Chapter 20: Fortune-Telling

Shakespeare once said,

One of the sad things in life is that you meet someone who is very important to you, but you eventually discover that you are destined not to be together, and therefore you have to let go...

For a very long time, Zhou Xiaoru felt that, to her, Gu Liyan was the most important existence in her life besides her family.

A secret crush is an experience many people have had during their youth; that feeling is both happy and painful.

Zhou Xiaoru was the same.

In those years, Gu Liyan was like a deity in her heart, someone she worshipped, admired, and adored.

But a secret crush is like something that dies the moment it sees the light; most end without a whimper, with no beginning and no end, and Zhou Xiaoru had never dared to speak those words.

A timid person who never dares to take that step—that is because they lack a group of people behind them to push them forward...

Xiao Lan and Jiang Bufan were the very pushers behind Zhou Xiaoru.

From the moment they knew Zhou Xiaoru liked Gu Liyan, they had been whipping her on and egging her on from behind.

Although the love between a prince and Cinderella is a fairy tale, without exception, in real life, Cinderellas all hope to meet a prince-like man and a prince-like love.

Finally, in the first semester of her sophomore year, on her own birthday...

Zhou Xiaoru made a birthday wish; she decided to take a gamble on herself—she was going to confess!

Because at that time, Gu Liyan would be graduating in another year, and she could not let things continue to end without a whimper like this.

It was a cold November; on the night of her birthday, she waited on the track where Gu Liyan often went running.

She confessed...

For this confession, she had even specially drafted several versions beforehand, putting together the most sensational confession drama.

In the end, that confession, which could move heaven and earth and make ghosts weep, did not immediately move that man, but it moved her to tears.

Gu Liyan did not express his stance at the time; he just politely said, "Thank you for always liking me," and that was the end of it.

To many onlookers, this was just a moth-to-the-flame style of confession...

Who was Gu Liyan? A school-hunk-level top student!

There were plenty of people who liked him, and what's more, he was about to graduate from graduate school at that time, and no one had heard of him having a girlfriend.

Just when Zhou Xiaoru was mourning her lost youth and grieving over her endless secret crush, that god-like man took the initiative to find her.

"Since you like me, we can try dating."

Their romance began while Zhou Xiaoru was caught between ice and fire...

But...

She forgot.

Trying to date is just like a probation period at a company; once the time is up, if you aren't qualified, you will be passed over all the same.

And it was only after they broke up that Zhou Xiaoru deeply understood this realization.

She realized thoroughly that between her and Gu Liyan, there was no fate, no connection, and even less talk of letting go.

During the year they were dating, she had only been pretending to be the kind of girlfriend Gu Liyan wanted in his heart while she was with him...

Facts proved that she was not qualified; the one-year probation period was up, and she was logically passed over...

Zhou Xiaoru felt that perhaps a mouse might fall in love with rice because it was too hungry, and a cigarette might fall in love with a match because it lacked a lighter...

Whether it is love within the same species or across species, their final ending cannot be avoided—it is always a tragic conclusion.

The mouse falls in love with the rice and is eventually eaten by the mouse; the cigarette falls in love with the match and is eventually scorched by the fire...

As the saying goes, one mouse dropping ruins a whole pot of porridge!

Zhou Xiaoru felt that she was that mouse dropping!

Gu Liyan would fall in love with her? Absolutely impossible!

It was also at this moment that she deeply realized her own character setting!

She was not Cinderella, but Cinderella's stepmother! What a painful realization!

"Little girl, your love line is long and deep, without any messy lines, clean and clear; this shows that your love life should be very smooth."

On the street of a famous ancient town in A City, an old man of about fifty or sixty years old, wearing a dusty yellow robe, wearing a pair of reading glasses, sporting a goatee, and clutching a broken fan in his hand.

At this moment, he was holding Zhou Xiaoru's palm, looking at her palmistry, and talking eloquently.

There was no shortage of onlookers around listening to the excitement, and at the same time, the other three idiots from the 601 Dormitory were squatting there!

They were listening extremely seriously, but as soon as they heard "love life is smooth," all three couldn't help but want to laugh like pigs.

And Miss Zhou, sitting on a small triangular stool, couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth again and again!

Who said this old man was accurate at fortune-telling! If it weren't for his old age, she would have started swearing long ago!

Love life is smooth?! Is her love life a fart? And it's smooth?!

The so-called fortune-telling master, however, did not notice the person whose face had already changed, and continued to point at the love line in her palm with his fan.

"This marriage of yours is destined by fate; your future husband is a dragon among men," the old man said, shaking his head as if it were true to match his words.

Hearing this, Miss Zhou was already grinding her teeth with a creak, and asked coldly.

"I wonder where this dragon among men is now, and when will I be able to meet him!"

Destined by fate?! A dragon among men?! Was she about to undergo a tribulation and ascend to immortality! Could he talk any more nonsense?

The old man squinted his eyes, put away his hand, stroked the few wisps of beard on his chin, and said, "This person is right before your eyes, yet far beyond the horizon!"

As the words fell, the veins on Zhou Xiaoru's forehead were already bulging; was this just letting out a silent, odorless fart! He had talked for a long time and said nothing!

