Tan Muxing, seeing the conflict end, breathed a sigh of relief and kindly advised, “Sleeping in class is indeed not good…”
He was worried that the two He family heirs might start fighting in public, but their relationship didn’t seem as tense as rumors suggested.
Chu Qianli nodded, “Right, now that I’ve slept enough, I should find something to eat.”
Tan Muxing: “?”
In the second period, He Shichen found Chu Qianli eating snacks in class, causing his mindset to collapse instantly. He had never seen someone so outrageous!
Chu Qianli didn’t pay attention in class the entire morning, and finally, during lunch break, He Shichen reprimanded her again.
He Shichen said sternly, “I meant you should do something productive!” He didn’t mean that she should switch from sleeping to eating snacks just because he told her not to sleep.
Chu Qianli rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Fortunately, the lecture didn’t last long, as others quickly intervened, “Shichen, want to go eat?”
Because there were other people in the class, He Shichen didn’t continue lecturing her and decided to discuss the matter in detail in the evening.
Chu Qianli watched He Shichen leave, propping her head up with one hand, and couldn’t help but mutter, “Capricorn stellium is such a hassle, dull and lifeless, with a strong career drive…”
He Shichen clearly had his own ambitions, so why did he have to drag her along?
Tan Muxing asked curiously, “Capricorn stellium? Is He Shichen a Capricorn?”
Chu Qianli: “His sun sign isn’t, but several of his planets are in Capricorn, so he has strong Capricorn traits.”
Tan Muxing: “Several planets?”
“That’s what I mean by a natal chart.” Chu Qianli habitually asked, “Can you tell me your birth year, month, day, time, and place?”
Tan Muxing blinked in confusion. He wasn’t good at refusing people, so he obediently provided his details.
Chu Qianli quickly calculated his chart in her mind, then fetched paper to draw and calculate further. She looked up at him in surprise and exclaimed, “You’re quite a person, just like He Shichen!”
He Shichen, as the protagonist of the novel, had a very unique natal chart that clearly indicated he wasn’t an ordinary person.
But Tan Muxing’s natal chart was equally remarkable.
Looking like a cuddly white bear, Tan Muxing waved his hands frantically, saying, “Impossible! I’m nowhere near his level!”
He Shichen excelled in every aspect, whereas Tan Muxing didn’t even have good social skills; they couldn’t be compared at all.
“Having too many favorable aspects can also make a person weak. You just haven’t discovered your strength yet,” Chu Qianli said slowly.
“This isn’t a lecture, just a small suggestion from me as an astrologer: Confidence is the first step to achieving growth.”
Tan Muxing’s natal chart had few harsh aspects, but that didn’t mean his life would be smooth. Excessively favorable conditions could lead to complacency, while significant breakthroughs often occurred in adversity, where pain could unleash endless strength.
Chu Qianli’s attitude became serious, sweeping away her earlier nonchalance, which deeply surprised Tan Muxing.
Tan Muxing wanted to continue arguing, but hearing her tell him to be more confident, he softly said, “Then I’ll take your word for it.”
Chu Qianli nodded with satisfaction, “Good, want to go eat?”
Tan Muxing: “Huh? With me? Don’t you want to meet some new friends?”
Chu Qianli leisurely got up, “The stars say we might become friends.”
Tan Muxing felt a mix of emotions and weakly asked, “So you completely listen to the stars?”
He seemed to understand Chu Qianli’s thinking. She made choices based on the stars and approached him because of them.
Chu Qianli glanced at him sideways, “Be more confident. The stars only guide us; they tell me who is suitable to be friends with, but the actual relationship depends on both parties maintaining it.”
“The stars can help people, but you have to work hard yourself; otherwise, it doesn’t matter what the stars say.”
Her words stirred something in Tan Muxing. He began to understand and said, “I see.”
Chu Qianli casually added, “But I’m still pretty lazy. You’ll have to put in more effort for our friendship, and I’ll just do a bit.”
Tan Muxing: “?”
Tan Muxing: “You sound like a charlatan or a fraud.”
Chu Qianli: “Be more confident, drop the ‘like.'”
Tan Muxing: “…”
In the lavishly decorated cafeteria, Tan Muxing led Chu Qianli to their first school meal together. He informed her of the school’s specialty dishes and helped her get utensils and line up for food, all with a gentle and considerate demeanor.
