The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 7

Qian Hongxian suddenly woke up, realizing that the corners of her eyes were wet.

She sat up in bed, her deep red hair tumbling messily over her shoulders. Wiping away her tears, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then got up and drew open the curtains, letting the morning sunlight stream into the room.

She dreamt of Siming again, and once more, she saw the scene before reincarnation. The words he spoke before they parted, “I will be with you and won’t let you be alone,” were not only the force that kept her going but also the moment she felt closer to him. Siming, who always humbly referred to himself as “this humble one,” used the first-person pronoun “I” for the first time with her.

Qian Hongxian climbed out of bed and left her cozy, well-decorated room to head to the bathroom for her morning routine. The aroma of Huang Shuzhen’s early morning cooking wafted in from outside the bathroom door, making Qian Hongxian’s stomach growl. After washing up and changing her clothes, she quickly rushed to the dining table and took her seat.

Huang Shuzhen brought out a pot of chicken congee, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a dish of scrambled eggs with corn. The moment she sat down, Qian Hongxian eagerly picked up her chopsticks, waiting for Huang Shuzhen to take her seat before digging in.

“Is this enough? I can make more if you need,” Huang Shuzhen asked with concern.

“It’s plenty! Ah, I overslept again. I was supposed to make breakfast today,” Qian Hongxian said, feeling a little guilty. Since coming to the mortal world, the one thing she cherished most was Huang Shuzhen’s cooking. Her mother’s food soothed her, washing away the exhaustion that lingered from the night before.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of chances to cook. You came home late last night, so you needed the extra sleep. But try not to stay out so late again—it’s bad for your health,” Huang Shuzhen reminded her earnestly.

“I’ll come home earlier from now on,” Qian Hongxian replied with a bright smile.

Huang Shuzhen reached out and playfully pinched her daughter’s cheek.

“Come home early today, and invite Weiting’s family over too. I’ve already prepared a cake—we’ll celebrate together tonight.”

“Celebrate?” Qian Hongxian blinked in confusion as she sucked the sauce off her chopsticks.

“Silly girl, isn’t today your birthday?” Huang Shuzhen chuckled.

She turned to look at the calendar on the living room wall. Sure enough, today was her birthday. She was already thirty-one years old—time had flown by so quickly.

“How did things go in Hsinchu yesterday?”

Qian Hongxian immediately pulled a long face.

“That Yun Jinyao completely ignored me…” She then recounted the entire experience to her mother. “The worst part is that he doesn’t even have a red string. How am I supposed to find him a match?”

“Huh? That’s just like you,” Huang Shuzhen paused, holding a large pot of soy milk mid-air.

Qian Hongxian froze.

She instinctively lifted her own hands, bringing her clean, stringless wrists up to her face.

For those with destined love, the red string would be tied to another person; for those without, the string would be severed, just like her mother’s had been. Since childhood, she had been able to see the red strings of fate connecting people—except for her own

She had always assumed that, as the Moon Matchmaker, she simply wouldn’t have a red string. But then how could she explain Yun Jinyao’s situation? Could he also be a Moon Matchmaker?

No, that was impossible. She shook her head. The previous Moon Matchmaker had ascended to a realm even higher than Purple Cloud City after achieving great cultivation—there was no way he had been reincarnated.

“Just because you can’t see a red string doesn’t mean our top matchmaking agent can’t find him a good partner,” Huang Shuzhen said, pouring her daughter a cup of warm soy milk. “Besides, it’s normal for Yun Jinyao to ignore you—he doesn’t know you, and people these days are very guarded. If you want to convince him to get married, you’ll have to take the time to truly understand him.”

Qian Hongxian sipped her soy milk, pondering over her mother’s words.

She had a point. And besides, she wasn’t entirely without clues. The last time she successfully returned to the Celestial Court, Seven-Star Goddess had told her that Yun Jinyao’s destined partner had the surname Yu or Ding. If she filtered her search based on that, finding a match for him wouldn’t be impossible.

After finishing her meal, she lingered in her room to put on makeup and prepare for work. As she tidied up, she sensed that something was wrong.

Her phone was missing.

She nearly turned her entire room upside down in a frantic search, only stopping when Huang Shuzhen came in to remind her that she was already late for work. Resigning herself to the fact that she had to leave without her phone, she grabbed the winter melon, pork rib, and clam soup she had prepared for Lin Weiting’s family from the fridge and dashed out the door.

