Setting up a camera right at the stall would be too conspicuous, so the two cameramen put away their equipment and switched to smaller, more discreet cameras.
The alley was surrounded by residential areas, and quite a few middle-aged men and women passed by. Many of them would stop to look at the fortune-telling flag propped up beside the stall, a gray cloth banner with the words “Divination and Fortune-Telling” written on it.
Han Fengchen sat nearby, unfazed by being the center of attention. In fact, he was quite eager to drum up business. “Hey, sir, would you like a fortune told? My sister is incredibly accurate! If it’s not accurate, it’s free!”
The man glanced at the young woman in her T-shirt and bucket hat, shook his head, and walked away.
A woman watching from the side said bluntly, “You young people nowadays will do anything for livestream clout. Fortune-telling is serious business. If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t just make things up. Tricking people will only harm your own karma, you know.”
Han Fengchen: “…”
“Hold on, ma’am, why do you assume we’re scammers?”
He was genuinely baffled. “My… my sister is really accurate!”
The woman rolled her eyes at him and walked off.
Han Fengchen came back and whispered to Chu Mingjia, “Maybe you should change into something else, hanfu, a cheongsam, a long robe?”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
With Chu Mingjia’s addition, Han Fengchen’s livestream had been far ahead of the other two teams in terms of popularity.
But now that it was time for the fortune-telling segment that the audience loved, Chu Mingjia’s team still hadn’t taken any action, while the other two teams were already telling one fortune after another.
Within half an hour, the livestream audience began to split, and Han Fengchen’s viewership gradually declined.
Chu Mingjia looked at Han Fengchen, who was so anxious he couldn’t sit still, and said, “Sit down and have some tea. Why are you in such a hurry?”
Han Fengchen replied, “Because I don’t want to stay in a haunted house.”
He had repeated this line so many times.
Chu Mingjia shook her head. “This kind of thing is all about fate. You can’t force it.”
Han Fengchen frowned. “But the production team wants me to stay in a haunted house.”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
Just then, her eyes flickered, and she suddenly stood up. “See? Isn’t fate coming right now?”
Everyone followed her gaze toward the entrance of the alley.
A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy in a school uniform, carrying a backpack, came running from a distance. He was thin, his face covered in sweat. He was in a hurry, walking quickly without the slightest intention of stopping to have his fortune told.
Chu Mingjia took a few steps forward and blocked the boy’s path.
The boy had been in a rush, but suddenly finding his way blocked by a strikingly beautiful young woman, he froze for a moment. He then shifted his steps, trying to go around her and continue running.
But Chu Mingjia called out to him: “Wait a moment!”
The boy stopped instinctively. Panting, he looked at Chu Mingjia with a dazed expression. “Wh-what is it?”
Chu Mingjia pointed in a direction. “The person you’re looking for is that way.”
The boy glanced in the direction she was pointing, then widened his eyes in shock. “How… how do you know I’m looking for someone?”
He took a closer look at Chu Mingjia, certain that he had never seen her before.
Chu Mingjia didn’t explain. She simply said, “Go quickly. Run straight in this direction. Don’t turn, don’t turn back. You’ll find them soon.”
Although the boy didn’t fully trust Chu Mingjia, he had no leads of his own. He had been searching through the alleys since school let out, had been running for two hours, and still hadn’t found anything. He was desperate. Since Chu Mingjia had pointed him in a direction, he might as well go check. After all, he would have to search every alley in the area to feel at ease anyway.
After hesitating for just two seconds, the boy turned and ran off in the direction Chu Mingjia had indicated.
The cameraman following Chu Mingjia immediately went after him. The boy looked back in confusion at the camera.
The cameraman briefly explained, “We’re filming a livestream reality show. Is that okay?”
He gestured to the small camera in his hand.
The boy had no interest in livestreams. His mind was entirely focused on finding the person he was looking for. He nodded and sped up.
The haters in the livestream immediately started their sarcastic comments: 【She’d better not pretend to know what she’s doing. That kid clearly is in a hurry to find someone. What if she pointed him in the wrong direction?】
【What if because of her, the boy misses the person he’s looking for? What then? Are they just going to throw some money at the problem and call it a day?】
【Why do those haters have to be so nasty? How do you know she pointed randomly?】
【Right, she definitely didn’t point randomly, because she has a script!】
…
The boy ran in the direction Chu Mingjia had pointed and soon found himself in another dark, narrow alley. He stood at the entrance and looked inside, thinking to himself, There’s no way my little sister is in here. She’s so afraid of the dark, how could she be hiding in a place like this?
But then he hesitated. He felt he should go in and check just to be sure, otherwise he would definitely regret it.
By now, the livestream audience had already recognized this place, wasn’t this the very same dark alley that Han Fengchen and the others had walked through earlier?
Livestream: 【I suddenly have a bold idea…】
【Oh, I remember now! That kid hiding in the wall crevice, could that be the person he’s looking for?】
【LOL, if this isn’t scripted, I’ll eat my keyboard upside down!】
…
The boy walked into the alley and called out, “Xiao Yun, are you in there? If you are, come out. Your brother is here.”
