Chapter 8 Her name is Li Yuntang

"Past Life and Present Life?"

"Really afraid that in the next second, he'd whip out a set of tarot cards and start fortune-telling for each of us, charge a little processing fee, and then split the profits fifty-fifty with the theater."

"Ha ha, priceless."

The stuff about past lives and such, believe it and there's something to it, don't believe it and there isn't. But if some stranger on the street starts harping on about it to you, they're either dumb or up to no good.

"Past Life and Present Life? Tarot cards? Please, spare us the dull-as-ditchwater cold and hot readings." Tsukimiya Kirie was thinking along similar lines, so she yawned, clearly losing interest, "Damn that Wolf, wasting a whole hour of my time."

As one of Jiang Shu's few acquaintances in Lonely City, Wolf naturally got a complimentary ticket to the performance. But an hour before the show started, he suddenly stumbled upon a new lead and gave the ticket to Kirie, the technician from the police station.

To prevent Kirie, who was often too engrossed in her research to consider going out, he used a particularly annoying rationale: "Here, you should watch our consultant's Magic Performance. Otherwise, the next time there's a 'Deception' case, you'd still be no help at all."

After saying that, Wolf took off, not caring at all about Kirie stewing in the lab, nearly grinding her silver teeth to dust.

Before Jiang Shu's appearance, Wolf had been enthusiastically pulling her aside—the best technician at the Seventh Police Station—discussing the feasibility of a Dimensional Portal to prove that the fox had actually invented a Dimension Gate to pull off the stunt of taking money through space. Of course, such an unrealistic idea was roundly mocked by Kirie. Yet now, was this really her useless proof?

It was your own thinking that was flawed!

"Damn it, it's just magic, isn't it?" Kirie was somewhat unwilling to accept defeat. She activated the recording and zoom features of her Prosthetic Eye, and her right eye turned blue, "Wait till I see through your trick. Then let's see what Wolf has to say!"

On stage, Jiang Shu shrugged his shoulders and said, "Past Life and Present Life, I don't believe in it either."

Then he looked towards a certain place in the audience, where a makeup-free Su Xiaoou was sitting, her delicate face showing indifference. To her left and right, the seats were empty, reserved for Xiao 8 and Xiao 5.

When out and about, Su Xiaoou always had this aloof ice queen persona, but Jiang Shu knew that this chilliness was somewhat related to her social anxiety. Get used to being cold, and it really turns into aloofness.

"I had a dream yesterday. There was a girl in it; I remember everything about her, yet I just can't recall her face." His voice was filled with regret as he began to speak, "After waking up, I felt a lingering sense of longing and loss, so I put everything about her in this envelope."

He showed the envelope in his hand, then placed it on the table.

"If this is my fate, I feel I can find her." Jiang Shu's tone became more resolute. He picked up three paper airplanes from the table, "I'm going to throw these three airplanes now. The guests who catch them, please come on stage. Of course, don't fight over them, I really don't want to see three brawny men on stage. That would directly tell me, my dream is shattered."

Laughter rippled through the crowd below.

Next, Jiang Shu closed his eyes, turned around, and consecutively threw the three paper airplanes. They spiraled in the air for a while before each landing on the lap of three different women.

"Is it me?"

"Then I'll go up for a moment, just a second."

The three women, each with their own charm, smiled at their companions nearby and gracefully took to the stage, then lined up and looked at Jiang Shu with curious or tranquil expressions.

"Alright, it looks like my fate is good. Hello, ladies and to our audience," Jiang Shu smiled and motioned for them to wave to the crowd, "First, I can confirm that none of us know each other, right?"

"Right." The three ladies nodded.

"Okay, now please don't reveal any personal information. Remember, what's destined will happen, and what's not shouldn't be forced." Jiang Shu continued, picking up pen and paper from the table, "Although I don't know what the girl looks like, I know our hearts are connected."

"Now, I will write a number under one hundred on my paper, of course, without letting you see, like this."

He took the paper behind his back and wrote down a number, looked at it with a slight sense of regret, and said, "Indeed, writing behind your back makes it look ugly, but you can still make out what it is."

Immediately after, Jiang Shu put the paper into his pocket and looked up at the three women, "Now please close your eyes. In the darkness, you'll see some vague shapes, and they'll slowly coalesce into a number. Tell me, what is that number?"

"85."

"24."

