Chapter Two: The Beauty in the Freezer (New Book—Seeking Votes~)

Chapter Two: The Beauty in the Freezer

Chen Xiao stared blankly at the letter in his hand for a full five minutes before finally coming to his senses. As if still dissatisfied with his scrutiny, he flipped the letter over again and again, searching every inch—but aside from those brief sentences, there was nothing more.

A sense of indescribable absurdity welled up inside him.

The most precious inheritance left by his parents? Could it be that his mom and dad had fathered an illegitimate daughter during their time in America? Wait… that didn’t add up. His parents had been lawfully married. If they’d really had a child, they could have given him a little sister openly—no need for all this secrecy.

He first dug out the delivery receipt. The sender’s address was left blank. Then, thinking for a moment, he picked up his phone and tried dialing that strange number that had called him before. After ringing for a long time, there was still no answer.

Steeling himself, Chen Xiao reluctantly walked over to the freezer. The metallic base was lined with an array of bizarre buttons, their functions a mystery. Beside them were several dials—he could only make out one, which displayed the temperature; the rest were utterly indecipherable.

Could his parents have been dabbling in cloning or artificial humans? They’d always seemed like mad scientists, but surely not to this extreme.

As he calmed down, Chen Xiao tried to reason things through. Still, there was only one explanation for his lingering confusion:

She was beautiful.

Her lashes were like those of a porcelain doll—he couldn’t tell whether she was frozen or merely asleep, but her tranquil face possessed a delicate grace he found impossible to describe. Her petite nose and lips were crafted with an artistry bordering on perfection.

Unable to help himself, Chen Xiao’s gaze lingered for several seconds before he hurriedly looked away, cheeks burning. It wasn’t just her exquisite features—her alluring figure had captured his eyes for a good ten seconds.

How was he supposed to let her out? Which button was the release?

Fumbling around for a while, Chen Xiao finally gave up in frustration. Although there were labels on the buttons, it was clear that the script was neither Chinese nor English. He knew his mother was a linguistic genius, fluent in English, German, and Italian, and even familiar with some Hebrew.

The more he looked, the more apprehensive he became, and again the “artificial human” hypothesis surfaced in his mind.

He recalled scenes from science fiction anime—if this freezer truly was the girl's life support, what if his meddling caused her harm?

Damn it… why wasn’t there even a Chinese-English instruction manual?

After thinking it over, Chen Xiao simply grabbed a bedsheet, covered the transparent freezer with it, and sat in front of it for the entire afternoon, his mind spinning with wild theories—none of which made any sense whatsoever.

His parents had passed two years ago, and now a mysterious stranger had mailed him this “inheritance.” Anyone would be floored by such a thing.

After several hours with his head in his hands, dusk had fallen outside. Glancing at the time, Chen Xiao started in alarm.

“Crap! I almost forgot about my job interview!”

This was his lifeline for the next few months. He leaped up, rushed to the bathroom to wash his face, changed into a clean shirt, and was about to leave—only to glance back at the freezer, now shrouded by the sheet. What should he do? Sigh! He’d have to deal with it later—making a living was more pressing.

Locking the door with two bolts on his way out, Chen Xiao’s nerves were still jumbled, but some subconscious caution lingered: If the girl in the freezer “came to life,” at least the locked door would keep her from wandering off.

Once outside, the self-reliant Chen Xiao, who had grown up independent, forced himself to set aside all distractions for the sake of his livelihood. He hopped on his bicycle and hurried toward his employer’s home.

—

Chen Xiao had found this job through a newspaper ad—a well-to-do family was seeking an English conversation tutor for their child and offering a generous salary. Considering a change of work, Chen Xiao leapt at the opportunity.

Two days earlier, he’d met the lady of the house—a gracious woman in her thirties, elegant and well-maintained, her manners refined. She played in an orchestra, and her husband was a businessman.

Perhaps it was Chen Xiao’s clean-cut good looks that had won her over, or maybe the fact that he was a graduate of a prestigious school, or his fluent American English honed from childhood with his parents in the States. Either way, he quickly landed the job—just two classes a week, but the pay far exceeded his previous fast-food gig.

At last, he could escape the fate of being the “lucky charm” his fast-food boss used to attract girls to the counter.

Tonight was his first day, and he couldn’t afford to be late. Arriving at the upscale residential complex, he was greeted warmly by the lady of the house, who even prepared him a cup of tea.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiao quickly realized the job wouldn’t be easy.

