Chapter 20:The Day Of Destiny

Zhou Mingrui slumped into the chair with a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples as if trying to massage away the relentless bad luck that had been hounding him.

It was March 31, 2018, and the month had been nothing short of a disaster for him. As he leaned back, the weariness in his voice was palpable.

"I've been having the worst luck lately!" Zhou groaned, glancing over at Meng Xian, who was focused on her work in the corner of the room. He didn't need to embellish the details; the misfortunes had piled up high enough to speak for themselves.

Zhou recounted his recent string of calamities. "First, I almost lost my phone. I could've sworn I placed it on the table, but when I reached for it, it was gone. Found it wedged between the couch cushions hours later.

Then my computer—my precious lifeline—got hit by a virus. I spent an entire night trying to fix it, only to lose half my files in the process." His voice cracked slightly as he relived the frustration. "And to top it all off, I tripped—no, I face-planted—right outside the convenience store.

It wasn't even a subtle stumble; it was a full-on crash to the pavement. I thought I'd broken my nose."

Zhou's expression grew even more disheartened as he recounted the trivial but personally significant misfortune that seemed to sum it all up.

"And the bread, the one thing I look forward to every morning... It's been out of stock for a week! It's like the universe doesn't even want me to enjoy the little things anymore."

As he spoke, Zhou Mingrui's voice took on a slightly incredulous tone, as if he still couldn't quite believe the relentless misfortune that had befallen him.

"Bad things just keep happening, one after another. It's like I'm cursed or something."

Meng Xian looked up from her work briefly, her brow furrowed with concern. She knew Zhou had been having a rough time, but hearing him lay it all out like this made it clear just how much it was weighing on him.

Zhou's tone shifted as he launched into a specific example that had happened just that afternoon—a story that should have been a simple gaming session but had instead turned into another chapter of his misadventures.

"This afternoon," he began, "while you were working overtime, I decided to play some Stardew Valley to unwind. Just me, my virtual farm, and the hope of a peaceful escape from reality. But the moment I logged in, I noticed something was wrong. A portion of my carefully planted crops had been mysteriously trampled overnight.

Maybe it was a rogue crow that somehow got past my scarecrow. Whatever it was, it felt like a slap in the face. I'd worked so hard on those crops."

He paused, the memory clearly frustrating him even now. "But I didn't give up. I figured, 'Alright, let's check on the animals. They always cheer me up.' So I head over to the barn, expecting to be greeted by my happy chickens. But when I open the door, it's dead silent.

The usual clucking and flapping are gone. My chickens are all in a foul mood, glaring at me like I'm the enemy. And then I realize—I forgot to buy enough hay.

They've been hungry for days, and now they're pissed. No eggs, no mayo, no money. Just angry chickens staring me down like I'm the worst farmer in the world."

Zhou chuckled bitterly, his shoulders slumping further. "I felt like I'd let them down. It's just a game, but it felt so... personal."

He continued, recounting how he'd tried to salvage the day. "I thought I could still save the situation, so I decided to buy some hay from Marnie's ranch.

But when I got there, Marnie wasn't home. Her place was closed, and I was left standing there in the rain, soaked and frustrated. It was like the game was mocking me."

His voice dropped to a defeated whisper as he added, "And it didn't stop there. I went to town, thinking maybe I could at least sell some foraged goods or chat with the townspeople.

But Pelican Town was a ghost town. Pierre's store was packed, and when I tried to talk to Abigail, she just brushed me off. Even the NPCs didn't want to deal with me today."

Zhou paused, staring blankly ahead as if reliving the series of unfortunate events. "I thought maybe upgrading a tool at Clint's would give me a sense of progress, but guess what? I left my gold bars back at the farm. No upgrade, no nothing. I just stood there, staring at the screen, feeling like the universe was conspiring against me."

He sighed heavily, his hands dropping into his lap. "In a last-ditch effort, I went to the community center to complete a bundle, thinking it would turn things around. But of course, I was missing a crucial item. I had it yesterday—I'm sure of it—but now it's just... gone.

Maybe I sold it by mistake, or lost it in the mines. Who knows? I just stared at my inventory, knowing there was nothing I could do."

Zhou's voice grew quieter, tinged with a mix of disbelief and resignation. "I ended up at the beach, thinking maybe I could find some treasure to cheer me up. But when I got there, all I found was junk. Broken glasses, driftwood, soggy newspapers... No treasures, just the ocean's garbage. It felt like even the sea was against me today."

He finally met Meng Xian's eyes, his expression one of sad bewilderment. "I logged off after that. I couldn't take it anymore. It was like... like being possessed by the god of misfortune."

