Chapter 137: Chapter 137

Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, watching as Fu Jichen drove his Bentley away, Bai Changxia put one hand on her hip and turned to look at Shen Jianian: "You really called for a car?"

Shen Jianian knew she couldn’t hide it from her and confessed honestly: "I’m planning to go to the temple to ask the abbot again."

Bai Changxia: "You’re not giving up yet?"

Shen Jianian tugged on her sleeve twice: "Why don’t you take a cab back to the city first? I’ll go up there by myself."

"Can I really let you go alone?" Bai Changxia rolled her eyes, speaking with some annoyance.

Shen Jianian’s eyes curved into a smile, feeling touched and wanting to give her a hug.

"Since it’s decided, let’s hurry up." Bai Changxia grabbed the hood of her hoodie and started walking, "Climb up one more time, and by tomorrow morning, you probably won’t need your legs anymore."

Shen Jianian was actually already very tired, but thinking of what the abbot said made everything else seem unimportant; she just wanted Fu Jichen to be safe and sound.

"I’m convinced now, you’ve fallen deeply for Boss Fu, but—" Bai Changxia sighed incessantly as they walked, "Are you sure you can see the abbot again? Even if you do, what if he refuses to talk to you?"

"I think the abbot is very kind and easily soft-hearted. If I say enough nice things, maybe he’ll agree." Shen Jianian provided strong evidence, "Think about it, he said he doesn’t tell fortunes for young people, but in the end, he interpreted Fu Jichen’s lot. And the pregnant woman we met outside the restroom, she wasn’t that old either. What does this imply?"

Bai Changxia quipped: "What does it imply?"

Shen Jianian: "It implies that the abbot’s rules aren’t unchangeable; he adjusts them according to the situation."

Bai Changxia laughed: "Who would’ve thought, in the end, you’re the most superstitious one."

"I don’t want to believe it either, but, it’s about life." Shen Jianian’s voice was soft, blown into the woods by the wind, almost merging with the rustling of the trees, "Even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I don’t dare to gamble."

Bai Changxia heard her words and turned to look at her face, filled with unresolved worries, which pained the onlooker: "Don’t take it too seriously."

Shen Jianian smiled faintly and said nothing.

Climbing up to Tanfu Temple once more, Bai Changxia was alright, but Shen Jianian’s calves were so weak she couldn’t stand up straight, and she was supported by Bai Changxia as they made their way to the fortune-telling place.

The little monk was arranging the bamboo tube and the Buddhist Scripture on the table, preparing to close the stall, when a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. He instinctively blurted out his usual phrase: "Does the benefactor want a fortune?"

As he spoke, the monk looked up, and his already round eyes widened even more, clearly recognizing the two: "Do the two benefactors have more questions?"

Shen Jianian glanced at Bai Changxia, who gave a light cough and showed a polite smile, her attitude very friendly and humble: "We wish to see the abbot. Could the young monk help introduce us?"

The monk stared blankly at the two for a few seconds, probably guessing their intention to be related to the fortune for that male benefactor.

"It’s not that I don’t want to help, but the abbot generally doesn’t see guests at this time. Please forgive me."

"Then when does the abbot agree to see guests?" Bai Changxia pressed on.

"I... I really don’t know." The monk scratched his head, looking a bit troubled, "Maybe you could try visiting another day?"

Bai Changxia looked distressed: "Young monk, do you know we’ve climbed Tanfu Temple twice today, and what if we don’t get to see the abbot next time either?"

Shen Jianian added: "Please serve as an intermediary, young monk."

Bai Changxia nodded: "Yes, please help us out."

The little monk struggled internally for a while, then pointed in a direction with his finger, telling them that after the abbot finished inspecting the temple, he would take the small path over there back to his room.

Shen Jianian’s eyes filled with gratitude, and she thanked him repeatedly.

The two of them passed through a dense bamboo grove, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves, and walked to the end of a stone path, where they indeed saw the abbot, draped in a robe, just entering a courtyard.

Before they could catch up, the courtyard door was closed from the inside.

No matter how much they knocked on the door, there was no response from inside.

