Chapter 54

On the second day, they finally arrived at Lanhe Temple.

The temple was not large, and if you wanted to visit, only a few people could enter at a time.

"What's so interesting about this temple?"

Bell Tong looked at the temple gate for a while and blurted out.

"Keep your voice down..."

Roxie Lin poked her discreetly.

The monks sweeping the floors here all had fierce expressions, and it was best to be cautious and not say too much.

"Do you want to try this?"

"A fortune-telling slip?"

Raina Nan looked at the words written on the sign in front of them - career, fate, past and present lives... It sounded really mysterious.

"Hmm..."

"I don't really believe in this, but you can give it a try."

"Oh, what a pity, it's so cheap... Then let's go, Bell?"

"Sure."

Actually, even Bell Tong didn't believe in these things, but since they had nothing better to do, they might as well pass the time.

After looking for a while, the two of them finally selected two neatly folded paper slips from a pile.

"Hey!"

Roxie Lin half-closed her eyes and shouted as if cheering herself on, then opened the paper slip.

Bad luck.

She stared at it for two seconds, rubbed her eyes, and looked again.

"Why?"

Roxie Lin was about to cry. Generally speaking, the probability of drawing a bad luck slip in this kind of temple fortune-telling was very low.

She looked again at what was written on it.

"Difficulties in life, poor luck in love, but no need to be impatient, your luck will soon turn around, please be patient..."

"Oh, how pathetic."

Bell Tong glanced at it and laughed with her hand covering her mouth.

"What about you?"

"Ta-da!"

A small blessing, two big red characters.

"Hmph~"

"You're really lucky..."

"Hehe, destiny, can't help it. Let me see what it says... Career and academics will rise steadily, love luck is average, please be patient and wait... Is it really true?"

Although it wasn't bad, it seemed even Bell Tong herself thought it was unreliable. Not to mention love and all that, career and academics rising steadily? She'd better think about how to pass the midterm mock exams first.

"That's right, it's unreliable! Definitely can't believe it!"

As Roxie Lin said angrily, she carefully tied the paper slip she had just drawn to the nearby wish fulfilment rope.

They said that would dispel bad luck.

"Let's go!"

Bell Tong said, throwing her small blessing paper slip into the trash can and then heading into the inner courtyard.

"Xiaoyu, let's go."

"..."

"Xiaoyu?"

"Hmm?"

Raina Nan was called by Roxie Lin and finally snapped out of it. Lately, she had been like this, unable to say what she was thinking, just spacing out from time to time.

She stood there for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her face again.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a minute."

"Oh..."

Roxie Lin looked at her. Raina Nan had been acting strange these couple of days, and she couldn't help but feel that something was off.

"Then hurry up."

Since she didn't want to say anything, there must be a reason for it.

The dappled sunlight streamed through the leaves of the tall trees and scattered in the courtyard of the temple. A breeze swept by, stirring up a few leaves, swaying as they fell at her feet.

She adjusted her breathing and took two steps forward.

"Please give me a fortune-telling slip."

"Please give me a fortune-telling slip."

Two voices almost overlapped.

"?"

She paused for a moment, then looked to the side, her gaze was hazy, fleeting through a trace of dimness.

"Yu Yu? What a coincidence."

It was Jocelyn York...

"..."

"You're here to draw too?"

Jocelyn York probably didn't expect to see her here. In her impression, Raina Nan wasn't someone who would be interested in fortune-telling or astrology.

"No, it's not that."

Raina Nan hesitated and withdrew her hand.

"We're here, so why not give it a try! Could you please give us two slips?"

She spoke and gave the temple monk 20 yuan.

"Thank you..."

Raina Nan couldn't refuse and reached out to draw a piece.

She opened it.

Thump, thump.

She opened it...

The sound of her heartbeat was clear. Who would have thought that drawing a lot would be such a nerve-wracking thing?

If it had been before, she would have found it foolish and ridiculous to think that one day she would be among those who eagerly placed hope in these intangible things.

"Raina, what did you draw?"