"54."

"Mm, it seems I've already found her. The number of this lady is closest to mine." Jiang Shu took out the piece of paper from his pocket, it was awkwardly written with the numbers "83", then he politely gestured towards the stairs off the stage, "It seems I was presumptuous; it appears both of the beautiful ladies have male companions, so thank you for your cooperation."

The girl left on stage was about twenty, dressed in blue casual wear, calmly watching Jiang Shu, dressed impeccably and exuding confidence. She asked with interest, "So the girl you dreamed of is me?"

"No, I need to confirm a few things," Jiang Shu smiled, "First, let's confirm once again that we have never met, right? Hmm, except in my dreams."

"Hmm." The girl nodded.

"So, what is your favorite animal?" Jiang Shu asked.

"Rabbits," the girl answered without hesitation.

"And your favorite fruit?" Jiang Shu continued, then winked, "I'm asking about fruit, don't tell me it's rabbit meat."

"Of course not." The girl grinned sweetly, "It's grapes."

"Wow, that seems just like the girl in my dreams," Jiang Shu expressed his surprise at the right moment, then shook his head, "But saying something like this right after you've spoken, the credibility is too low."

"Do you remember your paper airplane?" he pointed to the paper airplane in her hand, "On the pilot seat in the cockpit, there is a layer of sticker. Peel it off, and you will see the pilot inside."

The girl peeled off the layer of sticker that resembled glass, only to see a rabbit drawn on the pilot seat inside the cockpit. She too was stunned and quite surprised.

There was an enlarged image of the paper airplane on the screen, which took the audience by surprise as well, and an atmosphere of astonishment filled the seats.

"Each plane carries something; you can open the plane and see its cargo hold," Jiang Shu said.

Following his instructions, the girl opened the inner layer of the paper airplane and saw many grapes drawn inside, which was also broadcast live on the screen at that moment.

"What?" Now the girl's astonishment reached its peak. She recalled the entire process and realized she had no clue how Jiang Shu had done it all, which made her look forward to what was coming next.

Backstage.

"Sister Mei, it's been thirteen minutes; we should have been on stage by now." Maggie and her male partner stood in front of Sister Mei, discontented, "Have him speed up, don't delay the following performances."

All the performers who went on stage were wearing earpieces for backstage communication, generally for receiving only.

"Pick up the pace a bit, control the rhythm," Sister Mei reminded him.

"Auntie Mei, you can't blame Jiang Shu for this," Su Xiaoou popped up from the side, "We rehearsed yesterday, and it was precisely ten minutes. Today it's this woman on stage, she's moving too slowly."

"Why didn't you leave enough time then?" Maggie said irritably, "Sister Mei, most of the audience here came for us; if our performance is delayed, what are we supposed to do?"

"It's indeed not good," Sister Mei also frowned. There was no helping it. Without going into details, Maggie was indeed one of the mainstays of the theater, so she reminded them again, "Speed it up, don't drag it out."

"Auntie Mei, but the woman on stage seems to be Li Yuntang," Su Xiaoou pointed to the stage, "Although she's wearing a human skin mask, that figure..."

"Hmm?" Sister Mei perked up when Li Yuntang was mentioned. She stared at the stage for a while and clicked her tongue, "That bearing... indeed looks like her."

Plus, it wasn't the first time Li Yuntang had visited a theater incognito for a critique. Sister Mei's forehead creased as she immediately told Jiang Shu, "Go at your own pace, don't mind the others."

The atmosphere in the venue was good, and on the principle of 'better wrongfully accuse than let go,' Sister Mei truly dared not rush an act that might involve Li Yuntang.

Upon hearing this, Maggie instantly felt anxious, "Sister Mei!"

"No more words, I have my own judgment," Sister Mei shook her head slightly, refusing without room for doubt.

Maggie didn't speak any further but watched Jiang Shu on the broadcast screen with a gloomy face.

On the side, Su Xiaoou kept her own counsel and quietly walked away to prepare props for Jiang Shu.

Front of stage.

"It looks like you are indeed the person I'm looking for. Now, please open this envelope," Jiang Shu handed the envelope on the table to her, "And now, please read the contents of the letter aloud."

The girl opened the envelope with a smile, but when she saw the contents of the letter, she was taken aback.

After a long while, she began to read slowly, "The girl of my dreams, her name is—"

"Li Yuntang."