We Weren’t Fated, I Just Played My Cards Right - Chapter 11

At Guangrong Mall in the heart of Qingcheng, Jiang Li strode ahead, her designer bag worth over a hundred thousand slung over her arm, clad in an expensive dress and high heels, looking every bit the aristocratic lady on parade.

Behind her, Dong Zhenghao and Liu Mumu trailed like soulless puppets, wishing someone would just drag them forward.

It was unclear whether Jiang Li had somehow damaged her brain while sleeping last night, but she had woken up early that morning and announced to her husband and stepdaughter that they were going shopping to buy Liu Mumu some new clothes—and both of them had to come along.

Because she had rushed them so much, Liu Mumu hadn’t even had time to perform her daily divination before leaving.

After a morning of shopping, Liu Mumu felt a kind of life-and-death despair, as if her toes were about to stage a rebellion and leave her feet.

“Let’s call it a day for now,” Dong Zhenghao said. He didn’t mind the expense, but his body simply couldn’t take it anymore. Faced with Jiang Li’s still boundless energy, his tone carried a hint of awe.

Jiang Li turned around, raising an eyebrow at the half-dead expressions of the two behind her. “Fine, let’s go eat first. I’ve already reserved a table.”

Dong Zhenghao didn’t even have the energy to ask where. At this point, anywhere was fine as long as it meant no more shopping.

Soon, the three arrived at a private club Jiang Li had booked in advance.

They had just sat down and hadn’t even ordered yet when the door to the private room was knocked open, and in walked Jiang Jia.

“What a coincidence! Brother-in-law, you’re eating here today too?”

Dong Zhenghao also found it quite coincidental and greeted her with a smile. “You’re here with friends?”

“No, I came with my husband. Since we ran into each other, why don’t we join you?”

“We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Dong Zhenghao declined politely. His relationship with Zhan Hongye was complicated, and they didn’t have much to talk about.

But before he could finish, Jiang Li cut in and agreed outright. “Sure, I actually have something to discuss with you.”

Then she turned to Dong Zhenghao, persuading him. “Come on, that banquet the other day was too rushed. We haven’t even properly introduced Mumu to your brother-in-law yet.”

“Exactly,” Jiang Jia chimed in. “Hongye’s been saying these past few days how he only got to see your daughter once and wishes he could introduce her to Jenny.”

With both his wife and sister-in-law insisting, Dong Zhenghao gave in. “Alright.”

The three of them moved to the neighboring private room.

Next door was a large room meant for over a dozen people. Before they entered, the only ones inside were Zhan Hongye and a middle-aged man dressed in a black Zhongshan suit who looked unfamiliar.

Seeing there were outsiders present, Dong Zhenghao thought Zhan Hongye was meeting with business partners and immediately regretted agreeing to come.

However, Zhan Hongye warmly stood up to greet him: “You’re here, please have a seat.”

As Dong Zhenghao sat down, Zhan Hongye first introduced the man in a Zhongshan suit beside him: “This is my brother-in-law, Dong Zhenghao.”

Then he turned to Dong Zhenghao: “This is Mr. Ning, a good friend of mine.”

Even though the two men privately didn’t get along, they maintained impeccable appearances.

Dong Zhenghao extended his hand toward Mr. Ning: “Hello, Mr. Ning.”

Mr. Ning’s expression was somewhat cold, but he still shook hands with him.

“Everyone, please sit,” Zhan Hongye said before shifting his gaze to Liu Mumu. Smiling at her, he said, “Mumu, right? I was too busy the other day and forgot to introduce Xiaoni to you. Come visit us sometime.”

Zhan Hongye was handsome, gentle, and polite—a stark contrast to the slightly overweight, middle-aged Dong Zhenghao.

Liu Mumu clicked her tongue inwardly. This is what happens when you don’t take care of yourself—you get completely outshone.

Since he was being so courteous, she naturally returned a polite smile.

While the two were speaking, Mr. Ning had been staring at Liu Mumu with an uncomfortably direct gaze, making it impossible for her to ignore.

She looked back at him, but he averted his eyes.

Liu Mumu didn’t dwell on it. Right now, she was tired and hungry—all she wanted was to eat, not overthink things.

The dishes for Zhan Hongye’s table had already been ordered earlier, and a few more were added after their arrival, so it wasn’t long before the food was served.

Liu Mumu focused on eating, paying no attention to the adults’ conversation.

Somehow, the topic shifted to the late Wang Guixiang.

Dong Zhenghao certainly wouldn’t have brought it up himself—he still occasionally grieved his mother’s passing. Instead, it was Mr. Ning who mentioned it first.

Noticing that Dong Zhenghao wasn’t drinking alcohol but had opted for tea instead, Mr. Ning chuckled lightly and took a sip of his own tea. “These days, there aren’t many people like Mr. Dong who still observe the ancient mourning customs.”

Dong Zhenghao was momentarily stunned before glancing at Zhan Hongye.

Zhan Hongye also looked surprised. Before Dong Zhenghao could speak, he asked first, “How did you know my brother-in-law is in mourning, Mr. Ning?”

Mr. Ning replied casually, “The parental palace in Mr. Dong’s fate is afflicted by a malefic star. A close relative must have passed away recently.”

The explanation sounded mystical, but Dong Zhenghao still eyed the two skeptically, suspecting this was some kind of setup by Zhan Hongye.