Bai Changxia stood outside the courtyard door, shouting until her voice was almost hoarse, pressing her hand against the door panel: "The abbot just went in; it’s impossible he didn’t hear us. He probably just doesn’t want to see us."

Shen Jianian looked at the tightly closed wooden door, through the cracks, she could see the courtyard scene, a patch of vegetable garden, a well, with the abbot sitting under the porch, holding a book in his hand.

"Should we continue to wait?" Bai Changxia asked.

Even though Shen Jianian was unwilling, she had no choice: "Let’s go back."

The sunset glow spread over the stone steps as they descended, and the two took a cab back to the city, with the sky transitioning from a misty gray-blue to darkness.

"Thank you for today, I took up a lot of your time." As they parted, Shen Jianian held Bai Changxia’s hand, speaking with little energy.

"You’re speaking politely with me?" Bai Changxia smiled and comforted her, "Don’t think too much. There will always be a way. As Boss Fu said, don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet. You think too much, that’s why you’re always unhappy. Look at me, I got a terrible fortune, but I accepted it calmly. Fu Jichen’s fortune can’t be determined whether it’s bad or good."

"Mm." Shen Jianian forced a smile.

The taxi stopped outside the Yunding Palace Villa, and just as Shen Jianian reached for her phone inside her canvas bag, it rang. As she fished for her phone, she opened the car door and got out.

The taxi turned around and left.

Finding her phone, she saw it was a call from Cheng Jin. She hung the canvas bag over her shoulder and pressed the answer button.

"Aunt Cheng, I’m here, right outside the door."

Shen Jianian walked through the carved fence gate of the villa, and while passing through the front yard, she caught a whiff of the faint fragrance of flowers floating in the air.

The street lamps lit up, revealing the vibrant colors of the flower garden, looking beautiful even at night.

The door opened, and Cheng Jin greeted her with a smile: "It’s just a coincidence; I was calling to ask when you’d be home, and here you are." She glanced behind Shen Jianian, "Isn’t the gentleman with you?"

"He went to the company for something, no need to prepare his dinner."

Shen Jianian leaned against the shoe cabinet at the entrance to change her shoes, too exhausted to even speak, every cell in her body radiating fatigue.

Cheng Jin said: "You seem tired, go rest for a bit, I’ll call you when dinner is ready."

Shen Jianian nodded, taking the elevator upstairs.

After spending the whole day outside, she was covered in dust. She dared not lie directly on the bed and instead gathered herself to grab clean clothes and went to the bathroom to soak in the tub.

The warmth of the water enveloped her, and she found herself relaxing, leaning against the bathtub, both tired and sleepy, dozing off unnoticed.

It wasn’t until she heard Cheng Jin knocking on the door outside that she awoke in a daze.

"Jianian, are you inside?" Cheng Jin’s voice called from outside the door.

"I’ll be out in a moment."

Cheng Jin sighed in relief; after hearing no movement for a while, she thought something had happened to Jianian inside: "Dinner is ready, come down to eat once you’re finished."

Shen Jianian got out of the tub, turned on the shower to rinse under the warm water, then put on a set of long-sleeved pajamas perfect for spring and autumn.

She didn’t have time to wash her hair, so she tied it up with a hair tie before heading downstairs to the dining room to eat.

The chef had prepared three dishes and a soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables. Shen Jianian took a few bites, her mind pondering over Fu Jichen, and couldn’t resist dialing his number.

It connected, ringing for what seemed like an eternity, but no one picked up.

Shen Jianian slightly lowered her head, poking the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, waiting silently.

The ringing ended, and the call was automatically disconnected.

Shen Jianian thought he might be busy, his phone on silent or not with him, so she didn’t call again. Putting down her phone, she spoke to Cheng Jin, who came over: "Has the chef left?"

"Not yet." Cheng Jin eyed the dishes on the table, hardly touched, "Do you want to eat something else?"

"No." Shen Jianian’s face bore a hint of something like shyness as she spoke softly, "Could you please ask the chef to make a few dishes that Fu Jichen likes? I want to bring them to him."

She had originally wanted to cook herself but thought better of it, considering her not-so-great cooking skills, not wanting to torture his stomach.