Chapter Twenty-Eight

After military training ended, freshman life was only just beginning.

One of the biggest lies in the world: college is easy.

Her packed schedule didn't even leave Liu Mumu time to daydream. She had classes during the day, and occasionally electives in the evening. This was nothing like the easy, carefree college life she'd been promised!

For a while, she suspected the Welcome Party had been the school's last hurrah for the freshmen, followed by an endless cycle of classes: first period in Building Number One, third period in Building Number Two, and first period in the afternoon in Building Number Three.

She wasn't sure how much knowledge she'd gained, but her calves had definitely gotten slimmer.

As students, everyone always had the same goal: during term, they looked forward to vacation; during vacation, they looked forward to the next vacation.

The National Day holiday was the only thing she had to look forward to in college at the moment.

After surviving two weeks of classes, the wonderful seven-day holiday had finally arrived.

Only Wei Xue planned to go home from Liu Mumu's dorm. One of her older relatives was celebrating a birthday, so she couldn't miss it.

Xue Lan had also made plans with her boyfriend well in advance. They'd intended to spend the seven days visiting the scenic spots around Qingcheng.

But something came up. Xu Anze had to return to the capital for a while, leaving Xue Lan at school by herself.

Before the holiday, he treated everyone in Liu Mumu's dorm to a meal. While Xue Lan wasn't there, he asked Qian Xiaomeng to look after her during the break.

Xu Anze wasn't being overly cautious. Xue Lan had been feeling unwell for a while. She'd seemed fine during military training, but afterward she'd occasionally gotten dizzy, had nosebleeds and diarrhea, and caught a cold a couple of days ago that still hadn't cleared up.

It was thirty-one degrees outside, yet she'd caught a cold from the chill. It was downright baffling.

Qian Xiaomeng had no plans to travel over the holiday anyway, so she readily agreed.

Liu Mumu stayed in the dorm for one extra night. On the first day of the break, she got up early and went with Qian Xiaomeng to see Wei Xue off at the school gate.

There were plenty of other students with suitcases heading home, just like Wei Xue. Even at seven in the morning, the school gate was bustling.

A white sedan suddenly stopped as it passed them. Liu Mumu and the others were about to walk around it when the window rolled down and a somewhat familiar head poked out.

"Master, it's me! It's me! Do you remember me? I'm Zheng Xuan."

She'd almost forgotten him, but that "Master" instantly brought it all back.

Piles Xiao Zheng.

They'd exchanged contact details at Zhan Hongye's birthday party, but hadn't been in touch since. Xiao Zheng must have been doing pretty well lately, since he hadn't needed the master's advice.

"Oh, I remember you. What are you doing here?" Liu Mumu asked curiously.

"I came back to school to pick something up." Zheng Xuan noticed the suitcase in her hand and suddenly had an idea. "Don't tell me you go to school here too?"

"Yeah. I'm a freshman."

Zheng Xuan looked as if he'd just found a winning lottery ticket. What a coincidence! She'd gone from being a master to a junior. Surely that meant they were even closer now!

He immediately changed his tune and said enthusiastically, "Where are you going, junior? I'll drive you there."

He'd already forgotten all about picking something up.

Liu Mumu considered it. Zheng Xuan seemed pretty reliable, so she said, "I'm not going anywhere. We're taking our friend to the airport."

"The airport's perfect. I know the way. Your friend is my friend, junior. Come on, get in."

Perhaps afraid they'd get away, he got out of the car and helped them load their suitcases.

He was so enthusiastic, it was as if he were about to whisk them away and sell them.

Wei Xue and Qian Xiaomeng had never met such an overenthusiastic senior before. They looked at him uncertainly. Dressed in all those bright colors, he didn't look like a good person!

The pricey designer clothes Zheng Xuan wore seemed to say: What did clothes ever do wrong? Don't drag them into this.

In the end, trusting Liu Mumu, the two of them got into the car.

