Extra 3: The Crown Prince Still Ended Up in a Wheelchair |
Xu Yanmiao had no idea that his roommate and the principal’s son had gone to a self-service BBQ restaurant and happened to run into him dining with the old emperor and Empress Dou.
After the meal, Empress Dou asked Xu Yanmiao whether he’d like to come over to their house for a visit.
Xu Yanmiao: “!!!”
Was that even a question?
Xu Yanmiao: “I’d love to!!”
The three of them stood up and walked out together, chatting as they went.
The old emperor said, “You’re doing an internship, right? Then what’s there to think about? Just come work at my company! If you want to work, you can start anytime. If you don’t feel like working, I’ll just issue an internship certificate for you.”
The eavesdropping roommate and the principal’s son: “Hissss—”
Xu Yanmiao looked especially embarrassed. “That’s not necessary. Thank you, Uncle! I do need to gain some real work experience. Being able to work at your company is already more than enough.”
U-uncle???
Damn! This guy with his thick eyebrows and serious face is actually hiding his identity too!?
The old emperor smirked. “Can’t let you call me ‘Uncle’ for nothing. Don’t think I don’t know you used to secretly call me stingy behind my back.”
“Uh… about that…” Xu Yanmiao gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject. “Uncle, where’s your company located? When would be a good time for me to report in? Would tomorrow be convenient?”
Without blinking, the old emperor reported a street name and building number. “Just tell the receptionist your name when you arrive.”
Xu Yanmiao: “Okay! Thank you, Uncle!”
Empress Dou chuckled softly. “I know you want to see Shengxian—and the Crown Prince. I’ve already messaged them, and they said they’ll be home soon.”
Ohhhh my god!!!
The eavesdropping roommate and the principal’s son both slammed their cups down in shock. The cups didn’t break, but the sudden movement startled them so badly they broke into cold sweat, quickly ducking under the table to pretend they were picking something up.
Xu Yanmiao turned around but didn’t see anything, so she happily turned back. “That’s great! I’ve really missed them!”
The three of them left chatting and laughing. Behind them, two heads slowly and sneakily peeked out from behind the table.
“The Crown Prince…”
“Shengxian?”
The roommate and the principal’s son looked at each other, eyes even more gleaming than before.
Roommate: “He really is a big shot!”
At this point, the principal’s son could no longer “help” Xu Yanmiao keep the secret. Gritting his teeth, he nodded. “Looks like I was totally wrong before. He is a big shot! That part-time summer job thing? All lies!”
Roommate: “Right, right, right! And the ‘Crown Prince’ Madam mentioned—must be the young master of Wanggu Group!”
Principal’s son: “Definitely!”
Roommate: “And Shengxian—is she the Eldest Princess?”
Principal’s son: “Probably not. I heard the Eldest Princess is named Gao Chen. I think Shengxian must be one of their other children.”
The chairman of Wanggu and President Dou had always kept their children’s identities a closely guarded secret. The names of the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince were only revealed to the public during the family inheritance battle.
The roommate had never paid much attention to such matters before, but upon hearing this, he quickly shoved the boxed ice cream he had just bought across the table to the principal’s son. “Inheritance battle? Tell me more!!”
The principal’s son gave him a big thumbs-up. “Now that’s good social sense!” Then happily began eating the ice cream.
He explained while eating: “The Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince are only two years apart. They both had interest in taking over the family business. So the chairman of Wanggu decided: give each of them 500 million yuan to start a company, and three years later, whoever shows the best results inherits Wanggu.”
The roommate leaned closer and closer. “So who won in the end?!”
The principal’s son’s face flushed with excitement. “Of course the Eldest Princess! Actually, she should be called the Crown Princess. That was the original title. But she had a girlfriend. And someone once overheard them jokingly call each other ‘Princess’ and ‘Consort’—so that’s how the internet started referring to them.”
Roommate: “!!!”
He looked like he’d just been struck by a gold ingot, eyes sparkling. “They sound so loving! You said girlfriend—so they’re a lesbian couple??”
Principal’s son: “Yup! It caused a huge sensation online back then. The Crown Princess was incredibly bold—she held a wedding with her consort and invited dozens of major media outlets!”
