In Search of Love Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Greetings, I am Yue Lao*.”
[TL/N: The god who unites people in marriage.]
Su Xiaopei was fiddling with the phone to dial a number. She was readying herself to call her aunt and report the conclusion of the blind dates she had so zealously set up for her niece. Unexpectedly, a young man came and sat down in the seat across from her, even initiated introducing himself.
Su Xiaopei lifted her eyes to look at him with furrowed brows.
No way, were two consecutive rounds not enough, now there’s a third?
The phone call went through and Su Xiaopei ignored the man in front of her to concentrate on her phone conversation.
“Reporting to the esteemed person*, the task is complete. I’ve met both men of which one left with a scowl on his face and lacking in demeanor; he didn’t even pay the bill. The other left gracelessly, biting his lips with red-rimmed eyes, and only paid for his own coffee.” Su Xiaopei looked across from her as she said this, “And now there’s another one surnamed Yue**. Aunt, if you planned to add on another blind date, at least inform me beforehand.”
[TL/N: * She’s being sarcastic here…
** The ‘yue’(岳) she’s thinking of, which means high mountain, and the ‘yue’(月), meaning moon, he actually is are totally different. She will continue to address him with the wrong word in this chapter, to highlight her misunderstandings.]
“Surnamed Yue? I didn’t introduce anyone surnamed Yue.” Su Li was quite surprised on the other end of the call, but when she registered what her niece just said, her voice became loud. “What do you mean by leaving with a scowl or biting his lips with red-rimmed eyes, what did you do? You did it again, did you? How many times have I told you already, stop being so prickly and surly. A girl should act more like one, such as conversing with others well, be soft-spoken, be reserved and well-mannered. Did you not listen again?”
“I did, I was reserved and well-mannered, remained objective in my evaluation and responded in kind to them.” If she hadn’t been so ‘reserved and well-mannered’, she would have long turned her face away and left.
Su Li rubbed at her forehead, “What is it this time? What’s wrong with the two of them?”
Su Xiaopei replied, “The one with the scowl told me with such arrogance that he hoped I would continue working after marriage because he wants to make sure that husband and wife would be financially independent- each to spend what each individually earns. His head’s bloated with pride, looking down on the rest of us ‘mortals’. My dear Aunt, you must surely be able to imagine his expression.”
Su Li remained silent as she couldn’t picture that man’s facial expression. But she could certainly imagine her stubborn niece’s reaction.
“So I very politely asked him how much his monthly earnings were? I then also very politely told him I earned more than him. And again, I oh so graciously reminded him that this was merely the first meeting, that I did not take a liking to him and certainly did not plan to marry him, so he was thinking way too ahead of himself by saying those things. After that, I again very politely encouraged him to work hard because his salary figures are really nothing to be proud of.”
Su Li was so angered in the phone call that she couldn’t even sigh. She knew it, she just knew it.
Su Xiaopei continued, “The second guy with the red-rimmed eyes just had to mention his mom in every sentence. Said his mom preferred someone who could cook and so asked me how my cooking skills are; and then said his mom preferred to do morning exercises so it would be great if I could accompany his mom to the park every morning; and then he said his mom watched movies every night so I mustn’t fight with her over it. He was babbling so much drivel that I very politely asked him, if I were to marry his mom, would his dad mind? He immediately gave me a look, like he’d been aggrieved of something, and told me that he found me unpleasant to hear. He prattled more than dozens worth of nonsense while I merely spoke once. Who was he pretending to be weak and helpless for?”
Su Xiaopei was twenty-seven this year. Ordinarily, she could understand that at her age, her elders would naturally become anxious, so she never resisted any of the blind dates they arranged for her like it was a matter of life and death. But could they not make her meet increasingly bizarre people the more they introduced them? She also had standards and self-respect.
Su Xiaopei lifted her eyes again as she continued speaking to see if that Yue was still there. She’d already said as much, he should be sensible enough to leave already, right?
Sure enough, he didn’t. He was still sitting there patiently waiting, even smiling politely when their gaze met. Su Xiaopei frowned, broke eye contact and ignored him.
