The Eldest Princess is Always Feigning Poverty and Weakness - Chapter 1

After a journey spent looking over her shoulder at every turn, Wen Ningzhou finally made it back to her dormitory unscathed. Safely inside, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

But she was still fuming.

It was the National Day holiday, and her roommates were all away either visiting home or out travelling. Since they hadn’t returned yet, Wen Ningzhou sat down at her desk and poured herself a glass of boiling water, leaving it to cool.

In the early days of autumn, the temperature fluctuated wildly between day and night. At midday, however, it felt no different from the height of summer; the sun was scorching and the air remained stiflingly hot.

Since the water was too hot to drink, she shed her knitted cardigan and headed to the balcony sink to wash her face.

The fine strands of hair at her temples were dampened by the water. Wen Ningzhou dried herself off haphazardly with a towel, leaving her fringe sticking up in a messy tuft that revealed her fair, smooth forehead.

She had been on edge the entire way back, practically jogging the final stretch. Her cheeks were now flushed a soft pink, and a thin layer of sweat clung to her back.

To be safe, she decided it was best not to set foot outside for the rest of the afternoon. She would burrow into her dorm room to ensure her safety.

With that in mind, she grabbed her change of loungewear and her toiletries to take a shower. She planned to stay indoors for the rest of the day, going nowhere.

If she just stayed put and kept her head down, surely she couldn’t run into any “bloody disasters,” right?

She simply didn’t believe in that kind of nonsense!

The warm spray of the shower washed away her fatigue along with the sweat. Wen Ningzhou tilted her head back, showing no concern for the delicate beauty of her small, exquisite face as she rubbed it vigorously with a handful of water.

Squeezing some shampoo into her palm, she worked it into a lather and massaged it roughly into her hair. Despite her refined and dainty appearance, her movements were surprisingly coarse.

Her hair was as soft as her personality. As her fingers threaded through the silky strands, Wen Ningzhou played with the bubbles for a moment before rinsing them away.

The flowing water helped to gradually disperse the irritation lingering in her chest.

Her mind drifted back to the “madman” she had encountered on her way home, and she felt a wave of frustration all over again.

Taking advantage of the National Day break, Wen Ningzhou had taken a job tutoring a middle school student. She charged three hundred yuan an hour, with the total sum to be paid once the holiday sessions were complete.

For Wen Ningzhou, this part-time job was both easy and highly lucrative.

Although she looked like the sweet, obedient type—soft and adorable—she was, in fact, a formidable science student. She had scored 148 on her university entrance exam in Mathematics, just two points shy of a perfect score, making her the top scorer for that subject in the entire province.

Unfortunately, Wen Ningzhou’s academic strengths were heavily skewed. Her foundation in English was poor, which dragged down her overall score, leaving her ranked 23rd in the province. She was currently attending a university in the capital on a tuition-free teacher training programme.

As a top student whose daily coursework revolved around mathematics, tutoring a middle schooler in Maths and Physics was well within her capabilities.

Wen Ningzhou had an excellent temperament: patient, gentle-voiced, and steady when explaining problems. Even though the material was second nature to her, she still prepared her lessons diligently, guiding her student through the concepts from the simple to the complex.

Consequently, both the parents and the student were delighted with her. They wanted to hire her as a long-term tutor, still paying by the hour, with added bonuses and travel allowances at the end of each month.

Having finished her morning session, Wen Ningzhou had been in high spirits. On the way back to campus, she had decided to accept the long-term offer and coordinate her weekends accordingly. It was a perfect solution to her urgent financial needs.

After politely declining the parents’ offer to drive her home, Wen Ningzhou took the underground and then a bus. Emerging from the station, she navigated the bustling crowds to cross the road for her transfer.

The bus stop was somewhat tucked away on the far side of a small park, a fair distance from the underground exit. Her good mood made her steps light.

