La prenda de sándalo rojo

Chapter 1, First Chapter: Sandalwood Buddhist Beads

On their third day in the city, Qi Yu led Chu Xiyin to a residential complex with the elegant name "Mountain and Water Dwellings." The name was quite poetic, seemingly deliberately contradicting the modernity of the city. However, its location certainly lived up to its name—very remote!

The room the agent recommended to Chu Xiyin wasn't very big; it just barely fit a bed, a desk, and... a wardrobe made of sandalwood.

Chu Xiyin's mother, Ms. Wang Qin, was a devout Buddhist. To further her faith, she converted the room in the northwest corner of her house into a Buddhist shrine to enshrine the Bodhisattva. Wang Qin was not only devout in Buddhism but also very particular about incense, preferring only the finest sandalwood. Perhaps influenced by her mother, Chu Xiyin developed a fervent love for sandalwood from a young age.

Five years ago, a temple was built near Chu Xiyin's hometown. This temple, which seemed to have sprung up overnight, was named Xixin Temple. It is said that the abbot of this temple had traveled around in his early years and received the true teachings of a high monk. He was not only well-versed in the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, but also proficient in the legendary art of Qimen Dunjia.

During the time when Chu Xiyin was preparing for university entrance exams, Wang Qin would often go to Xixin Temple to pray to Buddha for a miracle to help her daughter pass the exams. Perhaps her sincerity moved Buddha, or at least that's what she thought, because her quiet daughter unexpectedly got into a top university. From then on, she became even more convinced of her faith, and would often take Chu Xiyin to the temple to pray.

After graduating from university, a whole host of miscellaneous things kept Chu Xiyin extremely annoyed. Wang Qin told her to go to a temple and pray.

This was Chu Xiyin's first time visiting a temple without her mother. The temple was located in the suburbs, where the air was exceptionally fresh. Stepping inside, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Chu Xiyin closed her eyes slightly, listening intently to the ethereal tolling of the temple bells and the murmuring chants of the monks. She inexplicably felt a powerful force, perhaps what physics calls a magnetic field. However, Chu Xiyin felt that this magnetic field did not originate from her time; it was like a vast, boundless universe, seemingly existing for a very, very long time.

"donor"

Chu Xiyin's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find a gaunt old monk standing before her. The old monk frowned, squinting as he carefully examined Chu Xiyin's face, and Chu Xiyin instinctively took a step back.

"Who are you?" Chu Xiyin asked, her brows slightly furrowed.

The old monk smiled calmly, but a hint of panic flashed in the corner of his eye.

"My Buddhist name is Yicheng, and I am the abbot of this small temple."

"Are you the legendary Master Yicheng?" "Can you tell fortunes? Could you please tell me when my luck will change..." After asking a series of questions, Chu Xiyin spread out her palms and waved them in front of the old monk.

The old monk seemed not to have heard Chu Xiyin speak at all, nor did he notice Chu Xiyin waving her hand in front of him for so long. He stared at Chu Xiyin's face, sometimes nodding and saying "looks like her," sometimes shaking his head and saying "doesn't look like her."

In a fleeting moment, the faint smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cloud of sorrow. The old monk focused his gaze and slowly asked, "Does the benefactor particularly enjoy the scent of sandalwood?"

Chu Xiyin took a deep breath of sandalwood incense and nodded.

“She likes this taste too.” The old monk’s eyes no longer met Chu Xiyin’s, gazing instead into the depths of the sky. Through his cloudy pupils, Chu Xiyin saw a few pale, cotton-like clouds drifting quietly in the blue sky. Perhaps the old monk also had a sweet past! Hmm? The mysterious love affair of a highly accomplished monk? Quite newsworthy! For a journalism student, curiosity is absolutely essential.

"Her?" Chu Xiyin asked tentatively.

The old monk snapped out of his reverie, completely ignoring Chu Xiyin's question. "Those who appreciate sandalwood are those with an affinity for Buddhism," the old monk said, pulling a string of prayer beads from his wide robe. "These prayer beads are made of thousand-year-old sandalwood. Legend has it that this sandalwood, having grown in the temple for so many years, gradually acquired a spiritual quality. Later, for some unknown reason, the sandalwood suddenly disappeared, leaving only a withered branch lying in the temple courtyard. A highly accomplished monk, traveling through the area, saw the branch possessing a certain spirituality and crafted it into prayer beads."

"Is the string of prayer beads made by the enlightened monk the same one you have in your hand, Master?" Chu Xiyin asked.

The old monk nodded. "It must be fate that we meet today. I will give you this string of prayer beads." The old monk breathed a sigh of relief and murmured to himself as he rolled the prayer beads in his hand. "I can finally put my mind at ease by finding the owner of these prayer beads."

The old monk's words left Chu Xiyin completely bewildered. "How can the master be so sure that I am the owner of these prayer beads?"