Su Li, who was still on the phone, wanted very much to rebuke Su Xiaopei but was at a loss for words, only managing to say, “I’ll speak with the friend who introduced them. Such behavior is really improper.”
“Exactly. It is a relief to know you understand, Aunt.” Su Xiaopei then took the opportunity to say, “In this case, I ask Aunt that you be even more understanding. The incidents tonight have caused me a lot of mental trauma. I have a stress-induced mental disorder, so let me take a break for a few months and postpone these blind dates for a while.”
“What stress-induced disorder?” Su Li was momentarily stunned, and then roared loud enough to shake the ceiling, “Don’t you use those words with me! I believe it’s more accurate to say the ones to end up with a mental disorder are rather those men who came to the blind date with you.”
“Then I truly feel guilty. This is also a type of mental trauma so I will need to rest and recuperate a little.”
“Don’t even think about it! You’ve already evaded this for two months. Stop finding excuses! Don’t you invariably find fault in the other person- take a critical look at yourself instead and see that you have plenty of shortcomings yourself. And what about the attitude you take when speaking to others? Oh Xiaopei, just listen to this Aunt, and be a little more sensible. You’re not young anymore and should plan for your future, or else you’ll end up being a older-aged pregnant lady….” Su Li was this close to thumping her heart with a fist. She really wished that disobedient niece was right in front of her so she could shake some sense into her.
“Stop. Stop.” Su Xiaopei felt her head throbbing. She had yet to see a shadow of a man she could remotely respect, and yet they were jumping right into having a child?
“And there’s still your mother, you need to stop being so stubborn. Your mother is thinking for your sake, so don’t always oppose her.”
Su Xiaopei scrunched up her face, “I don’t always oppose her. Was it not her who told me to change jobs and I changed it, was it not her who wanted me to go on blind dates and I went?”
“You…..” Su Xiaopei’s words were, on the surface, without fault. Su Li couldn’t find the words to chastise her for it, but this niece just had too many bad habits and so deserved every bit of rebuking.
“Aunt, you must be tired so go drink a cup of water and rest. I’m going to hang up now. You’re always busy on the phone so I shouldn’t take up the line, so bye bye. And do also let the men introduced by that person to also have a good rest, so no need to send them over to see me any time soon. I just changed my job and am quite busy. Oh, the signal over here is getting terrible. Ah, Mr. Yue over here still hasn’t left so I’ll have a chat with him first. I should hang up so I’ll just hang up now, okay. Bye bye.”
Su Xiaopei swiftly hung up the phone without sparing Su Li any chance to prepare her scolding. She lifted her eyes again, that person surnamed Yue sat there as if this was his leisure time and was still waiting for her patiently.
Su Xiaopei had no interest whatsoever in paying him any attention. Since he wasn’t someone sent by her Aunt for a blind date, then she need not waste time or energy to humour him.
“Su Xiaopei, I came to notify you of an important matter. You must listen to me.”
An important matter?
Su Xiaopei’s heart jolted a little. Could it be related to that?
She remained silent and pretended to casually play with her phone though she was actually sneaking a snapshot of the man across from her. She was mentally prepared but she always made sure to keep all possible evidence.
“What did you say your name was just now?” She labeled the photo with the word ‘yue’* and then waited for him to reintroduce himself.
“Yue Lao.”
“ ‘Yue’ what?” Su Xiaopei lightly frowned. She heard wrong right? Or did this guy see her on a blind date just now and decided to toy with her?
“I’m indeed the Yue Lao from mythology, the one who oversees the marital fates of mortals.”
Su Xiaopei took up her phone with a snap, now certain he was toying with her.
“I understand.” She threw the phone into her purse and got ready to leave. “You must be a salesman of those matchmaking websites.”
“No.” He thought over his words with much seriousness. “Strictly speaking, I should be at the Executive Director level in managing marital fates.”
And at the Director level? She sure wasn’t able to keep up with the trends. She didn’t know that men have since changed tactics when trying to strike a conversation with women.
Su Xiaopei snatched up the bill and got ready to leave.
“Su Xiaopei, on the thirteenth of July at 7:13 in the evening, a car accident occurred at the north entrance of Wutong Road. Two cars collided in front of you, do you remember?”
