Heavenly Book The Great Void

Shanghai, a bustling metropolis. The under-construction high-rise "Fenghe Shuiyuan" collapsed with a deafening roar. The nearby "Tianyuan Apartment" development teeters on the brink of collapse. Feng Shui master Yang Jiupin, after his seven-year hiatus, intervened, only to discover that the site was a place of great misfortune and utter instability! The collapse of Tianyuan Apartment was imminent. Could the crisis be averted? How could it be salvaged?

"People presented the Yellow River and Luo River as gifts, asking what they were. The Emperor replied, 'The Book of Heaven.'" — *Simplified Daode Yijing*

Chapter One: The Building Collapses

Shanghai, Huangpu District, Bund Center Office Building

Monday, June 29, 2009

Zhou Haisheng, the manager of the Vermilion Bird Department of "Prophet Company," with a square face, gold-rimmed glasses, a gray shirt and matching trousers, and meticulously combed hair, appeared in the office building lobby precisely at 8:55 AM. Three office ladies lingered at the elevator entrance, glancing left and right. Upon seeing Zhou Haisheng, their faces lit up with smiles. One, wearing a Ports purple abstract floral silk shirt and a matching A-line skirt, eagerly held the elevator door for him. Another, carrying a 2009 limited edition LV black bag, couldn't resist joining them. Only the young woman in a white Lady's House Swan Lake limited edition tulle dress stood still, her face a mixture of shyness and excitement. The elevator doors opened, and all three insisted that Zhou Haisheng go first. After a few polite exchanges, Zhou Haisheng stepped into the elevator first. The three women immediately followed. "Me first!" the woman in the black bag rushed to Zhou Haisheng. "It was clearly my turn to go first today!" the Ports woman retorted sharply. “It’s Sasha’s turn to ask first today,” Zhou Haisheng said with a smile. Hei Caibao pouted, and although unwilling, she stepped back.

The elevator instantly transformed into a mini press conference. Zi Baozi eagerly asked, "How's the market? Just as you predicted last week, Thursday and Friday were consolidating. What about today?" "It will break out today, with a gain of around 1.5%. The upward trend will continue this week," Zhou Haisheng immediately replied. "Then, will Fangxing Technology, which I bought, surge? Do you have reliable insider information?" "Sorry, I don't predict individual stock movements," Zhou Haisheng politely declined. "My turn! My turn!" Hei Caibao pushed past the still-enthusiastic Zi Baozi and eagerly asked, "What do you think about my husband's question about investing in a commercial office building in Hongqiao for rent?" "Office buildings aren't a good option. We could consider buying a few residential units. And they should be located due west of Hongqiao, where metal generates water, matching his birth chart—a sure-fire way to make money." Hei Caibao beamed, pulling over the timid white-skirted woman, and said, "This is my cousin. I introduced her to this job, and she has a small question to ask… Is that alright?" Zhou Haisheng kindly... After measuring, he said, "Of course." The woman in the white dress hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Master Zhou, I just want to ask, in this Friday's Super Girl semi-finals, the 15 to 10 round, will Zeng Ge be able to advance smoothly?" Zhou Haisheng was taken aback, then coughed and said, "Well... I need to go back and look into that. Do you have MSN?" "Yes, yes, I don't have a business card yet, well—" Zhou Haisheng took out his business card and said, "It's okay, just add me. I'll tell you the results before Friday." The woman in the white dress's eyes lit up with excitement.

Zhou Haisheng hurriedly entered Building B on the 13th floor, the office of the manager of the Zhuque Department of Xianzhi Company. Before he could even sit down, Zhou Haisheng quickly turned on his computer, opened the Shenyin Wanguo stock trading software, and placed a pre-order to buy 120,000 shares of Fangxing Technology at a price 30 cents higher than yesterday's opening price. Then he dialed his cell phone and said, "Old Qian, the news is right, there's definitely something going on in Hongqiao! Try to negotiate a lower price for that office building, it's time to make a move. Also, keep an eye out for apartments west of Hongqiao for me, I'm planning to get a three-bedroom apartment, you have to waive the agent's fee... Okay, call me if you have any news." Zhou Haisheng finally calmed down. He made a cup of tea and strolled out.

