The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 22

In the dead of night, the mountainous region of Guanxi Town was cool and tranquil, with only the sounds of insects chirping in the distance. Yun Jinyao lay on Chen Shaoxuan’s bed, playing a mobile game. His eyes were vacant, as if his soul had left his body, leaving only a lifeless shell operating on autopilot.

“Yao-ge, how much longer are you planning to stay at my house?” Chen Shaoxuan complained while playing a video game at his desk.

“Hongxian-jie has already gone back to Taipei. Shouldn’t you be heading back too?”

Yun Jinyao remained silent, too focused on defeating the final boss in his game.

“Are you afraid that going back and seeing an empty house will make you cry?” Chen Shaoxuan teased.

Still no response.

“Am I talking to a bedside cabinet right now? If you don’t go back soon, I’m going to tell Auntie!”

Finally, Yun Jinyao let out a small chuckle, showing some reaction.

“Go ahead.”

“Hmph, I know you’re not scared. Auntie is overseas, anyway. There’s nothing she can do about you.”

His game was abruptly interrupted by an incoming call notification on Line.

The name “Yu Xiuyan” appeared on the screen, which immediately turned Yun Jinyao’s mood sour.

In the past, when women like Yu Xiuyan made advances toward him, he never rejected them. No small talk, no hesitation—just straight to a hotel room. But ever since Qian Hongxian came into his life, he had grown to despise that version of himself.

Even now, despite his newfound awareness, there was an inexplicable force compelling him to keep interacting with Yu Xiuyan.

“Answer it for me,” Yun Jinyao said, sitting up and handing the phone to Chen Shaoxuan.

“No way. It’s Xiuyan calling again, isn’t it? I’ve answered for you three times already. If you don’t want to talk to her, just hang up.”

“But if you talk to her, she eases up a little.”

“Geez, Yao-ge. You can run a restaurant, but when it comes to relationships, you’re completely clueless.” Chen Shaoxuan’s tone carried the frustration of someone finally getting revenge for all the times he had been scolded at work.

“If you don’t properly reject her, she’ll just keep thinking she still has a chance.”

After a moment of contemplation, Yun Jinyao got up, changed his clothes, and hopped onto his yellow-plated motorcycle, heading straight for Yu Xiuyan’s guesthouse.

—

When Yu Xiuyan opened the door, she looked surprised for a moment before flashing a sultry smile.

“I didn’t expect you to come by at this hour. It’s already three in the morning.” She leaned against the doorframe, her plush robe loosely wrapped around her, subtly emphasizing her curves.

“This place has a curfew. How did you sneak in? Were you so eager to see me? Well, come inside, then.”

A faint, enticing fragrance surrounded her. That same familiar pull emerged, an invisible force that refused to let him sever ties with her. But over time, he had learned how to resist its influence.

“The owner of this guesthouse is my high school friend,” Yun Jinyao replied flatly.

“I’m not coming in. Miss Yu, I came here to tell you something: I have someone I like. Please stop holding onto hope.”

Yu Xiuyan’s smile stiffened slightly.

“You haven’t even taken the time to really get to know me. How can you be sure you won’t like me?”

She stepped forward, her voice dripping with playful coyness.

Yun Jinyao took a step back.

“That’s all I have to say. Also, I won’t be answering your calls or replying to your messages anymore, so please stop contacting me.” With that, he turned to leave.

However, Yu Xiuyan quickly grabbed his wrist.

“I get it. Don’t be mad, Jinyao.” She lowered her head, looking pitiful.

“Even if we can’t be lovers, we can still be friends, right? You’re interested in perfume-making, aren’t you? If you drive me back to Taipei, I’ll take you to my company.”

“I’m not available. Miss Yu, you should head back on your own.” Yun Jinyao gently pulled his wrist free from her grasp.

“Don’t you want to visit Hongxian-jie while you’re in Taipei?” Yu Xiuyan asked with a charming smile.

—

After her vacation ended, Qian Hongxian returned to work and was immediately swamped. Dozens of matchmaking appointments to arrange, piles of paperwork to process, and among them, a contract for Yu Xiuyan.

Without hesitation, she gave Xiuyan the most expensive package, already planning how to reward herself with the bonus.

Her sudden return to Taipei startled Liao Yunqi. As expected, Liao Yunqi nagged her endlessly, scolding her for leaving without saying a word and treating her friends like they didn’t matter. But as the days passed, and she saw how tirelessly Qian Hongxian worked, her usual cheerfulness faded into concern.

“Are you okay?” Liao Yunqi placed some documents on Qian Hongxian’s desk.

Qian Hongxian looked up curiously.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Uh…” Liao Yunqi hesitated.

She wanted to ask about Yun Jinyao but stopped herself.

Jinyi wants to have dinner with you. When are you free?”

Qian Hongxian’s gaze returned to her screen as she continued typing rapidly.

“Sorry, I have a ton of work to do. Plus, I’m spending my evenings with my mom. Tell Jinyi thanks for the invite.”

“Your mom can come too! The more, the merrier.”