The roommate clicked his tongue in admiration, but suddenly realized: “Wait a sec—we’re getting off-topic! You said the Crown Princess won. That means the Crown Prince lost. Wasn’t he bitter about it? Didn’t he try to sabotage her?”
The principal’s son thought for a moment and answered in detail: “Everyone used to think so. People even started betting on when the Crown Prince would lash out. But four or five years passed, and now his livestream channel has sixty million followers—and he’s never made a move.”
“Whoa, a livestream channel…” The roommate was stunned, then suddenly shouted, “Wait, what did you say?! The Crown Prince of Wanggu went to be a streamer?!”
“Your Highness! What’s with the wheelchair?!”
When Xu Yanmiao arrived at the emperor’s home, he first ran into the Crown Prince. He was sitting in a motorized wheelchair, skillfully weaving past plants, flowerbeds, some small vehicles, electric bikes, and regular bicycles, before stopping right in front of Xu Yanmiao and greeting him with a big smile: “Xu Lang! Long time no see! You still look as young as ever!”
Xu Yanmiao, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed there was a small throw pillow behind the Crown Prince’s back.
“…” The corners of Xu Yanmiao’s mouth twitched. “Your Highness isn’t much older than me now, anyway.”
“True,” the Crown Prince gestured flamboyantly. “We’ll be able to hang out for quite a while this time. Even if my dad dies, I’ll still—ow!”
The old emperor slowly withdrew his palm: “Still talking nonsense?”
The Crown Prince clutched his head and grimaced. “You’ve got a wicked heart! Aren’t you afraid of knocking me stupid?”
The old emperor sneered. “No problem. I already have an heir. If you turn stupid, that’s fine too. I can afford to raise a fool.”
He wasn’t wrong. Take now, for example—the place they were hosting Xu Yanmiao was a seaside villa.
The Crown Prince was still holding his head and muttering something under his breath. No one could quite make it out, but judging by his expression, it wasn’t anything pleasant. So the old emperor, not at all inclined to indulge him, gave him another slap on the back of the head.
The Crown Prince steered his wheelchair, and Xu Yanmiao walked beside him as the two strolled along the coastal road, about a kilometer from the villa.
“Your Highness…” Although the topic had shifted earlier, Xu Yanmiao still felt strange seeing the Crown Prince in a wheelchair.
Even after arriving in a new world… does he still have to sit in a wheelchair?
“This wheelchair thing…”
“Wheelchair?” As soon as that was mentioned, the Crown Prince excitedly patted his large belly. “Xu Yanmiao, let me tell you, the era you’re in is truly amazing. Especially this wheelchair—it’s incredibly handy! In my previous life, there were so many places I couldn’t get to easily. Walking took ages, and my leg would get sore and tired. But in this life, with this wheelchair, both my legs get to rest!”
“Both legs!” Xu Yanmiao’s nose tingled with emotion, but seeing the Crown Prince’s radiant, cheerful face, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
But when he looked up and saw a small set of steps ahead, with no accessible ramp, his heart ached again. The Crown Prince always had to take a longer detour to get past them. It was genuinely disheartening.
Xu Yanmiao was frustrated but also knew that if there were any solution, with the emperor’s current wealth, it would’ve been taken care of long ago.
“Xu Lang, what are you spacing out for?” The Crown Prince suddenly stood up from his electric wheelchair, picked it up with ease, and strode up the steps as if flying. Then he turned around, confused. “What, are you tired?” He smirked proudly. “Your body’s way worse than mine.”
Xu Yanmiao: “…”
You sat for a whole kilometer—I walked the entire thing! How is that even comparable?!
As if sensing Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts, the Crown Prince thought for a moment and said, “Hang in there. Once we’re down the steps, I’ll let you borrow the wheelchair for a bit. This thing is really convenient!”
“Seriously!” The Crown Prince promised solemnly. “Super convenient, perfect for getting around! If I’d had one of these in my last life, I don’t know how much happier I would’ve been!”
Xu Yanmiao: “…”
He was completely speechless.
There was only one thought echoing in his mind—
No matter how much I feel sorry for the Crown Prince… he’s still a little scoundrel!
