FI Ch12: The Second Client

The attic was bathed in silent moonlight.

In the unspeakable silence, Lin Su turned to Qi Jiachu again, speaking softly to reassure him, “Don’t be afraid, he’s here to join us.”

There seemed to be a faint sound of someone taking a breath.

Qi Jiachu maintained his gentle smile. “…Have I been out of touch with socializing for too long?” Or was this just how people spoke nowadays?

“…”

He Zhenling finally couldn’t stand it any longer and walked in.

In the slightly cramped attic, his broad shoulders and long legs made the space feel even smaller. He stopped in front of the bed and spoke in a cold voice:

“President of the Heavenly Master Surveillance Association, He Zhenling.”

Qi Jiachu was slightly surprised. “Hello, I’m Qi Jiachu.”

“The eldest son of the Qi family?”

Qi Jiachu smiled faintly, neither affirming nor denying the title.

He Zhenling gave him a glance and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Seeing the atmosphere return to normal, Lin Su resumed the previous topic. “What makes them so certain that you’re the ‘calamity star’ who stole their fortune?”

There was a two-second pause before a calm reply came: “Because from the womb, I took the life force of my twin brother.”

“We were fraternal twins. Back then, Madam Qi had a natural delivery, so my brother was actually the one who came out first. But because I, having formed earlier, occupied the better position inside, Qi Jiayuan was born with a weak constitution.”

“At that time, Master Qi Yan prophesied that one twin had seized the other’s fortune and life, which perfectly aligned with me, the one who took the better position.”

Lin Su noticed how he referred to the Qi family members but said nothing.

He asked, “Just based on that?”

Qi Jiachu gently shook his head. “Although we were twins, we didn’t look alike. Qi Jiayuan resembled Mr. and Mrs. Qi more, while I looked like an outsider when standing with them—”

An “accident” that didn’t belong to the Qi family.

Lin Su said, “That’s truly a blessing in disguise.”

“…” Qi Jiachu paused for a moment and then chuckled.

“Appearance reflects the heart; resembling them isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

Thinking about it, having a frail, pitiful son with the “blessed star” halo would naturally tip the Qi family’s balance in a certain direction.

While Lin Su was silently pondering, Qi Jiachu suddenly said:

“Oh… right.”

Qi Jiachu clapped his hands lightly, recalling something. “At first, they planned to transfer all the fortune back to Jiayuan before I turned five. But when I was five, my health suddenly improved, while Jiayuan fell ill instead.”

Lin Su perked up. “Oh? Heaven finally opened its eyes?”

Qi Jiachu chuckled again. “I don’t know. But at the same time, ominous signs began appearing frequently in the house, terrifying the Qi family and further confirming that I was a ‘calamity star.'”

…

A gaze suddenly fell from the side.

Lin Su turned his head and met He Zhenling’s eyes: ?

What are you looking at?

The two silently stared at each other.

Qi Jiachu smiled quietly and subtly shifted to the side.

In just two or three seconds, He Zhenling looked away and turned to Qi Jiachu.

“Do you think so too? That you’re a ‘calamity star’?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve never harmed anyone.”

“Then never think that way.” He Zhenling’s expression remained stern, but his voice was calm and steady. “The disaster wasn’t caused by you. It’s merely the backlash of karma—people reaping what they sowed.”

Lin Su glanced sideways. He Zhenling sounded so certain?

As if sensing his gaze, He Zhenling turned his head: What are you looking at?

Lin Su stared at him for two seconds but didn’t ask.

He turned back to see Qi Jiachu smiling as he edged closer to the bed. “…”

Lin Su asked, “Am I overstepping your personal space?”

Qi Jiachu replied gently, “Not at all. I just feel like I’m about to overstep certain boundaries myself.”

Lin Su sighed. “Brother, you’re overthinking.”

He Zhenling’s brow twitched. Qi Jiachu said, “…Just call me Jiachu.”

Lin Su said, “But I feel like you don’t like that name, nor do you want to be called the eldest son of the Qi family.”

Jiachu, Jiayuan.

Metal generates water, yet they gave him the name “Chu” (meaning wrong). Just like these 22 years—using him, then denying him.

Qi Jiachu froze for a moment. “Are you a god or something?”

