The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 5

Qian Hongxian stood in front of “Mountain Stream and Green Fields”, feeling a bit nervous.

In the past, she had always been well-prepared when she met her targets. Before she reincarnated, she had already memorized their fate, appearance, personality, and age, so when she first met them, she always knew what to do.

But now, even though she was standing at Yun Jinyao’s restaurant entrance, her mind was completely blank—she had no idea how to start the conversation.

Qian Hongxian pressed the wooden automatic door. The door responded to her command and slowly slid open to the right, waiting for her to enter.

Upon stepping inside, she couldn’t help but think about how the restaurant’s inside was arranged. The counter was on the left, the seating area on the right, and a staircase was visible straight ahead. The interior decor matched the exterior—everything from the tables and chairs to the decorations followed a traditional Chinese style.

It was currently break time, so the store’s lighting was dim. However, the kitchen at the back was brightly lit, with a screen set up at the entrance. Loud music from a Japanese female singer played in the background. When Qian Hongxian recognized the melody, she felt an unexpected sense of familiarity, and her nervousness eased a little—she liked this Japanese singer too.

“Excuse me, is anyone here?” she called out while walking toward the lit-up area.

Just as she was about to reach it, a young girl with short-dyed blonde hair, wearing an apron, emerged from behind the screen.

“Do you need something?” the girl asked with curiosity.

Qian Hongxian quickly took out a business card. “Hello, I’m the manager of ‘Moonlight Matchmaking Agency.’ My surname is Qian. May I ask if Mr. Yun Jinyao is here?”

The girl glanced at the business card, then at Qian Hongxian, her eyes widening.

“You’re from a matchmaking agency?”

Qian Hongxian nodded.

“You’re looking for Yao-ge?”

She nodded again.

The girl suddenly burst out laughing. “Yao-ge is going on a matchmaking date?”

“Actually, I approached Mr. Yun myself—” Qian Hongxian tried to explain, but the girl cut her off.

“Yao-ge isn’t here. He went out.”

“Then…” She had come all the way to Hsinchu and didn’t want to leave empty-handed. “When will he be back?”

The girl shrugged. “I don’t even know if he’ll come back to the restaurant today.”

Qian Hongxian bit her lip, thinking for a moment. “Can I have his phone number?”

“Sorry, it’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, but Yao-ge hates it when we casually share his personal information. Too many people want his number—journalists, the town mayor, girls who want to date him, motorcycle club members, students from the archery range…” The girl counted on her fingers, unintentionally revealing Yun Jinyao’s usual activities. “How about this? I’ll give him your business card when he gets back and ask him to contact you.”

Yun Jinyao taking the initiative to contact her? As if that would ever happen.

“Can I wait here for him?” Qian Hongxian asked.

“Sure! You can sit upstairs. The space is really cozy.”

Qian Hongxian nodded in thanks and stepped outside to find Lin Weiting, telling him to head back to Taipei first.

“But how are you going to get back to Taipei? The transportation here is inconvenient, and the mobile signal is poor. It will be difficult to call a car, right?” Lin Weiting asked with a frown.

“It’s fine. I’ll figure out a way down the mountain. But you should go; otherwise, you won’t make it in time to pick up your kids from school. Thanks for driving me here!”

Lin Weiting still looked worried but he still complied and started the car. Qian Hongxian smiled and waved, watching him drive away.

She turned back toward the shop and followed the short-haired girl’s instructions up the stairs to the second floor. As she pushed open the glass door, the sight before her shocked her.

The second floor was entirely different from the first floor. It had a Western-style café aesthetic. On the right was a coffee bar, while the left had an open seating area. The large windows let in plenty of light, and near them were a few cozy-looking sofas.

Qian Hongxian walked over to a cushioned armchair by the window and sat down, leaning against the glass. From this vantage point, she had a perfect view of the surrounding mountains and fields.

“What would you like to drink?” The short-haired girl came up to the second floor and turned on the air conditioning.

“Do you have hazelnut latte?” Qian Hongxian asked hopefully.

“Of course.” The girl smiled and started working at the bar with practiced ease. Soon, she placed a steaming mug in front of Qian Hongxian.

“The music playing in the shop—is that an album by Ayaka Hirahara? I really love her songs too,” Qian Hongxian commented as she accepted the drink.

The girl’s eyes lit up at the mention of the singer. She excitedly sat down across from Qian Hongxian, leaning in.

“I went to Japan last year to see her musical! It was amazing!”

She pulled out her phone, searching for videos to share. The two of them hit it off instantly, chatting about the Japanese music scene, and even exchanged Line contacts.

Glancing at the name on the girl’s Line profile, Qian Hongxian saw: Lisa.

“Just call me Lisa,” she said happily. “It’s so nice to find someone who shares my interests! I have to get ready to open the shop, but I’ll send you some of my favorite videos later.”

With that, Lisa stood up, waved, and bounced downstairs.

Now alone on the second floor, Qian Hongxian leisurely sipped her hazelnut latte while enjoying the view. The lush greenery outside felt like a paradise on earth. She hadn’t realized how tense she usually was until she came to the countryside.

From the moment she regained memories of her true origins at five years old, through her school years and into adulthood, she had been constantly busy with missions. She rarely had the chance to relax like this. Most of her time was spent figuring out how to complete the twenty matchmaking tasks assigned to her.

But her relaxation didn’t last long. The mystery surrounding Yun Jinyao still weighed on her mind. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the Seven-Star Goddess might have made a mistake.

