Su Yan, who was about to count out five thousand yuan to return to Zhou Ziwei, was shocked when Zhou Ziwei casually mentioned that her younger brother was sick.
Although she was racking her brains to earn five thousand yuan for her younger brother, she didn't want him to know about it, and she was also worried that he might have some kind of mental block because of it.
So from the moment she conceived of this plan, she never told her brother about it, nor did she ever mention it to the out-of-town tourists she had persuaded. Each time, she would only say that she needed the five thousand yuan urgently, but no matter how much others pressed her for details, she resolutely refused to reveal the truth.
But... how did this Mr. Zhao, with his sleazy appearance, know all this?
As soon as Zhou Ziwei uttered those words, he inwardly cursed, realizing he had let slip a slip of the tongue. However, facing Su Yan's wary and questioning gaze, Zhou Ziwei showed no sign of panic or embarrassment. He simply stroked his chin, gave a mysterious smile, and said, "I could tell... Hehe... I forgot to introduce myself. Actually, I am a traveling feng shui master. For me... there are many things that don't need to be said explicitly. I can see right through Miss Su's face."
"What? You...you're a fortune teller."
Su Yan was truly dumbfounded this time. She never expected that when she went to the entrance of the city's most upscale five-star hotel to solicit customers, she would actually bring back a fortune teller.
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 203: Oh, Gods...
When Zhou Ziwei saw that Su Yan looked devastated upon hearing that he was a feng shui master and instinctively clutched her pocket, he immediately realized that he had encountered a pure atheist. However, he didn't care at all. He wasn't trying to scam money; he just wanted to help Su Yan out. Whether Su Yan believed him or not was up to her.
So Zhou Ziwei quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, don't look at me like I'm a thief. I didn't come to your house to tell your fortune... With your house so bare, even a blind man could see there's nothing to gain. What's there to be wary of?"
"Ah...yes...I'm sorry."
Su Yan had never had a good impression of fortune tellers, which is why he reacted so directly to Zhou Ziwei in a habitual way.
A few days ago, an old woman living downstairs from her had been swindled out of her entire fortune by a fortune teller dressed as a Taoist priest, and almost committed suicide by jumping off a building.
From that time on, Su Yan never had a good impression of fortune tellers again, and even regarded people in this profession as being like vampires.
Now, upon hearing that Zhou Ziwei was actually a fortune teller, her instinct was to kick him out.
However... she managed to suppress that impulse when she thought about what happened to her younger brother.
After calming down and thinking about it, she realized that Zhou Ziwei wasn't wrong. The reason fortune tellers cheat people was simply to make money, but what did her family have that they could cheat her out of? Although there might be some poor people living in this old building who could have saved up tens of thousands of yuan, her family obviously didn't have that possibility.
The reason Su Yan would disregard her reputation and run to the street to persuade out-of-town tourists to come and stay at her home for five thousand yuan was because the five thousand yuan was extremely important to her at that moment. This also indirectly shows that it was simply impossible for this family to come up with five thousand yuan all at once.
The fortune teller casually waved his hand and tossed her ten thousand yuan... Even if he was playing the long game, at most he could only reel back the ten thousand yuan she had initially thrown out, so why bother?
After figuring this out, Su Yan accepted Zhou Ziwei's existence with some skepticism. However, he quickly counted the banknotes in his hand again, seemingly determined to return the remaining five thousand yuan to Zhou Ziwei rather than accept his favors for no reason.
"Ahem... Xiao Yan's back... Who are you talking to... It doesn't seem to be Da Niu..."
Just then, a hoarse middle-aged voice came from the slightly larger bedroom next door. Su Yan quickly raised his voice and replied, "Dad... it's not Da Niu. It's a relative of a classmate of mine who lives in another city. He came to Tonghai on business, but all the hotels and guesthouses in the city were fully booked. He had no choice but to come to me... um... I'm planning to let him stay in my room for two days. I'll just make do with a cot on the balcony for two days."
"Oh... he's a relative of your classmate... It's not easy being away from home. Since he's found us, it means he trusts us. Although our family isn't very capable, we're still locals from Tonghai. If he needs you to accompany him to do something these next few days, you can't refuse... Hmm... It's too late today, so this old man won't come out to see the guest. Xiao Yan, you take good care of the guest. Tomorrow morning, just stay home and keep the guest company. You don't need to come with me to the stall..."
"Okay... I understand, Dad... You can go to sleep now!"