Meng Xian's mouth twitched slightly as she listened to Zhou Mingrui's long-winded rant about his string of bad luck. She couldn't help but find the situation a bit amusing, though she masked her amusement with a neutral expression.

When Zhou finally paused to catch his breath, his eyes met hers with an almost desperate hopefulness that made her heart soften.

"Meng Xian, you know some magic, right? Isn't there anything you can teach me?"

Zhou's voice was a mix of frustration and genuine curiosity, his wide eyes searching hers for some kind of mystical solution to his seemingly endless misfortune.

Meng Xian sighed softly, her eyes reflecting a hint of weariness. Dark circles under her eyes and she wasn't exactly in the mood to entertain the idea of performing some makeshift ritual. Still, Zhou's earnest expression tugged at her heart.

"I'm sorry, Zhou," Meng Xian began, her voice gentle yet firm. "The things I know… I learned them myself through reading, through practice.

They're not exactly the kind of thing I can just teach to someone else, especially not in a situation like this." She paused, noting the slight droop in Zhou's shoulders. She couldn't leave him without at least a glimmer of hope. "But," she added, a small smile playing on her lips, "you call yourself a keyboard warrior, right? Maybe there's something you've come across before—some kind of metaphysical ritual or old folk practice that could help?"

Zhou's eyes lit up as he began to think hard, his brows furrowed in concentration.

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, his face brightening as the memory came rushing back. "Last year, when I went back to my hometown, I found this old book at a used bookstall—'A Summary of the Secret Alchemy Techniques of the Qin and Han Dynasties.' I thought it was interesting, so I bought it, but it was bound vertically and was a pain to read.

I only skimmed through the beginning before throwing it in a drawer with a set of tarot cards. But now I remember—there was a luck-changing ritual at the start of the book!"

Without waiting for Meng Xian's response, Zhou Mingrui shot up from his seat and dashed towards his bedroom, leaving Meng Xian sitting on the sofa, her gaze following his retreating figure. She sighed again, this time more deeply, and glanced down at her hands, which were now clenched slightly on her lap.

Her fingers trembled ever so slightly

A few moments later, Zhou Mingrui returned, clutching a tattered old book with a weathered cover. He sat down beside her, his excitement palpable as he flipped through the pages of "Records of Alchemy," muttering to himself.

"Lucky-luck ritual, lucky-luck ritual... Ah, here it is!" His voice rose in excitement as he found the page he was looking for. "Let me see… Just make four portions of the staple food of your area and place them in the four corners of the room.

You can put them on the table, cabinet, etc. Then stand in the middle of the room and walk out of a square counterclockwise in four steps. The first step is to recite sincerely..."

He pushed the book in front of Meng Xian, pointing to the page with a gleam in his eyes. "Meng Xian, should we give it a try?"

Meng Xian looked at the instructions, then back at Zhou Mingrui. His earnestness was almost too much to bear, and she couldn't help but smile, albeit weakly. "No, but you can try," she said with a small laugh, shaking her head. "It doesn't cost any money anyway."

Zhou Mingrui's eyes lit up with determination. "Okay then!" he said, nodding eagerly before jumping into action.

For the staple food, he initially considered using the noodles Meng Xian had stored, but when he saw her dim gaze, he hesitated.

She looked so worn out, so tired, and he didn't want to trouble her any further. Smiling awkwardly, he decided to use four bowls of rice instead.

He chose the kitchen as the room for the ritual, carefully placing three bowls of rice in the corners of the cupboard and one on top of the refrigerator. Meng Xian stood by, watching him with a dazed look, her mouth twitching slightly at the absurdity of it all.

Zhou Mingrui positioned himself in the middle of the kitchen, taking a deep breath as he prepared to perform the ritual. He began to walk in a square, counterclockwise, each step deliberate and filled with hope. As he took the first step, he recited:

"Blessings stem from the Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth."

"Blessings stem from the Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth."

"Blessings stem from the Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth."

"Blessings stem from the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth."

Meng Xian watched the ritual with complicated eyes

When Zhou Mingrui finished the ritual, he returned to his place at the center of the kitchen, his eyes squeezed shut as he stood there in silence.

Meng Xian could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. He was waiting—hoping—for something, anything, to happen.

Seconds turned into minutes as Zhou silently counted in his mind. Five minutes passed, but he added two more for good measure, just to be safe. Finally, with a deep breath, he opened his eyes.

Nothing had changed. The room was the same, the bowls of rice sat in their respective corners, untouched. The air was still, devoid of any magical presence or divine intervention.

Zhou Mingrui's heart sank as the reality of the situation settled in. The ritual, like so many other things, had failed to deliver the miracle he so desperately sought.

He forced a smile, turning to Meng Xian with a hollow chuckle. "Well, that was...something," he said, trying to keep his voice light. But the disappointment was evident in his eyes, and no amount of forced humor could mask the heaviness in his heart.