“Sorry, Yunqi, but I really can’t. Lin Weiting told me my mom hasn’t been feeling well since she got back from Guanxi, so I already scheduled a check-up for her at the hospital tomorrow.” Hongxian’s tone was apologetic.

“How about this? Jinyi can drive your mom to the hospital? If she’s not feeling well, a car ride would be more comfortable than the subway.”

Qian Hongxian let out a helpless laugh.

She could have agreed to Liao Yunqi’s invitation, but she didn’t want to see Yun Jinyi. His face reminded her too much of Yun Jinyao, and she knew they would bombard her with questions she wasn’t ready to answer.

“It’s fine, I’ll ask Lin Weiting to drive us. Thanks anyway.”

Liao Yunqi sighed.

“You’re so stubborn, even tougher than diamonds. I really don’t know what to do with you. If you have something on your mind, don’t keep it bottled up. If Yun Jinyao really bullied you, Jinyi and I can teach him a lesson for you.”

Qian Hongxian smiled and reassured her that she was fine, coaxing and convincing her until she finally managed to send Liao Yunqi out of the office.

Her phone vibrated on the desk. It was a message from Huang Shuzhen. When she opened the chat, she saw that Huang Shuzhen had plans with friends that night and told her to take care of dinner on her own.

“She’s still running around even though she’s not feeling well…” Qian Hongxian sighed. 

She typed out a long message reminding her to take care of herself before forcing herself to focus on work again.

Just as she managed to calm her emotions a bit, Liao Yunqi’s mention of Yun Jinyao stirred up ripples in her heart again. Fighting off her frustration, she arranged two blind dates in the afternoon, signed contracts with two new clients, and by the time she finished work, it was already close to 8 PM.

She had no appetite and didn’t feel like going home right away. Wandering aimlessly through the dimly lit alleys, she stopped in front of a bar.

She had walked past this bar every day to and from work but never paid attention to it since she didn’t drink. But tonight, feeling the urge to indulge herself, she turned on her heel and pushed the door open.

The menu listed a long string of drinks she didn’t recognize… names like “Margarita” and “Screwdriver.” Since she had never tried any of them before, she randomly picked one that sounded pleasant to her ears.

Sitting alone in a corner, she sipped on her drink. This one, called “something Colm,” had a sweet and sour taste. It wasn’t as divine as celestial wine, but it was good enough that she ended up ordering three in a row. By the third glass, her gaze was unfocused, her body relaxed, and she even started humming a tune.

“Miss, are you alone?”

Qian Hongxian looked up and saw a stranger sitting across from her without an invitation.

The man had a refined appearance, wearing thin-framed glasses, a suit, and a neatly styled Korean fringe. He carried a briefcase and looked like an office worker from the area.

She set down her wine glass forcefully and glared at him.

“Who said you could sit here?”

The man smiled. There was a faint fragrance on him, reminding her of Yu Xiuyan.

“Sorry, all the other seats are taken.”

Qian Hongxian glanced around the bar and realized he was telling the truth.

“Actually, I wanted to get to know you, so I chose to sit here. My name is Kevin. How about you?” He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbow on the table.

“I don’t know. I forgot.” She propped her chin with one hand and toyed with her empty glass with the other.

“Then, Miss ‘Forgot,’ do you want to order something to eat? It’s on me,” Kevin said, picking up the menu.

“No, I just want to be alone. Please leave.” She scowled and burped without any regard for appearances.

“I’ll leave once another table opens up, okay? But if you want another drink or something to eat, just let me know. I’ll treat you.”

Qian Hongxian shrugged and snatched the menu from Kevin’s hand, reading through it. “Does a ‘Screwdriver’ actually have a screwdriver in it?”

Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Does a ‘Sun Cake’ have the sun in it?”

“Then I’ll order a ‘Dry Martini.'”

“You don’t seem like a heavy drinker. A Dry Martini might be too strong for you. Let me get you a Screwdriver instead.” Kevin smiled.

“Mm.” Qian Hongxian nodded.

While waiting for the drink, Kevin didn’t try to chat her up again. Instead, he pulled out his phone. Qian Hongxian glanced over and saw that he was looking at pictures of puppies.

“Puppies!” Her eyes lit up, and she leaned closer to look at his phone screen.

“It’s a little Shiba Inu! So cute. I’ve always wanted a dog.”

“This one’s mine. His name is Sesame because he looked like a sesame-filled rice ball when he was a puppy. Now he’s grown enough to start tearing up the house.” Kevin spoke animatedly, making Qian Hongxian finally smile.

“So cute! I’ve always wanted to raise a dog too! How long have you had him?”

Unknowingly, she and Kevin chatted away, and at some point, she finished her Screwdriver. Seeing that, Kevin ordered her another drink. They kept talking about dogs until past midnight when she finally realized how late it was.

After Kevin paid the bill, she stumbled out of the bar, feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet. Just as she was about to fall, Kevin caught her around the waist. A rich yet subtle and seductive scent from his cologne filled her nose.

“Thank you.”

She tried to push him away, but Kevin didn’t let go. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered.

“Do you want to come to my place and meet Sesame?”