The Crown Prince Ascends the Entertainment Throne - Chapter 5

Compared to its exterior, Xiang Xu could not say which part of the bookstore’s interior design was more extravagant.

The lobby featured a ten-meter-high ceiling with glass walls on both sides. Inside the glass, layers of beautifully bound books served as natural decorations. Under the brilliant glow of the crystal chandelier on the topmost ceiling, the space instantly felt hundreds of times more noble and elegant.

This was a bookstore spanning a full five stories. Rather than a bookstore, it resembled a luxurious royal library. Fashionably dressed young men and women walked around, pointing small rectangular bricks at everything. Though the staff, clad in sharp suits, wore impeccable professional smiles, their sharp eyes swept over the customers with practiced casualness.

Xiang Xu was not intimidated by the scene before him. After all, the imperial palace of the Yin Dynasty was far more luxurious; it was simply a different style. This unfamiliar brand of opulence felt novel to him, even stirring a hint of excitement in his heart.

Thus, he made his way up the bookstore’s spiral staircase step by step. Although he could not understand many of the characters, Xiang Xu could still roughly guess the contents of the books through the Chinese characters he recognized and the cover illustrations.

To Xiang Xu, the binding of these books was simply too exquisite. The covers were thick and hard, the colors vibrant, and the paper thin yet crisp. Even through the thick glass, he could not help but steal a few more glances, filled with endless admiration.

Upon reaching the second floor, he finally saw rows of wooden bookshelves standing tall, stretching out neatly before him. Xiang Xu knew that unlike the books displayed behind the glass cases, these books were for sale.

Harboring curiosity about opening the gates to this new world, as well as an urgent desire to find a reference book, he walked toward those solid-wood-colored shelves.

Just two steps in, he felt an exceptionally sharp gaze shooting toward him from a certain direction. He looked up and met the smiling face of a man in a sharp suit.

Though the man was smiling at him, Xiang Xu sensed a trace of threat and warning in the way the man’s eyes lingered on him.

“What is he doing? I have not done anything wrong, have I?”

Xiang Xu looked down at his own hoodie, cargo pants, and sneakers, then continued scanning the bookshelves. Despite his search, he noticed the gaze fixed on him growing increasingly intense. By the time he could not help but turn his head, the man was already walking toward him.

A sudden wave of panic washed over Xiang Xu. He had clearly done nothing wrong, yet the other man’s posture made it seem as though Xiang Xu had committed a crime and was being caught red-handed.

At this moment, years of coping with adversity and setbacks took effect. He calmly glanced at the man, then continued searching for his book on the shelves as if he had not noticed him, or rather, as if he simply looked right through him.

The man’s footsteps hesitated slightly, and his gaze turned uncertain. But after a brief pause, he ultimately decided to walk over anyway.

“What is he still coming over for?”

Xiang Xu’s face darkened, lines of frustration practically etched onto his forehead.

Once his expression turned cold, although he was dressed in casual, lively clothes and looked as frail as a reed, an innate air of majesty naturally emerged. After all, deep in his bones, he was still a Crown Prince.

The sharp-eyed, smartly dressed employee felt a sudden pang of trepidation for some reason. However, he was a professional with an exceptionally strong psychological grip. Moreover, the youth had merely frowned and said nothing.

The man approached him, clasping his hands over his abdomen. With an impeccable professional smile and a deferential posture, he spoke: “Excuse me, sir. May I ask what book you are looking for? I can help you find it.”

At this point, all Xiang Xu needed to do was say, “No, thank you,” to resolve this dilemma. But he was completely unfamiliar with the language of this world. He highly suspected that if he spoke, it might only fuel this shrewd man’s suspicion, perhaps even getting himself locked up in a dungeon as a madman.

While brainstorming intensely, he pretended not to hear and continued scanning the bookshelves on his own.

True to his professional training, the staff member’s smile deepened. He followed Xiang Xu’s gaze toward the bookshelf: “This entire shelf is dedicated to economics. Sir, are you looking for books on economics?”

Since his literacy in this language was limited, only now did Xiang Xu realize that this bookstore, much like the library of the Yin Dynasty, categorized its books by category. Seeing that these books had no flashy designs on them and featured the character for economics, he had mistakenly thought he was close to finding a language reference tool.

“What a waste of my time!”

Making a prompt decision, Xiang Xu abandoned the shelf of economics books and moved to another.

To his absolute bewilderment, the suited staff member actually followed close behind him.

Xiang Xu turned his head and gave him a puzzled look. The man smiled warmly and explained, “I can introduce some titles to you, and you can call on me whenever you need help.”

Quite bewildered, Xiang Xu had no choice but to continue looking at this section of shelves. The books here were mostly green, with illustrations of leaves or animals printed on them.

“This shelf is full of natural science books. Are you looking for something in this category?”

Xiang Xu instantly made up his mind and abandoned this shelf as well, but the staff member remained stubbornly glued to his side like an unyielding shadow.

To avoid looking like an illiterate, he stayed only briefly in front of each shelf. However, the man in the sharp suit seized every opportunity to chime in: “This area is for foreign literature. Our bookstore specially commissions top domestic translators to revise and edit these editions.”

