At nine o'clock the next morning, while Long Feicheng was still asleep and getting his bones examined by a young lady, Yan Shouyi was already awake.
Nine o'clock was already a severe case of sleeping in for him, but he had encountered too many things these past few days, which had drained his energy considerably.
The first thing he did upon waking was to cast a divination.
Yan Shouyi took out his compass, spun it gently, and murmured, "Si does not divine, inviting disaster oneself; Shen does not settle the bed, spirits enter the room... Damn, it's Si hour right now!"
The first two lines were from "Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos," which refers to specific days or times within the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system, advising against certain actions on those days or times to avoid misfortune.
Yan Shouyi had just calculated a "Si hour, do not divine, inviting disaster oneself," and it was indeed Si hour now.
This meant he had already transgressed.
According to the principles of the Xiao Liuren Divination system, everything in the universe is connected. Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and the Five Elements, Bagua – in modern terms, this is the butterfly effect.
A small, unintentional act can create a chain reaction, ultimately affecting the future, and the outcome is already determined at the moment you perform that small act.
This left Yan Shouyi troubled. "After working hard for several days and finally settling down, only to transgress on the first day! Sigh!"
Yan Shouyi's muttering woke up Long Feicheng. He rolled over groggily and asked, "Brother Yan, what are you muttering about so early in the morning?"
Yan Shouyi told Long Feicheng that he had violated Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos. Long Feicheng, still half-asleep, said, "You calculating for yourself might not be accurate. How about I calculate for you?"
"Is your technique any good... Let's wait until you're fully awake." Yan Shouyi was filled with doubt about Long Feicheng's skills.
Long Feicheng hugged his pillow and said, "You can question my character, but please don't question my professional expertise!"
"...Alright."
Yan Shouyi, half-believing, agreed and gave Long Feicheng his birth details.
Long Feicheng mumbled and calculated on the bed for a long time, finally revealing a confident expression. "According to my calculations, Brother Yan, you are a Capricorn, and Capricorns are experiencing severe retrograde Mercury this month!"
Yan Shouyi: "Get lost!"
After all that, the guy was calculating horoscopes. Yan Shouyi didn't know what he had been expecting.
He rolled out of bed and went to the balcony to wash up with a clatter. Long Feicheng covered his head with a pillow, preparing for them to ignore the outside world and focus solely on going back to sleep.
After washing up, Yan Shouyi changed into his security uniform and went for a stroll.
Gao Junming had been removed from his position. He was now the captain of the security team, but Yan Shouyi had no idea what a security captain was supposed to do, so he felt a bit lost for a moment.
This was the first time in his life he had felt lost.
It had to be said that the campus environment of Shanghang Art School was excellent. The internal design was in the style of Suzhou gardens, which was also one of Yan Shouyi's favorite styles.
Back when he went with his grandfather to those grand houses in Suzhou, there were similar pavilions, corridors, and waterside pavilions. It was a pity his grandfather was blind and couldn't see, so Yan Shouyi had to describe it to him. Yan Shouyi, who hadn't attended school much back then, described it like this: a big pond, lots of carp, round doors, and rockeries in the courtyard...
Since visiting Suzhou that time, his grandfather had made a firm decision to take Yan Shouyi to the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and hired a seemingly formidable teacher to instruct Yan Shouyi for a full two years...
Walking through the campus of Shanghang Art School, Yan Shouyi saw many vibrant college students. Moreover, the art school had more girls, and they were all very attractive.
Since ancient times, heroes have loved beauties, and Yan Shouyi was no saint. He simply sat by the roadside and watched.
"Are my legs nice?"
Suddenly, someone beside Yan Shouyi asked.
"Very nice." Yan Shouyi replied instinctively.
"Long, slender, and fair?"
"Yes!"
"How do they compare to mine?"
"Ah?"
Yan Shouyi looked down and indeed saw a pair of fair, long legs. Looking up, he realized that the owner of these legs could only be Lin Zitong!
Even though Lin Zitong was wearing a mask and sunglasses, Yan Shouyi recognized her at a glance.
Lin Zitong grabbed Yan Shouyi's ear and questioned him, "You don't look at what you have at home, but you have to look at those wild flowers and weeds, those warblers and swallows by the roadside. Caiwei was right, no man in this world is without lust!"
Yan Shouyi cried out in pain and managed to break free. He couldn't help but get a little angry.
"Can you be a little more modest in public? Also, why are you here?"
"I study here, why can't I be here?" Lin Zitong put her hands on her hips and said, "I've been wandering around the school since early morning, specifically to find you."
Yan Shouyi was speechless, "Are you very idle?"
"No one is more idle than you, the esteemed captain of the security team, sitting by the roadside looking at beautiful women," Lin Zitong said with a hint of grievance.
Yan Shouyi didn't bother to explain. He didn't have a girlfriend anyway, only a fiancée he hadn't met yet. So, looking at beautiful women wasn't a moral transgression.
Lin Zitong sat beside Yan Shouyi, huffing and saying nothing.
But her presence attracted a lot of attention to Yan Shouyi.
Even though Lin Zitong had her face covered, her figure and temperament were still first-class. Judging by the small portion of her cheeks revealed from her mask and sunglasses, men had already pictured her unparalleled beauty in their minds.
With such a beautiful woman sitting next to a mere security guard, anyone would find it strange.
But Lin Zitong didn't care.
Yan Shouyi, feeling awkward, remembered his conversation with Ye Chengfu last night. Looking at Lin Zitong's reaction now, Ye Chengfu probably hadn't told her what he had said.
Yan Shouyi wanted to tell Lin Zitong himself, but the words wouldn't come out for some reason.
He could only hold back, as if to delay it for another day, as if he also hoped that day would come a little later.
Lin Zitong was angry for a while. Seeing that Yan Shouyi still wasn't speaking, she took the initiative to ask, "Why were you in the girls' dormitory yesterday?"
Yan Shouyi didn't hide anything and told Lin Zitong that he was looking for Chen Dawei's soul.
Lin Zitong frowned as she listened, "You said you had something to ask Chen Dawei. What is it? Is it important?"
"It's very important, but I can't tell you," Yan Shouyi said.
"Hmph, you hide everything from me, just like when we were kids."
"This time it's different. Sigh, I'll tell you after it's resolved!"
Yan Shouyi sighed inwardly. If it couldn't be resolved, he probably wouldn't have the chance to tell Lin Zitong in person.
Lin Zitong got angry again. Yan Shouyi could see her pouting mouth even through her mask. Being not good with words, he could only touch his nose and choose to remain silent. Otherwise, if he angered Lin Zitong further, the response would surely be a punch.
They sat there like that, watching the willow branches sway on both sides of the campus, watching men and women walking hand in hand under the trees, watching the sunlight move from one side to the other.
The occasional gentle breeze brought a hint of coolness, seemingly blowing away Lin Zitong's unhappiness.
She propped her hands on the chair and swung her legs gently in the air, as if enjoying the time spent sitting with Yan Shouyi.
However, such moments were always fleeting.
A sharp voice broke the tranquility: "Shanghang Art School, return my father's life!"