Chapter 61
"A fortune teller?"
Grandma Qiao looked at Xu Gui in surprise, then asked with great interest, "So what can you calculate? If something is lost, can you figure out where it was lost?"
"Of course!" Xu Gui replied without hesitation, his expression confident and proud.
“No matter what it is, even if it's something you've lost, if I want to know, I can definitely figure it out. I can figure out anything. What's wrong, Auntie? Did you lose something?” she asked.
Upon hearing this, although no one was home and the children were playing inside, Grandma Qiao still carefully looked around before leaning closer to Xu Gui and whispering:
“I lost a gold bracelet that my daughter-in-law gave me. I don’t know where it went. I can’t find it no matter how hard I look. I don’t dare tell Mingyue about it, because I’m afraid she will overthink it.”
This bracelet was a gift from her daughter-in-law, Xue Mingyue, for her birthday two years ago. It weighs about 70 or 80 grams and is set with diamonds and colored beads. I heard it cost tens of thousands of yuan back then.
Grandma Qiao was very happy to receive the bracelet, but because she knew it was too expensive, she didn't dare to wear it for fear of losing it, so she put it away somewhere.
But, this thing has been sitting for so long that I've forgotten where I put it.
With gold prices soaring recently, Qiaoqiao's grandmother heard about it from someone a while ago, which reminded her of the item. However, when she got home, she searched high and low for several days but couldn't find the bracelet.
"The bracelet is valuable, but the most important thing is that it was a gift from Mingyue! I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I really can't remember where I put it."
Grandma Qiao looked very worried. She said to Xu Gui and the others, "You know, this is a gift from the child. If she finds out that I lost this bracelet, how disappointed she will be? She'll probably think that this old woman doesn't care about her feelings."
For this reason, although Grandma Qiao was anxious, she didn't dare tell the children about it and secretly searched the house by herself.
But it's been two months since she discovered the bracelet was missing, and she's practically turned the whole city of Kathmandu upside down, but she still hasn't found it.
"I guess I'm really getting old and senile. I clearly remember putting it away properly, but I just can't remember where I put it." As she spoke, she looked at Xu Gui expectantly and said, "You said you can tell fortunes, so can you help me figure out where I put this bracelet? If it's really lost, how can I face my daughter-in-law in the future?"
Xu Gui nodded: "Okay... but I pay first, then I'll do the fortune telling."
Xu Gui stated that he treats everyone equally, regardless of age or gender. If you want your fortune told, you have to pay first to avoid any disputes after the reading. It would be a huge loss if you were scolded and didn't get your money.
Grandma Qiao was clearly not the type to make trouble unnecessarily. Hearing Xu Gui say this, she nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, we should pay first. How much is it per session?"
After learning the price from Xu Gui, she didn't hesitate and paid the money directly.
Upon receiving the money, Xu Gui immediately helped Grandma Qiao Qiao calculate the value of the bracelet. After finishing the calculation, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.
"Well, have you figured out where I put my bracelet?" Grandma Qiao asked immediately when she saw the change in her expression.
Xu Gui glanced at the old woman and said, "I guess I've figured it out, but your bracelet is no longer in this house."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Qiao was a little confused. She said anxiously, "How could it not be in this house? After I received it, I only wore it at home for a while. I never wore it outside. Even if it was lost, it should have been left at home! You, you must have miscalculated?"
Seeing Grandma Qiao's anxious look, Xu Gui quickly said, "Don't worry, let me tell you first. Did your brother's child, your niece, come to your house before? You even gave her a bag then."
Xu Gui's words were guiding, and as Grandma Qiao listened, her thoughts unconsciously began to reminisce, following her words.
“Yes,” she recalled, nodding, “My niece did come to my house last year. She got into a university here and was going to study here. Before registering, she stayed at our house for a few days. At that time… I think I gave her a bag.”
Grandma Qiao remembered, there seems to be such a thing.
Their family is quite well-off, mainly because their son is successful and their daughter-in-law is very filial to her, buying her things from time to time, from expensive jewelry to a simple bouquet of flowers. Occasionally, Xue Mingyue will also buy her some bags, so even though she is old, she has several bags.
Grandma Qiao Qiao remembers that when the child went to school, she packed a bunch of things for the child to take with her. To make it easier, she also took one of her own large bags for the child to carry to school.
Recalling this, Grandma Qiao took a breath. She looked at Xu Gui and asked, "Could it be that I put that bracelet in that bag and Yao Yao took it away?"
—Yaoyao is the nickname of Qiaoqiao's grandmother's niece.
Xu Gui nodded to her: "The bracelet is in that bag."
