"A fortune teller?"
Grandma Qiao looked at Xu Gui in surprise, then asked with great interest, "What can you tell? If something is lost, can you tell where it is?"
"Of course!" Xu Gui replied without hesitation, her expression confident and proud.
"No matter what it is, even if it's something you've lost, as long as I want to know, I can definitely tell. I can tell anything. What's wrong, Auntie? Have you lost something?" she asked.
Hearing this, although no one was home and the children were playing inside, Grandma Qiao still carefully looked around before leaning closer to Xu Gui and whispering,
"I lost a gold bracelet that my daughter-in-law gave me. I don't know where it went, I can't find it anywhere. I don't dare tell Mingyue about it, I'm afraid she'll overthink it."
This bracelet was a birthday gift from her daughter-in-law, Xue Mingyue, two years ago. It weighed seventy or eighty grams and was inlaid with diamonds and colored beads. I heard it cost tens of thousands of yuan back then.
Grandma Qiao was delighted to receive the bracelet, but knowing it was so expensive, she dared not wear it for fear of losing it, so she put it away.
However, after so long, she forgot where she had put it.
Recently, with the price of gold soaring, Grandma Qiao heard about it from someone and remembered it. But when she got home, she searched high and low for days, but couldn't find the bracelet.
"The bracelet's value is one thing, but the most important thing is that Mingyue gave it to me! I've thought about it for so long, but I really can't remember where I put it."
Grandma Qiao looked very worried. She said to Xu Gui and the others, "You know, this is a gift from my child. If she finds out I lost it, how disappointed she will be? She'll probably think this old woman doesn't care about her feelings."
For this reason, although Grandma Qiao was anxious, she didn't dare tell the children, and secretly searched the house alone.
Two months have passed since she discovered the bracelet was missing, and she's practically turned the whole city upside down, but she still hasn't found it.
"I guess I'm really getting old and senile. I clearly remember putting it away properly, but I just can't remember where I put it." She looked at Xu Gui expectantly and said, "You say you can tell fortunes, so can you tell me where I put this bracelet? If it's really lost, how can I face my daughter-in-law in the future?"
Xu Gui nodded, "Okay... but I pay first, then I do the fortune telling."
Xu Gui emphasized that he treated everyone equally, regardless of age or gender; everyone had to pay first to avoid any disputes after the reading. It would be a huge loss if someone got scolded and didn't get paid.
Grandma Qiao was clearly not the type to argue. Hearing Xu Gui's suggestion, she nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, you should pay first. How much is it per transaction?"
After learning the price from Xu Gui, she didn't hesitate and paid directly.
Upon receiving the money, Xu Gui immediately calculated the value of the bracelet for Grandma Qiao. After finishing, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Well, did you figure out where my bracelet is?" Grandma Qiao asked immediately, noticing the change in her expression.
Xu Gui glanced at the old woman and said, "I guess I've figured it out, but your bracelet isn't in this house anymore."
Hearing this, Grandma Qiao was stunned. She said anxiously, "How could it not be in this house? After I received it, I only wore it at home for a little while, I never wore it outside! Even if it was lost, it should be at home! You, you must have miscalculated!"
Seeing Grandma Qiao's anxious look, Xu Gui quickly said, "Don't worry, listen to me first. Didn't your brother's child, your niece, come to your house before? You even gave her a bag then."
Xu Gui's words were suggestive, and Grandma Qiao unconsciously began to recall.
"Yes," she nodded, recalling, "My niece did come to my house last year. She got into a university here and was going to study here. Before registering, she stayed at our house for a few days. At that time… I think I gave her a bag then."
Grandma Qiao remembered, it seemed like that was true.
Their family was quite well-off, mainly because their son was ambitious and their daughter-in-law was very filial, often buying them things—expensive jewelry, simple flowers, and occasionally, Xue Mingyue would even buy them bags. So, despite her age, she had several bags.
Grandma Qiao remembered that when the child went to school, she packed a bunch of things for her to take, and for convenience, she also grabbed one of her larger bags for her to carry to school.
Recalling this, Grandma Qiao took a breath and looked at Xu Gui, asking, "I didn't put that bracelet in that bag, and Yao Yao took it?"
—Yao Yao was Grandma Qiao's niece's nickname.
Xu Gui nodded: "The bracelet is in that bag."
Grandma Qiao: !
The next second, she jumped to her feet, anxiously asking, "What should we do? Yao Yao didn't lose that bag, did she?"
