The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 11

Without realizing it, Qian Hongxian had already spent more than a week in Guanxi. Although working at the restaurant left her drenched in sweat every day, she was gradually getting the hang of it and keeping up with everyone’s pace.

She was busy every day—waking up in the morning, washing up, having breakfast, and then riding the scooter that Chen Shaoxuan had lent her to Mountain Stream and Green Fields. In the mornings, she and Chen Shaoxuan would usually handle the restaurant’s opening preparations together. In the afternoons, Lisa would join them after finishing her classes.

They rarely had days off. If one of them wanted a break, they needed Yun Jinyao’s approval, and the restaurant would close for the day. When Yun Jinyao first took over the restaurant, their days off were usually on weekdays. However, now that business was booming every day, they were open almost daily.

The restaurant had regular suppliers, but Chen Shaoxuan occasionally liked to explore the market for fresh finds. On some mornings, he invited Qian Hongxian to go with him to the Guanxi Public Market. He was familiar with the vendors and chatted with them easily. Seeing that he had brought a new friend along, the vendors were enthusiastic toward Qian Hongxian. By the time they left, she had not only received a few free bottles of freshly squeezed juice, Hakka vegetable buns, and farm-raised chicken legs, but she had also exchanged Line contacts with the vendors and even promised to help find matches for their sons and daughters.

As for the exchange deal Yun Jinyao had proposed, he explained that his brother, Yun Jinyi, was still abroad and couldn’t meet with Qian Hongxian yet. Everything would have to wait until he returned.

Meanwhile, Lisa smirked at Qian Hongxian and whispered that Yun Jinyao used to come to the restaurant only three days a week. However, recently, he had been coming in every day—at the latest, right before opening. But since he always arrived when they were about to get busy, she barely had a chance to interact with him.

Ever since that night in the prep room when he had startled Qian Hongxian, Yun Jinyao hadn’t crossed any lines again. Their interactions remained polite and distant. Given his naturally aloof personality, he never actively engaged with people, so they still addressed each other formally as “Mr. Yun” and “Miss Qian.” The friendship she had envisioned had yet to materialize.

“What should I do, Lisa?” Qian Hongxian whispered while washing dishes. “My progress with your cousin is way too slow. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Hmm, I was just thinking about that too,” Lisa murmured thoughtfully. She sneaked a glance at Yun Jinyao, who was making loud clanging noises with the wok, then leaned closer and said in a hushed voice, “Yao-ge teaches archery every Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Why don’t you go learn from him?”

Qian Hongxian scrubbed a dish quickly. “Will that even work? If he’s busy teaching, I won’t be able to talk to him. Besides, I already agreed with Shaoxuan to go grocery shopping together every Wednesday morning.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been there before. Yao-ge teaches in small classes,” Lisa assured her, moving even closer. “You know how it goes in dramas—the male lead stands behind the female lead, adjusting her posture, and then her heart starts racing… The atmosphere gets all romantic…”

“You’ve definitely watched too many dramas.” Qian Hongxian couldn’t help but pinch Lisa’s cheek with her soapy, gloved hand. “But thanks for the suggestion. At least it’ll give us something to talk about. I’ll give it a try.”

While Qian Hongxian was busy making her move, her close friend Liao Yunqi wasn’t idle either. She had already compiled a list of nearly a thousand single women with the surnames “Yu” and “Ding,” ranging from eighteen to fifty-eight years old, and uploaded all their profiles into the system.

“Fifty-eight… She could be Yun Jinyao’s mother,” Qian Hongxian muttered as she pinned up her dark red hair, video-calling Liao Yunqi on her laptop.

“You’re being too narrow-minded,” Liao Yunqi’s elegant voice came through the speakers. “As the saying goes, ‘Height is not a barrier, and age is not a problem.’ What if she happens to be Yun Jinyao’s destined match?”

After looking through the profiles, Qian Hongxian concluded that none of them seemed like Yun Jinyao’s other half.

On the screen, Liao Yunqi suddenly leaned in, her face appearing much larger. She seemed to be scrutinizing Qian Hongxian closely. “You’ve only been working at the restaurant for a few days, and you already look exhausted. Remember to use the serum I gave you, or you’ll start getting crow’s feet.”

“Oh, that serum was really good, so I gave it to my mom,” Qian Hongxian replied while browsing the database.

Liao Yunqi shook her head. “No wonder your mom looks younger than you. You need to take care of yourself too.”

Instead of responding, Qian Hongxian just leaned back in her chair, feeling drained. None of the women in the database seemed like Yun Jinyao’s match. If this kept up, he might agree to go on a blind date before she even found a suitable candidate for him.

