Marriage by Finger-Guessing

When Qin Yanan left, the morning mist had yet to disperse. It hung hazy and indistinct, obscuring the city's high-rises and leaving only the alleys and old houses, making one feel as if they had returned to the old city of the past.

Zhong Qing stood beside a black Maybach S680, opening the door for Qin Yanan before driving toward the nearby Baolong Center.

"The Third Miss hasn't woken up yet." Zhong Qing glanced at the mist in the distance, where the towering silhouette of Baolong Center had also vanished into the haze.

"I'm a bit sleepy myself." Having chosen to travel by car rather than high-speed rail or plane, Qin Yanan wasn't completely exhausted since setting off last night, but she did want a good rest. Since her accommodations in Junsha weren't arranged yet, crashing at Zhu Juntang's place for a few days was a decent option.

Zhong Qing said nothing more, drove the car into the parking garage, and took the elevator directly to the top floor with Qin Yanan.

"She really knows how to enjoy life." Qin Yanan made no effort to hide her envy. She had noticed that the parking space Zhong Qing used was clearly exclusive to Zhu Juntang, completely isolated from the rest of the Baolong Center's parking areas. The sightseeing elevator, which went straight to the top, offered a view of the churning mist outside the walls, as if one were leaving the mortal world behind.

"Shall I prepare breakfast for you?" Zhong Qing asked.

Qin Yanan nodded.

Arriving outside Zhu Juntang's room, Zhong Qing departed. Qin Yanan looked at the oil painting of the young girl hanging on the wall and the beautiful protagonist displayed on the TV wall by the door—both were Zhu Juntang herself. She couldn't help but reveal a slightly mocking smile; Zhu Juntang was truly narcissistic, as her residence was always plastered with her own photos or displaying them on various screens.

Walking to the side of Zhu Juntang's bed, Qin Yanan looked out at the sea of mist covering the entire city. Only a few building tips rose above the fog layer, and the shape of Mount Lu and the spotlights on its peak were vaguely visible in the distance. Looking down at the entire city from here, Qin Yanan suddenly felt that if she really had to stay in Junsha, this kind of place wouldn't be bad at all.

Thinking of Zhu Juntang waking up beside such floor-to-ceiling windows every day, one couldn't help but envy the extravagant life of a capitalist.

Qin Yanan went to change into pajamas and, skipping the guest room, returned to Zhu Juntang's bedside. Zhong Qing brought in breakfast, and Qin Yanan sat on the edge of the bed, took a sip of water, and picked up a book to flip through.

Perhaps the sound of the pages turning was too crisp, for Zhu Juntang woke up. She caught a glimpse of Qin Yanan sitting to the side, then turned her head away and closed her eyes again.

Qin Yanan looked at Zhu Juntang's profile. She certainly had the capital for narcissism; older women always envied those younger than themselves. Zhu Juntang's cheeks still retained a trace of baby fat, which was somewhat cute, but more than that, she possessed the milky luster and scent of a young girl. Her earlobes were exquisitely delicate, and her trembling eyelashes looked clean and fresh against the interplay of light and shadow.

"Am I dreaming, or did I just see the apple of the Qin family's eye?" Zhu Juntang kept her eyes closed, her voice lazy and drawn out as she raised her arms to stretch.

"Third Miss, the sun is hitting your backside." Qin Yanan watched as Zhu Juntang kicked off the quilt. The girl's small panties hugged a beautiful hip line, infinitely lovely. The snow-white sheets and quilt were as pure as flowers, and the thin, soft camisole pajamas wrapped around her relaxed, supple body. A wisp of mist drifted past the window, making one feel that this was truly the scene where a little fairy resided.

Zhu Juntang remained silent, ignoring her. She had never been one to rise early. Diligence and hard work were essential for anyone, but since one could be diligent and hardworking at any time, why choose the morning, when sleeping in was most comfortable?

After finishing breakfast and washing up, Qin Yanan removed her light makeup and climbed into Zhu Juntang's bed. "Sorry to intrude."

"If you want the bed, you have to let me touch your chest." Zhu Juntang reached out and grabbed heavily toward Qin Yanan's chest.

"Go touch your own!" Qin Yanan quickly blocked her. It was hard to avoid such things when girls were together, but Qin Yanan couldn't stand it; hers were extra sensitive, and she didn't even like touching them herself—it felt very uncomfortable.

"No fun." Zhu Juntang placed her hands on her own chest and gave a squeeze, feeling that nothing had changed. It seemed she had no hope of possessing the stunning, magnificent breasts that Qin Yanan had in this lifetime.

