"Hello… are you Wei Shenji… a kid?"

A young woman in a business suit stepped beside me, bent down slightly, and asked softly…

I glanced up.

"I’m an adult. Not a kid."

I corrected her…

"Huh? Seriously? You’re already eighteen?"

She covered her mouth in surprise…

"Born in ’96. It’s 2014 now—I just turned eighteen."

I explained…

"Oh-ho-ho! So that’s it! I’m ’91—only five years apart!"

"Do I look that old? Haha…"

She chuckled awkwardly, pinching her own cheek…

I said nothing, just silently took a puff of my e-cigarette…

_

"I’m Lizi Sa—the most well-known psychological counselor around here! Call me Sister Sa~"

She handed me a business card as she spoke…

Psychological counselor?

I took it. Her one-inch photo was printed right on the front, name beneath…

"Lizi Sa…"

I murmured it softly…

The back listed her services in four neat lines:

[Psychological Counseling, Exam Stress Relief, Postpartum Support, Heartbreak Talks]

First line seemed normal…

[Dream Interpretation, Zodiac Readings, Shengchen Bazi, Fortune-Telling & Curse Removal]

Huh?

[Housekeeping, Childcare, Toilet Unclogging, Door Unlocking]

Hah?

[Gaming Buddy, Fitness Partner, Designated Driver, Recycling Pickup]

I silently handed the card back.

"Thanks. I don’t need a gaming buddy. Or recycling."

I stood to leave.

"Eh?! Those are just side gigs! My main work’s on line one—I’ll give you a discount!"

Lizi Sa hurried beside me, trying to stop me…

Annoyance flickered. I quickened my pace.

She trailed closely behind, mouth opening—then closing, words stuck.

_

As I stepped past the police cordon, the dilapidated neighborhood sign emerged in the dark, the street beyond pitch-black. The image of that tiny room flashed in my mind again…

For a moment, a trace of fear crept in…

I took a deep breath and turned back, resigned.

"How much?"

Lizi Sa’s flushed face lit up instantly—business was coming.

"The [Mental Comfort + Worry Erasing] package—fifty yuan for the full day~"

She beamed, offering the card again.

"Fifty yuan. From now till this time tomorrow, I’ll stay by your side for professional counseling."

She re-explained earnestly.

I pocketed the card.

"Say… if the client were a guy? Would you ‘stay all night’ too?"

I walked calmly toward the exit, keeping her within a meter via peripheral vision.

"For boys? Maybe. Older men? Daytime sessions only."

She followed, tone serious.

"Don’t misunderstand! I’m a legit counselor—no weird services!"

She finally caught my meaning, flustered.

"A counselor whose side gigs include fortune-telling and recycling… doesn’t scream ‘legit’ to me."

I deadpanned.

"T-Those are hobbies! How does that define professionalism?!"

She cared what I thought—click-clacking in heels to match my stride.

She stood half a head taller. *Definitely the heels. And age.*

"Imagine someone drowning in bad luck. Just as they lose hope, I—a fortune-teller—appear and say, ‘Your future shines bright.’ If they believe it… doesn’t hope return?"

"Sounds like a scam."

"What if your ‘living bodhisattva’ charm fails? They stay unlucky. Then what?"

I deliberately pushed back.

"How’s it a scam?! I don’t even charge them!"

_

We’d unknowingly left the eerie street. Teasing Lizi Sa had lightened my mood.

"Back home, they called me Little Aunt Sa! Anyone I bless has smooth sailing the next year!"

She planted hands on hips, pride blooming.

"Only kicks in *next* year? So your ‘fairy aunt’ blessings need time to brew?"

I smirked, teasing on.

She sputtered, then nodded helplessly.

"I’m starving. Let’s eat."

Haven’t eaten since lunch. Empty stomach, shaken nerves—I deserved comfort.

"Ooh! There’s a grilled fish spot nearby—*insanely* good. Wanna go?"

Shaking off earlier embarrassment, she suggested brightly.

She seemed airheaded, not dangerous. I agreed—but if she led me to some deserted alley? Hard no.

After today, peace feels fragile. Vigilance stays.

But the restaurant sat right on my left—bustling main road. No worries.

_

_

We sat face-to-face against the wall after ordering.

While she used the restroom, I propped my head, piecing together the day:

Skipped class to meet online friend Liu Xiaozhen. She claimed someone trapped her, broke in to kill her.

I called police. Found a corpse rotting over ten days.

Now my deepest fear: cops confirming *that corpse was Liu Xiaozhen*.

That’d be a ghost story.

If she’d been dead all along… who stayed up chatting with me?

I don’t believe in spirits. Honestly? If it wasn’t her—it was her killer.

A deranged serial offender. Killed Liu Xiaozhen, then used her identity in-game to hunt the next victim.

She *had* asked my location before. I only said "city-center internet cafe."

A chill tightened my spine.

My usual caution… might’ve saved me.

She lured me to Wanxiang Residential Area using Liu’s panicked voice. Knew I skipped class alone. Faked concern—"bring someone!"—while rushing me.

Even lied: "My dad’s a drug lord—don’t call police!"

*Oh.*

Everything clicked. Viewed this way… every detail fell perfectly into place.

_

_