Back in the livestream, Qu Nanzhu accepted a call request from a cigar-smoking woman in her forties. Her background appeared to be a study, and the decorations just visible looked expensive.
The viewers exclaimed that she was a rich lady!
Qu Nanzhu briefly read her face, then lowered his eyes and continued cutting out paper figures as he asked, "The divination fee is three thousand. What would you like to ask about?"
Squinting through the smoke, the wealthy woman sent Qu Nanzhu three thousand in gifts and said hoarsely, "My financial fortune."
The chat marveled that the richer people were, the more they loved money. One look at the study's decor told them this lady had either wealth or status, yet she still wanted her financial fortune told.
Qu Nanzhu gave a calm hum. Only after finishing a little paper figure did he meet the woman's eyes and say earnestly, "A thief within the family is hard to guard against."
The seemingly unrelated answer left the viewers utterly confused, but the woman immediately found confirmation of her suspicions.
She tapped the ash from her cigar and thanked Qu Nanzhu, her voice growing even raspier. "Thank you, Master. I understand."
With that, she disconnected.
The viewers who hadn't understood were practically jumping up and down with impatience.
[How does she understand already? What part did I miss, aaaaaah?]
[You're not alone, commenter above.]
[Isn't this deliberate? Feels like they're playing at being mysterious.]
[They only said four things altogether, right? How is it already resolved?]
[Streamer, you're seriously the most inconsiderate streamer I've ever seen.]
Faced with the viewers' complaints, Qu Nanzhu gestured for quiet and explained, "All right, this is someone else's family business. Don't be so nosy."
Then he announced that he would take the call for his third divination.
It really was a simple family matter. The caller had been a successful career woman from a privileged family, but she had fallen for a poor young man, turning him into a phoenix man.
They had genuinely loved each other at first, but as they gradually aged, the woman lost her former beauty, while the man had endured thirty years of people pointing fingers at him behind his back. No matter how loving they were, the day would eventually come when that love was exhausted.
The woman had noticed a string of problems in her business lately and had long harbored suspicions, but out of loyalty to her marriage, she hadn't investigated.
Seeing Qu Nanzhu's livestream today had reminded her of the matter. Unable to resist, she had requested a call and sent three thousand, hoping for some peace of mind.
She hadn't expected that, in the end, love really couldn't withstand the wear of time.
After this, she swiftly stripped the man of his authority in the company and filed for divorce.
Of course, that all came later.
In the livestream, nearly five hundred thousand people were watching, and over three thousand competed for a single call slot. The one who finally got through was a girl with fresh, cheerful looks.
She first greeted the viewers enthusiastically, paid the three-thousand divination fee without being prompted, then showered him with compliments. "Baby Qu, how are you so adorable? I finally got through to you, waaah!"
Qu Nanzhu struggled to withstand her barrage. Mainly, seeing someone type "baby" and hearing someone call him that were two different things. When had Celestial Master Qu ever encountered anything like this?
His ears red, he cleared his throat twice before saying, "Tell me what you'd like to ask about first."
The girl instantly put away her smile and spoke solemnly. "Here's the thing, Baby Qu-ah, no, Master. I'm a recent university graduate looking for work, and I've received offers from three companies. One offers really good terms, but another is a company I've always wanted to join. I'm really struggling to choose and don't know which one to go to. Can you help me decide?"
Qu Nanzhu calculated on his fingers at that. "Do you know which directions those two companies are in?"
The girl shook her head, then looked down and searched her phone. "Let me check. Uh, north at the top, south at the bottom, west on the left, east on the right. Oh, got it! The one with the good benefits is southwest, and the one I like is northwest."
Qu Nanzhu tilted his head in puzzlement. "But your financial fortune lies to the east."
The girl was baffled. "Huh? East? Uh, let me see. That's the third company. They haven't been doing very well lately, the benefits aren't great, and it's far from home. I wasn't even considering it."
Qu Nanzhu nodded in understanding. "Your face shows that you're sincere and warm toward others, and careful and responsible in your work. You'll gain something wherever you go, while the east represents opportunities and challenges for you. So the final choice is still yours."
[What the heck? Isn't that the same as saying nothing?]
[He said nothing as far as you're concerned, but look at the girl herself.]
[Exactly. Does she want to collect a steady paycheck in obscurity at a big company, or put her talents to use at a company full of opportunities and challenges?]
[I'd still go to the big company. At least it's stable.]
[I'm different. I'd challenge myself. Haven't I studied hard all these years precisely to fulfill my potential in life?]
Clearly, the girl thought the same way. Just as Qu Nanzhu had said, her personality would let her do well anywhere. Optimistic, proactive, cheerful, and positive, she didn't want a bland life.
But she didn't say that on the livestream. Instead, after thanking him solemnly, she sent Qu Nanzhu another 520 sets of heart gifts and disconnected.
[Damn it, I'm a little jealous.]
[A public declaration of love? Interesting.]
[Wait a sec, now that all three divinations are done, is the streamer going to pull his instant-black-screen act again?]
[Nooo, streamer, don't! You've only been live for half an hour!]
Indeed, it was only eight thirty.
Qu Nanzhu also knew he shouldn't end the stream too early, but he genuinely didn't know what to do.
Just then, an account sent him ten Carnival gifts and asked whether they could have a call, not for fortune-telling.
Qu Nanzhu accepted.
A chest clad in an immaculate suit appeared on camera. The caller had no intention of showing his face.
But the moment he spoke, Qu Nanzhu knew it was someone he knew.
Chen Xun had spent the whole day running around.
Huo Sili had given him a week off to sort out his personal affairs.
But he personally hadn't wanted to waste that much time, so he had rushed to get most of it dealt with today.
He had sought out the woman's three other partners, paid them for evidence of her fraud, then reported her to the police and had her arrested as quickly as possible.
He had tried sending Qu Nanzhu private messages to apologize and thank him, but the man seemed to have no habit of checking his messages at all. His boss had sent several too, and apparently not a single one had been read.
He had been lurking in the livestream since Qu Nanzhu went live. Now that Qu Nanzhu had finished his three divinations and had nothing to do, an opportunity had presented itself.
He spoke first. "Mr. Qu, do you still remember me?"
Qu Nanzhu smiled. "Of course. It seems you've finished verifying everything."
Chen Xun gave a self-mocking smile. "Yes, everything you said was right. I was deceived. She had three other boyfriends. I found them today and got them to testify. The police have taken her away now."
"You're quite decisive," Qu Nanzhu said. "But there's something I'm curious about-her parents."
The mention of that made Chen Xun angry, and he quietly clenched his fists. "They weren't her parents at all. She was a caregiver they'd hired. She brazenly pretended to be their daughter because the elderly couple had Alzheimer's."
"Wow," Qu Nanzhu said. No wonder he hadn't seen any parental kinship lines on that woman.
Their conversation left today's new viewers utterly bewildered. They felt there was some juicy gossip they'd missed, and they chattered anxiously in the melon field.
A helpful viewer typed, [New melon-eaters, don't panic! Click my profile to witness the tear-jerking, heartbreaking middle-aged love story of our cuckolded sucker bro!]
The chat filled with cries of [666.]
That comment left Chen Xun thoroughly flabbergasted too.
He couldn't help pushing up his glasses. "I'd still appreciate it if everyone could show some respect for me, the victim."
The witness guy immediately apologized and admitted he was wrong.
Qu Nanzhu laughed too, then offered him a pointer. "You don't need to be too upset. After great adversity, good fortune will come."