Chapter 321 - 161: Are You Craving Me?

Chapter 321: Chapter 161: Are You Craving Me?

"What do you mean, ’octuplets’? Don’t curse me."

"This is the Child-Giving Guanyin. Benefactor, weren’t you just chanting ’octuplets, octuplets’?"

"Child-Giving Guanyin?" Su Ran sighed. ’I’ve been praying to the wrong bodhisattva. But it’s all the same. Bodhisattvas handle everything, right?’ "I was saying ’Yiren, baby, don’t be sad,’ not ’octuplets.’" Speechless, he shook his head and strode out of the Child-Giving Guanyin Hall.

"Benefactor, please wait."

"What is it?"

"Amitabha Buddha. Since fate has brought you here, Su Ran, why not have your fortune told? It’s not expensive—25 yuan a session. We accept WeChat and Alipay."

The old monk pulled a QR code from his kasaya, completely stunning Su Ran. ’Are monks this competitive now?’

"How about a reading for your romantic fate, Benefactor?"

"No, thanks. My romantic fate is in my own hands."

Su Ran smiled, turned, and left. He walked out of the temple, got into his Aston Martin, and drove away.

His romantic fate had always been in his hands. That statement was no lie. On one hand, he had six Red Dust Lines, all of them representing romantic destinies. Moreover, he could clearly see the status of each connection at any given moment.

Take Xie Yiren’s Red Dust Line, for example. It still hadn’t faded, even though Su Ran hadn’t been able to help her find her relatives. In truth, she was just anxious, not completely unreasonable. He had played the part of the good Samaritan, helping her search for family, yet she’d still complained about him.

However, having had the Red Dust Lines on his hand for some time now, he had discovered a small detail not mentioned in the ’system’s introduction’.

The Red Dust Lines were all tied to the girls’ ring fingers, but on Su Ran’s end, it wasn’t fixed. The Red Dust Line on his own ring finger was constantly changing. This change was based on who he felt the most affection for at any given moment; that person’s line would be the one on his ring finger.

For example, when he was with Shan Weizi a while back, the Red Dust Line on his ring finger had belonged to her. Later, when he went home for the New Year and spent a few days with Ning Wenwen, it switched to that little brat’s. ’That’s just ridiculous. She’s my sister!’

Then, these past two days, he’d been talking on the phone for hours with Liu Jinyu and Xiao Wanqing, and the Red Dust Lines on his ring finger had been switching between them frequently. Sometimes it would be Liu Jinyu’s in the morning, and by evening it would have changed to Xiao Wanqing’s. He’d wake up the next day, and it would be Liu Jinyu’s again. This wasn’t an issue of being a player; it was a subconscious expression from the depths of one’s heart, something ordinary people are simply unaware of. It’s like when a husband deeply loves his wife, but then one day he meets an understanding and beautiful woman. In that moment, his heart might be moved, and he might want to be with her. That instant is equivalent to the Red Dust Line on his ring finger shifting, only for it to return a moment after the initial attraction fades. Su Ran’s Red Dust Line was just a more direct manifestation of this, showing his state of mind from moment to moment.

’This is actually not a good thing,’ Su Ran thought. ’People should be able to be a little more hypocritical, but this Red Dust Line exposes human nature in its rawest form.’

But for every upside, there’s a downside. The Red Dust Line had another hidden detail—the fingertips.

If Su Ran intentionally moved one of his fingers, the corresponding girl’s finger would also move. It wasn’t obvious, just a very slight twitch, like that feeling when you suddenly notice one of your own fingers moving uncontrollably. It was magical. This was the second little detail Su Ran had discovered so far.

He had discovered this detail one time when Sister Piaopiao was video-chatting with him. As they talked, Su Ran idly toyed with Sister Piaopiao’s line, twitching the finger it was tied to. On the other end of the video call, Sister Piaopiao said her ring finger was cramping and moving on its own. She even showed it to him, which is when he finally noticed the connection. At the time, Su Ran saw that her ring finger wasn’t painted, so he asked curiously, "Sister Piaopiao, why do you keep your ring fingernail so short?"

"None of your business."

CLICK. She hung up the video call right then and there.

...

Returning from Wind Bell Temple, the Aston Martin drove into Shanglin Fu, slowly crossed the stone bridge, and stopped at his front door. When Su Ran got out, he saw Shen Qingning standing by the main gate. Dressed as simply as ever and carrying a large bag, she waved when she saw him return. "Class Monitor."

"Qingning, you’re heading back to school today?" Su Ran locked his car and walked over with a cheerful smile. "What’s in the bag?"

"Class Monitor, these are some local specialties from my hometown in Chengdu for you." Shen Qingning gave a deep bow. "Thank you for lending me money for my grandma’s treatment before. Thank you."

"Don’t be so formal. Come on in."

They went inside, sat down, and he made two cups of tea.

Su Ran looked at Shen Qingning. ’Uh... she’s the only person I know who actually lost weight over the New Year holiday.’ This girl had it rough. He’d also heard from Li Tai that she often set up a stall in Taikoo Li to sell small trinkets. She was thinner now, probably from working so hard to earn money to pay him back. 500,000 was a lot, and trinkets were small. It was hard to say when she’d ever be able to pay it all off. But Su Ran didn’t care when she paid him back. He just admired her courage. Even if she only made 200 yuan a day, she was still working hard to repay her debt.

"Is your grandmother feeling any better?"

"Much better. She’s resting at home right now."

Su Ran observed her outfit. Though her white sneakers were old, they were polished brightly. Her jeans were faded from washing, but her legs looked good in them, and that was enough. Her thin top, though old, was filled out by her proud chest. Her face wasn’t the stunning type, but the kind that grew more beautiful the more you looked at it. After all, girls have to dress up and care about their appearance to become more beautiful. Natural-born stunners with perfect skin and perfect bodies don’t just happen; those things have to be cultivated. But Shen Qingning had no time to spare for her appearance. She needed money. She needed to pay Su Ran back. She needed to support her grandmother—and that was what made her the most beautiful kind of girl.