I Became the Darling of the Wealthy Through Gossip - Chapter 16

“Don’t miss out as you pass by! Fortune telling, casting lots! 100% accuracy! If it’s not accurate, I’ll give you 1 million; if it is accurate, you give me 10 million!”

Qi Beichen held a megaphone. Since he had recorded it yesterday, he just threw it on the side of the stall to act as a repeater. It had to be said, on a Monday morning, the overpass was full of people coming and going, but most of them were rushing to work and had no interest in his stall.

There weren’t many people in front of the stall, which made it nice and quiet. He propped up his small stand, set up the sun umbrella, and casually took an apple out of his small backpack, biting into it with a crunch, crunch.

It was juicy and sweet.

However, the sky was overcast, and there was a chilly, ominous wind blowing that gave him goosebumps. The sun umbrella flapped clatter-clatter, accompanied by a bit of drizzle that felt cold and icy when it hit his face. He opened his phone and took a look: a blue alert for heavy rain.

He took four small stones to weigh down the bagua diagram in front of him, sat on the folding stool, and took a piece of bread out of his bag, just about to bite into it.

“I heard that your fortune telling is very accurate?”

Qi Beichen looked up. The person who had come was about 1.9 meters tall, wearing a black trench coat, and sporting a pair of black-framed sunglasses. His lips were on the thicker side, and his skin was a dark, sallow yellow. He inexplicably felt a chill in his heart; there was a feeling that this person meant trouble.

He put down the bread in his hand, and using a small bamboo stick, he pointed at the bagua diagram in front of him. “Guaranteed accurate. You know the rules, right?”

The man lowered his head and took off his glasses. Wow, there was an obvious knife scar by his right eye. Qi Beichen secretly called out bad in his heart he didn’t recognize this person at all. He was likely an NPC character in the book, and to be “100% accurate,” he would definitely have to borrow some outside help.

“What rules? This is a fortune-telling stall; you make money doing this. What, are you going to be picky about your customers?”

Qi Beichen shook his head. “No, no. Um, sir, what would you like to calculate?”

The man pointed to the items above. “Just this one. Calculate whether I have good luck today.”

Qi Beichen held the bamboo stick, recalling everything taught in his Chinese Studies class. Silently, he muttered: Sincerity leads to spirituality, sincerity leads to spirituality, sincerity leads to spirituality.

“Which aspect of luck? Career, love, or family? Are you hoping to rise in rank and get rich, have marital harmony, or are you hoping to mediate relations with your family?”

Before the man could even speak, with a thump! the bamboo stick cylinder was kicked over.

“Sir, be careful! The things on this stall are valuable; they’ve been with me for decades. If you have to pay damages, you might find that the loss outweighs the gain, and that wouldn’t be ‘good luck’.”

Qi Beichen prepared to go pick up the bamboo stick cylinder, but he saw black leather shoes blocking it, not quite right. He’d originally hoped to settle things peacefully, but it seemed he had stepped on someone’s cake, and this wasn’t going to pass easily.

He lifted his eyes and looked around. He saw several men of similar height to the man from before, surrounding him. There were quite a few people on the bridge watching the show, but none who were helping.

[They said you shouldn’t be too flashy if you’re an outsider. Don’t know whose path he crossed; he’s just unlucky!] [Indeed. This stall stole our business yesterday. Customers used to like buying a few sticks of sugar-coated haws from me, but yesterday, all their money was spent at that stall instead.] [People, people, it’s better to keep a low profile.]

“A few big brothers, I don’t know what you are here for. It’s a small business, ‘well water doesn’t mix with river water.’ I don’t think this was necessary.”

Qi Beichen was neither servile nor overbearing, but being surrounded by several people made his heart beat like a drum. His mouth was dry, and the sound of his voice was a bit hoarse.

He reached out to grab his phone, but one of them grabbed his hand directly, leaving him unable to move.

“If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You were too flashy and offended someone you shouldn’t have offended.”

Qi Beichen’s brain whirred at high speed. Who could he have offended by setting up a stall here? If he really offended someone, it would be Qi Beixing. No, Qi Beixing really might have been the one.

He pursed his lips. “Big brother, how about this? Do you want money? Although this stall hasn’t been out for long, there is still some money here. Let’s settle things peacefully, how about that?”

“Kid, you understand the rules quite well. But, the person you offended wants you to disappear, and besides…” The scar-faced man kicked the bamboo stick cylinder. “…this broken stall, how much money can it make? It’s not even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth.”

Damn! This stall was making money hand over fist.

He looked left and looked right; it seemed there was no place to run.