Grandma Qiao Qiao: !
The next second, she jumped to her feet and said anxiously, "What should we do? Did Yao Yao already throw that bag away?"
If it gets lost, the gold bracelet inside the bag... Just thinking about it made Grandma Qiao feel a little breathless.
Seeing her anxiety, Xu Gui comforted her, "Don't worry, I figured the bag is still with your niece, but..."
"But what?" Grandma Qiao's heart tightened.
Xu Gui said, "That bracelet is probably no longer in that bag."
Grandma Qiao felt a pang of anxiety again.
Xu Gui said, "If I'm not mistaken, that bracelet has already been secretly taken by your niece's roommate." Although she said "if," her tone was extremely certain, after all, she had calculated it herself, and it was absolutely correct.
Grandma Qiaoqiao felt a wave of dizziness: "What should we do then?"
Xu Gui glanced outside at the bright sun and felt reluctant to move from the sofa. He said, "If you're willing to wait, I'll accompany you to your niece's school this afternoon after the sun goes down."
Grandma Qiao: "Can't we do it now?"
Xu Gui: "...It's too hot now. I think I'll get sunburned if I go out."
Seeing her serious expression, Grandma Qiaoqiao was both amused and exasperated, and sighed, "Then I'll trouble you this afternoon."
...
When Xue Mingyue returned, she saw her mother-in-law and Xu Guizheng chatting happily. Her mother-in-law treated Xu Guizheng very well, and they seemed to be as close as mother and daughter.
Seeing her return, Grandma Qiaoqiao quickly stood up and said, "Mingyue, you're back! Little Turtle has been waiting for you for so long."
Xue Mingyue: Little turtle?
"Hello, Miss Xue." Xu Gui also stood up and greeted Xue Mingyue.
Xue Mingyue placed her bag and car keys on the table, looked at Xu Gui, and went straight to the point, asking, "Ms. Xu, you said on the phone earlier that you had something to tell me about our Qiaoqiao. What is it?"
Xu Gui looked around and saw Grandma Qiao standing to one side, and suggested, "Why don't we go inside and talk?"
Xue Mingyue followed her gaze to Grandma Qiao, and after thinking for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, come with me." She led Xu Gui to her and her husband's bedroom.
Grandma Qiao looked at the person filming and asked, "Are you isolating me?"
The photographer added, "Me too." However, he also understood what Xu Gui meant. What happened to Qiao Qiao would be unacceptable to any family that truly loves their child. Qiao Qiao's grandmother was too old to talk to her about it.
Grandma Qiaoqiao looked somewhat unconvinced, but upon closer inspection, one could see that beneath that unconvinced expression lay a deep sense of worry.
She wasn't stupid; she naturally noticed Xu Gui's evasive attitude.
Since it concerned her granddaughter, and Xu Gui was being so secretive, how could Grandma Qiao not overthink it? She glanced at Xue Mingyue and her son's bedroom, concealing the worry and anxiety in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Xue Mingyue had already led Xu Gui into the bedroom.
"Can you tell me now?" She turned to look at Xu Gui.
Xu Gui nodded, looked at Xue Mingyue, and said, "I heard a secret from Xiaomin today."
Under Xue Mingyue's questioning gaze, she said, "Xiaomin said that Qiaoqiao told her that the uncle from Baba Dance Teacher's family always touches Qiaoqiao's body..."
Xue Mingyue's expression froze as she stared at Xu Gui in disbelief.
...
"Clang!"
A loud noise suddenly came from the bedroom. Grandma Qiaoqiao was startled by the noise and instinctively ran to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Mingyue, what happened?" she asked nervously.
The bedroom was quiet for a few seconds, then Xue Mingyue's calm voice came from inside: "It's okay, Mom. I just lost my balance and almost fell, knocking the vase off the bedside table."
Grandma Qiao asked anxiously, "Are you and Miss Xu alright? Do you want me to come in and help tidy up?"
"No, it's nothing." Xue Mingyue took a deep breath and replied to her mother-in-law, "Don't worry, we're all fine. I'll take care of things myself later."
Grandma Qiao hesitated, her worry deepening.
Inside the room, Xue Mingyue, her eyes red, stood by the bed, staring intently at Xu Gui, and asked, "Are you sure what you're saying is true?"
In truth, she believed 99% of what Xu Gui said, but she still held onto a 1% hope that Xu Gui was wrong—no mother would want her child to encounter such a thing.
Xu Gui looked at her in silence.
Hopes dashed.
