Chapter 13: Tarot Card—The Chosen One

Yun Yue had always been obsessed with divination and the study of metaphysics, spending her days in the dormitory tinkering with various Tarot cards, star charts, and talismans.

Qiao Zhen, perhaps already expecting the result would not be favorable, nodded obediently, her response soft, “Go ahead.”

Adjusting her glasses, Yun Yue sighed, “The result is, if you two end up together, it won’t end well. It might even have a serious impact on your career.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “But my readings aren’t always one hundred percent accurate—it’s all a bit mystical. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

Chen Meixiang, hugging Qiao Zhen, lifted her chin. “I think Yueyue’s pretty accurate. Last year she said things wouldn’t end well between me and my boyfriend, and it turned out to be a mess.”

“I didn’t believe her at the time, but then that jerk really cheated on me. Ha ha ha…” Chen Meixiang rolled her eyes as she spoke.

Qiao Zhen pressed her lips together and said quietly, “I believe it.”

No wonder her roommates had all advised her against pursuing Ji Xian, telling her to love herself instead.

In her past life, her career had indeed been a mess—just a mediocre singer who was constantly dragged through the mud, hardly what one would call successful.

Suddenly, Sheng Lulu leaned in with curiosity, her eyes fixed on the reversed High Priestess card in the Tarot spread, wide and sparkling.

“Sis, do me next! Will I get a boyfriend in freshman year? When will I meet my Prince Charming? Ugh!”

Yun Yue agreed cheerfully, shuffling the cards thoroughly before doing the reading.

Sheng Lulu’s little face tensed with anticipation. “Well? Well?”

Yun Yue glanced at the cards, pressed her lips together, and patted Lulu’s shoulder in consolation. “Sister, you might… have to stay single for a while.”

At this, Sheng Lulu clutched her chest in devastation, grabbing a bag of chips as if to slash her own wrist. “They say if you can’t find a partner in your freshman year, you’ll be single all four years! I’ve been single since birth…”

Chen Meixiang burst out laughing, hurrying to comfort her. “What’s so great about men? Being single is so comfortable—you get to enjoy life on your own~”

Sheng Lulu wailed, devouring an entire bag of tomato-flavored Lay’s chips.

Those who have never been in love still hold hope and longing for that first romance.

Qiao Zhen was silent for a long time, then gently tugged on Yun Yue’s sleeve, her voice sweet and clear. “Yueyue, can you do one more reading for me?”

The girl’s eyes shone like a star-studded sky, and when she smiled, two charming dimples appeared at the corners of her lips. Yun Yue’s heart instantly softened. “Of course~”

Qiao Zhen carefully gave all the information she had about Qin Yichi, including his birthday.

She pressed her lips together, waiting nervously.

Yun Yue’s frown deepened. “Wait, for this one… I need to use another method.”

She brought out everything—tortoise shells, bamboo sticks, cards, astrology—employing both Eastern and Western divination.

After more than ten minutes, her expression grew increasingly grave. “Qiao Zhen, you…”

The other three girls crowded closer, ears pricked in curiosity.

Yun Yue announced, “You and Qin Yichi are destined for each other, a match made in heaven. In fact, it’s highly likely that you were together in your past life, this life, and even the next.”

Qiao Zhen: ?

Yun Yue lowered her voice and added, “In other words, he is your fated one~”

Qiao Zhen: ???

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Immediately, she was besieged by her three roommates, subjected to a barrage of questions about Qin Yichi’s height, weight, family background, personality, grades, social circle—everything had to be answered.

The more Qiao Zhen spoke, the quieter she became, stammering until she finally slumped over the desk like a little rabbit playing dead.

She surrendered, pleading to be spared.

Soon, the conversation in the dorm shifted from “men” to “money.”

It all started when Chen Meixiang received her three-thousand yuan monthly allowance from her mother and gleefully placed an order for new cosmetics, sparking the topic.

Sheng Lulu, wild with envy and her eyes aflame, exclaimed, “Why do I only get two thousand a month? So unfair!”

Yun Yue was silent for a moment, her smile brittle. “I get fifteen hundred a month. Makes me want to jump off the sixth floor. Guess I'll be surviving on instant noodles by the end of the month.”

