Upon hearing this news, Ruan Qiuping immediately wanted to teleport home, but before he could use his magic, Jing Yang stopped him: "Ruan Qiuping, don't be rash. We still need to go to class. There are officials inspecting today!"
Ruan Qiuping frowned, seeming conflicted.
Jing Yang persuaded him: "This time it's officials from the Celestial Education Department coming to inspect. The teacher takes this very seriously. If you're caught skipping class this time, it won't be as simple as writing a self-criticism... You might even be expelled, and then... then you won't be able to go down anymore."
Ruan Qiuping pursed his lips and started walking forward: "...Let's go to class then."
The Education Department officials were seated at the back of the classroom, while the Recorder of Fate was enthusiastically lecturing at the podium.
The Recorder of Fate's class had always been the most prone to slacking off, especially after practical courses began. Their daily class content consisted of: descending to the mortal realm, coming to the classroom to read out the list of rule-breakers, group discussions, and then dismissal.
Now, however, the Recorder of Fate was standing at the podium, talking non-stop, while the students sat in their seats pretending to listen in a daze.
The Recorder of Fate glanced at the row of officials at the back of the classroom, wiped the sweat from his hands, and called out: "Next is the presentation of today's group practice results. The process will be the same as usual. Who wants to go first?"
The classroom fell silent.
...They had never done any group practice presentations before. Who knew what the process was?
The Recorder of Fate's own performance wasn't enough; he had to drag the whole class into improvising with him.
Seeing no one respond, the Recorder of Fate looked slightly embarrassed. He lowered his head and picked up the class roster, saying: "If no one volunteers, I'll just pick someone randomly..."
...Pick randomly?
Ruan Qiuping's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The other students' hearts, however, settled down steadily.
Sure enough, the next moment, Ruan Qiuping heard the Recorder of Fate call out: "Ruan Qiuping, you go first! Come up to the podium!"
Ruan Qiuping: "..."
Ruan Qiuping heaved a deep sigh.
When it came to bad luck, he had never lost to anyone.
Ruan Qiuping reluctantly stood at the podium and began to improvise: "Today's group practice session has ended. Although we only spent 30 hours in the mortal realm, every member of our group has benefited greatly from it. Regarding the content and results of our group practice, I'm prepared to present it from the following three aspects, just like before..."
Ruan Qiuping paused and glanced at the Recorder of Fate beside him.
The Recorder of Fate quickly caught his gaze and coughed twice, saying: "...Everyone did well on yesterday's content report and practice summary, so we don't need to go over those aspects again today. Just evaluate your recording targets."
While lowering the difficulty for Ruan Qiuping, the Recorder of Fate also highlighted the key points for the other students who hadn't spoken yet.
Immediately, many people began to write furiously on paper, hurriedly preparing their speeches.
Ruan Qiuping was silent for a moment, then began: "First of all, as everyone knows, our group's recording target is the future God of Fortune, Yu Huan."
As soon as Ruan Qiuping finished speaking, the highest-ranking official sitting in the center at the back of the classroom suddenly looked up.
...As expected of the God of Fortune, even just his name could attract the attention of the top official.
Ruan Qiuping continued: "Before Yu Huan descended to the mortal realm, I had heard about this future God of Fortune. Many people said Yu Huan was the most god-like of gods - ethereal and otherworldly, compassionate and kind, avoiding clamor and fond of tranquility, with the aloofness and indifference befitting a deity. I always deeply doubted such evaluations. But after descending to the mortal realm and watching the human Yu Huan grow up bit by bit, I realized that my original doubts... were indeed correct."
The podium below fell silent for a moment, then burst into a commotion.
Ruan Qiuping even heard several students in the front row whispering excitedly.
"Whoa, has the God of Misfortune finally had enough of the God of Fortune and decided to start a fight?!"
"What about the celestial marriage stone? Aren't they betrothed?"
"...My goodness, you've already assumed it's the two of them on the marriage stone? But they're both men, have you already accepted that male immortals can be together?"
"It's the 21st century in the mortal world, a new era of society. As immortals, can't your thinking be a little less old-fashioned?"
