Fortune-telling? It's a Scam!

Only after reading the group chat did Xiao Yu realize that the platform hadn't valued him all that highly-it was entirely thanks to his fans.

After thanking them, he signed a new contract, then arranged to mail out the Heart-Clearing Talismans. By the time he finished, it was already noon.

For the pretty police officer who had contributed the most to getting his ban lifted, Xiao Yu made a point of mailing two extra Evil-Repelling Talismans.

One was sold to her, and the other was a gift.

That afternoon, he took another stroll around Magic City and picked out a storefront opposite the secondhand antiques market, then contacted the landlady to sign a transfer agreement.

By the time they settled on a price and he paid, it was already past four in the afternoon.

But the shop had originally sold noodles, so Xiao Yu still needed to hire someone to renovate it.

Fortunately, the landlady knew a construction company. Since Xiao Yu paid so readily, the beautiful landlady enthusiastically offered to help keep an eye on the work, saving him a great deal of effort.

"Xiao Yu, what kind of decor are you thinking of? Or rather, what kind of shop are you planning to open?"

"Su, I'm actually a fortune-teller. I'm opening a fortune-telling and divination shop."

Su Yunyi froze for a moment, then blurted out, "Fortune-telling? You're a professional scammer? You're not planning to use this shop for some pyramid scheme, are you? I-I don't want to rent it to you anymore! I'll refund your money!"

Seeing the disbelief and regret written all over her face, Xiao Yu felt helpless.

The storefront wasn't in a great location and was already hard to rent out. Renting it to a scammer would just be asking for trouble!

He might suddenly skip town one day. With the decor of a fortune-telling shop, the next tenant would definitely have to renovate again, adding a hefty expense and making it even harder to rent out!

It was time to show her the skills he made his living with.

"Su Yunyi, female, twenty-seven. You grew up in a well-off family and own three apartments and three storefronts in Magic City, worth over thirty million in total. You're a born-and-bred local beauty with fair skin and money, a young heiress whose family made its fortune from property demolition compensation."

"You had your first relationship at eighteen. It lasted six months before you broke up because you couldn't accept the guy getting handsy with you. At twenty-one, you got your second boyfriend in college, but after reading too much toxic relationship advice online, you dumped him."

"Now you're looking for a third boyfriend, but your standards are so picky that no one seems good enough, so you've had to stay single..."

"On the one hand, that toxic advice has done a number on you. Your standards are absurdly high, and your demands on men are so exacting that other people can't understand them. Yet your beauty and wealth really do give you the right to set those standards."

"On the other hand, you're worried about getting older, afraid you won't find a husband and will end up an old maid..."

"Did I get that right, Su?"

"You... how did you get everything right? Seriously? You figured all that out through fortune-telling?"

Clicking her tongue in amazement, Su Yunyi circled Xiao Yu several times. "Don't tell me you knew me from somewhere before and had a thing for me, so you deliberately investigated me to get close to me?"

"Su, you've got some imagination! I'm impressed! Since you still don't believe me, let me reveal something juicier. You first watched porn at eighteen. That night, you secretly... but you prefer pure romance, a platonic kind of love, which was why you couldn't stand your first boyfriend getting handsy. You thought men were too sleazy..."

"Stop, stop talking! I believe you! You're incredible! I'll rent you the shop! You've won me over!"

Su Yunyi's face flushed bright red, and her eyes darted about in panic. She almost fled on the spot.

He even mentioned my first time doing... that, at eighteen. Good grief, this guy is uncanny!

"Su, remember to stop by my livestream. I'm on the Yanjing Live-Streaming Platform, and I start around four or five every afternoon. Today, I'll start once I get back to my rented room. You don't have anything to do all day anyway, so why not come support me?"

"All right, all right! What do you mean, nothing to do? I'm a very busy woman!"

She waved her little fist in mock anger, but inside, she was utterly shocked. He could even tell that she had nothing to do all day? That was frighteningly good!

It felt as though she had no secrets in front of this man, as if he could see straight through her.

Scary.

"Oh, right. Since you're renting a place to live, I have an apartment sitting empty. It's fully furnished and nicely decorated. Would you like to move in there too? I'll give you a discount!"

