TL: Hua

Chapter 18: Charlatan

The golden toad was an evil deity that had harbored the intention of taking over an unborn fetus’s body not long ago. You Xingyue couldn’t possibly feel at ease leaving it alone in the mall, so he hadn’t removed its seal after leaving it behind.

Something would happen at the mall at night, but it was unlikely to be a major disaster. Before leaving, You Xingyue specifically instructed that the water in the pool be emptied, because without a medium, resentment couldn’t drown someone out of thin air.

You Xingyue’s only concern was that the golden toad might use the shadowy black energy to cultivate again.

However, the golden toad resisted the temptation. Not only did it resist, but it also saved a life.

After returning to Not Keeping Guests, You Xingyue merely lay down to rest with his eyes closed, his mind entirely attached to the red threads sealing the golden toad. That way, if the golden toad made any abnormal moves, he could control it immediately.

And if the golden toad had turned a blind eye to an ordinary person colliding with the resentment, the red threads would have detached from it to save the person themselves.

What You Xingyue had hoped for most was that the golden toad would take the initiative to save someone.

And the golden toad had indeed done so.

It could be considered to have lived up to You Xingyue’s expectations.

You Xingyue fished out his glasses and put them on. The red thread wrapped around his fingers had already been absorbed into his body. He closed his eyes and reorganized the threads within him. In just a short moment, he felt the power of the threads inside his body increase significantly.

Opening his eyes, a strand of red thread appeared in his hand. Originally, the thread had been as fine as spider silk, but after taking over Not Keeping Guests for only a few days, its diameter had visibly grown.

Every time You Xingyue found a contract partner for a vessel spirit, his power would increase noticeably. However, the contract between the golden toad and Wu Xingfang was not yet established. Wu Xingfang would only be considered to have officially invited the golden toad back after signing the contract on the mall’s opening day.

Bu Liuke rubbed his eyes, sat up, and asked blankly, “What happened?”

You Xingyue picked him up in his arms. Bu Liuke’s small body was much more solid than before. You Xingyue smiled and said, “The golden toad did a good deed.”

Bu Liuke instantly snapped awake, holding his cheeks as he said, “That’s wonderful! That means we did a good deed, too!”

…

A few days later, You Xingyue paid a visit back to the orphanage.

He returned once every month to bring some supplies. If he had money left over from his part-time work after covering his living expenses, he would save it up for a few months and then transfer it to the director.

This time, You Xingyue sent back a substantial sum. The director was startled and thought he had gotten involved in some illegal business, forcing You Xingyue to spend quite a long time explaining before she finally believed him.

Before he left, she nagged him, “Don’t evade taxes or commit fraud. Be a law-abiding citizen.”

You Xingyue smiled and nodded. “I know.”

The mall opening took place over twenty days later. As a large shopping complex, it had already attracted considerable attention during construction, and a large crowd gathered to watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony on opening day.

The ribbon cutting was set for 7:30 AM. The weather was lovely, and because it was still early, the temperature was quite pleasant.

Wu Xingfang had set up a stage at the mall entrance and hired a host along with several performance teams. The host livened up the atmosphere while handing out gifts.

To build momentum for the mall, Wu Xingfang had even invited local media to film the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

You Xingyue was still wearing his chain-link glasses. He was dressed a bit more formally today in a shirt and trousers. Standing among a group of middle-aged men, he was remarkably eye-catching.

Wu Xingfang was introducing You Xingyue to the business partners around him. He had been riding high recently and looked several years younger.

Ever since the golden toad took up residence, everything at the mall had gone smoothly. The only mishap occurred on the very first night it watched over the place, but fortunately, it ended without real danger.

Wu Xingfang still remembered how Taoist Xu and Master You had been so certain that something would go wrong at the mall, and it had indeed come true. Not only did it come true, but with the golden toad present, the accident was successfully resolved.

A middle-aged man found it amusing. “You’re still as superstitious as ever.”

Wu Xingfang snorted coldly. “Don’t doubt it. You’ll run into trouble sooner or later.”

Facing the curious glances around him, You Xingyue merely smiled without saying a word.

The mall was located near several universities, so more than half of the onlookers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were students. They all held up their phones to film the stage, but gradually, their camera lenses unconsciously drifted toward You Xingyue.

His temperament was far too outstanding. His skin was as fair as cold jade, appearing refreshing even in the heat of summer. Dressed in a blue-green shirt and trousers, wearing a pair of chain-link glasses, he stood out effortlessly. When someone beside him turned to speak with him, You Xingyue tilted his head slightly, causing the thin gold chain to sway, and seemingly sway right into the hearts of the onlookers.

It’s unknown what the person beside him had said, but the corners of his lips curved upward, his smile spreading outward like ripples on water.

Looking solely at his appearance, You Xingyue possessed a pure, almost steadfast, gentle clarity. And because his gaze was calm and composed, that gentleness was remarkably powerful.

“Wow, he’s so handsome. Is he a celebrity they brought in? What is he going to do later? Sing?” someone whispered secretly.

“Probably, maybe he just debuted so no one recognizes him yet. Holy crap, snap a photo quickly! If we follow him now, we’ll be veteran fans.”

“Can I get him to sign an autograph for me? I could sell it in the future.”

“Take a few more pictures. He’s definitely going to be famous.”

