Lying on his hospital bed in a vegetative state, Li Guangrong was covered by a green quilt patterned with cacti. A plastic tube snaked into his nose; under the fluorescent light above his head, he resembled a wilted plant performing a feeble photosynthesis. As he gasped for breath, he could never have imagined that two months earlier, on a day when the sky was intensely blue and the sunshine dazzling—just after Hongyang, a small town in Northeast China, had experienced its first snowfall since the start of winter—he had already been marked for death by a powerful immortal.
That morning, while urinating in the bathroom, Li Guangrong was suddenly gripped by a powerful premonition: he was going to win the lottery again, just like he had a year ago when he won 100,000 yuan. This time, it would be a colossal jackpot, one destined to shake the entire city. Yet, even as this conviction surged through him, an unsettling contradiction arose: both his left and right eyelids began twitching violently in unison. Confused, he muttered to himself, "Left eye twitches for disaster, right eye for fortune... What does it mean when both jump at once?"
Li Guangrong trusted his premonitions implicitly. They had never failed him. Back in his boxing days, he never lost a fight he felt certain of winning. Even battered, with a broken nose bleeding profusely, swaying and teetering on the brink – just when the crowd was convinced he was finished – he would unleash a sudden, devastating punch to knock his opponent flat. Later, as a car mechanic, his hunches proved uncanny. If he sensed a particular car was doomed for a tire blowout, it invariably happened. He vividly recalled the incident six months prior: the owner of that Santana, a 281-pound behemoth, had been vigorously... engaged... with his girlfriend when the overburdened wheels gave way, crushing the tires and causing a spectacular blowout.
Li Guangrong's morning aim was usually impeccable. But that day, distracted by the conflicting signals of his premonition and his twitching eyelids, his stream went astray, splattering messily beside the toilet. This lapse earned him a furious tongue-lashing from his wife, Liu Qiaoyun. Though Liu Qiaoyun shirked most household chores, she possessed a near-pathological obsession with cleanliness. The sight – or even the thought – of spilled urine on the porcelain was utterly unbearable to her.
Liu Qiaoyun frowned as she wiped the toilet with tissue paper, complaining sharply, "What's wrong with you? A man your age shouldn't be missing the toilet like an old man. And to think you used to be an athlete!"
That same noon, seeking answers, Wang Ming found himself in the cramped room of the fortune teller known as Daxian. Thick cloth curtains blocked the daylight, and only five fragrant candles lit the space, their glow flickering on the colorful symbols plastered across the walls. The heating was turned high, making the air thick and warm. Seated across from the plump, pale-skinned Daxian at a large solid wood table, Wang Ming poured out his frustrations:
"Master, my eyelids have been twitching since morning, and it's only getting worse. This morning... I even missed the toilet. My wife scolded me fiercely. Both things are just... outrageous. I feel something big is coming."
Daxian looked down at the turtle shell, copper coins, and stalks of yarrow spread before her. "Hmm," she murmured thoughtfully, "Yes, where there's an effect, there's a cause. Trouble never comes without reason." She paused, studying the divination tools. "Your eyelids twitching together... combined with the 'fire water' hexagram you revealed..." Her finger traced an unseen pattern. "The hexagram of 'Wuji' points to a significant upheaval. And do you know what missing the toilet signifies?" She fixed her gaze on him. "It signifies 'earth burying water'. Water governs wealth—your wealth has scattered outside its proper place. Think carefully... what could this relate to?"
Li Guangrong pulled a tattered notebook from his pocket. He flipped it open to a specific page, pointed at a set of lottery numbers scrawled there, and confessed to the fortune teller: "Master, to be honest, I've been buying lottery tickets consistently. I even won 100,000 yuan last year! See this set of numbers? I've been playing them for a month now. I'm not giving up – I plan to keep buying them. And this time... my feeling about winning is incredibly strong. Do you think I can win?"
Daxian took the notebook, muttered the lottery numbers to herself twice, and then bent her plump fingers, counting silently for a moment. Finally, she said, "Okay."