After saying that, Su Yan stuck out his tongue lightly, then grabbed Zhou Ziwei's arm and dragged him into the cramped room that was crammed with just a bed. He awkwardly pulled up the sliding door of the room.
If the sliding door is open, the room feels somewhat spacious, but now that it's closed, it feels even more oppressive.
From the doorway to the head of the bed, there was only enough space for two feet to stand, barely enough for one person to stand. The two of them were standing in this cramped space, facing each other. They were so close that they could even feel each other's breath hitting them.
After standing silently for a moment, Su Yan coughed softly, then looked up at Zhou Ziwei and whispered, "Mr. Zhao... you heard it too, I... my dad, my brother, and I lied. I hope you can help me cover it up... I don't have anything else to repay you with, um... like my dad said, if you need a guide in Tonghai these next few days, then I... I can have Da Niu show you the way... what do you think?"
Zhou Ziwei rolled his eyes upon hearing this. He had initially thought Su Yan's earlier words meant this pure and beautiful girl would be his guide, accompanying him around town for the next two days. Who knew that in the end, it would be the muscular burly guy next door who would replace her? Zhou Ziwei hadn't even considered hiring a guide. Although Tonghai city was quite large, Zhou Ziwei wasn't directionally challenged; he could easily find his way around with any city map he bought. However… if he could be accompanied by a beautiful girl every day, he wouldn't mind the extra effort, but having that burly guy, who looked like Schwarzenegger, as his guide… well, forget it!
However, Zhou Ziwei still had some doubts. He didn't understand what was so shameful about Su Yan earning money to treat her brother's illness, and why she was keeping it a secret from her father and brother.
Could it be that this seemingly simple and innocent girl came up with such an outrageous way to make money, but the money she earned wasn't for her brother's medical treatment? If that's the case... Zhou Ziwei would regret generously giving her so much money earlier.
So Zhou Ziwei asked seriously, "It's not impossible for me to help you cover up the lie, but... I hope you can honestly tell me what you want to do with this five thousand yuan?"
When Su Yan saw Zhou Ziwei asking this, he immediately curled his lip in mockery and said, "Aren't you a fortune teller? You don't need to ask me this, can't you tell it yourself?"
Zhou Ziwei smiled wryly and said, "It seems you have some prejudice against fortune tellers... But I need to correct you. I'm not a fortune teller, but a feng shui master. There's a fundamental difference between the two... Of course... if you insist on conflating them, then I can't help you. Besides... even if I were a fortune teller, I could only deduce your general fortune in the near future from your complexion and destiny, but I couldn't possibly know what you're thinking. As the saying goes, the human heart is unpredictable... even gods can't fathom this, so how could a mere feng shui master like me possibly calculate it?"
Su Yan had a deep-seated prejudice against fortune tellers, so it was impossible for Zhou Ziwei's casual words to dispel his years of prejudice. He snorted and said, "I know that you people in this line of work are all talk, so I don't care what reasons you give. If you can't tell, you can't tell. I don't need you to admit that you're a fraud. Just remember to cover up this lie for me, and then... I won't bother to expose your tricks."
Seeing Su Yan's "I just don't believe you" look, Zhou Ziwei was quite helpless... He knew it wasn't that Su Yan was particularly stubborn, but rather that there were simply too many swindlers in society who used fortune-telling as a pretext to commit fraud. Originally, people believed that fortune-telling was a profound and complex art, but due to the interference of these swindlers, almost all young people who genuinely believed in it had disappeared. It can be foreseen that if a few more generations pass, the feng shui and physiognomy techniques that have been passed down in China for thousands of years may completely disappear.
Zhou Ziwei gently shook his head and said indifferently, "Alright! If you insist on calculating it, then I'll calculate it for you... Give me your hand..."
"Ah...why do I have to reach out my hand to you?" Su Yan was taken aback upon hearing this, and hurriedly pulled his hands behind his back, looking at Zhou Ziwei with wary eyes.
"Palmistry... How can I tell your fortune if you don't show me your hands? You don't even know this basic common sense, do you?" Zhou Ziwei shrugged, pretending to be innocent, but secretly he was amused.
Although he wasn't really angry about Su Yan's attitude, he was still somewhat annoyed. So he decided to take advantage of her words and pretend to be a fortune teller, then use that identity to take advantage of her a little...
Hmm, seeing how wary she is, I'll just look at her palm first, and then decide whether to read her bones later...
"Oh...you really...can read palms?"
