49. The Masked Fallen Princess

Qingxia chuckled and waved her hand, saying, "Oh, little girl, you're too polite~~ Sister is telling you, Master Zhou said he packaged you with the persona of an iceberg beauty. The word 'persona' is quite fresh, but it hits the nail right on the head. Just listen to Master Zhou from now on. Sister will teach you a few tricks on how to handle social interactions, how to hook men while chatting and dancing without letting them take advantage of you, how to keep your distance without making people feel rejected from a thousand miles away, how to be alluring without being slutty, and how to be icy without being cold. You mustn't underestimate the secrets hidden in this; there is still so much to learn~~"

Talking about her area of expertise, Qingxia's conversational floodgates opened wide, and she rambled on endlessly, making the Blind Man wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Regardless of anything else, this was his mother, yet here she was, chatting animatedly with another young woman about how to seduce men. It was truly rather awkward.

The Blind Man's mother was the social equivalent of a "mudslide." Even though Zhou Hongyi had instructed Xiaobei to maintain a cold and mysterious persona, keeping up appearances in front of Sister Qingxia was incredibly exhausting. Fortunately, they were all family; otherwise, her persona would have collapsed before her campaign even began.

Early the next morning, the Western antique shop opened for business amidst the cries of a baby.

The Blind Man and his mother lived with the child in the suite inside the shop, while Xiaobei stayed in a room of her own.

In the early morning, there were very few pedestrians around the shop. The Blind Man took it upon himself to clean the place, though Ah Gui had kept the shop spotless every day, so there was practically nothing left to clean.

After washing up, Xiaobei immediately put on her mask and sat in the shop like a statue, waiting for customers to arrive.

In fact, Zhou Hongyi had already arrived at the street corner opposite "One Piece," observing the surroundings from a distance.

He had gotten up very early today specifically to figure out how to promote Xiaobei first, and at least create some buzz within the high-class social circles near the concession.

However, shops on the edge of the concession were not as bustling as those in the city center, and the population density was relatively low. After watching for a long time, not a single customer walked past the door, let alone entered.

Zhou Hongyi touched his chin in thought when suddenly the corner of his eye caught sight of a young boy wearing a blue coarse-cloth short jacket skipping out from the street corner. He beckoned to him from afar.

"Sir, would you like to buy a newspaper?" the boy asked expectantly.

"Yes, I want to buy a newspaper. To be precise, I want to subscribe to a newspaper. Starting today, you will deliver a copy of that day's paper to that antique shop every day. I will pay you double, but I have one small request."

The newspaper boy's eyes lit up, and a smile bloomed on his slightly flushed face.

"Really, sir? What is your request?"

"I only hope that while selling newspapers, you can help promote the young lady of our shop. I believe the entertainment section must be very popular lately, especially the news about the Miss Rose pageant."

"The young lady at the antique shop? Is it that weirdo wearing a mask?"

Zhou Hongyi was quite surprised. This newspaper boy seemed to have already noticed Xiaobei, even though she had only arrived at the shop yesterday. This kid was quite sharp.

"Yes, exactly. Especially the wealthy matrons and foreigners nearby—you should just tell them that our Western antique shop has welcomed an iceberg beauty with breathtaking looks and a noble temperament. Legend has it that she is a displaced princess from some small country who was forced to wear a mask. Her participating in the Miss Rose pageant this time is solely to raise travel expenses so she can return to her homeland."

As a time-traveler, Zhou Hongyi naturally knew that if one wanted to be remembered in a talent show, they had to invent a background story that was bizarre and tragic enough. Since he was making up a story anyway, he simply gave Xiaobei the background of an exiled princess whose country had fallen. This gimmick was powerful enough; as long as the persona could be firmly established, her reputation would quickly spread among the high-income crowd nearby.

Without even asking how much the newspapers cost, Zhou Hongyi flipped a Yuan Datou silver coin out of his pocket, sending it in a graceful parabola that landed right in the newspaper boy's palm.