Interpreting this as a positive sign, Li Guangrong quickly snatched his notebook back and tucked it into his pocket. A grin spread across his face as he reasoned, "So I get it! The 'significant upheaval' you mentioned... it must mean I'm going to win the big prize, right?"
Daxian frowned, giving Li Guangrong a sharp look. "I hadn't finished," she said pointedly. "But..."
Li Guangrong's heart lurched. Damn it, he thought, his elation vanishing instantly. I jumped the gun.
Daxian picked up the thermos from the table, took a slow sip of her red date, goji berry, and jasmine tea, and then continued gravely: "But... one day three months ago, you offended Tai Sui. You were supposed to lie low and avoid attracting attention ('hide from the stars'), but instead of keeping a low profile, you charged right into its path. While there might not have been obvious consequences at the time, the seed of trouble was sown. I foresee this incident will hit you hard. Very hard indeed. It could even be... life-threatening."
Li Guangrong was thoroughly bewildered. He had no clue what "offending Tai Sui" or "hiding from the stars" meant, and frankly, he didn't care to know. The only thing that mattered was preventing disaster! Cutting the Great Immortal off mid-explanation, he blurted out urgently, "Master, I don't understand any of that! Just tell me straight—how can I fix this? How do I break the curse?"
The Great Immortal, seemingly oblivious to his interruption, droned on with her intricate calculations: "Specifically, it happened on June 25th, the eighth day of the lunar month... A confluence of 19 Earthly Fortunes, 18 Wood Fortunes and 25 Wood Fortunes, 10 Metal Fortunes and 21 Water Fortunes, Taiyin Fortunes and 27 Sun Fortunes, and Mars Fortunes and 19 Mars... Within the three wu hours before the Clear Fire, the Earth's Radiance clears nine days after the Earth's Radiance, the Metal Destiny settles at the End of Heat, the Wood Destiny settles in the Great Cold Yin Court, and the Water Destiny settles three hai before the Winter Solstice..."
Li Guangrong's anxiety boiled over. He slammed his hand on the table, interrupting her relentless stream of esoteric jargon. "Master!" he pleaded, his voice tight with desperation. "In the end—how do I fix it?! Tell me how to break it!"
Finally, Da Xian'er paused. She picked up a red-covered manual from the table, her gaze meeting Li Guangrong's frantic eyes. "This book," she said calmly, "is my own work, distilled from a lifetime's experience in divination. Take it home. Recite it sincerely, three times. The answers you seek will be revealed." She paused for effect. "Even if the exact solution eludes you, its power can turn calamity into blessing and help you overcome any obstacle. The price is 100 yuan. But..." she added with a slight smile, "...seeing as we share a spiritual connection, I'll give you a 15% discount."
Li Guangrong understood immediately: this was just a trick. But worry gnawed at him. If winning the lottery meant spending money to avoid disaster, wouldn't that be the ultimate joke? So, he shelled out 85 yuan for Da Xian'er's Little Red Book—buying nothing more than a sliver of peace of mind.
Leaving Daxian's place that day, Li Guangrong made a beeline for the restroom in the nearby farmers' market. Squatting over the pit, cigarette dangling from his lips, he flipped through the book. The contents were pure gibberish to him—a baffling mix of Sanskrit, oracle bone script, and Roman letters. He couldn't decipher a single word.
Frustrated, he looked at the portrait of Daxian'er printed on the title page, and the bio beneath it: Kang Peide, Renowned Master of Yi Studies in Northeast China. Proficient in Feng Shui, Bazi, Qimen Dunjia, Plum Blossom Numerology, Tarot Cards...
As the sting of the wasted 85 yuan hit him, Li Guangrong tore a page from the Little Red Book and used it to wipe himself. "What kind of master is this," he grumbled under his breath, "just a 'three-shot' con artist?" He cursed again, "Damn, this paper's too thin. Even wiping my ass takes more effort!"
1.What exactly happened on the afternoon of June 25th?