This was truly an unacceptable reality.

She opened her eyes, her pupils swirling as if light were circling within them, before she turned her head to look at Qin Yanan with slight surprise. "So early? Did you take the morning flight or the sleeper train?"

"I took a car—a cargo truck—from my hometown, not Beijing." Qin Yanan groaned comfortably. Zhu Juntang's bed was custom-made; in her own words, since one spent at least a third of their life in bed and did their favorite things there, how could one not spare no effort to build it? She treated her bed with the same attitude Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han held toward their mausoleums.

This bed was probably even more extravagant than her Maybach S680.

"So you were with the piglets?" Zhu Juntang laughed in spite of herself, then looked disgusted. "I can even smell the pig manure on you."

"Do you have a brain? Does every cargo truck carry pigs? Besides, when has a Third Miss like you ever been to a pig farm to know what pig manure smells like?" Qin Yanan said, a bit angry, before laughing herself. "I think your mouth is just too foul, and you mistook that for the smell of pig manure."

"Sharp-tongued." Zhu Juntang lay back down. "Why did you come to Junsha? You didn't say yesterday, but you can tell me now, right?"

"I suspect I'm here for a blind date." Qin Yanan's mood instantly turned sour.

Zhu Juntang sat up again, the motion of lying down and popping back up like a sit-up, and looked at Qin Yanan with great excitement.

Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at her. My misfortune is your schadenfreude.

"How is it? Who is the other party? In Junsha... who could possibly be worthy of the apple of the Qin family's eye?" Zhu Juntang couldn't think of anyone of equal social standing for a moment.

Zhu Juntang had been in Junsha for a year, but she didn't know many people, and none of those she did know were worth her notice. Qin Yanan's standards were even higher; Zhu Juntang truly couldn't imagine who the old Qin family would arrange for her to meet.

"Stop calling me the apple of the eye; it makes me sound like a delicate little flower just like you." Qin Yanan was already annoyed.

"Ma Weiming? Lin Huainan? Or the son of the Zhao official... what was his name?" Zhu Juntang pondered, but those were the only names that came to mind.

"None of them. You don't know him..." Qin Yanan sighed softly. "Yesterday, the old man received a piece of calligraphy, likely from an old acquaintance of his, and he sent me here to return the favor... to meet someone. Do you think I would have rushed here overnight just to return a gift? Besides, the return gift could have just been sent to that old acquaintance. Instead, I was sent to meet a young man, and he even instructed me to stay in Junsha for a while, with the task of interacting with him and assisting with his life and work needs."

"It seems there really is a possibility." Zhu Juntang's expression turned serious, and she frowned slightly. "The old man likes to play at these 'betrothals from birth' things. He probably made a promise back then, and that person wrote a piece of calligraphy to remind your grandfather."

"That's what I think, too." Qin Yanan felt restless; the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to be the case.

"So, you've met him? How is he?"

"I've met him."

"Tell me more."

Qin Yanan lay listlessly on her pillow. "He's about my age, maybe a little younger. He looks decent enough, but the moment he opened his mouth, he claimed to be an old friend of the old man. Doesn't that make me three generations lower than him for no reason? Tell me, shouldn't I be angry?"

"Then just call him Great-Grandfather from now on. He'd be too embarrassed to pursue his own great-granddaughter's generation, right?" Zhu Juntang burst into laughter.

"Besides, back in the old man's day, they didn't care about background, education, or lifestyle; they could live as one for a common revolutionary ideal. But us? Different habits, different horizons, and even more different social circles. How can we be together like this?" Qin Yanan was considering very realistic problems. "With all these different concepts, life won't be harmonious. There will be disagreements over big and small things. I'm not saying who is right or wrong, but there's no way to talk about being in tune. Can a twisted melon ever be sweet?"

Zhu Juntang shook her head.

"Isn't your side even more particular about social standing?" Qin Yanan looked at Zhu Juntang, puzzled.

"These are all just pretentious theoretical experiences of yours. If you really fall for someone, how could you consider so much?" Zhu Juntang made a heart shape on her chest, pushing a portion of her particularly perky morning flesh into the heart shape, and continued, "If your backgrounds aren't on the same level, your education isn't on the same level, your life philosophies are different, and your horizons are different... and social circles are the most irrelevant thing of all—if someone like that can still make you fall for them, then everything you just said is no longer a reason to keep you apart."

Qin Yanan was surprised that Zhu Juntang had such insights. They probably held some truth, but anyone could talk about logic. If Zhu Juntang were to encounter Liu Chang'an herself, she probably wouldn't be thinking like this.