Chi Su was equally astonished earlier today when the crown prince instructed him to pick up Li Shengxia because Mo Niancheng had never brought any woman home before. He offered to tidy up the guest room but the crown prince said she would be staying for a long time…
A long time…
Hearing that stunned him into silence. Did it mean Li Shengxia was going to be the female owner of this house?
He figured that he had to carry out the task cautiously and thus he behaved exceptionally courteous toward the woman…
She stared into the distance after registering the man's words.
Mo Nianchen had never brought any woman home before? Could it be because of his mysophobia? He was allowing her into his house, though… Perhaps it was just to make their lie more convincing?
"Oh, where are my manners. I'm the personal assistant to the crown prince, Chi Su, the kind that's always on call no matter the time of day." The man intended to leave a good impression of himself.
Chi Su? Chi Su… It sounded almost like… Eating vegetarian? (TN: The word eating vegetarian in Mandarin sounds similar to the man's name."
Chi Su, eating vegetarian, reciting scriptures, Amitabha… A bubble of laughter escaped the woman's mouth.
She realized she had been impolite after recollecting herself. "You have a unique name," she said quickly.
"My mother is a vegetarian for religious purposes, thus the name."
"I see." A faint smile flashed across the woman's face. For reasons unknown to herself, she found him less intimidating now. She seemed to also have relaxed a little.
The car came to a halt in front of a luxury mansion before pulling into the private car park. The massive garden was dotted with an extensive variety of trees and flowers, as if they had just entered a dreamy European-style castle from the medieval age.
Mo Nianchen's house certainly had a massive upgrade… They used to be neighbors from the same area. Her living environment had not changed much over the course of the years but his house had transformed into a colossal castle.
She flinched from the pressure and suddenly wished to look for a way out. "Is Grandfather home?"
"Do you mean the elder?" the assistant replied, "He's out of the country at the moment but could be back anytime soon."
That meant Mo Nianchen's grandfather was not always around. Therefore, had he always lived alone in that massive mansion?
"Please, Crown Princess…"
LI Shengxia braced herself to walk forward.
Chi Su led her all the way into the main hall and up the helical staircase.
He stopped in front of the room and Li Shengxia found herself holding her breath…
"Crown Princess, this is your room. It has been equipped with the daily essentials but do press the service button if you need anything else. The servants will be at your service."
The man opened the door as he spoke…
She turned to check out the spacious and beautifully designed room and found no one in sight. A silent sigh escaped through her lips. Fortunately, this was not Mo Nianchen's room…
The crown prince must be occupied with the myriad of affairs every day; he would not have the time to share a room with her. Phew… Inhale, exhale…
Then, the man's voice rang in the air again.
"The crown prince's special room is right next door. Please don't disturb him unless he specifically calls for you. The crown prince dislikes other people going into his room and touching his belongings. I hope you understand this."
"Of course," she replied immediately.
She did not expect to be living in the room right next to his. She could not quite describe the feeling that was materializing in her heart at this instant…
Staying in separate rooms provided her a sense of security, at least she would not be under his watch 24/7. However, she could not help but entertain the possibility that he might barge into her room anytime soon since he was only a stone throw's away.
The woman immediately locked herself in after the assistant took his leave.
She still felt slightly uneasy despite having done that.
What if Mo Nianchen barged into her room in the middle of the night? She made sure the windows were locked as well. Her effort seemed futile on second thought. This was his house thus he would have the keys to all the rooms. The man would still have ways to open the door even if she changed the lock.
Without caring about her consent or giving her time to get ready.
A shudder passed through her again at the thought of this. Rather he was here in the room right now instead of having to be paranoid of all the possibilities…
The woman awoke with a start several times through the night.
However, the man did not appear even until the next morning…
It appeared that she had been overthinking! Perhaps he would only call for her when it suited him. This would work as it gave her more personal space.
Realizing it was getting late, she quickly leaped out of bed to get ready.
Breakfast had already been prepared. This made her slightly uncomfortable because she was used to getting things done by herself. However, no one dared to trouble her thus she had no choice but to "enjoy" the fruit of their labor.