He sighed deeply, gathering the four bowls of rice that had failed to bring the miraculous change he had hoped for. Without much ado, he washed the rice, placed it in the rice cooker, and set it to cook.

The rhythmic hum of the appliance seemed to accompany his subdued mood as he prepared dinner.

Later, after dinner, Meng Xian joined Zhou Mingrui for a session of Stardew Valley. They immersed themselves in the pixelated world, their laughter echoing lightly in the apartment.

For a while, the game offered a pleasant distraction from their earlier disappointment.

Zhou Mingrui's mood lifted as he engaged in the playful activities of the game, and Meng Xian enjoyed the simplicity of the virtual farm. The brief respite was a welcome change, an escape from the heavier moments of the day.

As the clock approached ten, they made their way to the bathroom, taking turns to wash up. The warm water was soothing, washing away the weariness of the day.

Zhou Mingrui emerged first, his face glowing with the comfort of the warm towel. He turned to Meng Xian with a soft, genuine smile.

"Good night," he said, his voice warm and reassuring. "Sleep well. If you have trouble sleeping, just call me."

Meng Xian smiled back, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Good night. You too. Sleep well, and don't worry—I'll call if I need anything."

Meng Xian watched Zhou Mingrui walk into his room and close the door behind him, his figure vanishing from sight. As soon as he was out of view, her smile began to wane, revealing a trace of melancholy that she tried hard to mask.

The corridor fell silent, the faint echoes of their conversation lingering in the air like a distant memory.

In his room, Zhou Mingrui reclined on his bed, a soft sigh escaping his lips. He played with his phone for a while, his thoughts drifting between the warmth of Meng Xian's hospitality and the soothing tranquility of his surroundings.

He undressed, turned off the lights, and slipped under the covers, feeling the gentle embrace of the soft pillow and warm quilt around him.

It was as if the burdens of the day were being lifted from his shoulders, his tired body sinking into the comforting embrace of sleep. With each passing moment, his consciousness grew more relaxed, and he drifted into a serene, peaceful dream.

Across the hall, Meng Xian turned off the lights in the living room and moved to her room. Instead of heading straight to bed, she remained in the dimly lit space, her heart heavy with unspoken thoughts. She settled against the bay window, the coolness of the night air mingling with the gentle warmth of the room.

In her hands, she cradled her Mickey Mouse cup, its cheerful design contrasting sharply with the gravity of her mood. The white book she held was a stark reminder of the secrets it contained.

The night deepened, and moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silvery glow that bathed half of Meng Xian's body.

The moonlight flowed over her like a liquid embrace, illuminating her dark eyes, which were now void of any visible emotion. As she gazed up at the starry sky, the vastness of the universe seemed to press in around her, a reminder of the unchangeable nature of fate.

Her hand, holding the cup, trembled ever so slightly, a subtle sign of the inner turmoil she felt. She looked at the white book, which now began to glow faintly, a portent of something yet to come.

Meng Xian had come to understand the book's cryptic messages over the past months, but there was still so much she could not reveal. She had refrained from engaging in the luck ritual with Zhou Mingrui earlier because her fate is already decide in this book from the start.

In her heart, Meng Xian felt the weight of destiny, a force she had tried to circumvent but ultimately could not escape. Her thoughts echoed the sentiment written in the book:

"We are but drops of water in a river. No matter what hopes or actions a drop of water may have, the direction of the entire river has already been determined. All rivers flow into the sea and cannot be changed."

It was a poignant reminder that fate was an inescapable current, shaping their lives in ways that even their most fervent desires could not alter.

With a helpless smile tugging at her lips, Meng Xian's gaze remained fixed on the moon outside. She thought about the name she had come to understand over the months, a name that haunted her dreams and thoughts.

"The Goddess of Dreams Who Rules the Land of Shattered Dreams," the Enigmatic Sovereign of the Illusory Abyss, bearer of the Eternal Mirage. The name was both a revelation and a curse, confirming the truths she had feared all along.

She whispered softly to herself, the words trembling on her lips: "Mistress of the Fractured Truths, The Enigmatic Weaver of the Shattered Realms, Ruler of the Blurred Boundaries." The hour hand on the clock quietly ticked towards midnight, marking the passage of time in the stillness of the night.

As the night deepened, Meng Xian remained in her place, lost in contemplation.

The darkness of the room mirrored the darkness within her, a reflection of the complex interplay between fate, desire, and the unknown.

The night felt endless, a canvas upon which her fears and hopes were painted in shades of gray and silver.

"Ah, it's getting dark…" she murmured softly, her voice trailing off as the silence enveloped her.