Chu Qianli remarked, “You have a motherly warmth about you.”
Tan Muxing was stunned by her words, his expression darkening. Seeing her earnest face, he mustered the courage to say, “I don’t really like that description.”
Chu Qianli looked puzzled, “Why not?”
“Because…” Tan Muxing hesitated before speaking the truth in a barely audible voice, “because I like doing crafts, and the boys in class say I’m like a girl.”
Wang Zheng and others often mocked Tan Muxing for being effeminate, making him sensitive to certain comments.
Chu Qianli was surprised, “You can do crafts? What kind of things do you make?”
Tan Muxing: “…I knit scarves, sew clothes, and some other things.”
Chu Qianli: “That’s impressive. You do it all yourself?”
“Yes, I design and sew everything myself…” Tan Muxing, noticing she didn’t find it strange, said in surprise, “You don’t think it’s weird that I like doing this?”
Chu Qianli: “Not at all. Being able to make clothes is pretty amazing, and there’s nothing wrong with being like a girl.”
“People who only possess a single trait are incomplete, just like those who define themselves solely by their sun sign, unaware that everyone has the influence of all twelve zodiac signs,” Chu Qianli shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re a guy but can do things like a girl, which means you’re well-rounded. That’s a compliment!”
Tan Muxing had never heard this perspective before. He used to think it was malicious mockery, but now she was calling it being well-rounded. After pondering for a few seconds, he said softly, “You’re really good at giving compliments. It makes me a bit embarrassed.”
They had only just met, and she was already singing his praises.
Chu Qianli sighed, “That’s the fate of an astrologer. When you tell the truth, people think you’re joking.”
Tan Muxing pursed his lips and said gently, “But you weren’t wrong about one thing. We might really become friends.”
She was the first person to say something like that to him, even making him start to believe in the stars.
The two of them filled their plates with food, found an empty table, and sat down to enjoy their meal, chatting about the mundane happenings at school.
The cafeteria was filled with students from all grades. Next to Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing’s table was a group of girls from their class, chattering away. Their conversation drifted over clearly to Chu Qianli’s ears.
“But your zodiac signs match well, and you both like each other. It’d be a shame not to get together!” Qiu Qingkong urged excitedly while searching on her phone. “The astrology bloggers all say you’ll have romantic luck this week.”
Ruan Ya, a bit shy, hesitated, “Maybe he doesn’t feel that way…”
Qiu Qingkong eagerly insisted, “Taurus and Virgo are a perfect match!”
Chu Qianli interjected, “That’s not necessarily true. You shouldn’t speak so definitively.”
Tan Muxing looked up in confusion, surprised by her sudden comment.
The girls at the neighboring table were taken aback. Not familiar with the new student, they didn’t know how to respond.
Qiu Qingkong lowered her voice and argued, “But all the online sources say Taurus and Virgo…”
Chu Qianli replied coolly, “Believing everything online is too careless.”
Qiu Qingkong, feeling inexplicably attacked, blushed and said, “If you don’t believe in astrology, that’s fine, but why go out of your way to contradict us? We’re just using astrology for fun.”
“I didn’t say I don’t believe in astrology. I said don’t trust online sources. If you want to believe, trust reliable ones.” Chu Qianli stood up decisively, pulled out a deck of cards from her pocket, and began shuffling them smoothly. “Everyone’s situation is different, and general interpretations have low accuracy.”
The girls stared blankly at Chu Qianli shuffling the cards, which fluttered between her fingers like butterflies in a scene straight out of a movie.
Tan Muxing was equally stunned, not knowing what she was about to do.
“Do you want to know what that person thinks of you and how your relationship will develop?” Chu Qianli asked casually, looking at Ruan Ya as she continued to shuffle the cards.
Ruan Ya instinctively responded, “Yes.”
Ruan Ya instinctively responded, “Yes.”
Chu Qianli handed her the fan-like spread of playing cards and said, “Draw.”
Ruan Ya tentatively picked three cards and placed them on the table in order.
6 of Spades, 7 of Hearts, 4 of Spades.
Chu Qianli glanced at the cards and began to speak confidently, “He finds you very charming, with a good impression of you as both smart and hardworking. He really likes you now, but if you rush into a relationship, you might face conflicts due to academic and real-life differences, which could be exhausting to handle in the future.”