Su Xiaopei halted. Of course she remembered.
July thirteen was the day of her father’s death anniversary and Wutong Road was where he’d met his end.
Of course she remembered.
On that Friday, she had deliberately gone there after work to stand at the intersection and look upon the place where her father had fallen. To remind herself to never forget. Right when she had become deeply absorbed and dazed in her thoughts, two cars crashed into each other just two meters shy of her.
Was it possible to forget such an incident?
Su Xiaopei returned to her seat- she needed to hear just what this person had to say. Could it be that the car accident had something to do with her father’s death? It’s been many years and yet she couldn’t find any useful clues on the killer.
“How did you know I was there?”
The man cleared his throat and didn’t reply but rather said, “Of the two drivers, the car accident caused one death and one severely injured. The one held responsible for the incident was determined to be the dead driver who ran a red light. But this isn’t the main point I want to tell you. The important point is about the one injured.”
Su Xiaopei listened with seriousness.
“Please, you must remember what I’m about to tell you: his name is Cheng Jiangyi and is currently staying at the First Hospital, building number two, in the VIP room on the twenty-fifth floor. You need to go find him, the sooner the better.”
“Find him to do what?” Su Xiaopei took out her notebook out of habit and began recording what she heard.
“You need to understand him in order to find him.”
Su Xiaopei was taken aback. “Isn’t he in the ward?”
“He is in the ward but has also been in a comatose state ever since.”
“Then what are you referring to when saying ‘find’ him?”
“You listen well. There exist worlds beyond the one you see before you. The conservation of energy, the interlocking of the space-time continuum- only when these two operate and remain closely together can eternity be maintained.”
This was all gibberish. Su Xiaopei frowned.
Yue Lao thought for a moment, then explained, “Simply put, you can imagine this as two worlds being like the Bagua* board with the two parts splicing together, operating and revolving around each other as one, in order to maintain energy.”
[TL/N: 八卦图 literally translates to the board of eight arrays/diagrams but it is more known as the eight trigrams in the West. It is a type of divination method originating from the Book of Changes in Taoism. There are also legends, however, of the historical figure Zhuge Liang ebing the inventor as a means of strategizing (his occupation), and arranging the ancient military formation.]
“Is that so?” Su Xiaopei was beginning to suspect that the person across from her had some sort of mental disturbance, and so on the contrary, she began to settle down with patience. “Mr. Yue, this theory of yours is too profound so I can’t quite understand. Can you explain the main points in a simplified manner?”
“This is one of the main points, and very important.” Yue Lao gave her an innocent look. “Moreover, the situation isn’t that complicated, but in plain words, Cheng Jiangyi is your fated lover. The two of you were originally supposed to have made your first encounter on the thirteenth of July and develop your relationship from there. But an unexpected disaster crossed your paths and thus, you brushed past each other and missed the chance.”
“Oh, is that so?” Su Xiaopei nodded her head, remaining calm. Due to her occupation, she had seen patients with delusional disorders aplenty. But the contents of this patient’s delusions were quite novel. She observed his expressions thoroughly and silently assessed his condition in her heart.
“He was supposed to die from severe injuries in that accident, but for the fact that his marital fate was tied too deeply to you. This unfulfilled fate prevented his life from being cut short, and thus he’s hanging on by a thread. But the consequences of this accident is dire as the impact was enough to send him to a parallel world. I had been busy with another [case]* so I hadn’t noticed until now. I originally had wanted to deal with it simply by removing the entanglement between you and let you live your own lives and find fate again. But the red thread was tied too tightly to your fingers, I couldn’t find a means to disentangle it. I have to say that I haven’t been in this position for too long so this is my first time encountering this. I can no longer cut that red thread because both of your marital fates will then be ruined for several lifetimes; a damaged red thread needs extensive time to repair itself and connect to a fated person again. It is even more difficult to re-tie it. In saying this, can you understand the severity of this situation?”
[TL/N: This was written in English haha. We sometimes speak in what is now called ‘Chinglish’ these days…. So from now on, anything written directly in English will be thus demarcated. Don’t worry, there’s a reason why much much later.]