Su Yan had initially believed Zhou Ziwei to be a fortune teller, but seeing that he was actually going to tell her fortune, she hesitated. After a moment of stunned silence, she finally gritted her teeth and extended her slender, slightly rough hand to Zhou Ziwei. Her bright, lively eyes were fixed on his every move, while her other hand discreetly and accurately reached behind her back for a long-handled umbrella hanging behind the door. If she noticed anything lewd about Zhou Ziwei's actions, she would smash the umbrella over him without hesitation…
Zhou Ziwei was fully aware of Su Yan's little tricks. He originally wanted to tease Su Yan a bit, but seeing how nervous she was, he didn't dare to act rashly. He quickly grabbed Su Yan's small hand in a serious manner, pretending to look at the palm lines over and over, while secretly releasing a few strands of energy to explore around Su Yan's house.
For two or three minutes straight, Zhou Ziwei just held Su Yan's hand and stared at it repeatedly, without saying a word. Although Zhou Ziwei's actions didn't seem excessive, holding her hand like that was still unbearable for Su Yan. After enduring it for a while, she finally couldn't take it anymore and abruptly shook off Zhou Ziwei's hands, pulling them back behind her back. She looked at Zhou Ziwei warily and said, "What's wrong... aren't fortune tellers supposed to be incredibly eloquent? Why are you speechless now?"
Zhou Ziwei stamped his foot in feigned regret, glared at Su Yan with a dejected look, and said, "What a pity... I was almost able to figure out some clues... Sigh... I was just a hair's breadth away from death... That's fate!"
Su Yan chuckled upon hearing this and said, "You clearly can't figure anything out, yet you've pushed all the blame onto me... Hmph... It doesn't matter if you can't figure it out. I didn't say you couldn't stay here, so why bother? Alright... Just remember what I just said, and don't give me away, or... I really will kick you out immediately... If there's nothing else, you should rest now! I'll call you for breakfast tomorrow morning... Oh, by the way... about that money... I'll return five thousand to you after I've counted it..."
"Wait..." Zhou Ziwei saw Su Yan about to open the door after speaking, so he quickly grabbed Su Yan's arm and stopped her, saying, "You haven't asked me what I've calculated yet, have you? There's no need to leave in such a hurry!"
"You... let go." Su Yan angrily shoved Zhou Ziwei's hand away, then snorted and said, "Didn't you just say you almost couldn't calculate it? Then why did I even ask you!"
Zhou Ziwei smiled mysteriously and said, "What I meant just now was... I'm still a little short of predicting your future fate, but if it's just some minor matters, I think I can predict it with a high degree of accuracy."
"Oh... then tell me... I want to see what you can figure out." Seeing this, Su Yan wasn't in a hurry to leave. Exposing a swindler's tricks seemed to be a very meaningful thing for her.
Zhou Ziwei struck a pose, shaking his head and swaying his body, before finally speaking: "I think the reason you went to so much trouble to earn this five thousand yuan... is all for your younger brother... isn't that right?"
Su Yan pursed his lips and said, "I don't know where you heard that my brother's health isn't very good... Since you know this, you can naturally guess it, so what's so surprising about it?"
Zhou Ziwei said, both amused and exasperated, "I only arrived in Tonghai by plane this evening. I've never been to this city before. How am I supposed to know anything about your brother?"
Su Yan said, "How would I know if this is your first time in Tonghai?"
“Alright! If you don’t believe me, then I’ll continue…” Zhou Ziwei had anticipated Su Yan’s stubbornness, so he continued, “Your brother’s illness is likely congenital, and with current medical technology, it is incurable. In a sense, you could even say that your brother’s illness is a terminal illness.”
Hearing Zhou Ziwei describe her brother's illness in such detail, Su Yan's expression grew increasingly grim. She glared at Zhou Ziwei and said, "Who exactly are you? Why...why are you investigating these matters?"
Zhou Ziwei ignored Su Yan's self-righteousness and continued patiently, "Given the current deterioration of your brother's condition... he may not have much time left. Because of your brother's illness, your whole family has been dragged down to poverty and is unable to afford further treatment... Moreover, no hospital in the world can cure your brother. So... the five thousand yuan you earned from me is not for your brother's treatment, but... to allow your brother to fulfill one last wish before he dies..."
"Ah...you...how did you know?"
