TGA Chapter 26

After He Shichen and Chu Qianli signed the contract, they lived together peacefully for a period without informing their parents about the matter.

Yu Shen and He Zhenghe were unaware of the private contract between the two, nor did they know about Chu Qianli’s various mischiefs at school.

He Shichen usually turned a blind eye to Chu Qianli’s outrageous behavior. He felt that reporting it to his parents wouldn’t help, so he let it slide. However, leaving her unchecked eventually led to new troubles.

One day, in the living room, He Shichen was leisurely flipping through a book when he suddenly heard the urgent ring of a phone.

Aunt Li hurriedly rushed out. She answered the phone and politely responded, “Yes, that’s right. If it’s a package, someone will deliver it… What? Okay, fine, I understand.”

He Shichen looked up in confusion. He saw Aunt Li rushing out, seemingly heading somewhere after answering the call.

Before long, a commotion could be heard outside the villa. A group of strangers in uniforms arrived, carrying large, well-packed boxes, and gathered at the door.

Aunt Li returned quickly, looking embarrassed as she approached He Shichen, hoping he could help sign for the delivered items.

“I told them I would sign for it, but they insisted on having a family member sign, or they wouldn’t feel comfortable delivering it!” Aunt Li said, looking troubled.

He Shichen stood up in surprise. “What’s this?”

“I don’t know. It looks really big though,” Aunt Li replied.

At the door, He Shichen looked at the group of well-trained, uniformed individuals, feeling more puzzled. He took the delivery receipt from the leader and hesitated, “What did you deliver? Was it cash on delivery?”

He didn’t understand why Aunt Li couldn’t sign for it. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t an ordinary package, but something from a high-end institution, which made him even more confused.

The delivery leader was very polite and patiently explained, “It’s not cash on delivery, the payment has already been completed. However, the receipt needs to be confirmed by the recipient.”

Since Aunt Li wasn’t a family member, the institution’s policy didn’t allow her to sign for it.

He Shichen casually signed the receipt and handed it back.

The leader looked at the name and appeared puzzled, asking, “Your last name is He?”

“Yes,” He Shichen replied.

“Sorry, please wait a moment. The recipient’s name is listed as Chu,” the leader said, stepping aside to make a phone call to verify the recipient’s information.

Upon hearing this, He Shichen immediately understood. He quickly intervened and whispered, “There’s no need to make a call. The surname Chu is fine.”

However, the delivery leader insisted on verifying the information. After making the call, he finally confirmed and placed the package down.

The group of people struggled to move the enormous box to the yard and carefully set it in place.

The delivery leader kindly asked, “Where would you like it placed? We can help you move it wherever you prefer.”

He Shichen stared at the massive package, still unopened, and asked in confusion, “What is this? An art sculpture?”

The group proceeded to move the box into the yard, indicating that it wasn’t something to be placed indoors.

The delivery leader looked at the details and replied seriously, “It’s a Hunyuan Yellow Meridian Instrument.”

He Shichen: “?”

As a top student, He Shichen was quite knowledgeable in history and recognized that a Hunyuan Instrument was an ancient astronomical instrument, which did seem to fit within the realm of Chu Qianli’s chaotic behavior.

Considering the strict delivery process, He Shichen furrowed his brows and asked, “Is this a cultural relic?”

The leader laughed heartily. “Haha, you’re joking, of course, it’s not a cultural relic.”

He Shichen relaxed slightly.

The leader continued, “We replicated it in one-to-one scale using real gold, just like the ancient ones, which were made of copper and gold. This one is made entirely of real gold, so it’s quite different!”

He Shichen suddenly felt uneasy. He tentatively asked, “…Gold?”

The leader nodded. “Yes, it’s made entirely of gold, so we couldn’t just deliver it casually.”

Even though it was an astronomical instrument, its core material was gold, and it could be easily stolen or damaged.

He Shichen: “??”

“Where did she get the money to buy this!?” He Shichen exclaimed in disbelief, then quickly lowered his voice as the realization hit him, “Wait, it was probably me who paid for it…”

He Shichen had learned practical skills from He Yuanyang over time, accumulating quite a bit of savings that neither Yu Shen nor He Zhenghe knew about.

