I looked in the direction of the noise and saw a man dressed in Armani standing by the door; he clearly heard what my brother had said.

My brother raised his eyebrows and said, “I told you, that old man is possessed.”

The man in Armani frowned, walked into our room, and closed the door behind him, asking, “Which sect do you belong to?”

Which sect?

Did he think we were Daoists?

My brother smirked and replied, “We’re not Daoists, just small-time merchants, no sect, no affiliation… but my surname is Mu.”

Hearing my brother declare our family name, the man’s eyes lit up.

He lowered his voice and said, “I’ve heard of your family name. It’s said that the things your family provides are particularly effective. What do you think is wrong with my grandfather?”

My brother, with a sly merchant’s grin, replied, “I’m not sure about these things, why don’t you consult a master? If you need anything, you can look around our shop, maybe you’ll find what you need.”

The man nodded and said, “Okay, okay.”

After he left, I pulled my brother aside and whispered angrily, “You dare to boast? Our shop is full of fakes! Last time I threw out so much stuff, and it couldn’t even suppress that bloody ghost face! And you still dare to declare our family name!”

My brother gave an embarrassed smile and said, “We need money for dad’s treatment, he’s fallen ill, and now I have to be the pillar of the house and handle the business so you can focus on your studies.”

I was speechless.

Seven days after, the ugly ghost husband didn’t appear at night anymore.

He had said, “Once the seven days are up, I don’t even want to touch you if you beg me, it’s such a turn-off!”

Sure enough, he left without a trace.

Hmph, sows his wild oats and then leaves, what a jerk!

Who cares if he’s some grand Lord or revered deity, to hell with him!

As much as I cursed him, I still faithfully wore the ring and jade token he left behind, not for anything else but to save my life.

The blood-red ghost face “Ghost King” had escaped; who knows when it might appear again.

These past seven days had drained the energy of my previous eighteen years. After resting for two days, I resumed the routine between home and school.

It felt eerily calm, almost as if a peaceful life like this could only exist in dreams.

But now I had a new goal: to save money.

I couldn’t rely entirely on my brother; he was still an undergraduate himself.

And in the antiques business, “closed for three years, open for three days,” who knows when business would come.

But me, a freshman, with no skills, no certificates, no experience—earning money was like a fantasy.

Seeing my distressed expression, Song Wei invited me to go shopping.

“I’m practically broke, why would I go shopping?” I said, shaking my head miserably.

“Come on! You’re always so gloomy, even the God of Wealth can’t spot you to give you money. I’ll take you to a place where you can get good deals!” She enthusiastically linked arms with me.

Girls shopping together are like a broken train, only stopping to “chat—eat—shop—eat—shop—eat.”

The topics are endless: “Has your chest grown any? Is your period over this month? That lingerie set looks so sexy! Hey, the guy that just passed by is really handsome!”

And on and on, from takoyaki and milk tea to sweet and not spicy…

And finally: “Looking for a restroom.”

The place Song Wei took me to was indeed good value—a wholesale center for women’s clothing, multiple floors, tiny crowded shops, bustling with people.

“Don’t you feel it’s stuffy here?” I complained after being dragged around for a long time while she spent twenty on a T-shirt and thirty on a skirt…

“I think you’re the one who’s stuffy!” she retorted, “Xiao Qiao, you’ve been looking so worn out lately! Even if your dad is in the hospital, you shouldn’t look so gloomy… I can’t help with money, but I insist on cheering you up.”

Her righteousness made me feel slightly embarrassed, and I mustered a weak smile, “Thanks.”

“Wow, this set looks great! Try it on, Xiao Qiao!” she pointed at a mannequin dressed in clothes.

The outfit featured a deep V-neck crop top paired with a high-waisted pleated skirt, over-the-knee socks, and square-toed high heels, creating a look that was both spicy and slightly preppy.

Without asking, Song Wei pushed me into the dressing room and even blocked the door to stop me from coming out.

I reluctantly changed into the outfit; it was quite revealing…

My shoulders and collarbones were exposed, and fortunately, the marks left by the ugly ghost husband had faded, otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to wear it.

The high-waisted pleated skirt ended five centimeters above the knee—not exactly a miniskirt, but bending over could easily reveal too much.

I wasn’t used to skirts that felt so insecure, constantly reaching down to check for any wardrobe malfunctions.

Song Wei laughed, “It’s fine, it’s fine, your panties aren’t showing, relax.”

Eventually, she insisted I put on the over-the-knee socks and high heels.

“Wow! NICE!!” She exaggerated as she took out her phone to snap photos, “From today on, you’re my goddess!”

I felt a bit uncomfortable; the clothes were too revealing, and it felt a bit risky.

Song Wei didn’t care about that; she had already put down her phone and started haggling with the owner, “Boss, I’ll share your shop name and a photo of my goddess on social media, guaranteed to bring lots of customers, so how about giving me a 50% discount?”

Getting a 50% discount at a wholesale market was unprecedented for her.

Finally, the owner was swayed enough to cut off the price tags and let me walk out wearing them.

Song Wei grandly declared, “It’s a gift from me! Since your birthday is coming up!”

I smiled and accepted her generous offer, and as the store was about to close, she hurriedly said she needed to find a restroom, just a quick pee and then home.

We searched for a while and finally found a restroom with a “Under Maintenance” sign.

“Never mind the maintenance, wait here for me, I’ll be right back,” she handed me her shopping bags and dashed into the women’s restroom.

I waited and waited; ten minutes passed, and she hadn’t come out.

“Song Wei, Miss, did you get a stomach ache?” I shouted into the restroom.

There was no response from the end of the corridor.

Suddenly, a man’s voice shouted from behind me, “Hey! What are you doing here?”

I turned around to see a man in a suit, with a badge in his pocket, a manager here to inspect.

“My friend is using the restroom; I’m waiting for her,” I replied honestly.

His expression darkened as he snapped, “Didn’t you see the sign saying it’s under maintenance?!”

“What can I do about it! The restrooms in your mall are so hard to find, are you suggesting a girl should undress in the hallway?” I yelled back.

His face went pale, and with unusual anger, he shouted, “It’s broken, you can’t go in there, you’ll get locked inside!”

Locked inside? I was shocked, could Song Wei have been locked in?

As I stepped forward to go in, the manager grabbed me and dragged me out, and my clothes were not meant to be tugged at!

He pulled, and my clothes slipped down! The thin straps and half of my bare chest were exposed to the air—