Emperor Star.
Tall buildings stand tall, and various types of aircraft fly back and forth.
There is a large flow of people at each exit of the starship docking port. After all, this is the Emperor Star, the center of the entire empire.
There are many exits at the port of call, and transportation on the ground, underground and by air is very convenient.
Shen Ruo pulled his suitcase and walked out from one of the exits. Compared with most of the people around him who were in a hurry, his clothes looked a little old, but they were washed very clean.
There are many people coming to the Emperor Star, from all planets, poor and rich. Shen Ruo's clothes are a bit old, and he is not the only one like this.
Mixed in the crowd, the thin Shen Ruo was inconspicuous.
He walked forward, his long bangs covering his eyes, his head lowered and not looking anywhere, his lips pursed slightly, and he seemed to be the type who didn't like to talk much. He just walked forward, and his steps were gentle.
From head to toe, Shen Ruo gives people a quiet and introverted feeling, and his pale face makes him look a little gloomy and silent.
There are robots patrolling the area, and the blue light emitted from their mechanical eyes searches for all possible dangers.
After walking out of the transparent passage, Shen Ruo stopped at the roadside.
Looking up at the heights, the sun was a bit dazzling. He used one hand to cover his eyes to block the sunlight.
The knuckles on that hand were long and pretty, and the nails were cut neatly and rounded, and they were neatly taken care of.
The building in Emperor Star is very tall and beautiful.
The aircraft flying past were all of new style. Of course, there were also some old-style aircraft. Even old-style aircraft were unusual for Shen Ruo.
The star of Cross has been in decline for a long time.
"Xiao Ruo."
A middle-aged man who hurriedly ran out of the aisle with his suitcase in hand called Shen Ruo.
"Second uncle." Shen Ruo spoke in a low voice.
"Let's go, my second uncle has bought a ticket."
Shen Ping said to Shen Ruo with a smile. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were obvious. Even when he was smiling, he still looked a little embarrassed, especially when he looked at Shen Ruo.
After hesitating, Shen Ping finally said nothing and took Shen Ruo to find the platform, preparing to go to Chu's house.
The suspended train leaves every three minutes, and they arrived just in time.
There were a lot of people, so the two of them walked to the last carriage with their suitcases before finding a seat and sitting down.
The Emperor Star is very large, twice the size of the Cross Star, and naturally has more land area than the Cross Star.
Looking at the various tall buildings flashing past outside the window, Shen Ruo thought of the information about the Emperor Star that he had read on the optical computer.
Of course, not everything on the Emperor Star is extremely prosperous. There are also rural areas and small towns. They came to the Imperial Capital on the Emperor Star, which is the center of the center.
It takes more than three hours to take a public suspended train from the Imperial Capital Port to the Chu Duke's Mansion.
The car drove smoothly without any bumps. Shen Ruo's pale face became better because the discomfort caused by the starship's jump to the space node when he finally arrived was gradually disappearing.
"Xiao Ruo, would you like some fruit?"
Shen Ping asked from the seat opposite him, taking out a bag of washed fruit from the suitcase. He brought it from home, so he didn't have to spend money on the road.
"Uncle Er, I feel sick in my stomach and can't eat."
Shen Ruo shook his head, stood up, took the cups for two people, and went to the place where they received water.
Looking at his back, Shen Ping sighed.
When Shen Ruo came back from fetching the water, there was a smile on his face again, but the wrinkles were still obvious.
It was early summer, and they took the transfer starship for two days. The starship that went directly to the Emperor Star was more expensive, so it was cheaper.
The day before coming here, the Shen family's farm on Cross Star was harvesting red rice, also known as blood rice, blood rice.
There are very few workers, so everyone in the Shen family needs to work, including Shen Ping. Especially since he is the main labor force in the family, he has to worry about many tasks.
Shen Ruo would help in the past, but this year, the second uncle's family stopped him and didn't let him work.
The train moved forward, and people kept getting on and off at the stop.
Shen Ping leaned on the back of the seat and ran all the way. He had done a lot of work before coming here, and he didn't sleep well on the starship. Now he was so exhausted that he could no longer open his eyes.
When Shen Ruo saw him sleeping, his already light hands and feet became even lighter. After drinking the water, he carefully put down the cup.
With one hand on the small table in front of him, Shen Ruo propped up his chin and looked outside quietly.
There are so many differences between the Emperor Star and the Cross Star.
A strange planet and a strange city made Shen Ruo feel confused and at a loss again.
The outside world was prosperous and lively, but when he first arrived, he only felt uneasy.
Will the Chu family accept him
―――
The Duke's Palace is very large, a manor-style residence.
In the lobby on the first floor of the main building, Shen Ruo, who had just walked in, heard the sound of someone moving on the stairs, and the sound was getting closer and closer to the first floor.
"Master."
Hearing the servants walking up the stairs and the housekeeper who brought them calling each other this way, Shen Ruo subconsciously looked up.
His eyes met the young man's eyes with a warm smile, and he was stunned for a moment.
Quickly coming back to his senses, Shen Ruo lowered his head slightly, fearing that he would lose his etiquette. Moreover, he was also afraid of being laughed at. He looked at a man in a daze.
Seeing the old clothes on his body, he pursed his lips and suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He felt that he was incompatible with the Duke's Palace. This feeling came suddenly, but he probably knew where it came from.
Some people are naturally attractive and are a bright focus among everyone, and Chu Xiao is like this.
He is tall and has long legs, a slender and straight figure with excellent proportions. His black suit is straight and fits him perfectly.
With a gentle smile on his handsome face, Chu Xiao said after seeing Shen Ruo: "Is that Shen Ruo?"
The voice is slightly deep, with an irresistible magnetism.
