We Weren’t Fated, I Just Played My Cards Right - Chapter 26
As September approached, Qingcheng remained unbearably hot. Primary and secondary schools in the city had already reopened.
What could be worse than the end of vacation? Realizing, just one day before school starts, that you haven’t written a single word of your summer homework.
Dong Qi tried to use his “broken leg” as an excuse to skip school—because he was that kid who hadn’t done his homework.
To convince his parents, he started whining about leg pain right after breakfast. When his mother showed concern, he seized the opportunity to make his demand:
He didn’t want to go to school. He wanted her to request a month-long leave for him.
Jiang Li hesitated, but before she could agree, Dong Qi was already rolling around on the sofa, clutching his leg and wailing, “Grandma! Grandma! I miss my grandma!”
For many years before Liu Mumu came to the Dong household, scenes like this were common.
Every time, the old lady would rush over, scold everyone in the house except her son and grandson, and then grant Dong Qi whatever he wanted.
Now that the old lady was gone, Jiang Li still wasn’t used to seeing her son act like this.
Though she doted on him, his tantrums were starting to grate on her nerves.
“Maybe I should ask the school for a month’s leave for Xiao Qi?” To quiet him down, Jiang Li discussed it with Dong Zhenghao, who hadn’t left for work yet.
Dong Zhenghao was about to agree when he noticed Liu Mumu standing on the second floor, looking down at them coldly.
“If you miss your grandma that much, should I send you down to see her?”
Dong Zhenghao shuddered. How could he forget? His eldest daughter and his mother were irreconcilable. For his son to bring up his grandmother now was just asking for trouble.
His face darkened as he barked at Dong Qi, “Stop howling! You’re going to school tomorrow—no excuses!”
He put on his full “head of the household” act.
Unfortunately, Dong Qi wasn’t intimidated. He screamed back, “No, I won’t!!”
“Looks like you’re asking for a beating.” Dong Zhenghao scanned the room for something to discipline him with. His younger daughter silently handed him a rolling pin.
Dong Zhenghao, who had only intended to put on a show of anger, now found himself in a bind. Wait, why was there a rolling pin here?
Well, since it was already in his hand, he might as well give his son a proper spanking.
So Dong Qi’s backside met the rolling pin a few times as Dong Zhenghao held him down and demanded, “Say it—are you going to school or not?”
“No!” Dong Qi shrieked as if his life depended on it, turning the house into a scene straight out of a slaughterhouse.
“If you don’t go to school, I’ll break your other leg too. Let’s see if you still refuse to attend.” The beating continued.
Finally, after Dong Qi’s bottom turned completely red, he sobbed and surrendered: “I’ll go to school, please stop hitting me, wuwuwu…”
The scene of her husband disciplining their son was too brutal for Jiang Li to bear. She wiped away tears that hadn’t even fallen yet and decided to leave, heading upstairs to avoid the sight.
Dong Yue, having already accomplished her mission, quietly retreated to her room to pack for school the next day.
Liu Mumu, on the other hand, rushed downstairs to watch the spectacle up close. After enjoying the show, she even handed her father a glass of orange juice to replenish his energy.
Having finished disciplining his son, Old Dong gulped down the juice his daughter handed him, feeling thoroughly satisfied.
“Is Mumu starting school soon too?” Father and daughter ignored Dong Qi, who was still whimpering into a pillow, and walked out together.
“School starts September 1st. I’ll go on the 31st to get things ready.” Which was the day after tomorrow.
“Alright, I’ll take you to school then.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Dong Zhenghao suddenly felt like a truly responsible father—not only could he discipline his unruly son, but he could also escort his daughter to school. He deserved some praise.
On August 31st, father and daughter stepped out under the auspicious divination buff for safe travels.
Dong Zhenghao drove Liu Mumu to Qingcheng University of Technology, an hour’s drive from their home, for registration.
The school gate was bustling with people. After finally finding a parking spot, they were immediately hit by the suffocating summer heat the moment they stepped out of the car.
For a brief moment, Liu Mumu was tempted to throw a tantrum and refuse to go to school—Old Dong definitely wouldn’t dare say no to her.
Ah… but who could blame her? She was just a good kid who actually wanted to study.
A senior student in charge of orientation guided the father-daughter pair through registration, then handed them the dorm key and led them to the girls’ dormitory.
