“I’ll pass. I have something important to attend to tonight.”
Upon sight of Tuoba Gucheng exiting from the room, she hurriedly ended the call and greeted him, “Goodbye, Your Highness.”
Tuoba Gucheng rolled his eyes and walked past her.
Once he reached the door, he turned around to take a glance at her back view and muttered under his breath, “The back view of a woman is always deceptive…”
—
Xu Youran sprung up abruptly as cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She opened her palms to find that they were sweaty too.
She had an endless nightmare during her one-hour nap.
It had been a long time since she last dreamed of her biological mother.
In fact, it had been so long that she could not even remember when the last time was.
In the nightmare, her mother died exactly the way she had witnessed when she was younger — she poisoned herself and blood was gushing out of every crevice of her body.
Xu Youran clutched her chest while trying to recover from the shock. Throughout all these years, she dared not recall the gory scene, which had appeared once again in her nightmare. It was so livid that she felt as if it had just happened yesterday.
She lifted the duvet and got out of bed to pour herself some plain water, which she gulped down in one go. She then slammed the empty cup onto the table with a loud thud.
She would never stop until she got her revenge!
After some thought, she changed into a fresh set of clothes and headed to the black market while wearing a surgical mask and a pair of shades.
There were an array of items sold in the black market that were not available on the open market.
Xu Youran bought five syringes that contained an expensive liquid.
She spent a hefty sum to purchase them.
She then quickly left the black market with the items she had just bought.
Along the way home in her car, she brainstormed for a way to execute her perfect plan.
This time, she must not let the cat out of the bag.
Neither could she tell her husband about the plan she had devised.
She had to keep everything secret and ensure that everything would be carried out seamlessly.
She contacted Yuan Mingzhu.
Being extremely busy, Yuan Mingzhu would usually turn down requests from strangers asking to meet her. However, she agreed this time upon hearing that she was Xu Yang’s sister.
“May I know what you’re asking to see me for, Ms. Xu?”
“Hello, Police Officer Yuan. I heard that you’re the only other female police officer who can communicate with spirits apart from An Xiaoning. Is that true?”
Yuan Mingzhu smiled and answered, “Yes.”
“I’m rather curious about this, Police Officer Yuan. What are you able to tell when you’re psychic?”
“I can tell the cause of a person’s death by reading their birth characters. Those who have higher powers may also summon spirits and communicate with them…”
“How do you tell the cause of death by reading their birth characters?”
“I’ll only be able to tell the final outcome. For example, if a person was stabbed in his chest, I’d only be able to tell that they died of heart failure and not because he was stabbed by a knife,” Yuan Mingzhu said frankly.
Xu Youran immediately understood what she meant. “That means if someone fell to their death, a psychic medium wouldn’t be able to deduce the exact cause of death and instead can only tell which organ led to the fatality.”
“You may say so.”
“Will you be able to see the spirits of the dead then? Are all spirits visible to psychic mediums like you?” Xu Youran asked.
Shaking her head, Yuan Mingzhu answered, “Not necessarily. There are very few people in this world who can communicate with spirits, and those who can do so usually inherit their gift from their parents, though not all. The child will definitely be psychic if both parents carry the trait. Besides, the psychic powers vary from person to person. Those whose powers are weak usually can’t see or communicate with spirits. Also, spirits won’t be around forever, and many of them would vanish to reincarnate.”
“Ms. Yuan, did you inherit your powers from your parents?”
“Yes, I inherited it from my father, but he’s no longer around. So is my grandfather, from whom my father inherited his psychic powers.”
Her words planted ideas in Xu Youran’s head. “Pardon me for being blunt, but do all psychic humans die an early death?”
Yuan Mingzhu shook her head and explained, “No, my father and grandfather passed away due to fatal accidents. Everyone’s health condition is different. Thus, the longevity of the psychic varies, as do ordinary humans.”
“Oh, I see. Do you know if An Xiaoning’s powers are potent?”
Yuan Mingzhu chuckled and said, “I’m not too sure about that since I haven’t worked with her before. But young mediums like us are usually not that powerful.”
“I’m always so curious about such stuff. Sorry to have imposed on you, Ms. Yuan. How old are you this year?” Xu Youran asked with a grin.
“I’m 26.”
“I’m 31, five years older than you are. Are you married?”
Yuan Mingzhu chuckled before answering, “I don’t even have a boyfriend yet. Maybe I’ve set my standards too high, that’s why it’s harder to find my cup of tea.”
“What’s your type? Maybe I can help you,” said Xu Youran, boasting about her broad network of connections.
“I want a handsome man who has a car and a house. That’s all I’m asking,” Yuan Mingzhu said in admittance.