Of course, Kang Peide, the "Great Immortal," had simply fabricated that specific date—June 25th—to deceive Li Guangrong. If he were truly so powerful, Li Guangrong thought bitterly, why wasn't he out winning the lottery himself?
Yet, within the 24 hours before he fell into a vegetative state—shortly after leaving Kang Peide's place—Li Guangrong, despite knowing the man was a fraud, found himself seriously pondering: What significant event had actually happened on that date three months prior?
After much racking of his brain, he finally remembered: That afternoon, he and his wife, Liu Qiaoyun, had gone to the Volkswagen 4S store. They bought a white Volkswagen Sagitar—one of those fancy automatic-manual transmission models. The total cost was 184,000 yuan.
The down payment came from three sources:
100,000 yuan from his big lottery win nine months earlier.
20,000 yuan scraped together from their savings.
The remaining 64,000 yuan was a bank loan. The loan carried a 5.65% interest rate, demanding a monthly repayment of 1,278.78 yuan, and had to be fully repaid within five years.
Recalling this smooth, even pleasant, car-buying experience only solidified Li Guangrong's opinion: Kang Peide was absolutely a "three-shot" con artist. The staff at the 4S store that day had been incredibly kind, patient, and all smiles, treating him and Liu Qiaoyun like royalty just to make the sale. Where in that, he wondered, could there possibly have been a hidden danger planted?
Kang Peide was undoubtedly a fraudster, relying entirely on deception and trickery in his "readings." That much was true. But then again—Li Guangrong mused with a grim parallel—it was just like buying lottery tickets: even a blind conman might stumble onto the truth once in a while.
On the afternoon of June 25th, besides Li Guangrong and Liu Qiaoyun, there were about six or seven other people in the Volkswagen 4S dealership. They appeared to be harmless ordinary folk. However, their relationships were far from ordinary, and their intertwined stories were far too lively to be explained in a sentence or two.
First, we need to meet Song Jiali, the saleswoman, and her partner, Kang Dapeng.
Song Jiali, 24, was tall and beautiful, but came from a poor background. Her father died young, leaving her mother to support Song Jiali and her younger brother through menial jobs like cleaning, nannying, and housekeeping. Her brother, now a senior in college, had always been a top student. Feeling that "the soil of the motherland" could no longer challenge him academically, his sole ambition was to study in the United States and use his knowledge to change his family's fate.
The problem was money. Studying in the US required dollars, and the Song family struggled to make ends meet with yuan – where would the funds come from? Song Jiali's bad luck seemed unending. She missed admission to a key high school by one point, performed poorly on the college entrance exam, landing her only in a third-tier university. After graduation, she finally secured this job as a 4S store salesperson. Yet, despite her best efforts, her sales performance consistently ranked last. Last month, Xue Hong, her middle-aged manager, warned her bluntly: given the pandemic-induced economic downturn across all industries, if Song Jiali ranked last again this month, she should start looking elsewhere for work. Xue Hong even quipped that her own fourth-grade son could probably do better!
Six months ago, buckling under the immense pressure from her mother to get married, Song Jiali started dating a boyfriend she met on a dating app: Kang Dapeng.
Kang Dapeng presented himself as a spirited young man – serious and gentle in appearance. In reality, however, he was just like his father, Kang Peide: a scumbag skilled in cheating and deception. In fact, Kang Dapeng surpassed his father, reaching new heights of invincibility in his craft. Yes, Kang Dapeng was indeed Kang Peide's son – his only son. Kang Dapeng spun tales of being a wealthy second-generation heir, raised in affluence and never wanting for money. He claimed his job as a business manager at a driving school was merely to "experience life" and scout talented drivers, laying the groundwork for a future entry into F1.
The relationship between Song Jiali and Kang Dapeng escalated quickly. By early June, Kang Dapeng produced 100,000 yuan in cash. Standing before Song Jiali's mother, he declared dramatically: "Auntie, this is just 1% of the dowry money. Can Jiali and I get married first?"