Ruan Qiuping: "..."
Ruan Qiuping looked up into the distance, pretending he hadn't heard anything, and continued his speech: "First, I want to say that when people call Yu Huan the most god-like of gods, this evaluation itself is problematic. What exactly should a god be like? Without joy or sorrow, completely enlightened, never smiling, transcendent? That's not us gods, that's Buddha."
"The human Yu Huan I saw is a god who is more like a human. He has expressions as varied as humans do. He gets angry, he cries, he acts spoiled, and he also rejoices. He has the most gentle and strong heart in the world, persevering even when faced with setbacks. He's a person with great endurance; he's good at running, and also good at waiting. His smile is warm, but when he gets angry, it's cute..."
"Um..." someone in the audience raised their hand, blinking in confusion, "Are you sure you didn't get the wrong person? The person you're describing is Yu Huan?"
"Yeah! Did you make a mistake? Didn't another group recently spend half a month in the mortal realm before realizing they had been observing the wrong person..."
The Recorder of Fate looked at the officials behind him and coughed heavily, saying: "Ruan Qiuping definitely did not get the wrong person. I can vouch for that... And there's no need to bring up other groups recording the wrong people. I've already punished that entire group with a 10,000-word self-criticism..."
Confirming that Ruan Qiuping hadn't made a mistake, the others immediately became excited.
"...How strange, is this what the God of Fortune is like when he descends to the mortal realm?"
"It's unbelievable! Teacher! Can I ask Ruan Qiuping some questions about his presentation?"
The Recorder of Fate, seeing the healthy, lively, and interactive classroom atmosphere, happily said: "Of course you can. Everyone is welcome to ask questions enthusiastically!"
Ruan Qiuping: "..."
The students below immediately became excited, raising their hands one after another.
"Has the God of Fortune ever cried? What would make him cry?"
Ruan Qiuping: "...For some very normal reasons."
For example, crying because he fell asleep and missed eight hours of time together with him.
"How does the God of Fortune act spoiled?"
Ruan Qiuping: "Like a normal person acting spoiled."
"Has the God of Fortune ever smiled? What's his smile like?"
Ruan Qiuping: "...He smiles like a normal person."
Ruan Qiuping suddenly realized that he really didn't want to share the Yu Huan he had seen with others. He even regretted his earlier description of Yu Huan. He should have just said that the earthly Yu Huan was the same as the heavenly Yu Huan, casually praised Yu Huan's good qualities, and easily ended his speech.
"...Ah, I can't imagine it at all!!! Can you show us?!"
Ruan Qiuping: "???"
"Ah, yes! Use the mind mirror!"
The mind mirror was a type of mirror that could recreate scenes from that day through touch. It was said to be very useful for those forgetful immortals who often misplaced things.
But these mind mirrors were very rare, belonging to the category of high-level celestial instruments.
"Who has a mind mirror?"
"I don't."
"Me neither."
Ruan Qiuping breathed a sigh of relief: "Since no one has a mind mirror, let's forget about it. My speech ends here..."
"I have one here."
A voice suddenly interrupted Ruan Qiuping's words.
The speaker was the immortal sitting in the center at the back of the classroom, said to be the highest-ranking official from the Celestial Education Department.
As soon as he finished speaking, he produced a mind mirror out of thin air and magically moved it in front of Ruan Qiuping.
The mirror was enormous, nearly a meter in diameter.
Ruan Qiuping: "..."
Sir, you could just quietly watch our performance. Why are you joining in?
Ruan Qiuping was now truly in a predicament, but he had no choice but to reluctantly reach out and touch the contact handle on the side of the mind mirror.
The surface of the mind mirror suddenly emitted a faint white light. As the light faded, ripples seemed to appear on the mirror's surface.
The ripples gradually calmed, revealing the outline of a human figure.
It was Yu Huan at seventeen, the day before the college entrance exam, sitting at his desk doing homework.
Ruan Qiuping didn't want others to see Yu Huan crying in frustration at age seven after losing eight hours of time with him due to sleeping. He didn't want others to see sixteen-year-old Yu Huan finishing a long-distance run, crossing the finish line and rushing to hug him tightly. He especially didn't want people to see thirty-two-year-old Yu Huan with laughter in his eyes and an expression more gentle than a starlit lake.
