will be my birthday in a few days. You can also just give me something at that time."
Chen Xiao couldn't possibly refuse, after all of that. So after thinking for a bit, he nodded and accepted the gift with a sincere smile: "Thank you."
He saw shyness in the girl's eyes. After being watched by so many little girls in the store for a few months already, how can he not know the thoughts of this colleague?
He could only sigh and in the end, did not tell the girl his original plan: He planned to resign at the end of this month because he happened to find a new job as a tutor. That was better than being gawked at by a group of little girls while working here every day.
'Well, I better give her something for her birthday.'
After that, he left the store and pushed out his bicycle from the back of the store. Chen Xiao put his foot on the pedal, when he suddenly felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. He saw the caller ID was a series of unfamiliar numbers... Although he did not recognize it, Chen Xiao recognized the area code at the beginning. It was actually a foreign number!
After some hesitation, he pressed the answer button.
"Is this Mr. Chen Xiao?" The voice of a woman sounded. Judging from her voice, she should not be that young anymore.
The call was very noisy, and it seems that there are cars around the person talking on the other end of the phone.
Moreover, the other party was speaking standard English.
Fortunately, since both of his parents worked abroad ever since he was young, Chen Xiao was very fluent in English.
"Yes." Chen Xiao replied.
"Excuse me, have you received the item?"
"The what?" Chen Xiao was a little dazed.
"Your address is No. XX, XX Street, K City, right?" The person on the other end of the phone seemed to have a nervous tone, and was a little anxious.
"Yes, the address is correct, but who are you?"
"Since the address is correct... Then are you outside right now? Please go home immediately, and make sure to check the item-this is very important!"
"You are..."
*Beep* The other party hung up.
Chen Xiao frowned. Even after thinking about it, he couldn't think of anything. He had to go home to change clothes first, before going to the house where he'll tutor anyway. So he didn't think further and just rode the bicycle home.
Chen Xiao's old house was the former residence of his parents, when the two were still young and just got married.
Although he refers to it as the "old house", it's age was relatively quite new.
It has three-bedrooms and two-living rooms. For ordinary people, this space is not small by any means. When Chen Xiao was having financial difficulties, he once considered living in one of the bedrooms and renting out the other two, and collecting some rent. But then he dispelled the idea. He knows his temperament well, and he knows that he was slightly more withdrawn than his peers, he also didn't like when others disturbed him.
Especially after the death of his parents, he became even less talkative. So if he got roommates, it would be troublesome. Later on, when he was able to earn money gradually by working as a part-timer, and he was no longer in a dire situation, he simply stopped thinking about the renting thing.
After he cycled all the way, he entered the door and put away his shoes. He then immediately washed his face and drank water. It was May, so the temperature in this Southern city was a bit high. Since he just cycled, he was sweating a lot and took care of cleaning himself first. He seems to have forgotten the strange phone call.
But as he was refreshing himself and catching his breath, he suddenly heard the doorbell ring from outside.
After opening the door, he saw white men in uniform standing at the door.
"Mr. Chen Xiao?" One of them asked politely. After seeing Chen Xiao nod in confirmation, he took out a form: "We are entrusted to deliver a package to you, please show your credentials, and then sign it."
The appearance of these people was similar to those of ordinary international express companies. There was really no difference between their employees, except the logos on their uniforms, like "DHL" or "FedEx" that Chen Xiao was familiar with.
But for this courier, it is a "PS".
'PS? Which company is this acronym from?'
Moreover, behind these men, was the package they were talking about. It was about the height of a person and was thick. It's outside was wrapped in a hard shell and plastic.
'Wait, is this a refrigerator? It must be judging from its size.'
'But who will give me a refrigerator from abroad? To transport such a large refrigerator from abroad, the price was certainly not small...'
Although Chen Xiao was still a little confused, he signed the form. The group of men then transported the "refrigerator" into the house before politely leaving.
Chen Xiao was left alone. He looked at such a big refrigerator in front of him, dumbfounded.
After a while, Chen Xiao snapped out of it, looked for some scissors, and opened the plastic wrappings!
After opening it, Chen Xiao saw what was inside...
Thud!
The scissors fell to the ground. Chen Xiao subconsciously stepped back, as he stared at the "refrigerator" in front of him dumbfounded.
'Uh, how do you put it… In a sense, it was indeed a "refrigerator", but a "freezer" was much more appropriate.
The base is made of metal, while the outer shell is transparent glass... The glass is obviously thickened and reinforced. Through the glass, he can see ice.
But... None of that is the most important thing!
The most important thing is: there was a person in this freezer!!!
It was a girl who looked a little bit older than himself. Her fair skin seemed to not be affected despite being in the freezer, and didn't look stiff at all.
She had long blonde hair and although her eyes were closed, her facial features can still be clearly seen. It was something Chen Xiao had never seen before! Currently she seemed to be in a sweet yet deep sleep. Her small and erect nose, her soft and delicate lips... She was a heavenly beauty!
Moreover...
Sure, the girl had her hands on her chest, and her slender legs were close together. But it doesn't change the fact that her slender body... very unexpectedly...
Was completely naked!!!'
Chen Xiao was dumbfounded
Crack!
As he subconsciously took another step back, he suddenly felt a plastic shell cracking under his feet. When he looked, he saw a letter.
After taking a deep breath, Chen Xiao quickly returned to his senses. He picked up the letter and opened it quickly. There were a few English lines on the letter:
"Mr. Chen Xiao, it is a pity that I have no choice but to disturb you. The package I've sent is the most precious legacy left by your parents. I was entrusted by them to take care of it, but now, I can no longer continue to undertake this entrustment. As a last resort, according to your parents’ instructions, when I can’t continue this job anymore, I will hand "her" to you. I believe that you will definitely help your parents take care of their most precious legacy.
Finally, I just want to say that your parents are the greatest scientists I have ever seen in my life!
Good luck!"
And then below was a signature named "Three".
"Three...Three?"
'Would anyone in this world have such a name?'
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