Xue Mingyue clenched her fists tightly at her sides, her mind gripped by immense anger. She wanted to scream and shout, but thinking of her mother-in-law outside the door and the children playing in the next room, she closed her eyes tightly and suppressed all her emotions.
A few seconds later, she slumped onto the bed, regretting, "Why didn't I notice this before? I deserve to die!"
Suddenly, she remembered something and jumped up from the bed. Xu Gui watched her rush out of the bedroom and into Qiao Qiao's room. At that moment, four children were playing in the room, which was filled with laughter.
Xue Mingyue stood at the door, staring blankly at the innocent smile on Qiao Qiao's face.
"Mom..." Qiaoqiao looked up and saw her, her face lighting up with surprise. She ran over and said, "Mom, you're off work?"
Xue Mingyue smiled at her, led her to her bedroom, and then squatted down to be at eye level with her daughter.
"Qiaoqiao..." She reached out and touched her daughter's head, gave her a forced smile, and asked, "Qiaoqiao, have you been enjoying dancing in class lately?"
Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Happy."
Xue Mingyue noticed her hesitation for a few seconds and said, "Qiaoqiao, do you remember what your mother told you? Your mother said that no matter what happens, Qiaoqiao, you must tell your mother. You can't hide it from your mother!"
She looked at her daughter and asked seriously, "Qiaoqiao, tell Mom, is there some secret you haven't told Mom?"
Qiao Qiao hesitated.
Xue Mingyue said, "If you tell Mom now, Mom won't be angry. But if Mom finds out later that Qiaoqiao has been hiding something from Mom, Mom will not only be angry, but also very sad, so sad that she'll want to cry."
Thinking about what her daughter might have gone through, her eyes reddened even more. To Qiaoqiao, this appearance looked like she was about to cry, and Qiaoqiao's eyes also reddened.
"Mom, I'm sorry, Qiaoqiao has a secret I haven't told you." Qiaoqiao's eyes were brimming with tears as she said, "Qiaoqiao didn't mean to not tell you, it's just that Uncle said I couldn't tell you, that it's a secret between him and me, so Qiaoqiao didn't tell you!"
Xue Mingyue tried her best to keep her expression from being too unpleasant, so as not to frighten the child. She gritted her teeth and asked, "What secret is it?"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Qiaoqiao said, "Every time after class, the uncle hugs Qiaoqiao and touches her... Mom, what's wrong?"
Seeing the barely concealed expression on Xue Mingyue's face, Qiaoqiao became a little scared and cautiously asked, "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" As she spoke, she reached out her small hand and gently touched Xue Mingyue's forehead.
The moment Xue Mingyue felt her daughter's palm touch her forehead, she could no longer hold back her emotions, and tears streamed down her face.
She reached out and hugged her daughter tightly, hiding the almost ferocious look on her face. She asked softly, "Qiaoqiao, that uncle, did he do anything to you besides touching your body?"
Qiaoqiao shook her head blankly: "No."
Hearing this, Xue Mingyue's heart, which had been pounding in her chest, finally settled down. She hugged her daughter, crying and laughing at the same time, her heart filled with relief: Thank goodness, thank goodness it wasn't that serious, otherwise...
Otherwise, she would definitely kill that guy!
A murderous rage flashed in Xue Mingyue's eyes.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Qiaoqiao asked again.
Xue Mingyue took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress her surging emotions—she didn't want her emotions to frighten her daughter. If possible, she wanted her child to grow up carefree and without suffering any difficulties or humiliation.
But now, right under her nose, this has happened... Xue Mingyue felt extremely resentful.
She suppressed her emotions, wiped away her tears, and smiled at her daughter, saying, "Mom is fine. Mom just suddenly misses our Qiaoqiao."
Qiaoqiao smiled and hugged her neck, saying sweetly, "Qiaoqiao misses her mother too."
Xue Mingyue smiled, said a few words to her casually, and then told her to go back and play with her friends. Qiaoqiao seemed a little worried about her because she had just cried. As she left, she kept turning back and asking, "Mom, do you really not want Qiaoqiao to stay with you? Qiaoqiao will make you happy!"
Xue Mingyue smiled and pointed at Xu Gui, saying, "Mom and this older sister still have something to talk about. Qiaoqiao and Xiaomin, go play."
Qiaoqiao replied dejectedly, "Okay."
Xue Mingyue saw her off. After the child left, her suppressed emotions finally broke down. She cried, "That man, how could he do this? Qiaoqiao is just a child! That beast, that animal!"
Xu Gui said, "You said it yourself, he's a beast. No one would be surprised if a beast did something."
