"Baby Youyou, is the ice cream delicious?" Eleanor's voice came through the background, which was somewhat noisy, like the roar of machines.
Qiao You was comfortably lying on the sofa, wondering how Sister Nuonuo knew he was eating ice cream, when Eleanor continued, "You and His Highness are trending on social media."
"By the way, my little Youyou, how did it feel to pull His Highness's ear?" Eleanor was very curious, as this was the first person who could openly act wildly towards His Highness!
Qiao You emphasized, "I didn't pull my brother's ear."
"I just pinched it lightly."
There is a fundamental difference between pinching and squeezing!
Eleanor laughed out loud. "Your Highness's little fish is really adorable!"
"Okay, okay, Youyou just pinched it."
"Everyone on the StarNet is going crazy! They're all saying that whenever the Shenyan CP (a popular on-screen couple) posts something sweet, it's a huge wave of romance!"
"By the way, Youyou, what's the prize for your next raffle?" Eleanor finally steered the conversation to the topic of this event. She'd missed out on the last raffle, which included cookies made by His Highness himself—how sad!
"Can you cheat me out of the game?" Eleanor asked bluntly. She wasn't stupid enough to refuse a backdoor offer!
Qiao You honestly replied, "I haven't decided yet."
"No need for shady dealings, just send an extra copy."
It's just a small gift, nothing to do.
Eleanor immediately followed up with a flattering remark, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
"I'm off on business. I'll bring you some local specialties when I get back to the capital."
It wasn't until Eleanor hung up the phone that Qiao You realized he had forgotten to ask Eleanor where she was.
I think I heard my brother mention it once before: Eleanor went to another planet on business and wouldn't be back for almost three months.
"Brother, where did Sister Nuonuo go?" Qiao You shouted from the living room.
Helian Jue was sorting and storing the items that had just been delivered from the supermarket when he called out, "Gilstar."
No wonder he heard a loud machine roaring earlier. Qiao You took out his personal computer to check the contents.
The top three trending topics on StarNet are: #The Crown Prince's Little Pet is So Adorable#
#Helianjue's Pampering#
#CuteLittlePetMouse#
Qiao You is no longer surprised by these things. At number seven on the trending search list, a certain search term caught his attention.
#Prince of West was demoted to Earl#
There were several similar terms on the trending search list, but Qiao You only recognized this person: the fat guy who had been shoved around by him back then, and who had mocked his brother.
"Why was he suddenly demoted?" Qiao You muttered to himself, as he hadn't heard his brother mention it either.
This guy, judging by his appearance alone, is completely unworthy of the title of prince. He's really an eyesore!
Unaware of the reason, Qiao You tried to figure it out through the comments of netizens.
After Helian Jue finished packing up all the things he had bought that day, he came out and saw Qiao You engrossed in using his personal terminal.
"What are you looking at?" Helian Jue sat down next to Qiao You and asked.
Qiao You showed the quantum computer to Helian Jue and asked him the questions that had been bothering him.
Helian Jue brushed a strand of hair from Qiao You's forehead. "Baby, do you still remember the public satisfaction survey?"
Qiao You nodded. He had noticed at the time that the satisfaction survey targeted a very wide range of people, including anyone who was associated with the royal family.
At that time, however, he did not think about it in detail and simply regarded it as an imperial tradition.
So, is Prince Wess being demoted because of low approval ratings in public opinion polls?
“That’s right, just what the baby thought.” Helian Jue praised with a smile.
Qiao You leaned into Helian Jue's arms as if it were only natural, "Would someone who has been demoted be willing to accept that?"
He hugged the little fish in his arms tightly, treating it like a human-shaped pillow. "When I was seven or eight years old, there were many more names on the satisfaction survey list than there are now."
“Every year, those who rank in the bottom five will be demoted to some degree.”
“Take Westbrook, for example. He inherited his father’s title of Prince.”
"But I am a complete incompetent person. I have been ranked at the bottom for several years in a row. This year, I was demoted three levels in one go."
Qiao You suddenly sat up straight in Helian Jue's arms, cupped Helian Jue's face in her hands, and said seriously, "Brother, have you been settling a personal score?"
"You have to tell the truth!"
Helian Jue looked into Qiao You's eyes with an exceptionally upright expression, "There's probably a 60%... 80% reason."
Qiao You burst out laughing, "Brother! You're so cute!"
"If this continues, the royal family will become increasingly smaller. What will happen in the future...?"
Qiao You didn't say anything more, but the fewer members there are in the royal family, the less influence they will have, which is not a good thing for the Helian family.
“Baby, in the interstellar era, the one thing we have in abundance is people,” Helian Jue replied. “It takes at least two to three generations for a prince’s status to disappear.”
"The imperial nobility system does not strictly adhere to blood relations; as long as one has merits and contributions to the empire, one can obtain a nobility title."
"As soon as one generation disappears, another will emerge."
This is a tradition that the empire has maintained since its founding, which, from another perspective, has actually solidified the Helian family's position.
Qiao You seemed to understand, but not quite, indicating that he knew.
Humans are so complicated, unlike mermaids who are so simple.
“I wrote the demotion notice for Westbrook myself.” Helian Jue picked up his personal terminal, pulled out a picture, and showed it to Qiao You. “It was handwritten.”
The word "deliberately" was emphasized with extra force!
Qiao You sent the picture over and examined it carefully. Her feelings of resentment toward her brother's pettiness increased even further!
The handwritten notice had been clearly altered in the place where the title of nobility was written.
Well, let's change it then. The pen hasn't completely covered it yet, and you can still vaguely see the word "Duke." The black ink was lightly used to trace over it, and then the word "Earl" was written with extra pressure.
The signature at the bottom of the notice was particularly arrogant and unrestrained; Helian Jue's three characters were signed in a very swaggering manner.
Just from this name, Qiao You could tell that her brother must have been very happy at the time!
"Brother, are you sure Westbrook won't be angry when he sees this notice?" Qiao You teased. His brother was acting more like a child than he was! So adorable!
Helian Jue looked indifferent, with a hint of smugness in his eyes. "Even when he's angry, he only dares to curse me behind my back."
"In person, you still have to bow to me and respectfully address me as Your Highness."
Qiao You pinched Helian Jue's ear for the second time today, "Your Highness, you're so childish!"
"So what if it's childish?" Helian Jue accepted Qiao You's assessment without question. "Back then, Westbrook almost stole my precious fish. Can't I get my revenge?"
Qiao You quickly tried to soothe her childish older brother, "Yes! Of course you can!"
"Hmm... Next time I run into Westbrook, I'll throw some itching powder at him and get revenge with my brother!"
Qiao You shouted, "My brother and I are on the same side!"
"Thank you, baby." Helian Jue smiled and picked up Qiao You, spinning her around in the living room.
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