TGA Chapter 16

Liu Laoshi (Teacher Liu) felt a complicated mix of emotions and looked at Chu Qianli in silence, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back.

Chu Qianli, noticing the subtle expression, quickly realized, “Teacher, you want to know whether the peach blossom is good or bad, right?”

Liu Laoshi muttered, “Yes, but if it’s bad, it shouldn’t even be called a peach blossom.”

Chu Qianli blinked and said, “But whether a peach blossom is good or bad is a subjective judgment. What kind of peach blossom do you think is good, Teacher?”

“Well, it has to be something that lasts long, right?” Liu Laoshi said, puzzled. “But why do you say it’s subjective? Isn’t there a standard for this kind of thing?”

Chu Qianli replied, “What one person likes may be different from what another dislikes. Some people think that marriage means a good peach blossom, but a lot of people end up divorced. And some people don’t even want to get married at all; their need for peach blossoms is different. The key is your own perspective.”

“I don’t know what you want, so I can’t help you answer the question. After all, it’s your life.”

People today have varying attitudes toward relationships, and Chu Qianli wouldn’t judge any one of them. She only helped others with personalized solutions to their dilemmas.

Liu Laoshi, feeling pressured by her parents at home, became lost in thought and hesitated, saying, “I’m finished. I don’t even know what I want. I only know what I don’t want.”

If someone asked her for her conditions, she wouldn’t be able to answer, but when she saw someone her parents introduced, she could immediately tell what she didn’t want.

That was the reason her parents were dissatisfied with her. She couldn’t articulate her conditions, but she was indeed quite picky.

Liu Laoshi wasn’t sure what her new student, Chu Qianli, thought of her situation. It was rather awkward to bring someone over and not be able to clearly state her requirements.

Fortunately, Chu Qianli didn’t look upset. Instead, she said in a good-natured tone, “Well, it seems like Teacher hasn’t summarized what you want yet, but we can let the stars help you out.”

“Stars?” Liu Laoshi asked.

“Yes, let’s look at your birth chart. That will tell us what kind of person you appreciate and what characteristics they have,” Chu Qianli explained. “You may have some vague feelings about it, but the stars will help refine those into specific traits.”

Liu Laoshi, not entirely understanding, thought for a moment and nodded, saying, “Okay, let’s take a look then.”

Chu Qianli’s eyes sparkled at her agreement. She suddenly smiled mischievously, then raised two fingers in a “money-counting” gesture.

Liu Laoshi: “?”

Chu Qianli hummed casually, “Hehe, Teacher, it’s like this—money isn’t the issue, but we need a kind of agreement in place. If I read the chart and end up being reported, that could be a bit…”

“Of course, I’m not saying you’re setting me up, Teacher, but people can be tricky, and society’s a dangerous place. That’s just a defensive habit I’ve developed in my line of work. It’s hard to change, you know…” Chu Qianli continued seriously. “I didn’t mean to suggest you’re a bad person!”

Liu Laoshi, who mostly dealt with students, easily understood Chu Qianli’s line of thinking. Although Chu Qianli’s fortune-telling was indeed quite mysterious, her intentions were easy to read.

Liu Laoshi sighed. “…Just charge according to your usual rates.”

Liu Laoshi paid using her phone, and Chu Qianli received the details of her birth chart. After finishing the chart, she began her analysis.

Staring at the chart, Chu Qianli said, “Since this is an analysis of your natal chart, I won’t just talk about the type of man you might appreciate; I’ll touch on other aspects too. Your chart shows a strong presence of Sagittarius and the 3rd House, which indicates that you might become an expert at passing on knowledge. However, since we’re meeting at school, you might think that’s a bit obvious…”

If Chu Qianli and Teacher Liu weren’t acquainted, this information would be quite valuable. Unfortunately, they were teacher and student.

Teacher Liu said, “It’s fine, just go ahead and talk. I’ll pick and choose what to listen to.”

“And with Mars in the 5th house, you really enjoy being around children. Other teachers might do it for the money, but you genuinely appreciate this job. Expressing your thoughts and gaining others’ approval is what makes you happy, and you’re passionate about knowledge,” Chu Qianli said with admiration. “You truly want to be a good teacher!”

Everyone has the potential to lie, but a birth chart never lies. When Chu Qianli looks at someone’s chart, it’s like getting to know the person all over again.

For example, Teacher Liu’s friendliness toward students might be an act, but the chart clearly reflects it, meaning her inner and outer selves are aligned.

Teacher Liu reluctantly admitted, “Although this job is tiring, it’s true that…”

Chu Qianli continued with her analysis of the chart: “Your Descendant is in Capricorn, which shows you still long for a stable marriage. You want a partner who is dependable and responsible, so you’re very cautious when choosing a partner, always thinking ahead about your future.”

