Chapter 18

Song Qing never imagined in his wildest dreams that an image of a talisman downloaded casually from the internet could attract a vengeful spirit.

Suddenly, he recalled the so-called "Get Rich Overnight" talisman he had shared on a whim some time ago. Hastily, he pulled it up and handed it to Rong Jing, humbly asking, "Could you take a look? What kind of talisman is this?"

Rong Jing stared at it for three seconds before replying, "It’s not a talisman at all."

Song Qing blinked in surprise.

Rong Jing’s gaze was almost patronizing, as if looking at a fool, but since Song Qing had recently provided information on Chen Rong, he patiently explained, "It’s nothing. There’s no such talisman. It’s just a random doodle."

If there really were such a "Get Rich Overnight" talisman, Xie Changshi would have become wealthy twelve years ago. Perhaps his fake tooth would have been upgraded a few notches by now.

Though disappointed that no such talisman existed, Song Qing felt relieved that at least the talisman wasn’t a mismatched spirit-summoning charm.

***

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Rong Jing continued his usual routine, setting up his stall on Changhua Street. The crowd there showed no signs of thinning.

Occasionally, Liuliu would drop by during the cooler parts of the day to check in on Rong Jing and report on Chang Ge’s situation.

"Tell him to behave as usual—he really hasn’t held back at all. Last night, during his live stream, he gave away three million in cash through a lottery and even invited some fans out to ‘see the world’," Liuliu said, lowering her head to open her phone.

The entire live stream was recorded. She showed Rong Jing a clip and added, "Some people say that this 'seeing the world' means attending social gatherings with the wealthy young masters of Yancheng."

Rong Jing seemed to be pondering something. He bit on his straw and asked, "Are those fans mostly girls?"

Liuliu was momentarily taken aback. "I never really paid attention to that."

But a quick online search might reveal something.

Sure enough, after typing a few keywords into the search box, a related entry popped up.

Though Chang Ge was just an internet celebrity, his MCN agency was skilled at marketing, rivaling some of the top domestic stars. Since the story involved high-society gatherings, they would surely seize any chance to boost popularity.

The video was posted by an account called "Chatterbox," showing a clip from Chang Ge’s live lottery draw, with the uploader whispering enviously.

Liuliu clicked through to those accounts.

Six people attended the gathering: four were girls, and the other two’s genders were not disclosed.

Rong Jing took the phone and examined it further. The four girls’ accounts showed traces of their daily lives, revealing their current situations and professions. They were all quite attractive.

"Chang Ge’s lottery draws are pretty skillful," Liuliu remarked, then corrected herself, "But Yun Yu’s lottery system is self-configured."

"Self-configured?"

"Yes, it has free and paid lotteries. The free ones are open to all, but the paid ones require a certain fan level. The key point is Yun Yu’s system allows the organizer to set the winners’ identities."

"There was a blogger named Hedgehog who sold digital products and frequently held lottery draws during live streams. He attracted many viewers, but people gradually noticed that many winning accounts were his own alternate profiles with identical IP addresses. Eventually, it was exposed that all those accounts were his."

Liuliu sighed admiringly at the clever business strategy.

Using digital products as bait to attract viewers into paid lotteries, then ending up with both the expensive products and the lottery earnings himself.

"Judging by Chang Ge’s winners, it’s unlikely to be rigged. The IPs are all different, some even from abroad."

Rong Jing did not answer Liuliu’s question, as a customer approached the stall.

She appeared to be a professional woman in her early thirties, dressed in a sleek black casual suit. Her straight, shoulder-length black hair added to her polished and capable aura.

Clearly prepared, she walked from one end of the street to the other, visibly relieved when she saw the iconic little sign saying “Five Hundred Per Fortune Telling.” She pulled out a chair, sat down, placed her expensive handbag on her lap, and greeted Rong Jing warmly: "Hello, Master."

"Hello. How may I assist you?"

"To be frank, my name is Shu Yuan, and I was a university classmate of Fang Yu."

Fang Yu?

