Is She A Charlatan?

"Are you the one who bullied my daughter?"

Mrs. Wan scanned Gu Chuyin, her gaze stopping on the bandage on her forehead.

She knew her daughter's arrogant personality better than anyone, and seeing the injury, the truth was obvious.

What surprised her, though, was that this girl, though chubby, didn't seem as timid and insecure as she had imagined.

Instead, her small eyes showed a sense of calmness and determination.

"You're running to tattle before even hitting her?" Gu Chuyin glanced at Wan Jiajia with a hint of sarcasm. "Truly shameless, unbeatable in the world."

Everyone present knew what had happened yesterday. How dare they act so righteous?

As soon as she spoke, the expressions of those around her changed.

Wan Jiajia's face turned red with anger, her eyes sharp as knives, wishing she could tear Gu Chuyin apart.

Mrs. Wan's face also darkened.

No matter what, her daughter wasn't someone just anyone could insult.

"Mr. Fang, is this your idea of an apology?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This brat doesn't know how to speak. I'll definitely teach her a lesson when we get back. Please don't be angry..." Fang Wenxiang apologized hurriedly, even reaching out to pinch Gu Chuyin.

Gu Chuyin lazily glanced at them, then turned and walked into the school, ignoring the scolding behind her.

She didn't know how the situation was resolved, nor did she care.

She had walked too much these past few days, and her feet were covered in blisters.

During lunch break, she didn't feel like going back, so she wandered around the school.

The scorching sun was blazing, and cicadas chirped from every direction.

Standing under a tree near the school gate, sweat soaking her clothes and her stomach empty, she squinted at her surroundings.

An old man selling popsicles stood by the gate, two cents each.

Next to him, a hawker sold sticky rice candy, two strings for five cents.

She had no money.

Having lived two lifetimes, she had never been this broke before.

Her gaze swept around and suddenly landed on a black car.

The car was spotless, exuding an air of wealth.

Gu Chuyin had an idea.

She walked over and knocked on the back window.

The window rolled down, revealing a strikingly handsome face.

He looked about twenty, with deep brows and eyes that seemed to hide a sky full of stars.

Meeting his gaze was like getting pulled into a bottomless abyss.

Her eyes drifted downward, past his perfect, straight nose, to his lips, which curved slightly, an unconscious smirk adding an indescribable allure to his face.

Gu Chuyin had seen many handsome men, celebrities, fresh-faced models, fitness trainers, but men like this, youthful yet mysterious, exuding a quiet magnetism, were rare.

"Haven't you stared enough?"

A low, magnetic voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She quickly came back to reality, remembering her goal.

"Sir, judging by your face, you'll encounter some trouble soon. Want to hear more details?"

"Oh? Are you a fortune teller?"

The man's lips curled into a smirk, his pitch-black pupils locked onto her.

Leaning back in his seat, he looked completely at ease.

Seeing that he wasn't immediately dismissing her, Gu Chuyin studied his features carefully.

"If you want to know more, give me one hundred yuan."

The man glanced at her chubby hands, then, with a hint of amusement, pulled out a hundred yuan from his wallet and handed it over.

Taking the money, Gu Chuyin sighed internally.

Rich young masters were the easiest to fool.

"During the next half month, avoid crowded places, or else you'll have bad luck in love."

"That's it?"

Liu Xiu raised an eyebrow, then chuckled.

Gu Chuyin frowned, suddenly serious.

"I don't joke about these things. Believe it or not, that's up to you."

With that, she turned and left.

Watching her bulky figure disappear, Liu Xiu's gaze darkened.

"Let's go."

At noon, Gu Chuyin casually ate a bowl of beef noodles outside.

Even as she walked back to school, she kept thinking about Liu Xiu's face.

His features were perfect, but there were things she couldn't see through.

In the end, she had only managed to vaguely predict his bad luck in love.

That was rare.

Thinking back—

She hadn't been able to read Liang Shang's fate either.

A certain thought crossed her mind, sending a chill down her spine. She hurried back to school.

In the afternoon, there were two exams.

They were simple.

She finished them quickly and spent the remaining time sleeping.

At first, the invigilator reminded her a few times, but when she didn't respond, they gave up.

Before leaving school, she ran into the girls she had beaten up yesterday.

They had bruises, their wounds hastily bandaged.

Today, they didn't make sarcastic remarks or pick a fight. Instead, they kept their distance.

"What's wrong? Want to play again?"

Gu Chuyin stopped, licked her lips, and smiled faintly.

"One by one, or all at once?"

Seeing that she wasn't afraid, worse, she looked excited, the girls, who were used to bullying the weak, started to panic.

"You're crazy. We don't want trouble."

One of them muttered before quickly walking away. The others followed.

They hadn't come to cause trouble, they had just happened to run into her.

Before, they used to block her and mess with her at school.

Now, it felt like the roles had reversed.

They didn't dare think too much about it and ran off before Gu Chuyin decided to beat them up again.

By the time she got home, the sun had started to set. The heat of the day had faded, leaving the air cooler.

Her clothes were drenched in sweat.

She wanted nothing more than a shower and clean clothes.

But when she reached the door, she realized—

It was locked.

This had happened before.

She didn't have a key, so she had to wait for the Gu couple to return.

Gu Chuyin sat on the steps, watching the distant rows of small tiled houses bathed in golden sunlight.

The scenery was breathtaking.

Suddenly, a long shadow stretched across the ground in front of her.