Chapter 345: Mercury in Retrograde - Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 345: Mercury in Retrograde Inside the school's tea lounge, Xiao He Qing bought two drinks and sat down. Across from her, Jiang Xue Li was flipping through a book, studying. Although university life offers freedom, one cannot play around every day; occasionally, one must indeed study. However, Xiao He Qing was curious: "Lili, if you're going to study, why not go to the library? Isn't it quieter there? Here, I got you a drink." Jiang Xue Li took the drink and thanked her. "Study? I'm not studying." "Aren't you looking at a book?" Xiao He Qing was confused. Jiang Xue Li glanced at the book in her hand and chuckled, "Oh, this isn't for studying. I saw a post online a few days ago saying that if you carry a book with you during your breaks, you'll change your luck in no time. So I brought it because I've been experiencing some bad luck lately." "Bad luck?" "Yeah." She sighed, "Recently, chopsticks break in half while I'm eating, I choke on water when I drink, the comb gets stuck in my hair, and even when I call Zheng Ran, the phone slips and cracks on the floor." She pulled out her phone to show the cracked screen. "See?" Xiao He Qing was bewildered, "You're kidding, right?" Jiang Xue Li shook her head dejectedly, "I know you don't believe it, and I don't really either, but that's how it's been. Otherwise, I wouldn't try such a superstitious method." Just as she said this, Jiang Xue Li inserted the straw but accidentally knocked over the cup, spilling the drink onto her book and phone. Startled, both Jiang Xue Li and Xiao He Qing quickly grabbed tissues to clean up. But the book was slightly soaked, her phone took on water, and her skirt got wet, leading the phone to black out. Looking at the mess, Jiang Xue Li lamented, "See, didn't I say that recently everything I do is unlucky? Now my phone is completely broken." Seeing this with her own eyes, Xiao He Qing admitted, "This time I really see how unlucky you are... I'm sorry Lili, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have bought you that drink!" "It's not your fault; it's just the retrograde." Imitating Lin Zheng Ran, Xiao He Qing patted Jiang Xue Li's head, "Sorry, Lili, don't cry, it'll get better~" Jiang Xue Li was on the verge of tears. "Ever since I returned from the south last week and received a call from the music company, it's been like this. But it's okay to be unlucky now; I'm just worried about the big competition at the end of the year. It's the most important event of my life, and it's just two months away." Xiao He Qing thought to herself that such issues were tricky to deal with. "Maybe you should ask Lin Zheng Ran if he has any ideas?" "Ask Zheng Ran? I doubt he could do anything about this. He's not some omniscient being who can change my luck." Xiao He Qing slurped her drink, "That's true..." As they spoke, Jiang Qian passed by outside the tea lounge, catching both Xiao He Qing and Jiang Xue Li's attention. She was holding a stack of forms. Jiang Xue Li was puzzled, "What's Jiang Qian been up to lately? She hasn't been troubling Zheng Ran, and apart from classes, she's almost nowhere to be seen." Xiao He Qing shook her head, "No idea, and recently she hasn't even been with Fang Meng; it's like they've separated." Jiang Xue Li pressed her phone again, clearly broken: "I can't figure them out, and by the way, where's Han Wen Wen?" Turning to face Jiang Xue Li, Xiao He Qing said, "Oh, Wen Wen said she went to the lingerie shop near campus to buy something. She might take a while." Jiang Xue Li asked, "Buying lingerie? Why didn't she ask us to come along?" Xiao He Qing continued sipping her drink, "She said she didn't want to disturb your studying, so I'm keeping you company while she went alone. Who knew you had a book but weren't actually reading?" Jiang Xue Li suddenly felt something was off, her eyes narrowing, "Wait, He Qing, don't you think something's not right? Zheng Ran hasn't shown up yet, and Wen Wen's not here. Could it be that the fox went to find Zheng Ran?" "What?!" Xiao He Qing was startled, "Can't be, right? Wen Wen said she'd be back soon. It's not like she's not coming back, so how could she have gone to find Lin Zheng Ran in such a short time? Zheng Ran's at home." Jiang Xue Li let out a small laugh, "Anything’s possible, though maybe I'm overthinking." She stood up, "I'm going to get a new drink, wait for me." "Alright." Unfortunately, as Jiang Xue Li left her seat, she inexplicably bumped her arm against the table corner. She yelped in pain, checking her elbow that had turned pale. Xiao He Qing worriedly asked, "Are you okay, Lili? Can you really be this unlucky? I have a band-aid in my bag, hang on." Jiang Xue Li winced as her elbow gradually reddened from the impact, though thankfully it hadn't started bleeding. Once Xiao He Qing gave her the band-aid and she thanked her before heading to buy water. Even though the counter was not far, a place where even a three-year-old could buy water without a hitch, He Qing began to worry whether Lili could achieve such a high-difficulty task. Jiang Xue Li pressed the edges of the band-aid while ordering a cup of lemonade. "Sister, could I have a cup of lemonade, please?" "Sure, just a moment." While waiting, a familiar girl unexpectedly appeared by her side. "Jiang Xue Li, do you have a moment?" Jiang Xue Li turned at the voice to find, "Fang Meng?" Standing nearby in a fashionably checkered shirt and short skirt. With her straight, snow-white legs drawing attention, Lili’s eyes drifted back to Fang Meng, Jiang Qian’s best friend: "What do you want with me?" Fang Meng calmly mentioned, "I have some questions for you, if you don’t mind; in return, I can tell you how to break your curse of bad luck." She seriously pulled out a certificate from her pocket, "I'm a professional, passed the divination exam, you can trust me." Astounded, Jiang Xue Li took the certificate inscribed with Fang Meng’s name: "Seriously... there's such a certificate? How did you know about my bad luck?" Fang Meng explained, "You’re practically oozing misfortune lately; it was obvious, and I just witnessed your string of mishaps, so it's definitely a curse." Jiang Xue Li hesitated: "I guess I have nothing to lose. What kind of questions do you have? Can we do this here? I still need to accompany He Qing." "Right here’s fine. I'll treat you to this lemonade, just five questions, and then I'll share how to reverse your bad luck. They’re minor questions, really simple." "Alright then..." Thus, Fang Meng and Jiang Xue Li settled at another table. Jiang Xue Li carefully inserted the straw into her drink, managing to take a sip with success. Breathing a sigh of relief, "Go ahead." Fang Meng pulled out a small notebook: "First question, is Lin Zheng Ran currently juggling three... no, four relationships?" Jiang Xue Li blushed, choking as she inadvertently sprayed lemonade all over Fang Meng's face. She coughed continuously. (End of Chapter)