“Xiao Yun?”
He walked slowly through the dark alley, calling his sister’s name as he went. But by the time he had nearly reached the end of the alley, he still hadn’t seen anyone. He felt a pang of disappointment.
He was right, he shouldn’t have trusted a stranger pointing him in a random direction.
He had been so desperate that he had clutched at any straw. He didn’t even know that woman. How could she possibly know who he was looking for?
He hadn’t even described what his sister looked like. How could she possibly know which child was his sister?
The boy felt dejected. He had no strength left. His pace slowed, and his eyes reddened slightly.
The livestream audience, on the other hand, was practically losing their minds.
【Keep walking! Don’t stop!】
【Argh, I’m dying of anxiety! Hurry, hurry! It’s right ahead!】
…
The boy stood still for a moment. He was hungry and exhausted, both physically and mentally drained. But he couldn’t stop. Because if he gave up, there would be no one left to look for his little sister.
And then what would happen to her?
The boy wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve and looked back at the cameraman standing behind him.
The cameraman still didn’t speak, but when he met the boy’s gaze, he lowered the camera. “Sorry, if you’re not comfortable, I won’t film.”
Before the boy could respond, a thin, scrawny arm suddenly reached out from the crevice between the walls and grabbed his leg.
The boy: “!!!”
He flinched instinctively, jerking his leg, but then, mid-motion, he froze.
Bending down cautiously, he saw a small hand clutching the hem of his pants.
In the dim, hazy twilight, he peered into the wall crevice and met the eyes of the child crouched inside.
Tears instantly streamed down his face, but he was smiling. He reached out his hand and said softly, “Xiao Yun, come here. Brother is taking you home.”
The child wedged in the crevice took her brother’s hand and silently crawled out. Without a word, she climbed onto the boy’s back, her movements lifeless.
Regardless of how hard her brother was crying, her face remained expressionless. She didn’t speak, didn’t show any emotion. She simply rested her head against her brother’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
The livestream audience breathed a collective sigh of relief.
【Ahhh, he finally found his sister! Mrs. Han is amazing! How did she figure that out?】
【If this is scripted, that boy deserves an Oscar for his acting!】
【Heh, a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. She just got lucky. After all, they saw the little girl when they came through earlier. They deliberately didn’t help her, just waited for the family to come looking. How despicable.】
【Some people will argue about anything. Didn’t you see that the little girl’s demeanor was off? Her symptoms are obvious, she’s shut herself off in her own world. You want a complete stranger to just walk up and “help” her? If she gets scared and runs away, are you going to take responsibility?】
…
Back at the stall, Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen were seated. Han Fengchen asked the accompanying producer fussily, “Does that boy from earlier count as one?”
The production team’s task was to tell fortunes for three people. They had been sitting for an hour and had only just gotten one “fated customer.” Han Fengchen could already see the haunted house waving at him.
The young producer said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Mr. Han, but that doesn’t count.”
Han Fengchen was frustrated. “Why not?”
The producer explained, “Because he didn’t pay, so it doesn’t count as a transaction. Also, Miss Chu’s locating missing-person divination hasn’t been verified, he doesn’t know if it was accurate or not, so we can’t confirm…”
Han Fengchen was baffled. There were so many rules?
The production team hadn’t mentioned any of that when they assigned the task.
The young producer suddenly fell silent. She looked down at the livestream comments, then raised her head in surprise to look at Chu Mingjia.
The boy hadn’t gone straight home with his sister on his back. Instead, he had taken a detour and came to Chu Mingjia’s stall. Only then did he realize that she was a fortune-teller.
Visibly moved, he bowed deeply to Chu Mingjia, his eyes red. “Thank you, Master, for your guidance.”
As he spoke, he blushed slightly and asked sheepishly, “Excuse me, Master, how much does a fortune-telling cost?”
As he asked, he was already reaching into his pocket.
Chu Mingjia shook her head. “For a fated person, no charge.”
The boy was taken aback and a little embarrassed. “Are you sure? No charge?”
Chu Mingjia picked up a pen, wrote down her phone number, and handed it to him. “If anything happens in the future, remember to call me.”
The boy took the paper and nodded earnestly. “Okay. Thank you, Master.”
After expressing his gratitude, the boy left with his sister on his back. Han Fengchen leaned in and whispered to Chu Mingjia, “Is there something wrong with him? Why else would you give him your number?”
Chu Mingjia yawned. “There’s nothing wrong with him. There’s something wrong with his family.”
Han Fengchen hesitated. “His sister? Come to think of it, her expression was really strange.”
Chu Mingjia had already started packing up the stall. “Stop with the nonsense. Pack up quickly so we can go back and sleep.”
Han Fengchen said, “Oh,” then immediately snapped to attention. Panicking, he cried out, “What? We’re leaving already?”
He did not want to sleep in a haunted house! Aaaaah!