It baffled her that she had not seen Mo Nianchen for the entire day in his own house…
Finally, she gave in and questioned one of the servants. "Where's the crown prince?"
"Crown Princess, it's not within our rights to enquire the crown prince's whereabouts."
Nor to report it to someone else…
An embarrassed smile flashed across Li Shengxia's face. "Fair enough."
It did not concern her if he was still sleeping or if he had gone out. She could not care less if he was not even here last night. She had a few quick bites of the breakfast in front of her so she could leave for work sooner.
Unexpectedly, Mo Niancheng came down the stairs right this moment…
He was upstairs? That meant he was sleeping in the room next to her last night? A shudder passed through her and all she could think of was to get up and run away.
"Sit down!" he ordered just as she rose to her full height.
"I'm done eating," she replied.
The man immediately instructed one of his servants, "Go on, make her another serving!"
"…" This rendered the woman speechless. "Um, it's okay. I can't eat that much anyway. There's still some left on the plate so I'll just have that."
She had no choice but to sit down to accompany him…
His hand was heavily bandaged. A cold expression washed over his face after several failed attempts with the cutlery…
She stole a glance at him out of the corners of her eyes.
"What? Feed me," he said flatly.
"But I'm not finished."
"You just said you've had enough."
She had nothing to say against that. "Why is your hand injured?"
She remembered him wrapping up her wound. Well her wounds had already healed but his injuries seemed to be worse than hers. Did she transfer her wounds to him through touch or something?
A sullen look took over his face upon remembering his wound from hitting one of the car windows the day before. "No speaking during meal times!"
"…"
She had no choice but to remain silent.
"Why are you still sitting there? Do you think you can take my money and live in my house for free? Come over here and feed me!!"
What a haughty and arrogant man.
Those maids standing in a row behind him were overjoyed.
Maid One's eyes twinkled with brilliance. 'Crown Prince is so cool! He's sexy even when giving instructions.'
Maid Two had butterflies in her stomach. 'Crown Princess is the luckiest.'
Maid Three allowed her fantasy to run a little. 'How nice it would be if I'm the one who gets to feed the crown prince.'
Li Shengxia, on the other hand, was feeding Mo Nianchen's his breakfast with utmost reluctance.
He turned toward her to receive the thin pancake but he deliberately dodged it by a slight angle. The food fell from his mouth and landed on the woman's breasts.
She was about to flick it away when he speedily lowered his head to pick up the food with his lips. He savoured it for a few seconds before swallowing.
Startled, her cheeks were blushing with embarrassment but she quickly regained her composure. "Mo Nianchen, are you crazy?" she shouted.
This person was already behaving strangely early in the morning. There were people around! She felt so ashamed she wished she would just vanish right this instant.
"Did I ask you to cut them into such big pieces?" The delighted man questioned with his eyebrows raised.
"…" She had no choice but to slice that thin pancake into several smaller pieces before shoving them into his mouth.
"Stupid woman, watch yourself!"
"So demanding!" she grumbled.
"I dare you to say that again?" His low voice was reeked of intimidation.
She said aloud, "I said the morning sun feels amazing!"
"…"
Clueless Servant One mumbled, "These two are passionate in the early morning."
Clueless Servant Two mumbled, "The crown prince and crown princess are so in love…"
The corners of her lips twitched as she thought to herself, 'How is this in love?' Her cold stare at the man was returned with a nonchalant reply. "You've been staring at me the whole morning. You do realize it's time for work?"
"Ah, d*mn it…" Flustered, the woman even forgot to criticize the arrogant man. "I'm off to work."
Unexpectedly, he rose to his feet. "I'll drop you off."
"Don't worry about it," she refused right away for fear to be seen together at the workplace.
"We're heading in the same direction." The determination was audible in his voice.
She shook her head. "It's alright."
"Are you afraid?"
"Of what?" She felt slightly uneasy.
The corners of his lips curled into an enigmatic smile. "Relax, publicizing our relationship will not do me any good. Get into my car. Don't make me say it for the third time!"
