Inside the grand Hall of Great Strength, there was a gigantic Buddha statue gilded in gold. Its left hand was horizontal, across its left foot, while its right hand pointed toward the ceiling with its index forming a circle with its thumb. The statue’s eyes were but slits seeming to gaze at the worshippers coming to pray at its feet. A thick smoke of incense filled the hall while the believers and monks chanted Sanskrit in the background, giving the place a solemnity befitting a holy place.
In front of the altar, people of all age came to worship. Among the crowd, there were three eye-catching young girls, especially the one on the leftmost who was dressed in yellow sportswear. Her long hair swayed around her shoulders every time she prostrated and knocked her head on the kneeling cushion. Each time her forehead stuck on it for so long that it seemed as if they were lovers reunited after a long separation. She even seemed reluctant to part way with the kneeling cushion.
After they paid their respect, they went out together.
As soon as they left the hall, one of them, a girl with a ponytail and wearing red clothes, burst in anger. “Mu Wanqing, you were the one who invites us here, so don’t give me that half dead expression. Are you asking for a beating?” She gritted her teeth while trying to repress displeasure.
“My dear mother, in her great kindness, told me I have a blind date today. She urged me to go to the temple and pray for… you know… romance and stuff. She hoped I will soon get married. Otherwise, she will break ties with me. I have no choice to come here to soothe her and reassure her that I will not become an old girl.” The baby-face woman shrugged while yawning lazily. She could barely open her drowsy eyes. “So, I ask Miss Fang Jing for your understanding. Besides, I was up until 4 AM, working on that big case.”
As a dedicated professional (a.k.a. a workaholic), she didn’t mind doing overtime, but now she reaped what she sowed.
At that moment, despite how beautiful the daylight was, she only wanted to crash on her bed instead of wasting her time at the temple.
Mu Wanqing, that’s her name; Her job, forensic investigator. The woman in red clothes with a fiery temper next to her is called Fang Jing, a comrade-in-arms within the police force. Finally, the girl in t-shirt and jeans with a cheeky face was Jiang Xiaofan, a famous web novelist. All three of them are childhood friends whose friendship is greater than the Great Wall.
Fang Jing fell into silence at once.
“Who could you blame? It’s not my fault you had a baby face despite being a 26-year-old single dog since the day you were born. It’s no wonder aunty cannot stand it anymore.” Jiang Xiaofan stared at the deceivingly young face and sworn to the gods she was absolutely not jealous of Mu Wanqing’s face.
However, she thinks her friend’s name was the epitome of irony.
It was a very stark contrast for someone with such an elegant name to be a forensic investigator who dabbled with corpses and bloody cases. As a respectable author, she put great importance on beauty and wisdom, but her name couldn’t be more common than the most common grass. Why is the world so unfair?!
“If you can look mature like Fang Jing and actively search for a boyfriend, aunty won’t force you to go on a blind date!” Jiang Xiaofan flipped back her supple long hair while enjoying the breeze. Her gaze turned toward the sky and her posture exuded an arrogance mixed with elegance. She continued, “Of course, if you were like the great moi who had live amongst the forest and had seen and touch all kind of leaves, that’s a different story, but that’s impossible for you, so don’t even try it.”
Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she pointed somewhere and shouted, “Ah, a handsome guy!”
“Where? Where?” Jiang Xiaofan lost all her previous elegance and poured all her attention in the direction her friend pointed. Her eyes were like police searchlights, darting left to right, scrutinizing the surrounding, afraid of missing a single handsome male.
“Yeah, your speedy reaction doesn’t lose to Miss Fang Jing’s reflex. I am so jealous.”
“As if, you are just jealous of my beauty and wisdom, not to mention my devastating luck in romance!” Jiang Xiaofan’s right index lifted up Mu Wanqing’s chin in an act of provocation. A smile streaks across her face as she said, “Lil’ Wanqing, Big Sis will give you a piece of advice. You have to be brave at times and recognize your low EQ. When you understand your shortcomings, you can focus on it and change yourself. Only then, can you strive to nab yourself a handsome guy!”
Mu Wanqing could hardly repress a yawn. She was dozing off but willed herself to open her heavy lid eyes. “Jiang Xiaofan, your attitude is no different from a gangster.”
“Don’t insult me!” Jiang Xiaofan bellowed. In a tone full of righteousness, she continued, “So what if this great miss is a gangster? Have you never heard that a gangster can be cultivated? What’s there to fear? A gangster can also be an expert in martial arts. Who would dare to resist? I have attained the realm of omnipotence in all arts. The road is mine to conquer! When you become well versed with the pen and sword, you will be like me – roaming the world unhindered, enjoying the glorious with beauties at hand!”
Mu Wanqing had no strength to roll eyes. She only felt contempt and disgust.
