"Morning, Boss!"
"Morning."
"I bought the newspaper again today!"
"Any news?"
"Not really, but there's a new astrology column!"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I think it's about astrology. There's a lot of deep, complicated stuff about celestial bodies and star charts in there. Honestly, I can't understand a thing. But if you're interested, Boss, I can read it out loud for you."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Okay!"
As Xia Zhi kneaded dough, he listened to Zhu Zi read the paper—just something to pass the time.
But by the time she finished, he was a little surprised. He had assumed it was just a basic astronomy article written by a casual enthusiast, but it actually contained quite a few legit divination insights.
The author clearly intended to teach readers how to forecast the coming days' weather by observing celestial movements.
Interesting.
"Zhu Zi, does it say who wrote that article?"
"It does!"
"What's the name?"
"Astrologist... Mona... Megistus... So long!"
"Yeah, kinda lengthy. Mona, huh—that sounds like a woman's name... Xiangling, are the ingredients all chopped?"
"All chopped, Master!"
"Alright, start boiling the water for the soup."
"On it!"
"Zhu Zi, go check if everyone's up yet."
"Okay!"
Zhu Zi left the kitchen and gave the main hall a quick scan—seemed that one person was still missing.
"Shenhe isn't up yet?"
"Nope."
"It's rare to see Senior Shenhe sleep in!"
Xia Ci, resting her chin on one hand as she playfully toyed with her pocket watch, murmured mysteriously: "She probably stayed up late doing... something."
"I'll go wake her!"
Zhu Zi headed upstairs and knocked gently on Shenhe's door. "Shenhe, are you awake?"
After a moment, Shenhe's voice floated out: "Mm..."
Her voice was lazy, slightly husky—with a seductive, dreamy tone that made Zhu Zi pause for a beat before she spoke through the door.
"Breakfast is almost ready. Time to get up, Shenhe!"
"Okay, I'll be right down."
Having done her job, Zhu Zi went back downstairs.
A short while later, Shenhe came down as well.
She offered everyone a soft, slightly apologetic smile. "Morning."
The room went momentarily silent.
Then, everyone hurried to respond.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, Senior Shenhe!"
…
After greetings, Shenhe went to freshen up in the back.
The girls left in the living room exchanged glances and began whispering.
"Senior Shenhe's smile is sooo beautiful!"
"Her complexion looks especially good today, don't you think?"
"Maybe it's her eyes? They look so moist and... captivating?"
"Didn't they say she stayed up late? Why doesn't she have any dark circles?"
"I'm so jealous of adeptus physiques... they're totally immune to staying up late!"
"Right?!"
...
Qiqi quietly listened to the chatter, saying nothing.
Xia Ci continued fiddling with her pocket watch in silence.
As for Guoba—it just stared longingly at the kitchen door, swallowing drool repeatedly.
—
After breakfast.
Xia Zhi sipped his tea during a break, tossing a few Mora coins onto the table.
Having come across someone else who understood astrology, he was curious to learn more.
The Mora scattered and formed a reading.
Xia Zhi "looked" at it.
[Heaven over Wind – Guo Hexagram]
Also called [Meeting Hexagram], symbolizing a destined encounter in the near future.
According to this divination, the person would likely show up at his shop later this very morning.
Xia Zhi blinked and then smiled.
What a fateful connection.
He gathered the Mora and kept drinking his tea.
—
At 9 AM, the Summer Shop opened for its regular Monday business.
By 10:30, a hooded girl stepped through the door.
Xia Zhi immediately noticed her—not because she radiated mystic energy, but because the [Silver Tier Progress Bar] floating over her head was just too attention-grabbing.
Was this the author of the astrology column?
A bit too young, no?
Xia Zhi observed her curiously through his god's-eye-view.
She had chestnut pigtails tied at the ends with star-shaped accessories. She wore a Liyue-style blue jacket and had a slightly curvier build than Hu Tao.
Around her neck was a black scarf, and hanging at the back of it was a Hydro [Vision].
She ordered two cups of [Rainbow Juice].
During the process, Xia Zhi noticed a subtle flicker of reluctant heartache in her eyes.
Seems like she thought the drinks were too expensive—and she struggled to part with the Mora.
For someone who understood divination, money shouldn't be an issue.
Interesting.
Once the drinks were served and she took a sip, her expression instantly melted into deep satisfaction.
As she drank the juice, the silver-tier progress bar above her moved slightly.
Xia Zhi didn't put much stock into it.
[Silver Treasure Chests] were just casual side quests to him.
The girl quietly savored both cups.
It seemed her only reason for visiting the shop was to try the taste of [Rainbow Juice].
But as she left, she glanced back at Xia Zhi—a curious look in her eyes, as if intrigued by the owner himself.
—
That evening.
Shenhe returned.
This is the greatness of Light-type spells—recovery as the main selling point.
No matter how exhausted your body, it bounces back almost instantly.
"Due to the effect of [Brings Luck to Husband], host's permanent luck has increased by 0.01."
Xia Zhi glanced down and chuckled softly.
"Shenhe, you're starting to resemble Ganyu as a fellow martial sister."
Shenhe's face flushed, her eyes dazed.
"Mmm?"
One had [Auspiciousness]—doing good deeds constantly built up personal luck.
The other had [Brings Luck to Husband]—doing bad deeds boosted his luck.
Only difference was that Ganyu's skill was self-benefiting, while Shenhe's skills helped him.
A bit unfair.
It would be optimal if both of them could boost each other's luck... Hm?
Xia Zhi gave it some thought—and suddenly had a new idea.
He sat up, pulled out the [Temporary Certificate] from his status panel, and wrote down a line:
"A man with the [Brings Luck to Wife] destiny."
Then he re-equipped the badge to his character sheet.
Immediately, a new temporary skill appeared in his abilities panel.
[Brings Luck to Wife] (Temporary): Passive. After experiencing a perfect fusion of body and soul with a woman, grants her 0.01 permanent luck. Can boost up to 100 points of luck for the same woman.
The idea paid off.
Plus, Xia Zhi wasn't like Shenhe.
He had the [Scholar's Ring], which passively increases non-damage-related passives by 30%.
And then there's the [Temporary Certificate]'s hidden effect—temporary skill effects +20%.
So mathematically speaking, in each interaction, Shenhe's luck was actually increasing faster than his.
Though the 100-point limit puts a cap on gains, the actual pace doesn't really matter—as long as it's a win-win.
"Shenhe."
"Boss?"
"From now on, you're not just innately strong—you're innately lucky too."
"Huh?"
And then... nothing more needed to be said.
Well—to be frank, what followed was countless system alerts and bell chimes throughout the night, and another "Shenhe wakes up late" morning.
---
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