So he deliberately chose a very ordinary scene to show.
But now as he looked at the quiet studying youth in the mirror, he felt this scene was too peaceful and beautiful, making him want to hide it away from others as well.
In the mirror was a gorgeous summer evening.
The sunset had painted the western sky a pale pink, blending with the blue to create a gentle purple, as if watercolors had been softly smudged by fingertips.
The youth in the mirror reached out and opened the window in front of his desk.
He glanced at the sky outside, then turned to look at Ruan Qiuping's perspective in the mirror. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped himself, only letting a faint smile tug at his lips. Blending with the beautiful sky behind him, he shone as brightly as the morning star adorning the heavens.
The only two girls in the classroom let out soft squeals, their expressions melting as if their hearts were about to dissolve.
Ruan Qiuping released his grip on the memory handle, preparing to end the "screening" here.
This memory segment was the last scene he saw before falling asleep. Yu Huan smiled at him because he noticed he was about to doze off. After that, his eyes closed and there was nothing more.
Ruan Qiuping let go, and the scene in the mirror began to blur, gradually fading to black.
Ruan Qiuping was about to return the mirror to the senior official when he suddenly noticed the mirror's surface ripple again, shifting to a third-person perspective.
Ruan Qiuping was stunned: Was something wrong with the mirror? Why couldn't he turn it off?
And he had never even seen this scene before.
Wait a minute...
Ruan Qiuping suddenly remembered that this thought mirror didn't just recreate a person's memories, but reconstructed the day's events based on those memories.
So this must be what happened after he fell asleep.
Even though Yu Huan in the mirror was just quietly looking at him, and mirror Ruan Qiuping's face was completely blocked by a stack of books, making it nearly impossible for anyone to tell who exactly was sitting at the desk studying with Yu Huan.
But even so, Ruan Qiuping began to panic.
"Teacher, how do I... turn this off?"
"Must be broken," the Recorder of Fate said, not at all concerned and even watching with great interest.
In the mirror, Yu Huan took a step, moving to stand beside Ruan Qiuping.
Ruan Qiuping's heart was about to leap out of his chest. He tapped the mirror, then quickly tried pressing the memory handle on the side, but to no effect.
In the mirror, Yu Huan lowered his head, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he slowly bent down...
"Wow..."
A gasp went through the classroom.
Ruan Qiuping's heart raced faster and faster. He hurriedly walked over, trying to block the entire mirror with his body, but it was too large for him to fully cover.
The mirror's perspective slowly shifted with Yu Huan's movements. Just as the other person in the mirror was about to be exposed, Ruan Qiuping's breath caught in his throat. In the nick of time, he suddenly hugged the mirror and spun around, turning its back to the students below!
The students immediately voiced their disappointment, as if an exciting TV show had been forcibly changed channels at a crucial moment.
Ruan Qiuping clutched the mirror, leaning against the blackboard behind him. His face was so close to the mirror that he could clearly see the young man in front of him bend down and place a gentle, nervous yet restrained kiss on mirror Ruan Qiuping's lips.
Ruan Qiuping's entire face flushed hot.
Fortunately, at that moment, the image in the thought mirror flickered sharply and finally shut off.
"What are you doing... why won't you let us see the end?"
"Who was the other person hidden behind the books? Was it Yu Huan's first love in the mortal world?"
"Did they kiss? Did they?"
Ruan Qiuping said seriously: "What kiss? Your minds are too dirty. Yu Huan just bent down to pick something up."
Everyone: ...Really? We don't believe you.
"Besides, these are all private matters of the recorded person. I hope everyone can treat this rationally," Ruan Qiuping paused, then continued, "My report ends here. Thank you all."
With that, he carried the mirror down from the podium and returned it to the education department official who seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
Ruan Qiuping felt that when he handed the mirror back to the official, the man gave him a meaningful look.
.
Thinking about the marriage agreement drama unfolding at his home, Ruan Qiuping was suddenly eager to return. As soon as the Recorder of Fate dismissed class, he disappeared using teleportation.
