"Hey, Star, time to get up. We have to go register at school today, right?" Chen Ze looked at his phone, which showed it was 7:30 a.m.
"Hmm... I'm so sleepy..." Chen Xingchen rubbed her eyes. Having to switch back to her school's biological clock on her rare day off, she wasn't quite used to it.
Chen Ze just shrugged indifferently; as long as he had woken her up, that was enough.
Chen Ze pushed the door open and went to the bathroom to start his morning wash-up routine.
"Hey, big brother, why are your dark circles so heavy?" Chen Xingchen, still in her pajamas, squeezed in too.
"Ah, I thought the movie version of 'Youth Pig-Headed Teenager' was going to be released today, so I stayed up late waiting for it," Chen Ze looked into the mirror. Honestly, he couldn't see the dark circles himself.
He had no idea how Chen Xingchen managed to spot them.
Maybe that's just the difference between girls and boys? Chen Ze fetched some shaving foam and scraped off his stubble. It was best to look a bit more presentable since they were going to school today.
"Sigh, why can't I make any friends?" After he'd served up the chive pocket, Chen Ze heard Chen Xingchen's complaint.
Chen Ze silently glanced at Chen Xingchen. He really wanted to say it was because she was too special. But considering she was his sister, he gave up the idea.
"Chive pockets, huh. They taste alright." Chen Xingchen picked up a chive pocket and took a bite, then continued to poke around on her cellphone.
Curious, Chen Ze peeked over and saw a chat interface on the screen.
[Cyclist Wind: Star, you didn't even tell me when you came to the provincial capital.]
[Cyclist Wind: Hey? Where are you?]
[I will always love Yazawa Nico: Hehe.]
"..." Chen Ze felt he had figured out why his sister couldn't make friends.
Those two words, "Hehe," when sent alone, did carry a strong sarcastic undertone.
"Big brother, are you turning into a peeping tom?" Chen Xingchen looked at Chen Ze with hollow eyes while moving her wrists.
"I just think it's quite normal for you to have no friends," Chen Ze sat back down and concluded.
Not only was his sister adept at discovering other people's secrets and exposing them, she also seemed to have problems interacting with others.
"Whatever, I don't care. With brother being so rich, I might as well be a freeloading shut-in sister and enjoy," said Chen Xingchen, laughing happily.
"Alright, stop being silly and finish up quick. We have to go to school," said Chen Ze, checking his phone - it was getting late.
After a quick meal, the siblings took a taxi to the City No. 1 High School.
"We should go to the academic affairs office, right?" Since it was class time, some students were exercising on the sports field.
"Let me see... Yes, I need to go to the academic affairs office to check in," Chen Xingchen took out her cellphone to confirm.
After asking the security guard, the siblings went to the academic affairs office to deal with the registration.
Before even opening the door, Chen Ze caught a very familiar scent.
It was as light as the fragrance of orchids, yet it carried an entrancing power that made one unable to resist... what a load of crap!
Chen Ze instinctively covered his nose. If he wasn't mistaken, this scent must be the ambergris he had sold to the Longxuan Auction House before.
"This smells so good, what is it?" Chen Xingchen, of course, also smelled the scent.
"Star, this..." Chen Ze was about to explain to his sister when Chen Xingchen pushed the door open and walked in.
Chen Ze heaved a sigh and thought it was too late to say anything, so he followed inside.
"Lao Huang, let me tell you, this perfume was bought by my husband from his friend, and it cost over three million," said a woman dressed extravagantly as soon as they entered.
Chen Ze, of course, heard her words—two million for a bottle of perfume, then selling it for over three million, it passed through just one set of hands, and probably included the cost of the bottle as well. No business without cunning, eh?
"Mm-hmm, everything you're saying is right... Eh? Who are you two?" A capable-looking woman stood up and asked Chen Ze.
"Hello, I'm here to help my sister Chen Xingchen with her school transfer procedures," Chen Ze said politely, nodding his head and handing over Chen Xingchen's related documents.
The woman who was wafting with the scent of ambergris noticed her friend was occupied and left after greeting her.
And Chen Ze didn't take long to complete the transfer procedures.
"Brother, why did you look so weird just now?" Chen Xingchen clearly remembered Chen Ze's expression from earlier, which was like he had accidentally swallowed a big spoonful of mustard.
Chen Ze scratched his head, debating whether to tell her or not, especially since Chen Xingchen had just been singing the praises of the scent of ambergris at the school office.
"Well, Star, do you remember the dragon that came to our restaurant before?"
"I remember, the one that got scared off."
"That... The dragon's saliva is the same smell as the perfume we sniffed today at the school office," Chen Ze decided to just spill the beans after all.
"What?" Chen Xingchen was instantly dumbfounded.
She remembered smelling the scent earlier, continually praising it for being pleasant and fragrant. She hadn't expected this at all...
Chen Xingchen's face instantly darkened.
"However, brother, since that's the case, shouldn't you explain to me why the dragon's saliva ended up at the auction house?" Chen Xingchen looked at Chen Ze with a mischievous smile.
Uh-oh, disaster, Chen 'Holmes' Xingchen was on the case.
"Um... I don't know either, the dragon's saliva—I threw it away. Maybe someone picked it up and sold it," Chen Ze resolved that no matter what, he couldn't reveal the truth.
"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Xingchen smiled radiantly.
However, on the way back, Chen Xingchen didn't bring up the topic again, which rather eased Chen Ze's mind.
"Hey, brother, sold for over three million, huh? That auction house is really deceitful," Chen Xingchen suddenly said as Chen Ze was opening the door.
"Yeah, I only sold it for two hundred..." Chen Ze complained instinctively but immediately realized what he had just said.
Chen Ze swallowed hard as he felt a chilling cold.
"Oh~ No wonder you went to the auction house that day, my foolish brother," Chen Xingchen started laughing, the picture of a beautiful girl.
If only this beautiful girl wasn't cracking her knuckles ominously.
"Two hundred? Hmm?" Chen Ze stepped back little by little.
I'm probably going to die here today. That was the only thought on Chen Ze's mind at the moment.
"Two million? I'm not wrong, am I? Did you pick up some bad habit!" Chen Xingchen was getting closer.
"No, no, no, it's just... there are some expenses for the restaurant, and I'm not too keen on taking on loans. The pressure would be too much," Chen Ze explained swallowing hard, certain he hadn't indulged in any gambling or drugs.
"Really? No gambling or borrowing from loan sharks?"
"Really!" Chen Ze said emphatically.