As she walked past the park’s artificial lake, she saw fortune-telling stalls set up in the shade of the trees. Every few yards, a vendor sat on a small folding stool with an ancient cloth spread out before them. Most of these cloths featured a Bagua diagram and hand-painted calligraphy offering services like divination, naming, fortune reading, Feng Shui, and warding off evil.

The more “versatile” and “highly skilled” practitioners even offered mole and corn removal on the side.

Wen Ningzhou smiled to herself as she passed, not stopping to pay them much mind. The stallholders were like zen fishermen—if a fish bit, they’d spin a yarn; if not, they didn’t push it.

However, one particular stall caught her eye, simply because the owner was so incredibly dedicated to the bit.

Despite the midday heat and the high sun, the stallholder was dressed in a charcoal-black robe adorned with subtle, embroidered patterns. The wide sleeves featured cloud motifs, and the silk fabric shimmered with a distinct lustre under the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, the embroidery was laced with fine, dark-gold threads.

It was an aura of understated nobility. Wen Ningzhou thought to herself that this person had certainly invested a lot into their fortune-telling persona.

The stallholder also sat on a small stool, with moon-white shoes peeking out from beneath the hem of his robe. He was likely quite tall, as he looked rather out of place huddled on the tiny seat.

Even more striking was his long, silver-white hair. It was gathered simply at the back of his head with a plain wooden hairpin, while the rest cascaded down like a shimmering galaxy or a waterfall.

The silver hair was so long that, even while he was seated, the ends reached the stool. It wasn’t frizzy in the slightest; the white strands seemed to glow with captured moonlight, appearing calm and restrained.

Much like the man himself.

He had striking, beautiful features, yet his eyes were cold and detached. He looked like a transcendent being observing the mortal world from a distance—someone who didn’t belong to the mundane earth.

Wen Ningzhou noticed there was no bamboo tube for fortune sticks on his table, nor any signboards. There was only a tortoise shell and a few copper coins placed atop a smooth, greyish-green stone that looked ancient.

He was certainly laying the mystery on thick to attract attention.

Yet, the people passing by acted as though they couldn’t see this eccentric man or his strange stall at all. They walked right past without a single glance.

It was as if there were no one there.

Wen Ningzhou sighed inwardly. Even fortune tellers had to spend a fortune on their wardrobes these days. She didn’t stop, offering only a curious glance before continuing on her way.

As if sensing her, the stallholder suddenly looked up the moment Wen Ningzhou passed. He caught her gaze, and his cold eyes instantly lit up with an intense, burning light.

Wen Ningzhou understood immediately—he saw her as a customer. Given that “predatory” look in his eyes, she gave him a polite, apologetic smile and waved her hand to indicate she wasn’t interested.

“Young lady, wait. I see a darkness upon your brow; you shall surely face a bloody disaster today.” The moment he opened his mouth, his ethereal aura vanished instantly.

The smile on Wen Ningzhou’s face froze. She immediately regretted ever looking at him in the first place.

The “young lady” did not wait; instead, she picked up her pace, her feet moving like the wind.

Evidently not expecting her to bolt without a hint of curiosity, the man was stunned for a heartbeat before rising to give chase.

He caught up to her and pulled a book from his sleeve. With a quick tap against her backpack, the book slipped inside.

Wen Ningzhou felt a sudden weight on her shoulder. Sensing someone had tapped her bag, she spun around to find the fortune teller.

“You have a kind face, young lady. A full forehead and a healthy complexion; by all rights, you should be a person of great fortune and a long, prosperous life.”

Wen Ningzhou already knew where this was going. Next came the “but,” followed by the inevitable pitch for a protective amulet to break the curse—for a fee, of course.

“It is only a pity…” The man seemed to struggle with his words, as if weighing how to break the bad news.

Here it comes, she thought. He’s rolling out the classic con-artist script.

“No, thank you,” Wen Ningzhou said, cutting him off before he could get into his stride. “I don’t need any of that. Sorry.”

With that, she turned to leave. But the man was determined to land this sale. Seeing her walk away, he began to pester her.

“I have a protective charm here,” the white-haired man said, speaking quickly for fear she would escape. “Take it, and it will help you find your way home.”

