Eldritch Horror Theatre

The weekend sure was bustling!

Fu Qian took a sip of his lemonade, observing the crowd below.

This was an Old Mall, barely a ten-minute walk from his home.

The psychological suggestion he had planted in Tan Ying earlier was simple: come here in an hour.

His reason for doing this, naturally, was to investigate the issue with Tan Ying's Bracelet.

Since he couldn't yet confirm whether he had caused the Bracelet's abnormality, he figured he was at least half-helping her.

As the one offering assistance, Fu Qian felt no obligation to pay her a home visit; the one receiving help should come to him instead.

This spot offered the best view in the mall. He had timed his arrival and waited here; as long as Tan Ying showed up, it would be impossible to miss her.

"Hey!"

A moment later, Tan Ying, her hands full of snacks, looked up in confusion.

...

"Why are you here?"

Tan Ying came up the creaking stairs. Once she confirmed it really was Fu Qian, she couldn't help but ask.

"My house is eight hundred meters from here at most."

Fu Qian looked at her.

"I should be the one asking you that. Coming all the way out here to go shopping for no reason?"

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Tan Ying's hands.

"And eating so much first thing in the morning?"

"That's exactly why!"

Tan Ying looked quite smug.

"I came here once before. The snacks around here are especially good."

'Are you sure?'

Fu Qian glanced at the pile of things in her hands; they were almost all common street snacks.

These things were mostly the same everywhere; Fu Qian didn't believe they could be all that special.

He hadn't expected Tan Ying to come up with such an excuse just to fulfill the psychological suggestion.

It seemed that once a psychological suggestion was planted, even if the target followed the command, their rational mind would still invent an excuse to make their actions feel logical.

In fact, this was exactly why Fu Qian had walked the extra distance to choose this spot.

If he had just ordered her to go directly to his house, it was hard to imagine what kind of excuse she would have concocted.

'There really is a problem!'

Now that they were face-to-face, Fu Qian confirmed his previous suspicion.

Tan Ying's complexion looked even better than last time. She was positively radiant, her skin fair and flushed with health.

However, in Fu Qian's eyes, the Bracelet worn on her left wrist was gleaming brilliantly, radiating even more vitality than she was.

It almost looked alive.

"Nice Bracelet. Did you just buy it?"

"Right?"

Tan Ying raised her wrist, showing it off in front of Fu Qian.

"I just had my birthday a few days ago, remember? Out of all the gifts, this was the one that instantly caught my eye."

"I see."

Fu Qian nodded.

"Mind if I take a look?"

?

Now Tan Ying was a little curious. Under normal circumstances, men rarely took an interest in jewelry.

But confusion aside, Tan Ying wasn't stingy. She immediately took it off and handed it over.

Fu Qian took it smoothly, resting it in the palm of his hand.

Almost instantly, the vitality and blood in his palm felt uniquely drawn toward it, undergoing a subtle change in their flow.

'This thing is much stronger than that stone lion from last time!'

"It really does look nice."

Fu Qian examined it without a change in expression.

"How much was it?"

'What?'

Tan Ying was dumbfounded for a moment. After she finally processed the question, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

"Don't tell me you want to buy it?"

"Yeah."

"You actually want it?"

Seeing that Fu Qian wasn't joking, Tan Ying's smile faded slightly, and she firmly shook her head.

"Buying it as a gift? It's a shame, but this is a gift I received, so I really can't sell it to you."

"It being a gift is one thing, but the main issue is that this Bracelet brings bad luck."

Fu Qian handed the Bracelet back as he spoke.

"Bad luck?"

Tan Ying frowned as she took it, slipping it back on with a somewhat impatient motion.

"Yes. I observed the celestial signs last night. This Bracelet clashes with your fate; wearing it long-term will bring misfortune."

"I couldn't tell you knew how to read fortunes."

"You don't believe me?"

"I don't."

Tan Ying shook her head with a grin, clearly thinking Fu Qian was joking.

"Subdue demons and eradicate evil, rob houses, consult, master the arts..."

Tan Ying ticked them off on her fair fingers one by one.

"With so many professions, since when did you become a fortune-teller?"

'She has a pretty good memory.'

These were all the nonsense he had spouted to her classmates at her birthday party last time. He hadn't expected her to remember every single one.

"Otherwise, why do you think I'm sitting here?"

Fu Qian scoffed.

"One divination a day, only divining for the Fated. If you don't believe me, want to make a bet?"

Tan Ying's interest was piqued.

Indeed, when she woke up today, she had felt an inexplicable urge to stroll around here, and then she had miraculously run into him.

That could indeed be considered being Fated.

"Sure, what are we betting?"

"I bet there will be a celestial anomaly today."

Fu Qian pointed at the sky.

"What kind of anomaly?"

"A solar eclipse."

"Are you trying to trick a ghost? How often does a solar eclipse happen where you're from?"

Tan Ying looked at him as if caring for the mentally impaired.

"The experts said last time that it was an absolutely rare celestial event, a once-in-several-centuries occurrence."

"So, are you betting or not?"

"...Tell me what the stakes are first."

"If I win, you sell the Bracelet to me."

Fu Qian pointed at Tan Ying's hand.

"And if I lose?"

"I'll be your model."

"Really?"

Tan Ying's eyes instantly lit up.

"Of course it's true."

"Deal."

Tan Ying was decisive; she immediately slapped her snacks down on the table.

"How long? There has to be a time limit, right?"

Fu Qian pinched his fingers together in a gesture of calculation.

"Within five minutes."

"...Alright."

Tan Ying's expression surpassed merely looking at him like he was an idiot.

"I'm going to the restroom."

Seeing the bet settled, Fu Qian stood up and stretched.

"Hey, you can't run away!"

Tan Ying looked wary.

"It's not like you don't know where I live."

"That's true..."

Stepping down from the balcony, Fu Qian quickly found a hidden spot, directly activated his Imprint, and retrieved the Blasphemous Embrace from the Warehouse.

Aiming, drawing the bow, and shooting—the entire process took less than five seconds.

The next moment, the originally cloudless sky suddenly exploded with a thick, rust-colored hue. In less than ten seconds, the sun—which had been too bright to look directly at just moments ago—was reduced to a mere bright halo.

Tossing the Blasphemous Embrace back into the Warehouse, Fu Qian retraced his steps and soon saw Tan Ying, whose jaw had practically dropped to the floor.

It wasn't until Fu Qian finished his lemonade that Tan Ying finally snapped back to her senses, looking at him as if he were an alien.

"How could this be..."

"Name your price."

Fu Qian didn't answer her.

"Alright, I yield to the bet. Then... I won't ask for much. 180,000."

Seeing Tan Ying's mischievous smile, Fu Qian knew she was doing this on purpose.

For a jade Bracelet of this quality, it would actually fetch more than 180,000 on the market.

She had clearly heard about his financial situation. She had calculated her quote perfectly against his limits, ensuring he couldn't afford to buy it while still mildly demonstrating the spirit of a contract.

'She's still young, after all!'

Half a minute later, Tan Ying stared at the deposit notification on her phone, her eyes wide and perfectly round.

"You... you're not planning to give this to... a client, are you?"

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