Whether it was Chu Xiao, the housekeeper or the uncle, their eyes were all focused on Shen Ruo at this time. He was a little embarrassed, looked at Chu Xiao with uneasy eyes, whispered "hmm", and then lowered his eyes after speaking.
"I'm Chu Xiao."
As he spoke, Chu Xiao made a gesture of invitation. This gesture was indescribably pleasing to the eye. He smiled gently at Shen Ruo, without any contempt due to the other person's status or clothing.
The elders of the Chu family also arrived. It was Chu Xiao's grandmother, a kind-hearted old woman.
Seeing the badge that Shen Ruo took out, Mrs. Chu seemed to have memories in her eyes, and she burst into tears. Finally she laughed again, looked at Shen Ruo with a smile, and asked him to put the things away.
This was given to Shen Ruo by the old Duke of Chu eight years ago. From that time on, young Shen Ruo knew that he had a marriage contract, and the other party was the same age as him, but two months younger.
When Shen Ruo didn't understand what this meant, Old Duke Chu touched his head and told him about Chu Xiao.
Chu Xiao was often beaten by him, and would jump up and down after the beating. He was not honest at all. He took the eight-year-old Chu Xiao to turn on the mecha, but Chu Xiao refused to listen to him. In the end, the two got into an argument and fought for control of the mecha. It crashed, but luckily they jumped out.
Grandpa Chu also said that when he saw Chu Xiao in the future, he would remember to be gentle with Chu Xiao. He was a soft-spoken master and was not easy to train. However, if Chu Xiao really made Shen Ruo angry, he would teach Xiao Ruo a lesson. Asshole.
In the end, the body of Old Duke Chu was picked up by the Chu family from Cross Star. Shen Ruo never saw the grandfather who was very kind to him again.
Holding the badge in his hand, Shen Ruo glanced at Chu Xiao.
Chu Xiao looked very gentle. In this short period of time, Chu Xiao gave Shen Ruo the impression of being gentle and well-educated.
Also, Grandpa Chu told him that Chu Xiao was a child, but now that he has grown up, people will change.
Just like him, when he was a child, he promised Grandpa Chu, but when he grew up, he did not want to come to Emperor Star because the Chu family had never contacted them in these years, and he was not even sure whether the Chu family knew that Grandpa Chu had made a decision for them. marriage contract.
But in the end, he followed his second uncle, and the Chu family has not made things difficult for them until now.
Shen Ruo was quiet and would answer in a low voice when asked by his elders. He was not afraid to speak at all, but he only spoke less when he saw strangers.
Mrs. Chu chatted with him for a few words with a smile. Chu Xiao also smiled softly at the side. He took over the conversation from time to time and said a few words to Shen Ruo, asking him to take him around the Duke's Mansion.
While Shen Ruo was here and he had just arrived at the Duke's Mansion, Shen Ping didn't mention the marriage contract.
It was almost dinner time. Chu Xiao and Madam Chu invited Shen Ruo and Shen Ping to have dinner. There was no one else around, and the atmosphere among the four of them was quite pleasant.
After washing his hands, when he arrived at the restaurant, Chu Xiao quickly walked to the table and pulled out the chair for Mrs. Chu.
After she sat down, Shen Ruo was about to sit down, but a big hand stretched out from beside him and gently stopped him.
"I come."
The magnetic voice with a smile was pleasant to the ears. Chu Xiao was very gentleman and opened the stool for Shen Ruo.
Mrs. Chu on the side looked surprised, but she still didn't say anything. Shen Ping pulled up the stool himself. He was a man, not a woman or a subhuman, and he needed such caring gentleman to take care of him.
The four of them sat down, and soon a waiter brought the plates.
The restaurant was brightly lit, and the waiter who served the dishes was dressed in uniform and tie, decent and clean. Shen Ruo picked up the knife and fork, and his sleeves were clean, but obviously old.
Everything around him was shiny, except for him, which was dusty.
Moreover, Chu Xiao was sitting next to him.
On the way here, Shen Ruo had not seen well-dressed people, but the person in front of him was someone who might marry him, even though they had never met before.
Chu Xiao is the kind of person who can be noticed at a glance in a crowd. He has a prominent family background and is a well-educated nobleman.
So when she saw Chu Xiao for the first time and was surprised by his appearance, Shen Ruo unconsciously felt a certain cowardice in her heart. She always felt that standing in front of him was extremely ordinary.
No matter how approachable Chu Xiao is, Shen Ruo is still so embarrassed that she doesn't know where to put her hands and feet, because the comparison between the two of them in this first meeting is a bit different.
When talking in the living room, he tried his best to behave naturally, and he still does it now. But as everyone knows, that kind of caution still caught Chu Xiao's eyes. His movements were very gentle, and he was very careful not to let the knife and fork make any noise.
"Want to use chopsticks?"
Chu Xiao turned his head and asked Shen Ruo. After he saw Shen Ruo's hesitant expression, he smiled and asked the waiter to bring four pairs of chopsticks.
"Xiao Ruo, don't be restrained. Just like at home, we also use chopsticks frequently."
When Mrs. Chu saw what Chu Xiao said, she put down the knife and fork in her hand and took the lead in using chopsticks, very kindly.
Chu Xiao also picked up the chopsticks and smiled at Shen Ruo. Although he didn't say anything, he raised the chopsticks in his hand slightly, obviously giving Shen Ruo a signal.
Putting down the poorly used knife and fork in his hand, Shen Ruo's eyes visibly crooked, and he smiled gratefully at Chu Xiao.
Shen Ruo turned his head to eat seriously and did not see Chu Xiao next to him. After seeing that smile, his eyes were slightly surprised and curious. He seemed to be very interested in Shen Ruo, but he immediately returned to his gentle look.