…

Once the ribbon-cutting ceremony was finished, You Xingyue let out a sigh of relief. He took out the contract and signed it together with Wu Xingfang. Wu Xingfang happily transferred three million yuan to You Xingyue and was then dragged away by others to tour the mall.

You Xingyue put away the contract.

Bu Liuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Touching his own face, he marveled, “I’ve recovered so much!”

Selling the golden toad and the Pixiu in succession had allowed Bu Liuke to gradually recover.

He had actually been prepared to quietly fade away if he couldn’t sell any antiques!

Bu Liuke said, “Xingyue, you are really amazing.”

He had realized that the contracts Xingyue signed were much stronger in effect than those signed by previous owners, which allowed him to obtain far more power.

You Xingyue smiled faintly, lightly stroking Bu Liuke’s hair as he said, “Let me take you around the mall for fun.”

Bu Liuke nodded vigorously. “Let’s go do a follow-up visit on the golden toad!”

The shopping mall was far from Nanbei Street. You Xingyue had kept an eye on the golden toad for the first few days, but after confirming that it had genuinely repented and turned over a new leaf into a good toad, he couldn’t be bothered to care anymore.

You Xingyue walked into the mall carrying Bu Liuke. After a few steps, they could see a water pool.

The pool had been renovated, with a platform constructed in the middle to create an artificial waterfall. Water was drawn from the pool, pumped up onto the platform, and allowed to pour back down.

The golden toad perched on the platform, several koi fish swam in the pool, and surprisingly, quite a few coins were scattered along the bottom.

You Xingyue watched with his own eyes as a young girl stood before the pool, devoutly closing her eyes to make a wish: “I hope I get a hundred points on my exam tomorrow.”

After making her wish, the girl tossed the coin in her hand onto the platform.

The customers walking into the mall for the first time had no idea what was going on, but that didn’t matter. Human nature is to follow the crowd; with the girl taking the lead, a circle of people soon gathered around the pool, tossing coins and making wishes to the golden toad.

Clatter! Splash!

The sounds of coins hitting the water rang out repeatedly.

You Xingyue: “…”

The golden toad, completely dead inside: “…”

Ever since it saved that girl the other day, legends about the golden toad began circulating in the mall. Later, the rumors grew more and more outrageous, evolving into the belief that it was extremely effective for fulfilling wishes.

From the day the rumor spread, the coins in the pool gradually multiplied.

As the man and the golden toad exchanged looks, the toad finally couldn’t hold back a sob: “Boss, what happened to finding me a good family? Why does the Pixiu get grooming and head-patting services, while I only get pelted with coins?!”

Although suppressing evil things earned it a lot of merit, coming out here just to be pelted by coins was way too embarrassing, wasn’t it?!

Well, at least it used to be an evil deity.

You Xingyue: “…”

Boss You, who looked pure white on the outside but was pitch-black on the inside, felt a bit guilty at this moment as well.

Feeling guilty, You Xingyue quickly toured the mall with Bu Liuke and slipped out secretly through Building B.

The golden toad, who was waiting bitterly in Building A: Where is the boss? Come out and give me an explanation!

…

At the exact same time, on a domestic video platform called Feishu, a verified news account uploaded a video:

Video Title: Surprise Appearance of a Fresh-faced Beauty at Mall Opening! One Fleeting Glance, and the Male Lead of an Idol Drama Finally Has a Face!

A handsome guy?!

Let me see!

The sensational title was very eye-catching, and the video was tagged with high-traffic categories like “Entertainment Circle.” Not long after being posted, the video gained hundreds of views.

Upon opening the video, viewers didn’t even need to search. They picked out the “fresh-faced beauty” from the crowd at a single glance.

He was simply… far too gorgeous.

He only showed his back to the camera at first; his posture was superb, his waist cinched neatly by a belt, making his entire silhouette slender and tall.

Bullet Comments:

[Is this waist even real?]

[Wow, his posture is amazing! Could he be an idol?]

[Oh no, don’t tell me he’s one of those people who only look good from behind?]

[Cold trivia: you don’t have to post news if you have nothing to report.]

[Seriously, he’s so skinny. Can’t we get some masculine men for a change?]

Amidst the barrage of comments, the young man in the video, who had his back turned to the crowd, tilted his head slightly, finally revealing a frontal profile to the camera: a face like cold jade, with deep brows and dark lashes.

Hearing something unknown, his eyes curved, his eyelashes casting a gentle shadow. His gaze rippled softly, resembling a lake surface stirred by a nighttime breeze under the moonlight.

Bullet Comments:

[That one glance made my heart melt ahhhhhhh!]

[Give me a minute, I need all the information about this man!]

The short dozen-second clip sent viewers into a loop just to catch that single glance. In less than an hour, the video surged onto the platform’s trending list, amassing over a million views, with everyone asking who the man in the video was.

The worker operating the account was overwhelmed by the unexpected popularity and quickly posted a pinned comment:

[Pinned Comment]: Master You is the owner of the antique shop “Not Keeping Guests” in Yingjiang City. He has business dealings with the mall owner named Wu. Word has it that the antiques in Master You’s shop are particularly magical.

Top reply to the comment:

A Strawberry Flower: “Damn, I’m dying of laughter. I thought this was marketing before some new face debuted. Turns out it’s just a charlatan building a persona.

Is the next step washing his face and debuting in showbiz?”

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