The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 12

Yun Jinyao’s gentle gaze resembled that of Siming, Qian Hongxian thought hazily.

At that moment, Yun Jinyao’s exquisite features overlapped with the face of Siming before her eyes.

Once again, Siming’s lips covered hers. One of his hands slipped under her clothes, trying to ignite her desires. Qian Hongxian felt her entire body go weak. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, responding passionately.

“Remember, never marry a man or even engage in a relationship while in the mortal realm. If you do, you must stay and fulfill your destined fate with that man, and you will never be able to return to the heavens.”

The warning from Seven-Star Goddess rang in her ears. Qian Hongxian snapped back to reality, and the man before her transformed back into Yun Jinyao.

“No!” She pushed him away forcefully, only then realizing that her nightgown had been lifted. She hurriedly got off the bed, tidying her clothes, and stared at Yun Jinyao, who was sitting on the bed, with a look of shock and fear.

“Why?” he asked, his expression still ambiguous. “I felt that you were just as into it.”

“I already like someone else!” Qian Hongxian crossed her arms protectively over her chest, shouting angrily. “You can’t treat me like this!”

Yun Jinyao’s expression turned cold.

“You only like someone—you’re not married. What we did wasn’t illegal, was it?” His voice carried a hint of frustration. “I thought the person you liked must be someone incredible, but turns out he’s just average. You should hurry up and forget about him.”

“What are you talking about? When did you even see Siming…?” Qian Hongxian was still holding her arms over her chest when a sudden realization struck her. She understood who Yun Jinyao was referring to. “Lin Weiting is already married. He and his wife are both my good friends.”

Seeing the slight shock on Yun Jinyao’s face, Qian Hongxian could no longer hold back her tears. Large drops rolled down her cheeks and fell to the floor.

“I thought you were a good person. I thought we had finally become friends…” She couldn’t continue, turned around, and ran out the door.

Back in her room, she buried her face in the pillow and wept silently.

She cried partly because she had been deeply shaken—she had almost lost her chance to return to the heavens. But more than that, she was angry at herself for having been so immersed in the moment, mistaking Yun Jinyao for Siming. Even now, just thinking about Yun Jinyao’s face made her heart tremble.

She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Early the next morning, before anyone else was awake, she rode her scooter to Huang Shuzhen’s place and dragged her out for a day of wandering around town, ignoring calls from Chen Shaoxuan and Lisa. After their outing, she refused to leave Huang Shuzhen’s guesthouse.

Her mother soon noticed her unusual behavior. Under Huang Shuzhen’s persistent questioning, Qian Hongxian reluctantly explained the situation in a vague way.

Huang Shuzhen sighed after hearing the story. “I already had a feeling Yun Jinyao liked you. I just didn’t expect him to be so… assertive.”

Qian Hongxian curled up on the sofa, hugging a pillow. “He doesn’t like me at all! Lisa told me he’s always fooling around with different women, so he must have just acted on impulse.”

Huang Shuzhen didn’t argue, just wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders and gently patted her in comfort. After a while, she got up to leave the room.

“Mom, where are you going?” Qian Hongxian asked quickly.

“I’m just going to ask the guesthouse owner for some water. I’m not going anywhere,” Huang Shuzhen said with amusement. “You’re over thirty now, and still so clingy.”

That night, Qian Hongxian was exhausted but still couldn’t sleep. She sat alone on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. Looking at the unread messages from Chen Shaoxuan and Lisa on Line, she felt guilty. She was a business manager, not some inexperienced newcomer, yet here she was, avoiding her problems like a coward. It was embarrassing—but she really didn’t want to face reality.

She desperately wanted to see Siming. Setting down her phone, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind.

But her thoughts were too chaotic. She couldn’t calm down, let alone connect with the Celestial Court.

Her phone suddenly vibrated without warning, making her jump. It was probably another call from Chen Shaoxuan or Lisa. But when she looked at the screen, she saw an unfamiliar number.

Her call-filtering app didn’t flag it as a scam or sales call, but she still suspected it might be Chen Shaoxuan or Lisa using a different number, so she declined the call.

The call ended, but less than a minute later, the phone vibrated again.

Qian Hongxian frowned. Chen Shaoxuan and Lisa wouldn’t be this persistent.

After hesitating for a moment, she answered.

“Hello?”

“It’s me.”

Qian Hongxian nearly dropped her phone.

“You… why are you calling? What do you want?”

“Can you come out for a bit? I’m outside.”

Qian Hongxian jumped up from the sofa. How did he know where she was?

“I was just about to sleep. It’s not a good time.”

Silence.

“Please,” he said.

Another moment of silence.

“…Fine.”

After hanging up, Qian Hongxian tiptoed to the door to avoid waking the sleeping Huang Shuzhen. She carefully opened the door, stepped out, and went downstairs.

Outside, Yun Jinyao sat on his scooter wearing a helmet. Under the glow of the streetlights, she could see him dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and black pants. Her heart pounded as she cautiously approached him.

“It’s late. What do you want?”

Yun Jinyao picked up a smaller helmet from his scooter’s hook and handed it to her. “Get on.”

Qian Hongxian took a step back. “Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

“If this isn’t important, I’d rather go back to sleep.” She turned away.

“You went out of your way to befriend me just to convince me to go on a blind date, didn’t you? Now that I’m giving you a chance to get closer to me, you don’t want to take it?” Yun Jinyao smirked under his helmet.

“I never planned on getting physically close!” she snapped.