This woman, in front of people, she acts all smart, but inside, apart from being extremely narcissistic, her attitude could only be described as unbridled. Mu Wanqing felt sorry for those passionate fans who believed in Jiang Xiaofan’s fake image.
“Jiang Xiaofan, if you want to be a gangster, I shall exterminate you!” Fang Jing was a policewoman with a fiery temper and condone unrestrained acts that don’t put the laws in the eyes.
Fang Jing exuded great pressure which caused Jiang Xiaofan to tremble. She retorted fiercely, “It’s Wanqing’s fault. They said you have to pray with your heart and soul, but you have no sincerity. No wonder the Gods and Buddhas don’t answer your prayers. You even dare to blame others!”
“Thank you for your care! But, as a believer of science, I am a true and true atheist.” Mu Wanqing indifferently spat out. She even had the time to lazily survey her surroundings. “I can’t stand it anymore. Instead of going to pray for love, can we find a place where I can rest first? I’m at my wits ends.” Exhausted, she found an old tree, wide and broad, which was perfect for a quick nap.
An old grandma passed by them, but when she heard the three girls. She burst out in anger and croaked at them, “The Buddhas will punish disrespectful people!”
“Eh! If they want to punish, let it be.” Mu Wanqing said thoughtlessly. Following that, she fell into a deep sleep.
“Sleep, sleep, sleep! You’re really a pig!” Fang Jing scolded her angrily. However, she didn’t leave her friend in deep sleep and defenseless. They approached the tree to accompany her.
At that moment, the sky suddenly turned dark. A violent gale blew dust up. Everyone raised their hands to cover their eyes and tried to find a place to shield themselves from the fury of the elements. The next moment, everything returned to normal – no more wind, and the sky was clear. People were shocked by the whimsical weather, but no one noticed that the three girls under the old trees had vanished without a trace.
Somewhere under another sky…
“Mu Wanqing, you’re an unlucky star. I [beep] your [beep]! Why did you have to take a nap?!” Fang Jing let out her despair.
“Mu Wanqing, admit it, you’re jealous of my popularity with the opposite sex!” Jiang Xiaofan shouted tearily.
As for Mu Wanqing, she was extremely grievous, but there were no tears. “Wasn’t I sleeping at the temple just a moment ago? How did I end up in an ancient times movie? Aw, shit… there shouldn’t be a law that forbid me from sleeping at the temple?”
Inside the grand Hall of Great Strength, there was a gigantic Buddha statue gilded in gold. Its left hand was horizontal, across its left foot, while its right hand pointed toward the ceiling with its index forming a circle with its thumb. The statue’s eyes were but slits seeming to gaze at the worshippers coming to pray at its feet. A thick smoke of incense filled the hall while the believers and monks chanted Sanskrit in the background, giving the place a solemnity befitting a holy place.
In front of the altar, people of all age came to worship. Among the crowd, there were three eye-catching young girls, especially the one on the leftmost who was dressed in yellow sportswear. Her long hair swayed around her shoulders every time she prostrated and knocked her head on the kneeling cushion. Each time her forehead stuck on it for so long that it seemed as if they were lovers reunited after a long separation. She even seemed reluctant to part way with the kneeling cushion.
After they paid their respect, they went out together.
As soon as they left the hall, one of them, a girl with a ponytail and wearing red clothes, burst in anger. “Mu Wanqing, you were the one who invites us here, so don’t give me that half dead expression. Are you asking for a beating?” She gritted her teeth while trying to repress displeasure.
“My dear mother, in her great kindness, told me I have a blind date today. She urged me to go to the temple and pray for… you know… romance and stuff. She hoped I will soon get married. Otherwise, she will break ties with me. I have no choice to come here to soothe her and reassure her that I will not become an old girl.” The baby-face woman shrugged while yawning lazily. She could barely open her drowsy eyes. “So, I ask Miss Fang Jing for your understanding. Besides, I was up until 4 AM, working on that big case.”
As a dedicated professional (a.k.a. a workaholic), she didn’t mind doing overtime, but now she reaped what she sowed.
At that moment, despite how beautiful the daylight was, she only wanted to crash on her bed instead of wasting her time at the temple.
Mu Wanqing, that’s her name; Her job, forensic investigator. The woman in red clothes with a fiery temper next to her is called Fang Jing, a comrade-in-arms within the police force. Finally, the girl in t-shirt and jeans with a cheeky face was Jiang Xiaofan, a famous web novelist. All three of them are childhood friends whose friendship is greater than the Great Wall.
Fang Jing fell into silence at once.
“Who could you blame? It’s not my fault you had a baby face despite being a 26-year-old single dog since the day you were born. It’s no wonder aunty cannot stand it anymore.” Jiang Xiaofan stared at the deceivingly young face and sworn to the gods she was absolutely not jealous of Mu Wanqing’s face.