Liu Mumu and Qian Xiaomeng had only planned to see Wei Xue off on the airport shuttle. Wei Xue definitely wouldn't have gotten into Zheng Xuan's car alone, but he was quick to suggest that they could all go to the airport together. He had to return to school afterward anyway, so he could drive Liu Mumu and the others back as well.

Once everyone was in the car, Zheng Xuan turned around and drove them to the airport.

He didn't seem very reliable at first glance, but he was quite talkative. And since he was a senior in his fourth year, they got to know him after chatting for a while.

After calling Liu Mumu "junior" a few times, Zheng Xuan decided "Master" sounded more impressive, and switched back.

As he drove, he asked Liu Mumu, "Master, don't you plan to go anywhere over the break? There are a few nice scenic spots nearby, and there's also Qingshan Temple. It gets quite a lot of worshippers."

"What do people pray for there?" Qian Xiaomeng asked, her thoughts once again in perfect sync with Liu Mumu's.

Zheng Xuan thought hard. One of his ex-girlfriends had probably dragged him there to pray. "I think... romance?"

He'd gone through the whole routine of praying to Buddha, making a wish, and hanging a love lock. In the end, his ex-girlfriend had dumped him. It was enough to make a grown man cry.

Of course, he didn't need to tell the master that. Surely she wasn't going to the temple to pray for romance.

"I don't think we should waste seven days of vacation sitting around in the dorm," Qian Xiaomeng said seriously.

"We should go to the temple and soak up some traditional culture," Liu Mumu added.

"Shall we go tomorrow?" they said in unison.

Wei Xue put a hand to her forehead, though she was also a little tempted.

"Tomorrow works for me. I can drive you there," Zheng Xuan offered eagerly.

It wasn't a bad idea...

Liu Mumu thought for a moment. "Are you sure it won't be too much trouble?"

"Not at all. I'd just be playing games at home otherwise. I might as well go out for a bit. Give me a chance to be your chaperone, ladies!"

"Okay, then it's settled. Meet at the school gate at eight thirty tomorrow morning?" Liu Mumu didn't stand on ceremony.

Zheng Xuan was a little glib, but he looked like a decent fellow. He seemed worth befriending.

"Sure."

They soon reached the airport. After parking, Zheng Xuan helped Wei Xue with her luggage and took her to check it in and get her boarding pass.

He went back and forth by himself, and proved very dependable.

In the end, all three of them walked Wei Xue to the security checkpoint. After passing through, she turned and waved to Liu Mumu and the others. "I'll be back in a few days. I'll bring you something tasty."

"Have a safe trip. Come back soon."

They were about to leave after seeing Wei Xue off when Qian Xiaomeng suddenly tugged on Liu Mumu's wrist.

"What is it?" Liu Mumu turned to look at her.

She pointed at a tall young man in the distance, pushing a suitcase, her face full of surprise. "Mumu, look. Is that Xu Anze?"

Liu Mumu looked in the direction she pointed. It really was Xu Anze. He wore a black T-shirt and light blue jeans, and was pushing two suitcases, one black and one pink.

He wasn't alone. A girl in a white dress was with him, but he blocked her face from view.

The pink suitcase Xu Anze was pushing must have belonged to her.

"Is he going home with someone he knows?" Liu Mumu asked hesitantly.

"Could she be a relative?" Qian Xiaomeng said, sounding uncertain too.

Everyone in their dorm had a good impression of Xu Anze. Xue Lan was in poor health, and he was even more worried about her than she was herself. He'd also asked them for help very politely.

A patient, considerate boyfriend like him was a rare find. Just two days ago, they'd been saying in the dorm that Xu Anze had raised their standards for potential partners.

Now, seeing him standing so close to another girl, they couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"Who are you talking about?" Zheng Xuan asked, joining in.

"That one over there. The tall, handsome guy."

As soon as she finished speaking, the two in the distance stopped. More precisely, the girl beside Xu Anze stopped. They didn't know what the two of them said, but then they saw Xu Anze set down the suitcases and kneel to tie the girl's shoelaces.

The girl stood there calmly, paying no attention to the people passing by and staring at them.

With nothing in the way now, they could all see her clearly.

