Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Wise Sovereign
Chen Fenglei was furious.
Yet he found himself unable to retort...
Could he tell Tang Fei that this was a rule everyone must follow, that Her Highness the Princess would never get upset over such a trivial matter, nor would she suspect he was deliberately distancing himself or unwilling to be her friend...?
No, he was approaching it from the wrong angle.
On what grounds did he assume the princess would think this way? Why would the princess be angry over such a thing? Why worry about whether someone wanted to be her friend? Was the princess truly so lacking in friends? What could he possibly offer her?
How could someone so utterly ordinary be so confident?
“People from the Old Earth...”
“They’re from the Old Earth...”
“Crude, uncultured, lacking refinement...”
Chen Fenglei picked up the cup before him, drained the remaining tea, then pasted a smile back onto his face and spoke, “As for this matter of address, let’s discuss it further...”
If push came to shove, let them hit a wall and suffer a little.
These people were stubborn—unless they ran into a brick wall, they’d never turn back.
Let them hit the wall.
A few more collisions, heads bloodied and battered, and they’d be willing to reconsider.
Of course, there was always the chance they’d break their necks and never turn back at all.
“No need to discuss; we’ll do as you say,” Tang Fei agreed readily. “From today on, we’ll call her ‘Your Highness the Princess’... Little Fatty, did you remember?”
“Yes, brother, I remembered,” Little Fatty replied, sipping his tea as well.
He thought the black tea was quite good, especially with sugar—bittersweet.
Chen Fenglei thought to himself, “So whatever I say goes? Why didn’t you agree sooner? Why all the fuss?”
Naturally, Chen Fenglei didn’t want to linger on that topic.
He looked at Tang Fei and asked, “Do you and your brother have any plans for the future?”
“Plans?” Tang Fei and Little Fatty exchanged glances.
Little Fatty cradled his cup and said, “Brother, didn’t the people who brought us here say... after we arrived, we’d have food and shelter?”
Tang Fei nodded and looked at Chen Fenglei. “Yes, that’s what they said.”
“Please don’t misunderstand...” Chen Fenglei finally regained his sense of control, smiling as he said, “You needn’t worry about that. Of course, we’ll provide for your food and lodging. As friends of Princess Xuexue, we will do our utmost to see you settled.”
“Then why ask about our plans?” Tang Fei questioned. “Our plan is to have food and shelter.”
“Yes, and meat, too,” Little Fatty added.
“...”
Chen Fenglei stared at the two buffoons and said, “When I say ‘plans,’ I mean your personal ambitions... What would you like to do, or in which field do you hope to develop?”
Little Fatty was lost. All his life, he’d never made any decisions—aside from technical matters, like from which angle to strike a stone for the best result, or how hard to hit for the most even split...
Does that count as a plan?
Tang Fei turned to Chen Fenglei and said, “We have no plans. We’ll follow your arrangements.”
“Very well,” Chen Fenglei nodded. “Before your arrival, I consulted with Princess Xuexue; she had some ideas of her own...”
He looked at Tang Fei and continued, “Her Highness suggests that Mr. Tang Fei and Little Fatty... Forgive me, I don’t know your real name, sir.”
“My name is Gongshu Lei,” Little Fatty answered. “My godfather gave it to me.”
Thinking of his godfather made Little Fatty feel crestfallen. If only his godfather could have come with them to the new star for a better life...
“Mr. Gongshu Lei...” Chen Fenglei cast a surprised glance at Little Fatty, thinking, “The surname Gongshu is rare indeed. His godfather must be quite a character.”
“Mr. Tang Fei, Mr. Gongshu Lei, the princess hopes you both will attend school... Her Highness is still making arrangements in that regard. What do you think?”
“School?” Little Fatty’s face went blank—the same expression all mischievous children show at the mention of study.
He dreaded studying most of all!
“We have no objection,” Tang Fei replied for both of them, just as any ambitious parent would at the prospect of education.
On the journey to the new star, Tang Fei had considered what they would do upon arrival.
Would they simply cling to the princess every day, idling about and doing nothing?
That was possible—but what if Her Highness didn’t approve?
What else could they do?
They were refugees from the Old Earth, with no formal education or particular skills...
His greatest expertise was hunting, but in this city of steel and concrete, what prey was there to hunt?
Learning!
They must go to school.
Back on Old Earth, he had suffered at the hands of high-tech weapons, a victim of ignorance.
Now, given the chance, he wanted to systematically learn about advanced knowledge and technology. If there was even a slim hope to be lifted like a bird into the sky, all the better...
They also needed to observe and learn about the culture, music, education, customs, and ways of life on this new world...
The ways of Old Earth would not work here.
“Because your circumstances are unique, Mr. Tang Fei and Mr. Gongshu Lei, choosing a school is more complicated... But Her Highness said she would do her best,” Chen Fenglei said, smiling.
