Qi Xi felt that, for the moment, she had no worries in the near or distant future—she’d more or less taken hold of her own life. She’d managed to handle her father, and things with Gu Yan no longer seemed quite so much like fire and water.

She’d thrown herself back into her work with renewed enthusiasm, feeling like everything was going more and more smoothly. But Gu Yan, sitting beside her, had seemed weighed down by something ever since he arrived that morning.

When someone else was troubled, stepping up to help solve their problems—that was exactly what a good friend should do!

Qi Xi felt she couldn’t let this opportunity pass, especially since tonight’s blind date would require Gu Yan’s help as cover.

Qi Xi steeled herself and spent money on a delicious slice of durian mille-feuille, and during lunch break, decided to use Gu Yan’s favorite food to open the conversation: “Gu Yan, did you run into some kind of trouble with a case?”

As it turned out, the moment she brought up whatever was bothering him, the man’s expression darkened even further at the sight of the durian.

Qi Xi said warmly, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Gu Yan seemed to have lost his appetite over the case; he forced down a couple of bites of durian cake before setting his spoon aside. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but he couldn’t withstand Qi Xi’s persistent questioning.

Finally, the man lowered his gaze and briefly explained the situation: “It’s a custody dispute case. I’ve already sorted through all the evidence and information, and the response brief is written. I’m fairly confident we can win. But in custody cases, the client is required to appear in court in person. The hearing was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and the client had agreed to it—but now he’s backed out and refuses to appear no matter what.”

“There’s such a thing?” Qi Xi blinked. “Can you apply for a postponement?”

“The other party lives abroad year-round. This is a rare visit back, and he’s only free tomorrow. If we ask for a postponement, there’s no telling how long this case will drag on.”

Hearing this, Qi Xi was puzzled too. “But if you can win, why does your client refuse to show up tomorrow no matter what?”

Gu Yan pressed his lips together and explained succinctly: “The client says he did a divination and tomorrow is an inauspicious day—he must avoid going out. He says if he leaves the house, he’s bound to have a disaster involving bloodshed. He absolutely won’t go.”

He rubbed his temples. “He says this afternoon is an auspicious day, so the hearing should be held this afternoon. If it’s held tomorrow, it’s as good as the judge sentencing him to death. He couldn’t get into the courthouse to make a scene, so now he’s about to come storming into our firm instead.”

This was really something.

It takes all kinds.

But still…

Qi Xi thought she had a solution. “How much longer until this client arrives?”

“About half an hour, I’d guess.”

“Okay, once he gets here, stall him—don’t let him leave. Give me a bit, I’ll be right back.” Qi Xi gave Gu Yan a confident smile. “I’ll make sure he’s in court tomorrow.”

Gu Yan clearly didn’t believe her. “You have no idea how superstitious and stubborn he is about auspicious days. You’d be better off trying to reason with him some more…”

What was there to it, really?!

Half an hour later, when Qi Xi hurried back, sure enough, in the conference room, the client—an old man—was jabbing his finger at Gu Yan’s nose, making a scene.

“Do you even understand anything, you junior lawyer? I’ve studied the I Ching and divination for years myself. I calculated it—tomorrow, if I go out, there’ll be bloodshed. My calculations are always accurate. Last time I predicted disaster if I went on a trip, so I didn’t go—and sure enough, that bus overturned! Over twenty people on board, five died! More than a dozen others had broken arms and legs!”

“This time the signs are even more dangerous than last time. If I go to court and end up dead, will you take responsibility? I’m not going! Tell the judge to hold the hearing today and give the ruling today!”

Gu Yan wasn’t intimidated by the client’s fierce attitude. He remained calm and composed, trying to steady the man’s emotions and explain the stakes involved, but the old man wouldn’t listen at all—his face was red, his neck was flushed, and he was clearly worked up beyond reason.

The sound of Qi Xi opening the conference room door drew both the old man’s and Gu Yan’s attention at once.

Gu Yan was the first to stand. He walked briskly to the door and, lowering his voice, quickly said to Qi Xi, “His emotions are unstable—he’s shown violent tendencies before. It’s not safe here. I’ll handle it.”

But Qi Xi wasn’t afraid at all. She smiled confidently at Gu Yan. “I found some backup! Don’t worry!”

She said this, then turned to look behind her. “Come in, Master!”

Only then did Qi Xi open the door fully, standing respectfully to one side to usher the person behind her into the conference room.

Only then did Gu Yan get a clear look at the newcomer—a Daoist priest in robes, with an otherworldly air and a small, refined beard.

The priest looked quite the part. The moment he entered the conference room, he performed an elaborate ceremonial bow.

The old man, who had been kicking up a fuss in the conference room, was startled by this turn of events. He stared wide-eyed at the priest, then glanced at Gu Yan. “Who is this?”

“This humble one goes by the Daoist name Zhengyangzi, cultivating at White Cloud Temple. I have come today especially to cast a divination for this fellow seeker of the Dao.”

White Cloud Temple was quite a famous Daoist temple. The old man, obsessed as he was with the I Ching, immediately showed an expression of both admiration and suspicion. “You’re from White Cloud Temple? Do you really understand the I Ching well?”

The priest smiled faintly. “I have some modest understanding, naturally.”

The old man still wasn’t convinced. “Are you really a Daoist priest? Then tell me, what are the Four Great Sacred Mountains of Daoism?”

“Naturally, they are Mount Qiyun in Anhui, Mount Wudang in Hubei, Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, and Mount Longhu in Jiangxi.”

“And the founder of Daoism? Our doctrines?”

