Chapter 52: Zodiac Signs

Jiang Mingzhi looked at Pei Jinyang with a gaze that seemed to say, “Are you an idiot?” She sighed with difficulty and asked, “Don’t you really want to go to the hospital?”

Maybe you should check your brain.

Pei Jinyang, unbothered by Jiang Mingzhi’s sharp sarcasm, stood still as if trying to see through her skin to her inner thoughts.

Jiang Mingzhi let out a faint laugh, her eyes glinting with mockery as she stared at Pei Jinyang.

His dark eyes resembled the night outside—mysterious and unyielding.

In truth, Pei Jinyang wasn’t entirely wrong. Initially, she had approached Guan Jinxu with some hidden motives, things she couldn’t express easily.

But she hadn’t taken any harmful actions against him. After spending time together and building a real friendship, she genuinely considered Guan Jinxu a good friend.

As for Pei Jinyang, the farther away he stayed, the better.

Pei Jinyang’s expression darkened. He truly hated the way Jiang Mingzhi treated him—arrogant and dismissive.

His gaze swept over her, his body subtly distancing itself as if admitting defeat.

The light above finally found an opportunity to shine on Jiang Mingzhi’s face.

Jiang Mingzhi suddenly smiled, her bright grin carrying an undertone of mischief, “Pei Jinyang, you don’t have feelings for me, do you?”

Pei Jinyang’s eyes flickered with uncertainty as his gaze dropped to her full lips. He quickly recovered, grinning in return, “With your narcissism, does your mom know?”

Jiang Mingzhi pushed him away and stood up, “It’s better if you don’t. Otherwise, it’s quite off-putting.”

She knew Pei Jinyang was a person who valued his pride above all else, so saying something like this would surely provoke his irritation.

She had already noticed something off about him earlier, and if she didn’t stop him in time, she feared Pei Jinyang might walk down the same path as in their past life.

In their previous life, their relationship changed because of a completely random kiss.

One moment, they were at odds, and the next, he was kissing her.

Fortunately, Jiang Mingzhi understood Pei Jinyang well. After that night, he never took the initiative to speak to her again.

There wasn’t even an argument—he seemed to be silently proving, “I’m not interested in you at all.”

Jiang Mingzhi felt relieved, her mood lightened.

She strolled through the familiar campus, enjoying the refreshing breeze against her skin.

Listening to Zhuang Heyang excitedly declare his goals, playing tennis with Guan Jinxu, or occasionally chatting with Meng Yuanyuan about interesting things.

These small moments allowed Jiang Mingzhi to relax amidst the piles of exams.

During the big break that day, Meng Yuanyuan pulled out a deck of tarot cards from her bag and set up a crystal next to them dramatically.

“Would you like me to read your fortune?”

Jiang Mingzhi asked, “What can you predict?”

Meng Yuanyuan shuffled the cards, sounding mysterious, “Anything you want to know.”

Jiang Mingzhi smirked, “Then tell me about my past life.”

Meng Yuanyuan scratched her head in confusion, “This…”

In the end, Meng Yuanyuan didn’t help Jiang Mingzhi with that, but instead read for the girl sitting in front of them, “What does he feel about you?”

Meng Yuanyuan asked, “What’s his zodiac sign?”

“The compatibility between you two is really low. It seems like you can’t really understand each other,” she said.

The girl in front of them visibly slumped, and Jiang Mingzhi comforted her, “Zodiac signs aren’t accurate.”

They even say that Leo and Sagittarius are a perfect match, 100% compatible.

“It’s quite accurate,” Meng Yuanyuan said. “Aquarius only shares and communicates when they really like someone. They easily get infatuated, and they’re most afraid of conflicts not being addressed—cold violence.”

Jiang Mingzhi rubbed her forehead, “Sweetheart, think about it—who doesn’t do that? Whether it’s Aquarius or Cement (a joke about a bad sign), what you just said applies to everyone.”

“…”

“So how do you tell if someone likes you?”

Jiang Mingzhi said, “As long as he likes you enough, there’s no need for you to guess and overthink.”

Meng Yuanyuan raised a finger, shaking her head, “No, no, no. It’s all about the guessing, the ambiguity, the teasing. That’s what makes it interesting.”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled, “Well, that’s true. I didn’t expect you, a single-for-life, to understand.”

Meng Yuanyuan shot back, “You haven’t dated either, so don’t talk to me.”

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t dare respond. Not only had she dated, but she had been married.

The girls in front of them were in a playful uproar. Guan Jinxu, sitting in the back row, was fiddling with his phone:

[What zodiac sign is November 30?]
[Sagittarius girl characteristics]
[Sagittarius and someone born on February 14 compatibility?]

Suddenly, a tap on his shoulder interrupted him. Guan Jinxu quickly swiped the screen and exited the webpage.

Zhuang Heyang leaned down to look, “So guilty. What are you looking at?”

Having searched around with no results, he sighed and patted his best friend’s shoulder, “In broad daylight, don’t look at that kind of unhealthy stuff.”

Guan Jinxu responded, “Indeed, you’re the most unhealthy thing. Stay away from me.”

Zhuang Heyang was speechless.

—clap, clap, clap—The class monitor knocked the chalkboard with a stick and loudly asked, “Is anyone signing up for the Campus Singer Contest?”

Zhuang Heyang raised both hands: “Me, me, me!”

Not satisfied with signing himself up, he lifted Guan Jinxu’s right hand, “And him!”

All eyes in the class were on them. Jiang Mingzhi clapped and cheered, “Wow, looks like we have two singing gods.”

Guan Jinxu tried to pull his hand away, but Zhuang Heyang held on tightly.

Some people struggled to keep their laughter in.

Zhuang Heyang and Guan Jinxu had both signed up. This time, there were a lot of students who signed up for the singing contest. After all, the school hadn’t organized many entertainment activities this year, and singing was one event with no prerequisites.

Zhuang Heyang encouraged Jiang Mingzhi and Meng Yuanyuan to sign up together, “Later, we’ll form a group called ‘First Class F4,’ make it to the finals, and win the championship.”

Meng Yuanyuan waved her hand, “I’m tone-deaf, I don’t want to hold you guys back.”

Jiang Mingzhi, seeing Zhuang Heyang’s hopeful look, nodded, “I’ll join just to make up the numbers.”

She believed her singing wasn’t terrible—though it wasn’t great either, just typical karaoke level.

Zhuang Heyang said, “Let’s practice this weekend.”

He rubbed his hands together, and by the end of class, they had already decided on their audition songs, what they would sing in the 50-to-18 round, and what to sing in the finals.

Jiang Mingzhi looked at his confident demeanor and then at Guan Jinxu’s nonchalant attitude. She thought: Maybe the real pros are people like Guan Jinxu—still as the wind, but once they move, they surprise you.