Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Xia Sheng was set to start university in two days. She had specifically set aside a day to go to the school and register. Following the guidance of an upperclassman during the process, she joined her class group chat.

After returning home, she lurked in the group and watched everyone chat, noticing that many people were discussing a certain game.

She rarely played on her phone, but driven by curiosity, she downloaded the game.

Just as she logged in and began studying how to play, she received a team invitation from Shen Ze.

Xia Sheng accepted the invite. As soon as the match started, Shen Ze’s voice came through her phone.

“Holy crap, Little Celestial Master! You actually play this game? I thought a little fairy like you wouldn’t touch video games.”

Xia Sheng replied, “I just downloaded it.”

“Just started? No worries, I’ll carry you! I used to play in professional tournaments with my friends!”

Shen Ze boasted grandly, acting as if he were about to lead Xia Sheng to victory.

Half an hour later, Shen Ze said weakly, “Little Celestial Master… maybe you should just uninstall the game…”

She was so freaking bad!

He had teamed up with elementary schoolers before and had never encountered anyone this bad!

The Little Celestial Master was indeed a young genius of the Mystic Sect, but when it came to this game… it was hard to describe.

Xia Sheng: “…”

She silently deleted the app.

Shen Ze hopped onto QQ and recommended a few simple, relaxing mini-games to Xia Sheng. Then, he sent over a photo and asked, “Little Celestial Master, is the person in this photo you?”

Xia Sheng tapped on the photo to take a look.

It was a bit blurry, clearly a candid shot.

The location was the freshman registration desk for the Computer Science Department at A University. There were several people in the photo, and Xia Sheng spotted herself in the crowd.

“It’s me. What’s wrong?”

“It really is you?” Shen Ze was shocked. “I had no idea you were at the same school as me!”

The Little Celestial Master was only eighteen and already so powerful-she could catch ghosts, draw talismans, and read feng shui-yet she was also a top student in the Computer Science Department. Meanwhile, he was twenty, an acting major, and the only reason he got into A University was because his old man donated a library…

Comparison really was the thief of joy.

Aside from a rich father, it felt like he had nothing at all.

He was so poor that all he had left was money.

*Sigh.*

“Little Celestial Master, you have no idea. This photo is going viral in the campus groups. A ton of guys are saying you’re beautiful and want to pursue you! There are even a few rich kids offering big rewards for your contact info!

“If I weren’t already loaded, I might have been tempted to sell you out.”

Xia Sheng looked at the photo again-it was so blurry she could only make out an outline-and fell into silence.

“How can anyone tell if I look good from this?”

Photos from the 1940s were clearer than this.

Shen Ze replied, “Hey, you don’t get it. What they like is the sense of mystery. Hazy beauty, you know?”

“I don’t.”

Shen Ze: “…”

Why did he feel like there was a massive generation gap between him and the Little Celestial Master?

“By the way, Little Celestial Master, your military training starts the day after tomorrow, right? Do you want me to have my dad talk to the school and get you out of it?”

When Shen Ze had enrolled, he had skipped the military training phase entirely.

Xia Sheng said, “No need.”

Military training was part of the university experience; she didn’t want to miss it.

“Alright then. I’ll come visit you when I have time.”

“Okay.”

After their chat, Xia Sheng casually opened one of the mini-games Shen Ze had sent and played for a while.

It was a bit addictive.

For the rest of the day, Xia Sheng was hopelessly hooked on the game.

The next morning, after Xia Sheng returned from her morning run, she saw Fang Rong wearing the dress she had bought for her. Her mother was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, turning left and right to admire her reflection.
“Mom, come have some breakfast.”

Xia Sheng’s voice suddenly rang out, giving Fang Rong a start. When she walked out, her face was slightly flushed.

“Wait a moment, Mom’s going to change out of this dress first.”

Back when she lived with the Xia Family, she had once followed the lead of younger people and bought some makeup to try and dress herself up.

That day, Yu He had seen her wearing it and said she looked like a monkey with rouge smeared on its face-ugly and ridiculous.

Since then, she had never bothered with her appearance again. She always felt that she wasn’t suited for those beautiful dresses. Every time she saw women dressed glamorously, she would subconsciously lower her head and steer clear of them.

Xia Sheng had bought her several outfits the day before yesterday, but she hadn’t worn any of them, feeling they didn’t suit her.

Today, she was preparing to head to work. Since her daughter was out on a morning run, she had secretly changed into one to try it on.

She hadn’t expected her daughter to return so soon.

To be caught by her daughter surreptitiously wearing a dress at her age made Fang Rong feel a bit embarrassed.

Xia Sheng chewed on a bun and said indistinctly, “Just wear that. It looks great.”

Fang Rong hadn’t been complimented on her looks in over twenty years, making her even more self-conscious. “I’m forty years old. How could it look good?”

Xia Sheng swallowed her food. “It’s truly beautiful. You’re more stunning than the actresses on TV.”

Fang Rong had always been a natural beauty. It was just that her skin used to be darker and her limp had previously detracted from her appearance.

Now that those two issues were resolved, she was the picture of a mature, graceful beauty.

With that bust and narrow waist, she was absolutely striking.

Xia Sheng made a mental note to take her mother to buy some qipaos next time; it would be a waste of such a fine figure otherwise.

Every woman loves to be told she’s beautiful. Hearing Xia Sheng’s words, Fang Rong couldn’t help but smile.

“You silly girl, you just know how to make your mother happy. Don’t I know what I look like?”

Despite her words, Fang Rong felt a bit more confident and decided she would wear the dress to work today.

After seeing Fang Rong onto the bus, Xia Sheng slung her small cloth bag over her shoulder and headed toward the footbridge where she had set up her fortune-telling stall last time.

She had just taken out her equipment and hadn’t even sat down yet when a man strode over.

“Master! I came by yesterday, but you weren’t here. I thought you weren’t going to tell fortunes here anymore!”

Xia Sheng turned to look.

It was the man who had lost over a hundred thousand in the stock market last time.

When they first met, he had been shrouded in an air of dejection. Today, he had regained his spirit, looking much more refreshed and radiant.

He marched up to Xia Sheng’s stall holding a silk banner.

“Master, it happened exactly as you said! My daughter’s surgery was a success! You told me not to rush to sell my stocks, so I waited two days.

“I didn’t expect the stocks to go up, and I actually saved my principal! Even more miraculous, the day after I sold them, the stock plummeted! You really are a Little Immortal!”

People were constantly passing by the footbridge, and the man’s voice wasn’t quiet. Many nearby looked over.

Next to Xia Sheng’s stall was the same cynical Old Charlatan from before.

He listened to the conversation between Xia Sheng and the man and let out a cold snort. “What a performance. Last time you hired a luxury car to save face, and this time you hired an extra to deliver a banner.”

Xia Sheng glanced at the old fortune-teller and said calmly, “I never practice deception. On the contrary, I see that you have deceived many people over the years, old gentleman.

“You live alone with your grandson. You only entered the fortune-telling trade to scrape together money for his school fees; you felt forced to lie.

“But I advise you: every cause has an effect. If you continue to swindle people and associate yourself with malevolent things, the retribution will eventually fall upon your young grandson.”