Besides, his mother’s death wasn’t exactly a secret.

“It seems Mr. Dong doesn’t trust me much,” Mr. Ning said with a smile. “You probably think I already knew about this and deliberately brought it up.”

“Not at all, Mr. Ning,” Dong Zhenghao replied calmly, maintaining his composure. As an experienced man of the world, he wasn’t one to lose his cool easily.

If anything, it was Mr. Ning who seemed slightly provoked. “Talking about things everyone knows is rather dull. Why don’t I tell you something no one else knows, Mr. Dong?”

“Please do.”

“When you were eleven, you broke your leg. Your family couldn’t afford treatment, so your mother sold her bl00d to pay for your medical care.”

Dong Zhenghao’s smile faded as he studied Mr. Ning with newfound scrutiny.

This incident was ancient history—the only remaining evidence being a pale scar on his leg. Even his current wife Jiang Li didn’t know about it, and his mother had never mentioned it. She hadn’t wanted him to know about her sacrifice; he’d only learned of it later from others.

It was when Mr. Ning began these “uncannily accurate revelations” that Liu Mumu finally shifted her attention from the exquisite dishes before her to the mysterious man across the table.

A sudden premonition told her today might bring unexpected developments.

“Anything else?” Dong Zhenghao asked after a moment’s silence.

Mr. Ning seemed pleased with his reaction, smiling faintly. “At twenty-two, you ventured out to make your fortune but failed miserably in business. It drove you nearly to suicide by drowning, until your first wife intervened—am I correct?”

Dong Zhenghao’s interlaced fingers tightened slightly. “You can divine even that?”

This was another secret known only to him and his ex-wife. Back then, his naive first wife had come to visit relatives. Finding him by the river, she mistook him for suicidal. After hearing of his business failure, she lent him money to hide the truth from his mother.

“Not difficult at all. A person’s physiognomy often reveals many secrets.”

In everyone’s eyes, Mr. Ning suddenly took on an aura of profound mystery.

Seizing the moment, Zhan Hongye interjected, “Let me properly introduce Mr. Ning—a master fortune teller.”

Until now, Dong Zhenghao had scoffed at fortune telling. But this “Master Ning” was shattering his preconceptions.

Waving off the title, Master Ning said modestly, “No master, just an ordinary fortune teller offering personal interpretations. Take it as you will, Mr. Dong.”

Jiang Li smoothly intervened, “You’re too modest, Master Ning. We’ve all witnessed your abilities firsthand. Might you read my husband’s fortune?”

“What would you like to know?”

“Well…” Jiang Li’s knowledge of fortune telling was superficial, and the question left her momentarily at a loss.

Seeing her hesitation, Master Ning didn’t press further. “Very well. Fortune telling it is—let’s examine Mr. Dong’s destiny.”

Dong Zhenghao’s earlier resistance had faded. Curiosity about one’s future is universal, and he was no exception.

“Do you recall your birth details, Mr. Dong?”

At the mention of birth charts, Liu Mumu frowned slightly—though no one noticed, least of all Jiang Li, who promptly recited Dong Zhenghao’s lunar birthdate down to the exact hour.

After hearing this, Mr. Ning raised his hand to perform some calculations before speaking: “Mr. Dong, your fate shows you will have two wives, and you’ll grow old happily with your second wife. You’ll have one son and two daughters, all of whom will achieve success. As for wealth, while you won’t become the richest man, you’ll never have financial worries.”

This was considered an exceptionally good fortune.

Dong Zhenghao couldn’t help but show a hint of joy—the part about becoming the richest man was just a joke anyway.

“Mr. Ning, could you also read Mumu’s fortune?” Jiang Jia suddenly interjected, smiling at Liu Mumu who had been listening to their conversation. “This child has had a hard life since childhood. I wonder if she’ll finally find happiness as an adult.”

“Oh?” Mr. Ning turned to Liu Mumu. “Do you have her birth details?”

Liu Mumu remained silent, but Dong Zhenghao answered: “Yes, I remember clearly. Mumu was born on July 15th, just after midnight.”

It wasn’t that Dong Zhenghao paid special attention to this daughter, but her birth time was so peculiar that it was hard to forget.

Mr. Ning showed surprise. He had only been called here to do a small favor, but now it seemed his services weren’t even needed.

Seeing Mr. Ning stare at Liu Mumu for a long time without speaking, Jiang Jia grew impatient: “What have you calculated, Mr. Ning?”

After some thought, Mr. Ning finally spoke: “This young lady’s fortune… is not good.”

Jiang Li’s lips curled slightly, while Jiang Jia pressed on: “How bad is it? Is there any way to change it?”

Mr. Ning seemed to have developed great interest in Liu Mumu. After studying her face for a long time, he shook his head: “Forgive my bluntness, but this young lady has the most ominous fortune I’ve ever seen—a celestial sha colliding with the four pillars.”

“What does that mean?” Dong Zhenghao asked.

“In simple terms, what you’d call a ‘celestial sha lone star’—an inherently evil fate that brings harm to relatives. Those close to her rarely meet good ends.”

Jiang Li’s expression changed: “Isn’t that too harsh, Mr. Ning?”

Mr. Ning remained impassive: “If you don’t believe me, take her birth details to any fortune teller. Anyone who understands yin-yang and the eight trigrams will reach the same conclusion.”