Yun Jinyao chuckled, showing no sign of regret. Just as she was about to walk away, he shoved the helmet into her hands.

“I’m taking you on a nighttime adventure in Hsinchu. Get on.” His tone was more sincere this time.

Qian Hongxian stood there for a full minute, hesitating. Yun Jinyao didn’t rush her. Finally, she sighed. “Let me change.”

“No need. It’s dark. No one will notice your pajamas and slippers.”

She didn’t argue and obediently put on the helmet, climbing onto the back of his scooter. As soon as she settled in, Yun Jinyao started the engine and sped off.

At first, she tried holding onto the seat’s grab bar, but the open roads at night allowed Yun Jinyao to accelerate, forcing her to clutch his shirt instead.

As they reached the winding mountain roads, he didn’t slow down. Instead, he leaned into the curves, making her grip his waist for stability.

When they hit a straight stretch, Yun Jinyao pried her hands off his waist and placed them on his stomach instead.

Qian Hongxian refused to embrace him fully, quickly letting go. But Yun Jinyao suddenly sped up, making her yelp and cling to him tightly.

“That’s dangerous!” she scolded.

Yun Jinyao gently held her hands in place. “Then don’t let go.”

For some reason, that made Qian Hongxian stop struggling. She held onto him quietly for the rest of the ride.

“This drink has very little alcohol; you won’t get drunk, so drink up without worry.” Yun Jinyao opened a can of cola for himself and took a sip. “Even if you do get drunk, there’s no need to worry. I’m here.”

Qian Hongxian felt the little deer in her heart trying to wake up again. She took a deep breath, imagining herself pushing the deer’s head back down to sleep, then raised the drink to her lips. A sweet taste with a slight bitterness touched her tongue, and she instantly fell in love with it.

“I usually have a drink when I come up here alone, but since I’m driving you today, I can only have cola.”

“Thank you! You have a great taste, this one is really good!” Qian Hongxian smiled at him. Then, suddenly remembering something, she quickly asked, “By the way, how did you know I was at my mom’s guesthouse?”

Yun Jinyao gave a mysterious smile. “That’s a secret.”

His expression told Qian Hongxian all she needed to know. “My mom called the restaurant to find you, didn’t she?”

Yun Jinyao shrugged but neither confirmed nor denied her guess.

Qian Hongxian admired the nighttime view of Hsinchu, feeling herself gradually relax.

A full moon hung high in the night sky. She gazed up at it and casually said, “Once, on a full moon night, Siming came to Moon Matchmaker Pavilion to teach me celestial techniques. He’s amazing. I struggled to learn a certain technique for a long time, but after just a few pointers from him, I got it immediately.” Her eyes softened as she looked at the moon. “I wonder how Siming is doing now?”

“Why don’t you just call him?” Yun Jinyao took another sip.

“If I could, I would love to. But he’s in the Celestial Court, and I’m in the mortal realm, so we can’t talk on the phone.” She gazed at the stars.

“Doesn’t he want to come find you?” Yun Jinyao looked down at the sea of city lights. “If it were me, no matter how far you were, even if you were at the ends of the earth or the depths of the sea, I would find you.”

“Siming is dedicated to his cultivation. He’s probably busy taking care of others right now,” Qian Hongxian said as she turned her gaze back. “But before I was reincarnated, he told me, ‘I won’t leave you alone.’ I’m sure he’s watching over me from the heavens.” She smiled sweetly.

“Oh.”

Qian Hongxian placed her drink can on the railing. “Still, I’ve tried to send my spirit back to the Celestial Court, but I’ve never succeeded. The only time I did was when I fell asleep on a bench outside the hospital. Sigh… I guess I’ll only be able to return after you get married and my life ends.”

“So, what methods have you tried?” Yun Jinyao turned to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“To return to the Celestial Court.” Yun Jinyao pointed his index finger toward the sky.

“Oh, I used meditation. Back in the Celestial Court, I used to practice it often, but here in the mortal realm, it hasn’t been very effective.” Qian Hongxian smiled bitterly.

Yun Jinyao drank his cola, gazing into the distance without saying another word.

Qian Hongxian picked up her peach wine and took another sip. A gentle breeze blew by, slightly relieving the lingering heat.

“Maybe you’re not focused enough?” Yun Jinyao suddenly said. “When you close your eyes, your mind wanders, so you don’t have the energy to break free from the Earth’s gravity and let your spirit return to the Celestial Court.”

Qian Hongxian was so startled that she turned to stare at him.

“Besides, since you’re the Moon Matchmaker, why not try drawing power from the full moon? It could strengthen your spiritual energy.”

Siming Xingjun had also pointed out her lack of focus before. And he had chosen a full moon night to teach her celestial techniques, was it to train her to absorb lunar energy?

Could it be…

She shook her head, brushing the thought away.

There was no way Yun Jinyao could be Siming. Siming was in the Celestial Court, and even if he were in the mortal realm, he would never be so casually flirtatious.

Qian Hongxian downed the rest of her peach wine, laughing at her own ridiculous thoughts.

And yet, she couldn’t help but glance at him again. Yun Jinyao held his drink can, leaning on the railing with his elbow, calmly gazing at the stars reflected on the ground. In the soft glow of the lights, she noticed that his side profile looked even better than his front.

“Stop staring. If you keep looking, I might just kiss you.” He spoke while still admiring the night view.

See? Yun Jinyao was such a shameless flirt, there was no way he was Siming!

Qian Hongxian crushed the aluminum can in her hand.