He was a serious and rigid person, greatly disapproving of rich second-generation individuals spending money on sports cars. He believed in surpassing everything with personal ability and wasn’t the type to waste money. In some ways, his character was more like a self-made wealthy individual than someone backed by a family fortune.

When He Shichen gave her the money, he hadn’t thought much of it. He wasn’t someone who cared about spending money, and although he had guessed that Chu Qianli might squander it, he didn’t expect her to buy this.

Others might buy luxury cars to show off, but she was placing a golden astronomical instrument in the yard, inviting thieves!

A little later, Chu Qianli came home excitedly. She bounced up the stairs but was stopped by He Shichen.

In the living room, He Shichen motioned for her to come over, his face expressionless as he said, “Come here, we need to talk.”

“What about?” Chu Qianli jumped down from the stairs, her face full of curiosity as she approached.

He Shichen pointed outside to the golden astronomical instrument in the yard and coldly said, “You explain this.”

“Ah, I almost forgot! They just called to say it was delivered!” Chu Qianli happily ran outside, eager to see the instrument.

“This isn’t the point!” He Shichen stood up angrily, walking into the yard after her, and shouted, “Why did you buy something like this?!”

He Shichen didn’t want to display his emotions, but her absurd actions kept exceeding his expectations. He didn’t understand why she bought it, nor how it could even be available for purchase online, and he was deeply frustrated by the spread of online shopping that was corrupting contemporary youth.

Chu Qianli pitifully said: “Because it’s the Hunyuan Yellow Meridian Instrument?”

He Shichen: “So? Why couldn’t you buy a copper-gold plated one? Why did it have to be made of gold?”

Chu Qianli spread her arms wide, facing the Hunyuan Instrument, and enthusiastically said, “Brother, gold is a product of neutron star collisions! The explosion of ancient stars led to the formation of new stars, and these heavy elements are what remain on Earth. Using it to make a Hunyuan Instrument is the ultimate romantic aesthetic. How could copper-gold plating compare to gold? Gold is the residue of past stars…”

He Shichen rubbed his temples, feeling a headache, and said faintly, “So, using gold makes it more accurate?”

Chu Qianli: “No, gold is soft, so it might not be as accurate as copper-gold plating.”

He Shichen: “……” So what was all that talk about, then?

Chu Qianli scratched her chin. “I wasn’t sure whether I could afford it that day, but wow, I just paid for it casually, and it really went through! I was pretty surprised!”

He Shichen: “…………”

Chu Qianli’s surprise was He Shichen’s shock.

Now He Shichen understood why Chu Qianli said she couldn’t keep money—give her ten dollars, and she’d spend it all and live well. Give her ten billion, and she’d also spend it all and live well.

To Chu Qianli, money was like a virtual number; she didn’t care how many digits it had. She could live regardless of the amount—whether in her village or in the He family, she had her own way of living.

He Shichen’s face darkened as he turned back into the house. He was no longer in the mood to lecture her, and in a tone like cold water, he said, “From now on, I’ll send you money once a year, and for the rest, you should live on the allowance your parents give you.”

Chu Qianli was surprised: “Why?!”

He Shichen sneered, “Because you lack proper spending habits.” He continued, “I’m afraid if I send you money every month, one day you’ll buy a spaceship and say it’s to stargaze.”

Chu Qianli: “You’re thinking too much. The money I get now can’t buy a spaceship.”

He Shichen: “…So you really thought about this, huh?”

Chu Qianli: “……”

He Shichen was determined and kept his word—he stopped sending Chu Qianli money monthly. Instead, he would only tell her the monthly earnings, clarifying that he would pay the full amount at the end of the year.

Chu Qianli, now forced into saving by the “money printing machine,” became depressed for a while.

In class, Chu Qianli vented to her desk mate, then complained, “Just tell me, is this too much?!”

Tan Muxing hesitated, unsure of whether it was Chu Qianli or He Shichen who was being unreasonable.

Although it was pitiful that Chu Qianli had her spending restricted, the things she did were indeed impressive.

Tan Muxing had heard of rich young men buying sports cars to go to nightclubs, but he’d never heard of someone spending lavishly to buy a Hunyuan Yellow Meridian Instrument.