If it was lost, the gold bracelet inside… Just thinking about it made Grandma Qiao feel breathless.
Seeing her anxiety, Xu Gui comforted her, "Don't worry, I calculated that the bag is still with your niece, but…"
"But what?" Grandma Qiao's heart tightened.
Xu Gui said, "The bracelet is probably no longer in that bag."
Grandma Qiao's heart tightened again.
Xu Gui said, "If I'm not mistaken, your niece's roommate secretly took the bracelet." She said "if," but her tone was extremely certain, after all, it was her calculation, and it couldn't be wrong.
Grandma Qiao's vision blurred upon hearing this: "What should we do then?"
Xu Gui glanced outside at the bright sun, and her body, already reluctant to move from the sofa, slumped down. She said, "If you're willing to wait, I'll accompany you to your niece's school this afternoon after the sun sets."
Grandma Qiao: "Can't we go now?"
Xu Gui: "...It's too hot now. I think I'll get sunburned if I go out."
Grandma Qiao, seeing her earnest expression, couldn't help but laugh and sighed, "Then I'll trouble you this afternoon."
...
When Xue Mingyue returned, she saw her mother-in-law and Xu Gui chatting happily. Her mother-in-law treated Xu Gui very affectionately, their relationship seeming almost like that of a mother and daughter.
Seeing her return, Grandma Qiao quickly stood up and said, "Mingyue, you're back! Little Turtle has been waiting for you for a long time."
Xue Mingyue: Little Turtle?
"Miss Xue, hello." Xu Gui also stood up and greeted Xue Mingyue.
Xue Mingyue placed her bag and car keys on the table, looked at Xu Gui, and went straight to the point, asking, "Ms. Xu, you said on the phone earlier that you had something to tell me about our Qiaoqiao. What is it?"
Xu Gui looked around and saw Grandma Qiao standing to one side. She suggested, "Why don't we go inside and talk?"
Xue Mingyue followed her gaze, glanced at Grandma Qiao, and nodded after a moment's thought, "Okay, come with me." She led Xu Gui to her and her husband's bedroom.
Grandma Qiao looked at the paparazzi and asked, "Are you isolating me?"
The paparazzi added, "Me too." However, he understood Xu Gui's meaning. What happened to Qiao Qiao would be unacceptable to any family that truly loved their child. Grandma Qiao was old, and it wasn't easy to tell her.
Grandma Qiao's expression seemed somewhat resentful, but beneath that resentment, a closer look revealed deep worry.
She wasn't stupid; she naturally noticed Xu Gui's evasive attitude.
Since it concerned her granddaughter, and Xu Gui was being so secretive, how could Grandma Qiao not overthink it? She glanced at Xue Mingyue and her son's bedroom, concealing the worry and anxiety in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Xue Mingyue had already led Xu Gui into the bedroom.
"Can you tell me now?" She turned to look at Xu Gui.
Xu Gui nodded, then looked at Xue Mingyue and said, "I heard a secret from Xiaomin today."
Under Xue Mingyue's questioning gaze, she continued, "Xiaomin said that Qiaoqiao told her that the uncle from Baba Dance Teacher's family always touches Qiaoqiao's body…"
Xue Mingyue's expression froze; she looked at Xu Gui in disbelief.
…
"Bang!"
A loud noise suddenly came from the bedroom. Qiaoqiao's grandmother was startled and instinctively ran to the bedroom, knocking on the door.
"Mingyue, what happened?" she asked nervously.
A few seconds of silence filled the bedroom before Xue Mingyue's calm voice came from inside: "It's alright, Mom. I just lost my balance and almost fell, knocking the vase off the bedside table."
Grandma Qiao asked anxiously, "Are you and Miss Xu alright? Should I come in and help clean up?"
"No, we're fine," Xue Mingyue replied to her mother-in-law, taking a deep breath. "Don't worry, we're both fine. I'll clean it up myself."
Grandma Qiao hesitated, her worry deepening.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Xue Mingyue, her eyes red, stood by the bed, staring intently at Xu Gui, and asked, "Are you sure what you're saying is true?"
In truth, she believed Xu Gui ninety-nine percent of what he said, but still held onto a one percent hope that he was wrong—no mother wanted her child to experience something like this.
Xu Gui looked at her silently.
Hope was dashed.
Xue Mingyue's hands clenched into fists at her sides, a surge of anger gripping her. She wanted to scream, but remembering her mother-in-law outside and the children playing in the next room, she forced her eyes shut, suppressing her emotions.