"A silver dollar? Oh heavens... Thank you, sir! You are so generous. May God be with you~! My name is Xiyazi, and I will definitely work hard to help you promote her. I just don't know what this elder sister's name is?"

Zhou Hongyi had already thought of Xiaobei's name. With a smile, he said, "Elizabeth. That is her name. Young man, I'm counting on you."

"Elizabeth... What a beautiful name. Don't worry, sir, I will definitely make you satisfied!"

The newspaper boy carefully tucked the Yuan Datou given by Zhou Hongyi into his innermost pocket, then tucked a bundle of newspapers under his arm, skipped over to the entrance of "One Piece," tossed a newspaper inside, and shouted loudly, "Good morning, Miss Elizabeth~~ You are as beautiful as ever today~~~!"

Watching from behind, Zhou Hongyi was quite satisfied with the kid's quick wit. These little fellows understood the art of survival thoroughly, and whenever there was a similar job, handing it to them was foolproof.

Xiaobei sat upright, adopting the posture taught by the Blind Man's mother to make herself look both dignified and alluring.

"Oh my~~ Our Miss Elizabeth has the temperament and the dignity, but your figure... No, I must have a serious talk with Master Zhou. You must be served good wine and good meat. How can you not have an ounce of meat on your bones? You're far too thin~~~"

The words of the Blind Man's mother made Xiaobei's face burn with embarrassment, though fortunately, she was wearing a mask, so no one could see her distress.

"Sister Qingxia, I... I don't have a big appetite."

"Even if your appetite isn't big, you still have to eat. Listen to your sister, you won't go wrong."

As for the little newspaper boy named Xiyazi, he felt that his family's ancestral graves must have been smoking with auspicious purple vapor today. Early in the morning, he had run into a generous gentleman who paid him a silver dollar upfront just to buy out his newspapers, and the only price he had to pay in return was to promote the young lady of the shop while selling papers. This was simply too easy.

"Extra, extra~~~ Registration for the Miss Rose pageant is in full swing! Major dance halls have dispatched their finest young ladies, aiming straight for the crown! Extra, extra~~~! Miss Elizabeth of the Western antique shop is the most noble, coldest, and most enchanting princess I have ever seen~~~ If she enters the Miss Rose pageant, she will definitely win first place~~~! Extra, extra! Please cast a vote for Miss Elizabeth~~~!"

Standing far away, Zhou Hongyi could hear the newspaper boy Xiyazi diligently promoting Xiaobei. Some of the slogans he shouted during his promotion even sounded quite familiar to Zhou Hongyi. One had to admit that this little newspaper boy's promotional skills were quite comprehensive.

"Hey, have you guys heard? A new young lady has arrived at a Western antique shop over in the concession, and she wears a mask on her face even in broad daylight. Creepy, isn't it?"

"What do you know? I heard that when holding banquets in foreign royal courts, men and women all wear masks. Only nobles are qualified to wear them."

"Nobles? Foreigners? Really or fake?"

"Why would I lie to you? My husband often does business with foreigners, and he knows best. Besides, I also heard that this young lady's background is extraordinary—she seems to be a refugee princess from some small country fallen on hard times. I heard she's entering the Miss Rose pageant just to win the prize money and go home to help her royal father restore his kingdom."

"Really? This is getting more and more absurd."

"If you don't believe it, go take a look at that antique shop yourself. That noble temperament—how could an ordinary person possibly possess it? Poor people can never fake that kind of elegance."

Within just a couple of days, the hottest topic of conversation among the upper-class elites and wealthy matrons in the surrounding neighborhoods was the mysterious masked young lady newly arrived at the Western antique shop.

The various legends about her grew increasingly outrageous. At first, it still required the newspaper boy Xiyazi to go around promoting her, but later on, the matter entered a word-of-mouth, snowballing diffusion effect. By the end, people were saying all sorts of things, to the point where even Zhou Hongyi could no longer control it.