A small hut, as if watched over by gods. Inside, spring water trickled from a fissure in the stone. Incense smoldered, its smoke curling in the damp air. And there was an enigmatic old woman, muttering things you couldn’t quite make out.

This was the first time Chen Yuan had ever sought out a fortune-teller on his own.

He didn’t believe gods were watching from above; he was more inclined to believe it was a kind of art.

Fortune-tellers were often worldly and observant, able to make apt judgments based on a visitor’s status, clothing, and manner of speaking. It was usually those who desired something that came to pray to the gods, so fortune-tellers could exploit that mindset.

Chen Yuan recalled the cramped little hut, cluttered with objects, and the old woman muttering in a barely audible local dialect.

It created a solemn, heavy atmosphere.

This solemnity was completely different from the feeling one got in a temple; it was more like a hazy dream.

A little over ten minutes passed.

The incense stick burned out.

Chen Yuan paid, said his thanks, and left the room. The moment he breathed in the fresh air outside, he let out a sudden sigh of relief. The acrid smell of smoke had made him want to sneeze.

A cool breeze was still blowing outside.

Once the three of them were down the steps, they began to discuss it with great interest.

"That was amazing. How could that old woman so accurately describe the young master’s personality and his past experiences? I was completely stunned just now."

"It’s not that surprising. People who are skilled in this art can indeed judge a person’s family background and personality from their face."

"So, the old woman said the young master only had one tribulation at birth, and after that, everything would go smoothly with no more misfortune. Does that mean he’s very blessed?"

"I suppose so."

"That’s good, then. Let’s just take it as a hopeful wish for the young master’s bright future. In that case, I’m willing to believe it." A faint smile appeared on Jiangg Yao’s cheeks.

That little interlude passed.

They still had a mountain to climb, of course.

The two sisters were surprisingly in agreement on one point—they paid no mind to the enigmatic old woman’s prediction about their love lives. A moment ago, a single stick of incense in the burner had burned from top to bottom, its ash curling over but refusing to fall, no matter what.

The old woman had said this was "romance incense," proving his romantic fate was so strong he would never lack for red strings of destiny in his life.

Why didn’t the two sisters care? Because the old woman only said the three of them were entangled by fate, without giving a specific time or answer. Of course they knew that; they had been entangled for a long time already, but the final outcome was about to be revealed.

They trusted Chen Yuan. If he said he would do something, he would do it.

They were completely oblivious to Chen Yuan’s various actions these past few days. Perhaps because he had always seemed so harmless before, both Jiangg Yao and Jiangg Ning refused to believe he could turn into a lying scumbag.

The three of them strolled up the steps.

Chen Yuan didn’t hear the sisters’ discussion. He was lost in his own thoughts.

’People always believe what they want to believe.’ He was an atheist, but the old woman’s words had struck a chord with him. Suddenly, he found this whole business of reading fortunes a little interesting.

’If it’s truly fated that I’ll be entangled with the two sisters for life, impossible to separate no matter what, then that’s genuinely exciting news for me.’

"Chen, why are you so distracted?" Jiangg Ning suddenly asked.

Her question startled Chen Yuan out of his thoughts.

"I’m not... I was just thinking about what that old woman said."

"Which part?"

"Well..." Chen Yuan glanced at Ningning, deciding to test her reaction. He feigned nonchalance and said, "Didn’t the old woman say the three of us are fated to be entangled? I was just wondering what kind of entanglement."

"You actually believe that?" Jiangg Ning covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Shouldn’t I?" he asked awkwardly.

"I never believe in this stuff. I just treat it as a form of respect for the culture. Maintaining a basic sense of reverence is enough. Isn’t everything ultimately decided by people? Just because she said we’re entangled, does that mean we have to be?"

Chen Yuan listened.

After a moment of silence, he shrugged.

"You’re right. It’s all decided by people, isn’t it?"

Composing himself slightly, Chen Yuan and the two sisters decided to head for the summit immediately. They hoped to see the sunset, which would make the trip worthwhile.

Watching the sunset from the mountaintop would be a completely different and novel experience.

...

Although their original plan was to climb to the summit, the weather seemed to be playing a cruel joke on them, growing progressively worse. It had started to get cloudy at noon, and by the afternoon, dark clouds covered the sky. Before long, a light drizzle began to fall from the gray expanse.

On the mountain, the fog was so thick that they could barely see the steps right in front of them. This only became more pronounced the higher they climbed, as the intensifying rain began to flood the stone path.

Water was RUSHING down from above.

It formed staggered curtains of water between each step.

The scene was truly magnificent.

The sunset was a lost cause. The three of them found a pavilion to take shelter from the rain and watched the scene before them helplessly.

"When I was looking at the guide yesterday, the weather forecast said no rain. It was supposed to be bright and sunny for several days straight." Chen Yuan shrugged, turning to Jiangg Ning. "I got tricked."

"It’s fine. This way we can go home a bit earlier and rest. Maybe I can even finish the schedule I was working on yesterday."

Jiangg Ning didn’t seem disappointed at all. In fact, she was happy they couldn’t continue climbing. The rain gave her another option; she had felt a little guilty about coming out to have fun in the first place.

It was only her first day on the job. Now that she had accepted the position as Chen Yuan’s secretary, she was determined to work hard, fulfill her responsibilities, integrate into the company culture as soon as possible, and do an excellent job.