She didn’t have bad intentions, but it wasn’t entirely right to say she was entirely good either.

Chu Qianli lay on the desk, sobbing, “Wuwuwu, now I don’t have money to spend…”

Tan Muxing, in his good-natured way, tried to comfort her, “No, you still have your fortune-telling income.”

Chu Qianli: “No, that money’s not enough. I was thinking he’d give me money, so I didn’t charge much for the fortune-telling.” She scrolled through her phone, frustrated. “I even wanted to buy a golden sundial, and now he messed up my plan!”

Chu Qianli’s fortune-telling charges were low both at school and online. No matter how much volume she did, it didn’t compare to He Shichen’s stock investments. The Hunyuan Yellow Meridian Instrument was mostly funded by the “money printing machine.”

Tan Muxing: “…” Tan Muxing was Chu Qianli’s desk mate and friend, but for some reason, he felt sorry for He Shichen.

Tan Muxing suggested, “You could just buy it during the New Year?”

Chu Qianli looked worried, “What if someone buys it before me?”

Tan Muxing immediately dismissed her worries, shaking his head, “No, normal people wouldn’t buy this.”

Tan Muxing thought like He Shichen—he didn’t see the use of buying a golden Hunyuan Instrument—but since he had a soft personality, he could only respect his desk mate’s choice.

Chu Qianli began rolling around on her seat, afraid the golden sundial would be sold before she could buy it.

Tan Muxing sighed, “What if I buy it for you?”

Chu Qianli: “No…” She lowered her head dejectedly, then whispered, “We don’t have karmic ties, so I can’t take your stuff.”

Tan Muxing: “Karmic ties?”

Chu Qianli: “That’s right. Whatever you take, you have to repay. There’s no such thing as something for nothing.”

Chu Qianli didn’t mind spending He Shichen’s money because, in essence, they had a karmic relationship. In other words, he owed her. Due to their mismatched roles, they had a karmic connection despite no blood ties.

Chu Qianli continued excitedly, “But I can help you with astrology and divination. That way it’s an exchange, and I don’t need to repay anything!” Her eyes sparkled as she sat up straight. “Do you have something you want to ask?”

Tan Muxing hesitated, “Sorry, but no.”

Chu Qianli: “Ah, that’s right. You don’t like divination, so it’s still not possible…” She looked disappointed.

Tan Muxing, who rejected metaphysical practices, couldn’t use this to repay her.

Tan Muxing thought for a moment and then carefully suggested, “What if we do it just for form’s sake? I let you do a reading for me?”

Chu Qianli: “That won’t work. It has to be something I genuinely want to calculate, or I’ll still have to repay it.” Chu Qianli shrugged. “This system is very strict, there’s no way to cheat.”

Tan Muxing saw her distress and thought hard for a while, then said, “You charge according to the other person’s income for the fortune-telling, right? We can find some high-income people, and you can charge more, then use that money to buy the golden sundial.”

Chu Qianli was stunned: “That’s actually fine, but where would we find such people?”

Chu Qianli wanted to charge high fees for her fortune-telling, but the key was finding people who were wealthy enough to afford it, which made finding such people very difficult.

Tan Muxing: “My dad has a friend who’s looking for a fortune-teller. I could ask them.”

“Great!” Chu Qianli agreed immediately, but then showed a puzzled expression. “Hmm, but how do you know they want to ask for a reading?”

“Well, I just know…” Tan Muxing stammered, nervously looking away, and hesitated as he muttered, “It shouldn’t be considered cutting in, right?”

As a wealthy young master, Tan Muxing’s circle was also filled with wealthy people, making it easy for him to find high-income clients.

On the weekend, Chu Qianli followed Tan Muxing to a quiet teahouse. As she looked at the well-dressed middle-aged man, she quickly understood her deskmate’s method of attracting clients.

Tan Muxing greeted politely, “Uncle Jianping, didn’t you mention a couple of days ago that you were looking for someone to do a reading? I asked around for you.”

He Jianping, who had been sitting at the tea table, stood up in surprise as the two of them came upstairs. He was a bit taken aback and said, “Muxing, is this the master from the Qianmen school? I thought they’d be much older.”

