Tan Muxing seriously suspected that the sibling bond between He Shichen and Chu Qianli wouldn’t withstand the test of studies, so He Shichen had chosen to shift the conflict and crisis onto his and his deskmate’s friendship.
Apart from sports and art, Tan Muxing’s grades in other subjects were average. He wasn’t good at supervising his deskmate’s studies, mainly because he didn’t have the qualifications to do so. Unlike He Shichen, Tan Muxing didn’t have a strong competitive spirit and felt that since his deskmate could calculate and had a wealthy family, she’d still live comfortably no matter what happened.
Tan Muxing sighed when he looked at the mock exam report on his desk. Staring at the dreadful bottom rank, he didn’t know what to do.
But her grades were indeed too low.
Although she was skilled in astrology, at the very least, she needed a high school diploma.
A moment later, Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong bounced back into the classroom, both having just completed the extra physical education test for girls and had even detoured to the school gate to sneak a milk tea delivery.
Qiu Qingkong placed the plastic bag on the desk and took out two cups of milk tea, saying, “I’ll take these to them.”
Chu Qianli nodded, then pulled out a cup from the bag and casually handed it to her big bear of a deskmate. “This one’s for you.”
“Thanks.” Tan Muxing asked suspiciously, “…Didn’t you bring one for He Shichen?”
“The money printer doesn’t drink milk tea. He only drinks black stuff, like coffee,” Chu Qianli added.
Tan Muxing held the cold milk tea, feeling it was strangely heavy in his hands, as if he was taking on the responsibility of encouraging his deskmate to study.
Chu Qianli stabbed the straw into the milk tea with vigor and started happily stirring it as she began drinking.
“Is it good?”
“It’s good. Qiu Qingkong said it’s from a popular store. The delivery fee is more expensive than my poker chips.”
Tan Muxing subtly glanced at his deskmate with his peripheral vision. He could tell she was in a good mood now and began to rack his brain to find the right words. He cautiously asked, “Before the midterm exam, we’ll have an extra day off. Would you like to come to my house?”
“Alright, we didn’t go to the Natural Scenic Area last time, so we can go together this time.” Chu Qianli didn’t hesitate at all and readily agreed, clearly enthusiastic about visiting Tan Muxing’s home.
Tan Muxing quickly said, “No, I meant we should all study together…”
Chu Qianli frowned for a moment, then smiled again, saying, “That’s fine too. You can study, and I’ll go to the Natural Scenic Area!”
Tan Muxing stayed silent for a few seconds, realizing he had said something wrong. With some hesitation, he said, “…Aren’t you going to study too?”
Upon hearing this, Chu Qianli immediately slumped her body onto the desk, grumbling in a complaining tone, “I don’t want to study.”
Tan Muxing tried to comfort her softly, “You still need to get your graduation certificate, otherwise things will be troublesome in the future…”
Chu Qianli fell silent. She really wanted to reply with “Do I even have a future?”, but she knew she shouldn’t say it.
Right now, she was going through the motions of attending school to avoid drawing any attention to herself, as that would undoubtedly cause a commotion. Even though she could see information about the future, not everything could be shared.
With her face pressed against the desk, Chu Qianli muttered, “Is the graduation certificate even useful?”
Tan Muxing froze for a moment, scratching his head in frustration. He gently tried to persuade her, “You might feel like it’s useless now, but it could be helpful later, like when you go to university, or for other things…”
Chu Qianli didn’t respond.
Tan Muxing said in a softer tone, “I know you like astrology, but didn’t you also tell Uncle Jianping that our personalities make us act in different ways, leading to different results? You don’t have to force yourself to study all the time, but putting in some extra effort during the crucial pre-exam period might make a difference, don’t you think?”
Tan Muxing, fearing that being too forceful might lead to his deskmate’s rebellion, tried to persuade her by using her own words.
Chu Qianli looked surprised. “Did I say that?”
Tan Muxing nodded earnestly. “Yes, you did. Do you remember telling me about the lunar nodes? You said if you stay stuck in a familiar field, you make no progress, so you want to study Marxist philosophy. If you keep focusing only on astrology, the results might not be good. Reviewing before exams is kind of like studying Marxist philosophy…”
Chu Qianli’s eyes widened. She was quite shocked, exclaiming, “How do you remember everything!?”
Chu Qianli had forgotten the things she said herself, but hearing them now, they sounded familiar, as if she had indeed said them.
Tan Muxing smiled wryly. “Of course I remember. A person can only reach their potential if they don’t get stuck in primitive instincts, and growth, change, and evolution are the core of astrology.”
He still wasn’t particularly interested in metaphysics, but he always believed in the things she had said.
“Damn it, you’re using magic to defeat magic!” Chu Qianli groaned, clutching her head in despair. “Now I have no excuses.”
If Tan Muxing had used someone else’s philosophy to persuade her, she would have had a hundred clever ways to argue. But since he randomly pulled out her own quotes, she couldn’t exactly say she was wrong, could she?