Determined to keep trying, the next morning, Qian Hongxian was busy inventorying ingredients in the kitchen. For once, Yun Jinyao had arrived early and was helping out, while Chen Shaoxuan tidied up the front. Seizing the opportunity, she approached Yun Jinyao, who was checking the fish supply, and asked, “Lisa told me you teach archery. Could you teach me too?”

Yun Jinyao turned his head, still holding a piece of fish, and looked down at her with an amused expression.

“Are you tired of being the God of Love and thinking of switching to Cupid instead?” he teased.

“If I became Cupid with this body, I’d probably end up in jail,” Qian Hongxian said, exasperated.

“Why?” Yun Jinyao asked, intrigued as he organized the freezer.

“Isn’t Cupid known for shooting arrows into people’s hearts? That’d be considered murder.”

Yun Jinyao chuckled softly.

Seeing him laugh, Qian Hongxian felt a surge of confidence. “So, it’s a deal, then? When can I—”

“Hongxian! Hongxian!” Chen Shaoxuan suddenly appeared at the kitchen door, interrupting her. “You have a visitor.”

“Me?”

Curious, Qian Hongxian set down the ingredients and stepped out of the kitchen. As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw two familiar figures standing near the counter, backlit by the light.

“Mom!” She dashed over and hugged Huang Shuzhen tightly. “What are you doing here?”

Huang Shuzhen gently patted her daughter’s back. After letting go, she held her daughter’s hands and said, “I came to see how you’re doing! You’ve lost weight—have you been eating properly?”

“Yes, yes, of course! Mom, come in and sit down. I’ll make you some tea—”

“Hey, how come you only see Auntie and not me?” Lin Weiting, standing beside them, couldn’t help but complain.

Only then did Qian Hongxian turn her attention to him. She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Thanks for bringing my mom. You’re the handsomest driver I’ve ever seen.”

Lin Weiting shot her a glare. “‘Driver’?! If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so nice and brought Auntie here. I should’ve just let you cry yourself to sleep every night missing your mom.”

“Don’t be rude,” Huang Shuzhen scolded her daughter.

“Hongxian.”

The restaurant fell silent instantly—even Chen Shaoxuan stopped wiping the tables.

Qian Hongxian turned around in disbelief.

Yun Jinyao was looking straight at her. He had really called her name.

“The café upstairs already has the air conditioning on. It’ll be more comfortable for you all up there,” Yun Jinyao said as he approached, glancing at Huang Shuzhen and Lin Weiting before stopping on Lin Weiting. Then, he smiled slightly. “Please follow me. I’ll take you upstairs.”

On the surface, Qian Hongxian remained calm, but inside, she was celebrating—she had finally managed to shake up this ice-cold mountain.

Yun Jinyao was surprisingly considerate. When Huang Shuzhen struggled slightly with the stairs, he reached out to support her and softly reminded her, “Please be careful.”

“Thank you, dear,” Huang Shuzhen patted his wrist. “You’re such a thoughtful young man.”

After they sat down by the window, Yun Jinyao made them coffee. When he handed her a hazelnut latte, Qian Hongxian was pleasantly surprised.

“How did you know I wanted a hazelnut latte?”

However, Yun Jinyao just smiled slightly. After adjusting the air conditioning temperature for them a bit, he went downstairs.

“Auntie, this coffee is really good,” Lin Weiting praised after taking a sip.

“Yes, the coffee beans are well-roasted,” Huang Shuzhen agreed.

“Yun Jinyao said he set up the café on the second floor out of personal interest. But since the restaurant is usually busy and short-staffed, it only opens occasionally,” Qian Hongxian sipped her hazelnut latte with satisfaction. The quality of Yun Jinyao’s coffee was excellent, making every flavor taste great.

“Has Yun Jinyao agreed to go on the blind date yet?” Lin Weiting asked.

“Not yet. I’m still trying to build a good relationship with him. It’s taking longer than I expected, and I don’t even know when it’ll work out. Besides, I haven’t found a girl who truly matches Yun Jinyao yet,” Qian Hongxian sighed.

“Oh, I thought you were already dating him,” Lin Weiting said thoughtfully.

Qian Hongxian was so startled by his words that she choked on her hazelnut latte and coughed repeatedly.

“How did you come up with such a weird idea?” she asked, grabbing a tissue.

“Mom also thinks you and Yun Jinyao would make a good pair,” Huang Shuzhen said with a smile.

“Mom!” Qian Hongxian protested loudly. “You know very well that I only like Siming.”