Upon hearing Zhou Ziwei's last sentence, Su Yan, who had initially looked disdainful and contemptuous, suddenly changed her expression. She finally began to realize that this seemingly sleazy fortune teller was actually quite extraordinary. If Zhou Ziwei could investigate her brother's illness and her family's situation through some means, she had never mentioned her desire to fulfill her brother's wish to anyone. How could this fortune teller possibly know?
Zhou Ziwei still ignored Su Yan and continued, "Your younger brother has been bedridden at home due to illness since childhood. So, apart from you, his older sister, and his father, he has almost no friends. Or the only ones he can call friends are the old 17-inch color TV in his room and the celebrities and singers who often appear on TV programs... But... he can only see those celebrities on TV, and he can never see these 'friends' in the real world."
So… besides hoping to one day have a healthy body, or… wanting to meet those celebrity 'friends,' that's probably your brother's biggest wish right now. However, your brother is a very sensible child; he understands that this wish is almost impossible to fulfill, so he's never mentioned it to anyone. But… he has a habit of writing in his diary, and you… accidentally saw his diary, learned of his wish, and then tried everything you could to help him fulfill it… Originally, this was also difficult for you to achieve, but… coincidentally, your Tonghai is holding a celebrity concert tomorrow, so… your opportunity has arrived…”
"No...it's impossible...how could you know these things?"
Upon hearing Zhou Ziwei's words, Su Yan was stunned for a long time, as if struck by lightning, before excitedly grabbing Zhou Ziwei's shoulder and asking nervously, "You...can you really tell fortunes...this...is all of this really something you saw from my palm? But...how could you see so much detail in my palm? You...you even know my brother's wish...my god...are you a fortune teller or a god?!"
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 204: A Naked Little Lamb
Seeing Su Yan's excited expression, Zhou Ziwei tossed his hair and said in a very arrogant manner, "Maybe you guessed right, I actually have another name - Grape."
"Tch—" Who knew that Su Yan, who had been full of admiration for Zhou Ziwei, would immediately give him a cold laugh and roll his eyes after hearing Zhou Ziwei's pointless words, and then immediately became certain in his heart that this guy couldn't possibly be a god... A god wouldn't be so bored as to watch Stephen Chow's "A Chinese Odyssey"!
So... this sleazy guy is at most a half-immortal.
Since the other party was also a mortal, Su Yan was naturally less nervous. He simply plopped down on the bed, then pointed to the side, gesturing for Zhou Ziwei to sit down as well, before saying, "Zhao Banxian, do you think... this plan of mine will work? Although my classmate guaranteed it for me, I still feel that this matter is a bit uncertain."
Zhou Ziwei was so shocked by her comment about Zhao Banxian that he almost fell to the ground, but seeing Su Yan's nonchalant attitude, he could only lazily sit down next to Su Yan, cross his legs, and gently swing them while pretending to say, "Tell me your detailed plan first... then I'll give you some pointers on how to do it, um... if conditions permit, maybe I'll even help you fulfill this wish."
It has to be said that Zhou Ziwei's current image is far too sleazy, to the point that a perfectly ordinary, even heartwarming, sentence coming out of his mouth appears to Su Yan, who is standing next to him, as a blatant temptation.
It's like the Big Bad Wolf is tempting the innocent Little Red Riding Hood, as if to say, "Come on! If you fulfill my request first, then this great fairy can grant your brother's wish."
"No—" In her imagination, Su Yan seemed to see Zhou Ziwei grinning lewdly as he reached out his thin, wolfish claws towards her. She couldn't help but scream in horror, instinctively covering her chest with her hands and desperately shrinking back until she was at the head of the bed, with nowhere left to hide... Only then did she suddenly see Zhou Ziwei sitting there blankly, watching her struggle inexplicably.
"What are you doing? What did you say you didn't want?" Zhou Ziwei asked, puzzled.
"No...it's nothing."
Su Yan was so ashamed that she wished she could just smash her head against a wall and die. It was ridiculous that she would have hallucinations in this situation. Was she having a mental breakdown?
"Okay! Listen to me..."
After hesitating for a moment, Su Yan decided to tell Zhou Ziwei everything. After all, Zhou Ziwei was a fortune teller, so even if she didn't tell him, he could probably figure it out anyway.
If Zhou Ziwei could even calculate things that only she knew, then she really had no choice but to believe him.
In reality, although Zhou Ziwei knew a little about feng shui and metaphysics, he was completely ignorant about physiognomy, so it was impossible for him to really see anything about a person's palm lines.