However, she thinks her friend’s name was the epitome of irony.
It was a very stark contrast for someone with such an elegant name to be a forensic investigator who dabbled with corpses and bloody cases. As a respectable author, she put great importance on beauty and wisdom, but her name couldn’t be more common than the most common grass. Why is the world so unfair?!
“If you can look mature like Fang Jing and actively search for a boyfriend, aunty won’t force you to go on a blind date!” Jiang Xiaofan flipped back her supple long hair while enjoying the breeze. Her gaze turned toward the sky and her posture exuded an arrogance mixed with elegance. She continued, “Of course, if you were like the great moi who had live amongst the forest and had seen and touch all kind of leaves, that’s a different story, but that’s impossible for you, so don’t even try it.”
Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she pointed somewhere and shouted, “Ah, a handsome guy!”
“Where? Where?” Jiang Xiaofan lost all her previous elegance and poured all her attention in the direction her friend pointed. Her eyes were like police searchlights, darting left to right, scrutinizing the surrounding, afraid of missing a single handsome male.
“Yeah, your speedy reaction doesn’t lose to Miss Fang Jing’s reflex. I am so jealous.”
“As if, you are just jealous of my beauty and wisdom, not to mention my devastating luck in romance!” Jiang Xiaofan’s right index lifted up Mu Wanqing’s chin in an act of provocation. A smile streaks across her face as she said, “Lil’ Wanqing, Big Sis will give you a piece of advice. You have to be brave at times and recognize your low EQ. When you understand your shortcomings, you can focus on it and change yourself. Only then, can you strive to nab yourself a handsome guy!”
Mu Wanqing could hardly repress a yawn. She was dozing off but willed herself to open her heavy lid eyes. “Jiang Xiaofan, your attitude is no different from a gangster.”
“Don’t insult me!” Jiang Xiaofan bellowed. In a tone full of righteousness, she continued, “So what if this great miss is a gangster? Have you never heard that a gangster can be cultivated? What’s there to fear? A gangster can also be an expert in martial arts. Who would dare to resist? I have attained the realm of omnipotence in all arts. The road is mine to conquer! When you become well versed with the pen and sword, you will be like me – roaming the world unhindered, enjoying the glorious with beauties at hand!”
Mu Wanqing had no strength to roll eyes. She only felt contempt and disgust.
This woman, in front of people, she acts all smart, but inside, apart from being extremely narcissistic, her attitude could only be described as unbridled. Mu Wanqing felt sorry for those passionate fans who believed in Jiang Xiaofan’s fake image.
“Jiang Xiaofan, if you want to be a gangster, I shall exterminate you!” Fang Jing was a policewoman with a fiery temper and condone unrestrained acts that don’t put the laws in the eyes.
Fang Jing exuded great pressure which caused Jiang Xiaofan to tremble. She retorted fiercely, “It’s Wanqing’s fault. They said you have to pray with your heart and soul, but you have no sincerity. No wonder the Gods and Buddhas don’t answer your prayers. You even dare to blame others!”
“Thank you for your care! But, as a believer of science, I am a true and true atheist.” Mu Wanqing indifferently spat out. She even had the time to lazily survey her surroundings. “I can’t stand it anymore. Instead of going to pray for love, can we find a place where I can rest first? I’m at my wits ends.” Exhausted, she found an old tree, wide and broad, which was perfect for a quick nap.
An old grandma passed by them, but when she heard the three girls. She burst out in anger and croaked at them, “The Buddhas will punish disrespectful people!”
“Eh! If they want to punish, let it be.” Mu Wanqing said thoughtlessly. Following that, she fell into a deep sleep.
“Sleep, sleep, sleep! You’re really a pig!” Fang Jing scolded her angrily. However, she didn’t leave her friend in deep sleep and defenseless. They approached the tree to accompany her.
At that moment, the sky suddenly turned dark. A violent gale blew dust up. Everyone raised their hands to cover their eyes and tried to find a place to shield themselves from the fury of the elements. The next moment, everything returned to normal – no more wind, and the sky was clear. People were shocked by the whimsical weather, but no one noticed that the three girls under the old trees had vanished without a trace.
Somewhere under another sky…
“Mu Wanqing, you’re an unlucky star. I [beep] your [beep]! Why did you have to take a nap?!” Fang Jing let out her despair.
“Mu Wanqing, admit it, you’re jealous of my popularity with the opposite sex!” Jiang Xiaofan shouted tearily.
As for Mu Wanqing, she was extremely grievous, but there were no tears. “Wasn’t I sleeping at the temple just a moment ago? How did I end up in an ancient times movie? Aw, shit… there shouldn’t be a law that forbid me from sleeping at the temple?”
