At the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, Shen Qiong slowly peeled an apple...
"Shen Qiong, it worked!" Gu Liming exclaimed excitedly.
Shen Qiong glanced at him. "What worked? You look so happy. Did you win the lottery?"
"Heh, I didn't, but this feels even better than winning the lottery," he said with a grin.
"Remember that student from last time? The one who wore glasses and seemed so refined? You said he had a talent for singing."
Shen Qiong stopped peeling and looked surprised. "Don't tell me your plan worked?"
"Of course it did. Who do you think came up with it? He's a campus celebrity now. I got a girl from his school's radio station to play his song around campus." Gu Liming was quite pleased with his clever idea.
Shen Qiong was astonished. "Whoa, you went that far?"
He knew people had used school radio stations to confess their feelings before. It had caused a huge stir—the whole school had found out, and the student had probably been reprimanded by the teachers afterward.
But it had certainly been effective!
Only his mischievous friend would come up with something so bold.
Seeing how proud Gu Liming looked, Shen Qiong felt like bringing him down a peg. "Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished harshly. Tell me! How did you get the girl from the school radio station to talk to you?"
Gu Liming poured himself a cup of tea and took a small sip, smiling. "What, are you jealous?"
"Pfft. You're actually going after a high school girl?" Shen Qiong teased.
"Hey, hey! What are you saying? We're just getting to know each other!" Gu Liming protested.
As if I'd believe you're just getting to know her. Shen Qiong rolled his eyes at him.
Just then, a tall, slender, fair-skinned man walked in and asked, "Excuse me, is Master Shen here?"
Ren Tianxue, who was sitting by the door organizing client records, looked up at him. "If you want a fortune reading, please make an appointment first, sir."
Xu Ruifeng smiled warmly. "I came because I'd heard of him, but I'm not here for a fortune reading."
Shen Qiong pressed his lips together and called out, "Speak!"
He was brief and to the point. These days, he seemed to be gradually becoming a man of few words with his clients.
Xu Ruifeng looked at Shen Qiong in surprise. A strange expression flashed across his face before he smiled and said, "I'm here to discuss a business deal with you, Master."
Shen Qiong looked at the man with amusement. Coming to discuss business with a fortune teller? He certainly had some ideas.
"There's a student at our school named Fang Yongkang. I wonder if you remember him, Master." Xu Ruifeng spoke in a hearty voice.
Shen Qiong and Gu Liming exchanged a glance, then asked in surprise, "What about him?"
"Well, Fang Yongkang's sudden success was largely thanks to your help. You have a real eye for talent, and I was impressed when I heard about it. I studied art myself, so I know how much courage it takes to pursue this path."
Shen Qiong said nothing. He'd met all kinds of people, and he'd learned to read them. This man claimed to admire him, but his tone and expression gave him away.
Was he just trying to butter him up? What was he really after?
Xu Ruifeng continued, "There are plenty of talented students at our school who don't dare pursue what they love for one reason or another. Most of them are afraid they don't have the talent or lack confidence."
"But now Master Shen has come along. I'm sure there are many more students like Fang Yongkang, with talent that's gone unnoticed. Perhaps you could read their fortunes and give them some confidence?"
Shen Qiong calmly took a sip of tea and smiled. "That's because he really does have a talent for music. All I did was tell him he was suited to singing."
"Exactly. All I need is for you to tell the students who come for a reading that they're suited to painting." Xu Ruifeng finally revealed his ambition.
Shen Qiong frowned. "If they really do have a talent for it, then of course I can."
"Hahaha! Whether they have a talent for it is up to you to decide, isn't it, Master Shen?" Xu Ruifeng smiled broadly at him. He was sure he'd made himself clear.
But Shen Qiong flatly refused. "No. We have to be honest."
Xu Ruifeng's expression immediately darkened, but he quickly suppressed his feelings and smiled. "I understand, I understand. You'll be well compensated, Master. Five hundred per student from our school."
He looked at Shen Qiong with a genial smile, thinking, Five hundred each is a pretty good deal, isn't it?
Shen Qiong suddenly spat out the tea he'd been drinking. "Pfft!" It sprayed everywhere. He stifled his laughter and glanced at Gu Liming, silently asking if the man had lost his mind. Did he think five hundred yuan could buy him off?
Gu Liming looked at Xu Ruifeng like he was an idiot. A rich man had offered Shen Qiong five hundred thousand and still failed to sway him, and this guy thought five hundred yuan would make him feel like a big shot?
Xu Ruifeng noticed that something seemed off about their expressions and gave an awkward smile. "Is that not enough?"
"Hahaha, you're hilarious, man," Gu Liming said, unable to hold back his laughter. "Five hundred? Are you kidding?"
"Ahem..." Xu Ruifeng usually gave students a couple thousand yuan in red envelopes for tutoring. He reluctantly raised his offer. "Then a thousand. Surely a thousand is enough?"
Shen Qiong could barely keep from laughing, his eyes crinkling over the tea in his mouth. What a clown—there really was no shortage of them.
Xu Ruifeng was getting annoyed. He'd shown them plenty of respect, and his offer wasn't low. Were they planning to make an outrageous demand?
"Fine, then. Name your price," Xu Ruifeng said coldly.
Gu Liming held up a hand, palm open, and smiled. "Now you're getting somewhere."
"Five thousand...?" Xu Ruifeng cried, his eyes wide.
Shen Qiong shook his head, still laughing. It seemed this guy hadn't even bothered to ask around about him.
"Five thousand? Don't be ridiculous. Our Master Shen might consider it for five hundred thousand per student. And remember, that's only consider it," Gu Liming said with a shrug.
Xu Ruifeng froze as if he'd been struck by lightning. He felt humiliated. Five hundred thousand? What a joke! If they weren't interested, they could've just said so. They were obviously messing with him!!!
"You..." He pointed at Gu Liming, then glared furiously at Shen Qiong. "You're insulting me!!!"
Shen Qiong frowned and shook his head with a wry smile. He really hadn't meant to.
But to Xu Ruifeng, Shen Qiong's expression looked like sheer contempt. Xu Ruifeng exploded with anger. "Fine, fine! You think you're so great! Just some charlatan, a fraud who makes a living fooling people, and you actually think you're somebody important, huh?"
"Fine! You don't appreciate what's good for you? Just wait! I'll remember this!!!" Xu Ruifeng stormed out.
Gu Liming deliberately called after him, "Aw, take care on your way out!"
Shen Qiong smiled. "Didn't his little outburst just now seem familiar to you?"
"Familiar?"
Shen Qiong imitated an elementary schooler challenging someone to a fight. "Fine! Wait for me outside the school gates! If you don't show up, you're a chicken!!!"
Gu Liming played along, clutching his chest as if frightened. "Oh no, I'm so scared!"
"Hahahaha..." The two of them laughed until they could barely catch their breath.
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