We Weren’t Fated, I Just Played My Cards Right - Chapter 29
The four of them spent the entire day out. After leaving Qingshan Temple, Zheng Xuan treated them to an excellent barbecue restaurant. As they ate and chatted, the senior took it upon himself to share some rather unconventional campus knowledge.
For instance, while the second cafeteria chef’s skills were consistently reliable, the braised fish served every Thursday noon always carried a distinct whiff of dirty socks—either the chef or the fish wasn’t particularly hygienic.
Qian Xiaomeng bypassed all subtlety to ask bluntly: “Senior, do you also struggle with smelly socks?”
Zheng Xuan: How was he supposed to answer that?
Why was this junior so sharp-tongued?
Didn’t she know smelly socks were the bane of every athletic guy’s existence? Including his, of course!!
Zheng Xuan waved it off: “Let’s move on.”
Another example—the fifth row against the wall on the library’s third floor was a blind spot for surveillance cameras, making it ideal for dates.
“So what exactly have you done in that spot?” As Xiaomeng retreated, Liu Mumu took up the interrogation.
Zheng Xuan: Why had he opened his big mouth today?
Though the meal proved somewhat challenging for Zheng Xuan, the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves—Senior Zheng had provided excellent entertainment.
After eating their fill, Zheng paid the bill and safely escorted them back to campus.
On the way to their dorm, Qian Xiaomeng glanced at Xue Lan walking beside her and remarked curiously: “Lanlan, you seem much better today. You ate so much barbecue but didn’t feel unwell at all?”
Today they had eaten quite a lot—grilled meat and seafood. In the past, Xue Lan would have reacted quickly to greasy food, but now she seemed perfectly fine.
Normally, when she got tired, her complexion would turn terrible.
Even though they had taken cars for the trip, Qing Mountain Temple was huge, and walking around it would take at least an hour. Yet Xue Lan still had a rosy glow on her face and hadn’t complained of exhaustion.
Hearing Qian Xiaomeng’s words, Xue Lan froze for a moment, then touched her forehead—there was still a fine layer of sweat on it.
Before, it had felt like she was trapped under a shroud, unable to feel the summer heat, only the cold.
But now, her skin could actually sense the temperature, and even the air she breathed felt stuffy and warm.
It was as if she had suddenly returned to the world of the living.
“It’s true… Ever since coming back from the temple, I really do feel different.” There was joy in Xue Lan’s eyes, but also a hint of uncertainty.
She hoped her body had truly recovered, but she feared this normalcy might only be temporary.
Qian Xiaomeng glanced at Liu Mumu and smiled. “Looks like Qing Mountain Temple really is effective. I told you it was a good idea to get out more.”
“Makes sense. Next time, let’s bring Wei Xue along.”
……
The sound of their laughter and chatter gradually faded as the campus streetlights lit up, stretching their retreating shadows long behind them.
Perhaps because of the unusually high amount of exercise today, Xue Lan climbed into bed as early as 10:30 p.m.
Soon, soft snores drifted from her bed.
The thick quilt she used to bundle herself in tightly at night had long been kicked to the foot of the bed. Now, she wore only thin cotton pajamas and didn’t feel cold at all.
In fact, everyone else had always slept like this—only Xue Lan had ever felt the chill.
Qian Xiaomeng tiptoed to peek at her, then scurried over to Liu Mumu’s bed and whispered, “So what was the deal with that protective charm today?”
Though she had accepted that Liu Mumu could read fortunes, witnessing something so unscientific had still left her a little shaken.
“I’m not sure either.” Not understanding fully, Liu Mumu couldn’t jump to conclusions. “I’ll ask a knowledgeable friend about it in the next few days.”
She had already sent a message to Yan Xiu, but he hadn’t replied yet.
On the third morning of the holiday, at 7:30 a.m., Dong Zhenghao called Liu Mumu to come downstairs.
“Dad, why aren’t you sleeping in on this lovely vacation?” Liu Mumu groaned, rolling over and pressing the phone to her ear, unwilling to move.
“Because I missed you, and your sister missed you too.” Dong Zhenghao turned the phone toward the backseat.