Sitting upright on the sofa, she closed her eyes. Whenever she had free time, she tried meditating, hoping to connect her consciousness back to the celestial realm.

She focused on her breathing, emptying her thoughts.

As soon as she fully calmed down, the image of Siming appeared before her. He waved with a warm smile.

After all these years, with her lifespan nearly at its end, she was finally seeing Siming in a vision. Her meditation had worked!

His refined elegance and scholarly, handsome face remained unchanged. She wanted to rush toward him, but the vision suddenly disappeared, and she woke up.

She found herself slumped over the table. At some point, she had fallen asleep, and now there was a black jacket draped over her shoulders.

Confused, she sat up—and nearly jumped in shock.

A young man sat across from her, holding a cup of black coffee, staring straight at her.

“Miss Qian.” His gaze flicked to the business card in his hand. “What business do you have with me?”

Still groggy, it took her a second to remember everything.

“You’re Yun Jinyao?”

“I am,” he answered curtly.

“Oh…”

…Wait.

This Yun Jinyao is way too handsome!

He had short, stylishly trimmed hair, sharp eyebrows, and striking star-like eyes. His athletic build suggested he exercised regularly.

Qian Hongxian, who had only ever admired Siming and viewed other handsome men like unreadable Japanese text, couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

“You work for a matchmaking agency?” Yun Jinyao continued, breaking the silence.

Snapping out of it, she quickly regained her professional tone. “Yes, I’m Qian Hongxian, a matchmaker from ‘Moonlight Matchmaking Agency.’ I came today to invite you to join our matchmaking event. As for the cost, you don’t have to worry—we won’t charge you anything until you find a match.”

Yun Jinyao raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “That good of a deal? A matchmaking agency seeks me out to find me a partner, yet charges me nothing?”

“Yes, because you meet excellent criteria. Having you as a member would help us attract more clients.” She waited for his response, heart pounding.

He set down his coffee and leaned forward.

“How did you find me?”

Qian Hongxian swallowed nervously. Yun Jinyao’s intense gaze seemed to pierce through her, making her feel defenseless.

She took a deep breath, telling herself there was nothing to fear—after all, she was the top agent in their company.

“My friend happens to be from Guanxi, and when she heard I was looking for young men to collaborate with the company, she helped me find you. I didn’t want to miss any opportunity, so I took the chance of visiting you.” Qian Hongxian admired her own story-weaving skills.

Yun Jinyao straightened up, leaning back against the sofa.

“Miss Qian, it’s rare for you to visit, but I’m afraid I will disappoint you,” he said with a faint smile. “I’m not planning on getting married, but I don’t mind having some fun with women.”

Qian Hongxian was stunned by his words.

While it was not surprising that Yun Jinyao was popular with women, hearing him speak so bluntly and openly was still difficult for her to accept.

Not wanting to get married was fine. In the past, there were people who didn’t want to get married in the tasks Qian Hongxian completed, but as long as they met their destined partner, they would always fall in love with each other.

Qian Hongxian instinctively looked at Yun Jinyao’s wrist, searching for his red thread.

…

None!

Without realizing it, she stood up. Trembling, she bent down and grabbed Yun Jinyao’s hands, examining them carefully.

Still nothing. Both wrists were clean with no trace of red.

How could this be!

Qian Hongxian was greatly shaken, standing there in a daze.

Yun Jinyao gently withdrew his hands, looking amused yet curious. “I don’t think Miss Qian is the type to casually sleep with men, so please, leave. It’s already very late.”

Qian Hongxian turned to look out the window and realized it was already dark outside. When she checked the time, it was already past nine in the evening.

Yun Jinyao stood up and extended a hand towards her. “Please return my coat, thank you.”

She handed him the black coat that was draped over her shoulders, feeling surprised that Yun Jinyao had used his coat to keep her warm. This meant he had been sitting there waiting for her to wake up. How long had she been asleep?

“Thank you, and I’m sorry for the trouble…” Qian Hongxian didn’t know what else to say.

After receiving the coat and putting it on, Yun Jinyao turned and walked towards the door, calling downstairs, “Yun Liqing, please take Miss Qian to the bus station.”

Initially, Qian Hongxian thought “Yun Liqing” was another employee at the store, but it turned out to be Lisa.

Lisa took her to a dark gray Toyota. When Qian Hongxian sat in the front passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, she noticed how new and clean the car was. Just as she was about to compliment Lisa on how well she took care of the car, Lisa complained while fiddling with the touchscreen on the right side of the steering wheel, “Yao Ge’s navigation system is really difficult to use! If this was my car, I wouldn’t install such a thing. Let me see, bus station, bus station… Don’t laugh at me; even though I’m from Guanxi, I’ve never taken a bus to Taipei. My family always drives me or I borrow a car myself, so I don’t really know where the bus station is.”

“Are you and Yun Jinyao siblings?” Qian Hongxian asked curiously.

“We’re cousins. There are seven of us siblings in this generation, and the others have all moved away, leaving only Yao Ge and me living here.” Lisa skillfully maneuvered the car through the dark mountain roads at night.

During the drive, Lisa continuously complained to Qian Hongxian about the restaurant being understaffed and how Yun Jinyao refused to hire more people, leaving her with an endless amount of work.

Qian Hongxian nodded along, but she was anxious inside.

All along, relying on observing the red lines and memorizing the Life Deity’s register in advance had been her secret tools for completing missions. Now that both are gone, what should she do?