From past experience, Huang Shuzhen and Lin Weiting knew better than to argue with her about this. No matter what they said, Qian Hongxian would insist that she only liked Siming Xingjun.

Seeing them fall silent, Qian Hongxian began sharing stories about her life in Kansai. After finishing a segment, she said, “I’ll ask Yun Jinyao for leave later and take you both out for a walk.”

“You can just take Auntie around. I need to head back to Taipei soon—Xiangrong is waiting for me,” Lin Weiting finished his coffee in one gulp. “As long as I see you doing well, I can report back to Xiangrong.”

“I’ve already booked accommodations and plan to stay here for a few days, so there’s no rush to go out today. We can go together when you have time,” Huang Shuzhen said.

After working all night, Qian Hongxian felt as if she had returned to being an immortal, light and carefree. Her interactions with Yun Jinyao had progressed. If she worked a little harder to find his other half, she might even complete this unexpected matchmaking mission before his older brother returned to the country.

After her shift, she first rode her bike to the inn where Huang Shuzhen was staying. It was almost midnight when she finally returned to her rental place. She tiptoed upstairs, and as she passed the second floor, she heard faint sounds coming from Lisa and Yun Jinyao’s rooms—one was playing music, the other playing a game.

Back on the third floor, she took the fastest shower possible, yet still took nearly an hour to wash up and dry her hair before heading back down to the second floor.

The noise from both rooms persisted, indicating that the siblings were still awake. Qian Hongxian stopped at Yun Jinyao’s door and knocked, but there was no response even after a long wait.

Summoning her courage, she opened the door and saw Yun Jinyao completely focused on his game. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his usual cold expression shifting into slight surprise.

“… I thought Yun Liqing had finally learned some manners and knew to knock before entering someone’s room,” Yun Jinyao said, eyes returning to the screen as the crisp clatter of his keyboard continued.

“Can I come in?” Qian Hongxian asked hesitantly.

“Please close the door.”

She smiled nervously, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her.

It was her first time in Yun Jinyao’s room. He had quite a few things, but unlike Lisa’s mess, his belongings were neatly arranged. His room mainly housed motorcycle gear, magazines, a few hardware tools, and various perfume brands. His computer setup was top-tier—clearly built for gaming.

“Before my mom arrived today, our conversation got cut off. I came to ask if I could join your archery class.”

Yun Jinyao continued gaming without looking up. “Your mom just arrived in Guanxi. You probably need to spend time with her, right? Will you still have time for archery?”

Qian Hongxian didn’t answer. Her eyes were locked on a bouncing Anpanman toy sitting on the bed behind him.

“I know this!” she exclaimed, walking over and sitting on his bed. She picked up the toy and gave it a shake, causing Anpanman’s head to vibrate like a massage device. Placing it on the bed, she watched it bounce around before putting it on her shoulder for a massage.

“Return that to Yun Liqing when you leave,” Yun Jinyao said flatly, still focused on his game.

“My mom will only be here for a few days, so I do have time,” Qian Hongxian said, moving the toy to her sore thigh.

“If you really want to learn, I can take you on Wednesday mornings.”

“Really? It’s a deal then!” She turned off the Anpanman toy, placed it back on the bed—ignoring his request to return it to Lisa—and stood up.

“Thank you. Goodnight then…” She looked at the back of his head for a moment before adding shyly, “Jinyao.”

The sound of the keyboard stopped abruptly. The screen displayed an explosion, accompanied by a blast sound from the speakers—his in-game character had been killed by an enemy.

He turned his chair to face her, then stood up.

Yun Jinyao’s gaze changed—it became dangerously alluring. Qian Hongxian found herself frozen under his stare.

Just like that day, in the blink of an eye, Yun Jinyao pulled her into his arms once again.

This time, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Qian Hongxian was completely shocked, struggling to break free, but Yun Jinyao didn’t give her the chance.

His lips were not only soft and firm but also skillful in leading her. His hands, through the fabric of her pajamas, wandered along her waist, making her body relax without her realizing it.

No! She had to push him away!

But her hands betrayed her, tightly clutching his arms as she surrendered to his masculine scent and the fresh fragrance of his post-shower skin.

She didn’t know how long it lasted before he finally pulled away. As they separated, a thin, transparent thread connected their lips.

Breathless, she barely had time to react before he pushed her onto the bed. His body covered hers, leaving her no room to escape.

His gaze changed again—this time filled with both desire and tenderness. He smiled seductively, reaching out to lift a strand of her still-damp hair.

“You’re so sexy,” he murmured.