This is Awkward

Relying on methods like stopping people halfway and guessing names, Shen Qiong picked up two more customers. However, the latter two were stingier, one paying thirty and the other twenty. By the end of the day, he had earned a hundred yuan.

On his way home, Shen Qiong made sure to eat heartily at a restaurant downstairs to treat himself. He also called someone to have the gas cylinder replaced. In the blink of an eye, the hundred yuan was spent.

"Money, money! The root of all evil, hurry up and come to me! If I don't go to hell, who will..."

The next morning, Shen Qiong bought steamed buns with all the money he had left. As he walked towards his shop, he comforted himself, telling himself that the early stages of starting a business were always tough, and things would get better eventually.

This time, Shen Qiong simply sat at the entrance. The information he could see was limited, with only the health value being truly practical. Therefore, he could only target people with problems.

Shen Qiong had gained experience this time. He first read people's faces, then guessed their ages, guessed their names, and then took their pulses and read their palms. Once he completed the whole routine, he would hook the customer, and then he could say whatever he wanted...

"Grandpa, your wife is in great health, you need to put in more effort! Get out and walk around more, don't just stay cooped up at home all day." Shen Qiong said to an old man who was seventy-eight years old.

The old lady, carrying her grocery basket, smiled and said, "That's right, that's right. Hear what he said, you need to get out more."

Elderly people were more superstitious about Feng Shui and fortune telling than younger people. The old man was completely mesmerized by Shen Qiong, nodding continuously, "I'll pay attention to it from now on, I'll pay attention to it."

Watching the two elders leave, and then looking at the extra hundred yuan in his hand, Shen Qiong's smile was truly joyous!

He could do good deeds and make money at the same time, so why not?

Three days later, with the money he earned from "treating" passersby, Shen Qiong finally had some spare change.

On Sunday afternoon, he sat cross-legged on the shop's grand chair, drinking tea. He learned this habit from his father. Recently, due to financial problems, he hadn't had money to buy tea. After closing the shop yesterday, he specifically went to a tea shop at the end of the street to buy some black tea and flower tea.

"The financial problem is solved. It's time to think about how to increase my reputation. After all, relying solely on a health value to make a living is too harsh," he muttered.

There were more people shopping on Sunday afternoons than usual. Without the pressure of survival, Shen Qiong became more willful. Unless he encountered someone with a very low health value, he was too lazy to go out.

Suddenly, several burly men walked in. The leader said indifferently, "It's time to pay the management fee."

Shen Qiong was stunned. They were collecting management fees with a group of people? It was just like collecting protection money. "There's a management fee to pay?"

A subordinate next to him glanced at Shen Qiong. "Boss, don't bother with him. I know this shop. He's been frequently soliciting customers at the door these past few days. He's probably made quite a bit of money."

The one called Boss grunted and looked at Shen Qiong, coldly shouting, "Stop playing dumb. Management fees have to be paid everywhere!"

"Ahem, Boss, I really didn't know about this!" Shen Qiong was genuinely surprised.

A subordinate wanted to impress his boss and stepped forward, pushing Shen Qiong down. "Enough talk, where's the money?"

Shen Qiong was 1.78 meters tall and had gotten into his fair share of fights at school. However, he was outnumbered here. A wise man knows when to retreat. He could only say with gritted teeth, "How much do I need to pay? I've never paid before."

"You've never paid before? Then it's time to catch up. Three hundred a month. You don't have to pay for last year. Just pay for these six months!" the Boss in the middle said.

Three times six is eighteen. This was like robbery, asking for eighteen hundred yuan out of the blue. Why didn't they just go and rob a bank? No, they were no different from robbers.

Shen Qiong figured he only had seven or eight hundred yuan on him, so even if he wanted to pay, he couldn't. He could only take out his phone and say with a smile, "Let me check how much money I have in my card."

In reality, he was logging into WeChat, wanting to see if he could find any information about these people. Now, he could only take a gamble.

Seeing the profile picture of the first person in "People Nearby," Shen Qiong's spirits immediately lifted. He was actually there, and it was the Boss's information.

Zhu Deshou (within 100 meters). The profile picture was indeed the Boss collecting management fees from him.

Age: 31 Health Value: 67 Hometown: HB Shen Qiong chuckled. This was promising. Thirty years old was the prime of life. Based on his experience, the other party's age and health value should hover between 80 and 90. Yet, this Boss only had 67, which definitely indicated a problem.