Teacher Liu hurriedly waved her hand. “Actually, I don’t have a strong desire for marriage. Whether I get married or not doesn’t really matter…”

Chu Qianli sighed heavily, exposing, “But the chart says that family is where you seek comfort. You actually care a lot about your family, and your parents have a very strong relationship. What you’re really afraid of is not being able to find someone suitable like your parents did.”

Teacher Liu rubbed her temples, suddenly feeling heartbroken. She exclaimed, “How can this thing reveal everything? Is there no secret left to keep?!”

“Can you tell me when I’ll get married then?” Teacher Liu ruffled her messy hair, now completely unable to lie to Chu Qianli. She decided to give up and just confess, saying, “And is this person suitable?”

Chu Qianli answered, “Based on the transits, next year and the year after will be strong for your marriage prospects. You might step into marriage soon.”

“The last time we used playing cards for divination, it only showed short-term trends, but the stars also indicate that you might meet your true match soon,” Chu Qianli paused for a moment and then added, “But a true match isn’t a single person. It refers to a type of person, someone who shares certain traits. If you describe that person to me, I can help you identify them.”

A “true match” is a term in destiny studies, referring to a person who is naturally suited to someone’s fate as a life partner. A true match isn’t just one individual, but a group of people who share common characteristics. Some people happen to always meet their true match, while others never do.

Teacher Liu was stunned. “But I don’t even remember him anymore.”

Chu Qianli said, “Then give me his birth chart.”

Teacher Liu replied, “I don’t have his birth chart.”

Chu Qianli responded, “Then go ask him.”

Teacher Liu: “?”

“I think… maybe I’ll pass,” Teacher Liu said, holding her head in frustration. “This will cause me social death.”

Seeing that Teacher Liu was backing out, Chu Qianli quickly jumped up and cheerfully persuaded, “Teacher, don’t give up! You’ve already spent the money, how can you not even find out the result? Wasting money and getting nothing in return is just sad!”

She sat back down and began to cheer her on. “Go ask! Go ask! Go ask!”

Teacher Liu felt a headache coming on as she listened to her student’s antics. She trembled and said, “But this is so embarrassing. Asking someone for their birthdate and place of birth all of a sudden…”

Chu Qianli looked at her in surprise. “What’s embarrassing about that? The advantage of astrology is that it’s efficient and quick. If it doesn’t work, we can just move on to the next one, no need to waste time!”

“Anyway, you don’t have feelings for him yet, so just ask and compare the charts. If it doesn’t match, move on immediately,” Chu Qianli said decisively. “If he’s not the one, we’ll keep looking. The right person will definitely come into your life soon. You can’t miss the great opportunity the heavens are giving you!”

Chu Qianli spoke with sincere conviction, and her determined tone moved Teacher Liu.

Teacher Liu picked up her phone, stared at the newly added WeChat contact, and hesitated, saying, “But what if he refuses to give it to me?”

Chu Qianli replied indifferently, “If he’s unwilling to share his birth chart, I feel like we don’t even need to compare charts. You can just move on.”

Teacher Liu: “?”

Teacher Liu asked, “…But what if it’s not a good match when we meet later?”

Chu Qianli crossed her arms, looking very serious. She said, “Then let your parents handle it. They can say they’ve consulted a fortune-teller who looked at the birth charts and concluded that your son isn’t lucky for his wife, so he’s not a suitable match for my daughter.”

Teacher Liu: “???” Are you trying to use feudal superstitions to defeat my parents’ decision?

Under Chu Qianli’s encouragement, Teacher Liu gathered the courage to ask for the birth chart, and she actually got it.

Teacher Liu handed the information to Chu Qianli, astonished. “He really gave it to me? Didn’t even ask why?”

Teacher Liu thought the whole thing was outrageous, yet she didn’t expect him to just give it without question.

“Good. He passed the first test,” Chu Qianli started to compare the charts. Without even looking up, she said, “Let me see if this lucky gentleman is a good match for his wife.”

“…” Teacher Liu was silent for a moment. She walked over to Chu Qianli’s side and saw the birth chart on the phone and the draft paper. Curiously, she asked, “What are all these? Why does it seem like the charts have multiplied?”

Chu Qianli, still focused on creating the charts, answered as she worked, “The composite chart is a bit more complex and involves more types. There are comparison charts, composite charts, and synastry charts, among others. It’s all about analyzing the right timing, place, and harmony—everything must be considered together.”

“For example, if your birth chart is very compatible with a certain male celebrity’s, but you never meet in this lifetime, then it’s meaningless, and nothing will happen,” Chu Qianli explained. “For two people to be a true match, their traits need to align in various ways to confirm if they’re a true match.”

