The little gluttonous child needs to eat

"What? Did we seriously get someone who just wants to watch the excitement? Why so unlucky? Is it really this hard to get some juicy gossip?"

The livestream chat erupted in a chorus of frustrated complaints.

"Well, if there's nothing else, maybe ask about something different," Gu Yu suggested, clearly unprepared for this turn of events. Still, since he had already promised he wouldn't back down, he passed the microphone to the girl who had been randomly selected.

"My most pressing question?" Shu Xiuxiu furrowed her brows and glanced at her empty room, the oppressive feeling of confinement washing over her.

"How about you tell me my fortune, streamer? I saw in your bio that you're into singing, dancing… and tarot cards."

She spoke impulsively, recalling the many tarot streamers she had watched before. She'd always found fortune-telling intriguing but had never been lucky enough to be selected in those streams. This stream, with its large audience, seemed like it would have someone skilled enough to give it a try.

The livestream audience: …...

"What's with this question? Sis, are you okay?"

"We're here for gossip, not fortune-telling! Did you wander into the wrong stream?"

Even Gu Yu was momentarily dumbfounded.

Those who knew him well understood that his so-called "hobbies" were just that—hobbies. His singing and dancing were infamously terrible, and tarot was no different. He only liked tarot cards because he thought they looked cool. If someone asked him for the actual content, he couldn't say a single word about it.

Admitting his lack of knowledge in front of his entire audience would be utterly humiliating.

Gu Yu's face was a spectrum of colors, like a spilled ink palette.

Forget it. Losing face is better than lying.

He took a deep breath, preparing to confess.

But just as he opened his mouth, a crisp voice interrupted him.

"Big sister, you were born in the year of Gengchen, during the Hai hour, weren't you? Your elements are metal and earth, and your brother's palace shows Ziwei Star presiding over your fate. You have an older brother who's been doing well in his career, right? Did I get that wrong?"

The livestream audience froze in shock.

"Wait a minute… who's this little kid?"

"Wasn't this supposed to be Gu Yu's job? Why is this little girl stealing his thunder?"

Regardless of whether the reading was accurate or not, this little girl was clearly not ordinary. The audience didn't even recognize terms like "Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches," "Twelve Hours," or "Ziwei Star Astrology," yet this kid rattled them off like a seasoned fortune-teller.

What stunned them even more was that the selected girl nodded in agreement.

"You… you're absolutely right. I do have an older brother. He owns a company that just made it through its startup phase and is doing pretty well now."

Shu Xiuxiu's tired eyes suddenly lit up. She had initially thought the handsome young man would be doing the fortune-telling. Who would have guessed that the adorable little child sitting next to him was so skilled?

"Little master, can you check my fortune for me? I've been feeling really uneasy lately and just want to know I'll be safe."

Shu Xiuxiu didn't dare address the little girl as "little sister," but calling her "master" felt odd. After some hesitation, she settled on a compromise.

The chat went wild with disbelief.

"No way. This kid can really do fortune-telling?"

"This twist… I did not see this coming."

Gu Yu, meanwhile, was thrilled. He cursed himself for being so slow to realize that he had a hidden expert sitting right beside him. Thankfully, Yaoyao loved him enough to step in and save him; otherwise, he would have completely embarrassed himself. Now he was curious to see what else his little sister could do.

"Big sister, don't worry about your fortune just yet," Yaoyao said seriously. Her round face suddenly took on a hint of authority. "Your three spirits and five souls are unsettled. You must have encountered something unclean recently. However, it doesn't seem malicious. There should be peach and willow trees in the small grove behind your neighborhood. Peach wood wards off evil, and willow wood suppresses spirits. Go break off a branch from each, and I'll teach you how to send it away."

"But hurry! Yaoyao has other things to do later," she added, her voice firm.

The audience was stunned.

"Holy crap, what just happened? How did this turn into something out of a fantasy novel?"

"Can you even say stuff like this on a livestream? What if the platform shuts it down?"

Some viewers were genuinely worried about the livestream being taken down. But at the same time, they couldn't help wanting to see how this bizarre situation would unfold. It was more thrilling than any gossip.