With that, Qiao Zhen’s gaze flickered, her long lashes trembling.

When Yun Yue asked her about her monthly allowance, she paused and replied gently, “I don’t have an allowance.”

Sheng Lulu, at least, knew this.

Qiao Zhen had taken all sorts of part-time jobs before, and after entering university, she became a tutor, teaching middle schoolers Chinese and English in the evenings or on weekends, earning enough to get by.

Her mother never gave her any spending money.

Chen Meixiang, feeling sorry for her, hugged her tightly, nuzzling her back.

Poor little Zhenzhen.

Yun Yue, too, felt awkward for having just been complaining, only to realize there was someone in an even tougher spot.

How could anyone expect a fragile college student to be a super soldier…

Qiao Zhen was long used to it, her emotions undisturbed.

She finished her laundry quietly, then lay on her bed, hugging a small teddy bear, rubbing her cheek against its head.

In her family, she was the unnecessary one.

When she was seven, her biological father cheated, divorced her mother, and didn’t want her either.

Her mother found her troublesome and sent her straight to her grandmother’s house in the countryside.

Her grandmother favored boys over girls, always bullied her, denied her meat and blankets, made her do all the dirty, tiring chores, and constantly scolded her in dialect.

Little Qiao Zhen, bewildered, couldn’t understand most of the words.

But from her grandmother’s expression of disgust, she knew they were nothing good.

In contrast, her grandfather was very kind to her—he would secretly give her meat and chocolate, patiently hold her, coax her, and tell her not to cry.

Back then, her favorite person was her grandfather. She followed him everywhere, always asking for sweets.

It wasn’t until later that she realized something was wrong.

Her grandfather was always too handsy—touching her here and there, trying to open the bathroom door while she bathed, sneaking into her room in the middle of the night, always lurking, a shadow she couldn’t escape.

His eyes looked as if he wanted to devour her.

Little Qiao Zhen was terrified, ran out crying, and clung to her grandmother, trying to tell her what happened.

Her grandmother exploded in a fit of rage, scolding her for being improper, beating her with a broom, spewing dialect insults:

“You little slut, always seducing people! Just like your mother, shameless…”

She tumbled down the stairs, pain numbing her senses.

When she lifted her head, all she saw was blood spreading across the floor.

Her head split open, Qiao Zhen held back tears and called her mother.

She said she was obedient, that she listened, begging her not to abandon her.

Don’t leave me!

After calling over and over, her mother’s heart finally softened and brought her back to the city.

Qiao Zhen was full of joy and excitement, until she saw her mother’s rounded belly and a strange middle-aged man at home. Only then did she realize—

Her mother was starting a new family…

As years passed, she learned to read people’s expressions, to be humble and ingratiating, to figure out how to be liked.

During the National Day holiday, she went home and saw a photo frame on her mother’s bedside table.

The background was the newly opened amusement park, with a beautiful fairy-tale castle.

Her mother, stepfather, and half-brother, a family of three, smiling brightly, making peace signs, radiating happiness.

Everyone looked so happy, so content.

Beside the frame was a thick photo album, decorated with cartoon drawings, apparently bought at the amusement park to hold old pictures.

Qiao Zhen held her breath, lips pursed, her heart full of hope and anxiety as she flipped through it from start to finish, over and over.

Nothing.

She could not find herself in any of the photos.

Choking back tears, her long lashes trembled. The bitterness was a shadow that enveloped her, impossible to escape.

She felt hollow inside.

Looking at those warm, blissful photos, Qiao Zhen felt like a shabby, shadowy mouse.

Peeking at other people’s happiness from the corner.

An amusement park—she’d never been to one in her eighteen years…

At eleven, the dorm lights went out.

Qiao Zhen curled up under her blanket, put on her headphones, and quietly listened to music. Suddenly, a WeChat notification popped up:

[“Chi” patted my head]

A question mark slowly appeared above Qiao Zhen’s head: ?

It was late at night—she wondered what Qin Yichi wanted. So she politely patted him back.

[I patted “Chi” on the shoulder and called, “Big brother~”]

Qiao Zhen: …You’d better have something to say.