“You know?!”

Xu Xuewu couldn’t help but blurt out, “Who even are you, acting all high and mighty?”

“Nothing special, just a fortune-teller,” Gu Xicao replied with a smile, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Xu Xuewu. “So, little brother, do you want to confess yourself, or should I tell everyone for you?”

The others froze, their gazes bouncing between Gu Xicao and Xu Xuewu in stunned disbelief.

“Confess? Confess what? Don’t falsely accuse people!”

Despite trying to act tough, Xu Xuewu was only a teenager, and his composure quickly crumbled under Gu Xicao’s piercing gaze. Her expression seemed to see right through him, making him visibly uneasy.

“Really?”

Gu Xicao said, “Are you saying the bloody water wasn’t your doing? All you had to do was pour chicken blood into the pipes beforehand. When the faucet is turned on, it looks like blood is flowing out. It’s easy to distinguish chicken blood from human blood. All it would take is for the police to investigate, and the truth would come out.”

Chicken blood in the pipes? Scaring his own dad with fake bloody water?

Zhou Xiufang stared at Xu Xuewu, her jaw practically on the floor.

Who on earth does something like that? Was he not afraid of scaring his father to death?

“You’re spouting nonsense! I didn’t do it!”

Xu Xuewu’s face turned red as he pointed angrily at Gu Xicao. “Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re a woman!”

Xu Shaowen couldn’t believe his ears. “Master, it can’t possibly be my son. And what about my car’s brakes? They were tampered with. If I had driven it, I could’ve been in a fatal accident!”

“Exactly,” Gu Xicao replied calmly. “But he didn’t plan for you to drive. The tampering was obvious enough for you to notice something was wrong before setting off.”

Her gaze turned toward Xu Xuewu, her expression tinged with disbelief.

She had seen ungrateful children before, but this level of sabotage was a rare spectacle.

Xu Shaowen froze as memories of that day flooded back. He recalled stepping out of his car and seeing Xu Xuewu running toward him. At the time, he had thought it was his son showing concern.

But now, he realized it was completely out of character—Xu Xuewu never saw him off to work. What was he doing in the garage that day?

Xu Shaowen’s face grew pale as the realization set in.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Wang Laoshi asked, “But why? They’re father and son! What could drive him to do such a thing? Do they have some kind of grudge?”

“They do,” Gu Xicao nodded. “Xu Xuewu loves video games. But once he starts, he can’t stop, even skipping school to play. One day, in a fit of rage, Mr. Xu smashed all his gaming equipment, thinking it would make his son change his ways. Instead, Xu Xuewu held a grudge and came up with this elaborate plan to get back at his dad!”

“What?!” Wang Laoshi exclaimed, utterly shocked. He turned to Xu Xuewu, noting his flushed face and guilty expression, and realized Gu Xicao had hit the nail on the head once again.

“All this just because your father destroyed your gaming setup? So you decided to scare him with fake blood and tampered brakes?”

Zhou Xiufang, who had always enjoyed a close relationship with her parents, struggled to comprehend Xu Xuewu’s actions. If she hadn’t witnessed this firsthand, she wouldn’t have believed it.

“Yeah, I scared him. He deserved it!” Xu Xuewu yelled, his voice filled with resentment. “I worked so hard to buy that setup, and he smashed my treasures! Of course, I had to get back at him!”

Pointing at Gu Xicao, he shouted, “This is our family business! It’s none of your concern!”

Gu Xicao glanced at Xu Shaowen. The man, who had looked relatively composed earlier, now appeared completely drained, as though he had aged five years in a matter of minutes.

“So your father smashed your gaming setup, and you wanted revenge. But you nearly got him killed by a gunman. How do you explain that?”

Her voice turned icy as she stared at Xu Xuewu.

Xu Xuewu scoffed. “You’re trying to scare me. My dad is perfectly fine. How could he possibly get shot?”

“It’s true,” Wang Laoshi interjected. “Your father went to Temple Street today to find someone to exorcise the ‘ghosts.’ He happened to cross paths with a shootout between the police and a fugitive. If Xiao Gu hadn’t stopped him, your dad could’ve been hit by a stray bullet.”

Wang Laoshi’s eyes filled with disdain as he swept his gaze over Xu Xuewu.

“Your father’s only fault is loving you too much. Look at you—you wear designer clothes, live in a villa, and even have your own game room. If he didn’t spoil you, how could you have turned into such an ungrateful brat?”

Xu Xuewu’s face turned pale, then red.

He clenched his fists, sweat forming on his forehead. His eyes darted toward Xu Shaowen, his lips trembling as though searching for the right words to say.

“I… I didn’t mean for it to go that far. He deliberately smashed my gaming setup!”

“Enough!”

Xu Shaowen roared, his voice filled with exhaustion.

Xu Xuewu flinched. His father had never raised his voice at him like this before.

Rubbing his temples, Xu Shaowen turned to Gu Xicao. “Thank you, Master. Here’s a token of my appreciation. Please take it. We have things to deal with here, so I won’t see you out.”

“No problem,” Gu Xicao replied instinctively, accepting the thick envelope Xu Shaowen pulled from his briefcase.