“This area is domestic literature. Most of what we carry are signed editions by the authors, which are highly precious.”

“This is…”

Although having someone shadow his every step made Xiang Xu a little uncomfortable, he had to admit that with this staff member’s explanations, his search was going much faster than if he were alone.

As the introductions went on, Xiang Xu actually began to feel a bit apologetic. Once the man finished explaining another section, Xiang Xu could not help but nod at him.

The man’s smile beamed even brighter. His explanations grew increasingly detailed, and after wrapping up one section, he even unilaterally struck up a casual conversation with Xiang Xu: “Sir, did you come here alone?”

“You look like a very knowledgeable person. Is there anything that catches your eye? If it is too high up, I can fetch a ladder to get it for you.”

“What genres do you usually read? I can make a few recommendations.”

Xiang Xu regretted his decision. He really should not have nodded.

Because he did not dare speak for fear of startling the man, he had to resort to shaking his head repeatedly, taking a few steps back while pretending to be interested in other books.

Though the employee felt slightly discouraged, he remained professional, continuing to follow him at a measured pace.

The man’s overwhelming enthusiasm made Xiang Xu want to bolt, but he feared that if he ran, the man might suddenly change his demeanor, seize him, and drag him to the government office to be publicly executed.

Xiang Xu suddenly understood: unprovoked enthusiasm was far more terrifying than cold indifference.

Just like that, this smiling man trailed him for a full hour. By the time they stood before the very last shelf on the second floor, both of them were thoroughly exhausted.

The employee let out a soft sigh, yet he did not forget his duty: “Sir, this shelf contains reference books. These are all dictionaries, which are highly helpful for language learning.”

“This is it!”

It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck Xiang Xu’s heart, and his eyes instantly lit up.

He immediately began scanning the shelf.

The books on this shelf were generally thicker than those on the others, but their binding was far more plain and unadorned. With eyes as sharp as a hawk, he scanned the selection and suddenly locked onto his target.

There was a green book, slightly thinner than the other reference volumes. Its cover featured illustrations of tattered paper pages, which displayed vertically arranged steles and inscriptions.

“I recognize every single character!”

Xiang Xu’s heart hammered against his ribs; he nearly cheered out loud.

He immediately pulled the book from the shelf, holding it carefully to inspect the text on the cover. Feeling the unique texture of the green cover, he cradled it as if it were a priceless treasure.

Equally thrilled was the store guide. Seeing that this difficult customer had finally taken an interest in a book, even if it was just an ordinary reference book, meant his hour of hard work had not gone to waste. Although the commission on a dictionary was small, a commission was still a commission!

“Sir, this is the Dictionary of Common Classical Chinese Characters, the latest edition. Are you studying Classical Chinese? Or perhaps you are a Chinese major? You possess the unmistakable aura of a scholar; this book is a classic and will surely suit you perfectly!”

Seeing Xiang Xu staring longingly at the cover, the exhausted and desperately eager employee could no longer contain his impatience: “Sir, you may tear open the plastic shrink-wrap to check the contents inside. I guarantee this is an incredibly practical reference book!”

Xiang Xu indeed desperately wanted to know what lay inside, but that layer of plastic wrap had been blocking him, keeping it tantalizingly out of reach.

However, although Xiang Xu did not know what technology this plastic wrap was, he could guess that it was meant to protect the book. Even though the bookstore staff member told him he could tear it open, he knew he was not going to buy it today, so it was better not to ruin the book by opening it.

After a moment of thought, he reluctantly returned the book to the shelf.

This trip is just for gathering intelligence. It will not be too late to buy it once I figure out how the currency of this world works.

Xiang Xu had always been a cautious man.

But just as he shoved the book back, the guide reached out, pulled the dictionary down again, and, right before Xiang Xu’s wide, startled eyes, tore the plastic wrap off in a flash. With a flushed face, he thrust the book back into Xiang Xu’s hands.

“It is fine, it is absolutely fine,” he said, seemingly comforting Xiang Xu but perhaps more so reassuring himself, his expression growing visibly more agitated. “Just take a look, you will definitely be satisfied. Besides, I have been accompanying you for so long…”

Xiang Xu could tell that the unfinished sentence was an unspoken demand for his efforts to be rewarded.

He indeed had a tough time. Since he put it that way, I might as well take a look.

Xiang Xu was truly deeply curious about the contents of this book, as it was vital to his learning of the local language and writing system.

He carefully flipped through the dictionary and quickly figured out how the reference book functioned.

It was a reference book that explained the characters of the Yin Dynasty using the writing of this world. It was likely intended for people here to study Yin Dynasty script. For him, who needed to learn the language of this world, the function was exactly reversed.

Although the function was reversed, Xiang Xu knew this was likely the reference book that best suited his needs for now. If he had not been completely ignorant of what money was, he might have bought it right on the spot.

Xiang Xu nodded as he read. Despite his reluctance, he ultimately closed the book and put it back on the shelf.

The employee’s eyes widened. Panic clearly setting in, he reached out again, snatched the dictionary back down, and shoved it directly into Xiang Xu’s hands.

“Sir, you have already read it! You must buy it!”

Xiang Xu’s eyes widened in disbelief. Suddenly, he found himself unable to comprehend what the man was saying.