Chapter 34: I Mean It When I Say It
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"We’ve lost on this one. If only you kept the one hundred thousand dollars yesterday, we could’ve been enjoying ourselves now."
The shop didn’t have a single soul. Fraud Tian was lifeless as he said it.
"I’m the one who lost, you still have a stable salary. I’m not even anxious, so why should you be?" Lin Fan saw the people outside walking past. He didn’t know what else to say to attract them anymore.
"Fraud Tian, let me teach you something about fortune telling." Lin Fan casually suggested.
"That would be great! We can learn from each other to better our skills." Fraud Tian was bored out of his mind. At least some discussion would lighten up the mood.
Lin Fan propped himself up. His face brightened up a little. He didn’t have many Encyclopedic Points and they hadn’t increased much since he started, especially his fortune-telling knowledge. Only a few people knew about such a discipline.
Fraud Tian only half-believed Lin Fan’s fortune-telling abilities. At that moment, Lin Fan started to talk.
As time went by, Fraud Tian’s mood changed. He was indolent at first but as he heard Lin Fan talk, he became more serious and paid close attention.
"Ding! Explanation fortune telling knowledge - Tian Han Ming has received insight. Encyclopedic Points +1"
Total Encyclopedic Points: 13
"Good, well said," Fraud Tian said as he stretched his legs. He saw Lin Fan’s mood light up.
Lin Fan gave a huge grin.
"Eh? There’s a fortune telling shop here," a voice came from outside.
A middle-aged woman walked in with two other people behind her. They didn’t notice Lin Fan as they expected the fortune-teller to be someone older. Usually, in the fortune telling businesses, the older one was, the more popular he would be.
"Miss, are you here for to get your fortune read?" Fraud Tian asked warmly and politely.
Since the shop opened, there have been a lot of people who walked past the shop but only a few actually walked into the shop.
"Of course! Why else would I come in?" The middle-aged woman sat on the stool, wondering where the fortune-teller was, only to find a young chap sitting opposite her. "Are you the fortune teller?" she asked doubtfully.
"I’m not, but he is. He’s Master Lin, owner of this shop." Fraud Tian chuckled as he replied.
"Oh?" The middle-aged woman looked at Lin Fan suspiciously. After all, Lin Fan was indeed really young and they were extremely suspicious.
She stood up. "Never mind, I don’t want my fortune read anymore."
For the middle-aged lady, she believed that young people wouldn’t have much experience and skill in such a trade.
Fraud Tian got anxious as he saw the middle-aged lady getting ready to leave. They hardly had any customers, he could not let her leave so easily.
"Sister, don’t rush to leave yet." Fraud Tian went around the woman, urging her to stay.
The middle-aged lady couldn’t believe it. Such a young chap doing fortune telling. What ability did he have?
"Sister, you’re here to ask about your son’s marriage right?" Lin Fan gave a grin as he calmly sipped his tea.
"Eh?" The middle-aged lady stopped in her tracks. "How did you know?" she exclaimed.
"Haha, what does the sign on the door write?" Lin Fan said calmly. For Lin Fan, his boastful attitude was almost undetectable by people, and he pulled it off naturally.
"Master Lin," the middle-aged lady said to herself
"Naturally, I can’t read your fortune like this. If you want to get a proper reading, you’ve got to sit down with me." Lin Fan extended his hand.
After the lady heard Lin Fan’s words, she started to believe him.
The middle-aged lady would seek a fortune teller at least ten times a year.
This time, her son was about to get married. She had already sought at least ten fortune tellers, but all of them said that everything was going to go smoothly and that the bride and groom were a good match.
The middle-aged lady was naturally happy, so she started getting busy with the preparations.
As she walked past Cloud Street, she saw a fortune telling shop and she thought that she’d try getting her fortune read again, only to find a young chap claiming to be a fortune teller. That’s why she started to have her doubts.
"So Master Lin……" as the middle-aged lady opened her mouth, she was interrupted by Lin Fan.
"For your son’s wedding, you’ve already seen fifteen other fortune tellers, is that right?" Lin Fan asked.
"Ah! You can even read this kind of things?" the middle-aged lady was stunned.
"That is natural for me." Lin Fan was a smooth operator. He did things slowly and calmly. "All the fifteen of them said the same thing - that everything was going to go well and that the bride and groom were a good match for each other. However, I disagree with them. The saying goes that women are afraid of marrying the wrong person and men are afraid of choosing the wrong job. But men are actually afraid of marrying the wrong person."
The middle-aged lady’s facial expression changed. She was alarmed and frightened at Lin Fans words.
"Master Lin, can you go into more detail?" the middle-aged woman sounded a little confused and distraught.
"I am not at liberty to inform you, however you can go back home and have a try. You’ll understand what I’m trying to say," Lin Fan subtly grinned.
The middle-aged lady nodded. Although it was barely a few sentences, but whatever Lin Fan said unsettled her, as if something was lodged in her throat.
The lady reached into her pocket and took out a hundred dollars. This was the standard price for fortune telling in Shanghai.
Just as the middle-aged lady was about to leave, Lin Fan made a final comment.
"Ms. Huang Hong Rong, you are our first customer, so we’ll gift you a Talisman. Also, try to avoid going out the next few days, and if you have any plans, it is best to cancel them, otherwise you might run into some trouble."
After saying all that, Lin Fan Sat there and relaxed.
"Ah? How do you know my name? And why would you give me a Talisman?" Huang Hong Rong asked, looking at Lin Fan with surprise. She didn’t recall telling Lin Fan her name.
"I am not at liberty to say these things, maybe it’s fate." Lin Fan kept a calm face and didn’t say anything after that.
Huang Hong Rong’s heart was unsettled as she left the shop.
After she left, Lin Fan took the money and gave it a little shake. "Fraud Tian, take your time."
"Dang! You really read all that from her? She visits fortune-tellers frequently and even she was surprised at your ability." Fraud Tian exclaimed in awe.
"Yeap." Lin Fan said casually.
"Wow……"
Fraud Tian was mesmerized. Lin Fan was a beast.
Lin Fan laid down on his chair and watched as people just walked past his shop. His fortune telling wasn’t a scam. Everything was decreed by fate.
In the capital.
Chen Xin Yi and Luo Dan were both nervous. Their company spent a lot of effort to get them an audition for the soap opera.
As the competition was stiff, only those with a certain standard could participate in it.
"Both of you must work hard. The company used a lot of resources to get this audition slot for you girls," a short-haired girl said.
The short haired girl was wearing formal working attire and she looked professional.
"Sister Yao, we will work hard for this!"
Both Chen Xin Yi and Luo Dan nodded their heads.
The women around them who were also going for the interview gave them a lot of stress.
The makeup on all of the other girls made them look exceptionally beautiful. Chen Xin Yi and Luo Dan only wore light makeup and they felt like they were at a disadvantage.
"Have faith, tomorrow will be your lucky day."
Luo Dan bowed her head and recited that line under her breath.
"Luo Dan, I thought you said you didn’t believe in that?" Chen Xin Yi turned her head and looked at Luo Dan.
"Even if we don’t have hope, I still need something to believe in," Luo Dan said. "Come on! We can do it!" Chen Xin Yi said.
"Mm."
Sister Yao just looked at the two of them. She didn’t have many high hopes for them as both of them weren’t well known and the competition this time was stiff. There were even a few famous stars auditioning. At this point, they could only try.
This soap opera was based on the famous author Tao’s book, ’Change’. It was set to be a big hit and people would be shot into stardom if they managed to pass the auditions.
The people who were auditioning for the role were all big-time actors. They had been personally handpicked by Author Tao.