The sea breeze was cool and refreshing, and Xu Yanmiao’s heart was feeling just as chilly. After spending some time admiring the ocean view with the Crown Prince, he returned to the villa dazed and overwhelmed.
Until the gentle Empress Dou soothed his spirit: “When Wulang held the coming-of-age ceremony for you, in my eyes, Xu Lang, you were no different from my own child. Now that you’re here, treat this as your home. Don’t be shy. The fridge is over there—take whatever you want to eat or drink. In the front garden near the entrance, there’s a small pond and a waterfall for viewing. Turn right from here, and you’ll find an open mini bar. All the refreshments there are available for you. There’s also a room inside—that’s the Crown Prince’s snack room. Help yourself.”
The Crown Prince chimed in, “Yeah, eat whatever you like. Even if you don’t, Shengxian always clears it out when she comes home. She even packs it up to take away. So annoying!”
Empress Dou: “Xu Lang, do you usually prefer billiards or swimming? One floor down from the living room, there’s a billiards room and an indoor pool. There’s also a gym with a full set of equipment. Your uncle likes to work out there and then use the steam room next door.”
She added, “But maybe you young folks prefer singing and dancing? That floor also has a dance room and a small family KTV. If you want to go, feel free. There’s also a home theater with all the movies currently on the market.”
Empress Dou: “…Xu Lang?”
Xu Yanmiao snapped out of his money-induced daze and nodded to show he’d been listening. “Thanks, Auntie. I like swimming, but I didn’t bring any swim trunks. Can delivery apps send them here?”
The Crown Prince poked his head in and said, “I’ve got unopened ones in my closet. Want a pair?”
Xu Yanmiao: “Yes!”
Then he happily went off to the pool.
He swam for half an hour—sometimes doing laps, sometimes just floating around, sometimes diving to the bottom and swimming to the other side before bursting up from the water—
“You! Who are you?!” a startled voice shouted from the poolside.
Xu Yanmiao wiped the water from his eyes and looked up. “Prince Tang?!”
The person looked absolutely shocked, as if nothing in his entire life had ever stunned him more than this moment. “What do you mean, Prince Tang?! Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Clearly, he didn’t retain any memories.
So Xu Yanmiao briefly explained the situation, omitting the parts he couldn’t talk about. Prince Tang nodded. “So you’re saying… my mom and dad invited you over, told you to help yourself to anything at home, and are even planning to give you a room?”
Xu Yanmiao answered frankly, “That’s right.”
Prince Tang looked like he was deep in thought. Then, dramatically stroking his chin, he said, “I get it now… Tell me—are you my dad’s illegitimate child, or my mom’s?”
Xu Yanmiao: “WTF?”
Prince Tang gave him a meaningful look. “You might not know this, but this house is different from our other homes. The other houses? Bring whoever you want. But this one? Aside from the butler, gardener, and housekeepers, only family members ever stay here.”
Xu Yanmiao: “…Huh???”
He looked completely dumbfounded.
Just then, from the direction of the pool entrance, came an urgent voice calling, “Yaohai!”
Xu Yanmiao and Prince Tang turned to see Princess Xiangyang charging in. She slipped a little on the wet floor by the pool.
“Gao Xiang!!”
“Shengxian!!”
Princess Xiangyang got up with a grimace, dusted off her rear (whether there was anything on it or not), and smiled. “I’m fine!”
When she looked at Xu Yanmiao, there was a moment of daze. “Swimming, huh…”
In her past life, she’d lived to fifty-four and hadn’t seen Xu Yanmiao in a very long time. She’d thought he had already faded into memory. But the moment she saw him, all that emotional distance and time seemed to blur away.
It felt like they’d just seen each other yesterday.
Xu Yanmiao nodded. “Yeah. Your pool is huge and super comfortable.”
“I think so too!” Princess Xiangyang’s eyes crinkled with her smile. “Had enough swimming? There’s an island near our house. Want to take a boat out? There’s a little village there and a sixteen-kilometer beach—absolutely beautiful! We can even ride go-karts!”
Xu Yanmiao: “!!!”
Xu Yanmiao: “Let’s go!”
The two friends exchanged a grin, happily changed clothes in the locker room, and set out on a little island adventure.
Behind them, Prince Tang watched everything unfold—his suspicions growing stronger and stronger.
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