Rong Jing suddenly remembered. After Xie Changshi bought him a phone, he added Fang Yu on WeChat. Fang Yu had confidently promised to introduce him to business opportunities.

He blinked and asked, "Did Fang Yu send you here?"

"You could say that," Shu Yuan smiled and explained more clearly, "After the recent news from Zhangbu, a streamer challenged you to a bet. Fang Yu shared the video on his Moments and was convinced you’d win. Out of curiosity, I privately chatted with him and learned that his promotions and raises were all thanks to your advice."

When Shu Yuan mentioned “promotions and raises,” her smile dimmed slightly, as if a thin shadow passed over her eyes.

Noticing the curious glances from passersby toward the stall and their group, she suggested, "I have some personal matters I’d like to consult you about. If you don’t mind, could we go to a nearby café?"

"Of course."

Liuliu quickly chimed in, "I’ll watch the stall for you."

The café was less than five hundred meters away. Shu Yuan, evidently a regular, ordered a Hong Kong-style milk tea for Rong Jing before sipping her own Americano and beginning, "My question is also work-related."

"I’m currently a manager at a subsidiary of Danfeng Group, and I’m quite satisfied with my position. Recently, my boss told me I have a chance to advance, but I’m competing against a senior colleague who seems more likely to get promoted."

"Do you think I should keep fighting for it?"

Rong Jing was a bit surprised by the question.

Though he didn’t work in an office and was unfamiliar with corporate intricacies, Shu Yuan’s youth and managerial role spoke to her talent and decisiveness.

Still, as a client, he owed her a proper answer.

"Hexagram Qian above, Kan below, with yang lines in yin positions—that’s the lower trigram," Rong Jing said, lowering his gaze as he fiddled with the coins on the table. "The reading advises you to retreat and keep your distance."

Otherwise, it would bring even greater disaster.

...Disaster?

Compared to Shu Yuan’s current troubles, the word “disaster” seemed rather severe.

But Rong Jing did not press further.

Shu Yuan absentmindedly traced the cold rim of her coffee cup with her finger. Her carefully made-up eyes drooped slightly before she finally smiled at Rong Jing. "Thank you, I understand."

"You’re welcome. I did charge for this."

"Let’s exchange WeChat contacts. I might have other matters for you in the future."

"Sure."

After scanning the code and adding her, Rong Jing finished his milk tea and left the café without lingering.

He didn’t dwell on Shu Yuan’s case—until two days later, when he unexpectedly saw a post on WeChat Moments from Shu Yuan: she had resigned.

The picture showed her resignation letter.

At the same time, Shu Yuan received messages from colleagues: "You were doing so well, why quit now? Even if you didn’t beat Director Liu, your position isn’t bad."

Shu Yuan knew many were curious about her reasons. Leaning back in her black leather chair at her apartment desk, she relaxed and typed slowly: "Too tired. Also, some family matters require me to return home."

A colleague replied: "That’s too bad. You’re so young and already at that level, which proves your strong ability. You’ll surely rise even higher. Talented people succeed wherever they go. Maybe leaving Danfeng will bring better opportunities. Wishing you all the best."

The colleague’s tact was appreciated, and Shu Yuan responded with thanks.

She then turned off her phone screen and tossed it aside. Sitting upright again at her computer, her gaze lifted to the screen, which displayed a news headline:

"A car accident occurred at the northern intersection of Pingyang Street, Yancheng, at 3 p.m. on the 24th. The crash resulted in three fatalities."

The report included photos of the wrecked vehicle and police cordoning off the scene, but no information about the victims could be discerned from the images alone.

However...

Shu Yuan noticed the license plate number on the damaged car:

Yancheng A·V3986.

Five days earlier, she had met with the car owner and two friends to discuss the possible cancer risk caused by the illegal use of banned substances at a Danfeng subsidiary.

Three days later, on their way to file a report, they were killed in a car crash—no survivors.

Police investigations found no mechanical faults with the vehicle. The problem lay with the driver.

Surveillance footage from roadside cameras captured the driver’s momentary ferocious expression before suddenly making a sharp turn and crashing into the guardrail at 130 kilometers per hour.