That was an odd thing to say. Wen Ningzhou felt like laughing. She thought this scammer had a creative script; shouldn’t he be saying the charm would avert her “bloody disaster” and keep her safe? Why on earth would she need help finding her way home?

She had been raised on the kindness of a hundred different households; she didn’t have a “way home.”

Besides, if she really needed directions, wouldn’t she use Google Maps or Baidu? Did he think a paper charm was more reliable than GPS?

“No, thank you,” Wen Ningzhou repeated, wanting nothing more to do with this strange person.

But the man was acting as if he wouldn’t stop until he’d successfully duped her.

Refusing to let her go, he continued, “This charm is free of charge. I am giving it to you as a gift.”

There was no such thing as a free lunch. Wen Ningzhou had no desire for his “gift,” nor did she want to deal with whatever catch came with it.

She was starting to get anxious. The man was blocking her path, and his appearance was so conspicuous. This was clearly harassment, yet in this crowded area, no one stepped in to help.

Unease began to rise within her. Countless news stories flashed through her mind. He was a grown man, and she couldn’t break away. Passers-by likely didn’t want trouble; at most, they cast surprised glances her way before moving on.

“Don’t be afraid, I mean no harm. I simply wish to give you this charm,” the man said, appearing even more flustered than Wen Ningzhou. “I won’t take a penny from you.”

I’m not falling for it!

Before he could try anything else, Wen Ningzhou kept her face neutral and calmly mapped out an escape route. Trying to placate him first, she said, “I’m sorry, I don’t believe in these things. Thank you for your kindness.”

“You must believe me,” the white-haired man insisted. “You will not survive the night. This disaster is your destiny. Take the charm, and you will find your way back to where you came from.”

No matter how soft-tempered Wen Ningzhou was, she was angry now. His words were essentially telling her she was going to die tonight! And that wearing his charm would somehow make her passing more peaceful.

What kind of grudge did he have against her?

To go out of his way to stop her just to curse her—Wen Ningzhou felt a sudden, sharp malice from the world around her.

Seeing that she still didn’t believe him, the man realized he was running out of time. “You are eighteen years old. Your ties to your kin are thin; your parents are both long gone.”

Noticing Wen Ningzhou’s expression, the fortune teller pressed on.

“You have tasted the bitterness of the world and seen the coldness of many faces,” he said, his voice tinged with a genuine, pained sympathy. “You grew up alone, eating from a hundred different tables, with no kith or kin to call your own.”

Wen Ningzhou’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up and met his eyes; he had described her life perfectly.

It was because she had been taken in by various kind-hearted villagers that she had managed to grow up at all. She had attended a small village primary school for her compulsory education. There were no English teachers; the Chinese teacher had filled in. Since the teacher hadn’t really understood the subject either, her English had always been her Achilles’ heel.

The man continued, “And you have no memories… from before you were five years old.”

Wen Ningzhou turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

Leaving the fortune teller, Wen Chengyu, caught off guard, he watched her retreating figure and sighed. He chased after her one last time, flicking the protective charm toward her.

A faint, gentle smile appeared on his face a face that bore a thirty-percent resemblance to Wen Ningzhou’s own.

“Welcome home.”

Wen Ningzhou ran until she was out of breath, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs. She didn’t dare look back until she reached the underground entrance.

Gripping the escalator handrail, she pressed a hand to her chest and leaned over, gasping for air until her breathing evened out.

Everything he said was right. He even knew her deepest secrets.

She had run until her chest felt like it might burst, yet she felt a cold chill through her entire body. Her back was slick with cold sweat.

When things are this strange, there’s always a catch. Raised under the red flag and educated in modern science, Wen Ningzhou was a firm materialist.

She didn’t think of ghosts or gods; she thought of secret experiments.

As a child, she had often wondered where she came from and why she had no memories of her early years. Since there was no one to ask, she had eventually come up with a theory.

It was the only possibility that could perfectly explain her situation with absolute logic.

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