“Just call him Little Fatty,” Tang Fei replied. “Whenever you say ‘Gongshu Lei,’ I keep looking around to see who you’re talking about.”
“All right. I find ‘Little Fatty’ rather endearing myself,” Chen Fenglei said cheerfully.
“I agree,” said Little Fatty with a simple grin. “I’ve been called Little Fatty all my life.”
But at the mention of school, his smile faded. “But I don’t know how to study.”
“You’ll have teachers; what are you afraid of?” Tang Fei told him. “Didn’t you learn well when the teacher taught you before?”
“Did I?” Little Fatty asked uncertainly.
“Of course! You can write your own name now,” Tang Fei said seriously. “You write ‘Little Fatty’ beautifully.”
Little Fatty brightened. “Then I’ll go learn a few more words.”
“I believe in you—you can do it,” Tang Fei said, patting his shoulder.
Tang Fei turned to Chen Fenglei and asked, “Will we be free to choose our own career paths?”
“Of course,” Chen Fenglei nodded. “To welcome you, Princess Xuexue has prepared a banquet for you at her Phoenix Pavilion. You may discuss your preferred career path with Her Highness.”
Chen Fenglei felt a pang of envy for these two young men—so young, yet they had latched onto such a powerful patron.
They had saved the princess’s life; with that connection, once they graduated, would they ever lack for a good job or a bright future?
“Is that so?” Tang Fei broke into a broad grin.
He was finally going to see Phoenix again, and the long-awaited reunion filled him with joy.
“Brother, we’ll get to see Sister Phoenix... Her Highness the Princess,” Little Fatty said.
“Mmm,” Tang Fei replied. “You just ate so much, you might not be able to manage dinner tonight.”
“Brother, I can,” said Little Fatty, patting his belly in protest.
“Before that...” Chen Fenglei said, turning to Tang Fei and Little Fatty, “I’ll have someone take you to bathe and change.”
“...”
——
If Tang Fei could have seen it, he would have been astonished to discover that his and Little Fatty’s “interview” was being projected in three dimensions in another room, decorated in classical opulence.
Zhong Daolong lounged on a massive sofa, wrapped in a soft silk robe, a glass of red wine in hand, quietly enjoying the multi-dimensional projection before him.
He liked this posture; it made him feel truly relaxed—and safe.
A camera setup had captured the scene from that room, projecting it in vivid detail, so clear that even Little Fatty’s drool at the sight of food and the knots in Tang Fei’s hair could be seen distinctly.
A soft knock sounded at the door. Chen Fenglei entered, saw Zhong Daolong watching the meeting, and politely refilled his glass, smiling as he said, “Your Majesty, what do you think?”
Zhong Daolong sipped his wine, his gaze still fixed on the projection. “Unexpected, yet within reason. They’re as I imagined people from Old Earth would be...”
He paused, then added, “But is it possible they’re only pretending?”
Chen Fenglei was startled, though he kept his composure. “Your Majesty means... they’re putting on an act, feigning weakness?”
“It’s just a personal suspicion,” Zhong Daolong said, switching off the projection and gently swirling his glass.
Chen Fenglei considered, then shook his head. “I had the same suspicion before, but after interacting with them... I dismissed it. Their demeanor doesn’t seem like an act.”
“Yes, it’s far too genuine,” said Zhong Daolong. “Isn’t this exactly how Old Earth’s refugees live? I thought my precious daughter would yearn for a remarkable young hero... but it seems he is nothing special after all.”
Chen Fenglei laughed along. “To know cultivation is already quite something on Old Earth... I’ve said before, the princess is just trying to repay her debt of gratitude, to ease her own conscience. As for anything else, I doubt there will be any issues.”
“Let’s hope so,” Zhong Daolong nodded. “If my precious daughter truly fell for such a man...”
He gave a self-deprecating laugh and looked at Chen Fenglei. “Wouldn’t that make me a failure as a father?”
“I don’t think it’s possible,” Chen Fenglei replied with a smile. “Her Highness has high standards. She looks down on all those prodigies on the Star Rankings—how could she fall for such an unremarkable boy?”
“Indeed. I trust Xuexue’s taste,” Zhong Daolong said proudly. “Look at us—a king and a grand steward—worrying about such things?”
“Your Majesty is just a concerned parent. All parents worry for their children,” Chen Fenglei said with a chuckle.
“Xuexue is inviting them to dinner at the Phoenix Pavilion?”
“Yes.” Chen Fenglei watched Zhong Daolong’s expression and said, “If you think it inappropriate, I can speak to Her Highness and arrange another venue...”
“Forget it,” Zhong Daolong waved his hand. “If Xuexue can openly invite them, it means there’s truly nothing between them. If my daughter can behave so properly, how can I, as her father, be petty? Let her do as she pleases.”
“Your Majesty is wise.”
(P.S. Thanks to little Leijue for becoming our Galaxy Mascot. Seeing your Guard icon fills Old Liu with emotion. Old friends are always here—my greatest honor.)