Ruan Ya, disappointed, asked, “Does that mean we’re not suitable?”
Chu Qianli replied, “No, this is just a short-term prediction, and it’s only a suggestion. The choice is yours.”
Qiu Qingkong questioned, “But how can you prove what you’re saying is accurate?”
Qiu Qingkong had only seen tarot card readings before and had never seen playing cards used for divination, so she was naturally skeptical.
Chu Qianli glanced at her, took back the three cards Ruan Ya had touched, and casually drew a few more cards, saying smoothly, “After lunch, go to the hottest spot on campus. There’s a chance you’ll run into him, and he might confess to you.”
Ruan Ya hurriedly asked, “What’s the hottest spot on campus?”
Chu Qianli replied in surprise, “How would I know? I just got here today.”
She had relied on Tan Muxing to find her way to the cafeteria and was completely unfamiliar with the campus.
On the other side, He Shichen was receiving comfort from his friends. Everyone around him knew about the significant change in status between him and Chu Qianli, understanding his complex and chaotic feelings.
“It’s okay. I see she doesn’t get along with people in the class either. Now’s the time to build connections. She’ll probably have a hard time fitting in, given her different upbringing…”
“But isn’t that because I took her place?” He Shichen’s feelings towards Chu Qianli were now complicated. When faced with a threat, he would be vigilant and fight back, but seeing her as inept and useless, he started to feel a bit sorry for her.
After all, he had taken the resources that rightfully belonged to her. If she had grown up in a privileged family, she might have been ambitious too.
He was now torn in half, one part filled with dark self-interest and the other with deep self-reflection and conscience, making him a bundle of contradictions.
“Don’t say that. Many students in the class come from good families, but none are as outstanding as you. If you feel bad, just treat her as a mascot. I don’t think she has much potential.”
This was their honest opinion. He Shichen’s value wasn’t just in the He family but also in his own strength.
He Shichen felt a bit better hearing this and suddenly no longer resisted Chu Qianli.
After their private conversation, He Shichen and his friends returned to the class. They found an unusual scene: the usually quiet corner was crowded with girls, and the strange new student, who had been ignored in the morning, was now very popular.
Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing’s seats were surrounded. Tan Muxing looked uncomfortable, clearly unused to such a lively scene. Chu Qianli, on the other hand, appeared much calmer, being the center of attention among the girls.
Just moments ago, they had been sure Chu Qianli couldn’t fit into the class, but now she was surrounded by girls like a star.
“What the heck? What’s going on?”
“Our class’s new star. You have to take a number to talk to her now.”
“……”
He Shichen watched this scene in astonishment, completely unsure of what tricks she was up to.
Chu Qianli became famous with just a casual divination during lunch!
Ruan Ya actually found the hottest place on campus. She met her crush near the boiler room, and just as predicted, he confessed to her. After some thought, she politely declined, saying she wanted to focus on her studies for now.
Although they didn’t end up together, the accurate prediction proved Chu Qianli’s abilities!
Qiu Qingkong, always interested in the occult, had watched many divination videos online but had never seen anyone as accurate and efficient as Chu Qianli. She said in amazement, “I’ve only seen tarot readings before. Can playing cards be used for divination too?”
Chu Qianli replied, “Yes, playing cards are closely related to the minor arcana in tarot.”
Qiu Qingkong curiously asked, “So you use playing cards instead of tarot cards because playing cards are more accurate?”
Noticing that Chu Qianli’s playing cards were severely worn, Qiu Qingkong speculated that there might be something special about them, possibly even a tool for communicating with spirits, which explained why they had been preserved for so long.
Chu Qianli responded, “No, it has nothing to do with accuracy.”
Qiu Qingkong asked, “Then why do you use playing cards instead of tarot cards? Do these cards have magical powers?”
Chu Qianli said, “Playing cards are cheap, five yuan per deck, a fair market price.”
Qiu Qingkong was puzzled, “?”
Qiu Qingkong thought: So divination also has to be cost-effective?
How long does it take for a newcomer to integrate into an unfamiliar group?
The answer varies from person to person. There’s a term in social interaction called “ice-breaking,” but no ice-breaking technique is as simple and swift as Chu Qianli’s. She used just her lunch break to get to know many girls in the class and even became the center of their conversations.