Zhou Xiufang and Wang Laoshi tactfully refrained from commenting further on the family drama and followed Gu Xicao out.

The area was bustling, making it easy to hail a cab.

Once inside, Gu Xicao assumed Zhou Xiufang would speak first, but Wang Laoshi broke the silence. “Xiao Gu, what do you think will happen to Xu Shaowen and his son now?”

“That’s hard to say.”

Gu Xicao closed her eyes to rest.

“I finally understand the saying, ‘It’s better to raise a roast pork than a child,’” Zhou Xiufang sighed. “That Mr. Xu clearly dotes on his son, but his son is so petty. Instead of remembering how his father worked hard to provide him with a good life, he holds a grudge because of a broken gaming console.”

“If Mr. Xu is smart, he’ll find a new partner and have another child. It’s not too late at his age,” Wang Laoshi said with a shake of his head, his expression grim.

Back home, Gu Xicao opened the envelope and counted the money. To her surprise, it contained 5,000 yuan.

She was pleasantly surprised. “Tonton,” she addressed the system, “what happened to Xu Shaowen after this? That son of his doesn’t seem likely to change.”

The gossip-loving system chimed in, “Actually, Xu Shaowen has had a romantic interest for years—a divorced elementary school classmate with a daughter. But he gave up on pursuing her because of his son. After this incident, he’ll change his mind and marry her. Her daughter is hardworking, excels in her studies, and knows how to be grateful.”

“Really? That’s great,” Gu Xicao said. “Watching that Xu Xuewu today was infuriating.”

Zhou Xiufang’s earlier sentiment echoed in Gu Xicao’s mind: some children only remember grievances, never gratitude. They hold their parents to saintly standards while holding themselves to none. Such children truly are worse than roast pork—at least roast pork is edible.

After a brief silence, the gossip system suddenly said, “There’s a new scandal. Want to hear it?”

“Of course! Spill it!” Gu Xicao perked up, eagerly tucking the money away and grabbing a bite of her egg tart.

The system replied, “You stole that Master Bai’s client today. He knows and plans to cause trouble for you in two days.”

What?!

Gu Xicao froze, the egg tart suddenly losing its appeal.

How had gossip turned around to bite her instead?

“Wait, what gives him the right? Clients have the freedom to choose who they consult!”

Fuming, she took an angry bite of her egg tart, then paused as a thought struck her. “Hold on, Tonton, didn’t you say you can’t check my gossip?”

“That’s true. But lately, I’ve regained some of my abilities. The more gossip I consume, the faster I recover. You really chose the right profession for me.”

The system sounded excited.

Well, that made sense. What other job could expose someone to so much juicy gossip besides fortune-telling or paparazzi work?

Feeling pleased for a moment, Gu Xicao remembered the looming problem. “What about Master Bai? Is he dangerous?”

“Very,” the system replied. “I found out that so-called master is shady. He’s ruthless and is involved in human trafficking, spreading cult ideologies, and financial fraud…”

What the—?!

Gu Xicao was dumbfounded. This wasn’t just a fortune-teller; it was practically a criminal syndicate!

Faced with such a situation, Gu Xicao immediately chickened out.

Her solution? Call the police!

“Fraud, human trafficking, and prostitution?”

Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian, the two officers she reported to, exchanged incredulous looks. If it hadn’t been Gu Xicao telling them this, they might have turned around and left. What kind of Taoist temple could harbor such crimes?

Gu Xicao nodded earnestly. “Absolutely. I even calculated that they’ve coerced their followers into forcing their children into prostitution.”

Lin Jianyi’s expression darkened. “This is no small matter. If it’s true, this could be a massive case in Hong Kong. Are you sure about your claims?”

“I swear on all the money I’ll earn for the rest of my life!” Gu Xicao held up three fingers. “I’m more genuine than a pearl.”

Sun Zhaoqian exchanged a glance with Lin Jianyi before taking a sip of his milk tea. “We’ll investigate. But what made you suddenly look into Master Bai?”

“Well, it’s a conflict of interest. He tried to scam money, but I intercepted his client.”

Gu Xicao shrugged. “Then I realized he might try to harm me, so I checked him out.”

Lin Jianyi: “…”

Sun Zhaoqian: “…”

If they hadn’t witnessed Gu Xicao’s uncanny accuracy before, they might have walked away from this absurd explanation.

“Alright, we’ll hang around the temple to observe the situation,” Lin Jianyi said. “But cases like this aren’t under our jurisdiction as beat cops. We’ll need solid evidence and approval from our superiors to investigate the temple properly.”

“Be careful,” Gu Xicao warned. “Bai Dashi is dangerous. Don’t let anything slip.”

Lin Jianyi and Sun Zhaoqian were among the more reliable officers Gu Xicao had encountered in Hong Kong. She didn’t want anything to happen to them.

“Don’t worry. We know how to handle ourselves,” Sun Zhaoqian said confidently.

Gu Xicao gave him a long, skeptical look, then turned to Lin Jianyi.

Lin Jianyi chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we stay safe.”

“Good. I’m counting on you,” Gu Xicao said with a relieved smile. “If you crack this case, you might even get promoted!”