She was a familiar face, all right. It was none other than Zhuo Ran, who'd become famous across campus for her opening performance at the Welcome Party and had already secured her place as the campus belle.

Had a bouquet at the opening ceremony sparked a romance between them, or had they known each other already?

Liu Mumu thought about it. She remembered that Xu Anze and Zhuo Ran were both from the capital.

"Holy crap, what does Xu Anze think he's doing? Is he two-timing?" Qian Xiaomeng was about to explode. She let go of Liu Mumu and started toward them.

She hadn't taken more than a couple of steps before Liu Mumu pulled her back. "What are you doing?"

"Obviously, I'm going to ask Xu Anze what he thinks he's doing. He has a girlfriend, so why is he acting so ambiguous with another girl?"

"And then?" Liu Mumu watched the two of them in the distance, and they seemed especially grating to her.

"And then?" Qian Xiaomeng looked confused. "What else? We should dump a guy like that!"

"You tell Xue Lan that we saw Xu Anze with another girl, kneeling to tie her shoes, and that they should break up. Even if she believes you, do you think they'll really break up over this?" Liu Mumu asked.

Yes, tying a girl's shoelaces was pretty intimate, but it was still just tying her shoelaces. They hadn't been caught kissing. To Xue Lan, it might not count as evidence.

The four of them got along well, but in reality, they'd only known each other for a month.

The most likely outcome was that Xue Lan wouldn't break up with him and would instead start to resent them.

"And the master is right. We need to find out what's going on before we say anything. If he really is two-timing her, we'll need more evidence. We should be careful when it comes to other people's relationships," Zheng Xuan chimed in.

Qian Xiaomeng understood the reasoning. She was still furious, though.

She took out her phone and found a good angle, then snapped several photos of the two of them. "I'll keep these for now. Sooner or later, I'll catch him doing something else."

They were all at the same school. If she made a point of keeping an eye on him, she'd catch him slipping eventually.

"Master, can't you read his face and tell whether he's really two-timing her?" Zheng Xuan asked.

Liu Mumu shook her head regretfully. "I'm not very good at reading faces. I can only see the most obvious things, or something particularly striking."

If Xu Anze were willing to let her cast a divination, maybe she could work it out.

Then Liu Mumu had an idea. If she couldn't read Xu Anze, she could read Xue Lan. She'd find an opportunity to have her cast a divination.

While they were talking, Xu Anze and Zhuo Ran had already headed toward the security checkpoint.

Liu Mumu and the others didn't feel like watching anymore, so they left with Zheng Xuan.

They'd been in a good mood when they arrived, but who knew they'd run into something so upsetting?

Just before entering the security checkpoint, Zhuo Ran suddenly turned around and looked around. Unfortunately, she didn't know Liu Mumu, so even though she saw them, she didn't think anything of it.

"What's wrong?" Xu Anze asked.

"It feels like someone's watching us." Zhuo Ran smiled. "Think we might run into someone you know? What if they tell your little girlfriend they saw us?"

Xu Anze's expression turned cold. "Can you behave yourself?"

"Are you mad?" Zhuo Ran smiled cruelly. "You never used to get annoyed with me in front of Mom and Dad. All I did was ask you to tie my shoelace. It's not like I asked you to die."

Four hours later, their plane took off from Qingcheng and landed in the capital.

As soon as they left the airport terminal, Xu Anze saw a middle-aged couple waving at them. "Ranran, Xiaozhe came back too."

Xu Anze went over and greeted them respectfully. "Uncle Zhuo, Aunt Lin."

"You're too polite, Xiaozhe. We haven't seen you in over a year, and you're already acting like a stranger." Zhuo Yongqi patted Xu Anze's shoulder, then suddenly asked, "I heard you have a girlfriend now?"

Xu Anze's expression stiffened.

Zhuo Ran stepped forward and hooked her arm through his. "Dad, you've known Anze since he was little. You know what kind of person he is, don't you?"

"That's right. You two have always been close. That's why we got you engaged back then," Zhuo Ran's mother, Lin Qiu, hurriedly put in.