Liu Mumu’s dorm was on the fourth floor, Room 413.
After seeing them in, the senior, showered with Dong Zhenghao’s endless thanks, bashfully excused himself.
Two beds in the dorm were already made, their occupants presumably out buying supplies. Of the two remaining empty beds, Liu Mumu chose the one by the door. She pulled out the new bedding from her suitcase and climbed up to make the bed.
“Need help?” Dong Zhenghao handed her a pillow from below.
Liu Mumu wrestled with the bedsheet in the cramped space and replied offhandedly, “Don’t bully my bed.”
“Tch.” Old Dong knocked on the bed railing, slightly offended. “This bed is sturdy. Your dad only weighs, what, 150, 160, 170 pounds or so…”
“Oh, got it. Two hundred pounds,” Liu Mumu concluded coldly.
“How is it two hundred? It’s clearly only one hundred seventy-seven.”
“Rounding up to two hundred, no problem.”
While Liu Mumu was bullying Dong Zhenghao one-sidedly, the dormitory door opened again. A handsome young man, standing at least six feet tall, walked in holding hands with a long-haired girl.
They appeared to be around the same age, behaving intimately—clearly a couple.
The girl looked up and saw Liu Mumu making her bed. She waved with a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Xue Lan.”
“I’m Liu Mumu. Nice to meet you.” Liu Mumu enthusiastically leaned over from her bed and extended her hand.
Xue Lan smiled faintly and shook her hand. Her fingers were icy cold, unusual for such hot weather.
Her face showed no signs of illness—perhaps it was just her constitution?
Xue Lan’s boyfriend seemed indifferent, ignoring Liu Mumu entirely. He walked past Dong Zhenghao and went straight to the empty bed nearby to unpack his girlfriend’s belongings.
Xue Lan appeared slightly embarrassed. Standing by Liu Mumu’s bed, she whispered, “That’s my boyfriend, Xu Anze. He’s in the computer science department.”
Qingcheng Institute of Technology’s computer science program was top-tier, ranking nationally. Though rumor had it that studying computer science led to hair loss. Liu Mumu had rejected the department outright, only to be rejected by it in turn when her grades came out.
“Did you both get admitted together? That’s impressive.”
Xue Lan nodded shyly, her eyes filled with affection as she glanced at Xu Anze.
While others had boyfriends escorting them to school, she only had her two-hundred-pound dad. What a disappointment.
Dong Zhenghao seemed to sense his daughter’s discontent. He shot a glance at the efficient young man nearby before unpacking the remaining items from the suitcase.
Once Liu Mumu had mostly finished arranging her bedding, he said, “Mumu, how about staying home tonight? I’ll bring you back to campus tomorrow.”
“No need. We’ll probably start military training after the semester begins, so I won’t be able to go home. Remember to visit me on weekends.”
She couldn’t live on campus full-time—returning home every five days was just right. If she couldn’t make it back, Dong Zhenghao would have to visit her instead.
They had long since agreed on this arrangement.
“Alright, I’ll come by Saturday then. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Bye.” Liu Mumu waved without hesitation.
Dong Zhenghao waved back and left with light steps, thinking to himself: Finally, the little troublemaker is in school. Freedom at last.
After Xue Lan and her boyfriend finished unpacking, they left together. Liu Mumu stayed in the dorm until past five when her other two roommates finally arrived.
They returned together, each carrying a large bag of daily necessities—clearly fresh from shopping.
Both greeted Liu Mumu warmly upon seeing her. The short-haired girl, Qian Xiaomeng, took the bed across from Liu Mumu.
The girl diagonally across from her was Wei Xue, sporting a bob cut and a round, doll-like face—adorable.
Neither had met Xue Lan yet, so they asked Liu Mumu about her after hearing she’d already seen her.
“She seemed pretty easygoing. Her boyfriend even brought her here earlier.”
Qian Xiaomeng and Liu Mumu wore identical expressions of envy: “Ah, how can someone manage to keep up with their studies in senior year while also solving their single status? So jealous!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Liu Mumu nodded repeatedly.
Once, a potential boyfriend had appeared before her, and she had cherished the opportunity—unfortunately, he hadn’t reciprocated. Just thinking about it made her furious. She hadn’t managed to resolve her single status before entering university—she was dragging the school down!