"What are you laughing at?" the subordinate cursed.

Shen Qiong pushed him away and looked at the Boss. "Sir, are you surnamed Zhu?"

Zhu Deshou frowned. "That's right."

A subordinate, wisely realizing that this fortune teller was about to scam them, quickly said, "Everyone knows our Boss's name. Stop with the useless talk. We know you're a fortune teller."

"Hey, don't rush. I not only know your surname, but I also know there's a 'Shou' character in your name. It's either Deshou or Changshou." Shen Qiong said calmly.

Zhu Deshou was stunned. Very few people actually knew his full name. His brothers usually just called him Brother Zhu. He didn't expect this Master to actually have some skills.

"So what?" Zhu Deshou said loudly.

Shen Qiong smiled. "Judging by your accent, you sound like you're from HB. If I'm not mistaken, this Boss should be called Deshou."

Zhu Deshou stared intently at Shen Qiong. Shen Qiong had piqued his interest. He said with a laugh, "How did you know?"

The subordinate who had guessed that Shen Qiong was trying to scam them quickly stepped forward to stop him. "It's all nonsense. You must have inquired about this beforehand. Does it matter where our Boss is from or what his name is? I think people in your profession just like to deceive others."

Zhu Deshou thought about it and realized it made sense! His gaze towards Shen Qiong immediately turned unfriendly. This kid dared to play him?

Shen Qiong rolled his eyes at the subordinate. This kid was quite sharp and always ruined his plans. He retorted, "It's normal that you don't know. If everyone knew, how would I make a living?"

Zhu Deshou mocked, "Regardless, the money still has to be paid."

Hearing the Boss's command, the surrounding subordinates immediately surged forward, surrounding Shen Qiong, giving him the impression that if he didn't pay, he would face dire consequences.

Just then, three people rushed into the shop from outside: a couple and a young man.

"Look, isn't it here..." A man in his early forties looked up at the plaque. "Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. It should be here."

The middle-aged woman looked anxious and immediately asked, "Where is the Master? Where is the Master?"

The subordinates saw that there were people coming to them. Judging by the anxious look on the middle-aged woman's face, she must have been scammed badly!

Master? Looking for me? Shen Qiong quickly squeezed his way out and said with a smile, "Hey? Are you looking for me?"

The middle-aged woman saw that he was a young man in his early twenties, just as her daughter had described. The middle-aged woman said excitedly, "You must be the Master who guided my daughter that day! Thank you so much."

Seeing the middle-aged woman about to bow to him in her excitement, Shen Qiong quickly stopped her and helped her up. "Come, come, don't get too excited. Since your daughter met me, it must be fate."

"Oh, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, our daughter would have missed the best time for treatment." The aunt's eyes welled up with tears as she spoke of it.

The uncle beside her quickly steadied the aunt and explained to Shen Qiong, "It's like this, our daughter came home that day and said she met a master who could read fortunes by appearance on the roadside. The master said she wasn't feeling well and needed to get a check-up at the hospital."

"At first, we thought she'd been scammed." The uncle said this with an apologetic look on his face. "Now it seems she was really lucky to have met the master!"

"After Xiao Xue listened to your advice, she went to the hospital for a check-up. The results were terrifying! The doctor said it was good they found it early, otherwise, her life would have been in danger. Now, she just needs treatment to recover."

"Yes! We're so grateful to you, Master. You're like an immortal!" the aunt praised.

The several burly men collecting fees on the side, who had been watching the scene unfold, were stunned. What was going on? Was this an act? Who did they hire as an extra?

If this was an act, the aunt must have won an Oscar before. Her tears started flowing as if they were real.

"Boss, what's happening?" one of the underlings asked.

The boss coughed twice. "I don't know either. Let's just watch for now."

After the parents finally calmed down, Shen Qiong managed to sort out what had happened.

It turned out these three were Bi Yuxue's family. Shen Qiong certainly remembered who Bi Yuxue was; she was his very first client.

Knowing this, Shen Qiong smiled and said, "It's all fate, it's all fate. It's too kind of you to come all this way to thank me."

Although he was being polite verbally, Shen Qiong's face was already beaming. He secretly glanced at the underling who had always doubted him. See! I'm a master with real skills.

Is it possible he wasn't scamming people? Was I wrong? the underling asked himself with a wry smile. "Boss, it looks like it's real."

Zhu Deshou's lips twitched slightly. "I know."

This was incredibly awkward!!!