“That’s not a tall order. With your beauty, you’ll definitely find the man of your dreams. Well, I’m really bored now that I’m pregnant. I don’t have many friends either. Are you willing to be my friend?”
Yuan Mingzhu was startled to hear her offer and answered after recovering from the shock, “Sure, that’d be great. I don’t have many friends either.”
Xu Youran smiled and said, “Feel free to approach me for help should you ever face any difficulties. We’ll be friends from now on.”
“Alright.”
Yuan Mingzhu did not understand Xu Youran well and merely thought that it’d be great to establish a friendship with her since she was the daughter and daughter-in-law of the Xu family and Gu family, respectively, both of which were rich and powerful. Thus, Xu Youran’s help might really come in handy one day.
However, she understood that there was no free lunch in this world and knew that she ought to keep her guard up against those who treat her well for no rhyme or reason.
“Where are you staying in now?”
“The dormitory in the police station.”
“How could you live in such a cramped place with poor living conditions? Since we’re friends now, I can’t sit still and watch my friend suffer. I have an apartment near the police station. Why don’t I just give it to you? You may live there from now on,” Xu Youran said with a frown.
Yuan Mingzhu was taken aback by her generous offer and quickly declined politely, “No, houses are so expensive. I can’t accept such a hefty gift from you, Ms. Xu.”
“We’re already friends, why are you still addressing me as ‘Ms. Xu’? You may just call me Youran. Since we’re friends now, I ought to show my sincerity. I don’t need a house anyway. I’ll just transfer it to you later.”
Her generosity had truly caught Yuan Mingzhu by surprise. Yuan Mingzhu’s impression of her improved tremendously and she began to find Xu Youran to be rather genuine.
“You’re so nice to me. How am I going to repay you for your kindness?”
“I’m not asking for anything in return. Friends ought to be genuine to each other, isn’t that so? Mingzhu, I asked you out today mainly because I was very curious about you and your psychic powers. Such psychic humans like you are few and far in between. The very fact that you could replace An Xiaoning just goes to show that you’re a capable person. After meeting you today, I realized that I really admire your personality, that’s why I wanted to be friends with you. Don’t read too much into it,” said Xu Youran, smiling widely from ear to ear.
Yuan Mingzhu nodded, filled with immense joy and euphoria.
“I’ll pass. I have something important to attend to tonight.”
Upon sight of Tuoba Gucheng exiting from the room, she hurriedly ended the call and greeted him, “Goodbye, Your Highness.”
Tuoba Gucheng rolled his eyes and walked past her.
Once he reached the door, he turned around to take a glance at her back view and muttered under his breath, “The back view of a woman is always deceptive…”
—
Xu Youran sprung up abruptly as cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She opened her palms to find that they were sweaty too.
She had an endless nightmare during her one-hour nap.
It had been a long time since she last dreamed of her biological mother.
In fact, it had been so long that she could not even remember when the last time was.
In the nightmare, her mother died exactly the way she had witnessed when she was younger — she poisoned herself and blood was gushing out of every crevice of her body.
Xu Youran clutched her chest while trying to recover from the shock. Throughout all these years, she dared not recall the gory scene, which had appeared once again in her nightmare. It was so livid that she felt as if it had just happened yesterday.
She lifted the duvet and got out of bed to pour herself some plain water, which she gulped down in one go. She then slammed the empty cup onto the table with a loud thud.
She would never stop until she got her revenge!
After some thought, she changed into a fresh set of clothes and headed to the black market while wearing a surgical mask and a pair of shades.
There were an array of items sold in the black market that were not available on the open market.
Xu Youran bought five syringes that contained an expensive liquid.
She spent a hefty sum to purchase them.
She then quickly left the black market with the items she had just bought.
Along the way home in her car, she brainstormed for a way to execute her perfect plan.
This time, she must not let the cat out of the bag.
Neither could she tell her husband about the plan she had devised.
She had to keep everything secret and ensure that everything would be carried out seamlessly.
She contacted Yuan Mingzhu.
Being extremely busy, Yuan Mingzhu would usually turn down requests from strangers asking to meet her. However, she agreed this time upon hearing that she was Xu Yang’s sister.
“May I know what you’re asking to see me for, Ms. Xu?”
“Hello, Police Officer Yuan. I heard that you’re the only other female police officer who can communicate with spirits apart from An Xiaoning. Is that true?”
Yuan Mingzhu smiled and answered, “Yes.”
“I’m rather curious about this, Police Officer Yuan. What are you able to tell when you’re psychic?”