Wei Xue sat quietly nearby, watching the two whose brainwaves seemed practically in sync, speechless. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they might pull out a fruit knife at any moment, swear a bl00d oath, and it was making her nervous.
Around 8 p.m., as the sky outside darkened, Xue Lan finally returned.
Standing at the door, she greeted the girls in the dorm: “Hello, I’m Xue Lan.”
“Hi, hi!” Qian Xiaomeng seized the chance to touch Xue Lan’s hand.
This was the hand of a woman with a boyfriend—it just felt different.
Xue Lan was slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm. She glanced helplessly at Wei Xue, who simply waved at her.
Well, it seemed no one was coming to her rescue.
What ultimately saved Xue Lan from Qian Xiaomeng’s enthusiasm was the milk tea she had bought for each of her roommates on her way back.
Originally, she had worried about getting along with them and wanted to bridge the gap, but now it seemed unnecessary—they were already too close.
On their first night at university, the four girls each cradled a cup of milk tea, chatting in the dorm after lights-out. No one knew how late it got before their voices gradually faded into silence, and they all drifted off to sleep.
Around 3 a.m., Liu Mumu suddenly heard violent coughing.
She sat up in bed and realized the sound was coming from Xue Lan in the neighboring bunk.
Liu Mumu turned on her flashlight, its beam revealing Xue Lan still asleep. Whether from physical discomfort or a nightmare, her expression looked twisted.
She kept coughing, yet it didn’t wake her.
The coughing soon roused the others. Wei Xue sat up, squinting in the dorm’s dim light, and whispered, “What’s going on?”
Liu Mumu had already climbed onto Xue Lan’s bed, gently shaking her—but there was no response, only a slight weakening of the cough.
Hearing Wei Xue, she replied, “I don’t know. Xue Lan’s been coughing nonstop but won’t wake up.”
“Is she sick?”
Qian Xiaomeng climbed down and stepped onto a stool to get closer, pressing a hand to Xue Lan’s forehead. She gasped. “Her face is freezing.”
Liu Mumu also reached out to touch her. Earlier, she had only noticed how cold Xue Lan’s hands were, but now she realized her face was just as icy.
“It doesn’t seem like a fever,” Qian Xiaomeng said, puzzled.
Liu Mumu thought for a moment, then leaned close to Xue Lan’s ear and repeatedly called her name: “Xue Lan, Xue Lan, wake up…”
After calling her about five or six times, the coughing finally stopped. Xue Lan, who had seemed completely unresponsive, groggily opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Qian Xiaomeng leaning over the bed, Liu Mumu crouched beside her, and Wei Xue on the opposite bed holding up two phones like spotlights, shining them right at her.
Confused, she asked, “What happened?”
“You really didn’t feel it?” Qian Xiaomeng blurted out. “You were coughing so violently earlier, like you were trying to cough up a lung—it scared us half to death!”
“Really? I didn’t notice at all.” With Liu Mumu’s help, Xue Lan sat up. This time, when Liu Mumu touched her hand, it felt slightly warmer.
“Do you want some water?” Wei Xue asked from across the room.
“Yeah, let me pour you some hot water.” Qian Xiaomeng jumped off the stool, found a cup on Xue Lan’s desk, and filled it with hot water from the thermos before handing it to her.
“Thanks, I feel better now,” Xue Lan murmured gratefully, taking a few sips from the cup.
Seeing that she had finally calmed down and wasn’t coughing anymore, the others relaxed.
With their worries eased, drowsiness crept back in.
After confirming that Xue Lan was truly fine and didn’t need to go to the hospital, they turned off their phone flashlights and returned to their beds.
The rest of the night passed peacefully. Xue Lan didn’t cough again, but when morning came, she looked unusually pale—perhaps she hadn’t been able to fall back asleep.
The first day of the semester was hectic, with everyone busy collecting textbooks, uniforms, and military training gear.
At noon, the four roommates agreed to check out the school cafeteria together. It was said that every prestigious university had an infamous cafeteria, serving legendary dishes—the kind that could supposedly make you ascend to the heavens after eating them.
Like stir-fried potatoes with watermelon… just hearing about it made one curious.
As they stepped out of the classroom building, Liu Mumu spotted a familiar face downstairs—Xu Anze, Xue Lan’s boyfriend, who had escorted her to the dorm yesterday.