“A few big brothers, we live in a society ruled by law. Broad daylight, clear skies. There are quite a few people watching on this overpass.”

Gossiping is human nature, and the overpass was no exception. He didn’t know when, but a crowd had gathered to watch the excitement, and they weren’t afraid of the chaos.

Hearing this, they dispersed, but they were still squinting and looking in this direction, whispering chatter-chatter-chatter.

The scar-faced man grabbed Qi Beichen’s collar. “Why, come with us for a trip?”

“Besides me, I can give you anything else you want.”

“Since when has this side of the overpass become so chaotic?”

Qi Beichen suddenly heard a familiar voice. This voice it was the “big shot.” He suddenly remembered that this was the only way he took to get to work. Tsk, his luck seemed not bad.

“Brother Muxuan! I’m here!”

Qi Beichen jumped with all his might, reaching out and waving over there. To tell the truth, he was over 1.8 meters tall, but surrounded by this group of strong men, he looked quite petite.

“What is going on here? Was his prediction inaccurate, or are you intentionally looking for trouble?”

Click-clack! Click-clack!

Damn it. There were even people taking pictures around him. At this rate, the Qi family and the Bai family appearing in a special column was well within reach; they might even fabricate all sorts of things.

The scar-faced man looked Bai Muxuan up and down.

“This is none of your business, so don’t meddle here. Fists don’t have eyes; if you get hurt, the Jiangcheng People’s Hospital is right over there.”

Qi Beichen looked at Bai Muxuan pitifully, his eye sockets slightly red. Being pulled by the collar, his neck was slightly flushed, and his originally fair cheeks were even paler.

“Brother Muxuan, I caused this trouble; I should solve it myself. A few big brothers, I won’t set up a stall here in the future. Let’s settle things peacefully, how about that? With so many people watching, it’s not good.”

Bai Muxuan glanced at Qi Beichen. “It’s nothing. I saw an acquaintance, so naturally, I have to invite them to drink tea. It’s just that it’s not convenient to use fists and kicks here. Why don’t we find another place, or should I just give you money so we can leave?”

Giving money who would fight with money?

The man smiled and beckoned to his subordinates, extending three fingers. “The other side gave 30,000 to get rid of him. What, do you want to offer 300,000? No one fights with money. If it’s an on-site transaction, I can let this kid go.”

“He looks tender-skinned.”

Bai Muxuan took out a card. “No limit. Tell that ‘upper-level’ connection of yours, don’t stretch your claws so far. Not everything can be settled with money. If you have the time, you’d be better off reading a few books so you don’t get so hot-headed, only thinking about staging framing dramas.”

The leader clearly paused for a moment, then beckoned to his subordinates. Qi Beichen felt relieved and took deep breaths of fresh air.

“Money can move ghosts; especially your Bai family’s things. Hey! Why—clearly I have money here too!”

Afterward, he straightened his somewhat wrinkled clothes and frowned.

“Boss is generous.” The scar-faced man took Bai Muxuan’s card. “As long as the money is there, everything is easy to discuss.”

Qi Beichen stood on tiptoe, hopping about and yelling at the scar-faced man, “Hey! Just now, clearly, I had money, too! I have money!”

Bai Muxuan tugged at his clothes. “Enough, stop hopping.”

The onlookers who had been watching the show dispersed. A good show that hadn’t even begun had just scattered like that it was truly unpleasant.

The crowd dispersed, the scar-faced man took the money and ordered his men to leave. The people on the overpass came and went as if what had happened earlier didn’t count for anything. Only the overturned bamboo cylinder proved that everything had just occurred.

Qi Beichen lowered his head, biting his lip tightly. “Thank you very much, Brother Muxuan. Every time, you’re the one who appears. Brother Muxuan, I really want to thank you, but I don’t know how.”

Bai Muxuan lowered his head and picked up a bamboo stick; it was the Xian (mutual) hexagram. “Give this to me. Think of it as your thanks. It’s highly probable this stall isn’t safe; you’ve probably been targeted.”

Qi Beichen nodded. “Mm, I’m preparing to pack up and go back… I’ll have to think of another way, I can’t starve to death…”

“However, how come I was only worth 30,000?”

“Maybe the number is auspicious. Doesn’t the Bai family always emphasize fortune telling? Maybe Qi Beixing finds this fun, too.”

“Pah! Who does he think he is? A fake is a fake! I will definitely make a comeback!”

Qi Beichen packed up his stall, grumbling. “Um, Brother Muxuan, I won’t be setting up the stall for now. Forget it; I calculated that today is not a good day for anything. I have to go back and reorganize!”

