I Rule Fortune-Telling Livestreams-Chapter 41: You Can’t Escape

The handsome roommate was astonished. "She’s your daughter!?"

The old woman’s hair was white, her face a web of wrinkles. She looked old enough to be their great-grandmother!

’But isn’t Mu Bao a sweet young girl? Did this woman have her late in life?’

Ziyou didn’t care about any of that. He’d only heard one thing: Mu Bao was her daughter. He was ecstatic. "Mu Bao really is here! I want to see Mu Bao!"

"Alright. Follow me inside."

The old woman turned and walked toward the inner room, the two boys following close behind.

The courtyard was utterly desolate. There was nothing in it but a tall locust tree, shrouded in moonlight.

[Why does this courtyard feel so eerie? There’s no warmth at all. It feels like no living person has been here in a long, long time.]

[Locust trees attract ghosts. Of course the yard feels cold and spooky!]

[Aaaah! Stop it, that’s terrifying!]

[Did you guys notice the two white lanterns hanging by the door? In my village, when someone dies, you have to hang white lanterns for three years. That means someone in this family must have died in the last three years.]

[Also, did you notice all the spiderwebs inside? If a living person lived here, they’d definitely clean regularly. I’m guessing this old lady isn’t alive.]

[No kidding. Chen Family Village hasn’t had any living people for ten years! Of course that old hag isn’t alive!]

The moment Ziyou stepped into the courtyard, he felt a chill. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees in an instant.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he tugged his handsome roommate’s arm, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Doesn’t this old woman look a little... familiar?"

The handsome roommate thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, she does."

He nodded.

’Where have we seen her before?’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

For a moment, neither of them could recall where.

The old woman led them down a corridor and stopped before a room. "Mu Bao is in here."

With that, she pushed the door open.

Both boys jumped when they saw what was inside.

It was set up exactly like a memorial hall.

In the dim light, a black-and-white memorial portrait hung on the wall. It was flanked by two red candles, with all sorts of offerings arranged below it.

Ziyou froze, as if dealt a massive blow. A moment later, his eyes welled up with tears.

"Impossible! This can’t be possible! You damned old hag, you’re lying to me, aren’t you!? She can’t be dead! You’re lying!"

With that, Ziyou grabbed the old woman by the collar, his eyes filled with a vicious glint.

"Believe it or not!" The old woman shoved Ziyou away, walked to the portrait, and raised a hand to stroke the image on the wall.

The girl in the portrait was thin and plain-looking, with a large scar across her neck.

This was a world away from the stunningly beautiful girl with an extraordinary air from Ziyou’s dreams.

"No! This isn’t Mu Bao! My Mu Bao isn’t this plain! You damned old hag, where on earth did you take the real Mu Bao?!" Ziyou denied it again and again, spewing curses.

The old woman produced a diary from behind her back and walked toward Ziyou. "The girl from your dreams... Chen Muzhe..."

Chen Muzhe had been their high school classmate. She was Ziyou’s deskmate.

She was an inconspicuous girl who always hid her face behind her hair.

She was introverted, didn’t talk much, and would blush whenever she saw a boy. She had suddenly transferred out during the second semester of their freshman year.

’But how could Chen Muzhe be appearing in my dreams? What in the world is going on?!’

[HOLY CRAP! Look at his face! It’s clearly her. The girl on the wall is the same one from Ziyou’s dreams! But look at her, she’s no great beauty, is she!?]

[Ghosts can take on any form when they enter your dreams.]

[I see. This is just like getting catfished!]

[This damn lonely ghost, tricking someone’s feelings like that? And she’s so ugly! Bro, just run!]

[This is for the best. She’s already dead. If she were gorgeous, Ziyou might never have been able to forget her.]

Ziyou’s beautiful dream shattered in an instant.

He had fantasized countless times about meeting her in real life, but he’d never imagined she was dead. And not just dead—someone he actually knew!

It was just... too ridiculous!

Too absurd!

He raised his sleeve to wipe the tears from his face, slowly regaining his composure through his trembling.

The old woman took Ziyou’s hand and placed the diary in it. "This was my daughter’s diary from when she was alive. Please, read it..."

Ziyou opened the diary. Page after page, entry after entry, the thick journal was filled with a young girl’s unrequited love for a boy—a love that was fanatical, obsessive, even pathological.

Only then did Ziyou realize...

...just how much this girl, whose name he couldn’t even remember, had liked him during their freshman year.

She even knew his hobbies, his favorite foods and movies, and all of his little habits.

The old woman said through a choked sob, "My daughter truly, always liked you so much. When the curse of the Chen Family Village fell upon her, when the pain kept her awake all night, she got through it by looking at your picture... Sir, you’ve been with my girl in your dreams for over a year now, haven’t you? My daughter may be plain, but she has a truly good heart... The fact that you came all this way must mean you’ve fallen for her too... My daughter said she wants to marry you... to be with you forever..."

The old woman took Ziyou’s hand, her gaze burning into him.

The handsome roommate roared, "Are you delusional?! Your daughter is dead! How is she supposed to marry Little Feng? Are you fucking kidding us?!"

"You can have a ghost marriage. If you’re willing, you can stay here tonight... You could hold the wedding tomorrow evening..."

"Are you insane?! Little Feng is a living person! He’s flesh and blood! How could he possibly have a ghost marriage with your daughter!" The handsome roommate yanked Ziyou’s hand back.

Ziyou stumbled back several steps. "There’s no way I’m having a ghost marriage with your daughter! Give up on that idea!"

’If it were the girl from my dreams, I might have considered it. But with Chen Muzhe... I can’t do it!’

The old woman asked excitedly, "But didn’t you accept my daughter’s proposal?"

Ziyou retorted furiously, "Dreams are dreams, and reality is reality! Your daughter is that ugly and she wants to marry me? In her dreams! I’d rather die than marry her! And you keep saying your daughter liked me, but she wasn’t even willing to show me her real face! She pretended to be someone else to get close to me. What is that if not a lie?!"

"My daughter was just afraid you would reject her because of her looks. That’s why she did it..."

The handsome roommate said, "Ma’am, I know you love your daughter, but you can’t force matters of the heart. We’re sorry, but we’ll be leaving now."

With that, he took Ziyou’s hand to leave.

The old woman’s chilling voice came from behind them. "How can you go back on a promise? You can’t run."