Lin Su smiled faintly. “Maybe.”

They had talked about everything they needed to.

Lin Su and He Zhenling got up to leave. Passing by the table, Lin Su suddenly paused, looking at a talisman pressed under a book.

The ink was still fresh. “You drew this?”

“I was bored and drew it for fun.”

Talisman drawing isn’t just about form but also spirit.

Lin Su thought of something and turned to ask, “Mind if I take a couple? Consider it a commission fee.”

“If you don’t mind, take as many as you want.”

He picked two and left the room.

Just as he was about to close the door, Lin Su turned back and said to Qi Jiachu, “Don’t think of yourself as an outsider.”

“You may not look like Mr. and Mrs. Qi, but you resemble your great-grandfather more.”

The door clicked shut, leaving Qi Jiachu momentarily dazed.

Outside, Lin Su folded the talismans and slipped them into his pocket.

A voice suddenly fell beside him, “Good night?”

“…” He froze mid-action. As expected.

Lin Su avoided a direct response. “How did you figure it out? I was clearly inside the room—”

He Zhenling’s expression didn’t change. “Are you referring to the life-sized figurine you left there?”

Lin Su: “…”

Lin Su: “Last time, you addressed it as ‘your esteemed parents.'”

“My terms of address change with the occasion.”

Hah, didn’t see you this sharp while acting.

Lin Su glanced sideways and said, “So now, is the inspector going to punish me?”

He Zhenling raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lin Su suddenly remembered something. “I heard you have a certain authority—anyone you electrocute can’t escape in front of you, falling helplessly to the ground, at your mercy—”

“…”

He Zhenling closed his eyes for a second and said calmly, “What, want to try it?”

As they spoke, they exited the attic.

The moonlight fell, illuminating half of He Zhenling’s sharp, upright face, his brows and eyes deep under its glow.

Lin Su leapt eagerly, “Does it hurt, or is it just a tingling sensation?” He extended his hand expectantly. “Could you give me a light shock?”

He Zhenling, “………”

After a while, a cold laugh echoed in the night.

“Am I the therapist you called for?”

…

Back in the room, Xue Nima immediately turned into a ball and flew over: “You’re back! … Why do you look regretful? Was it not successful?”

Lin Su shook his head, not wanting to talk about how he had returned after walking on the waves.

“After I left, did He Zhenling come by?”

[How do you know?] Xue Nima asked. “Qi family was also wandering outside, saw no one was asleep, and left.”

Lin Su ignored Qi family. “What did He Zhenling say when he came in?”

[He knocked on the door not long after you left and said, ‘It’s too dangerous tonight. How about I stay here to keep you company?’]

Xue Nima continued. [I replied, ‘No need.’]

Lin Su was silent for several seconds.

Xue Nima sensed something was off: […What would you have said?]

Lin Su sighed, composed, “It wouldn’t be good. What if a lovely story about us spreads…”

Xue Nima: “……” So it wasn’t flirtatious enough!

The unavoidable mistake was quickly skipped over.

Lin Su took a bamboo pen and flipped through the fate book. A faint golden light flickered in his eyes as he wrote—

The two “eight characters” were realigned.

The old trajectory of fate passed before his eyes.

Lin Su’s gaze suddenly froze, “Nima… 22-17 equals?”

[5?] The question mark came from the confusion about the question itself.

The fate book snapped shut.

Lin Su silently looked at the sky: … So it was him who opened the eyes of the heavens when Qi Jia made the mistake of being five years off.

Seventeen years ago, he had given the feng shui world a big package of realignment.

No wonder He Zhenling looked at him for a moment.

[What’s wrong?] Xue Nima poked him.

Lin Su shook his head, “Nothing, just sighing. One moment your eyes open, the next they close, and a whole night has passed.”

[…?]

He slept until dawn.

When Lin Su woke up, he found out that the Qi family was in chaos because their precious son, Qi Jiayuan, had fallen ill.

He suddenly “fell ill” in the middle of the night, and his luck began to fade.

The entire Qi family was busy, so they didn’t have time to come to him for trouble during the second half of the night.

Lin Su calmly buttoned up his clothes.

It had barely been a tenth of the time, and they didn’t know what they were shouting about.