Dong Yue, sitting obediently in the back, chirped, “Sister, Dad and Mom had a fight, he&*—”
Before she could finish, Dong Zhenghao hastily pulled the phone back to his ear. “Anyway, get down here! I’ll give you five—no, fifteen minutes!”
“Fine.”
A man who had fought with his wife and was likely planning to run away with his two daughters deserved some leniency for his occasional tantrums.
After brushing her teeth in the bathroom and splashing cold water on her face, Liu Mumu dashed downstairs, her messy bun bouncing wildly.
Watching his daughter sprint toward him in shorts and a tank top from a distance, Dong Zhenghao muttered disapprovingly, using a phrase he’d recently picked up from a business partner from the north: “So loud and unruly.”
After speaking, he turned to warn his younger daughter: “Don’t tell her!”
Dong Yue obediently sat in the back seat without saying a word.
Opening the car door, Liu Mumu climbed into the back. Once she was settled, Dong Yue whispered, “Dad said you’re too loud.”
Dong Zhenghao, whose hearing was quite sharp, thought: What’s the difference between raising daughters and raising traitors!
After picking them up, Dong Zhenghao first took them for breakfast, then to a nearby flower market.
Liu Mumu assumed he wanted to cultivate some plants to refine his temperament, but to her surprise, he headed straight for a stall selling cacti the moment they got out of the car.
The cacti the vendor had grown were as big as bear paws, with long, thin spines.
Dong Zhenghao happily bought one pot, then picked out a soccer ball-sized cactus ball—one accidental sit, and your future would be over.
“What’s gotten into him?” Liu Mumu quietly asked Dong Yue.
“Mom and Dad argued about Grandpa and Grandma this morning. Mom took Dong Qi to Grandma’s house, and Dad was furious.”
“What does that have to do with him buying cacti?”
“Well…” Dong Yue looked slightly awkward. “Grandpa and Grandma have been obsessed with health lately. They heard from someone that helium in the air is bad for you, so they spent over 20,000 yuan on a pure oxygen machine. Then they said they were short on money and asked Mom for 50,000 yuan. Dad overheard.”
Dong Zhenghao, catching his daughters’ whispers, turned around after paying for the cactus and said fiercely to Dong Yue, “When your mom gets home, tell her to take these two pots to your grandma’s house. Since they only want pure oxygen, let them hug these—natural oxygen generators, less than 100 yuan.”
Liu Mumu marveled, “Dad actually knows cacti produce oxygen! So knowledgeable.”
Then both daughters stood there clapping for him.
Dong Zhenghao shamelessly puffed out his chest. “Of course! Your dad was top of his class when he was young.”
Behind them, the cactus vendor watched the father-daughter trio with a complicated expression.
Liu Mumu’s National Day holiday began with cacti and ended with cacti.
On the last day of the holiday, Jiang Li, who had already fought with her husband twice, finally delivered the cacti to her parents’ house.
No money, but two pots of “love” from their son-in-law.
Wonder if they were touched?
Around 2 p.m., Yan Xiu, who had been unreachable for four days, finally replied to Liu Mumu’s message.
Yan Xiu: Just landed. What’s up?
Liu Mumu: Plenty!
Yan Xiu, who had initially intended to make a phone call, paused and instead sent a text message.
Yan Xiu: Come to the municipal bureau to find me in an hour.
Beside him, a young woman with a ponytail curiously leaned over to peek at his phone, only to shrink back when met with his icy glare.
The car waiting outside the airport picked them up and drove them straight to the municipal bureau.
Liu Mumu arrived half an hour after Yan Xiu and his team, carrying two large plastic bags.
Fang Chuan had just stepped out of his office when he saw Liu Mumu approaching with the bags. He reached out to take them from her, saying politely, “You didn’t have to bring anything! We absolutely never accept gifts from the public.”
Liu Mumu deadpanned, “Oh, that’s the fruit salad my sister made for my dormmates.”
To keep it fresh, there were even two ice packs inside.
Fang Chuan’s hand froze mid-air.