"Xiaozhe has always been reliable. Your uncle and I trust you," Zhuo Yongqi said, as if he'd completely forgotten his question from just a moment ago.

Xu Anze's lips moved, but he couldn't say anything.

"Don't worry. Mom and Dad know you got a girlfriend for my sake. They're not really angry. They're just warning you not to forget what you're there to do." Zhuo Ran leaned close to Xu Anze's ear and whispered.

Zheng Xuan dropped Liu Mumu off at the school gate before leaving. After getting out of the car, she and Qian Xiaomeng picked up breakfast for Xue Lan and took it back with them.

She'd had a slight fever last night. They'd given her medicine, but had it helped?

When they got back, Xue Lan was already up. Qian Xiaomeng handed her the breakfast and asked, "Do you still have a fever? Should I go with you to get an IV this afternoon?"

Xue Lan took the breakfast and smiled. "Thanks. I took some medicine last night, and the fever's gone."

Liu Mumu sat sideways on her chair and watched Xue Lan eating breakfast with her head lowered. Then she suddenly said, "Xiaomeng and I are going to visit Qingshan Temple nearby tomorrow. Why don't you come with us?"

Xue Lan looked tempted, but hesitated. "But Anze..."

Before Xu Anze left, he'd repeatedly told her to rest properly and not go out for the next few days.

"Oh, come on. He's not here, and we won't tell him." Qian Xiaomeng moved close to Xue Lan and gave her arm a tug. "Come on. We've already got a ride. We're just going out for a bit. It'll be fine. Even if you're not feeling well, you can't stay cooped up in the dorm all the time."

Qian Xiaomeng was feeling rebellious toward Xu Anze now. If he didn't want Xue Lan to do something, she was determined to persuade her to do it.

"...All right, I'll go too."

Xue Lan had always been active, but after her health problems began, she didn't want her family and boyfriend to worry, so she'd changed.

Thinking about it, it had only been a little over a year.

The three of them made plans to go out, and Liu Mumu decided to spend another night in the dorm.

Early the next morning, the three of them waited at the entrance with backpacks full of snacks and water for Zheng Xuan to pick them up.

Zheng Xuan was as dependable as ever. He arrived ten minutes early and drove them straight to Qingshan Temple.

Just as he'd said, Qingshan Temple was popular, although it was only a local tourist attraction, so there weren't that many visitors.

Like all popular temples, it was always wreathed in incense smoke.

After entering the temple, they first went to the old monk at the entrance and got three free incense sticks each. They bowed in all four directions, then stuck the incense into the enormous censer in the middle of the courtyard.

Then they went to the main hall and lined up to pray to Buddha.

Whether it worked or not, you had to have something to hope for.

After a long wait, it was finally Liu Mumu's turn. Kneeling beside her in front of the Buddha was a middle-aged woman, who prayed a little too loudly. Liu Mumu heard every word.

The woman clasped her hands and prayed as she bowed. "Bodhisattva, please bless my grandson so he gets perfect marks on his exams. Please help my daughter get married soon. Her future husband doesn't have to be rich, just handsome. Please let me win at mahjong and never lose. And it'd be great if Old Hu next door lost a little more..."

Um... Liu Mumu felt she'd learned a new way of praying, though it wasn't quite right for her.

She clasped her hands and bowed devoutly. After a moment's thought, she said, "Bodhisattva, please send me a few boyfriends. They should have long legs and handsome faces, look good in suits, and preferably be tough to kill... If there aren't any, then just give me Yan Xiu."

One way to pray was to make a difficult wish first, then add an easy one. Maybe the bodhisattva would grant the second.

Yan Xiu, resting at home during the holiday, suddenly shivered. He had a feeling someone was thinking of him with ill intent.

After praying, they met up outside the main hall, and Zheng Xuan took them to hang love locks.

Since three of the four were single, only Xue Lan bought a small lock. She wrote her and Xu Anze's names on it and hung it among the layers of love locks.