Su Xiaopei nodded again and closed her notebook. She didn’t know the severity of this matter, but as someone with the professional qualifications of a former psychiatrist, she believed the person in front of her needed serious help.
“Mr. Yue, when did you become aware that you are the executive director in managing marital fates?”
Yue Lao’s eyes rounded, and the innocent expression resurfaced. “You don’t believe me? You must believe me! If you don’t retrieve him, then the consequences will be equally as terrible as cutting the red thread. The both of you will be without your other half for several lifetimes with affections unreciprocated, and remain single and lonely till old. No matter the amount of blind dates, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to have a good marital fate. Even if you force yourself to get married, there will be emotional discord and life will turn miserable.”
“Do you believe me to be called Su Xiaopei?”
Su Xiaopei’s rhetorical question startled Yue Lao. “Aren’t you?” He couldn’t have made another big mishap, right? “When you were on the blind date just now, that man did call you Su Xiaopei.”
Su Xiaopei nodded. Seems this person really wasn’t acquainted with her, but had just watched her during the blind date.
“On July thirteen, were you on the scene of the car accident at Wutong Road?”, she confirmed again.
“That’s right.” Yue Lao replied solemnly, I’m obligated to record all fated encounters in case of any accidents occurring. Look, the situation you’re both in, is one such accident.”
Su Xiaopei finally understood. This person had seen her at the scene of the car accident, that was why he knew her location. Then he saw her here again and heard her name, so he approached her to talk. Only she didn’t know what triggered his delusions.
Su Xiaopei rummaged through her purse, found a business card and handed it Yue Lao. “As for my marital fate, Mr. Yue, it won’t be needing your assistance for the time being. But this person here definitely needs help. He has been deeply troubled over his marital fate for a long time; you should quickly get in contact with him as you’re the only one who can help. Have a good chat with him about his fated lover and his red thread. Just say that it was I who introduced you.”
Yue Lao was dumbfounded. He instinctively took the business card and took a look. A psychiatrist? She actually wanted to deceive him into seeing a psychiatrist? He wasn’t ill!
He really was Yue Lao!
“Remember to go find him, his marital fate is counting on you.” Su Xiaopei stood up. She was no longer a psychiatrist and so could only pass him onto her senior for a consultation and hope he can help. She took the bill and went to the cash register, now ready to leave.
Yue Lao hadn’t expected her to leave so quickly after sneakily coaxing him. He froze for a moment and then went to chase after her.
“Su Xiaopei, listen to me, I’m not trying to joke with you. The string of fate between you and Cheng Jiangyi is tied too tightly so only you can bring him back, and you must bring him back. If not, you’ll really live miserably alone for the rest of your life. Ah, that’s not right, if the red thread is broken, then it will be like this for several lifetimes….”
“Thank you.” Su Xiaopei exited the cafe after paying the bill and walked to her car.
“I’m very sorry for being so late in informing you. I really didn’t know the situation would become like this and I had never encountered such a case like yours before and so time is running out. You need to quickly make your way over to the hospital and see Cheng Jiangyi, to know more about him. It is unclear when you’ll be pulled into the parallel world by the red thread. If you’re unprepared, then how will you find him?”
“Thank you, Mr. Yue. You’ve worked hard so please don’t forget to make a call to the person on the business card.” Su Xiaopei took precautions whilst she continued on her way, making sure that the man had no intention to violently attack her. Seeing there was no unusual movement around, she opened the car door and quickly sat in.
Saying she needed to go bring him back at one moment, then saying she was going to be pulled over at the next- uttering words that didn’t correlate with one another. Su Xiaopei shook her head and started the car.
Yue Lao chased after the car and shouted, “If you find yourself pulled over there, do not be afraid for you’ll be fine. Only don’t forget, you must seize the opportunity to look for him and bring him back. I still haven’t found much information so wait until I can clarify the situation and I’ll let you know….. You must remember, quickly go to the hospital…… don’t be afraid, go find him……”
Su Xiaopei had already started her car and had already put some distance between her and that mentally psychotic Yue Lao. His voice was cut off outside the window and thus, was no longer audible.
