When the East Wind Arrives

Everything was ready, only waiting for the east wind.

Once the east wind came, everything would be filled with joy.

But the alarm rang instead, the night rain suddenly stopped, the east wind scattered, and everything vanished into nothing.

It was a dream.

The dream was fake, but the intense sensations, the burning body, and the wildly beating heart… everything felt real, including the blooming flowers and the dampness after the rain.

Even though Qin Huairen was already in her twenties, this was her first truly meaningful erotic dream.

Normally, she either couldn’t remember her dreams or they were blurry, but this time it was vivid, and some details were deeply imprinted in her mind.

Even the unfulfilled feeling in the dream still lingered in her body.

Of course, the most outrageous part was that the person in her dream was actually Wen Yuzhi.

Qin Huairen took a few minutes to calm down, then hurried into the bathroom.

Water flowed down her shoulders, across her abdomen, and kept streaming downward.

The spreading warmth felt eerily similar to the dream, and the image of Wen Yuzhi standing before her, eyes hazy and alluring, suddenly flashed in her mind.

A strange sensation surged in her lower abdomen, and Qin Huairen snapped back to reality, quickly lowering the water temperature and splashing cold water on her face.

Wake up, Qin Huairen. Have you lost your mind?

She woke up early, took a night bus, then transferred to the earliest morning bus, heading toward Tanshan Temple on the outskirts of Jingzhou City.

There were barely any people along the way.

She sat in the corner, appearing to rest with her eyes closed, but every few seconds, Wen Yuzhi would pop into her mind.

Unable to control herself, Qin Huairen started feeling annoyed at Wen Yuzhi.

It was all her fault.

She was even more annoyed at her own body for reacting in the dream.

How embarrassing.

After getting off the bus, she walked for another ten minutes.

As she walked, she looked around.

The golden light at the horizon grew brighter, and more people began to appear.

The air carried the faint scent of incense, which was surprisingly pleasant.

Her restless heart gradually calmed down.

A long queue stretched several hundred meters from the temple entrance.

Qin Huairen stood at the end.

In front of her was a young couple.

The girl excitedly said that wishes made at Tanshan Temple were very effective—from passing civil service exams to finding love.

The boy shrugged, saying it only worked if you believed in it.

“The Moon God Hall here is especially powerful for relationships,” the girl said.

“When you make a wish, you must sincerely state your names, ID numbers, and home addresses so the matchmaker deity doesn’t mix things up.”

“At the end, we should also get a blessing plaque. If we can also get a fortune reading, it’ll be perfect.”

Qin Huairen listened absentmindedly.

The Moon God Hall?

She had been here before but never visited it.

Was that why she had been single for so long?

“Huairen?”

Someone called her name.

She turned around in surprise and saw Yan Qing waving at her.

Yan Qing looked delighted.

“What a coincidence!”

Before Qin Huairen could respond, Yan Qing pulled her toward the east gate, and just like that, she entered the temple without queuing.

“Go straight and turn right to get incense,” Yan Qing said before disappearing around the corner.

Qin Huairen had wanted to ask something, but the thought of Wen Yuzhi flashed through her mind again.

Naturally, seeing Yan Qing made her think of Wen Yuzhi.

And thinking of Wen Yuzhi brought back the dream from last night.

Thinking about such things in a sacred place… what a sin.

She forced herself to focus, went to get incense, calmed her mind, and started praying at the main hall.

The surroundings were noisy, but the scent of incense brought her a rare sense of peace.

She bowed in all four directions and placed the incense into the burner.

Afterward, she visited the Heavenly Kings Hall and then the Guanyin Hall to fulfill her vow.

She donated the prepared offering money.

This year, the Jingzhou Museum only recruited one person, and the competition was intense.

She had guessed many answers during the exam, but luckily got them right and ranked first in the written test.

Even though she didn’t think she performed well in the interview, she still ranked first.

She believed in her ability, but also believed that the Bodhisattva had helped her.

So she had vowed to donate 10,000 yuan and do good deeds.

After finishing her prayers, she walked further back and arrived at the Moon God Hall.

The entrance was crowded with people of all ages.

She almost gave up, but the people behind her blocked her way, leaving her no choice but to move forward.

Fine, she thought, since she was already here.

She got incense and began praying.

Remembering the girl’s words, she silently murmured:

“This believer is Qin Huairen… my ID number is… my current address is Maple Leaf Hotel 2004…”

Then she admitted that she had been single for years.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want a relationship—she just didn’t know how.

Where should she find someone she liked?

How would she know if she truly liked someone?

What if the other person didn’t like her back?

She wanted love, but she didn’t want to force anything.

She hoped for mutual affection.

If things could go smoothly, that would be best.

But even if hardships were necessary, she would endure them to the end.