The “Moonlight Matchmaking Agency” was located in an office building in the heart of Taipei. The office had a warm yet minimalist design. Upon entering, one would first see a reception counter adorned with vibrant potted flowers. Further inside was a seating area for clients, with walls covered in wedding photos—proof of the agency’s matchmaking success.

Qian Hongxian had her own office. Like her bedroom, it was filled with cute trinkets and plush toys. Though she owned a lot of things, she kept her space tidy and organized. In front of her desk was a set of sofas for meeting clients, much like Lin Weiting’s office.

After handing the soup to Lan Xiangrong, she entered her office. As soon as she sat down, she became completely absorbed in trying to recall where she had lost her phone, so much so that she didn’t even hear someone knocking at the door.

“Hongxian, may I come in?” A young woman peeked her head inside after pushing the door open.

“Oh, good morning, Yunqi! What’s up?” Qian Hongxian snapped out of her thoughts.

“It’s not morning anymore—it’s almost eleven,” Liao Yunqi walked in, balancing a stack of papers in one arm and holding a cup of hot coffee in the other. She appeared to be around the same age as Qian Hongxian. Dressed in the company’s uniform, she was tall, slender, and graceful—she could easily pass as a flight attendant if she wanted to.

“Happy birthday! Here’s a coffee for you.” Liao Yunqi handed her the drink.

“Wow! Thank you!” Qian Hongxian happily accepted the cup, instinctively glancing at Liao Yunqi’s wrist to check her red string.

Liao Yunqi had a destined partner, but she didn’t seem interested in finding a match right now. Moreover, she wasn’t Qian Hongxian’s matchmaking target. When the time was right, Liao Yunqi would meet her fated one naturally, so Qian Hongxian didn’t feel the need to intervene in her love life.

“Here’s the list of members who applied for the social event as of yesterday. Take a look,” Liao Yunqi said, handing over a thick stack of documents.

“Thanks.” Qian Hongxian accepted the pile of papers. “Is the company struggling with sales lately? How much do I need to contribute?”

Liao Yunqi sighed. “I wish I could say something like that one day. The general manager didn’t mention any issues with performance, so don’t worry.”

“That’s good.” Qian Hongxian casually flipped through the member profiles. After just a few pages, she came across a female member with the surname Yu, making her sit up straight. She held onto a sliver of hope as she stared intently at the profile photo of a woman named Yu Xinhui. Within moments, she observed Yu Xinhui’s red string of fate—but unfortunately, it wasn’t connected to Yun Jinyao.

An idea suddenly struck her.

“Yunqi, can I ask you for a favor? Could you get the marketing team to design an event where all women with the surname ‘Yu’ or ‘Ding’ sign up as members?”

Liao Yunqi gave her an elegant but confused look.

“Why?”

Qian Hongxian stood up and clasped her hands together. “I know this request sounds strange, but I have a special case where the match has to have the surname ‘Yu’ or ‘Ding.’ Please, please help me! Like ‘Yu’ from Xia Yuqiao and ‘Ding’ from Liao Tianding.”

Liao Yunqi raised an eyebrow. “This is the weirdest matchmaking request I’ve ever heard.”

“The guy is just… superstitious! A fortune teller told him that if his wife’s surname has more than three strokes, she’ll die young.” Qian Hongxian silently repented for her blatant lie.

Liao Yunqi smirked. “But ‘Qian’ is also three strokes, isn’t it? Why don’t you just marry him yourself instead of going through all this trouble recruiting every single woman in the country with those surnames?”

Qian Hongxian froze.

Oh right—she had completely forgotten!

“Oh no, the ‘Qian’ character doesn’t have a hooked stroke at the end, so the fortune teller said that means no children, making it ineligible.”

Liao Yunqi gave her a polite but clearly skeptical smile, choosing not to argue.

“Fine, if you agree to model my new wedding dress, I’ll help you.”

Qian Hongxian’s eyes widened. “Your new wedding dress design is finished?”

“Yep! I’m preparing for the showcase soon.”

Although Liao Yunqi worked at the matchmaking agency, she had a side business as a wedding dress designer. So, whenever she successfully matched a couple, not only did her job performance improve, but her personal business also saw a rise in sales—something only her close friend Qian Hongxian knew.