Liu Mumu walked past him into the office, adding casually, “The other bag is for you guys.”
With an overabundance of fruit at home and needing Yan Xiu’s help anyway, it was only polite to bring something.
Yan Xiu’s office had been completely renovated, with no trace left of the destruction from last time.
Liu Mumu thought to herself, This must be the power of money. And that decorative piece on the desk looked so expensive it was practically begging to be touched.
Yan Xiu was reviewing a document and hadn’t noticed her approach. Just as Liu Mumu was about to knock, she spotted another person in the office—a strikingly beautiful young woman.
The woman seemed about to speak to Yan Xiu but paused when she noticed Liu Mumu. “Do you… need something?” she asked, puzzled.
Liu Mumu narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, her gaze sharp and unfriendly.
Yan Xiu finally looked up, his expression unreadable as he set the document aside. “What is it?”
Behind Liu Mumu, Fang Chuan had already started distributing the fruit salad she’d brought, munching on a box himself. He’d considered bringing one to Yan Xiu, but given the current atmosphere, he decided to stay out of it.
“Who is she?” Liu Mumu demanded, ignoring Yan Xiu’s question.
It was a good question—Fang Chuan popped a grape into his mouth, equally curious.
All he knew was that this woman was an investigator from the headquarters in the capital, but she seemed awfully familiar with Yan Xiu.
“…My cousin,” Yan Xiu answered after a brief pause.
“Why don’t you look anything alike?” Liu Mumu glared at him, her eyes practically spelling out I don’t believe you!
Yan Xiu crossed his arms, considering. “Maybe my genes are just better?”
A brutally unbrotherly remark.
Yan Ling blinked in confusion. Why was she being dragged into this? And who was this girl—Yan Xiu’s boss or something?
Liu Mumu eyed them skeptically as she stepped inside, glancing between Yan Ling and Yan Xiu. They really didn’t resemble each other at all.
“Would you like to go downstairs and get a DNA test to confirm our bl00d relation?” His tone was so matter-of-fact it was impossible to tell if he was serious or mocking her.
Liu Mumu quickly plopped into the chair across from his desk, hands on her knees. “Actually, I’m not that curious.”
Yan Xiu’s dark eyes shifted away from her. “What do you want?”
She held up her finger for him to see. “Look, it’s still red.”
The finger that had touched the talisman days ago remained discolored.
It didn’t hurt or itch, but it was strange.
“What did you touch?” Yan Xiu frowned slightly, pinching her fingertip gently. “Does it hurt?”
“No, I don’t feel anything.” As she spoke, she playfully hooked her finger around his before he could pull away.
Yan Ling, watching from the side: Someone’s openly harassing my cousin, and she hasn’t been thrown out and killed a hundred times yet? Oh my god, this is so thrilling!
“I just touched a protective charm my classmate was holding, and then my hand turned like this. The charm turned to ashes right after,” Liu Mumu explained with an innocent expression.
Yan Xiu withdrew his hand. “Just a minor backlash. A protective charm couldn’t have harmed you.”
A faint red mark wasn’t exactly an injury, but the fact that it left a trace suggested the backlash was quite strong. Liu Mumu carried a diviner’s token—a life-saving tool for fortune-tellers. For a charm to penetrate its defenses meant it was exceptionally powerful.
Liu Mumu studied the mark on her fingertip thoughtfully. “So… that wasn’t a protective charm?”
She looked up at Yan Xiu. “Can you tell what kind of charm it was? Beneficial or harmful?”
“If you didn’t do anything improper to the charm’s owner when this happened, then there’s an eighty percent chance it was dangerous.”
Liu Mumu blinked, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. “That charm was given to my classmate by her boyfriend. So if I report this now, can you arrest him?”
“Evidence?”
“The charm was—” She shut her mouth. The charm was gone.
Still unwilling to give up, she pressed, “But something’s clearly wrong here. After the charm disappeared, my classmate’s health improved. Can’t you at least look into it?”
Yan Xiu remained silent.