Jocelyn York leaned in, wanting to see how her luck was.

"Nothing special..."

She quickly turned the piece of paper behind her back.

"Oh..."

Jocelyn York sighed and didn't ask further.

"Teacher Yun, I'll go first."

"Alright, bye-bye."

"Did you draw a good lot?"

Watching Raina Nan's figure, even though she didn't say anything, there was always that feeling...

Thinking this, she also opened her own lot.

"Moderate fortune, smooth work, but please take it seriously, love luck uncertain... Please use your wise eyes to search?"

She pondered for a moment.

"Love luck uncertain? What does that mean..."

This ambiguous statement instantly made her head ache.

...

...

Raina Nan walked into the hall of the temple.

Many students had already gathered here, probably influenced by the chanting in the main hall, each of them turning into believers and praying in front of the Buddha statue.

She held onto the lot she hadn't thrown away and stood at the entrance of the main hall.

"What am I expecting..."

Talking to herself, she sighed lightly and closed her eyes.

...

Ridiculous or pitiful? It probably wouldn't make much of a difference to her now...

Anyway...

"Hey, what are you doing?"

A voice broke her train of thought.

She slowly opened her eyes.

That person's face gradually appeared in her line of sight.

Her gaze froze, and for a brief moment, her slightly blushing face showed surprise, but the next second, it quietly melted into a smile.

A huge sense of relief instantly overwhelmed her body.

"Ha!"

She couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth.

Just like breaking the surface of the water, taking a deep breath of oxygen.

A faint warmth flowed from the corner of her eyes, this time, she believed.

"Am I that funny?"

As this man named Michael asked while scratching his head, he nervously adjusted his curly hair.

She looked into his eyes and handed him the piece of paper in her hand.

"Excellent fortune... What's this?"

Looking at the characters on it, he read softly.

"Work/Study - Stable, without major ups and downs..."

"Love - Seems distant, but it's right in front of you. Close your eyes and silently chant his name, and the person destined for you will appear before your eyes... Isn't that strange?"

"That's how it says~"

She smiled with narrowed eyes and looked up, meeting his gaze.

"I, I just happened to pass by!"

Michael seemed a bit flustered, and he probably guessed what was going on.

"Is that so?"

"Ah! Look, I've even bought incense wax. I came here to burn incense!"

"Oh"

She said, pulling his hand.

"What, what are you doing? It's inappropriate for a man and a woman to hold hands!"

He tried to lower his voice to avoid drawing attention from those around.

"In America, aren't you all very open-minded?"

She blinked her eyes, looking amused at him.

"Huh? Well, yeah, America is very open-minded, very open... But don't judge me based on that, I'm actually quite conservative!"

Michael panicked and switched back to American-accented Mandarin.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

Seeing her let go of his hand, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, actually~"

She looked up and gazed at the dome of the main hall.

"I have an older brother, you know."

Raina Nan spoke, her eyes softening.

"Oh, really?"

Michael pushed his sunglasses up and discreetly shifted his gaze."Well, he's a strange person."

"Huh?!..."

He exclaimed and then realized something, but stopped speaking again.

"Whenever he lies or does something guilty, he never dares to look into my eyes~"

"Hmm... that's a bit weird..."

Micheal turned his head even further, almost wanting to turn his back on her.

"And, he's also an idiot~"

She continued to smile, as if conveying something joyful.

"Oh..."

"My brother, you know, he always thought that New York is the capital of the United States~ Even though I've told him so many times, he still can't remember~ Do you think he's an idiot?"

"..."

Micheal completely lost his voice, suddenly remembering what he said yesterday, feeling cold sweat trickling down.

"Um, I, I have something to do, I'll go first."

"Wait."

She softly called him and reached her hand towards his face.

"Do you want to escape?"

Before he could react, she had already taken off the big wave on his head.

"Brother."

"Hehe, Yuyu."

Samson Nan forced a smile, the air seemed to freeze.

Awkwardness, the onset of awkwardness.

...

In his heart, he silently recited, whose name?