------------
Old Ironmouth's face changed, and for a long moment he stammered, unable to speak. Top Dog's temper flared instantly—he strode forward, grabbed Old Ironmouth by the collar, and cursed, "Damn you, Blind Zhou! I've been waiting here half the day for you to say something. Now it's dark, and you're trying to mess with me? The boys are heading out for karaoke later! Just tell me—what's going to happen with me and Susan Belle? Can you give me a straight answer?"
"Uh—this—okay—I'll say it, but can you let go of me first?" Old Ironmouth said quickly.
"Fine, hurry up and talk—" Top Dog released his grip as he spoke.
"To be extra accurate, I—I’ll use my secret ‘Obsidian Oracle’ to cast one more divination for you!" Old Ironmouth took a deep breath and rubbed his chest as he spoke.
"Obsidian Oracle? What the hell is that? Stop with the mumbo jumbo!" Top Dog frowned.
Old Ironmouth's expression turned serious. He said coldly, "Top Dog, you can insult me, but don’t insult my divination skills. My readings have always been top-notch on Temple Street. If you didn’t believe me, you wouldn’t have come for a reading. If you still don’t trust me, then have at it!"
Top Dog hadn’t expected Old Ironmouth to be so resolute. He knew the guy was legit, so he hesitated and said awkwardly, "Alright—alright, I trust you. Do your thing!"
Old Ironmouth didn’t waste any more words. He reached into his monk’s robe and pulled out a charred tortoise shell and a yellow talisman. Then he lit the talisman with a lighter and burned it around the shell. Top Dog, Shawn Young, and the others watched curiously. Soon, the tortoise shell made a series of crackling sounds, and its back was covered in fissures.
Once the talisman was completely burned, Old Ironmouth gently stroked the cracks on the tortoise shell with his right hand, shaking his head and murmuring, "Sigh—the Great Cycle is fifty, but only forty-nine are used. The lines cross and overlap, fate arrives, yet the falling flower is willing, the running water is indifferent. From ancient times, romance leaves only regret, and this regret never ends—Top Dog, you and the woman you're chasing have no fate together. She’s just not meant to be yours!"
Top Dog went pale at those words, instantly anxious. "Blind Zhou—you—you mean I really have no fate with her!?" he demanded.
"Yep—that’s right. It’s destiny. The oracle shows the lines cross and pass by—so even if she’s right in front of you, no matter how hard you try, you’re just not on the same path! So—hey—just being honest, Top Dog, you should let go! Fate is heaven’s business; mortals can’t force it. And with all the women in this world, a guy with your 'Hung Brotherhood Young Master' status, finding the right one shouldn’t be hard!"
"Damn it, but I only like her! Is it really that hard to love someone? I—I don’t care about other women, I just want her—so you’re saying I have no chance!?" Top Dog yelled in frustration, yanking at his own hair, totally conflicted.
Shawn Young watched Top Dog’s dramatic meltdown and couldn’t help feeling a bit amazed. He never expected this trendy, non-mainstream guy to be so 'faithful' in love—he had to admit, he was outclassed!
The gangsters Top Dog brought along exchanged glances, saying nothing, but all of them snickered quietly. They seemed used to Top Dog’s lovesick antics. Top Dog caught his men snickering and got annoyed, instantly yelling, "Damn you punks, all you do is chase women! You idiots don’t know what true love is! What it means to be lovesick for one girl—"
One of the junior gangsters sidled up, replying carefully, "Top Dog, we didn’t even finish middle school—how can we compare with a Hong Kong U Chinese major like you? Of course we don’t get all that 'lovesick for one beauty' stuff. We just know how to bang chicks, make love—real love? We honestly don’t get it!"
"Damn it, if you don’t get it then scram—stop bothering me—let me chill for a bit!" Top Dog snapped at the guy.
"Uh—okay, we’ll get out of your way—but Top Dog—tonight we wanna hit up Golden Goblet Nightclub—could you, uh, spot us some cash for the fun?" the gangster grinned.
Top Dog shot him a glare, pulled out his wallet, and flung a gold card at the guy’s face, cursing, "You punks just wanna party with girls at the club—damn it, watch out for STDs! Don’t come begging me for cash to fix your junk later—"
"We’ll be careful, thanks Top Dog—we’ll get outta here now, ha ha—" The gangster snatched up the gold card, waved to the others, and they all quickly scattered.
Shawn Young stared, dumbfounded at Top Dog. He never expected the guy to be a top student at Hong Kong University! That was a real shock—these days, HKU is a powerhouse, even more famous than Tsinghua or Peking University on the mainland!
"Hey—you’re a young guy too. As a mainlander, tell me—why would a woman turn down someone like me when I like her so much?" Top Dog suddenly asked Shawn Young.
"Uh—maybe she doesn’t like your style?" Shawn Young "helpfully" suggested.
"No way! I asked her last time—she said she likes cool guys! That’s why I dress this way—don’t you think I look cool?" Top Dog started getting vain again.
"You—you do look pretty cool—" Shawn Young didn’t want to crush his spirit.
"See? So why can’t I attract her?" Top Dog started obsessing again.
"Well—I really don’t know. Women are complicated—hard to figure out what they’re thinking—so I usually don’t even try!" Shawn Young laughed, barely stopping himself from saying, "I just go for it!"
"Yeah—sigh—" Top Dog sighed, then suddenly looked up at the street corner, eyes wide, voice trembling: "Oh my god—she—she’s here, she’s really here—"