This time, Cheng Yu was preparing to record an Adventure Mystery Reality Show. He had already roughly determined the filming locations for the first few episodes but was struggling to find suitable candidates when he came across Qi Yuqiu’s “Prophecy” online.
For Cheng Yu, the so-called Black Material circulating online was completely insignificant—he needed someone like Qi Yuqiu!
“I watched the video of you saving that child—it was absolutely incredible! What did you draw on his forehead? A Divine Talisman?” Cheng Yu asked eagerly, like a curious child.
Qi Yuqiu smiled and explained, “It was just a Soul Stabilization Talisman, nothing complicated.”
“Hey, in your line of work, do you all start training with a master from a young age? Do you take apprentices? I think I have quite a talent for it. Is there an age limit for apprentices?” Cheng Yu grew more and more excited, his eyes lighting up.
Li Qi watched this scene with despair. He knew Cheng Yu was young, but he hadn’t expected him to be so unreliable. Or was he just too old to keep up with the younger generation’s pace?
“Um, Mr. Cheng, our Yuqiu is a serious entertainer. This is his profession. Everything else is just baseless speculation from netizens. As you know, there’s too much misinformation online these days,” Li Qi tried to steer the conversation back to normalcy. He shouldn’t have acted out of desperation—even if it meant letting Qi Yuqiu take a break for a couple of months, he couldn’t let him join such an unreliable variety show!
To his surprise, Cheng Yu smiled mysteriously and said, “I understand, I understand. We must believe in science! Right?”
Li Qi:…
Li Qi: “You’re absolutely right!”
“Then it’s settled. The payment for one episode is tentatively set at three hundred thousand. If the ratings exceed expectations, we can sign a new contract. I’ll send you the detailed contract tomorrow,” Cheng Yu declared, slapping the table.
For Qi Yuqiu at this stage, this price was quite generous. However, Li Qi didn’t want Qi Yuqiu to get involved with any more superstitions, or it would be difficult to shake off the “mystic” persona in the future.
“Director Cheng, Yuqiu and I need to discuss this further…”
Qi Yuqiu quickly interrupted him, “After discussing it, we think it’s a great fit. Let’s sign the contract tomorrow!”
Li Qi sighed, rubbing his forehead. This guy had completely turned into a money-grubber!
After a satisfying meal, Cheng Yu insisted on chatting with Qi Yuqiu for a while longer. Qi Yuqiu was starting to regret his decision—if this happened every day, how could he possibly endure it?
Fortunately, Cheng Yu finally left after receiving a phone call.
After Cheng Yu left, Li Qi sighed and said, “I know you need money, but this small online variety show is doomed to fail. If you take it just for the money, it’ll be hard for you to land good opportunities in the future. It’s also my fault—I should have looked into the situation more carefully beforehand.”
Qi Yuqiu replied seriously, “It’s not about the money. I’m genuinely interested in this show.”
Li Qi: …Yeah, right.
“Cheng Yu has strong luck. It’s hard for him to fail at anything he sets his mind to. Don’t worry,” Qi Yuqiu assured him.
Li Qi said helplessly, “You’ve already agreed—what else can we do? I just hope this show makes a splash, as you say.”
Even as he said this, Li Qi held little hope. The show was filled with unknown newcomers, and Qi Yuqiu, despite his Black Material, was considered the biggest star among them. How could they possibly stand out in the fierce competition among variety shows?
“It’s bound to be a hit, just look at who I am.” Qi Yuqiu knew Li Qi meant no harm; although driven by profit, he had been quite diligent in his efforts, otherwise Qi Yuqiu wouldn’t have had the chance to meet Cheng Yu. “By the way, are you carrying the peace talisman I gave you?”
“Carrying it, carrying it. You rest up today, I’m heading to the company first. Let’s stay in touch if anything comes up.” Li Qi waved his hand and pushed the door open to leave.
Qi Yuqiu sighed. Deng Chao asked, “Brother Qi, what are you worried about? If you really don’t know how to post on Weibo, I can do it for you.”
Qi Yuqiu: “I’m not worried about that. I’m thinking, your Brother Li has too much free time. How can I find him a new talent who’s both virtuous and gifted? Even if they can’t compare to me, they shouldn’t be too far off. But thinking about it, such people are truly hard to find!”
Deng Chao: …
Alright then. Brother Qi’s narcissism hasn’t changed a bit; in fact, it’s only gotten stronger.
With no work in the afternoon, Qi Yuqiu gave Deng Chao half a day off and rode home in Liu Hao’s car.
“We’re here.” The car stopped at the entrance of the villa.
This residence was the “marital home” prepared by the Min family, but Min Yu had never visited since Qi Yuqiu moved in, so he had been living here alone all along.
Upon entering, a middle-aged woman wearing a dark cheongsam, poised and dignified, was sitting on the sofa reading a book. She looked up slightly as Qi Yuqiu walked in and said, “You’re back.”
Unmistakable disdain and disgust were clearly reflected in her eyes.
Moreover, a faint aura of Yin Energy lingered around her, making Qi Yuqiu quite uncomfortable.
Qi Yuqiu observed this person’s physiognomy: sunken eye sockets, a mole at the corner of her eyes—indicating a strong, harsh personality and an unhappy marriage. A narrow, short philtrum suggested shallow bonds with her children, a tendency to be sharp and critical toward them, and a likelihood of being abandoned by them in old age, leading to a difficult life.