Fang Chuan stepped forward and patted her shoulder. “It’s not that we won’t investigate, but what you’re saying is basically like claiming your classmate’s boyfriend gave her a gun, the gun mysteriously vanished, and now you suspect he’s trying to kill her.
If it were an actual gun, even a suspicion would warrant an investigation. But this was just a charm of unknown purpose—it doesn’t prove harmful intent. Maybe he bought the wrong charm, or there’s some other explanation. I could bring him in, but without evidence, we’d have to release him within twenty-four hours.”
Even if they believed Liu Mumu, they couldn’t pursue a case with no victim, no crime, and no evidence.
Liu Mumu bit her lip. “I still trust my instincts.”
Fang Chuan glanced at Yan Xiu, who finally spoke after a brief silence. “I can draw a protective charm for you. Have her carry it at all times. If she’s truly in danger, it could save her life.”
“Alright.” Liu Mumu nodded—this was indeed the best solution at the moment.
Yan Xiu glanced at his cousin Yan Ling beside him, who hurried to fetch yellow paper and cinnabar.
With a few deft strokes, Yan Xiu drew two protective talismans. He folded one carefully, placed it into the charm pouch Yan Ling provided, and slid it across the table to Liu Mumu.
The other talisman remained unfolded. Yan Ling reached out to grab it, only to have her fingers lightly tapped by the brush in Yan Xiu’s hand. She quickly withdrew, not daring to make a sound.
Liu Mumu also stretched out her hand, but before she could touch it, Yan Xiu said, “Protective talismans don’t work on you.”
“I just wanted to try,” she muttered, pulling her hand back with a pout.
Fang Chuan chuckled and picked up the extra talisman, folding it skillfully. Yan Xiu didn’t stop him—clearly, it was meant for him.
Holding the talisman, Fang Chuan couldn’t resist teasing Liu Mumu. “Too bad you can’t use one.”
Liu Mumu scoffed. “We fortune-tellers don’t rely on talismans for protection. Before I left home today, I already calculated whether stepping out with my left foot first would bring luck or if my right foot would help me find money. Can you do that?”
Fang Chuan had to admit he couldn’t. After a moment’s thought, he realized she had outdone him.
With the talisman secured, Liu Mumu had achieved her goal for the day.
Checking the time, she grabbed the bag of fruit salad for her roommate and dashed out. “I’m off! Bye!”
“Hey, want a ride to campus?” Fang Chuan called after her.
“No need!”
Her voice lingered, but she was already gone.
“She’s fast,” Fang Chuan muttered.
“Like a rabbit.”
“What?” Fang Chuan didn’t catch it.
“Nothing. Where’s the case file I asked for?” Yan Xiu asked.
Fang Chuan smacked his forehead—he’d been so caught up in the commotion that he forgot his task. “Hold on,” he told the two in the office before rushing out.
Yan Ling watched her cousin with wide eyes, dying to ask about the girl who seemed to hold such sway over him. But seeing his impassive expression, she swallowed her curiosity.
*
When Liu Mumu returned to the dorm, Wei Xue was already there.
Oddly enough, Xue Lan was also present—Liu Mumu had assumed she’d be out with Xu Anze.
She distributed the fruit salad her younger sister had made, and everyone unanimously declared that Liu Mumu’s sister was now their sister too.
Liu Mumu, ever possessive, refused to let them claim her sister so casually.
“Lanlan, isn’t your boyfriend back yet? Why didn’t you go meet him?” Liu Mumu probed.
Xue Lan, sitting on her bed in a nightgown with her legs dangling, thought for a moment. “Anze said his flight lands at seven tonight.”
“That late?”
“Yeah. It was supposed to arrive this morning, but something came up and he had to reschedule.”
“Oh…” Liu Mumu exchanged a glance with Qian Xiaomeng.
Wei Xue suddenly spoke up. “Lanlan, I’ve been meaning to ask—what happened to you these past few days? You look… so much healthier.”
Over the break, Xue Lan’s condition had visibly improved. After not seeing her for days, Wei Xue felt like she was looking at a different roommate.
Xue Lan touched her face happily. “Really? I haven’t told Anze yet—he’ll be thrilled when he finds out.”