Xiao Yu glanced at her with a knowing half-smile.

"Sure. Moving here would be more convenient. Otherwise, I'd spend an hour going back and forth every day. What a hassle. By the way, can I move into that apartment in the next couple of days?"

"Of course. Renting it to you saves me an agent's fee too. Seven thousand a month, and I'll knock off the thirty-five-hundred-yuan agent's fee."

"Sure. We can talk about the contract next time. It doesn't matter if we don't sign one. I'll transfer six months' rent to you right now."

"Hey, Xiao Yu, does livestreaming pay that well? You're awfully free with your money!"

"Free with my money? Almost all of my four hundred thousand has gone into your pockets, you rich lady! I'll be living on air!"

After that little episode, Xiao Yu was in an excellent mood on his way home.

The shop was settled, and he had a new place to live lined up too.

At last, he wouldn't have to cram into that tiny shared apartment with other people anymore.

The shared apartment wasn't bad, really, and the pretty women in the other two rooms were lovely, but the main problem was that the place was too small.

Who wouldn't want a big apartment all to themselves?

As soon as he walked in, he saw three women and two men cooking hot pot in the living room.

"Xiao Yu, you're back! Want to join us for a bite? It's just ready. My treat today-I got a promotion and a raise!"

The one greeting him was Tao Ran, a saleswoman at a clothing company. Although she hadn't said so openly, Xiao Yu knew she was actually hoping someone in the apartment would move out and free up a room for her boyfriend.

Besides her boyfriend, the other man and woman were also a couple. They seemed to be Tao Ran's coworkers.

The third girl was Yuan Yu. Quiet and petite, she wasn't a stunning beauty, but she was very cute and adorable. She had come from out of town to work and was also one of his roommates.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. My livestream is about to start. I've got money to make."

"That's a shame."

"Oh, Tao Ran, your roommate's a streamer? Hey, man, do you stream games or perform? We could watch your stream while we eat! Or we could join in too. You've got three pretty girls here-that'd make it easier to gain followers!"

Xiao Yu smiled. "Thanks, man, but I stream fortune-telling, so I don't really need that kind of interaction."

"Fortune-telling?" The man paused, his enthusiastic expression freezing. Almost reflexively, he muttered, "A professional scammer?"

The others looked a little awkward too and stopped paying attention to Xiao Yu.

Shaking his head, Xiao Yu sighed inwardly and closed his door.

Almost everyone in the world, no matter who they were, immediately thought of scammers when they heard the word fortune-telling.

Making a living in this business was far too hard.

"Hm? Wait, something doesn't seem right."

As Xiao Yu was turning on his computer, something suddenly occurred to him. He counted on his fingers to divine the answer, and his expression shifted slightly!

He opened the door again and went into the living room, saying gravely, "Are you all going out tonight after the hot pot?"

"Yeah? Damn, man, looks like your fortune-telling isn't all talk. You're pretty good-you even figured that out."

Xiao Yu looked at Yuan Yu, slipped an Evil-Repelling Talisman into her pocket, and leaned close to her ear to whisper, "You'd better not go anywhere tonight. Something will happen. If you insist on going out, keep this with you. Don't lose it. It'll protect you."

"If you don't believe me, I suggest you come watch my livestream and see what I can do. I'm on the Yanjing Live-Streaming Platform. Search for my name."

"One last piece of advice: be careful who you make friends with."

Without waiting for the bewildered Yuan Yu to answer, he went back to his room.

Through the door, he could still faintly hear mocking voices.

"Yuan Yu, did I see that big-time streamer give you a talisman? You don't actually believe in that stuff, do you?"

"No, of course not. It's just that he meant well."

"Haha. Enough about that scammer. Let's keep eating, then go out and have some fun!"

Yuan Yu frowned, her heart beating faster.

Why does he care so much about me?

She touched the talisman in her pocket, feeling a little thrill of happiness.

Although the gift left her unsure whether to laugh or cry, at least a guy finally cared about her!

She took out her phone to watch his livestream, but Tao Ran snatched it away. "Stop playing with your phone and eat. You're not actually silly enough to want to watch some fortune-telling, are you? It's all a scam! Don't be stupid!"