After hanging it, she even bowed to it, as if that could really make her and the person she loved stay together forever.

The three people behind her watched in silence. Not one of them said anything.

When Xue Lan turned around, they all put easy smiles on their faces. Zheng Xuan suggested, "I saw divination lots and protective charms next door. Want to take a look?"

"Sure. I think I need a Peach Blossom Charm," Qian Xiaomeng was the first to raise her hand in agreement.

"I doubt a temple would sell such an improper charm," Zheng Xuan said, turning to Liu Mumu for support.

"What's so improper about it? You prayed to Buddha for a girlfriend just now. Why didn't you think you were being improper then?" Qian Xiaomeng retorted.

Liu Mumu thought she wanted an improper charm too.

There were countless ways to seek romance in this world. You couldn't pass up any of them!

Cast a wide net, and sooner or later some unlucky fish would swim right into it.

Zheng Xuan thought Qian Xiaomeng was being unreasonable. He turned to Xue Lan. "You definitely don't need a charm."

Xue Lan thought it over. "I want a No Failing Exams Charm."

Zheng Xuan: "...There's no such thing."

Speaking of which, why did the Great Master's roommates all think so differently from everyone else?

"Ask for a Peace Charm too," Qian Xiaomeng said, moving closer to Xue Lan.

"I already have a Peace Charm." Xue Lan took a delicate little pouch from an inner pocket and loosened its drawstring. Inside lay a yellow talisman folded into a triangle. "Aze asked for it for me before."

Liu Mumu glanced at it and said casually, "The more, the better. He asked for this one, but in a minute we'll each ask for one for you. Then you'll have four Peace Charms."

The four of them chatted as they made their way to the main hall where people prayed for Peace Charms.

Then Zheng Xuan was horrified to discover that not only were there really Peach Blossom Charms here, but there were even Exam Pass Charms.

Why would such a thing exist?

No, the real question was, why had he only discovered it in his senior year, when he no longer had to take exams?

Everyone devoutly asked for several charms with different effects and took them home.

In the end, they gave all the Peace Charms they'd asked for to Xue Lan. She thanked them and accepted each one, then opened her little pouch and took out the Peace Charm inside, intending to put it with the others.

As she walked, she fiddled with the pouch in her hand, not watching where she was going. She stepped on a small stone, slipped, and nearly fell.

Zheng Xuan reacted quickly and caught her, but she lost her grip on the pouch and Peace Charm, and they fell to the ground.

Liu Mumu and Qian Xiaomeng hurried to crouch down and help her pick them up. Just then, a gust of wind swept through, blowing the lightweight talisman paper and pouch several meters away.

The two chased after them. Qian Xiaomeng had just picked up the pouch when she turned and saw Liu Mumu pick up a triangular Peace Charm. In the blink of an eye, it turned into black ash in her hand.

In fact, when Liu Mumu touched the Peace Charm, her fingers had only tingled slightly. The Diviner's License hanging against her chest suddenly grew hot, and then the charm was gone.

Qian Xiaomeng's eyes widened. She was about to say something, but Liu Mumu looked at her and motioned for her to be quiet.

Qian Xiaomeng silently shut her mouth. She watched as Liu Mumu unwrapped one of the Peach Blossom Charms she'd asked for and put it with the other three Peace Charms. Just by looking, it was hard to tell whether it was the original Peace Charm.

She handed the four charms to Qian Xiaomeng, who briskly put them all in the pouch, tied it shut, and gave it to Xue Lan.

Xue Lan didn't think much of it. She thanked them and put the pouch away.

Something was off. Walking behind the others, Liu Mumu rubbed her fingers, which were still slightly numb.

She didn't know much about the talismans used by mystic masters, but Yan Xiu had drawn talismans for her before. At first, they'd also turned to ash as soon as she touched them, but she hadn't felt a thing.

Besides, back then she'd just read someone's fortune, and her own fate couldn't hold steady. That was why she'd reacted so strongly.

Now she was perfectly fine. Even if the talisman Xu Anze had asked for was genuine, it shouldn't have affected her so much.