Chapter 8: The Criminal Strikes Again

“I want to ask… does the boy I like have someone he likes? What kind of girl does he prefer?”
The girl sitting across from her spoke up, a little embarrassed.
Shi Yi curled her lips ever so slightly—girls this age were just at the cusp of youthful longing.
Other than those who sought wealth, it was love that people most frequently came to ask about.
Both kinds were the easiest to profit from, and the simplest to deceive.
If someone came seeking fortune, all you had to say was that great wealth awaited them in the future.
The client would leave delighted, utterly satisfied.
If it was about love, you simply claimed that the person in question had feelings for them too, but for various reasons, hadn’t dared to act.
These responses were practically universal—effective with almost anyone.
This time was no different. After hearing Shi Yi’s words, the girl visibly brightened, happiness lighting up her face.
Shi Yi’s hand brushed the girl’s arm by accident, and in that instant, a vision flashed before her eyes.
This girl’s crush was the top student in school, the one who always ranked first.
Motivated by admiration, the girl threw herself into her studies and, in the end, achieved impressive results herself.
Shi Yi withdrew her hand, well pleased by what she had seen.
Sometimes, the stirrings of youth didn’t necessarily lead to trouble—it all depended on how the adults guided it.
“But the boy you like is an excellent student, isn’t he? He’s the academic star of your school. He likes girls who are also good at studying. If you work hard to catch up, perhaps one day, you two could be together.”
Hearing this, the girl’s eyes widened in shock, her hands flying to her lips to keep from making a sound.
The three friends beside her were just as delighted, their faces glowing with hope.
“Really, Master? She could actually have her wish come true?!”
Shi Yi gave them a mysterious look and smiled, her expression full of secrets.
“Of course. Fate is written in the stars.”
Shi Yi wasn’t simply making things up—fortune-telling without real skill was all about discerning the client’s identity from their clothes, behavior, and speech, and from there, deducing their circumstances and troubles.
Reading people in this way was hardly a challenge for Shi Yi.
The girls, elated to have received the answers they wanted, soon left the stall.
Shi Yi looked at the four hundred yuan in her hand, slipped it contentedly into her bag, and prepared to pack up for the day.

Just as she mounted her tricycle, the voice of White Tiger startled her so badly she nearly veered into a ditch.
“Host, host, hurry! Go save that police officer from the other day—he’s about to run into the criminal on the path and will be killed!”
What?!
Shi Yi turned her tricycle at once, heart pounding.
“What happened? Didn’t I tell him not to take the shortcut? He promised he wouldn’t—why’d he go that way anyway?”
Shi Yi was frantic, pedaling as fast as she could, flying all the way to the police station.
“Hey! No parking here!”
A security guard poked his head out of the guard booth, shouting brusquely at Shi Yi.
But Shi Yi had no time for formalities. She abandoned her tricycle right outside the station and sprinted off.
She ran along the wall of the police station, heading toward a narrow path.
“Turn right!”
White Tiger guided her in her mind.
Shi Yi dashed to the right. After a while, the sounds of a struggle reached her ears.
“Ma Zhiqiang, I’m telling you to surrender! You’ve only just been released from prison today—don’t make a mistake you’ll regret! If you break the law again, the consequences will be far worse!”
“Hmph, Liang Zhuoqun, you damned cop. I’ve wanted to kill you for a long time. Bet you didn’t expect this—my first act after getting out of prison would be to come for you. Today you’ll die by my hand, and I’ll finally avenge my fallen brothers!”
As he spoke, the chilling whistle of a blade cutting through the air reached Shi Yi.
She panicked, glancing around until she spotted a battered shovel beside a garbage can.
Without hesitation, she seized the shovel and charged into the alley.
“Ma Zhiqiang, if you kill someone now, you’ll never leave prison for the rest of your life! Don’t throw your future away!”
Shi Yi shouted, striding in with the shovel, her silhouette backlit and imposing, like a goddess descending into the fray.
The two men couldn’t make her out clearly, but Ma Zhiqiang—the hulking brute with tattooed arms—spat on the ground, utterly unimpressed by the petite figure before him.
“So it’s just some little woman. Mind your own business, or I’ll kill you too!”
He brandished his fruit knife and lunged at the policeman again.
Liang Zhuoqun was unarmed, and Ma Zhiqiang was out for blood, every move aimed to kill.
Liang Zhuoqun was quickly overpowered; blood began to pour from a deep cut on his arm.

Shi Yi’s eyes darkened. She rushed forward, shovel raised.
“I told you to stop—didn’t you hear me?!”
Bang—
The shovel struck Ma Zhiqiang’s head with a thud.
The metal head of the shovel snapped from its wooden handle and clattered to the ground.
Shi Yi stared down at the stick in her hand, then up at Ma Zhiqiang, who stood there, unscathed. She swallowed hard.
The tattooed brute turned slowly, bloodied knife in hand, his voice ice cold.
“You just don’t know when to quit, do you? Since you insist on meddling, you can join him in hell!”
He raised his knife and lunged at Shi Yi.
“Shi Yi, look out!”
At the police station entrance, the security guard grumbled, dragging the tricycle inside to impound it.
“These young folks have no manners at all—parking right in front of the station like they own the place. She’s practically begging us to confiscate her ride.”
Gu Hansheng, hearing the security guard’s complaints, couldn’t help but chuckle as he stood at the entrance.
“Uncle Zhang, who’s riled you up now? You shouldn’t get so worked up at your age.”
At the sound of the playfully roguish voice, the security guard turned and saw a handsome young man in sportswear, wrist guards on his arms, grinning at him.
“Hansheng! Running late tonight, are we?”
“Yeah, just out for some exercise. The night air’s nice and cool.”
Gu Hansheng’s glance fell on the tricycle.
A big banner on it caught his eye:
“Fortune-telling, 100 yuan per session… If it’s not accurate, no charge…”
He snorted with laughter.
“Whose charlatan tricycle is this? Setting up shop right at the police station—some nerve.”