His “student” was a thirteen-year-old girl, just starting middle school. At first, she was reluctant to meet her new tutor, but the moment she saw Chen Xiao, her eyes lit up.

“Wow! You’re the handsome guy from the fast-food place!” she nearly squealed, dragging Chen Xiao straight into her room, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The girl was pretty, with large eyes and a casual home outfit—a T-shirt emblazoned with Snoopy. Her chest was still as flat as a board, but her wrists jangled with all sorts of trinkets as she ran.

“You… know me?” Chen Xiao asked, rubbing his face with a wry smile.

“Of course! I go to your fast-food place all the time!” the girl replied, delighted.

Chen Xiao was taken aback. The girl’s school, he’d learned during the interview, was a prestigious one but quite far from the fast-food restaurant where he’d worked.

“I went just to see you,” the girl explained, her excitement only growing. “I can’t believe you’re my tutor! What a coincidence! My name’s Angel, do you remember me?”

Stars—her eyes were full of stars.

For the next two hours, Chen Xiao began to doubt his decision to leave the fast-food job for tutoring.

At least at the restaurant, he’d only been ogled by groups of girls. But as a tutor…

Angel’s curiosity about Chen Xiao seemed far greater than her interest in any textbook. She gazed at him, chin in hand, her eyes practically shooting sparks—she looked like she wanted to reach out and pinch his arm just to feel his muscles.

Although only eighteen, Chen Xiao had always taken care of his health. With good athletic genes and a couple years of hard physical work to support himself, he was fit, though a lack of sleep from late-night shifts left him a bit pale.

“Teacher, you’re so handsome.” Zap.

“Teacher, do you know how many girls in my class go to the restaurant just to see you?” Zap.

“Teacher, how old are you? Do you have a girlfriend?” Zap.

“Teacher, they say you used to be rich. Is that true?” Zap.

“Teacher, you’re so good-looking, why not be a celebrity? Have you ever been scouted?” Zap.

“Teacher, are you still a virgin?” Zap…

Chen Xiao wiped the sweat from his brow.

Thankfully, he quickly thought of a way to handle her.

“Well…” Chen Xiao smiled calmly, “I can answer all your questions—but on one condition: in the future, any personal question you ask must be in English. If you ask correctly, I’ll answer. Okay?”

“If my English were good, I wouldn’t need a tutor…” Angel pouted, crestfallen.

Yet, from that point on, the lesson went surprisingly smoothly.

It seemed the real issue wasn’t that Angel couldn’t learn English; she just needed the right motivation.

—

By nine o’clock, Chen Xiao had finished his first day as a tutor. As he was leaving, Angel seemed reluctant to let him go, repeatedly reminding him, “Teacher, remember to come on time the day after tomorrow! Promise!”

Fortunately, Chen Xiao had been handling girls like this since he was sixteen; he dealt with the situation calmly, maintaining a polite smile even though he was inwardly itching to flee.

But as he left, he overheard the lady of the house in the living room, her phone conversation making him feel awkward.

“…Business dinner? You have business dinners every night? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing! What? You say I’m paranoid? I’m being unreasonable? Is there even a family in your eyes?!”

Bang!

The phone was slammed down. The mistress’s eyes were red, her sobs stifled as she covered her mouth—only to look up and see Chen Xiao standing there. She tried to compose herself, forcing back her tears.

“Uh… I’m sorry, I… I should go,” Chen Xiao coughed, trying to remain composed.

The lady managed a weak smile, said nothing, and personally saw him to the door. Before closing it, she murmured, “I’m sorry, about just now…”

Chen Xiao shook his head, his gaze gentle and reassuring. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

Only when she looked somewhat relieved did he turn and leave.

—

“Sigh, should I really switch jobs?” Chen Xiao pondered on the ride home. But as he drew closer to his apartment, he set aside such “minor” worries. There was a much bigger problem waiting for him at home!

Feeling a bit anxious, he opened the door. The apartment was dark, the lights off. He breathed a sigh of relief—the girl in the freezer hadn’t “come to life.”

But in the next instant, he froze.

In the darkness, a figure suddenly emerged from the living room. Down the shadowy hallway, a slender silhouette moved quietly, ghost-like in the gloom.

No, no—no ghost could ever be so beautiful!

Chen Xiao shook his head hard, but the stunning girl was already standing before him.

Her eyes were open now—an incredibly rare, icy blue.

“You! You’re alive? No, wait, you’ve woken up?!”

—

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