Though they’d only met once, the handsome young man was quite memorable.
Xue Lan also noticed Xu Anze and was surprised—he hadn’t mentioned waiting for her. Embarrassed, she paused and whispered to the others, “Sorry, my boyfriend’s here to pick me up, so I…”
“No worries, no worries! We can reschedule. Go ahead with your boyfriend,” Qian Xiaomeng quickly said, her eyes lingering on Xu Anze with interest.
Watching Xue Lan run over to Xu Anze, linking arms with him as they walked off together, Qian Xiaomeng sighed enviously. “When will someone wait downstairs to take me to lunch?”
“Aren’t we people?” Wei Xue retorted sharply.
“I meant a handsome guy.”
Liu Mumu, walking on Qian Xiaomeng’s other side, snorted. “How dare you discriminate against beautiful girls!”
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that!” Laughing and teasing each other, the three of them hurried off toward their destination—Cafeteria No. 1.
Unfortunately, the first cafeteria didn’t offer any legendary dishes—just an overwhelming sea of freshmen.
Luckily, the three of them had come together. Qian Xiaomeng, the most athletic of the group, stood in the center of the cafeteria, her sharp gaze sweeping over every table.
The moment she spotted a table where people were finishing up, she dashed over and stared them down like a predator.
The two upperclassmen she targeted—likely sophomores—quickly shoveled down the rest of their meals under her intense scrutiny and vacated their seats for her.
Meanwhile, Liu Mumu and Wei Xue fought their way through the crowd to get food. The whole ordeal felt like a battlefield, leaving them utterly exhausted.
While eating, Qian Xiaomeng cheerfully remarked, “The upperclassmen are so nice! They actually gave up their seats for me.”
Having witnessed firsthand how she had “intimidated” them into leaving, Liu Mumu and Wei Xue exchanged a silent glance but said nothing.
Well, might as well let her believe she’d just met some kind souls.
Liu Mumu concluded that there was a fundamental difference between her and Qian Xiaomeng when it came to being single. For her, it was fate. For Qian Xiaomeng, it was sheer obliviousness.
The first day of school passed as everyone familiarized themselves with the campus.
The next day, military training began—standard routines like marching drills and standing at attention.
Especially in the sweltering heat, standing at attention felt like it could drain half your life away.
Under the scorching sun, sweat trickled down Liu Mumu’s cheeks as she overheard someone behind her whisper, “Sunscreen’s useless. The only thing that works now is slathering cement on your face.”
Those who heard it stifled their laughter, only to be caught by the instructor, who punished them with an extra five minutes of standing.
By the afternoon, someone fainted from heatstroke and was taken to the campus clinic by the instructor.
Soon, others seemed to catch on to this “escape tactic,” attempting to feign heatstroke one after another. After escorting two away, the instructor swept a cold gaze over the group and added, “Anyone who goes to the clinic today will make up for today’s training tomorrow.”
Instantly, the swaying students straightened up—their backs no longer sore, their legs no longer weak. They could stand for another half hour if needed.
The instructor wasn’t entirely heartless, though. During the hottest part of the day, he dismissed them for a ten-minute water break.
Everyone scrambled for shade, sitting on the ground without a care for how dirty it was.
Liu Mumu glanced at Xue Lan beside her. Her lips were pale, her eyes dazed.
“Xue Lan, are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, you should ask the instructor for leave,” Liu Mumu whispered, leaning closer.
Xue Lan shook her head. “I’m fine. I just suddenly felt really tired.”
Unconvinced, Liu Mumu touched her forehead—her temperature was noticeably lower than everyone else’s.
At noon, Xue Lan had looked perfectly fine, but by afternoon, her condition suddenly worsened. Could she really have suffered heatstroke?
Just as the instructor was walking over, she stood up to speak when Xue Lan suddenly started coughing violently.
It was just like that night—terrifying coughs, her face contorted in pain, turning beet red in an instant, drawing everyone’s attention.
People tried to gather around to see what was happening, but the instructor quickly shooed them away: “Move back! What are you crowding for? Give her space!”
By the time the instructor rushed over, Liu Mumu and Wei Xue were already patting Xue Lan’s back, but it wasn’t helping.
“What’s wrong with her?” the instructor asked.
