CHAPTER 316: CHAPTER 104: NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE SCHEMING

Through the translation of a female international student, Su Ziceng learned some information about the painting from the innkeeper’s wife.

This painting, resembling the Vitruvian Man, is actually an astrology painting. Japan is a contradictory nation; on one hand, it is extremely insular, and on the other hand, they are very fascinated by Western culture. This can be observed from the blond hair seen everywhere on the streets and the foreign words in their language.

In Japan, the Eastern method of divination is currently popular, but a few years earlier, Western astrological divination was in vogue. Such astrology paintings were almost seen everywhere, though most are prints computed from people’s birthdays, and few are hand-drawn like this one.

In the eyes of the female international student, this painting was merely left behind by some bored person doodling carelessly. However, according to the kind innkeeper, it was common for travelers to be stopped by unfamiliar astrologers on the streets and have their fortune told randomly. Almost all the long-time residents of Karuizawa had experienced this.

"Don’t take it too seriously, it’s all inaccurate," the female international student noticed Su Ziceng’s doubts and reassured her.

Those two numbers made Su Ziceng believe that this wasn’t just a nonsensical astrology game, but unless the person involved was found, no one could understand the painting. Divination isn’t like palm reading, especially these hand-drawn astrological charts which are mostly intertwined with the astrologer’s personal consciousness, making them difficult for others to interpret.

Without finding the person, there were also no leads on the painting. Su Ziceng originally intended to contact her home using her cellphone, only to discover that there was no signal. Upon inquiring, she learned that Japan’s communication system was somewhat unique, and even users with global service could not share the communication network.

She had to buy a local card and made a safety call home. After hanging up, she hesitated whether to call Pello and Hang Yishao. At that moment, she felt like a wavering Vitruvian Man, unable to discern her true thoughts, and eventually she hung up the phone.

In Mo City, Hang Yishao had been trying to reach Su Ziceng without success, until he contacted the Su Family and learned that Su Ziceng had gone to Japan for "cherry blossom viewing." Classes at Daoquan University were scheduled as usual, and regular attendance was still required. Hang Yishao initially had some complaints, but his mood brightened when he heard that Su Ziceng went alone.

For some reason, he couldn’t help but suspect that there was something between Su Ziceng and the teacher named Pello. Seeing those two together created an atmosphere that made him very uncomfortable. Just the thought of that situation made Hang Yishao feel uneasy at that moment.

As soon as the class bell rang, he snapped the book shut with a "snap," and turned to see that Fei Qing, who was sitting next to him, was yawning continuously in the middle of the afternoon.

"What’s up with you, kid?" Hang Yishao sat next to Fei Qing and smelled a strong scent of smoke. It wasn’t the usual Marlboro they smoked but rather a more pungent kind, "You haven’t been smoking those cigarettes from Shang Yin, have you?" Hang Yishao had a poor impression of Shang Yin, feeling that he always gave off a sinister vibe.

"No," Fei Qing, fearing Hang Yishao’s nagging, stubbornly denied it.

"Then where have you been recently? I tried contacting you over the weekend and couldn’t find you," Hang Yishao and Fei Qing hadn’t been out for a while, and as the weather warmed up, beach projects were starting, and as one of the organizers, the Hang Fei families should have gone to inspect.

"Keeping the wife company," Fei Qing let slip without thinking.

"What?" Hang Yishao knew Fei Qing’s temper; ’Butterfly Flower’ Fei Qing who never got too close to any woman had never referred to any woman as his wife before.

"Spoke wrong, just got a new girlfriend, she’s clingy," Fei Qing’s feelings about Yan Wuxu were also complicated. The guilt of accidentally causing their unborn child’s death haunted him, and their child was growing day by day, soon to be raised under Su Qingzhang’s name. Just thinking about these matters gave Fei Qing a headache.

"Can’t you focus a bit more on important matters, how’s your dad’s election campaign going?" Hang Yishao shifted the conversation, Fei Qing’s father had done well after being elected as a city councilman last year, and with the backing of several families including the Hang Family, he had hopes of running for the position of Speaker in Mo City.

"Still short of some funds," Fei Qing pulled out a canned beer from his bag and brazenly began drinking it in the classroom.