He Shichen observed the chattering girls out of the corner of his eye. He felt strange and knew he needed to further investigate Chu Qianli.
Interpersonal skills are also an important measure of a person. Her background was completely different from that of her classmates, yet she quickly bridged the gap between them, proving she was no ordinary person.
When the warning bell rang, the girls finally dispersed. Tan Muxing picked up his textbooks for the next class and said with a mix of admiration and dejection, “You’re really amazing, getting along with everyone.”
While Chu Qianli had integrated into the group in just one afternoon, Tan Muxing had remained invisible for two years. This stark contrast made him feel ashamed. He thought his new deskmate didn’t lack friends and might soon take back her words about being friends with him.
“Is it that amazing?” Chu Qianli followed him out of the classroom as they needed to switch rooms for the afternoon classes.
“It is. You’re like a transfer student in an anime, arriving with the aura of a main character, completely different from everyone else,” Tan Muxing said with a bitter smile. “I probably belong to the background characters without faces, ordinary in every way.”
Tan Muxing aspired to be as outstanding as He Shichen or as skilled as Chu Qianli, but he was just a plain, talentless person, unnoticed in the class and sometimes teased for his physique and hobbies.
There are many dazzling people in the world, but he had no shine at all and had even become accustomed to it.
Chu Qianli pondered for a few seconds. She raised an eyebrow leisurely and reminded, “Wake up. Your family background is definitely not ordinary. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to attend this school. Don’t redefine ‘ordinary’.”
The tuition fees of this private high school are exorbitant, surely not affordable for an average family.
Thinking about her previous living environment, Tan Muxing instantly dismissed his self-deprecating mood and scratched his face awkwardly, “Ah, if you put it that way, you do have a point.”
The two headed to the chemistry classroom, ready for the new course. Chu Qianli finally understood the reason for the class switch: the afternoon courses were taught entirely in English, and even the teacher was a foreigner.
Due to her study of astrology, Chu Qianli’s English was quite good, but she still found it utterly incomprehensible.
The reason was simple: this course was ridiculously hard, much harder than what was taught in her village!
Is this something humans can actually understand?
Although Chu Qianli had completed her studies normally in her past life, she couldn’t keep up with the current pace at all. As the saying goes, ‘use it or lose it,’ and her learning speed was very slow now.
Since the afternoon classes followed a different schedule, the teacher asked questions in order. Chu Qianli couldn’t sleep as she did in the morning. She faced the question on the screen and shook her head helplessly, “Sorry.”
The classmates answered the questions smoothly one by one, but when it came to Chu Qianli, there was a sudden pause, naturally drawing strange looks from others.
He Shichen frowned slightly at this.
The foreign teacher communicated with Chu Qianli in English, kindly encouraging her to give it a try, saying the question was very simple.
Tan Muxing secretly glanced at her and wrote the answer on a piece of paper, silently placing it by her hand. However, she didn’t look down to see it.
Chu Qianli said, “Sorry.”
The foreign teacher showed a look of regret but didn’t insist further, turning to someone else for the answer.
“Come on, this question really isn’t hard…” someone whispered. The foreign teacher was very lenient with the new student, but she couldn’t even answer such a basic question.
“This is such a huge gap compared to He Shichen.”
He Shichen was a legendary figure in the grade, but who knew Chu Qianli would be his complete opposite.
Originally, everyone hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Chu Qianli, but now they recalled the difference in her upbringing. Perhaps she had never received instruction entirely in English and couldn’t even understand the questions, which explained why she kept repeating “sorry”.
Maybe her English wasn’t good either. It was said she used to live in a village, and some exaggeratedly imagined her as illiterate.
Human imagination tends to be wild, and Chu Qianli was almost being thought of as an illiterate.
During the break, Tan Muxing carefully probed, “Have you never learned this before?”
He was worried about hurting Chu Qianli’s self-esteem. It was said that her previous living conditions were average and she might not have had access to good educational resources.
Chu Qianli was embarrassed, “I’m sorry, I brought shame to our village. The high school students in the village are all better than me.”
This was the worst slander their village had ever received. Mainly because she was indeed a fake high school student, not paying attention in school before. Now returning to the He family, she was bringing disgrace to the village.
As expected, He Shichen had the same suspicion. He walked over with a frown and said, “Do you not understand English?”