As for her destiny in love, she sincerely asked for guidance—even a hint would do.

After finishing her prayer, she opened her eyes.

By coincidence, she saw a familiar side profile.

Even in the moving crowd and dim morning light, she was certain.

It was Wen Yuzhi.

Dressed in a fitted black long coat, she looked tall, elegant, and cold yet gentle.

Qin Huairen felt something indescribable.

She looked at the Moon God statue and thought—

Could this be a sign?

She stared blankly until Wen Yuzhi walked toward the incense burner.

Then she quickly turned away and went to get a blessing plaque.

Her mind was in turmoil.

The dream from last night kept resurfacing, which felt inappropriate in such a sacred place.

She pinched herself as a warning.

She wrote her name on the left side of the plaque, leaving space on the right for someone she might like in the future.

Just as she lifted her pen, someone bumped into her.

The pen tip left a dot on the plaque.

Her arm hurt from the collision, and the person left without apologizing.

She didn’t bother to argue.

After hanging the plaque, she suddenly realized something—

The character “Wen” also began with a dot.

Could this be fate?

She shook her head, dismissing the thought.

The morning bell rang again, signaling mealtime.

Visitors could pay for a bowl of vegetarian noodles.

She queued up and later sat in a corner to eat.

After finishing, she left the temple, only to have someone tug her sleeve.

She turned around.

Sunlight shone behind Wen Yuzhi, making her seem almost radiant.

With a smile, Wen Yuzhi said, “What a coincidence.”

It really was.

After all, the temple was quite large.

Yan Qing suggested going for fortune-telling, claiming it was extremely accurate.

Qin Huairen became curious.

They queued for a long time.

When it was their turn, a young monk checked their names.

“Yan Qing cannot enter. The other two can.”

Yan Qing looked devastated.

Inside, the old monk examined Wen Yuzhi’s palm and said gravely:

“Your fate contains calamities. You cannot escape misfortune.”

Qin Huairen tensed up.

The monk explained that Wen Yuzhi had three major calamities—heavenly, earthly, and human—all life-threatening.

Qin Huairen couldn’t help asking if there was a way to resolve it.

“No,” the monk replied.

Her heart sank.

But Wen Yuzhi only smiled faintly.

“That must be my fate.”

The monk added,

“Only self-redemption can save you. You’ve already survived two calamities. The third one can be overcome—but not with your current mindset.”

Qin Huairen quickly asked if adjusting her mindset could help.

The monk nodded.

“If you overcome this, everything afterward will go smoothly.”

Qin Huairen nudged Wen Yuzhi, signaling her to take it seriously.

Then she said earnestly,

“As long as you’re alive, everything has meaning.”

“If you’re gone, nothing in your world will matter anymore.”

Wen Yuzhi’s expression shifted slightly.

Qin Huairen continued,

“Can you really accept everything falling into someone else’s hands?”

“I couldn’t.”

She even joked,

“If you give up, just hand everything over to me.”

“I’ll become rich and live happily ever after.”

Wen Yuzhi laughed in anger.

“Should I thank you?”

“No need,” Qin Huairen said proudly.

Afterward, Qin Huairen left on her own.

Later, despite being told there was no solution, she still bought protective charms for Wen Yuzhi.

She even returned to the temple to get them blessed and paid for a longevity tablet in Wen Yuzhi’s name.

Unexpectedly, she found her own name in the hall, along with a childhood photo she had never seen before.

She realized her parents must have placed it there.

Her eyes stung, and she quickly left.

After all the effort, she felt exhausted but slightly relieved.

Sitting under a tree, she closed her eyes.

She couldn’t understand why her parents seemed to wish her well yet acted differently in reality.

But soon, Wen Yuzhi filled her thoughts again.

She could accept Wen Yuzhi being cold, arrogant, or even hurting her.

But she couldn’t accept anything happening to her.

At the end of the day, after wandering through a lively street, eating snacks, and watching the lights, she felt completely drained.

Standing among families and couples, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

If she had a partner and a child, could she be this happy too?

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Why don’t they want me?” she murmured.

That night, she returned to her hotel, cooked sweet dumplings, and posted a photo online.

“Happy Lantern Festival.”

She received many replies and responded to them carefully.

Later, while scrolling through social media, she saw a familiar advertisement.

Her expression darkened.

“So I was blind. He’s not worthy of her.”

Then she remembered—

Today was also the day Wen Yuzhi was meeting someone for a blind date.

Her frown deepened.

She picked up her phone several times, wanting to warn her.

But what right did she have?

She told herself to keep her distance.

Then suddenly—

Her phone vibrated.

She answered instinctively.

The sound of wind came through the line…

And faintly—

It sounded like someone crying.

Was Wen Yuzhi crying?

Had something happened?