With a baby face, delicate eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, long flowing hair, and a petite figure, Qiqi, the head of the Zhuque department, wearing a white Adidas T-shirt and white No Name sneakers, sat in a comfortable IKEA office chair by the window, sipping milk and carefully reviewing the minutes of last Friday's company meeting. Qiqi was clearly a "white enthusiast"; within her sight, everything—tables, chairs, teacups, folders, and trash cans—was pure white. Zhou Haisheng came up behind her and said, "Isn't your mom into stocks? Don't say I didn't help you, tell her to buy some Fangxing Technology, it's a sure thing." "Oh. I'll tell her tonight. Was it that fund manager's wife who told you?" Zhou Haisheng didn't answer, then added, "Property prices in the Hongqiao area are going to skyrocket. Didn't you want to buy a house? You could consider it." "Isn't it a bit far? Besides, they're building a transportation hub there, won't it be noisy every day... Was it that planning bureau director's wife who told you?" "Who else could it be! If you don't like it, you can sell it anytime. Hey, let me ask you something, is Super Girl the same as the old Super Girl? How come they allow men to participate?" "Yes, but there are no men, only women." "Wait a minute, there's someone called 'Brother Zeng,' this Friday, the 15 to 10 round..." Zhou Haisheng said suspiciously. "Haha!" Qi Qi couldn't help but laugh. "How old-fashioned, Manager! That's a girl named Zeng Yike. Because her style is similar to Li Yuchun's—tomboyish—her fans affectionately call her 'Brother Zeng.' I've been following her closely too. Last week, I even posted a prediction on our company's daily news section asking for predictions." "Quickly check if anyone has replied yet!" Zhou Haisheng asked anxiously. Qi Qi opened the forum, found the post, and said, "Qin Ge and Tian Xin both gave their predictions, saying she'll advance." As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a scream from the side. "Holy crap!"

With a face that looked like it had a bitter, resentful expression, thick eyebrows, small eyes, an upturned nose, and protruding ears, her yellowish-brown curly hair tied in a crooked ponytail, and heavy makeup, Weiwei, an intern dressed in a dark Lolita-style cosplay dress, secretly picked up the *Oriental Morning Post* next to Qiqi's computer. She glanced at it, then screamed "Ah—!" and sprawled out in an exaggerated "X" shape before collapsing back into her chair. Wearing a Converse short-sleeved T-shirt and beige casual pants, she was fair-skinned and thin, with the typical Shanghainese buzz cut and square face. In her early twenties, a recent university graduate, Song Yu, another intern, was munching on bread, unmoved, browsing the company's internal forum. Qiqi and Zhou Haisheng, used to Weiwei's antics, continued their discussion as if they hadn't heard her. Weiwei suddenly puffed out her stomach, jumped off her chair, and shouted, "I really fell!!" The three of them reluctantly looked up, giving her a forced glance, as if to say, "Weren't you standing there perfectly fine?" Then they went back to what they were doing. Weiwei panicked, slapping the copy of the *Oriental Morning Post* in her hand and shouting, "I'm not talking about me, it's a building under construction that collapsed!" Weiwei then read aloud, "According to this newspaper: At approximately 5:30 AM on June 27th, a building under construction collapsed at a site on the west side of the intersection of Fenghe Road and Luoyang Road in Minhang District, Shanghai, resulting in the death of one construction worker. The accident occurred at Building 7 of the 'Fenghe Shuiyuan' complex on the south bank of the Pudian River. This 13-story residential building under construction was being built by Shanghai Fenghua Construction Co., Ltd. Because the building had not yet been completed and handed over for use, no casualties were reported among residents." Qiqi's almond-shaped eyes widened. "Only one person died? I don't believe it! The developer is truly wicked, a prime example of shoddy construction! Last year during the Wenchuan earthquake, so many substandard buildings collapsed. Now, it's even worse, it collapsed on its own before the earthquake!" Saying this, she put down her milk and went to Weiwei's side to read it with her. Song Yu squeezed the last piece of bread into her mouth, mumbling, "I knew it! It's near my house. I think there was no one inside when they said it was closing." Zhou Haisheng slowly strolled over, pushed up his glasses, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Qiqi, hurry up and check the files at Tianxin's place. See if it's one of our clients' properties. If it is, quickly write a report for the boss and try to take the initiative." Qiqi shook her head: "What are the chances of that happening!"

Zhou Haisheng said earnestly, "Qiqi, why didn't you think of that? We're the Vermilion Bird Department. If this kind of news comes out, and you don't find out beforehand, how embarrassing would it be if clients or other departments in our company asked you and you couldn't answer? You need to have professional awareness!" Weiwei immediately raised her hand and said, "Manager, manager, I'll go! Sister Tianxin has so much gossip, maybe she knows some inside information, I'll go dig it out!"