So, his mother-in-law’s relationship with Min Yu wasn’t very good.
“You and Min Yu are married now. How can you not live together? I’ve had your luggage packed. Move in with him today.”
Qi Yuqiu finally understood: she was deliberately trying to make Min Yu’s life difficult, purely to add trouble for him.
He had no intention of being used as a pawn. Living alone was much more comfortable; moving in would make life unbearable.
“I have filming to do. I’m not going.” Qi Yuqiu refused.
Mrs. Min looked at Qi Yuqiu in surprise. This little celebrity had always been obedient to her, wagging his tail like a lapdog whenever he saw her. Today, he actually dared to refuse her?
She sneered, “Which is more important, work or Min Yu? You need to learn to weigh your priorities. If you get along well with Min Yu, would you even need to work outside?”
Qi Yuqiu thought to himself that if he really moved in, he’d be on the fast track to being completely blacklisted. This wretched old woman was truly malicious.
Seeing Qi Yuqiu remain unmoved, Mrs. Min laughed in anger. A mere actor, how dare he defy her!
Qi Yuqiu wandered around the entrance hall and finally found the source of the Yin Energy. It was an antique-style box placed on the table in front of Mrs. Min.
“What’s this?” Qi Yuqiu picked up the box and asked.
Mrs. Min snorted coldly, “I was trying to do you a favor. I bought this gift for Min Yu on your behalf. He just had a car accident. Go take care of him for a few days, and your relationship will naturally improve.”
Qi Yuqiu opened the box. Inside was a pair of exquisitely crafted cufflinks. On the surface of the blue gemstones were several very faint dark red patterns—the source of the Resentful Energy.
This is bloodstain, and it’s from a child. He remembered there was a Method of Transferring Disaster and Borrowing Luck that involved torturing children or infants to death, using their souls as a medium to doubly transfer misfortune onto others.
This method was excessively cruel, and the practitioner would inevitably suffer Divine Retribution, so it rarely appeared. He never expected to encounter it here.
“Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs. Mrs. Min, do you think you can still live comfortably as Mrs. Min after harming Min Yu?” Qi Yuqiu looked coldly at Mrs. Min. This woman was truly malicious, actually using such vicious means against her own biological son.
Mrs. Min was startled. This item had been given to her by her nephew Cheng Qi. Cheng Qi had come to her the day before yesterday, saying he had been encountering constant setbacks recently. He had found a master to read his fortune, and the master said his cousin, Min Yu, had a fate too harsh, overpowering his own. If not resolved, their Cheng family would soon decline.
He only needed to Borrow a little Luck from Min Yu to get through this calamity. That master was quite effective, so Cheng Qi spent a million to buy this box from him. As long as Min Yu’s Birth Date and Time were placed inside, it could Borrow Luck. If Min Yu could carry it with him, it could elevate the Cheng family even further.
Mrs. Min had never liked Min Yu to begin with. Hearing that he would cause the Cheng family’s decline, she was naturally furious that she had given birth to such a son. Cheng Qi was the hope of their Cheng family—how could he be overpowered by Min Yu?
So she personally brought the box, waiting only to slip it into Qi Yuqiu’s luggage and send it to Min Yu’s apartment.
“You—what nonsense are you spouting!” Mrs. Min blustered weakly. “Min Yu is my son; how could I harm him? Qi Yuqiu, don’t get carried away. Remember your place. If it weren’t for me putting in a good word for you, could you have married into the Min family?”
Qi Yuqiu clicked his tongue. “As if you and Min Yu have such a great relationship. Enough, Mrs. Min. That relative of yours who wants to Change Luck has committed too many evils and doesn’t have long to live. You’d better spend your time preparing his funeral arrangements!”
With that, he took the box and left.
Mrs. Min’s face turned ashen with rage, and she snapped her fingernail in anger. She had originally thought this Qi Yuqiu would be easy to manipulate. Once she had his child under her control as well, she wouldn’t have to worry about Min Yu not bowing to her.
Who would have thought that the meek, flattering person who had promised to obey her was all an act!
Very few people knew about the box. How on earth did Qi Yuqiu find out? She needed to notify Cheng Qi immediately and come up with another plan.
Although he didn’t want to interact with this “husband,” Qi Yuqiu couldn’t just stand by and watch this unlucky guy get harmed. So he took the box and hurried straight to the hospital.
Two bodyguards were stationed outside Min Yu’s hospital room. Seeing Qi Yuqiu approach, they curled their lips and, with perfect tacit understanding…
He extended his hand, forming a Hand Gesture Technique, and grasped the shoulders of the two men.
Both bodyguards were trained martial artists, their arms bulging with muscle. Seeing Qi Yuqiu’s slender, delicate hand resting on their shoulders, they exchanged a glance and sneered—this weakling really thought he was something.
But before their laughter could escape, they felt the world spin around them. By the time they regained their senses, they had already been thrown to the ground, unable to get up for quite a while.
“Oh dear, look at you two—how could you be so careless? How did both of you end up lying on the ground like that?” Qi Yuqiu pushed open the door, not forgetting to shift the blame. After all, he was just a frail, delicate weakling—there was no way he could take on two burly men.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
Watching Qi Yuqiu stroll calmly into the room, the two bodyguards felt as if they were dreaming. Did this guy really just throw them down with one hand?