WRR – Chapter 7

Weiwei was a novel addict. She said one of the great joys of reading novels was that your mind automatically assigned voices you liked or felt were fitting to the characters, and it would automatically visualize the scenes, as if you were right there watching.

Xu Shi thought she might be in that situation right now, but she didn’t quite understand why it was Yu Lingshan.

She could even picture the scene: Yu Lingshan, propping up her head with a frown.

“Just a bleeding heart.”

“So you just didn’t remember me.”

“I see.”

…

Xu Shi suddenly laughed in front of her screen, then coughed.

What in the world…

Heard sent another message.

She said: I’ve eaten

She also said: So if I don’t send something with a question mark, you won’t reply?

Yan Wuwu immediately: ah no no

Yan Wuwu: I’m not very good at chatting

Yan Wuwu: I’m sorry

Heard: I haven’t finished my good deed for the day

Yan Wuwu: What else do you have to do?

Yan Wuwu: I don’t know how I can be of use, but if you need my help, I’ll definitely help

Heard: I told you, so naturally I need your help

Yan Wuwu: Go ahead, miss

Yan Wuwu: I’ll definitely help!

Heard: Give me an address if it’s convenient, or a phone number if it’s not

Heard: I’m sending you flowers

Xu Shi slowly typed out: Huh?

Heard: You can’t refuse, you have to accept them, or it will ruin my luck

Xu Shi thought for a long time before she couldn’t help but ask Heard: Is fortune-telling this detailed nowadays?

Xu Shi had wanted to say “bizarre,” but that wasn’t very nice.

Not long after she asked, Heard sent a picture. Opening it revealed a Ba Gua diagram covered in professional terms she couldn’t understand at all. In a section circled in red by Heard, small characters read: “To give an object to a stranger brings great fortune.”

It was a completely unfamiliar field, and Xu Shi couldn’t help but be amazed.

At that, Xu Shi became very afraid that Heard would be unhappy because of her skepticism. Whether her feeling was real or not, she didn’t want Heard to be unhappy, so she quickly sent her phone number.

After a moment’s thought, she also sent her apartment complex and floor number.

Yan Wuwu: I’ll go downstairs to get it

Heard: Okay

It wasn’t until a while after this conversation ended that Xu Shi gradually came to her senses and realized how carried away and foolish she had just been.

So she had just revealed her phone number and her building’s floor number to a complete stranger?

But before Xu Shi could start reflecting on her actions, Heard sent another message.

Heard: Little one, you just give out your address to me like that?

Xu Shi paused for a moment, then immediately replied: I’m sorry

Heard: You can’t do this in the future

Yan Wuwu: I know

Xu Shi felt that this Heard person was a bit strange. She was the one who asked for the address, and she was also the one scolding someone else for it.

But you’re pretty strange too, Xu Shi. Why did you just subconsciously give in and apologize?

Soon, a call came in from an unfamiliar number. Xu Shi answered, and a man on the other end asked, “Hello, are you Miss Yan Wuwu?”

Xu Shi: “I am.”

He said: “I’m from Lin Su Garden. I’m downstairs at your building. Is it convenient for you to come down?”

Xu Shi: “Oh, okay, I’ll be right down.”

After hanging up, Xu Shi’s heart settled a bit because of “Lin Su Garden.” Lin Su was the largest flower shop in the city, with several chain stores, so at least there was nothing wrong there.

She changed her clothes and went downstairs. When she opened the door and saw the delivery person, she was slightly surprised.

The flowers Heard sent her were huge.

As Xu Shi signed for them, she asked, “You guys deliver so fast.”

He smiled. “The customer ordered them this morning. We sent them over as soon as we got the address.”

Xu Shi looked up. “This morning?”

“Yes,” the young man said. “She talked with our manager for a long time. She’s very meticulous and very thoughtful toward you.”

As the young man said this, Xu Shi happened to see the small card on the bouquet. It read: “Wishing Miss Heard good luck always, and also wishing little Yan Wuwu happiness every day.”

The card amused Xu Shi, and she laughed on the spot.

She was just being attentive to her own fortune, I guess.

“Thank you,” Xu Shi said.

In the elevator, Xu Shi picked up the card again.

She looked at it and laughed again.

The words were handwritten, likely by the shop manager on her behalf. The handwriting for the three characters “Yan Wuwu” was slightly different from the rest, looking as if it had been added later.

Although this was the first time Xu Shi had received flowers, she still knew that the well-wishes on them weren’t supposed to be like this.

Who sends flowers and wishes themselves well first?

What a strange person.

When she brought the flowers home, her mom had already showered and was watching TV in the living room. Their eyes met in mid-air, and then her mom’s gaze shifted to the flowers in Xu Shi’s hands.

