“How did you know I was thinking about having a child?” Gu Hua asked, clearly surprised.

“When you sat down, your eyes kept drifting toward the woman outside holding a baby, and then you wrote the character ‘子’ (child). I guessed you were worried because you’ve been married for years without having a child.”

“No, that’s not it,” Gu Hua denied, picking up her cup to hide her emotions.

“You’re pregnant, so you shouldn’t drink that. It’s full of additives,” Yu Ning cautioned.

Gu Hua immediately set the cup down.

“That’s impossible. I went to the doctor just last month—” She stopped herself, realizing she was saying too much.

But despite her denial, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes as her hand instinctively moved to her belly.

“There’s a pharmacy next door. Get a pregnancy test, and I’ll wait here,” Yu Ning said confidently, sipping her lemon water. “Once the test confirms it, we can continue our conversation.”

Ten minutes later, Gu Hua came out of the bathroom, her face full of joy but still at a loss for words as she looked at Yu Ning.

“Can we talk now, Ms. Gu?”

Gu Hua nodded and sat down across from Yu Ning, ready to tell her story.

Gu Hua had been married to her husband for ten years and had never been able to have a child. She had taken numerous traditional Chinese medicines, consulted with Western doctors, but nothing worked.

Her husband had always been considerate, never bringing up the issue, even suggesting that living child-free (DINK) wasn’t a bad option. However, the pressure from her mother-in-law had been mounting, and Gu Hua was constantly on edge.

Half a month ago, Gu Hua saw her husband going into a hotel with another woman. Heartbroken, she thought the marriage had become meaningless and decided divorce would be better.

But today, Yu Ning had easily predicted her pregnancy, leaving Gu Hua confused and conflicted.

“How exactly did you figure it out?” Gu Hua asked.

“When you arrived, I could tell by looking at your face. The energy in your ‘Children Palace’ was red with a tinge of yellow, a clear sign of pregnancy,” Yu Ning explained.

However, Yu Ning hadn’t mentioned it earlier because she wasn’t sure if Gu Hua wanted the child.

“And when you wrote the character ‘子’ (child), the waitress came by with drinks. The characters ‘女’ (woman) and ‘子’ (child) together form the word ‘好’ (good). That told me you wanted this child, so I informed you.”

“I…” Gu Hua trailed off, thinking about the woman her husband had gone to the hotel with.

After ten years of longing for a child, why did it have to come at a time when her marriage was falling apart?

“I can help you figure out if your husband really cheated, but I’ll have to charge for the additional reading. Your ‘Wealth Palace’ shows income but no spending, and since you’re a teacher…” 

“What about it?” Gu Hua asked.

“Most teachers tend to be quite frugal. I’m guessing you’d be reluctant to spend money on fortune-telling.”

“…” **Did she have to be that blunt?!**

“I do have a free method that can test your husband’s true feelings. Would you like to try it?”

“The human heart doesn’t handle tests well. And for the record, I’m not that stingy! How much would it cost for the reading?”

Ms. Gu, slightly indignant, tried to salvage her pride after Yu Ning’s remark about teachers being cheap.

“For someone of my level, the market rate is around 50,000 yuan per reading.”

“…” Gu Hua paused. “Suddenly, testing the heart doesn’t sound so bad after all.”

Fine, she admitted it—she was indeed reluctant to spend that much.

As a middle-class worker, it would take her forever to save up 50,000 yuan!

“Saving up for baby formula money isn’t something to be ashamed of,” Yu Ning said as she downed the rest of her lemon water.

“If fortune-telling is so lucrative, why are you willing to help us for free?” Gu Hua asked, curious.

“Both of you have jobs that build good karma. Helping you increases my merit as well.”

For Yu Ning, earning money or merit was more or less the same.

When she met good people, she’d do them a favor and accumulate merit. When dealing with less honorable types, she’d charge a hefty sum instead.

At the police station entrance, Xi’an was pacing nervously. Seeing Yu Ning come out, he quickly rushed over.

“Where’s my wife?”

