Volume One, Chapter 16: Love-struck Mind

Last night, after witnessing Su Tong’s abilities, Su Beibei canceled all today’s engagements and waited at home. The moment the package arrived, he immediately retrieved it. Following the instructions Su Tong had given him, he first affixed the Soul-Confining Talisman to Dongdong’s head, then tore open a mechanism on the talisman.

A miraculous scene unfolded before his eyes. A flash of golden light, and the soul of a man drifted out from Dongdong’s body.

Both he and the man were ecstatic. His Dongdong had returned, circling intimately around him. Meanwhile, the man’s soul was no longer trapped in the dog’s body and could now roam freely.

Afterward, as instructed by the Ghost Gate Talisman, he opened the ghost gate, and the man’s soul was immediately drawn inside.

All of this utterly upended his understanding of the world. Yet, strangely, the scene felt familiar to him, as if he’d seen it before. But he had experienced this sensation before, a sense of déjà vu while doing certain things, as if he had done them already. So, he didn’t dwell on it.

Having confirmed that Su Tong’s predictions were precise and her talismans effective, he stayed by his computer, waiting for her next livestream.

He didn’t expect to see so many people attacking the streamer as soon as he logged on.

Naturally, he couldn’t agree with them, so he picked up his keyboard and began to argue back.

EastSouthWestNorth: “There are always people who speak nonsense without any experience. If you have the guts, why don’t you try getting a fortune told yourself?”

EastSouthWestNorth: “How can metaphysics be considered superstition? This is part of our ancestral heritage. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

…

Su Beibei sent more than a dozen barrage comments in a row.

Su Tong was unfazed, but Su Beibei’s fans were incredibly excited.

Dearest Beibei: “Brother is right, I believe the streamer’s predictions are accurate.”

A heart-piercing arrow effect flashed across the screen.

Dearest Beibei sent one Heart-Piercing Arrow.

MostMostMostLoveBeibei sent one Heart-Piercing Arrow.

Beibei’s Little Darling sent one Heart-Piercing Arrow.

…

More than a dozen Heart-Piercing Arrow effects filled the screen for over a minute.

Su Tong: “…”

Things were taking a rather unbelievable turn.

Su Tong had to step in and remind everyone.

“Dear friends in the livestream, this is a fortune-telling, physiognomy, and feng shui broadcast. One Fairytale Castle per reading. There are three readings available today—once they’re done, the stream will end.”

A Fairytale Castle effect appeared on the screen.

Dearest Beibei sent one Fairytale Castle.

Su Tong connected with her.

On the right side of the screen appeared a young girl with twin ponytails, looking quite young.

With a gentle smile, Su Tong asked, “Hello, what would you like to ask?”

Dearest Beibei looked a bit embarrassed and smiled shyly. “Actually, I don’t want to ask about anything. I just wanted to support Su Beibei.”

momo: “Such a cute little sister! She doesn’t look like an adult yet. Should the streamer refund her gift?”

Su Tong replied straightforwardly, “Then I’ll just do a random reading.”

Dearest Beibei: “That’s fine.”

Su Tong studied the girl’s features carefully and began, “Your eyes are bright and spirited, your ears are full and rounded, your nose is well-shaped, and your Wealth Palace is lustrous—you have the face of someone destined for prosperity.”

Plain as Water: “If you can afford to send a Fairytale Castle, you must be from a wealthy family. I could have predicted that.”

Several similar comments followed.

Su Tong ignored the barrage and continued, “However, your romantic prospects are bumpy. You’re twenty-one this year, a junior in college. At the beginning of this year, you started dating a boyfriend, also a junior but in a different department.”

Dearest Beibei, previously inattentive, immediately sat up straight. “Yes, we’ve been together for half a year. What’s wrong?”

Su Tong looked at her with a trace of pity in her eyes. “Your boyfriend has another girlfriend in another city.”

Dearest Beibei exclaimed, “How is that possible? My boyfriend treats me very well. He spends most of every day with me, and he’s even let me look through his phone. There’s nothing suspicious with other girls.”

Su Tong sighed and spoke with certainty, “He has two phones. Not only is he deceiving you emotionally, but he’s also taking advantage of you financially. Think about it—since you started dating, haven’t you been covering all the expenses? Moreover, he’s borrowed money from you—about twenty thousand yuan.”

Dearest Beibei, still skeptical, tried to defend her boyfriend. “He doesn’t really want to spend my money. I’m the one who insists. Besides, my family is better off than his, so it’s reasonable for me to pay for things. As for the money he borrowed, it was for a civil service exam prep course.”

Su Tong arched an eyebrow and gave a mocking smile. “He never signed up for any prep course. Of the twenty thousand yuan, he spent ten thousand on a handbag for his girlfriend in another city, and the other ten thousand on a dress.”

After a pause, her tone shifted mysteriously. “Your boyfriend’s roommates know he has two phones. You can ask them, but don’t do it directly—find someone to probe indirectly.”

Little Loli: “A hopeless romantic! Scumbags love that type, not only do you support him, you help him support his other girlfriend.”

momo: “Damn, why don’t I have a girlfriend who spends money on me?”

Laid-back Fish: “Sister, do you need a boyfriend? I’m six feet tall with an eight-pack.”

Mushroom: “Girl, you found yourself a gold-digger. Leave him now.”

Hearing Su Tong’s words and reading the comments, Dearest Beibei started to panic.

There had been signs all along—she’d just been too love-struck to notice.

Now that she thought about it, her boyfriend’s behavior was indeed suspicious at times.

For instance, he always had to be back in the dorm by nine-thirty every night. Sometimes, she couldn’t find him on weekends—he said he was working part-time, but he never told her where, claiming it was to spare her from seeing him struggle.

But now she wondered, were those times really spent with another woman?

There was also that time when he said his mother worked so hard to put him through college that her face was chapped from the cold, yet she couldn’t afford skincare products. Without hesitation, she bought him a set of luxury skincare products to give to his mother.

But now, she wondered—would a rural woman really use such expensive skincare? Had he given it to another woman instead?

The more she thought, the more incidents came to mind.

Dearest Beibei pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, as if making a decision.

“I understand. I’ll look into it. Thank you.”

With that, she ended the call and left the livestream.

momo: “Why did she leave? Judging by her expression at the end, did the streamer get it right?”

Plain as Water: “It’s obviously all scripted. You idiots actually believe this?”

Mushroom: “Don’t be blinded by love, girl. Wake up and dump the scumbag.”

Su Tong sighed inwardly. This Dearest Beibei wouldn’t wake up so easily.

Based on her face, there would be more back-and-forth with that scumbag. In the end, not only would she lose money, but she’d also have her heart completely broken before it was over.

Having talked so much, Su Tong was thirsty. She poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and resumed her pitch.

“There are two readings left today.”

A viewer named Desperate sent a Fairytale Castle.

Su Tong connected to her video. Before she could even see the person’s face clearly, she heard her crying, “I want to die.”