She couldn't help it anymore and hurriedly took out her wallet from her small bag. "How much money!" After calculating for so long, from career to marriage, each one was more unreliable than the last!

As soon as money was mentioned, Zhou Xiaoru clearly saw the old man's eyes, behind his thick reading glasses, suddenly brighten!

"Little girl, just give a hundred or so yuan, just as a token is fine."

When Zhou Xiaoru heard this, her eyeballs were about to pop out; she had heard from those in the next class who had come to have their fortunes told that it was all twenty yuan, so how did it become a hundred or so yuan when it came to her!

She said irritably, "A hundred or so, how about ten!"

Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled, "Ten is way too little; you have the fate of great wealth and prosperity, it should be at least fifty."

".........." Zhou Xiaoru felt she was on the verge of exploding!

The three people squatting to the side saw this and hurriedly each pulled ten yuan from their bags, and Jiang Bufan even more hurriedly half-coaxed and half-persuaded the person whose face was already foul to the extreme.

"How about you pay twenty, and the other thirty, we three will split evenly."

At this moment, Xiao Lan hurriedly snatched the wallet from the person who was about to explode, took out twenty yuan, and then added the ten yuan each of the three had taken out, just enough to make fifty to give to the old man.

Before Zhou Xiaoru could be detonated, they hurriedly pulled her away from the small stall, but as they left, the old man shouted behind them.

"Young lady, it is fated, cherish the person before your eyes!"

Damn it! Zhou Xiaoru was so angry she cursed the old man's entire family in her heart!

A fortune-telling session that ended without result left everyone feeling a bit disappointed.

The four of them walked toward the depths of the ancient town...

Walking on the uneven stone road, there were antique shops on both sides, selling local specialty pastries, silk, and small trinkets like antiques.

To accompany Zhou Xiaoru here for fortune-telling, the group had gotten up early and transferred buses several times before finding this place.

Jiang Bufan and the others looked again and again at the person whose expression was very gloomy.

Since returning last night, this one had been wearing a long face, and when asked what was wrong, she wouldn't say anything.

Just now, when fortune-telling reached the topic of marriage and she reacted so strongly, everyone felt that something must have happened to her at the company yesterday.

At this time, the very depressed person was lost in thought, walking forward on her own, while the three trailing behind began to whisper.

Xiao Lan, "Who do you think that 'dragon among men and phoenix among women' the old man mentioned was?"

Jiang Bufan rolled her eyes at the speaker, "Did you forget to bring your brain out this morning?" Does this even need thinking? Even one's backside could figure out who it is.

Yao Xiang, "I think what the master said makes sense." That so-called dragon among men and phoenix among women, who is right before our eyes, could it be anyone other than Gu Liyan?

Xiao Lan immediately looked over with disdain, "No way, A Xiang, you believe in this fortune-telling stuff too? Anyway, I won't believe it even if I die! Gu the Scum is Xiaoru's fated lover? This kind of probability... unless a pig hits a tree and I hit the pig!" This is absolutely impossible!

Jiang Bufan burst out laughing, "I'm just afraid the pig didn't die from hitting the tree, but was killed by you hitting it, hahaha..."

"You dead woman!" Xiao Lan was so angry she was about to go over and tear at the person laughing so 'rampantly'.

Yao Xiang had no choice but to act as a peacemaker again, circling between the two.

The person walking in front rubbed her forehead speechlessly, turned around, and glared at the people bickering behind her.

Could their voices be any louder! Were they afraid she wouldn't hear them!

She helplessly shouted, "Stop playing, I'm hungry..." She hadn't eaten lunch or dinner yesterday, and by now her stomach was hungry enough to swallow a cow.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a bit hungry, and it was now time for lunch.

Today was the weekend, and there were many people visiting the ancient town; some restaurants were packed, and the group finally managed to occupy a seat at a noodle shop.

At this time, Xiao Lan and Yao Xiang had already gone to order food, while Jiang Bufan and Zhou Xiaoru sat in their seats waiting for them to return.

At this moment, Jiang Bufan couldn't help but ask again, "What exactly is wrong with you? Is there something you can't tell us?"

Zhou Xiaoru's hands were currently picking at the bag slung in front of her, she pursed her lips, looking very aggrieved, and said one sentence.

"I don't want to intern at Tengyuan anymore."

Jiang Bufan was a bit surprised, "Why! Didn't you say that job was very good!"

She had only been there a few days, how could she suddenly not want to do it? "Were you criticized by your superior? Or were you being ostracized?"

The person picking at her bag still kept her head down, not saying a word, looking so aggrieved that it seemed she would cry in the next second.

Jiang Bufan couldn't help but get a bit anxious, "What exactly happened to you yesterday? Just tell us!"

At this time, the two who had finished ordering food walked over just in time to hear the news that 'horrified' them.

Zhou Xiaoru sighed mournfully and replied in a muffled voice, "Yesterday morning... I was forcibly kissed by Gu Liyan..."

The three who heard this all gasped, their faces filled with disbelief.

Xiao Lan hurriedly took out her phone to check today's date, muttering, "Is it April Fool's Day... no..."

Among the three, only Yao Xiang quickly regained her composure and even revealed a knowing, auntie-like smile.

She really hadn't guessed wrong; the fate between Zhou Xiaoru and Gu Liyan had only just begun...