The most beautiful space

7. The Crown Prince

Su Tong didn't know what time it was when she arrived in the space. By then, she had been tormented to the point of being somewhat delirious. In despair, she lay down in the pool and took a nap. When she woke up, dawn was breaking outside the space. Su Tong estimated that she had been soaking for several hours. If she had been in ordinary water, her skin would have been wrinkled all over.

But when Su Tong left the space, took off her soaked pajamas, and stood in front of the dressing mirror, the body in the mirror had a beautiful curve and fair skin, without a single scratch or blister. Although she hadn't slept well last night, there was no dark circles under her eyes. She looked beautiful and serene.

Su Tong didn't plan to go back to bed for a nap. She dried herself with a towel, put on her underwear, and then pulled a cardigan and a pair of linen pants from the closet. She used a hairdryer to dry her hair until it was half dry, combed it a little, and then picked up her phone, which was charging on the bedside table. It wasn't even 7 o'clock yet.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Su Tong felt only frustration. She tried to lift the large wooden chair in the room, but as expected, she couldn't lift it with one hand.

She only stopped using the space spring water after discovering the anomaly, a total of 6 days, and she was already succumbed to the intense itching all over her body. She had only been soaking in the spring water for a week and the "addiction" was already this severe. If she had used the space spring water for a longer period of time, would she have had any chance to quit? Or was she destined to be trapped from the very first time she soaked in the space spring water and ate the fruit from the space?

Not to boast or be narcissistic, Su Tong felt that she was already pretty enough. She felt that becoming more beautiful would not be a good thing, and what was worse was the terrible side effect of making her weaker. If she became weaker, it would really affect her basic life.

Su Tong, who was extremely irritable as soon as she woke up in the morning, went downstairs with her hair disheveled and slippers shuffling along.

There was a class schedule posted on the door of the living room. Today, Su's father had a Chinese reading class in the morning. He was going to check on the classroom and was probably coming back soon. Su Tong washed and chopped some vegetables and stir-fried some pickled cabbage and beef. She had just finished cooking and taken a bite when she heard the sound of a key opening the door. Su Tong quickly said, "Dad, sit down and wait. I'll cook some noodles for the two of us."

Su's father changed into slippers at the door, still holding his briefcase, and poked his head into the kitchen, saying, "Hey, why are you up so early today? On holidays, I couldn't wake you up until the sun was high in the sky."

Su Tong laughed, "Anyway, I woke up naturally very early this morning, so I didn't go back to sleep."

They cooked two bowls of noodles, one large and one small, and ladled a big spoonful of stir-fried beef with pickled cabbage on top of each. It smelled incredibly delicious. After the father and daughter finished eating, Su Tong told her father that she wanted to go out and play with her junior high school classmate Li Li. Then she changed her shoes and went out.

Li Li was Su Tong's neighbor throughout junior and senior high school. She was a bright-looking and cheerful girl, but unfortunately, she wasn't very good at studying in our province, and unsurprisingly, she didn't do well on her high school graduation exams. Her family was quite well-off, and they directly funded her to start a travel agency, which has been running for over ten years now. Her Lijing Travel Agency has gained some fame in the province.

When Su Tong rang the doorbell for ages at the villa Li Li had just bought last year, Li Li, with her hair disheveled and cursing under her breath, finally opened the door. "What the hell is that, knocking on the door so early in the morning?"

The adorable dog, Kongkong, looked at Li Li with an innocent expression.

The owner, Su Tong, scratched her head innocently: "Did I come at the wrong time?"

Li Li stared at Su Tong in shock for a long time before rubbing her sleepy eyes. She patted Su Tong on the shoulder and exclaimed in surprise, "It's you, Tongtong! Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I could have come to pick you up. Come in and sit down. I, who used to be the most beautiful girl in our high school, am getting old, but you've gotten more and more beautiful!"

When Li Li was in her third year of junior high school, even her teachers had basically given up on her. It was Su Tong who tutored her every day. In the end, Li Li, who was not favored by everyone, actually performed exceptionally well and was admitted to the top high school. Although she and her parents did not expect her to get into a good university, it was extremely important to be able to build connections at the top high school for three years. At that time, Li Li's parents were so happy that they wanted to take Su Tong as their goddaughter several times.

Su Tong followed Li Li into the house with Kong Kong, explaining somewhat insincerely, "I just suddenly wanted to come back, and my parents didn't even know yesterday. I've become more beautiful because beauty comes from within. You know, my little heart is so pure and beautiful, so of course I'm getting more and more beautiful."

Li Li gave him a sneer without any attempt to hide it.

Li Li's home has a fully equipped karaoke room, various brands of red, white, and beer, and all sorts of toys from poker and mahjong to dominoes and dice. Last night seemed to be a night of revelry, with the house filled with the smell of alcohol. The two of them were literally "dead" on the sofa and carpet.