“I can tell the cause of a person’s death by reading their birth characters. Those who have higher powers may also summon spirits and communicate with them…”
“How do you tell the cause of death by reading their birth characters?”
“I’ll only be able to tell the final outcome. For example, if a person was stabbed in his chest, I’d only be able to tell that they died of heart failure and not because he was stabbed by a knife,” Yuan Mingzhu said frankly.
Xu Youran immediately understood what she meant. “That means if someone fell to their death, a psychic medium wouldn’t be able to deduce the exact cause of death and instead can only tell which organ led to the fatality.”
“You may say so.”
“Will you be able to see the spirits of the dead then? Are all spirits visible to psychic mediums like you?” Xu Youran asked.
Shaking her head, Yuan Mingzhu answered, “Not necessarily. There are very few people in this world who can communicate with spirits, and those who can do so usually inherit their gift from their parents, though not all. The child will definitely be psychic if both parents carry the trait. Besides, the psychic powers vary from person to person. Those whose powers are weak usually can’t see or communicate with spirits. Also, spirits won’t be around forever, and many of them would vanish to reincarnate.”
“Ms. Yuan, did you inherit your powers from your parents?”
“Yes, I inherited it from my father, but he’s no longer around. So is my grandfather, from whom my father inherited his psychic powers.”
Her words planted ideas in Xu Youran’s head. “Pardon me for being blunt, but do all psychic humans die an early death?”
Yuan Mingzhu shook her head and explained, “No, my father and grandfather passed away due to fatal accidents. Everyone’s health condition is different. Thus, the longevity of the psychic varies, as do ordinary humans.”
“Oh, I see. Do you know if An Xiaoning’s powers are potent?”
Yuan Mingzhu chuckled and said, “I’m not too sure about that since I haven’t worked with her before. But young mediums like us are usually not that powerful.”
“I’m always so curious about such stuff. Sorry to have imposed on you, Ms. Yuan. How old are you this year?” Xu Youran asked with a grin.
“I’m 26.”
“I’m 31, five years older than you are. Are you married?”
Yuan Mingzhu chuckled before answering, “I don’t even have a boyfriend yet. Maybe I’ve set my standards too high, that’s why it’s harder to find my cup of tea.”
“What’s your type? Maybe I can help you,” said Xu Youran, boasting about her broad network of connections.
“I want a handsome man who has a car and a house. That’s all I’m asking,” Yuan Mingzhu said in admittance.
“That’s not a tall order. With your beauty, you’ll definitely find the man of your dreams. Well, I’m really bored now that I’m pregnant. I don’t have many friends either. Are you willing to be my friend?”
Yuan Mingzhu was startled to hear her offer and answered after recovering from the shock, “Sure, that’d be great. I don’t have many friends either.”
Xu Youran smiled and said, “Feel free to approach me for help should you ever face any difficulties. We’ll be friends from now on.”
“Alright.”
Yuan Mingzhu did not understand Xu Youran well and merely thought that it’d be great to establish a friendship with her since she was the daughter and daughter-in-law of the Xu family and Gu family, respectively, both of which were rich and powerful. Thus, Xu Youran’s help might really come in handy one day.
However, she understood that there was no free lunch in this world and knew that she ought to keep her guard up against those who treat her well for no rhyme or reason.
“Where are you staying in now?”
“The dormitory in the police station.”
“How could you live in such a cramped place with poor living conditions? Since we’re friends now, I can’t sit still and watch my friend suffer. I have an apartment near the police station. Why don’t I just give it to you? You may live there from now on,” Xu Youran said with a frown.
Yuan Mingzhu was taken aback by her generous offer and quickly declined politely, “No, houses are so expensive. I can’t accept such a hefty gift from you, Ms. Xu.”
“We’re already friends, why are you still addressing me as ‘Ms. Xu’? You may just call me Youran. Since we’re friends now, I ought to show my sincerity. I don’t need a house anyway. I’ll just transfer it to you later.”
Her generosity had truly caught Yuan Mingzhu by surprise. Yuan Mingzhu’s impression of her improved tremendously and she began to find Xu Youran to be rather genuine.
“You’re so nice to me. How am I going to repay you for your kindness?”
“I’m not asking for anything in return. Friends ought to be genuine to each other, isn’t that so? Mingzhu, I asked you out today mainly because I was very curious about you and your psychic powers. Such psychic humans like you are few and far in between. The very fact that you could replace An Xiaoning just goes to show that you’re a capable person. After meeting you today, I realized that I really admire your personality, that’s why I wanted to be friends with you. Don’t read too much into it,” said Xu Youran, smiling widely from ear to ear.
Yuan Mingzhu nodded, filled with immense joy and euphoria.