Song Jiali's mother, overjoyed and tearful, believed her daughter had finally found a good man to entrust her life to. Accepting the money gratefully, she told Kang Dapeng, "Xiaokang, then I won't stand on ceremony. From now on, you must be good to our Jiali!" Naturally, Song Jiali and Kang Dapeng moved in together. Her mother, thinking little more of it, promptly turned around and gave that entire 100,000 yuan to Song Jiali's younger brother for his studies.
Back to the Afternoon of June 25th:
1. Song Jiali's Brother: That very 100,000 yuan was spent by Song Jiali's younger brother on study abroad procedures in less than half a month. Everything was ready except for the flight ticket.
2. The Showroom Floor: Song Jiali was leading Li Guangrong and Liu Qiaoyun around the 4S store, showing them various car models. Liu Qiaoyun, a vain woman driving a White Lotus (Bai Lianhua), treated Song Jiali like a harem maid, making even Li Guangrong uncomfortable. Ultimately, despite her initial disdain, Liu Qiaoyun settled on the "Sagitar" – a choice dictated purely by insufficient funds. Her true favorite was the BMW MINI COOPER.
3. Xue Hong's Office: Meanwhile, Song Jiali's manager, Xue Hong, was in her office, lecturing her husband, Tao Liqun, and their fourth-grade son, Tao Ye. Her tirade stemmed from two main issues:
* Tao Liqun's Mother: Tao Liqun's mother had recently suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving her completely paralyzed and requiring constant care for all her needs. Tao Liqun's younger brother, whose family was financially average, proposed they share the burden: the brother would provide 24-hour care, while Tao Liqun's family would contribute 4,000 yuan per month. Tao Liqun had mentioned this twice to Xue Hong, but she flatly refused.
* Tao Ye's Behavior: Tao Ye was not only failing academically but also extremely unsociable, constantly fighting with classmates – eight times in just one month. That very day, Tao Liqun had been summoned and scolded by the teacher, who said: "If your son continues like this, aren't you worried as parents? And by the way, how is he being raised by his mother? Why have I never met her?"
Xue Hong ranted at them for over half an hour, circling relentlessly through three main points:
* First: The two men were utterly useless ("virtuous" used sarcastically). Nothing they did was good enough; they were incompetent burdens. The family relied entirely on her to earn money and manage everything. Life was too difficult for her.
* Second: Tao Liqun couldn't earn decent money. As a junior clerk in a stationery factory, his annual salary was only 48,000 yuan. Paying 4,000 yuan a month for his mother meant their family would have nothing left. What use was he? Besides, didn't Tao Liqun's mother still own two properties? Selling one would solve everything.
* Third: Tao Ye simply couldn't be her biological son. She had been an outstanding child, excellent in both studies and character, beloved by all and admired by every teacher. It was hard to believe she hadn't been switched at birth.
Tao Liqun and Tao Ye stood huddled against the wall, heads hanging low, remaining silent throughout. Tao Liqun didn't dare talk back; Tao Ye simply disdained to respond.
Song Jiali was leading Li Guangrong and Liu Qiaoyun through the car pickup procedures. Just as they were signing a hefty 1.2 million yuan insurance policy, Kang Dapeng arrived to pick Song Jiali up. His entrance coincided with Liu Qiaoyun spotting him.
Liu Qiaoyun's Reaction: Liu Qiaoyun instantly froze, her earlier arrogance vanishing as if a mouse had seen a cat. She was mortified.
The Awkward Exchange:
Song Jiali, noticing the shift, asked Kang Dapeng: "Do you know Liu Qiaoyun?"
Kang Dapeng chuckled dismissively: "No, no. The world's so big. What are the odds of coincidentally running into someone you know in a tiny 4S store?"
The Hidden Truth: Technically, Kang Dapeng wasn't lying about knowing Liu Qiaoyun well. But he possessed something far more damaging: a video of Liu Qiaoyun giving Li Guangrong a "green hat" (cheating on him). Liu Qiaoyun knew of its existence, though the specific incident dated back another six months.