A few seconds later, she slumped onto the bed, regretting, "Why didn't I notice this before? I deserve to die!"
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she jumped up from the bed. Xu Gui watched her rush out of the bedroom and into Qiao Qiao's room. Four children were playing there, the room filled with laughter.
Xue Mingyue stood at the door, staring blankly at Qiao Qiao's innocent smile.
"Mommy..." Qiao Qiao looked up at her, her face lighting up with surprise. She ran over, saying, "Mommy, you're home from work?"
Xue Mingyue smiled at her, led her to her bedroom, and then knelt down to be at eye level with her daughter.
"Qiaoqiao…" She reached out and touched her daughter's head, forcing a smile, and asked, "Qiaoqiao, have you been happy dancing in dance class lately?"
Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, I have."
Xue Mingyue noticed her hesitation and said, "Qiaoqiao, do you remember what Mommy told you? Mommy said that no matter what happens, Qiaoqiao, you must tell Mommy, you can't hide anything from Mommy!"
She looked at her daughter and asked seriously, "Qiaoqiao, tell Mommy, is there some secret you haven't told Mommy?"
Qiaoqiao hesitated.
Xue Mingyue said, "If you tell Mommy now, Mommy won't be angry. But if Mommy finds out later that Qiaoqiao has been hiding something from Mommy, Mommy will not only be angry, but also very sad, the kind of sadness that makes me want to cry."
Thinking of what her daughter might have gone through, her eyes reddened even more, and in Qiaoqiao's eyes, this looked like she was about to cry, and Qiaoqiao's eyes also reddened.
"Mommy, I'm sorry, Qiaoqiao has a secret I haven't told you." Qiaoqiao's eyes were brimming with tears as she said, "Qiaoqiao didn't mean not to tell you, it's because Uncle said I can't tell you, that it's a secret between us, so Qiaoqiao didn't tell you!"
Xue Mingyue tried hard to keep her expression from being too harsh, so as not to frighten the child. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What secret?"
Qiaoqiao, with tears still welling up, said, "Every time after class, Uncle hugs Qiaoqiao and touches her... Mommy, what's wrong?"
Seeing the barely concealed expression on Xue Mingyue's face, Qiaoqiao became a little scared and cautiously asked, "Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?" As she spoke, she reached out her small hand and gently touched Xue Mingyue's forehead.
The moment she felt her daughter's palm on her forehead, Xue Mingyue could no longer hold back her emotions, and tears streamed down her face.
She reached out and hugged her daughter tightly, hiding the horrifying expression on her face. She whispered, "Qiaoqiao, that uncle...uncle! Besides touching your body, did he do anything else to you?"
Qiaoqiao shook her head blankly, "No."
Hearing this, Xue Mingyue's heart, which had been pounding in her chest, suddenly calmed down. She hugged her daughter, crying and laughing at the same time, her heart filled with relief: Thank goodness, thank goodness it wasn't that serious, otherwise...
otherwise she would have killed that guy!
A murderous rage flashed in Xue Mingyue's eyes.
"Mommy, what's wrong with you?" Qiaoqiao asked again.
Xue Mingyue took a deep breath, trying to suppress her surging emotions—she didn't want her emotions to frighten her daughter. If she could, she wanted her child to grow up carefree, without any hardship or humiliation.
But now, right under her nose, this had happened... Xue Mingyue was filled with intense hatred.
She suppressed her emotions, wiped away her tears, and smiled at her daughter, saying, "Mommy's okay, Mommy just suddenly missed our Qiaoqiao."
Qiaoqiao smiled and hugged her neck, saying sweetly, "Qiaoqiao missed Mommy too."
Xue Mingyue smiled, said a few words to her casually, and then told her to go back and play with her friends. Qiaoqiao seemed a little worried about her because of her crying, and kept turning back as she left, asking, "Mommy, don't you really want Qiaoqiao to stay with you? Qiaoqiao will make you happy!"
Xue Mingyue smiled and pointed to Xu Gui, saying, "Mommy and this older sister still have things to talk about. Qiaoqiao, go play with Xiaomin and the others."
Qiaoqiao replied dejectedly, "Okay."
Xue Mingyue saw her off. Only after the child left did her suppressed emotions completely break down. She cried, "That person, how could he do this? Qiaoqiao is just a child! That beast, that animal!"
Xu Gui said, "You said it yourself, he's an animal. No one would be surprised if an animal did something like that."