Seeing her wavering, Tan Muxing seized the opportunity and said, “We can study properly first, and if we feel tired, we can take a break and go to the scenic area, or we can play a game together before getting back to studying…”
“If you graduate from high school and go to university, we can find even more delicious food and fun places around the university town. Right now, the school is too far from the city center, but the university town is lively, with plenty of activities at the university. Don’t give up on these possibilities.”
Tan Muxing desperately tried to weave a bright future, hoping to motivate his deskmate.
“Possibilities?” Chu Qianli was suddenly touched by this statement. She thought for a while, then lowered her head and said, “…Alright.”
She wasn’t sure if any of this applied to her, but flashy hopes were never wrong.
Tan Muxing let out a long sigh of relief and smiled, “Then let’s study together before the midterms?”
Chu Qianli nodded slowly, thinking for a moment before decisively adding, “But I’ll only work hard right before the exam. I’ll give it my all at the key moments!”
Tan Muxing helplessly said, “…That works.” It’s better than not studying at all.
Before the midterm exams, the school would rearrange the desks and classrooms and give one more day off so the students could go home and review. Chu Qianli, Tan Muxing, and Qiu Qingkong set the time and agreed to meet up for a weekend pre-exam cram session.
After one visit, things were familiar. Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong had already been to Tan Muxing’s family home, but this time, there was an unexpected guest.
Inside the house, warm sunlight streamed in, and the young students were all hunched over, working through practice exams.
Chu Qianli reluctantly looked up at He Shichen. She finally got up, pushed Tan Muxing, and said in frustration, “Why is he here?”
Tan Muxing avoided her gaze nervously, unable to explain.
Chu Qianli sighed, “You’re clearly my friend, why did you invite him here?”
Chu Qianli didn’t want to be at home on the weekend, especially not with He Shichen around. She was finding it hard to relax.
Tan Muxing said, “…I didn’t.”
Chu Qianli sighed, “I get it now, I understand. You still think he’s more impressive. His grades are so much better than mine, so I’m not the important one, right?”
Tan Muxing hurriedly waved his hands, “That’s really not it!”
Tan Muxing felt like he was caught in the crossfire of sibling conflicts. He was just an innocent bystander in the He family’s internal struggles.
He Shichen said he was going to help everyone outline the exam scope, and since he was the top student in the class, he was very good at exam preparation. Tan Muxing had no reason to refuse; he thought if his deskmate wanted to speed up her learning, they would need a genius to assist.
Qiu Qingkong hadn’t expected He Shichen to come either. She didn’t dare to chatter, instead keeping her head down and focusing on her homework.
He Shichen put down the book he was holding and looked at Chu Qianli, who was still bothering Tan Muxing. He said calmly, “Stop causing trouble. Just finish your problems. If you complete these, you should be able to pass.”
Qiu Qingkong quietly muttered, “Since you’re all here, we could have gone to the teacher’s house instead?”
If both Chu Qianli and He Shichen were here, they could have gone to the He family’s house to study.
He Shichen replied, “I have to go to school in the afternoon, so I can’t stay with you the whole time.”
He Shichen was very busy. He came to check if Chu Qianli was actually studying. After confirming she wasn’t faking it, he was ready to leave. He quickly outlined the key exam points, explained a few difficult problems to everyone, and watched Chu Qianli finish the basic questions before preparing to head to the school.
Chu Qianli had been eagerly waiting for He Shichen to leave, but the others seemed hesitant when they saw it.
Qiu Qingkong curiously asked, “Aren’t you going to review?”
He Shichen replied, “This kind of last-minute cram session doesn’t work well for me.”
“…Sorry to disturb you.”
Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong sat back down to continue working on their problems, while Tan Muxing saw He Shichen out.
Before leaving, He Shichen glanced around the impressive Tan family compound, paused for a few seconds, and said thoughtfully, “By the way, do you know the market price of your house?”
Tan Muxing answered honestly, “Sorry, it can’t be traded, so there’s no market price.”
He Shichen calmly nodded, “Hmm, I guessed as much. We’ll have to think of another way.”
Tan Muxing: “?” What other way?
Tan Muxing was a bit confused after hearing this and didn’t know why He Shichen said that.
Inside the house, Chu Qianli saw He Shichen leave and immediately jumped up, excited to go for a walk in the natural scenic area.
Tan Muxing wanted her to study a bit more, so he used the excuse that there were too many tourists on Mount Qian and suggested they go in the evening to avoid the peak of the sightseeing crowd.
The three of them worked hard all day, had dinner at Tan Muxing’s house, and then caught the last bit of daylight to head up the mountain. After touring the scenic area, Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong found it convenient to take a bus and head back to the highway.
In the soft glow of the setting sun, Mount Qian, beautiful as ever, no longer had the mist from the daytime but instead was adorned in a golden glow.
Tan Muxing’s family was familiar with the scenic area, so the three of them didn’t buy tickets and slipped in through a side gate.