The expected noisy scene didn't materialize.
The house was even quieter than usual.
Ruan Qiuping carefully pushed open the door and entered to find Xia Fushui and a woman in formal traditional dress sitting at the table drinking tea.
"Qiuping's back?" Xia Fushui set down her tea and said, "Say hello, this is Yu Huan's mother."
Suppressing his many questions, Ruan Qiuping obediently greeted her: "Hello, Auntie."
Yu's Mother smiled and beckoned him over: "Come here, let me have a look at you."
Ruan Qiuping blinked and stepped closer.
"Indeed different from the rumors. I think this child is quite nice," Yu's Mother nodded approvingly.
Ruan Qiuping: "..."
What kind of rumors did you hear exactly?
Yu's Mother then took out a red envelope from her robes: "Take this, a small token from me."
...What is this for?
Ruan Qiuping looked at Xia Fushui somewhat awkwardly. Seeing her nod slightly in approval, he accepted the envelope: "...Thank you, Auntie."
"I don't think this is right!"
Ruan Shengfeng suddenly ran down from the attic carrying a yellowed book. Frowning seriously, he said: "The book says that the Celestial Marriage Stone has always been used to form engagements between men and women. It's impossible for such an absurd thing to happen, binding two men together!"
Yu's Mother smiled and said: "What you say is correct, but look at the book again. It also states that the celestial couple bound by the stone must marry and consummate within five years or face divine punishment by lightning for breaking the contract. Your daughter is only three years old this year, so it's even more unsuitable."
Xia Fushui remained silent.
She had only learned of this rule recently, which was why she had gone to such lengths to bring her daughter to the mortal realm to grow up, hoping to fulfill the engagement within three years.
But it had ended in failure.
Yu's Mother paused, then continued: "Moreover, these two children - one the future God of Fortune, one the future God of Misfortune, born on the same year, month, day and hour - if not for both happening to be male, who wouldn't say they were a match made in heaven?"
"But, but..." Ruan Shengfeng flipped through several more pages of the Records of Celestial Court Oddities, pointing at a few lines: "It says here that Yu Huan's father said over a thousand years ago that he despised most those who violated social norms and ethics, disregarding the balance of yin and yang to engage in same-sex debauchery... If Yu Huan's father holds such contempt for male relationships, how could he accept our Qiuping marrying into their family? Who knows how they might mistreat our Qiuping!!!"
"Those are ancient matters from over a thousand years ago, best left unmentioned," a voice suddenly interjected.
Ruan Qiuping turned to look, his eyes widening in shock.
Wasn't this the official sitting at the back of the classroom earlier?! The one from the education department who had given him the thought mirror and seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold?!
"I admit that at the time, my experience was limited. I now apologize for my statements," the official paused, then continued, "Thinking about it now, things like status and gender are all external factors. What's most important is that the two children are in love and their hearts are in sync. I just checked the dates in the Celestial Observatory, and the 15th day three months from now is an auspicious day that only comes once in a hundred years. Why don't we hold the children's wedding then?"
Ruan Qiuping: "Wait a minute..."
Xia Fushui stood up and said, "Since it's an auspicious date chosen by the God of Fortune's family, there shouldn't be any issues. However, as your visit today was so sudden, we weren't fully prepared to receive you. Why don't we set another date in a few days to discuss the wedding details properly?"
"Then we shall meet again soon," Yu's Mother smiled.
After Yu's Father and Yu's Mother left, Ruan Qiuping asked in shock, "What's going on?! Mom! Wasn't it supposed to be Dongdong's engagement? How did it become mine? And it's so rushed - I didn't even say a word, yet my lifelong commitment has been decided. Plus, I'm a man too, why am I the one who has to marry in? Shouldn't it be Yu Huan marrying in? Wait, that's not even the point - the point is, Mom, why are you so calm about this?!"
At this moment, Xia Fushui exuded a composure that seemed to transcend worldly concerns.
She took a sip of tea, glanced at the room full of betrothal gifts, and said nonchalantly, "We had no choice. They simply offered too much."