Xue Mingyue took another deep breath, looked at Xu Gui, and said, "Miss Xu, thank you for telling me this."
Xue Mingyue felt somewhat fortunate that Xu Gui had discovered the matter at this time and told her about it. She couldn't imagine what would have happened to her Qiaoqiao if Xu Gui hadn't been there and things had continued to develop like this.
The thought of that possibility made Xue Mingyue feel like she was about to have a stroke, and she felt even more grateful to Xu Gui.
"Thank you so much!" she said, then added, "I know you charge for fortune telling, but I'll give you the money now. You have a QR code, right?"
Xu Gui: ?
"Are you my fan?" She looked at Xue Mingyue strangely. Otherwise, how would she know that Xue Mingyue charged money for fortune telling and that she carried a QR code with her?
Xue Mingyue smiled and said, "Do new fans count as fans? If so, then I'll count as your fan too."
Under Xu Gui's surprised gaze, she explained, "After you contacted me, I watched some of your videos, which were edited by your fans. I watched quite a few of them."
"Huh? What video?" Xu Gui asked curiously.
Xue Mingyue: "Haven't you seen it? The other party's editing skills are very good, very professional, and the pacing is also very good. The whole video is very smooth to watch. Even someone like me who doesn't know you is enjoying it."
As she spoke, she took out her phone, opened the app, and showed Xu Gui the clip from a netizen: "Look, this is the person."
Xu Gui took out her phone, found the ID, and secretly followed the person, planning to check it out herself when she had time. However, what she called "secretly" was seen as "open and aboveboard" by the many netizens who followed her.
For fans, their idol's every move online is magnified many times over, and even the slightest disturbance will be noticed. Therefore, when Xu Gui followed someone, it was discovered by her fans, who had been closely monitoring her activity, within seconds.
[What did I just see? Xu Gui followed someone? This is the first time she's ever followed someone online!! Who on earth is this person?]
[“Loves eating houttuynia cordata”, this is a top-tier fan of Xu Gui. She has edited many videos of Xu Gui, the most viewed of which has already exceeded five million views. You guys don’t know her?]
So, is Xu Gui secretly surfing the internet now? Ah, she's not watching the live streams, so she's starting to neglect her duties, huh?
[It seems she went to deal with that little girl's matter. Because it involves a child, that's why she hasn't been livestreaming. Didn't you notice that the replays of her livestream this morning that were uploaded to the system have been deleted? It's probably to protect the child.]
[Thumbs up to the production team! The video of that child really shouldn't have been kept. The child is so young. If people around her saw this, there would definitely be some despicable people pointing fingers at her and her family. It's better to take it all down.]
So let's all stop discussing this and let it pass quietly. Don't give it any attention.
Xu Gui had already anticipated what netizens were thinking. After hearing Xiao Min's secret, she immediately removed the recording device, so netizens didn't hear what happened afterward.
At this moment, she couldn't help but feel glad that she had asked the paparazzi to blur the faces of everyone except herself, so no one knew Xiaomin and the others' faces. This way, apart from familiar people, netizens were also very sure who "Qiaoqiao" was.
However, because she was still worried, she had the cameraman contact the director again—by this time, she had already learned about the relationship between the cameraman and the director; the director was the cameraman's uncle, so contacting him was very convenient.
After the director saw the message from his nephew, he curled his lips and said, "I knew it. This girl won't be at ease until she causes me some trouble."
He sounded disgusted, but then immediately ordered his staff to take down the replay of Xu Gui's live stream from that morning.
The assistant director muttered: Stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside!
If we're talking about someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, then their director is the perfect example.
*
Xu Gui and Xue Mingyue didn't stay in the house for long. When they came out, Grandma Qiaoqiao, who had been waiting outside, came over and looked at Xue Mingyue with a scrutinizing gaze, especially at Xue Mingyue's red and swollen eyes.
However, she didn't ask anything, but just smiled and said, "I've already prepared the food, you can eat now."
Then she called the four children out of the house, helped them wash their hands, and then let them sit at the dining table to eat. Before that, Qiaoqiao's grandmother had contacted the parents of Xiaomin and the other two children and told them that the children would stay at their house for lunch.
The four children got along well, and as a result, their families also got along well. It was common for the children to eat at each other's homes, so the parents of the other three families didn't have any objections.
Xu Guihe, who was following the filming, also benefited from the meal. He had lunch at their house, and after lunch, they prepared to leave.
Grandma Qiao asked Xu Gui, "Little Turtle, where do you live? I'll come to your place this afternoon."
Xue Mingyue looked at the two of them with suspicion and asked, "Mom, is there something you need from Miss Xu?"