"Alright, little master, I'll go right now," Shu Xiuxiu said, already feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles. She grabbed her phone and keys and rushed out the door without hesitation.

"Yaoyao, is she really haunted by something?" Gu Yu asked, his curiosity piqued. He had been too intimidated to interrupt earlier, but now that Shu Xiuxiu was gone, he seized the chance to ask.

"Don't whisper secrets! We want to hear too!"

"Exactly! Let us in on the conversation!"

The viewers were desperate for details, but Yaoyao simply put a finger to her lips and made a "shh" motion.

"Brother Seven, don't ask yet," she said.

For the first time, Gu Yu saw a rare seriousness on Yaoyao's face, and it made his heart sink. Was the situation with that Shu girl really so grave?

Shu Xiuxiu lived in a somewhat run-down apartment complex. Despite its age, the building had private bathrooms, which made it a decent choice. By all rights, she could have afforded better housing, but her pride kept her from asking her family for money. To her, the extra commute was a small price to pay for independence.

After weaving through the narrow corridors and jogging out of the complex, Shu Xiuxiu was completely out of breath.

She paused to catch her breath, glancing around for the peach and willow trees Yaoyao had mentioned. To her surprise, a voice came from her phone.

"Big sister, you don't need to run!" Yaoyao's voice was calm.

"Huh? Little master, but didn't you say this was urgent?" Shu Xiuxiu asked, confused. She had been rushing because she was afraid of wasting time.

Watching through the stream, Yaoyao saw the ominous red aura around Shu Xiuxiu gradually fade. Clearly, whatever danger had been looming was now averted. Her stern expression softened, and her tone became lighter.

"You're not actually haunted by an evil spirit, big sister," Yaoyao finally said.

The revelation left both Shu Xiuxiu and Gu Yu completely stunned.

"Then… little master, why did you make me rush out here?" Shu Xiuxiu asked, bewildered.

If there was no haunting, there was no need for peach or willow branches. So why had she been told to leave her apartment?

"Is this kid a fraud after all?"

"No way, she was so accurate before. This has to be part of the plan."

"What if the girl in the livestream is just an actor? A plant to make all this seem real?"

"Impossible. No one would choreograph something this absurd. It'd be way too obvious."

"I'm not an actor," Shu Xiuxiu quickly clarified upon seeing the chat. She didn't want anyone disrespecting Yaoyao and hurried to defend her.

But Yaoyao ignored the chatter and looked directly into the camera. "Big sister, although you're not haunted, you do need to call the police."

"Call the police?" Shu Xiuxiu froze.

The audience was equally stunned.

"What? Why drag the police into this?"

"Isn't that risky? What if she gets in trouble for making a false report?"

Yaoyao's expression was calm but serious. "Earlier, I didn't tell you your fortune, not because I couldn't, but because I saw a red aura of death hanging over you. It was the sign of an imminent violent death."

"If I had told you then, the person hiding in your house might have panicked and attacked you out of desperation."

"You might not have survived."

At this, Shu Xiuxiu froze completely.

"H-hiding in my house? That's impossible. I—"

She stammered but couldn't finish her sentence. Memories of the unsettling feeling she'd been watched flashed through her mind.

"But… but I've searched my house! There's no one there!"

"That's because he's hiding under your bed," Yaoyao explained bluntly. "Your bed is one of those old-fashioned ones with a gap underneath. From outside, you wouldn't be able to see all the way in. It's the perfect hiding spot."

Hearing this, Shu Xiuxiu felt her breath hitch. Her mind raced with terrifying thoughts. Was someone really under her bed? Had they been crawling out to watch her while she slept?

Her body trembled as goosebumps rose all over her skin. She grabbed her phone and dialed 110 (the emergency police number in China) with shaking fingers.

Meanwhile, the chat erupted into chaos.

"Holy crap! Real or fake, this is the scariest story I've heard all year!"

"My God, it's like a horror movie come to life. Imagine finding out there's been someone under your bed the whole time."

"Please, police officers, hurry! This just went from supernatural to criminal investigation territory!"

"I'm staying for this. I HAVE to know how this ends."

[--------------------------------------------]

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