"Awful!"
"Help!"
"I seriously can't take this!"
"What the fuck is this weird taste?!"
Longjing Hot Pot had actually driven Luo Ye to swear.
He left the hot pot restaurant with disgust written all over his face and decided to take yesterday's server's advice and have Lanzhou Beef Noodles.
Come to think of it, his senior should have gotten home by now, right?
Luo Ye took out his phone and sent Fairy Senior a message.
Luo Ye: Are you home yet?
The notification chimed almost immediately. Her reply was practically instant.
Fairy Senior: Not yet.
Seeing that, Luo Ye thought, It's already noon. Is she still on the high-speed train?
Luo Ye: Have you eaten, then?
Fairy Senior: No.
Luo Ye: What would you like to eat? Your faithful junior will order delivery for you.
Fairy Senior: Don't feel like eating.
Luo Ye: Have you lost your appetite?
Fairy Senior: Don't know.
Luo Ye paused.
Although every reply she sent was cold, every one came instantly.
That was contradictory. If she didn't want to talk to him, she could simply ignore him.
But she had replied, and so coldly at that.
Could it be...
Was she hinting that she was in a bad mood?
He recalled what Gu Mingxuan had reminded him of before the holiday.
With that thought, Luo Ye began composing a message.
Luo Ye: Your home's in Hangzhou, right? Are there any fun places to visit there?
Fairy Senior: No.
Luo Ye: Then... are there any places that left an impression on you? If I visit Hangzhou someday, I won't know where to go.
When Su Baizhou saw that message, she actually began giving it serious thought.
She sat at the entrance to her residential complex, looking utterly drained, yet her mind was busy considering where someone could have fun in Hangzhou.
Although it was the city she had grown up in, now that he asked, she couldn't come up with an answer.
Just then, another message arrived from Luo Ye.
Luo Ye: Hangzhou actually has a planetarium?!
Luo Ye: Do you like looking at stars?
Seeing that, Su Baizhou lifted her head in a slight daze.
Then she lowered it again, looking bewildered.
She must have lost her mind. Where would she find stars in broad daylight?
Luo Ye's messages had been leading her thoughts along. The moment he mentioned stars, she had instinctively looked up.
Suddenly, Luo Ye sent another message.
Luo Ye: Senior! You've been tricked by a bad man. Hangzhou doesn't have a planetarium!
Su Baizhou couldn't help letting out a laugh at that message.
Luo Ye: But Hangzhou has Lingyin Temple! Is it the Lingyin Temple associated with Ji Gong?
Su Baizhou gave him an affirmative answer.
It is.
Those two words lifted Luo Ye's spirits.
Because she was no longer as cold as she had been at the start.
Did that mean her mood had improved a little, too?
Luo Ye: Would you like to go draw a fortune? Maybe all the awful things will go away on their own.
Speaking of drawing fortunes, Luo Ye had actually been planning to go himself.
He wanted to ask about his romantic prospects!
But this was a seven-day holiday, after all, so Lingyin Temple would probably be packed.
Seeing Luo Ye's message, Su Baizhou's expression turned fierce.
Why did the messages from this junior of hers feel like he was coaxing a child?
Hmph.
Su Baizhou tapped Luo Ye's profile picture on her phone screen and muttered, "Bonking you on the head."
Still, she had never tried drawing a fortune before. Would it really help?
She hoped her mother would be healthy and happy.
Her mother had just replied, saying she was at their old home in the countryside with Su Baizhou's uncle, and asking her to visit if she had time.
There was no rush. Before heading home, Su Baizhou decided to visit Lingyin Temple and get a protective amulet for her mother.
Although she knew it was only superstition, what mattered more was the sentiment.
With that thought, Su Baizhou stood up.
Without realizing it, she no longer felt sad, as though she had already forgotten what had just happened. Only the slap mark remained on her face, but she no longer felt its sting.
She was just about to leave when she spotted someone she knew.
An ordinary-looking girl was approaching the residential complex with a suitcase.
She was Su Baizhou's childhood friend. They had been classmates all the way through high school and should have been close friends.
Even when rumors were spread about Su Baizhou after high school graduation, she had believed her friend would trust her.
But she had underestimated human nature, and she had never truly understood this childhood friend of hers.
The girl visibly froze upon seeing Su Baizhou.
Then they passed each other like strangers.
Su Baizhou glanced back, but didn't dwell on it.
Whether the girl believed her no longer mattered. They had grown up together; she knew Su Baizhou and knew those rumors were false.
Even so, she had chosen to slander her.
The city where Su Baizhou had grown up felt utterly unfamiliar, as though every place was gray.
She took her luggage and set off for Lingyin Temple to draw a fortune.
Meanwhile, Luo Ye had already arrived at Lingyin Temple.
He took a photo and sent it to the dorm group chat, asking what fortunes his "sons" needed.
Wang Dachui: Holy shit, you went to Hangzhou? Badass.
Li Haoyang: Buddha is merciful.
Shen Qiao: You're killing me, coach. Amitabha.
His three roommates were a bunch of jokers. Either nobody said a word in the dorm chat, or the moment someone spoke, it was like tossing firecrackers into a bonfire-the whole thing exploded.
Lingyin Temple stood within a scenic area, with several tea-covered hills nearby that made the landscape look vast and open.
Luo Ye took a few photos as proof that he had been there.
The area was a sea of people. Before he even reached Lingyin Temple, the crowd was already packed shoulder to shoulder.
Although it was only afternoon, judging by this, he probably wouldn't get to draw a fortune until evening.
Just then, Luo Ye received a private message from Shen Qiao.
Shen Qiao wanted him to get a protective amulet for him.
Luo Ye readily agreed.
Although he didn't know why their handsome star wanted one, since it was a request from his "son," he was duty-bound as his "father" to oblige.
After waiting in a long line for three hours, Luo Ye finally got to worship Buddha and burn incense.
Besides getting what Shen Qiao had asked for, he made three wishes of his own there.
First, he hoped his parents would be reincarnated as humans and live happy lives.
Second, world peace.
Third, that Fairy Senior would become the happiest girl in the world.
He had originally wanted to ask for romantic luck, too, but after thinking it over, he gave up on that.
He shouldn't ask Buddha to grant him love.
He should rely on himself.
By the time he left Lingyin Temple, it was already six in the evening. The temple had closed, and people could only leave, not enter.
As expected of a sacred Buddhist site, it kept a regular schedule.
Luo Ye stepped through the exit gate, ready to leave.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
Not far away, an extraordinarily beautiful girl sat quietly on the steps by the entrance with her suitcase, looking a little lost.
Su Baizhou had arrived too late.
She had waited in line for a long time, too, but by the time her turn came, they were no longer admitting visitors.
Then what was the point of waiting all that time...
Was it fate that she couldn't draw this fortune?
Thinking about it...
Wasn't failing to draw one a result in itself?
Su Baizhou stared silently at the ground, looking utterly listless.
At that moment, she had none of her aloof goddess aura. She was simply a vulnerable girl.
Suddenly, someone stood before her.
"Amitabha."
A somewhat familiar voice reached her ears. Su Baizhou looked up and saw a handsome, sunny young man with his palms pressed together. Smiling, he said, "What troubles you, benefactor? Would you care to tell this humble monk?"
Seeing that face, she felt a rush of emotion wash over her. Su Baizhou didn't know how to describe the feeling.
She only felt her nose sting. If she hadn't held them back, her tears would already have fallen.
Although many questions arose in her mind, what mattered most was...
Her trip today had not been fruitless.
She had received the best fortune in the whole world.
Before you continue