“She said she’s utterly disappointed in you and doesn’t want to see you.”

“I don’t believe it!” Xi’an said, heading toward the bubble tea shop to ask his wife directly.

“Officer Xia,” Yu Ning called out, stopping him.

“Your wife is pregnant. She doesn’t want to see you right now, and it’s best if you don’t upset her.”

“Really?!” Xi’an froze, then was overjoyed.

After ten years of marriage, his wife was finally pregnant—how could he not be ecstatic?

“She also asked me to tell you she wants a divorce.”

“I won’t agree!”

“She said if you don’t agree to the divorce, she’ll jump into the river.”

Xi’an’s eyes widened in shock, and he nearly lost his footing.

What had he done to make his wife so determined to leave him?

“Do you really want to solve that case?” Yu Ning asked, changing the subject.

Xi’an, though still fixated on his wife’s desire for a divorce, nodded after a moment’s hesitation. He wanted to crack the case, but he didn’t want to lose his wife either.

“If you sacrifice the life of the child she’s carrying, you can solve the case without breaking any rules. Would you be willing to do that?” Yu Ning asked calmly.

“What?!” Xi’an’s eyes widened in horror.

“The murderer has two lives to take, but he’s only taken one so far. If you offer up your wife’s unborn child as a sacrifice, you’ll be able to capture the killer without violating the natural order.”

“I won’t do it!” Xi’an immediately rejected the idea.

“She’s already asking for a divorce, and the child will probably be aborted. You love your job so much—”

“I love my job, but I love my wife too! I would never agree to using my child as a sacrifice!” Xi’an shouted, veins bulging in his neck.

“Your wife told me that you often ignore her feelings in favor of your job. She thinks you value work more than her. Now’s your chance to prove otherwise.”

“Work is important, but my wife is important too! I’d sacrifice my own life before I’d ever let you touch my child!” Xi’an protested vehemently.

“If you care about her so much, why did you go to a hotel with another woman half a month ago?”

“When did I ever go to a hotel with—Oh, wait! You mean that time?! My mom asked me to drop off one of her friends at a hotel. The woman pretended to sprain her ankle and made me help her inside, and then—” Xi’an stopped, looking embarrassed.

“And then what?” Yu Ning pressed.

“She pushed me against the wall as soon as we got in. I shoved her away and left immediately.”

“And you didn’t feel tempted?”

“There’s surveillance in the hallway! I was in and out of that room in under two minutes. Could my wife really have misunderstood me because of that?”

Yu Ning didn’t respond. Instead, she pulled out her phone and turned on the speaker.

“Did you hear all that?”

“I did.”

“Wife! I’m innocent!” Xi’an grabbed the phone.

Yu Ning had left her phone connected during their entire conversation, so everything Xi’an had said was heard by Gu Hua on the other end.

Gu Hua walked out of the bubble tea shop, and Xi’an ran over to her, pulling her into a hug.

“My mom was trying to set me up with that woman, but as soon as I realized she was faking her injury, I left. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to get upset. Please, honey, believe me!”

“I believe you,” Gu Hua sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

The truth was finally revealed.

Gu Hua’s mother-in-law had purposely arranged for her to be near the hotel, hoping she’d witness Xi’an and the other woman together.

“I kept my promise to save your marriage. Now, let’s catch that murderer.”

Yu Ning, not wanting to intrude on the couple’s emotional moment, excused herself.

Just then, her phone kept buzzing—Lin Zheng’s brothers had come to pick her up, and she needed to finish things quickly.

“I won’t use my child for this!”

“I’m a certified Taoist. I wouldn’t actually perform some dark ritual like a sacrifice. I said all that just to help you work through your marital issues.”

“Huh?” Xi’an was left completely bewildered.

Yu Ning pulled out her notebook and wrote down a string of numbers before tearing off the page and handing it to Xi’an.

Xi’an took the paper. What was this—?

*Today I didn’t get writer’s block, so I’ve gained some merit! Okay, fine, I admit it—I got stuck again. How about leaving a comment, bosses, to help me boost my merit?*