Just as Weiwei reached the door, Song Yu's phone rang. He habitually adjusted his frameless glasses and picked up the phone: "Hello, Sister Tianxin... Don't you have an appointment with Qianqiu Real Estate?" Zhou Haisheng quickly came over, grabbed the receiver, and said, "Ah... I know, I know, no other clients have appointments this morning... Then let Mr. Lin come up." After hanging up, Zhou Haisheng said seriously to Song Yu, "Work must adhere to principles, but for a top ten real estate company in Shanghai like Qianqiu, do they even need appointments? We can't even get them to come! Go back and memorize the ranking list of companies in various industries in Shanghai that I gave you. You should be able to recite at least the top ten by heart. I'll check tomorrow afternoon!" Song Yu nodded obsequiously and immediately pulled up the statistical table that Zhou Haisheng had mentioned on his computer, and began to review it carefully.

Weiwei tiptoed out of the office glass door. Zhou Haisheng didn't even look at her, saying, "Come back. Didn't I tell you that during your internship, you were responsible for leading guests to my office, asking if they wanted coffee or tea, and then bringing it over? You can't do anything right, all you do is run around to Tianxin's place!" Weiwei mouthed "Yay~," then paused for five seconds, her body stiffening as if petrified. Then she turned to Zhou Haisheng: "Manager, I was just going to the elevator to meet Mr. Lin... Tianxin's palmistry and face reading class is this afternoon." Zhou Haisheng snorted, not calling her out, and turned to enter the manager's office. Before closing the door, he turned back and said through the crack, "Qiqi, we need to secure big clients like Qianqiu. If we maintain good relationships with just one, our department can achieve half of our annual performance target." Qiqi casually responded.

Weiwei had absolutely no liking for this guy surnamed Lin. In his thirties, he was arrogant, with thin, bony cheeks, a rigid center-parted hairstyle, and a cunning look. Most infuriatingly, he reeked of strong perfume, making Weiwei feel nauseous and causing her to cough dramatically, covering her mouth. The skinny Lin walking behind her didn't even care about her; was he even a man? Weiwei asked gruffly, "Mr. Lin, you must be a Capricorn, right?" Lin, the skinny man, stopped, surprised. "Oh my! You wouldn't happen to be the legendary Master Qiqi, would you? You're amazing, you guessed it right away!" Weiwei pouted and said, "Qiqi is my supervisor. I've only been with the company for a week; I'm a trainee." But in her heart, she thought, "That little brat, all skinny and weak, can't lift a finger. What's so great about her? You'll see how amazing Master Weiwei is later! Humph~" Lin, the skinny man, chuckled like a goat, "Looks like I came to the right place. The Prophet Company lives up to its reputation; even the trainees are exceptional. They'll definitely be able to solve our chairman's problem… Little sister, how did you figure out I'm a Capricorn? Teach me!" Weiwei turned around, giving a mysterious smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, that's a company trade secret." Lin, the skinny man, nodded repeatedly, "I understand, I understand. Such a grand company!"

As Lin the Skinny left, he beamed, shaking Zhou Haisheng's hand repeatedly at the elevator entrance. Weiwei thought with disgust, "He looks better when he doesn't smile." Zhou Haisheng, for the first time since Weiwei joined the company a week ago, smiled at her: "Hey Weiwei, not bad! Mr. Lin was full of praise for your accurate predictions. Your astrological knowledge is amazing! If you do well on this deal, I'll submit a report to apply for your early promotion!" Weiwei laughed uncontrollably, saying, "Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer—which one do you think he's like? Even if he's a Taurus, he'd have to have that physique, right?" Lin the Skinny pretended not to hear, maintaining his professional smile. Zhou Haisheng probably felt that the deal was going well, so he suppressed the urge to slap Weiwei to death and laughed and scolded, "You crazy girl, all you know how to do is play with your horoscope. Instead of learning palmistry and face reading from Tianxin, I don't think you can fail the test at the end of the month!" After saying that, he went into the manager's office, and when the door was closed a crack, his voice floated out from inside: "Qiqi, come here for a moment."

At the mention of the test, Weiwei panicked, frantically rummaging through the folders in her cubicle, pouting, "Oh no, where did I put the palmistry and face reading review questions? I clearly saw them the day before yesterday..." Song Yu, sitting opposite her, immediately became alert and said, "Don't look at me, they're really not here this time. Didn't you say you took them home to study?" Weiwei paused, then slapped her forehead, "Oh dear! Who said otherwise? They really are at home?! I've been regretting not bringing them back these past few nights! If I had finished reviewing them earlier, with my IQ, I would have passed!" As she spoke, she stood up and walked towards Song Yu. Song Yu became even more vigilant, protecting the review questions on her desk, saying, "The test is the day after tomorrow! I'm not very smart, so I need to study more. You just need to review them once tonight..." "Ah!!! Oh dear... what are you trying to do..."