He Jianping was in his middle years, with a touch of gray at his temples but still full of vigor. He sat with his back straight, the demeanor of a businessperson full of energy. Recently, he had encountered some small problems, and being a bit superstitious, he wanted to consult an expert in fortune-telling.

The Qianmen school, based in the north, was the most famous for its “Qian” method, but its masters didn’t just appear for any request. The Tan family had some connections with the Qianmen school, and that’s how He Jianping got in touch with them. The Tan family had initially declined, but Tan Muxing claimed he had found a master.

To put it simply, if He Jianping asked for KFC, Tan Muxing brought him McDonald’s.

Chu Qianli, who was just a little taller than Tan Muxing, looked very youthful and innocent—certainly not someone who looked like a master.

Normally, He Jianping would be happy to welcome Tan Muxing and his friend to the teahouse, but now, he had something important to do, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that these two kids were just playing around.

Of course, He Jianping didn’t rebuke Tan Muxing immediately. Instead, he sat down, planning to try to smooth things over with the two of them. He briefly explained the situation to Chu Qianli and was thinking about how to politely dismiss their ideas without offending them.

Chu Qianli started the divination using astrology and fortune-telling, and her methods were quite different from traditional Chinese divination.

He Jianping frowned slightly as he listened. He didn’t believe in Western planets or zodiac signs, preferring instead to follow Feng Shui and the principles of I Ching.

Chu Qianli said, “Based solely on the results, the thing you’re asking about could come true, but it might not be exactly as you imagine…”

He Jianping listened absent-mindedly, not taking her words seriously.

At that moment, footsteps suddenly came from the nearby stairs, and a loud male voice followed: “Old He, where are you? I’ve found a master for you. They’ve used the six lines method, and it’s been confirmed—come out and listen!”

Everyone froze in surprise as the divination was abruptly interrupted.

Two men came upstairs and were also surprised to see the three of them. The leader of the group muttered, “Oh, you have guests?”

“These are two young guests,” He Jianping immediately got up, glancing at Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing with an apologetic look. He said, “Let me chat with them for a bit, you two sit and enjoy some tea and snacks. There’s a hot pot restaurant nearby that’s really good, we can try it later.”

Tan Muxing looked uneasy. “Uncle Jianping…”

Tan Muxing wasn’t good with words but was very perceptive about people’s emotions. He could tell that He Jianping was clearly treating them like children and wasn’t taking Chu Qianli’s divination seriously.

Chu Qianli stayed silent for a moment, but instead of confronting him, she gently said, “The six lines method is very accurate, but sometimes the process is more important than the result. You should think carefully about whether what you’re asking for is truly what you want.”

“That’s quite philosophical,” He Jianping smiled and waved, casually saying, “I’ll have them bring you some fruit, you can sit for a bit!”

He Jianping left with the two men who had arrived.

Tan Muxing felt guilty and quickly reassured her, “It’s not your fault. Uncle Jianping just prefers traditional Chinese metaphysics. He usually consults Chinese fortune-tellers…”

Tan Muxing knew Chu Qianli’s readings were accurate, but He Jianping only trusted the Eastern methods.

“I understand, I understand. It’s just that I used the wrong approach!” Chu Qianli, who had been composed in front of He Jianping, revealed her true feelings as soon as he left. She complained, “If he had said he liked Eastern astrology, I would have used Classical Chinese to explain it! It’s all about the way I worded it. Why is he so stubborn?!”

Chu Qianli originally used Western astrology to appeal to materialistic people, but if He Jianping preferred Eastern astrology, she could have easily used that for the divination. It was all the same stars, after all!

Different schools of astrology have different divination methods, but they all share commonalities—if you dig into it, they’re pretty much the same.

“The ‘Seven Stars’ in the ‘Seven Stars Four Limbs’ system are the sun, moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. If he doesn’t like the Western method, I could just translate it to the Chinese names: Taiyang, Taiyin, Taibai, Suixing, Chenxing, Yinghuo, Zhenxing!” Chu Qianli lamented, “Why does changing the wording make it so hard for him to understand?”

Chu Qianli thought that doing divination was like solving a math problem, but who knew that she would fail when it came to language and phrasing.