“But I’m only 160 cm tall! I can’t do your gorgeous dress justice.” Qian Hongxian lowered her head, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Liar. Your last health check-up said 159 cm—I saw it.” Liao Yunqi shot her a knowing glance.

Qian Hongxian ignored the remark.

“Fine, I’ll model for you, but you have to help me! I need this as soon as possible.”

With a plan to find Yun Jinyao’s destined partner in motion, the next step was convincing Yun Jinyao himself. If he agreed to meet his match, that would be ideal. If not, she’d have to figure out another approach.

For once, Qian Hongxian spent an entire workday avoiding clients and instead holed up in her office, searching the database for female members with the surname Yu or Ding. But by the end of the day, she had found nothing. As soon as the clock hit closing time, she shut down her computer, exhausted, and took the MRT home.

The moment she arrived at her doorstep, she heard a commotion inside. It seemed that after learning about her missing phone that morning, Huang Shuzhen had contacted Lin Weiting’s family. The source of the noise was Lin Weiting’s two elementary school-aged sons.

As soon as she walked in, she saw the two boys playing video games in the living room. They had borrowed her Switch, hooked it up to the computer, and were happily playing Taiko no Tatsujin. Lan Xiangrong sat on the couch watching her sons with an exhausted look.

“Hongxian, you’re back!” Lan Xiangrong waved. “Sorry, we borrowed your Switch without asking.”

“What are you talking about? I got it for them to play in the first place. It’d be so sad if they had to just sit around staring blankly while the adults chatted away.” Qian Hongxian waved dismissively.

“Enshuo, Zirui, you’re playing Auntie Hongxian’s game console. Shouldn’t you greet her properly?” Lan Xiangrong scolded.

Lin Enshuo and Lin Zirui, too engrossed in keeping up with the rhythm of the game, absentmindedly called out, “Auntie Hongxian!” before continuing to play away.

Qian Hongxian chuckled and walked into the kitchen, where Huang Shuzhen was cooking.

Before long, the intercom buzzed. Lan Xiangrong answered and let someone in. Moments later, Lin Weiting, just off work, appeared at the door with a large cake. The four adults and two children gathered around the dining table to sing Happy Birthday to Qian Hongxian. Just as Huang Shuzhen was cutting and serving the cake, the intercom buzzed again.

“Huh? Mom, did you invite someone else?” Qian Hongxian asked, puzzled.

“No?”

Still confused, she walked over to the intercom and answered.

“Hello? Does Qian Hongxian live here?” A female voice came through the speaker.

“Who’s asking?”

“Are you Qian Hongxian? I’m Lisa.”

Qian Hongxian gasped and quickly pressed the button to unlock the door.

A short while later, Lisa arrived at the door, smiling as she handed over a phone.

“My phone! How did you get it?” Qian Hongxian exclaimed.

“You left it in the car—Yao Ge noticed. The restaurant wasn’t busy today, and I wanted some fresh air, so I thought I’d bring it over myself.”

“Hongxian, don’t keep her at the door! Invite her in!” Huang Shuzhen called out from inside.

Qian Hongxian hurriedly ushered Lisa in, and she happily removed her shoes.

“Perfect timing! I’m starving, and your food smells amazing!”

Everyone made space for Lisa at the table. Aside from the two Lin brothers, the adults took turns chatting with her.

Lisa had a bright and sociable personality, fearlessly introducing herself as a university student who worked at Yun Jinyao’s restaurant whenever she wasn’t in class. When Lan Xiangrong learned that Lisa was also from Guanxi Township, the two hit it off, discovering they even had mutual acquaintances.

Meanwhile, Qian Hongxian used the opportunity to inspect her recovered phone. Then, curious, she asked, “How did you find this place?”

“Yao-ge showed me your business card with your office address, so I drove over. But when I got there, you had already left. I asked your coworkers, showed them your phone, and they gave me your home address.” Lisa explained between bites of braised fish.

Lin Weiting asked Lisa about the restaurant business, while Huang Shuzhen was curious about the cooking techniques for Hakka cuisine. The Lin brothers, already finished eating, ran to the living room cabinet to find Mario Party, with Lan Xiangrong following close behind to prevent them from tearing the house apart.

As Lisa animatedly explained the perfect ratio of sauce for Hakka-style braised pork, Qian Hongxian watched her, and suddenly, another idea struck her.

A new plan began to take shape in her mind.