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Initially, Zheng Xin assumed the tales in the newspaper were exaggerations. It wasn't until he discovered that his brother's boss was involved in one of the fortune-telling incidents that he realized the column was not fiction but a collection of real-life cases.

He had queued up early this morning not to have his fortune told but to catch a glimpse of the idol he admired.

"Master, have I caused you inconvenience?" Zheng Xin asked, his face flushing as he glanced at the onlookers around the sugar cane juice stall. A person with a decent life like him shouldn't be taking up space. The master's talents should be reserved for those who needed them more urgently.

"If someone is in desperate need of a fortune, I'm willing to give up my spot," he offered.

Before anyone from the crowd could respond, Chu Yuening looked at Zheng Xin and gently shook her head with a faint smile. "No one can predict their own fate. Being prepared isn't a bad thing, is it?"

"Oh, that's true," Zheng Xin acknowledged, following the customary procedure by providing his birthdate and time. "Life is unpredictable; I might as well ask when I'll pass away."

The neighbors burst into laughter.

"For the first time, we see someone coming to the master's stall to find out when they'll die."

"I say, living to a ripe old age might not be so bad, huh?"

"You actually want to know when you'll die?"

"Being able to see through life and death means you can let go of everything, right?"

"That's true," Zheng Xin agreed, his suntanned skin from years at sea gleaming as he flashed a row of white teeth in a jovial smile. He wore a thin round-necked sweater and sat on a chair with his arms resting on the table, hinting at the strength in his biceps.

"I don't have many virtues, but my greatest one is being able to see the bright side. Life has no insurmountable challenges; it's just a matter of opening and closing your eyes."

The neighbors clearly didn't buy Zheng Xin's words.

With immense societal pressure, every young person carried invisible burdens as they struggled forward. Could there truly be someone so carefree?

"Youth is often oblivious to the depth of reality."

"It's because you haven't encountered real hardships yet that you remain so optimistic."

"Indeed, if you were to lose everything overnight and end up begging, would you still maintain that optimism?"

"People are optimistic precisely because they haven't experienced many setbacks."

Observing Zheng Xin's countenance, Chu Yuening shook her head. "Mr. Zheng, your eight characters form a harmonious flow of the Five Elements, turning into a spirit that moves without hindrance. This means nothing can hold you back, neither big nor small troubles. People with such a birth chart are generally optimistic and full of enthusiasm for life. In ordinary people, this is indeed a rare optimism."

Someone was curious. "Just how optimistic is he?"

Zheng Xin knew he was an optimist but had never heard that it was related to one's birth chart. He was also intrigued. "Master, I think being optimistic isn't unusual. Does that mean I'm different from others?"

He was genuinely curious. Wasn't everyone supposed to be optimistic?

Deciding to satisfy Zheng Xin's curiosity, Chu Yuening calculated with her fingers. "Your life pattern at the age of eight indicated a water disaster star. That year, did you often go fishing with your father?"

"Yes," Zheng Xin replied with a smile. "That's when my love for fishing developed."

"Influenced by your father, you eventually became obsessed with it and begged him to make you a fishing rod. After he made it, you couldn't keep your hands off it and kept asking to go to the river. Concerned about your safety, your father forbade you from following him anymore."

"What did you do then?" Chu Yuening picked up her teacup, took a sip, and continued. "You searched everywhere near your house for bodies of water. Once, while playing with your friend, you found a small pond behind his house. Excitedly, you cast your line, but accidentally fell into the pond, choking on the stinky water."

Upon hearing this, the neighbors in the front row looked uneasy.

"No way? Could it be what I'm thinking?"

"Little Chi, behind the house... It might actually be what we're imagining."

"Indeed." Zheng Xin also recalled the incident, his tanned face reddening slightly. "I fell into the cesspool."

The neighbors burst into laughter at his words.

Chu Yuening continued, "Ordinary people would struggle to climb out and be too scared to approach after falling in. But you, with your optimism, picked up the pole and bucket to try again elsewhere. This time, you found a slightly larger pond. By the time your parents found you, it was already evening, yet you were still cheerfully holding up your small water bucket, your joy overwhelming the smell of feces on your face."

Zheng Xin nodded affably, grinning. "Indeed, that day, despite getting beaten up and falling, I caught my very first fish – a two-jin one. With my swollen bottom, I managed to devour three big bowls of rice."

The neighbors burst into laughter once more.

"At the age of seventeen, you rode your bicycle to take your mother to the hospital for a minor back issue. But when you arrived, you ended up landing on your stomach, injuring your leg. Your mother only had a small concern, but it was you who needed to stay in the hospital for a month."

"Most people would have complained bitterly, cursing their misfortune. Yet, you, every day, hobbled on crutches with your temporarily disabled leg to the neighboring ward, showing care and concern for a little girl of the same age."

Zheng Xin's face turned red.

"At twenty-three, you went hiking with friends. A snake coiled in the middle of the path. Both you and your friend had stepped over it without noticing, but it suddenly leaped up and bit your rear end. Your friend was terrified, fearing it was a venomous snake that might cost you your life. After getting your wound treated at the hospital, you found a street vendor and asked them to make snake soup from the snake's head."

Zheng Xin scratched his head, embarrassed, "The medical bill wasn't cheap, so I figured I'd get my money's worth."

The neighbors burst into laughter, all praising Zheng Xin profusely.

Chu Yuening's eyes curved into a warm smile, "Each of these incidents could have broken someone else, but Mr. Zheng always maintains his optimism. So tell me, is he truly an optimist, or just pretending?"