Flashback: The Driving School Incident (6 Months Prior)
Setup: A year ago, Liu Qiaoyun paid 3,800 yuan to enroll in driving school. Within a week of starting lessons, she began an affair with her coach, Chen Biao.
The Act: One night after practice, overcome by passion, they drove the training car to a secluded corner, believing themselves unseen. There, they shamelessly "tidied up" inside the vehicle.
The Witness: Kang Dapeng happened to be walking his boss's dog in the driving school yard. Spotting the car bouncing suspiciously, he led the dog closer and pressed his face against the window – just in time to witness their frantic "sprint towards the finish line." (Kang Dapeng's thought: Damn, you even get free shows while dog-walking?)
The Evidence: Kang Dapeng held up his phone as if taking a selfie, secretly recording video evidence of their "exercise."
The Confrontation: When Liu Qiaoyun and Chen Biao, satisfied, finally emerged, they realized they'd been caught. Kang Dapeng looked Chen Biao dead in the eye and said with mock seriousness, "Chen Biao, with skills like that, you're wasted as a driving coach." He then chuckled and walked off with the dog.
Back to June 25th: New Arrivals at the 4S Store
Besides the people already mentioned, three colleagues of Li Guangrong (the former boxer turned mechanic) also arrived at the 4S store that afternoon: Kong Qizheng, Erbao, and Enlong. They came with a purpose: to collect money from Kang Dapeng. The roots of this debt lay entirely within their car repair shop.
Introducing the Repair Shop Crew & Their True Business
The repair shop employed four people. Kong Qizheng was the boss.
The Facade: Li Guangrong was the only genuine mechanic.
The Reality: The other three, led by Kong Qizheng, operated a sinister side business: high-interest loans, debt collection, and brutal enforcement (like hand-cutting for non-payment). The repair shop was merely a front; Li Guangrong was just a tool. Kong Qizheng was the truly ruthless one.
Kong Qizheng: Rumored (true or not) to have several lives on his hands. His menacing aura was undeniable – even dogs gave him a wide berth. His image and demeanor screamed precision violence.
Erbao: Resembled a monkey. A glance revealed a brain full of bad ideas ("melon seeds and bad water"). A mere shift in his eyes could hatch a new scheme.
Enlong: Stood 1.88m tall with a powerful build (tiger back, bear waist). He constantly wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with "LONDON BOY," projecting an intimidating "thief-catcher" image. Despite appearances, he was essentially a gentle giant with a surprising fondness for domestic animated films like 'Cute Chicken Squad'.
Kang Dapeng's Debt Cycle & Confrontation:
Following in his father Kang Peide's footsteps, Kang Dapeng had spent years swindling his way through life, charming countless girls—a lifestyle that inevitably incurred significant expenses. His usual method was a classic "robbing Peter to pay Paul" scheme: borrowing money from all directions. When debts in the east came due, he'd use funds borrowed from the south to cover them; when southern debts pressed, he'd tap the north and west... and so on. This unsustainable cycle left Kang Dapeng deeply in debt, and its eventual collapse was inevitable.
That afternoon, June 25th, this reckoning arrived in the form of Kong Qizheng, Erbao, and Enlong. They cornered Kang Dapeng inside an SUV. Erbao and Enlong forcefully pressed his head down, while Kong Qizheng leaned in close, his threat hanging heavy in the cramped space.
Song Jiali's Rollercoaster Afternoon:
Meanwhile, Song Jiali had endured Liu Qiaoyun's demanding behavior all afternoon. Her legs ached from walking. Yet, she had finally sold a car this month! The relief and joy were so intense she almost cried tears of happiness.
The Crushing Blow:
After Xue Hong dismissed her husband Tao Liqun and son Tao Ye, Song Jiali, still riding her high, happily went to report her successful sale to her manager. She chattered excitedly, hoping for a word of praise. Instead, Xue Hong's face turned cold. She pulled out 2,500 yuan and said flatly, "Xiao Song, after careful consideration, the dealership has decided to terminate your employment. This is your severance pay."
The joy evaporated instantly. Song Jiali burst into real tears.