The old monk stroked his beard and said mysteriously, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. There is plenty of time in the future, and you will know in your own time. However, please remember to take good care of these prayer beads."

Strangely enough, ever since she started wearing the sandalwood prayer beads given to her by the old monk, Chu Xiyin's personality has changed without her realizing it. Things she wouldn't have dared to do before, she suddenly had the courage to do. She quit her job and went to a strange city alone to pursue her dreams... It seems that Chu Xiyin's fate is being pulled forward by some force, but the direction ahead is full of unknowns.

Chapter 2, The Second Chapter of a Thousand Years of Summoning

Chu Xiyin closed her eyes, leaned closer to the wooden cabinet, and took a deep breath of the sandalwood scent.

"This wardrobe is made of thousand-year-old sandalwood. It is said that a very tragic love story once took place under this thousand-year-old sandalwood tree..." The real estate agent, like an old scholar, pushed up his rusty gold-rimmed glasses and continued with great interest.

A stirring melody of "Burning Like Fire" accompanied by the muffled vibration of a cell phone echoed mournfully in the "old scholar's" trouser pocket.

The agent, while taking out his phone, said, "The female protagonist of the story seems to be named... Chu... Chu... That's right, Chu Xiyin!"

"Chu Xiyin?" Chu Xiyin and Qi Yu exchanged a surprised glance and asked almost in unison.

"Yes, let's call her Chu Xiyin." The agent hung up the phone and said with absolute certainty.

“Alright, since the female protagonist shares the same name as me, I’ll rent this room,” Chu Xiyin said with a smile, leaning against the wardrobe.

This time it was the agent's turn to be surprised. He looked at Chu Xiyin excitedly and asked, "You said... you want to rent..."

Chu Xiyin nodded

"Then come with me to sign the contract now!" The agent immediately changed his expression. Compared to his previous self-righteous old scholarly demeanor, his current sinister and creepy expression was much more likable.

Chu Xiyin reluctantly moved away from the wardrobe and lazily said to the real estate agent, "Let's go."

"Don't go," came a soft sigh, seemingly from an old man, coming from somewhere. The voice, both strange and familiar, seemed to come from a distant horizon, lingering in Chu Xiyin's ears, heavy and painful.

Chu Xiyin looked at the agent in surprise, "Did you just talk to me?" The agent shook his head nervously, his gaze towards Chu Xiyin flickering.

Qi Yuteng stood up abruptly, "I'll go with you!"

Qi Yu was a burly man. The moment he stood up, the light and shadow on the real estate agent's face changed drastically. He had been standing facing the sun, the bright sunlight making his thin, pointed face appear deathly pale, like a thousand-year-old mummy. Now, he seemed to be overwhelmed by Qi Yu's imposing presence, completely enveloped by Qi Yu's towering figure. His jaw dropped in terror, and he stood there motionless, like a headless demon in hell awaiting the King of Hell's command.

Qi Yu's eyes were sharp and slightly disdainful. Chu Xiyin thought this was probably related to his profession; he was a photography assistant, dealing with scenery and people every day, seeing countless beautiful landscapes and all sorts of people. Naturally, his eyes carried a sharpness and disdain. Chu Xiyin and Qi Yu met on set. At the time, he was pursuing a pretty girl named Siqi. Siqi was quite individualistic; no matter how much Qi Yu showered her with sweet talk, she consistently ignored him. During that period, Qi Yu was constantly distracted, completely out of sorts at work, and was scolded every day.

On the night before filming was about to wrap up, Siqi had a family emergency and had to leave. Upon hearing the news, Qi Yu anxiously paced around the hotel. He finally managed to arrange a meeting with Siqi, but to his surprise, she came to confront him. She said she had a boyfriend and didn't like Qi Yu because his eyes looked fierce and he didn't seem like a good man. Qi Yu later said that at that moment he wanted to gouge out his damned eyes and put them in front of her so she could see if he was really a good man.

That night, Qi Yu dragged Chu Xiyin out for drinks. Drunk, he slurred, "What's Liang Siqi? That fat, big-eared pig she found, what makes her think she can compare to me? Can she even compare? I… Qi Yu, so charming and handsome, I've dated countless beauties. Someone like her? Pshaw, one more or less doesn't matter, one less… one…it doesn't matter." Later, completely drunk, he slumped on the table, muttering nothing but "Siqi." Ultimately, what you can't have is always the best.

Qi Yu couldn't smile; if he did, his eyes would curve into two cute little crescents, completely losing his domineering aura. At this moment, he stared directly at the trembling, nervous real estate agent, the sharpness in his eyes gradually fading, his eyes slowly squeezing into two thin crescents, making him quite adorable. He patted the agent's tightly hunched shoulders and said with a smile, "Brother, could you please lead the way?" The agent breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes darting around quickly as if pondering something, then he lowered his head, turned around, and hurried towards t

……