The reason Zhou Ziwei spoke so eloquently was simply because he had used his soul power to uncover almost all the secrets of this house beforehand, and he even knew exactly how many pairs of underwear Su Yan had.
Other things, of course, could not be hidden from his almost omnipresent soul power.
Although Su Yan's younger brother hid the notebook very well, Zhou Ziwei's soul power could easily see it clearly. Using different levels of perception, Zhou Ziwei had already easily read through the entire diary, naturally learning of Su Yan's brother's wish… The rest was relatively easy. Remembering that Zhou Ziwei had given Su Yan ten thousand yuan, but Su Yan insisted on only accepting five thousand… it was clearly not intended for her brother's medical treatment. If it were for treatment, such a small amount of money wouldn't be enough to solve anything, and given the severity of her brother's deteriorating condition, further treatment would be pointless.
So, putting myself in their shoes, in this situation, the best thing would be to let my loved one realize their dreams as much as possible before they die. And then, thinking about the large-scale concert that will be held at Tonghai Gymnasium tomorrow, I naturally came to this conclusion...
Next, Su Yan poured out all his thoughts... Just as Zhou Ziwei had guessed, Su Yan's younger brother, Su Miao, guessed that his lifespan was probably not long, so he wanted to fulfill his only wish before he died. However, he did not want to cause trouble for his sister and father with this unrealistic idea, so he wrote all his thoughts in the diary that he kept close to his body every day.
Su Yan learned about these things by secretly reading her brother's diary while Su Miao was asleep. She originally thought that she would not be able to help her poor brother fulfill his only wish before he died. However, just two days ago, she suddenly heard that several famous stars and singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan would be coming to Tonghai City to hold an unprecedented star concert.
So Su Yan's hope was immediately rekindled... It was simply unrealistic for her to take her younger brother to big cities like Hong Kong and Beijing to visit those big stars. Not to mention whether they would even meet them, the travel expenses alone would probably be beyond what their impoverished family could afford.
However, now that several of Su Miao's favorite pop stars, such as Chen Linlin and Andy Lau, have all come to Tonghai, Su Yan felt a surge of desire to help his younger brother fulfill his wish.
After making inquiries from various sources, the approximate schedule of the celebrity performance troupe was finally confirmed.
I know the troupe will arrive in Tonghai City by private jet tomorrow afternoon, then stay at the Xingchen Hotel for rest, and arrive at the Tonghai City Gymnasium at 7:00 PM sharp. The concert will officially begin at 7:30 PM... The performance will end after about two hours, and then everyone will return to the hotel. The next morning at 10:00 AM, they will board the private jet again to leave Tonghai City for the next concert venue...
So Su Yan thought of a high school classmate who seemed to be a department head at the Star Hotel. It seemed that the Star Hotel was the only place where Su Yan's younger brother would have a better chance of meeting those celebrities. Apart from that, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to get close to the celebrities' fans, whether at the airport or at the performance venue.
Su Yan immediately tried to contact his old classmate who worked at the Starry Sky Hotel, and told him about the matter, hoping that he could help create an opportunity for Su Miao to meet those celebrities.
Her old classmate was quite enthusiastic and soon replied to Su Yan, saying that it wasn't impossible for Su Miao to meet those celebrities, but she would have to make some connections first so that Su Yan could push Su Miao to sneak in and have Su Miao suddenly appear in the restaurant when the celebrities were dining together... As for whether the celebrities would pay attention to Su Miao, she couldn't guarantee that.
To achieve all of the above, one had to first hand over bribes to several people. You know, getting someone to give you the green light also carries the risk of being fired, so the bribes couldn't be too small. Five thousand yuan each for the two main people in charge, that's ten thousand yuan. Her old classmate was essentially helping for free.
Ten thousand yuan might not be much for some people, but for the Su family, it was an absolute fortune. In order to fulfill her younger brother's wish, Su Yan took out all her savings and even sold a jade pendant left to her by her deceased mother. She only managed to raise a little over five thousand yuan. If she hadn't been desperate, Su Yan would never have risked being harassed by taking advantage of the fact that all the hotels in the city were fully booked to go out on the street and solicit customers to stay at her home.
After listening to Su Yan recount the whole story, Zhou Ziwei shook his head repeatedly. Su Yan was thinking too simply. With the lineup of the star-studded concert group coming tomorrow, and so many celebrities appearing at the same time, the security would definitely be extremely tight. Su Yan thought he could meet those big stars by just spending a little money to bribe the hotel staff. That was nothing short of wishful thinking.