“Fine. Take care on your way.”

Bai Muxuan tugged at Qi Beichen’s collar that had slipped down. “In the future, don’t wear clothes a size too small; looking all loose and sloppy doesn’t look decent.”

Qi Beichen immediately adjusted his collar. These were the original host’s clothes; with that sense of taste, it was a waste of a good outfit.

“Mm, then I’m leaving!”

Bai Muxuan watched Qi Beichen until he disappeared into the crowd.

“Send someone to follow him; don’t let him discover you. Safety first.”

After Qi Beichen returned to the small motel, he lay on the bed, aimlessly scrolling through his phone. A dance-filled live stream room, a singing battle room, and some bizarre live-streaming channels caught his attention. Since setting up a stall on the overpass wasn’t working, streaming should be okay. And the most crucial thing was that he wouldn’t be facing people face-to-face; the safety factor would be higher.

He looked at the bagua diagram in the corner. Great, wait for the orthopedic director to come back, and I’ll return it.

The “Whisper” group chat began to be abuzz with excitement.

Liang Han: Why is the trending search back up? Qi Beichen, what’s going on? Is someone looking for trouble with you? Where are you now? Do you need us to back you up? Xie Zhixu: No, Qi Beichen, what’s with your clothes? Did they fall down? Not fitting? Su Haoxuan: Didn’t you see Bai Muxuan was right next to him? This photo—the angle is truly epic. What a perfect “hero saving the beauty” look.

These three were all chatting about different things.

Xie Zhixu: Qi Beichen is really an ‘anti-fan’ magnet. How did he inexplicably attract this kind of stuff? Truly. Liang Han: Qi Beichen, can you really tell fortunes? Can you calculate when my marriage will come?

Qi Beichen was just registering his account, holding his phone in one hand, adjusting the virtual background behind him. Having ready-made tools was simple.

Qi Beichen: Your marriage?

Qi Beichen searched his memory, not knowing if the plot he’d read earlier was still valid, but Liang Han’s marriage had indeed been mentioned in this book.

Qi Beichen: I’ve calculated it with my fingers: your marriage will appear in March of next year. Remember to go hiking in the mountains; at that time, you will meet the right person. I can only say this much; the secrets of heaven cannot be leaked. Xie Zhixu: Damn! Are you for real? There’ve long been rumors that the Qi family is adept at Qimen Dunjia and the like. You’ve been living outside for twenty years—could it be that your bone structure is extraordinary?

Of course, Qi Beichen wouldn’t tell them that not only could he calculate this clearly, but he was also completely clear about everything that would happen to these families later. This was his “gold finger,” his God-view, the existence of a true deity.

Qi Beichen: Perhaps. I shook the bamboo tube just now and calculated it. And my bone structure is indeed extraordinary; this stall fell from the sky. Xie Zhixu: Yi, give it a rest. I think you are exceptionally strong at seducing people. Qi Beichen: [National Flag].jpg. I am a fair and just person. Don’t judge a book by its cover, understand? A pretty face is just an external skin can a pretty face produce rice? No! Su Haoxuan: Qi Beichen, what else can you calculate? Can you calculate careers? Qi Beichen: You’d better be careful. Gold is currently at its highest price point; buy a little less. In a few days, it will take a big dive. When the time comes and hundreds of millions evaporate, you’ll have plenty of reason to cry. Xie Zhixu: This is a divine person! Su Haoxuan: This is a divine person! Liang Han: He’s just guessing. I don’t believe it at all. Next year, I just won’t go! Qi Beichen: Believe it or not, it’s up to you.

He closed the chat box and looked at the newly registered live-streaming room. Number of people in the upper left corner: currently 0.

“Beep…”

He closed the live-streaming room directly; it was simply a waste of time.

Qi Beichen continued to lie on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh. He’d watched quite a few group streams and live streams before, and they were packed with people. When it came to him, he’d been live for ten minutes and hadn’t had a single person. It was too difficult.

He thought and thought but couldn’t come up with a better way. However, he was determined to make a success of his live-streaming career. He counted the equipment he needed meticulously, bit the bullet, and placed an order all at once. In a few days, the stuff arrived and was piled up in the small, narrow room only, his account balance had bottomed out, leaving him only enough money for food.

When Bai Muxuan passed by the overpass these past few days, he specifically went past the spot where Qi Beichen had set up his stall. It was empty and lonely. Every time, he would pause slightly, and then walk away with quickened steps.

He looked at the chat record of the two of them, which was still stuck on the picnic gathering. Still, he couldn’t help but send a message: “Are you ready to give up?”