After finally dealing with those classmates, the banquet was about to end.
I saw Uncle Hu pull out a plastic bag, secretly stuffing some food inside. I pretended not to notice—there was no breakfast arranged for tomorrow yet, so I figured Uncle Hu had no choice.
Suddenly, I needed to pee. I nodded to Uncle Hu and headed toward the restroom.
On my way back, I overheard raised voices coming from a doorway. The argument sounded strangely familiar.
I'm not one to eavesdrop, but when I caught my name mentioned, I had to stop and listen closely.
The quarrel was between Wang Chaoyang and Li Na.
They were fighting fiercely.
"You bitch, are you still hung up on that Wu Jie? I knew it! You want to be with him again. Today, I saw the way you looked at him—it was wrong!" Wang Chaoyang accused.
"I didn't… I really didn't!" Li Na weakly defended herself.
"You say you didn't? When Wu Jie came in, you kept staring at him. Do you think I didn't see?" Wang Chaoyang snorted coldly.
"Wang Chaoyang, even if I was looking at him, what's it to you? There are so many people in the hall. How do you even know I was looking?" Li Na shot back.
"Smack!" A sharp slap cracked through the air, making my face feel hot just from hearing it.
"Li Na, how dare you talk back? When you chased Wu Jie, he looked down on you. He still does. Even if you stripped naked and lay at his feet, he wouldn't give you a second glance. You're just pathetic!" Wang Chaoyang raged, borderline insane.
"I never wanted to be with you in the first place. You forced me…" Li Na cried.
"Fine! Then today I'll force you again. Let's see what you'll do!"
From inside came Li Na's muffled sobs, followed by the sound of tearing clothes.
I didn't listen any further, just shook my head bitterly and walked away.
Back in school, I hardly ever spoke to Wang Chaoyang or Li Na, but now I realized their relationship wasn't happy at all.
Not that it had anything to do with me.
I exited the hall and met up with Uncle Hu holding the bag.
He gave me a sly grin and said, "Young master, your meals for tomorrow are all set."
Before I could reply, someone called out, "Wu Jie…"
I looked toward the voice and saw Zhang Yun Yao waving at me near the hotel entrance.
Next to her stood a luxury car. Although I'd never ridden in it, I recognized it as a Rolls-Royce—definitely worth a fortune.
Just as I was about to approach, Uncle Hu grabbed my arm and warned, "Young master, don't let her looks make you break your master's rule. Remember, your first business can't be in Yanbei."
"I understand. I'll just talk with her a bit, then come back," I said.
I walked over to Zhang Yun Yao.
She gave a slightly nervous smile and opened the car door. "Wu Jie, shall we talk inside the car?"
"Is this your car?" I asked curiously.
"No, my driver brought me. He had to leave for something," Zhang Yun Yao replied.
"Isn't it risky to talk in the car? What if other classmates see us…" I hesitated.
"There are some things better not heard by others," she explained.
I nodded, having no choice but to get in.
Soon, we sat in the spacious backseat. The car smelled fresh and luxurious. Once the door closed, all outside noise disappeared.
No wonder it's a luxury car—there's a reason for the price.
Once inside, I said, "Zhang Yun Yao, thanks for helping me out today. Otherwise, things would've been really awkward."
"No problem. I told the truth—you really are the disciple of Feng Shui King Li Xuantong. They just don't know it yet," Zhang Yun Yao said.
I nodded, cutting to the chase: "Though you helped me today, I might not be able to help you. My master said before he passed that my first case can't be in Yanbei."
After a pause, I added, "But you can tell me what's going on at your home. I'll analyze it for you, no charge."
A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Zhang Yun Yao's face but disappeared quickly.
"Wu Jie, it seems only you can help me with this," she said carefully.
"No need to be so formal. We're classmates—just call me Wu Jie," I replied.
"Alright, Wu Jie, I'll tell you what's happening at home. Please help me figure it out," Zhang Yun Yao said cautiously.
"Go ahead," I said.
"This is how it is: Our ancestral grave seems to have a problem. Twenty days ago, the pine and cypress trees planted on the grave all withered overnight. Every morning, black mist rises above the grave, uprooting the dead trees. We replant new ones, but they wither again the next day. Since the grave trouble started, my brother has been having nightmares, sometimes sleepwalking. One night he went up to the rooftop alone. If my dad hadn't gotten up to use the bathroom and noticed something was wrong, followed him up, he might have jumped off. It scared the whole family. Now we lock him in his room at night, which helps a bit, but he's too scared to sleep and still has nightmares every night," Zhang Yun Yao recounted breathlessly.
"Nightmares? What kind of nightmares?" I asked, curious.
"Suicide dreams. He dreams every night about jumping off a high building and hitting the ground. He says the feeling is so real, it's like he actually jumped and it's very painful. We hired several feng shui masters to check the grave, and they all said the ancestral tomb is cursed. They even tried rearranging the feng shui, but nothing improved—if anything, it got worse. My father's been affected too, recently distracted and nearly got hit by a car walking down the street yesterday," Zhang Yun Yao said with lingering fear.
I pondered for a moment, then asked, "Have you tried relocating the grave to a better feng shui site?"
"We tried that too… but when the workers started digging, after less than a meter, blood seeped out of the ground. They were too scared to continue," she said.