*
Whether Xu Anze would actually be happy was debatable. Right now, he had no mind to contact Xue Lan at all.
Originally, he had agreed with Zhuo Ran that they would return separately. But just before he was about to leave for the airport, Zhuo Ran suddenly developed a severe headache, forcing him to stay.
Zhuo Ran had been frail since childhood. After he was sent to the Zhuo family, he had always been by her side.
Whenever she fell ill, her temper would turn foul. She would frequently hit and scold him, and he wasn’t allowed to fight back. In the eyes of Uncle Zhuo and Aunt Lin, it was just children playing around. But to Xu Anze, it was humiliation.
Unfortunately, no matter what he thought, it didn’t matter. He couldn’t escape the Zhuo family. He had been sent there by his own family as one of the means to prolong Zhuo Ran’s life.
On the flight back to Qingcheng, Zhuo Ran rested her pale face on Xu Anze’s shoulder, her fingers digging painfully into his arm.
They were so close that her venomous words reached his ears with perfect clarity.
“My health had already improved—why did it suddenly worsen? Did that mistress of yours find out something? Or did you deliberately tell her?”
Xu Anze had no intention of indulging her unreasonable accusations, but her voice grew louder, drawing the attention of nearby passengers. He had no choice but to respond in a low voice, “Since I promised to help you, I won’t go back on my word. I didn’t tell Lan—Xue Lan anything.”
Zhuo Ran scoffed. “Maybe you suddenly couldn’t bear it? You’ve watched me suffer since we were kids, thinking it’s what I deserve. Now you can’t stand the thought of her ending up like me.”
“She is important to me, and I don’t want to see her suffer like you. But I gave my word, and I won’t break it. This is what I owe the Zhuo family—and what I owe you.”
“You’d better not!” Waves of dizziness and nausea made Zhuo Ran dig her nails even deeper into his arm.
“Maybe the life-substitution talisman on Xue Lan was lost. Before we left, Uncle Zhuo said the ritual was already prepared. Once the substitution ceremony is performed on your birthday, the talisman won’t be needed anymore.”
Of course, the so-called life-substitution ritual wasn’t something that could be prepared overnight.
For this, he had been sent to Xue Lan—the chosen one, born on the exact same day and hour as Zhuo Ran. Using emotions as the price, he had obtained everything necessary for the ritual.
At first, he had only wanted to trade Xue Lan’s health for his own freedom.
The Zhuo family was like shackles on him. As long as Zhuo Ran remained sickly, he would never escape.
Xu Anze knew full well that the Zhuo family looked down on him. But he could suppress Zhuo Ran’s illness. If she recovered, his usefulness would end. Whether they chose to let him go or not would be entirely up to them.
After meeting Xue Lan, he felt that using this deal to secure the possibility of being with her in the future was quite worthwhile.
Xue Lan’s health might deteriorate, but he would take care of her forever.
The plane finally landed. Xu Anze helped Zhuo Ran off the aircraft, settling her to rest nearby before going to retrieve their luggage. Just as he was about to grab the suitcases, he suddenly heard someone scream.
Turning around, he saw Zhuo Ran collapsed on the ground, her face covered in bl00d.
At the same time, in the dormitory bathroom, Liu Mumu placed the protective talisman she had obtained from Yan Xiu into Xue Lan’s hand. Looking into her eyes seriously, she said, “This is a protective charm I specifically asked a friend for. It’s very important—you must keep it close to you at all times.”
After a pause, she added, “Don’t tell anyone about it, not even your Xu Anze. Can you do that?”
Xue Lan clenched the talisman in her hand. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt a warmth spreading from her palm throughout her entire body.
She nodded firmly. “I’ll remember. I won’t tell a soul.”
Then, with deep sincerity, she said to Liu Mumu, “Thank you, Mumu.”
She knew Liu Mumu practiced divination, and her friend couldn’t be an ordinary person. If even Mumu had to go out of her way to request it, the cost must have been significant. Xue Lan silently etched this kindness in her heart.
In reality, there had been no cost—just an opportunity to hold hands, which was quite the win.