Inside the school tea lounge.

Little He Qing bought two drinks and sat down. Across from her, Jiang Xueli was flipping through a book and studying.

Though college life is pretty free, you still can't just play all the time—you have to study now and then.

But Little He Qing was curious. “Lili, if you're going to study, why not go to the library? Isn't it quieter there? Here, the drink I got for you.”

Jiang Xueli took the drink and said thank you. “Study? I'm not actually studying.”

“Aren’t you reading a book?” Little He Qing didn’t get it.

Jiang Xueli looked down at the book in her hand and chuckled.

“This? Oh, I saw a post online a few days ago that said if you carry a book with you while resting, it can reverse bad luck. So I brought one with me. I've been going through a bit of mercury retrograde lately.”

“Mercury retrograde?”

“Yeah.” She looked helpless. “Lately, every time I eat, my disposable chopsticks snap in half. I choke on water when I drink. My comb gets stuck in my hair when I brush it. Even when I called Zhengran, I dropped my phone and cracked the screen.” She pulled out her broken phone to show her. “Look.”

Little He Qing was dumbfounded. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She slumped. “I know you don’t believe it—I didn’t either! But that’s just how it’s been. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be trying weird stuff like this.”

Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Xueli stabbed the straw into the drink—but accidentally used too much force. The cup tipped over, and the water spilled out, splashing onto the book and phone.

Startled, both Jiang Xueli and Little He Qing scrambled to grab tissues to wipe everything down.

Still, the book was waterlogged, the phone got wet, and her skirt was soaked. The screen went black—completely dead.

Jiang Xueli looked at the mess on the table and said with a pouty, aggrieved look, “See? I told you I’ve been having the worst luck! My phone’s totally dead now!”

Little He Qing, who saw it all with her own eyes, was convinced. “That... that was real bad luck. I’m sorry, Lili! It’s my fault—I shouldn’t have bought you that drink!”

“It’s not your fault. This is just mercury retrograde.”

After that, Little He Qing mimicked Lin Zhengran and gently patted Jiang Xueli’s head. “I’m really sorry, Lili. Don’t cry, it’ll get better soon~”

Jiang Xueli looked like she wanted to cry but had no tears.

“Ever since I got back from the South last week and got a call from the music company, things have been going downhill. I’m not too worried about being unlucky now, but what if it hits me during the competition before the new year? That’s the most important contest of my life—it’s in just two months.”

Little He Qing thought to herself—this kind of thing was hard to help with.

“Why don’t we ask Lin Zhengran if he has any ideas?”

“Ask Zhengran? He’s not a god or anything. What can he do? You think he can change my fate?”

Little He Qing sipped her drink. “That’s true.”

Just then, outside the tea lounge, Jiang Qian walked by, catching the attention of both He Qing and Jiang Xueli.

She was holding some forms.

Jiang Xueli was puzzled. “What’s Jiang Qian been busy with lately? She hasn’t given Zhengran any trouble for a while, and except for class, I barely see her around.”

Little He Qing shook her head. “Not sure. And lately, she and Fang Meng haven’t been together either. Seems like they’ve split.”

Jiang Xueli pressed a few buttons on her phone—it was totally dead. She’d need to buy a new one. “I don’t get those two. By the way, where’s Han Wenwen?”

Little He Qing turned toward her. “Oh, Wenwen said she went to a lingerie shop near school to buy underwear. I figure she won’t be back for a while.”

Jiang Xueli asked, “Buying underwear? Why didn’t she invite us along?”

Little He Qing slurped her drink. “She said she didn’t want to interrupt your studying. So she had me stay and keep you company while she went herself. Turns out you weren’t even studying!”

Jiang Xueli suddenly had a hunch, her gaze sharp. “Wait a sec, He Qing, don’t you think something’s off? Zhengran’s not here yet, and Wenwen’s not here either. Could it be... that little fox went to find Zhengran?”

“Huh?!” Little He Qing jolted. “No way. Wenwen said she’d be right back. And she’s not skipping town or anything. It hasn’t even been that long—how could she go find Lin Zhengran? He’s still at home, right?”

Jiang Xueli scoffed. “Anything’s possible. But maybe I’m overthinking.”

She stood up. “I’m gonna go get another drink. Wait here for me.”

“Mm.”

But as Jiang Xueli left her seat, she randomly bumped her arm on the corner of the table.

“Ow!” she winced, looking down at the sore spot on her elbow—it was pale and bruised.

Little He Qing was worried. “You okay, Lili?! Can someone be this unlucky? I’ve got a Band-Aid in my bag. Hold on!”

Jiang Xueli winced and looked at her elbow, which was turning red but thankfully hadn’t started bleeding yet.

She took the Band-Aid He Qing gave her and thanked her, then went to get her drink.

Even though the bar wasn’t far away—a three-year-old could walk there and buy water—He Qing still started worrying if Lili could handle such a “difficult” task...

Jiang Xueli pressed down both sides of the Band-Aid and ordered a lemon water.

“Hi, can I get a lemon water?”

“Sure, just a moment.”

While she was waiting, a familiar girl suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

“Jiang Xueli, do you have a minute?”

Jiang Xueli looked up when she heard the voice—and saw: “Fang Meng?”

Fang Meng stood at the counter in a stylish plaid shirt and a short skirt.

Her long, fair legs were eye-catching. Lili stared at this ponytailed bestie of Jiang Qian’s. “What do you want with me?”

Fang Meng calmly said, “I just want to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind. As a reward, I’ll tell you how to break your mercury retrograde.”

She seriously pulled out a certificate from her coat. “I’m a professional. I actually passed the exam to become a certified diviner. Trust me.”

Jiang Xueli took it skeptically. It really had Fang Meng’s name on it. She was stunned. “Wait... is this real? There’s actually a certificate like this? And how did you know I’m under mercury retrograde?”

Fang Meng: “You’ve been covered in gloom these past two days—I could tell at a glance. And I just saw all that bad luck happen to you with my own eyes. Classic signs.”

Jiang Xueli:

Might as well treat a dead horse like it’s still alive. She said to Fang Meng, “How many questions are there? Where do you plan to ask them? I still have to keep He Qing company.”

“Right here is fine. I’ll pay for this lemon water. Just five questions. After you answer them, I’ll tell you how to break your bad luck. Don’t worry—they’re all trivial, super easy.”

“Fine...”

So Fang Meng and Jiang Xueli moved to another table.

Jiang Xueli carefully poked her straw into the drink and successfully took a sip.

She let out a breath. “Go ahead.”

Fang Meng pulled out a little notebook. “First question—right now, is Lin Zhengran dating three girls at once—or wait, four?”

Jiang Xueli turned red and choked hard—actually spitting a mouthful of lemon water onto Fang Meng’s face.

She kept coughing.