Su Tong couldn't find a place to sit, so she directly berated Li Li, saying, "Didn't you say you'd be a virtuous wife and loving mother after you got married, and that you wouldn't go crazy? Look at your house, it's become like a mess!"

The answer came from Li Li's husband, Zhang Shaokai. Li Li had repeated a grade in elementary school and didn't start school as early as Su Tong. Although they were junior high school classmates, Li Li was two or three years older than Su Tong. In junior and senior high school, the bright, tall, and fashionable Li Li had a string of boyfriends. Everyone said she was a female version of a playboy and thought she would play around for many more years before settling down. Unexpectedly, she married Zhang Shaokai before Su Tong even graduated from university, and the couple worked together to run a successful travel agency.

Zhang Shaokai brought out two glasses of juice and tidied up a sofa for Li Li and Su Tong to sit on before slowly and quietly explaining, "You can't blame our Lili for this. Our travel agency was incredibly lucky to host a young master. Although he was ostensibly doing business and having fun in Shanghai, his family actually wields immense power in Beijing. Since the young master was in a bad mood, we had no choice but to call a whole bunch of people to keep him company."

"A young master with connections in the capital?" Su Tong was utterly baffled. "Although our city has made some progress in developing tourism in recent years, with his power and wealth, he could travel all over the world. Why would he be interested in our little place?"

Li Li, with a long face, rubbed her arms and legs, saying, "That's right, this isn't a tourist trip at all. We just flew here yesterday, and we didn't go to any of the tourist attractions. We just had Shao Kai drive us around aimlessly in the streets. At night, we were out partying and drinking like crazy. My old arms and legs can't take this kind of abuse."

Zhang Shaokai massaged Li Li's shoulders a couple of times before concluding, "I think she's just here to relax or maybe to find someone. Whatever she's up to, it's always good for us nobody to serve her well."

“Exactly, exactly.” Li Li chimed in, “Damn those rich people! Yesterday, with just one sentence, the manager of the Shangpin Hotel came running over and drank both of the hotel’s two vintage bottles of Afite. I even got a big glass too. Damn, all the red wine I used to drink was just garbage.”

Zhang Shaokai grabbed her shoulder with a heavy hand and said, "Women aren't allowed to swear!"

Li Li protested: "Damn it, Zhang, my Tongtong is here today. Don't you dare give me any face? Do you remember when we got married, you recited the 24 rules of filial piety to your husband in front of Tongtong?"

"Lili, do you still want to eat braised duck for lunch?" Zhang Shaokai asked gently.

However, Li Li immediately turned into a submissive wife, pouting and glaring at him before falling silent.

He then teased Kongkong, whom Su Tong had brought, saying, "Hey, this is quite a handsome little dog, really good-looking." He then asked Su Tong, "Tongtong, what's your dog son's name? What breed is he? He's been with us for so long, and he's been standing here obediently, not barking or making a fuss. He's quite lovable. No wonder you, who are afraid of dogs, dared to keep him."

Su Tong was actually bitten by a wolfhound when she was in junior high school. A piece of flesh was bitten off her calf, and she had to get rabies vaccines for a month. So she has always been quite afraid of dogs, and it was by chance that she got Kongkong.

As Li Li spoke, she took out a sausage from the small cabinet next to the sofa to feed Kongkong. Unfortunately, our little cutie, who knew how to please his owner, didn't appreciate it at all. He just looked at Su Tong with his big, watery eyes until Li Li said angrily, "This little dog only recognizes you!" and handed the sausage to Su Tong. Only then did Kongkong wag his tail and eat it from Su Tong's hand in small bites.

Su Tong fed it with one hand and gently stroked Kongkong's ears with the other, replying, "Its name is Kongkong, I don't know its breed. I found it outside one morning. By the way, Li Li, my mom doesn't really like me keeping animals. I'll go home and tell her that Kongkong was a gift from you, and that my mom likes you the most, so she'll definitely let me keep it!"

"You're something else!" Li Li said discontentedly, "You always use my time at Aunt Deng's as an excuse. If I had such a cute puppy, you could kneel down and beg me and I still wouldn't give it to you! Speaking of which, you really know how to pick up puppies. When will you pick one up for me too?"

Su Tong quickly flattered, "Good Lili, Sister Li, you're the most loyal! Thank you so much!"

Just then, a boy of about 18 or 19 years old suddenly ran out from the second-floor stairwell and shouted anxiously to Li Li and her brother-in-law, "Sister and brother-in-law, come quick! Mr. Xie insists on getting up, and I can't stop him!"

"Holy crap!" Li Li exploded, "The young master is awake?! Didn't he drink so much yesterday?"