Grandma Qiao chuckled and explained, "Little Turtle can tell fortunes, so I plan to go to her in the afternoon when the weather is cooler to have her tell me some things."
Xue Mingyue was still suspicious, her probing gaze shifting back and forth between the two of them, and said, "Is that so?"
Grandma Qiao, afraid that she wouldn't believe her, nodded vigorously: "Yes!"
“Okay,” Xue Mingyue seemed to believe her, then asked, “But Mom, what do you want to calculate?”
Grandma Qiao: "It's just a little thing. Ah, it's that your father-in-law said before that his father said he left something for our family, but he left before he could say it. I wanted to ask Xiao Gui to help me figure out where this thing is."
Xue Mingyue's father-in-law's father, who is also the grandfather of Xue Mingyue's husband.
Xue Mingyue: "Isn't health supposed to be something that doesn't even exist?"
Grandma Qiao Qiao: "Didn't we just happen to run into the little turtle? We might as well give it a shot; who knows, we might get one!"
Xue Mingyue nodded in agreement.
Grandma Qiao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she had gotten away with it. She gave Xu Gui a wink, and Xu Gui chuckled to himself.
"Let me see you downstairs," Xue Mingyue said, escorting Xu Gui and the others down the stairs.
Xu Gui glanced at her and saw that her expression had calmed down, as if she had recovered from her anger. He then asked her, "What do you plan to do about the dance class?"
Xue Mingyue said, "That person dared to do such a thing to Qiaoqiao, so it's very likely that this wasn't the first time he'd done it. There must be other victims as well. So, I plan to contact other children and former students from the dance class."
Once she finds the relevant evidence and witnesses, she will strike decisively, ruining Kang He's reputation and turning him into a fugitive, hated by everyone online and in real life.
Oh, I forgot to mention Xue Mingyue's profession. She works in new media, and her main business is related to online promotion. No one knows better than her how to spread a message.
"Considering Qiaoqiao, I won't take the initiative to get involved in this matter," she said. Although she really wanted to tear this guy apart with her own hands, she had to consider Qiaoqiao's reputation and the world's opinion.
Of course, she doesn't want Qiaoqiao to go to dance class lately, and she'll find an excuse to ask for leave for her.
Seeing that she understood, Xu Gui didn't say anything more.
Xue Mingyue escorted Xu Gui and the others all the way to the entrance of the residential area. Xu Gui was really afraid of the heat. Looking at the bright sun outside and feeling the scorching temperature on her skin, she felt that she could not stand it at all. In just a few steps, she felt like she had melted in the sun.
—Li Ya was right, the temperature gets higher as noon approaches.
Fortunately, the car they had called was already waiting at the entrance of the residential area. Once inside the car, Xu Gui felt like she had come back to life. However, the thought of having to continue setting up her stall under the overpass later suddenly made her feel a sense of injustice, as if her life was miserable.
"What kind of family would let their turtle bask in the sun outside in this weather?" This is blatant turtle abuse!!
Xu Gui's eyes darted around, and suddenly an idea came to him.
“I’m planning to go back to the hotel. Let’s go back to work at the hotel!” she said to the cameraman, her tone very serious.
Hearing this, the photographer looked at her with some surprise and said, "I thought you would have said this earlier, Teacher Xu."
Xu Gui: ?
The photographer naturally remarked, "Your reluctance to be in the sun and your hatred of the sun are written all over your face. When you came out of the Spring Dance Class, I thought you would go straight back to the hotel. I didn't expect you to insist on saying it until now."
After finishing his report, the photographer couldn't help but exclaim, "Professor Xu, you have an even greater sense of responsibility than I imagined."
Xu Gui: Feeling guilty.
Actually, she's not that responsible.
When she finished her spring dance class, she did have the idea of going home. If it weren't for Qiaoqiao's situation, she would have run away long ago.
Hmm, looking at it this way, she really is a very responsible turtle. Although she had the idea of running away halfway through, she didn't actually run away. As the saying goes, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Her actions show that she is indeed a very responsible turtle.
Xu Gui thought this way and perked up again.
“You’re right,” she said, looking at the cameraman with an appreciative eye. “I am indeed very responsible.”
I don't understand why she suddenly became so proud while being followed by the camera.
However, their teacher, Ms. Xu, is quite proud every day, so it's not really that strange.
When Xu Gui started broadcasting again, fans discovered that she had moved to a different platform.
"It's too hot outside. I think it's better to work from home. There's air conditioning, so it's very cool!"
Having been in human society for less than a month, Xu Gui has already come to understand the charm of working from home.
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