It was as if he could read her mind! She was worried about being seen in his car by the colleagues because she did not want to be associated with him.
He probably agreed with her thinking as well. After all, he was the haughty crown prince!
She entered the car quietly.
Upon seeing the bandage around his palm, she asked from the back seat, "Can you still drive now that your hand is injured?"
"Are you starting to care for me?"
"I'm just worried about my own safety."
"How bad can it be? Even if something happens, you'll be dead by the side of an elegant crown prince." An enigmatic smile flashed across his face.
"No, thanks. I'd love to enjoy more fresh air!"
"Should I move to the back seat to join you for morning exercise?" he asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"Shameless," she complained with a frown, "Start driving already!"
He stepped on the accelerator before her voice trailed off and sped off into the distance…
Soon, the car tires screech without warning…
"Mo Nianchen, are you driving or trying to murder?!"
She held onto the handle firmly for dear life but that did not stop her head from spinning.
The woman knew he did that deliberately but seriously? Such a childish, shameless rascal!
"Please, I made a mistake, alright? Drive slower!" She was forced to give in.
He finally drove the car steadily.
She cursed him incessantly in her mind.
They were finally approaching the company…
The car pulled to a halt.
"I'll pick you up at night," he simply said.
"It's alright," she replied, "I can get back myself." She still felt slightly dizzy while trying to exit the car.
"I'll be waiting in the company's VIP car park," he replied nonetheless, completely disregarding her rejection.
"…"
It was exhausting trying to communicate with this man!!
*
Emperor Heritage Group Fashion Design Headquarters.
Design department.
This was one of the best departments of the Emperor Heritage Group. Numerous elites impeccable in terms of taste, design, experience, and qualifications worked here.
Upon learning about the news of a newcomer, members of the design department instinctively assumed the person was either an international-recognized designer or at least a graduate of a top-grade international university. They were astonished to find the young girl in her early twenties walking in thus they naturally looked down upon Li Shengxia immediately.
Why was this young girl without an impressive resume or work experience qualified to work along them? She must have been offered the job through personal connections.
Design Department Manager, Willis, introduced the woman to the team enthusiastically. "This is Li Shengxia, the new member to our design department. Please welcome her with a round of applause."
This woman was specifically assigned by the crown prince himself. The manager was confused as to why she was able to work along the brilliant minds of the design team given her average resume, not to mention the role came with a munificent salary.
He figured this woman must be in an unusual relationship with the crown prince. This was the first time the crown prince specifically instructed him to take good care of a newcomer. Due to this reason, the manager dared not neglect her needs or demands in any way.
However, the rest of the design team did not think so! There was no applause to welcome the newcomer but a heavy silence filled the room instead. It was evident they were all giving her scornful looks.
The woman was extremely embarrassed. She was well-informed about the outstanding accomplishments from the Emperor Heritage Group's fashion design team. Each and every one of them was the cream of the industry thus it was natural that she would be given the cold shoulder.
Although her performance in school had always been brilliant and she had spent some time pursuing further studies abroad, she had to return to her home country before graduation due to the deteriorating condition back home with his bedridden father.
Her alma mater was not the most prestigious and she did not specialize in design either. Despite having completed the course on her own without attending formal in-class lessons, her resume was indeed not too impressive.
Moreover, she had been occupied by the financial troubles of her father's company thus she had almost zero proper corporate experience.
It was fair to call her a layman in design. Not to mention this group of bright minds, perhaps an average designing company would also think twice before accepting her.
"Pleasure to meet everyone here, I'm Li Shengxia. Look forward to working with you!"
Another awkward silence.
Willis finally spoke. "Shengxia will be part of the team starting from today. Alright, there are six of us in this department altogether. Apart from us two, we have Jian Dan, Pianpian, Tan Qing, and Ling Yarang. They're all incredibly talented thus you must take the opportunity to learn from them. Your desk is the one next to the window on the fourth row."
"Thanks, Manager. Can I know what is within my job scope?"
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