Chapter 5

Xie An didn’t not believe in metaphysics.

His family was in business, so he had some respect for these things. When he was a child, his parents even hired a master to read his and his sister’s fortunes.

However, in his impression, the metaphysical masters were all elderly men with immortal-like appearances, white hair, and youthful faces.

Ke Xingzhou was only slightly older than him, and he was even here to participate in a talent show—this, not to mention the rumors online, which couldn’t be fully trusted. But just his face, which was so exquisite that even his messy hair couldn’t hide its stunning beauty, made it hard for anyone to feel any reverence.

His feelings were almost fully written on his face, and Ke Xingzhou immediately saw his distrust. After thinking for a moment, he casually said, "I’ll give you a free reading. Let’s see how it goes?"

Xie An: "…"

Wasn’t this even more unreliable?

Which capable master would casually read fortunes for people?

But when his gaze met Ke Xingzhou’s pure black eyes, for some reason, Xie An’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively couldn’t find the words to refuse.

In the depths of his heart, he had a strange premonition. It felt like if he rejected Ke Xingzhou, something would happen afterward that he would deeply regret.

Xie An had always had strong intuition since he was young, and it had helped him avoid many disasters, so he trusted his premonitions.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "What will you read?"

"What do you want to read?" Ke Xingzhou asked back.

Xie An hesitated for a while.

His first instinct was to ask about the results of the talent show, but then he realized that such a thing depended on his own efforts. Knowing the outcome in advance would only take away his motivation to strive.

Besides, he didn’t believe that Ke Xingzhou really could read fortunes. Asking would only disturb his peace of mind.

After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand. "Just read whatever you see."

Thinking that Ke Xingzhou would use some grandiose jargon, Xie An was taken aback when Ke Xingzhou simply started speaking: "Your heavenly palace is full, your hairline is smooth, and you grew up in a wealthy family with no shortage of food or clothing, but you’re a person with strong opinions. This sometimes leads to friction and disagreements with your parents. Fortunately, you have an older sister who has always been very good to you, and thanks to her, the relationship between you and your parents didn’t become too strained."

"This situation continued until you were 18, when you had a major disagreement with your parents over an important life decision. After that, when you went to university, you almost cut off contact with them, only keeping in touch with your sister. This contact was later discovered by your parents, and they forcibly severed it."

Xie An’s expression changed from casual indifference to a gaping mouth: "How do you know that?"

He had always been a well-behaved child, never doing anything rebellious. But his parents, the Xie family, were quite traditional. They wanted him to take over the family business and had been training him for the role of heir from a young age.

However, he had no interest in managing the company. Since he was little, his only enjoyment had come from art, which led to many arguments with his parents.Fortunately, his sister had always covered for him, even personally tutoring him, so that he could maintain his studies without falling behind while also pursuing his hobbies and interests.

But this delicate balance couldn’t hold after the college entrance exam when it came time to fill in the university application.

For the past decade or so, he had continually confirmed that what he truly loved was music. When filling out his application, he hoped to go to an art school he liked. But his parents thought this was not serious enough and forced him to change it to a business major.

Neither side could convince the other, and in the end, even his sister was scolded by them.

Xie An couldn’t bear the stifling atmosphere anymore, so he simply ran away from home and rebelled fiercely.

Fortunately, although the tuition for the art school was expensive, his sister supported him, so he didn’t have to live too hard.

However, after leaving home, the Xie family cut off his secondary card, and he almost lost contact with his previous friends. Holding in a sense of frustration, he never mentioned being from the Xie family at school. How could Ke Xingzhou know all of this so clearly when they first met?

Xie An’s gaze toward Ke Xingzhou immediately shifted, and the previous contempt gradually faded away.

He could really predict things, and so accurately!

A glimmer of hope suddenly surged in his heart.

To be honest, he hadn’t returned home in two years, and there was something else that had been bothering him: "I want to ask about my family’s situation."

Ke Xingzhou stared at him for a while, his expression serious. This made Xie An’s heart race, and his mind instantly ran through all the bad possibilities, his expression growing more anxious.

Then Ke Xingzhou slowly extended his hand.

Xie An: "?"

Ke Xingzhou’s expression changed, and he stared at him warily: "You don’t want to take advantage of me, do you? Buy three, get one free. I’ve already given you one free reading. The second reading can’t be free!"

Xie An: "…"

If he remembered correctly, didn’t Ke Xingzhou just say it was "three people together, one free"?

Ke Xingzhou’s expression was so confident that Xie An only doubted for a moment before quickly dismissing the thought.

Thinking about the fees the masters his family had hired before, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy: "How much is one reading? To be honest, I’ve run away from home for a while. The money my sister gave me is only enough for tuition; I earn my own living expenses, and there isn’t much left now."