“We don’t know. She was like this on our first night in the dorm too,” Qian Xiaomeng answered.
The instructor glanced at the three of them. “You’re roommates?”
“Yes,” Wei Xue nodded.
“Alright, let’s get her to the campus clinic first. You three come with us.”
The instructor moved to carry Xue Lan on his back, but as she placed one hand on his shoulder and removed the other from her mouth, everyone saw a smear of red in her palm.
She was coughing up bl00d?
Liu Mumu and the others were shocked. The instructor immediately changed his approach, scooping Xue Lan up in his arms and sprinting toward the clinic.
Given the vast difference in physical stamina between them and the instructor, it took the three girls another five minutes of panting and gasping to finally reach the clinic.
“How is Xue Lan?” they asked as they found her and the instructor with the doctor, who was in the middle of an examination.
The doctor didn’t seem annoyed by their abrupt entrance, simply gesturing for them to stand aside and listen as he continued questioning.
“How long has this been going on? Have you had any X-rays taken before?”
Xue Lan hesitated before answering, “It happened in high school too. I had a full check-up then. My lungs were normal, no tuberculosis. They couldn’t find the cause. Later, the doctor said it might be psychological stress from the intense studying in senior year.”
“No diagnosis? When was your last examination?” the doctor pressed.
“Half a month before coming to university. I have all the reports with me—they’re in my dorm locker,” Xue Lan replied.
“I’ll go get them!” Qian Xiaomeng quickly volunteered.
“Good, bring them to me.”
Xue Lan handed her locker key to Qian Xiaomeng, who dashed out immediately.
About fifteen minutes later, Qian Xiaomeng returned with a folder containing X-ray films and various medical reports.
The doctor studied them carefully before nodding. “Everything does appear normal here. It’s not allergic asthma either—your health seems fine otherwise.”
He frowned at Xue Lan. “It shouldn’t be this severe theoretically. Psychological factors are possible. Still, since you coughed up bl00d today, we can’t rule out minor internal bleeding. You should go to the hospital for another scan to confirm.”
“Doctor, we’ll accompany her,” Qian Xiaomeng offered eagerly. All three girls then looked expectantly at the instructor.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “Leave your names, class details, and phone numbers with me. I’ll contact your advisor later. Return immediately after the hospital visit, and notify me first if the situation is serious.”
“Understood,” the three replied obediently, exchanging phone numbers with the instructor.
Although Liu Mumu wasn’t a native of Qingcheng, she was quite familiar with the city’s hospitals and directly took them to Qingcheng Second Hospital.
After registering, getting scans, and going through the examinations, it was already past five in the afternoon.
The diagnosis remained the same—she was in perfect health. Since Xue Lan had reportedly coughed up bl00d, the doctor had been monitoring her condition all afternoon, including checking her bl00d pressure, but everything remained stable.
In the end, the doctor could only say, “If you’re still worried, you can stay overnight for observation.”
After discussing it, Liu Mumu and the others decided that two of them would stay with Xue Lan at the hospital instead of going back.
Xue Lan didn’t want to trouble them and said she had already texted her boyfriend, who would arrive soon.
While waiting for him, she suddenly whispered, “Actually, I’ve seen many doctors before, but none could diagnose the problem. Then my mom consulted a ‘Great Immortal.'”
Liu Mumu was intrigued. “Great Immortal” was a term used in some northern regions for mystics, whose practices differed slightly from other schools of mysticism—they were said to be quite extraordinary.
Perhaps worried her roommates wouldn’t understand, Xue Lan cautiously studied their expressions.
Instead, they all stared at her eagerly, waiting for her to continue.
“And then?” Qian Xiaomeng pressed impatiently.
“The Great Immortal said I had a ‘false hysteria’—not real hysteria, but something called ‘pseudo-hysteria.'”
“Isn’t hysteria a mental disorder? So ‘false hysteria’… is still a psychological issue?” Qian Xiaomeng reacted quickly.
Liu Mumu had never heard of “pseudo-hysteria” either and asked curiously, “Did the Great Immortal tell you how to treat it?”
Xue Lan shook her head. “He said my condition would gradually improve if left alone. I actually thought I was getting better, but for some reason, it worsened after I came to university.”
Just as she finished speaking, the hospital room door swung open—Xu Anze had arrived.