“Oh?” her mom said teasingly. “You received flowers.”

Xu Shi: “Uh, yeah.”

Her mom smiled. “Who sent them?”

Xu Shi didn’t dare tell her mom she had given their address to a stranger online, so she just made something up. “A friend.”

Her mom started to gossip. “A friend who’s pursuing you?”

Xu Shi shook her head. “No.”

Her mom laughed. “Is it that you don’t know, or is it a no? Why would they send you flowers if they’re not pursuing you?”

Xu Shi didn’t know how to explain. If she said the other person did it because of a fortune-telling result, her mom definitely wouldn’t believe her.

So, as Xu Shi stammered and said nothing, her mom took it as a confirmation.

“It’s fine, I’m not going to say anything,” her mom said, beckoning to Xu Shi. “If you find someone suitable, bring them home for me to see.”

Xu Shi was exasperated. “…It’s really not like that.”

Her mom: “Alright, alright, I won’t say anything. Can I at least see the flowers? They’re very pretty.”

Xu Shi handed the flowers over, but halfway there, she took them back, pulled the card out, and put it in her pocket.

Xu Shi quickly sensed trouble. Sure enough, she saw her mom’s expression become knowing, a look that said, I won’t say it, but I understand, I know.

Xu Shi: “…”

Xu Shi’s mother had always hoped Xu Shi would find a boyfriend soon. She always told Xu Shi that she was fine being at home by herself.

During Xu Shi’s sophomore year of university, her parents got into a car accident on a road trip. Her father couldn’t be saved and passed away, and her mother was left with a host of health problems that often flared up, requiring frequent hospital visits.

Her mother was a very optimistic person on the surface, always acting like she was fine, that things were good now, that life was what it was—you could be happy for a day or sad for a day. But Xu Shi could see the fragility underneath. She would hide from Xu Shi to cry, and she would conceal her pain, pretending to be healthy so Xu Shi wouldn’t see.

Xu Shi knew she was a disappointing child, but her mother never said anything to her about it.

“The flowers are so beautiful. The sender is very thoughtful,” her mom said after a moment, handing the flowers back to Xu Shi. “Also, don’t always say things like you’ll stay by my side forever. Your in-laws wouldn’t be happy to hear that kind of talk…”

Xu Shi was speechless. What did that have to do with anything?

It seemed her mom was about to use this opportunity to give Xu Shi a good lecture, but Xu Shi interrupted her.

“There’s nothing going on. I don’t have a boyfriend,” Xu Shi said.

Her mom: “Okay, okay.”

After putting the flowers away, Xu Shi went back to her room.

She took out her phone, opened Ding Dong Dong, and sent a message to Heard.

Yan Wuwu: I got the flowers, thank you, miss

Heard was probably busy. She didn’t reply after Xu Shi sent the message.

And that lack of a reply lasted the entire night. Before bed, Xu Shi checked her phone—no message from Heard. The next morning, Xu Shi checked her phone again—still no message from Heard.

Xu Shi figured Heard had probably forgotten about the whole thing. Or maybe today’s luck was for today only; once her task was done, she no longer needed Xu Shi, just like the more than 500 strangers in Xu Shi’s contact list.

Early in the morning, Xu Shi looked at the few lines of conversation on her screen and let out a rare, dejected sigh.

It made no sense. All she did was fill out nine forms and receive a bouquet of flowers. Why did it feel like her heart had been snagged by this person?

Whether Heard needed Xu Shi or not was unimportant. Still, out of gratitude, Xu Shi sent Heard a message: Morning

Heard replied quickly this time. When Xu Shi came out from washing her face, she saw it: Morning

Xu Shi let out a surprised laugh.

It was the weekend, and the weather outside was great. Xu Shi thought for a moment and found a topic.

Yan Wuwu: Did your luck turn around yesterday, miss?

Heard: Yesterday was especially good

Yan Wuwu: How’s your luck today, miss?

Heard: Average

Yan Wuwu: Can you turn it around?

Heard: You can’t do this kind of thing too often, or it’ll stop working

Yan Wuwu: Oh, okay

So there were rules.

Heard: But I can read your fortune

Heard: Do you want me to?

Yan Wuwu: How does it work?

Heard: Just a small reading, using your screen name, Yan Wuwu

Yan Wuwu: That works?

Heard: There’s nothing that doesn’t work, as long as it’s related to you. It just affects the weight of the result.

Before Xu Shi could ask, Heard’s result came through.

Heard: The weather is nice. Go for a walk downstairs after breakfast, and you’ll have a good encounter.

Xu Shi, of course, chose to believe it. So after eating, she went downstairs. She then walked aimlessly to the main gate, just as she was wondering whether to turn left or right, a familiar figure suddenly walked out from behind the tree on the left.

Yu Lingshan?