The blaring police sirens arrived and took the human trafficker and Liu Meixian away.

Zhang Jiali finally felt the fear creeping in. She clutched Zhang Jianjie’s sleeve, her face pale. “Dad…”

Zhang Jianjie patted her head. “Don’t be afraid. Dad will protect you.”

“Mm.” Zhang Jiali sniffled.

Zhang Jianjie looked gratefully at Gu Xicao. “Master Gu, I truly don’t know how to thank you enough. If it weren’t for your warning, I can’t imagine what might have happened.”

“There’s no need to thank me. Jiali is Lin Yuan’s friend. Whether it’s personal or professional, I wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.” Gu Xicao patted Lin Yuan’s head and said with a smile.

Lin Yuan and Zhang Jiali exchanged a glance, and both kids broke into smiles.

“Master Gu, you’re amazing! You made it into the newspapers again.”

Wang Mingqiang approached with a newspaper in hand, teasing Gu Xicao.

Gu Xicao glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. “Divorce Master? That’s the headline they gave me? Such a jab!”

“Exactly!” Wang Laoshi, overhearing the comment, leaned over to join the fun. He joked, “Who said our boss is a ‘Divorce Master’? Clearly, he’s only broken up seven or eight couples so far.”

Gu Xicao shot Wang Laoshi a sharp glare.

Wang Laoshi shrank back, quickly changing his tone. “But our master always has a good reason. Like that stepmother who conspired with a trafficker yesterday—how could anyone expect her not to get divorced? Helping people is always a good deed!”

“Hey, hey, hey, look closer. This isn’t from our newspaper.”

Wang Mingqiang tapped the newspaper’s title with exasperation.

Gu Xicao and Wang Laoshi focused on it, both a little embarrassed.

Wang Laoshi grumbled, “If it wasn’t your newspaper, you should’ve said so earlier. Everyone knows those tabloid papers love to run their mouths. Why bring it up for no reason?”

Wang Mingqiang coughed lightly and awkwardly asked, “Well, our boss wants to invite the master for a fortune-telling session. Would the master be available?”

“Your boss?” Gu Xicao checked her schedule. “Not in the next two days. How about the day after tomorrow? Does that work?”

“Of course, that works. I’ll tell you, don’t hold back with our boss. That guy’s loaded—milk him for all he’s worth.” Wang Mingqiang didn’t hesitate to sell out his boss. “He’s got three luxury cars at home. Charging him hundreds of thousands for a fortune-telling session wouldn’t be excessive.”

“From the way you talk, it seems like you don’t get along well with your boss.”

Wang Laoshi chuckled while noting the appointment.

Wang Mingqiang snorted, “What subordinate gets along with their boss? Ours is stingy as hell. He gave each of us one mooncake for Mid-Autumn Festival. You tell me, how am I supposed to be happy with that?”

After a bit more idle chatter, Wang Mingqiang left.

The Today Times wasn’t an old publication; on the contrary, it had only been around for about a decade. However, thanks to its owner, Huang Shiren’s sharp business acumen, it had secured a strong foothold in Hong Kong’s media industry, earning millions annually.

Although it couldn’t compare to the wealth of families like the Gu clan, Huang Shiren still lived in a well-located Western-style house.

“Master Gu, what an honor, what an honor.”

Unlike the stingy image described by Wang Mingqiang, Huang Shiren appeared magnanimous and personally came out to greet them. Wang Laoshi was a bit surprised and whispered to Gu Xicao, “Boss Huang sure knows how to put on a show.”

“Unnecessary kindness always hides ulterior motives,” Gu Xicao murmured softly.

Huang Shiren, leading the way, turned back and asked, “What?”

Gu Xicao smiled. “Nothing, we were just commenting on how down-to-earth you are, personally coming out to welcome us. It’s something your subordinates could’ve done instead.”

“How could that be? You’re a master, after all.”

Huang Shiren slowed his pace, his expression hesitant, stealing a glance at Wang Laoshi.

Gu Xicao caught on immediately. “Boss Huang, if there’s something you want to say, just say it.”

After some hesitation, Huang Shiren finally said, “Here’s the thing—I’d like you to check if my wife has been unfaithful.”

Wang Laoshi immediately understood.

No wonder Huang Shiren personally came to meet them. While he claimed the session was for the whole family, it was clear his real focus lay elsewhere.

Gu Xicao said, “Is that all? I understand. I can—”

“Brother, why are you all chatting outside? Come in quickly. It’s so hot today!”

Huang Fugui, who had been waiting in the living room, grew impatient when Huang Shiren didn’t return with the guests. He came out to hurry them along, cutting off Gu Xicao’s words.

Huang Shiren acknowledged him and then whispered to Gu Xicao, “Please keep this matter between us. Don’t let anyone else know.”

“I understand.” Gu Xicao nodded.

The Huang family had only two brothers. Both were married. Huang Shiren and his wife had a five-year-old son who was slightly overweight, while Huang Fugui and his wife had a five-year-old daughter.

The little girl didn’t like to speak. When she saw Gu Xicao and Wang Laoshi enter, her mouth opened but no words came out. Her face flushed red as she struggled to say anything.

Her mother, Tang Chu, grew anxious and smacked her daughter’s head, the force tilting it to the side. “What have I taught you at home? When you see someone, you have to greet them! Hurry and say, ‘Hello, sister. Hello, uncle.’”