Xue Mingyue took another deep breath. She looked at Xu Gui and said, "Miss Xu, thank you for telling me this."
Xue Mingyue was somewhat relieved that Xu Gui had discovered this at this time and told her. She couldn't imagine what would have happened to her Qiaoqiao if Xu Gui hadn't intervened and things had continued like this.
The thought of that possibility made Xue Mingyue feel like she was about to have a stroke, and she felt even more grateful to Xu Gui.
"Thank you so much!" she said, then added, "I know you charge for fortune telling. I'll give you the money now. You have a QR code, right?"
Xu Gui: ?
"Are you my fan?" She looked at Xue Mingyue strangely. Otherwise, how would she know that she charged for fortune telling and that she carried a QR code?
Xue Mingyue smiled and said, "Do new fans count as fans? If so, then I'm also your fan."
Under Xu Gui's surprised gaze, she explained, "After you contacted me, I watched some of your videos, edited by your fans. I watched quite a few."
"Huh? What videos?" Xu Gui asked curiously.
Xue Mingyue: "Haven't you seen them? The editing is excellent, very professional, and the pacing is perfect. The whole video is incredibly smooth to watch; even someone like me who doesn't know you well found it fascinating." As she spoke
, she took out her phone, opened an app, and showed Xu Gui the edited video: "Here, it's this person."
Xu Gui looked at it, found the ID on her phone, and secretly followed the person, planning to secretly watch it later when she had time. However, her so-called "secretly" was seen as "openly and honestly" by the vast number of netizens who followed her.
For fans, every move their idol makes online is magnified many times over; even the slightest disturbance will be noticed. Therefore, Xu Gui had only followed one person, and within seconds, her fans, who were constantly monitoring her activities, had already discovered it.
[What did I just see? Xu Gui followed someone? This is the first time she's followed anyone online!! Who on earth is this person?]
["Loves Eating Houttuynia Cordata," that's a top-tier fan among Xu Gui's followers. She's edited so many of Xu Gui's videos, the most viewed one has already reached over five million views, and you guys don't even know her?]
[So, is Xu Gui secretly surfing the internet now? Ah, she's not watching live streams, starting to neglect her duties, huh?] [
She seems to have gone to deal with that little girl's matter. Because it involves a child, that's why she hasn't been livestreaming. Didn't you notice that the replays of her morning livestream have all been deleted from the system? It's probably to protect the child.]
[Thumbs up to the production team! The videos about that child really shouldn't have been kept. The child is so young. If people around her saw this, there would definitely be some mean people pointing fingers at her and her family. It's better to take them all down.]
[So everyone, please don't discuss this anymore. Let it pass quietly. Don't give it any attention.]
Xu Gui had already anticipated what the netizens were thinking. After hearing Xiao Min's secret, she immediately took off the recording equipment, so the netizens didn't hear what happened afterward.
At this moment, she couldn't help but feel glad that she had asked the cameraman to blur everyone except herself, so no one knew Xiao Min and the others' faces. This way, apart from familiar people, the netizens were also very sure who "Qiao Qiao" was.
However, still worried, she had the cameraman contact the director again—she had already learned about their relationship during this time; the director was the cameraman's uncle, making communication very convenient.
When the director saw the message from his nephew, he smirked and said, "I knew it. This girl won't rest easy until she causes some trouble."
His tone was disdainful, but he immediately ordered his staff to remove Xu Gui's morning livestream replay.
The assistant director muttered: "Tough on the outside, soft on the inside!
If we're talking about a sharp tongue but a soft heart, that's their director."
*
Xu Gui and Xue Mingyue didn't stay inside for long. When they came out, Grandma Qiao, who had been waiting outside, came over and gave Xue Mingyue a scrutinizing look, especially at her red and swollen eyes.
However, she didn't ask anything, only smiling and saying, "I've prepared the food; you can eat now."
She then called the four children out of the house, helped them wash their hands, and then had them sit at the table to eat. Before this, Grandma Qiao had contacted Xiao Min and the other two's parents, telling them that the children would be staying at their house for lunch.
The four children got along well, and consequently, the four families also got along well. It was common for the children to eat at each other's homes, so the parents of the other three families didn't object.
Xu Gui and the photographers also benefited by having lunch at their house, and after lunch, they prepared to leave.
Grandma Qiao asked Xu Gui, "Little Turtle, where do you live? I'll come to your place this afternoon."