Chu Qianli remarked, “This is actually quite thoughtful. You have to buy tickets to go up for ancestor worship, which seems a bit sad when you think about it.”
Tan Muxing weakly admitted, “Yes, for ancestor worship, you have to buy tickets, because so many people from the family come. But on ordinary days, it’s fine for two or three people to sneak in, just swipe with the staff card.”
Many of the locals worked at the scenic area, and their ancestors had some connection to the Tan family.
Qiu Qingkong asked, “We haven’t seen your family around these two times?”
“My grandfather lives in a house halfway up the mountain, and my parents are not in Beijing right now,” Tan Muxing explained. “My uncles and aunts have to go to work, and they don’t like living here because it’s too remote, so they don’t come often.”
“I used to live in the city too. When my parents return to Beijing, I’ll move back. School is just too far from here,” Tan Muxing added. His family had been worried about him living alone, so recently they had settled him in the Tan family compound.
Chu Qianli sighed, “Aww, only people with big courtyards can complain about having a big courtyard. The average person doesn’t even have the right to complain about a scenic area courtyard.”
Tan Muxing: “…”
The three of them took a sightseeing bus and weaved through the lush forest, finally arriving at the relatively flat mountain top.
As expected, there were very few tourists in the evening. Without the crowded rush of people, there was space to enjoy the scenery.
At the mountaintop, there were many ancient buildings. Bamboo leaves rustled, and narrow paths led deeper into the mountain. People dressed in Taoist robes were sweeping the stone steps. Light smoke drifted through the air, carrying the faint scent of incense ashes.
“There are Taoists here?” Qiu Qingkong asked while taking photos of the beautiful scenery.
Chu Qianli walked along the path and replied, “Since the place is called Mount Qian, it should be a Taoist temple.”
Tan Muxing confirmed, “Yes, the mountain is a place for Taoist practitioners to meditate.”
Qiu Qingkong gazed at the distant buildings and hesitated, “I can’t really tell the difference between these temples.”
Chu Qianli patiently explained, “Generally, Taoist buildings aren’t called ‘temples,’ they’re called ‘Taoist temples,’ and sometimes they’ll have ‘palace’ or ‘shrine’ added at the end.”
“Why?”
“Because Taoism emphasizes ‘the unity of heaven and man,’ they study celestial phenomena and believe in immortality. So Taoist temples are often built on mountaintops, where they can observe the stars and things like that.” Chu Qianli sighed, “Sigh, who wouldn’t want a mountain of their own to stargaze from?”
Tan Muxing quietly reminded, “…Wanting to own a mountain isn’t very Marxist.”
Chu Qianli sheepishly replied, “Oops, my bad. I won’t do it again next time.”
The three of them strolled to the entrance of the Taoist temple. Qiu Qingkong saw incense offered for free and got excited, planning to make a pre-exam wish. She called out to her companions, “Aren’t you guys going to light incense? For the midterms or something?”
Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing both shook their heads at the same time. The former said she was a Marxist believer, and the latter simply didn’t believe in such things.
Qiu Qingkong wasn’t discouraged. She happily ran to the free incense counter and picked up the incense provided by Mount Qian Taoist Temple.
Tan Muxing genuinely didn’t understand the interests of people fascinated by mysticism. He wondered, “Why does she like tarot and astrology but still light incense at a Taoist temple?”
Chu Qianli waved her hand dismissively, “Ah, who cares? People in our country will believe in whatever seems useful. Just cast a wide net, something’s bound to work.”
The two of them waited outside for Qiu Qingkong. However, when Chu Qianli saw her heading toward the Yuanjun Hall, she suddenly realized something was off.
Chu Qianli quickly ran into the hall and dragged Qiu Qingkong out. “Why are you lighting incense here?”
Qiu Qingkong froze for a moment and explained, “I looked around, and this hall is dedicated to a female immortal. I thought I should support their business?”
Chu Qianli: “?”
Chu Qianli groaned, “I’m sure Lady Bixia appreciates your thoughtfulness, but really, there’s no need…”
Qiu Qingkong had almost gone to worship Bixia Yuanjun, a female immortal with great powers. It was said she could grant wishes such as “those who are poor may become rich, the sick may find peace, the farmers may have good harvests, and so on,” with the most famous being granting children.
Chu Qianli sighed, “I understand the mentality of casting a wide net, but you can’t go too far with it. She has so many powers, and you’re asking her for help with something she’s not good at? That’s not supporting business; that’s trying to take over the market!”
Qiu Qingkong ignored the Wenchang Hall and ran to the Yuanjun Hall to pray for academic success. It was like asking a marketing person to handle sales and forcing technical staff to do administrative work. Even gods would be angry about unclear division of labor.
Chu Qianli: “At least respect the main duties when it comes to superstitions. Don’t keep asking for things that aren’t on their resumes.”
Qiu Qingkong: “……”
😂😂😂😂