Ke Xingzhou raised one finger.

Xie An exclaimed: "One million?!"

Ke Xingzhou: "… Ten yuan."

Xie An: "…？？？"

The suspicion that had been suppressed earlier slowly resurfaced. He looked at Ke Xingzhou strangely and politely suggested, "Did you forget to add a ‘thousand’?"

"……" Ke Xingzhou thought to himself, did he think it was that cheap? Was his virtue not enough to support it?

Originally, ten yuan per reading was already hard to accept, but now he had to face Xie An’s doubts. Ke Xingzhou felt a lump in his chest, and his face turned sour.

He weakly shook his head: "No, it’s just ten yuan."

After a pause, he added: "I don’t usually offer these services, but today, I feel we’re fated, and since you’ve helped me, I’m doing this once. But fortune-telling reveals hidden truths, and if I don’t charge at all, it won’t be good for either of us. So, I’m reluctantly charging you ten yuan."He slightly raised his chin, and the daoist robe on his body rustled as the fan behind him blew, creating a faint impression of ethereal grace.

Xie An, somewhat confused, nodded and then decisively took out his phone, sending 10 yuan to Ke Xingzhou.

"Payment received, 10 yuan."

The mechanical female voice echoed throughout the contestant waiting room. Other contestants suddenly looked up and turned their gaze towards them!

Xie An: "…"

Feeling the suspicious gazes on his back, Xie An stiffened and quickly spoke loudly to cover up: "This ten yuan is for me to apologize to you on behalf of my teammate. You must not keep bringing this up and making things difficult for my teammate. Do you hear me?"

Once these words were spoken, the gazes slightly softened.

However, the looks directed at Ke Xingzhou became even more mocking.

Once the young master of a prestigious family, someone who had never worried about food or clothing, now reduced to being casually humiliated with 10 yuan—he must be furious, right?

Unexpectedly, to their surprise, Ke Xingzhou didn’t care at all.

After all, he never had.

He took the money and swiftly got to the point: "Do you want to ask about your personal safety or your family’s?"

Xie An was momentarily stunned, not noticing the hidden meaning behind Ke Xingzhou’s words: "Of course, it’s about my family."

As for his own safety, didn’t he already know?

Ke Xingzhou gave him a meaningful look but didn’t say much more. He simply said: "Your sister works long hours at her desk. Since you ran away from home, she’s been managing her own company while also taking over family affairs. Some work-related illnesses have left their mark, but it’s not a big deal. However, there’s black energy surrounding your sun and moon angles, with a hint of blood in it. It suggests that your parents are in danger, with signs of bloodshed. You should contact them quickly."

Xie An nodded repeatedly in surprise, his face full of "I can’t believe you really figured it out," but when he heard the last sentence, his expression suddenly darkened.

He quickly lifted his head, and his gaze became filled with anger. His baby-like face puffed up like a steamed bun: "How could you say that! Even if I wasn’t polite to you earlier, you can’t curse my parents!"

His parents had always been healthy, doing regular check-ups every year. His sister, knowing he cared about them, would mention that there was nothing unusual whenever they talked.

Besides, his parents were always accompanied by bodyguards. How could something suddenly happen!

Ke Xingzhou remained calm, only looking at him quietly. There seemed to be a faint golden light flickering in his pure black eyes.

Unhurriedly, he said something even more shocking: "It’s not just them. You and the two people from earlier have offended some petty people, and great misfortune is coming your way."

Xie An: "…"

He was so furious he could hardly stand it.

He shouldn’t have believed this guy would repay kindness with kindness. Everything he said earlier must have been information he had gathered from somewhere else.

There was no way it could have been predicted!

Xie An was livid, and without another word, he turned and walked away.

Behind him, the other contestants noticed his darkened face, clearly furious, but they didn’t doubt the conversation between him and Ke Xingzhou. Instead, they began whispering even more frequently.Many of the contestants had known Xie An since the preliminary rounds. He was always a good-natured person, cheerful and pleasant no matter when.

Ke Xingzhou actually managed to make him this angry?

It wasn’t just the contestants who were surprised; the comments on the live stream were quickly updating:

【Damn, how could even my little angel Xie An be made this upset? Is Ke Xingzhou toxic or something?】

【Where are the people who said he was handsome? Now, can’t follow his looks anymore! Look at him, bullying people as soon as he arrives!】

【My heart hurts for little angel Xie An, boohoo.】

Over here, Xie An returned to his seat, casually responding to his teammates, but he still felt uneasy.

Although, logically, he believed that what Ke Xingzhou said was complete nonsense and utterly impossible, the constant twitching of his eyelid kept him on edge, making him feel that something bad was about to happen.

He had always trusted his intuition, so after hesitating for a moment, he called the two numbers pinned at the top of his contact list.