Although Song Yu had anticipated Weiwei's attack, he hadn't expected her to go so far as to climb onto his desk in broad daylight and launch herself into a ferocious attack, using both hands and feet. Seeing that ugly face looming over him, Song Yu quickly let go. "Oh~ you even copied the answers! Great, I'll give you my copy tomorrow, remember to remind me tonight." Speechless, Song Yu could only sit down, muttering a phrase in Shanghainese, "Xiang wu ning..." Adopting a "good man doesn't fight with a woman" attitude, he patted the footprints Weiwei's high heels had left on his pants and began reviewing the rankings of major companies in Shanghai's various industries.

Weiwei only glanced at it a few times before getting sleepy. She said, "Song Yu, can you even remember all those interpretations? There are hundreds of meanings just for moles on the face alone, damn it… just looking at that face-covering diagram makes me want to vomit! If you look like that, you might as well just kill yourself." Song Yu chuckled, "Who wants to memorize all that old-fashioned stuff in classical Chinese? It's all for the company's end-of-month test." Weiwei leaned closer and whispered to Song Yu, "I heard the test questions are set by Sister Tianxin. Maybe we should try to build some connections this afternoon and see if we can…" "Don't even think about it." "!" Song Yu quickly moved her chair, trying to keep a few centimeters away from Weiwei so that Weiwei wouldn't sense her dislike, and focused intently on the screen: "Look at Sister Tianxin, always laughing and carefree, but I heard from some seniors in other departments that she's very strict, showing no mercy during exams." As the two were chatting, Qiqi hurriedly came out of Zhou Haisheng's office, loudly saying, "Weiwei, Song Yu, pack your things right away and come with me." The two asked in unison, "Another simulated field internship?" "This time it's for real!" Qiqi shouted.

Qiqi looked radiant. She hadn't prepared much; she was already dressed in sportswear, and the only thing she ever picked up was her ever-present violin case. In her first week at work, Weiwei had begged Qiqi to play a piece for her more than fifty times. Qiqi not only refused to play, but she hadn't even shown Weiwei the violin inside, which Weiwei still resented. "Remember, the entire survey process needs to be videotaped, audiotaped, and photographed. If necessary, we need to keep written records on-site so we can compile them into a report later—our general manager loves reading reports, after all." Song Yu was bringing a Panasonic miniature camcorder, while Weiwei was bringing a Canon digital camera. Zhou Haisheng came out and said to Qiqi, who was already at the door, "You should bring a compass; without it, you can't fool laymen." Qiqi sighed and said to Song Yu, "Bring the compass from compartment C of filing cabinet number two." "I'll do it! I'll do it!" Before Song Yu could move, Weiwei jumped over and took the key from Qiqi's hand. Zhou Haisheng said with some concern, "Weiwei, be careful. This Rixingtang compass is made in Taiwan. It was personally customized by the general manager and is worth over 30,000 yuan. It must not be bumped or knocked, and it must not be near a strong magnetic field." "I know!" Weiwei shouted out in standard Sichuan dialect, opened the C-section drawer, and took out the red cloth handbag inside.

Qiqi's white Beetle speeding through the sea of cars no longer elicited any exclamations from Weiwei; she was even dozing off in the back seat. Qiqi was meticulous in everything she did, having passed her driving test three times. Ironically, the first two times, it wasn't the examiner who failed her, but rather she herself felt she had made mistakes during the road test and voluntarily requested a retake. So, one can imagine how superb her driving skills were. Even more impressive, she got an A license, meaning she was qualified to drive a bus. The car drove onto the Yan'an Road elevated highway. Reaching the intersection of Yan'an East Road and Huangpi South Road, a sleepy Weiwei suddenly spotted something unusual, rolled down the window, and stuck her head out to look.

"Quickly pull your head back, it's dangerous!" Qi Qi shouted. Wei Wei didn't pull her head back, and said, "Wow! What a magnificent dragon pillar!" Qi Qi glanced at it sideways and said, "You're so naive." Song Yu also said, "You don't even know about this dragon pillar on Yan'an Road Elevated Highway? Wei Wei, you've been in Shanghai for over a year for nothing." Wei Wei pulled her head back, and said unconvinced, "Isn't it just a dragon carved on it? What's so special about it!" Song Yu laughed, "You're still n

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