Teacher Liu looked at Chu Qianli, who was working intently. Her professional instincts kicked in, and she casually remarked, “You don’t do your homework in class, but you’re so fast at calculating this stuff.”

Chu Qianli froze, her body tensing up. She looked up in panic and said, “Teacher…”

Teacher Liu immediately fell silent and hurried to reassure her, “Alright, alright, go ahead and finish it.”

Once Chu Qianli completed the chart analysis, she looked at the birth chart details and gave a clean, straightforward answer: “It’s quite a good match, actually.”

Teacher Liu was shocked. “That direct? But I don’t like it when my family makes introductions.”

“Yes, I know you don’t like it,” Chu Qianli responded. “However, based on the birth chart, it’s highly likely that your partner will be someone your family introduces. The main reason is that you don’t go out to meet people yourself, and you tend to prefer someone reliable and steady, so it’s even less likely that anything will come of meeting someone outside.”

“……Too real.”

Chu Qianli took the astrology dice out of her pocket and placed it next to Teacher Liu’s hand, smiling as she said, “Now that we have the astrological chart information, we can take advantage of the insight and even give the teacher a reading to see what the other person is thinking.”

Teacher Liu, looking confused, picked up the astrology dice and rolled it under Chu Qianli’s guidance.

Chu Qianli glanced at the result and interpreted it: “Although the teacher has no impression of him, he has a very good first impression of you. However, he noticed that you are averse to introductions, so he’s hesitant to speak to you directly.”

“He’s been worried about disturbing you these past few days, but you just sent him a message, which reassured him. From now on, he should message you from time to time. You might find it troublesome at times, but at the same time, it’ll give you a sense of security. You don’t like to initiate conversations, so this kind of interaction is actually suited to you.”

Suddenly, the phone on the desk lit up, and a WeChat notification popped up.

Chu Qianli clapped her hands in satisfaction. “Ah, here it is!”

Teacher Liu stared at the WeChat content on her phone, dumbfounded. She had been invited to dinner, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Now I’m starting to suspect that you’ve teamed up with my parents to set me up, trying to trick me into sending him a message…”

Chu Qianli reassured her, “It’s okay, if you don’t want to go, you can refuse. He’ll probably contact you again in a while. After all, this is just a kind of exhausting approach.”

Teacher Liu didn’t like to initiate conversations, but she needed a sense of security. If the other person kept in touch with her, she would feel truly at ease.

Teacher Liu: “……I still wish the star chart could give people some privacy.”

Chu Qianli relaxed and stood up. She picked up her phone and a piece of draft paper, whispering, “Then you can chat with him. I’ll leave now…”

“Wait, I don’t chat about these things during school hours,” Teacher Liu said, directly turning off her phone. She smiled and waved to Chu Qianli, “Don’t go yet, let’s talk some more.”

Chu Qianli, puzzled, turned back. “What else do you want to talk about? Is it still the composite chart?”

“Sort of,” Teacher Liu said, pulling out two exercise books from the side. She smiled and flipped to a page, saying, “You’ve been copying Tan Muxing’s homework, right? You often make mistakes on a few questions to throw people off?”

Chu Qianli’s eyes widened in shock, disbelieving, “Teacher, how can you just make baseless accusations!?”

Teacher Liu tapped the exercise book with a pen and slowly said, “You even copied the calculation drafts, worried that someone would notice if you only copied the answers, so you deliberately left some steps in the margin. Very clever…”

“When Tan Muxing does homework, he can’t help but draw rough sketches. Does he like designing clothes? Occasionally, he’ll draw a few lines on the notebook…” Teacher Liu raised the homework book, gently asking, “Why did you even copy his doodles?”

Chu Qianli suddenly leaned in closer, exclaiming in disbelief, “This is a clothing design sketch? I thought it was a 3D geometry sketch?”

Tan Muxing’s sketches were quite messy, so Chu Qianli had assumed they were part of the calculation process.

Teacher Liu looked at her in silence.

Chu Qianli stiffly met her gaze.

The next moment, she quickly covered her mouth. “I take back what I just said.”

Teacher Liu circled something in the exercise book with her pen and said calmly, “You know I don’t like introductions from home, and I know you don’t like doing homework. But at least you’ve completed the classic problems. You’re going to have to do this yourself for the final exam…”

Teacher Liu handed the exercise book back to Chu Qianli and, mimicking the other’s encouraging tone, said, “Go do it! Go do it! Go do it!”

Chu Qianli: “……”

Chu Qianli deeply felt that city people have too many tricks, and that no one—from classmates to teachers—was easy to deal with.