Xue Mingyue looked at the two of them suspiciously and asked, "Mom, what do you need Miss Xu for?"
Grandma Qiao chuckled and explained, "Little Turtle can tell fortunes, so I plan to go to her this afternoon when the weather is cooler to have her tell me some things."
Xue Mingyue was still suspicious, her probing eyes darting back and forth between the two of them, and said, "Really?"
Grandma Qiao, afraid she wouldn't believe her, nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
"Okay," Xue Mingyue seemed to believe her, and asked again, "But Mom, what do you want to have told?"
Grandma Qiao: "Just, just some small things, ah, it's that, didn't your father-in-law say before that his father said he left something for our family, but he left before he could say anything? I wanted to ask Little Turtle to help me find out where that thing is."
Xue Mingyue's father-in-law's father, that is, Xue Mingyue's husband's grandfather.
Xue Mingyue: "Didn't Health say that this thing doesn't even exist?"
Grandma Qiaoqiao: "But we just happened to run into Little Turtle, so why not? Maybe it does exist?"
Xue Mingyue nodded in agreement.
Seeing that she had gotten away with it, Grandma Qiaoqiao breathed a sigh of relief and gave Xu Gui a look. Xu Gui chuckled.
"Let me see you downstairs," Xue Mingyue said, escorting Xu Gui and the others down.
Xu Gui glanced at her, noticing that her expression had calmed down, as if she had recovered from her anger. He asked, "What do you plan to do about the dance class?"
Xue Mingyue replied, "That person dared to do this to Qiaoqiao, so it's highly likely this isn't the first time. There must be other victims. So, I plan to contact other children and former students of the dance class."
Once she finds relevant evidence and witnesses, she will strike decisively, ruining Kang He's reputation and making him a pariah, hated by everyone online and in real life.
Oh, I forgot to mention Xue Mingyue's profession. She works in new media, and her main business is related to online promotion. No one knows better than her how to spread a message.
"Considering Qiaoqiao, I won't take the initiative to get involved," she said. Although she really wanted to tear this guy apart with her own hands, she had to consider Qiaoqiao's reputation and the public's opinion.
Of course, she didn't want Qiaoqiao to go to the dance class recently and would find an excuse to give her leave.
Xu Gui saw that she understood, so she didn't say anything more.
Xue Mingyue escorted Xu Gui and the others to the entrance of the residential area. Xu Gui was really afraid of the heat. Looking at the bright sun outside and feeling the scorching temperature on her skin, she felt that she could not bear it at all. In just a few steps, she felt like she had melted in the sun.
—Li Ya was right, the temperature got higher and higher as it got closer to noon.
Fortunately, the car they called was already waiting at the entrance of the residential area. After getting into the car, Xu Gui felt like she had come back to life. But when she thought about having to go back to setting up her stall under the overpass later, she suddenly felt a sense of grievance that her life was very hard.
"What kind of good family's turtle has to sunbathe outside in this kind of weather?" This is completely abusing the turtle!!
Xu Gui's eyes darted around, and suddenly an idea struck her.
"I'm planning to go back to the hotel. Let's go back to work at the hotel!" she said to the cameraman, her tone earnest.
The cameraman, hearing this, looked at her with some surprise and said, "I thought you'd say that sooner, Ms. Xu."
Xu Gui: ?
The cameraman replied matter-of-factly, "Your aversion to the sun is written all over your face. When we came out of the Spring Dance Class, I thought you'd go straight back to the hotel. I didn't expect you to hold out until now."
The cameraman couldn't help but sigh, "Ms. Xu, you're more responsible than I imagined."
Xu Gui: Feeling guilty.
Actually, she wasn't that responsible.
When she came down from the Spring Dance Class, she did have the thought of going home. If it weren't for Qiao Qiao's situation, she would have run away long ago.
"Hmm, looking at it this way, she really is a very responsible turtle. Although she had the thought of running away halfway through, she didn't, did she? As the saying goes, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Her actions show that she is indeed a very responsible turtle."
Xu Gui thought to herself, and perked up again.
"You're right," she said, looking at the cameraman with an appreciative gaze, "I am indeed very responsible."
The cameraman, who didn't understand why she suddenly became proud, was speechless.
But their Teacher Xu is quite proud every day, so it's not that strange.
When Xu Gui went live again, her fans found that she had changed her location.
"It's too hot outside. I think working from home is better. There's air conditioning, it's very cool!"
Having been in human society for less than a month, Xu Gui had already understood the charm of working from home.