Si Jiangchen assumed an intimate posture like lovers and uttered those chilling words.
On this hot summer day, I felt as if a bucket of ice - cold water had been poured down my back. My teeth couldn't help chattering.
"Scared?"
Noticing that my face had turned deathly pale, he actually playfully took a bite on my lips. I instinctively raised my hand to tug at his hair, but he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back.
"Remember, be a good girl and you might still have a chance to live."
He seemed to effortlessly restrain me, leaving me completely immobilized.
"If you ever dare to think about running away again, not only you..."
Si Jiangchen slowly let go of me but stared deeply into my eyes. "The old Mr. Du in the hospital won't be saved either!"
"You!! You're a psycho!!"
I never expected him to be so despicable, targeting my grandpa. Leaning against the wall, I tightly clutched the hem of my T - shirt. "I... I'm going to expose you, you monster!!"
"Be my guest!"
Si Jiangchen didn't take my threat seriously at all. He looked up at the sun that had just peeked above the horizon and calmly said, "I've been called a monster for quite a while. Go ahead and expose me. If even one person believes you, I'll admit defeat..."
"..."
I was so furious that I couldn't speak. In all my years, I'd never met such a shameless man.
Si Jiangchen glanced at the suitcase I'd abandoned beside me. "Since you've packed up, come with me."
"No!! I haven't packed properly!"
I immediately shook my head instinctively. "I was going to visit my grandpa. I didn't bring anything for summoning souls. Also... yesterday, my compass got broken, and I can't locate ghosts without it!"
As I spoke, my eyes involuntarily drifted to Si Jiangchen's chiseled face.
Strange... Clearly, my compass had left a cut over an inch long on his face yesterday. But now, there wasn't a single scar, not even a red mark!
Monster! He's definitely a monster!!!
Suddenly, I remembered a story from Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio.
A ghost wore a beautiful - woman's skin. When injured by a Taoist priest, it went to its lover's study, used a paintbrush to cover the wound, and then put on the skin again. After that, the wound was completely healed, and it was still a gorgeous beauty.
This man in front of me, who was so good - looking that it was hard to look away, was probably such a monster. Just thinking that there might be a hideous demon beneath his handsome exterior gave me goosebumps all over.
"You can just buy another one."
Si Jiangchen ignored my refusal. His subordinate had already gone to pick up my luggage and was about to put it in the car parked at the alley entrance.
"No way!"
I rushed forward and grabbed the suitcase. "The compass is a family heirloom. Without it, I can't find the souls' resting places and can't summon them..."
"One million."
Si Jiangchen seemed impatient. He interrupted me before I could finish explaining. "Is that enough?"
"… Uh, enough for what?!"
I had no concept of one million. I just had the intuition that there were a lot of zeros after that number.
"Enough to repair your family - heirloom compass?"
Si Jiangchen raised his eyebrows.
"… It seems, almost…"
In our line of work, we never keep much money.
Whether it's fortune - telling or exorcising ghosts, no master with real skills is wealthy.
Feng - shui masters who peek into the secrets of heaven will suffer the retribution of the Five Disadvantages and Three Losses.
They'll be lonely, widowed, or poor for a lifetime.
The money we earn is the price for revealing the secrets of heaven. No matter how much it is, we can't keep it and have to spend it quickly.
Du Wenzhong's illness this time was because he wanted to save money to buy me a small apartment in Beijing.
He thought it wasn't proper for a girl like me to always be drifting around. I needed a stable place to call home.
In Beijing, it's hard to live with so many people.
Even though our shop had good business for over a year, we only managed to save 100,000 yuan, which wasn't even enough to buy a bathroom in the city.
However, just because of this little savings, Du Wenzhong had an accident.
Before the money could be deposited into the bank, my grandpa suddenly had a stroke and was hospitalized. The blood vessel in his left brain burst, and he had a large - scale hemorrhage. His condition was extremely critical. The doctor immediately issued a critical - condition notice, and he was rushed into the operating room from the emergency department.
After I rushed around to pay the deposit and hospitalization fees, there were only 250 yuan left of the 100,000 yuan...
Now, not only could we not buy a house, but we also had problems paying the rent and buying food.
That's why I took the risk to accept Si Tong's commission to exorcise the ghost for his father!
This little rascal paid so much!!
Thirty thousand yuan... We might not earn that much even after three years of "swindling"!
I won't deny that I'm money - grubbing. As the saying goes, money makes the mare go.
I'm human, and I naturally have more worldly desires than ghosts.
I want to live comfortably, eat well, and get Du Wenzhong better quickly...
Which of these doesn't require money?!
Hearing Si Jiangchen's "one million", I didn't even have time to count how many zeros were after the one. I nodded eagerly in agreement.
Hearing my affirmative answer, Si Jiangchen signaled his assistant.
The assistant immediately rushed over with a small box and handed it to me. "Miss Du, here's your stuff."
"Ah? Mine?"
I took the box in surprise. When I opened it, I found my compass, which had been horribly damaged.
However, I had to admire how meticulous Si Jiangchen's subordinates were. They not only collected the base and the magnetic needle of the compass but also picked up the fragments of the crystal cover on the compass pool bit by bit and wrapped them in a soft cloth.
"How long will it take to repair?"
Noticing the mixed look of grief and joy on my face as I stared at the compass, Si Jiangchen frowned slightly. "Si Tong's birthday is on the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month."
"…"
I held the compass and calculated with my right - thumb for a while. "There are still eighteen days. It should be enough time... But!"
I changed the subject and looked up at the tall man in front of me. "You can't interfere with me. No matter where I go or what I do, you can't interfere. Otherwise..."
As I spoke, my eyes met his deep, bottomless eyes. The usual jargon I was used to saying got stuck in my throat and I swallowed it back.
"Otherwise what?"
Si Jiangchen looked at me with increasing interest, as if I were a lamb that had unwittingly stepped into a deadly trap.
"Otherwise..."
I was so angry at Si Jiangchen's attitude of treating me like a fool. But thinking of the one - million - yuan promise, I had to hold back. I just kept the words "then just wait for that little rascal to kick the bucket" in my mouth.
Suddenly, Si Jiangchen squinted his eyes and leaned in. I tried to dodge desperately while shouting, "First unfreeze the card Si Tong gave me. Otherwise, Mr. Si's reputation will be ruined by that measly 300,000 yuan!!"