Xue Nima: “Are you going out?”

Lin Su, “Qi family’s youngest son is sick. As a guest, of course, I should visit.”

Xue Nima looked at him as if he were a wolf wishing a happy new year to a weasel.

“Since Qi Jiayuan is sick, the Qi family will certainly think of Qi Jiacuo.” Lin Su opened the door and smiled, “At this time, it’s best if they notice me first.”

…

In the third-floor bedroom, the atmosphere was gloomy.

From doctors to feng shui masters to servants, there were three layers of people surrounding the room.

Qi Zhuang and his wife sat at the bedside, looking full of concern.

Qi Jiayuan lay in bed, his face a little pale, his small face furrowed in worry, his hand being held by Jiang Yamei. The butler suddenly knocked on the door and entered.

“Sir, Mr. Lin is here.”

Qi Zhuang was already annoyed and waved his hand to dismiss him, but Qi Jiayuan suddenly spoke.

“Dad, I want to see him.”

Qi Zhuang was surprised, “Jiayuan?”

Qi Jiayuan’s face was determined, and after a pause, Qi Zhuang allowed the butler to let him in.

When Lin Su entered, his clothes fluttered, looking refreshed, which made Qi Zhuang feel a tightness in his chest. Qi Zhuang was about to speak when he heard Lin Su greet him.

“I heard your son is sick, so I came to visit.”

“….”

The words were suddenly choked back in his chest.

Jiang Yamei’s face twitched twice. “There’s no need for your concern. It’s just a minor illness. Jiayuan is a blessed person. He will recover soon.”

Xue Nima: [I have a couplet…]

Lin Su nodded.

 [The villain will be taken care of by heaven.]

He cheerfully agreed, “That’s great.”

He then turned to look at the doctors and feng shui masters surrounding them, regretfully saying, “Looks like you guys don’t have much to do.”

The group: “……”

The Qi family: “……”

Jiang Yamei clenched her nails, barely holding back her anger, when she was suddenly pulled back. Qi Jiayuan, lying on the bed, stared directly at Lin Su, his eyes flashing, his lips curling into a half-smile.

“Lin Su, brother… I believe you also want me to recover, right?”

Lin Su met his gaze and smiled, “Of course. I hope you turn back into your original self—”

Everyone around looked at him in confusion.

“Become the way you were before.”

Qi Jiayuan’s hand, resting on the blanket, suddenly trembled.

Lin Su glanced at him, then thoughtfully withdrew his gaze. After causing a wave of resentment, he decided to stop and said his goodbyes, not wanting to anger the Qi family to the point of extinction.

“Rest well, I’ll come back when I have time.”

The door closed.

Crash! Jiang Yamei couldn’t hold back any longer and smashed the cup.

“Why did he come?! Scoundrel! Ill-mannered bastard!”

She was furious when she suddenly heard Qi Jiayuan call her.

“Mom, does he not like me?”

Qi Jiayuan hung his head pitifully. “Last time, he wouldn’t let me call him brother. He said he’s only 17 years old.”

“Who cares whether he likes you or not—”

Jiang Yamei’s hand paused suddenly.

When Jiayuan mentioned it yesterday, she hadn’t paid attention. Had anyone else mentioned Jiayuan’s age?

He clearly looked about the same age.

A chill ran down Jiang Yamei’s back, and she exchanged a look with Qi Zhuang.

Qi Jia Yuan seemed confused. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Jiang Yamei smiled gently at him again. “You don’t need to know. Just sleep for a while.”

…

A few hours later, in the afternoon.

The door was knocked on with two “thuds.” Two servants stood outside. “Mr. Lin, we are here to clean.”

No response from inside.

The servant gently pushed open the door, and the room was empty, with one figure quietly slipping inside.

At the same time.

In the next room, He Zhenling silently watched the person sitting on his room’s sofa chair, drinking tea and eating snacks. There was even a faint white light massaging his head.

“…What are you doing?”

Lin Su took a sip of tea and shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand. I’ve been working hard for this family.”

__

Author’s Note:

Lin Su (worried): I’ve almost eaten all the snacks, why hasn’t he come to harm me yet…

He Zhenling: You really have it tough.