“S-sister…”

The little girl’s eyes brimmed with tears, on the verge of crying.

Huang Shiren’s wife, Lan Lianxin, couldn’t bear it and said, “Xiaoyun has always been timid. Why hit her? She’s not being rude on purpose.”

“Sister-in-law, that’s not the point. I’ve been drilling it into her at home, but she’s as dumb as a pig. It’s so embarrassing! If only she were as smart as Dabao, I’d be so relieved.”

Tang Chu complained, her eyes filled with disdain as she glanced at her daughter.

The grandparents stepped in to mediate. “Alright, alright. The master doesn’t mind. Why scold the child? Anyway, we don’t expect much from Xiaoyun. As long as she marries a good man in the future and helps out her maternal family, that’s enough.”

Lan Lianxin frowned, clearly displeased with the older generation’s perspective.

Huang Shiren nudged her arm and whispered, “Say less. She’s not our daughter. If you say too much, won’t the second sister-in-law take it out on the child later?”

Initially, Lan Lianxin disapproved of the earlier comments. Unlike her uneducated sister-in-law, who married young, she was a returnee from studying abroad and had her own career. She couldn’t agree with the traditional views of the older generation.

But after hearing Huang Shiren’s words, she didn’t know what else to say.

Although she was Xiaoyun’s aunt, she wasn’t her biological mother and couldn’t interfere in others’ family matters.

“Brother, didn’t we come here for the master to give us a fortune-telling session? All this idle chatter is wasting time.”

Huang Fugui urged.

Not wanting his family to argue in front of outsiders, Huang Shiren smiled and said, “Yes, yes. Dad, Mom, you probably don’t know, but this is the famous Master Gu. Just recently, the master helped catch a human trafficker.”

“A human trafficker? How did that happen?” Huang’s mother immediately showed interest.

Knowing Gu Xicao’s temperament, Wang Laoshi stepped in and recounted the story of Zhang Jiali and her father. The Huang family listened with amazement.

Lan Lianxin’s mouth fell slightly open in astonishment. She looked at Gu Xicao and asked, “Is it true? Master, did you really figure all that out with just one glance? I’ve heard people say that fortune-telling usually requires looking at someone’s birth characters, sometimes even feeling their bones or analyzing writing—it all sounds so complicated.”

“That’s for other people. Our boss doesn’t need such tricks,” Wang Laoshi said proudly, puffing out his chest as if the days when he used to rely on bone-reading and analyzing birth characters were long behind him.

Gu Xicao smiled. “Would you like to give it a try, Mrs. Lan?”

Lan Lianxin, intrigued, nodded. “Sure, but I don’t think I have much to figure out. My marriage feels wonderful, and my career is going reasonably well.”

Wang Laoshi glanced at Lan Lianxin with a complicated expression.

A happy marriage?

Your husband is literally questioning whether you’re cheating on him.

Usually, when things get to the point of seeking out a fortune-teller, there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Gu Xicao noticed that Tang Chu clearly curled her lip and maintained a body posture that distanced herself from Lan Lianxin, showing that their relationship as sisters-in-law was lukewarm at best.

“Mrs. Lan’s marriage is indeed very harmonious. You and Mr. Huang have been together since high school, even studied abroad together. It’s been over a decade, and you’re still very much in love. That’s rare,” Gu Xicao remarked with some admiration.

Wang Laoshi’s eyes widened like saucers as he turned to glance at Gu Xicao.

What? In love?

This is what you call being in love?

Lan Lianxin appeared surprised and straightened up in her seat. “Yes, did you really figure all that out? That’s amazing!”

Huang Shiren also looked somewhat bewildered, his expression complicated, but he nodded. “I didn’t tell Master Gu this, but… could it be that Master Gu made no mistakes in his reading?”

Gu Xicao said firmly, “I’m not wrong about this. Honestly, for a couple like you—successful, good-looking, and wealthy—it’s rare to remain untouched by temptation. Yet both of you have remained disciplined and cherish your relationship. That’s why I say it’s rare.”

Lan Lianxin blushed slightly. “Ah Shi may have his flaws, but his deep affection was one of the reasons I fell for him back then.”

Huang Shiren looked at his wife but didn’t know what to say.

Huang Fugui, uninterested in listening to the couple’s affectionate exchange, scratched his double chin and addressed Gu Xicao. “Master, what about me? How are my career and marriage?”

Gu Xicao glanced at Huang Fugui. “Mr. Huang, you don’t have any real career prospects. You’ve never made any money on your own in your life, have you? It’s all been your father and elder brother supporting you.”

Huang Fugui’s face darkened. “Nonsense! I’ve started an advertising company. Isn’t that a career?”

Gu Xicao rested his chin on his hand. “But your company has been losing money from the start. It would have been better if you hadn’t opened it at all. Instead, you opened it and racked up losses. Is that what you call a career?”

Huang Shiren coughed a few times. Although he knew the master was straightforward and always spoke the truth, he thought this was a bit much. “Master, maybe talk about something else. How’s my brother’s marriage?”

Gu Xicao was silent for a moment, then looked at Huang Shiren. “Do you want me to tell the truth or a lie?”

Upon hearing this, the Huang family instantly felt uneasy.

Huang Fugui, already irritated, stiffened his neck and pointed at Gu Xicao. “Say what you want to say! I refuse to believe everything about me is bad!”

“Alright, but don’t blame me later.”

Gu Xicao shifted his gaze toward Huang Shiren and his wife.