But chatting quietly in the room is possible, since the orphanage's soundproofing isn't that bad.

"Master Qin, can I turn off the lights now?"

Qin Huai finished washing up earlier than Zhou Hu, and after Zhou Hu finished and returned to the room, he saw Qin Huai sitting on the bed playing with his phone, and softly asked if he could turn off the lights.

"Of course you can." Qin Huai nodded.

With a click, the room was engulfed in darkness, leaving only the faint glow from two phones.

Qin Huai and Zhou Hu lay on their respective single beds, each playing on their phones.

Zhou Hu was scrolling through short videos, while Qin Huai was spacing out — or more accurately, pondering how to bridge the gap.

Logically, Qin Huai should start the conversation with fortune-telling. Zhou Hu no longer handles funeral planning; his current job is actually fortune telling, and Zhou Hu's obsession is likely related to this. Starting from this angle might uncover a side quest.

But Qin Huai didn't plan to do that; his intuition told him that Zhou Hu actually didn't like bringing this up.

But what could they talk about if not fortune-telling?

Funeral planning?

Zhou Hu has retired from that, and no worker likes discussing their previous profession, especially when the one initiating the conversation was his former client.

Family?

Zhou Hu's family is quite eventful — a mother who died young, a father in jail, a family history of tomb raiding, and he can't take public exams. It feels like they wouldn't get very far into the conversation before Zhou Hu would angrily leave and return to Huishan City overnight to continue full-time fortune-telling.

Relationships?

As far as Qin Huai knows, Zhou Hu is also single like him and, because of his family circumstances, has never been in a relationship. Although Qin Huai only learned today that he missed a love story in college with a girl whose name he can't remember, Qin Huai did date in college, a normal campus romance, but they broke up before graduation.

Hobbies?

Qin Huai doesn't really know Zhou Hu's hobbies, while his own hobby is making snacks. Even if they force a discussion, it feels like they wouldn't find common ground — it might even come off as trying too hard to get close.

Even though Zhou Hu's emotional intelligence isn't as high as Gong Liang's, his years of work and the natural interpersonal observation ability from fortune-telling suggest his eloquence and deceiving skills might surpass Qin Huai's. Trying to use the art of conversation to get close to Zhou Hu would be like showing off in front of an expert.

To Qin Huai, their conversation must first be sincere.

But there wasn't a sincere topic to talk about.

Qin Huai turned over, feeling somewhat conflicted.

It might have been because Qin Huai's turn was a bit too big, Zhou Hu thought his phone's low video volume had disturbed Qin Huai, quickly paused it, and softly apologized: "Master Qin, did the sound from my phone disturb you? I'm really sorry, I forgot to bring my Bluetooth earphones this time."

"No, no, it's just that I haven't stayed at the orphanage for many years, and the beds here are a bit uncomfortable for me," Qin Huai casually made up a lie.

Unexpectedly, this aroused Zhou Hu's interest, and he stopped scrolling through the video, put down his phone, turned over to face Qin Huai, and softly asked: "Master Qin, when you were young at the orphanage... was your popularity really poor?"

Qin Huai replied honestly: "Even though my popularity might indeed have been poor, I've never felt that way growing up. I've always thought I was quite popular."

"Why do you ask?"

"Do you remember the fortune I told you in the hospital before?" Zhou Hu asked.

"I remember some." Qin Huai genuinely only remembered bits and pieces; he didn't have a bad memory, but he never remembered things he didn't care about, so many things he never really remembered from the start.

When he asked Zhou Hu for a fortune reading at the hospital, it was purely to get closer to Zhou Hu. Qin Huai vaguely remembered that the result Zhou Hu came up with was quite ridiculous.

The fortune said he had a good relationship with his parents, one deceased and one living, which didn't apply whether to his biological or adoptive parents.

Luckily, that fortune reading was free — it was more like friends playing around with fortune-telling, or else Master Zhou's reputation might have been at stake.

"Actually, after you left, I quietly read your fortune again," Zhou Hu said a bit sheepishly.

Qin Huai: ?

"The first time I told your fortune, maybe because I was in the hospital, I didn't perform well, saying you had a good relationship with your parents, one of whom was deceased... I'm really sorry. At that time, I truly didn't know that you were an orphan, nor did I mean to curse your foster parents. I believe they'll surely live long." Zhou Hu's explanation was slightly flustered, "In most cases, my readings aren't so outrageous, maybe because I intentionally speak a bit ambiguously."

"I don't know how to explain this to you, Master Qin. Maybe my skills aren't up to par, or perhaps your fate is quite unique, as I'm unable to accurately read your relationship with your parents, so I lightly probed into your popularity."

"Can you really read that?" Qin Huai was genuinely curious. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Yes, it can be read. Theoretically, even tomorrow's stock market trend can be predicted, just not accurately." Zhou Hu sounded like an old trickster, "From what I deduced... Master Qin, your popularity is exceptionally good."

"Many truly care about and love you, doing good to you, even unconditionally. I know this sounds vague, but it's actually quite rare, especially looking from a friend's perspective, it's nearly impossible. Usually, the outcome of parental relationship readings wouldn't result in something this favorable."