…

The old man really did have quite a bit of knowledge about Daoism, and he peppered the priest with a long string of questions. The priest answered each one with scholarly confidence, and before long, the old man’s mood had softened. He began respectfully addressing him as “Daoist Master Zhengyang.”

“Fellow seeker, I have done a calculation—I’m afraid that going out tomorrow bodes ill fortune and bloodshed for you.”

At this, hearing Daoist Master Zhengyang say so, the old man grew even more animated. “That’s exactly what I said! My calculations are never wrong.” He glared at Qi Xi and Gu Yan. “See? The Master and I see eye to eye on this!”

“But it’s not without remedy.” The Daoist stroked his beard and pointed to Qi Xi beside him. “This young benefactor has a certain affinity with me. Having heard of your plight, she asked me on your behalf for a talisman. Carry it on your person, and not only will you avoid bloodshed tomorrow, but misfortune shall turn to fortune, and your path ahead will be smooth sailing…”

As he spoke, the Daoist produced a strip of talisman paper, pulled a writing brush from his cloth pouch, and on the spot dashed off an impromptu flourish of illegible scrawl, even dabbing it with a bit of his own saliva. Then he folded the talisman and solemnly presented it to the old man.

…

When Qi Xi finally saw the Daoist out, the old man was still cradling the talisman as though it were a treasure, his face full of reverence. The moment the Daoist left, he spun around and began showering Qi Xi with thanks. “Young benefactor, thank goodness for you! Thank you! I’ll definitely bring the Master’s talisman with me tomorrow! I’ll definitely go to court! Thank you all so much! Thank you!”

…

Watching the old man’s retreating figure—humming a tune as he left the firm, a complete reversal from the raging fury he’d arrived with—Gu Yan’s expression was rather complicated.

He glanced at Qi Xi. “That’s it? That easily?”

Qi Xi nodded confidently. “That’s it.”

“Where did you even find that priest? Was he real?”

“Fake. He’s the guy who does fortune-telling under the pedestrian bridge near the school. Remember how people used to post about him on the campus forum all the time? He’d grab anyone and say, ‘Classmate, you’re headed for disaster, better buy a talisman to ward it off.’ People reported him so many times, but he’d always be back a few days later. Didn’t he used to sell ‘win back your ex’ talismans too? Not a single one ever worked,” Qi Xi muttered, unable to help herself. “But he sure has a knack for predicting doom.”

“…” Gu Yan was clearly at a loss for words.

Qi Xi shook her head. “You have to admit, these fortune-tellers these days really know their stuff—did you hear how he answered all those questions? Convincing enough to fool most people.”

Gu Yan apparently hadn’t expected that the problem he’d spent so much effort trying to explain—walking the client through the legal process and the stakes involved—would end up resolved this way instead. His face was still full of shock and disbelief. “How did you convince that priest to come?”

“Two hundred yuan. Fair price, no haggling.”

“…”

Qi Xi sighed. “Sometimes, you know, you’ve got to fight magic with magic—fight superstition with superstition!”

She smiled at Gu Yan. “So? Pretty resourceful of me, right? And I solved the problem efficiently too. Case-handling costs: only two hundred yuan.”

Qi Xi hummed a little tune, genuinely in a good mood. She patted Gu Yan on the shoulder. “That’s what friends do—you help me, I help you. So for my blind date tonight, keep an eye on your messages, and call me when it’s time, okay?”

Sure enough, right after lunch break ended, Qi Xi’s father sent her the location and time for tonight’s “blind date” dinner. Without a second thought, Qi Xi forwarded it straight to Gu Yan. “Normally a phone call from you should do it, but I’m sending you the address just in case. If it’s another guy like last night who’s full of himself and won’t take no for an answer, I might need you to come save me again.”

Qi Xi pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture toward Gu Yan, then, as if remembering something, quickly added, “But please don’t pay the bill tonight. I really don’t have the money to pay you back.”

Perhaps because she’d helped him resolve his court appearance problem today, Gu Yan seemed to be in a decent mood. He nodded. “Mm.”

That evening, Qi Xi didn’t bother dressing up—she went straight to the restaurant in her work clothes. Her plan was to chat politely and eat for half an hour, then message Gu Yan to give her a call.

But when she arrived, unexpectedly, tonight’s “date” that Qi Ruiming had arranged turned out to be quite good-looking. The man was three years older than Qi Xi, but apparently already a deputy general manager at a family subsidiary. He was refined, well-spoken, and had a good sense of humor—just listening to him complain about his own lawyer made Qi Xi want to laugh.

Although she didn’t feel any romantic spark, his brotherly air was rather warm and approachable, and talking with him gave her some insight into what business owners actually wanted and expected from legal services. Seeing things from his perspective was interesting, and maybe they could genuinely become friends.

Qi Xi decided to finish the meal, and in a spare moment, secretly texted Gu Yan—

“This one’s decent tonight, no need to call!”

But apparently Gu Yan hadn’t noticed the text at all, because less than half an hour later—almost right after she’d sent it—Qi Xi’s phone rang.

Qi Xi and her date were in the middle of discussing the legal framework for startup companies, a topic she found genuinely interesting, so she declined Gu Yan’s call. But the man completely failed to catch her meaning, and almost immediately, another call came in.

This time Qi Xi simply put her phone on silent. She smiled at her date and explained, “Spam call, haha.”

But Qi Xi hadn’t anticipated that fifteen minutes later, it wouldn’t be her phone ringing—it would be the sound of the private room door opening.

And then came Gu Yan’s familiar, cool voice—

“Qi Xi, I’m here to take you home.”