A New Face and an Unseen Burden

As evening descended and the time for her livestream arrived, Bai Wanwan opened her stream. Though the hour was deep into the night, the platform remained bustling with activity.

The channels of the top streamers, in particular, buzzed with an incessant energy, a daily carnival of flying gifts and fervent chatter, as if celebrating the New Year every single day.

Bai Wanwan’s own corner of the internet presented a stark contrast. Having just completed Liu Hanzhi’s intricate paper body, the spectral woman seemed to have little inclination for livestreaming. Instead, she stood captivated before the full-length mirror in Bai Wanwan’s bedroom, meticulously admiring her newfound form.

“Your craftsmanship… it is truly exceptional. Who, pray tell, was your teacher? This body you’ve fashioned for me is an exact replica of how I appeared in life.”

Liu Hanzhi gazed at her reflection, momentarily lost in a reverie of days long past.

Bai Wanwan, however, had no time to indulge the vain female ghost. She promptly listed the services her livestream offered, simultaneously removing the shoddy paper money and paper effigies that had previously clogged the product links.

Such deplorable items were utterly unsellable, their quality frankly abysmal.

It was no wonder the Rebirth Pavilion had accrued such crippling debts and ultimately collapsed; did they truly believe funeral necessities held no intrinsic value?

“This should suffice,”

Having optimized the livestream settings, Bai Wanwan noted a subtle improvement in the room’s ambiance; at the very least, it no longer felt quite so unsettlingly macabre.

Alas, Bai Wanwan’s decrepit mobile phone proved rather unwieldy, its camera lens perpetually shrouded in a frustrating blur.

Nevertheless, these minor imperfections paled in comparison to the crucial element: the range of services now explicitly detailed within the livestream.

“Is it ready now?”

Liu Hanzhi, clad in her black-stockinged zombie cosplay, bounded over with an eager hop. Her exquisite face tilted curiously, her gaze fixed on the phone’s camera. Unshod, her elegant feet, encased in sheer black stockings, trod directly upon the floor, a sight undeniably alluring.

To Bai Wanwan, however, such allure held little sway.

For Liu Hanzhi’s beauty was, to Bai Wanwan, merely a reflection of her own skill in crafting the paper effigy.

Evidently, Bai Wanwan’s artistry in crafting paper figures was so profound that even a discerning female ghost found it exceptional!

“But there’s hardly anyone in the livestream room,”

No sooner had Liu Hanzhi uttered her observation than the viewer count in the livestream surged unexpectedly.

Likely owing to Liu Hanzhi’s undeniably striking attire, the number of concurrent viewers swiftly climbed to twenty.

Even some of those who had followed Bai Wanwan the previous night reappeared in the chat.

[Is the streamer finally getting with the program? What’s this style today?]

[Streamer, can we play Valorant today? I’ll call you mommy!]

[I knew you made the livestream room so creepy just to evade the mods while pushing boundaries.]

[You fake fans, this is clearly not the streamer. The streamer is a gentle little sister; this one is obviously a charming and beautiful mature woman.]

[True, the streamer isn’t quite so… endowed…]

[Used to like Tiga, now I prefer D+]

The livestream chat instantly burst into activity, a testament to Liu Hanzhi’s extensive experience as a viewer, making her intimately familiar with the nuances of streaming culture. She immediately launched into enthusiastic greetings, deftly responding to the audience’s often abstract and humorous comments. It was undeniable; her professional demeanor far surpassed Bai Wanwan’s.

“Should any of you require our services, please do not hesitate to reach out. Our establishment prides itself on its profound expertise in all manner of divination, fortune-telling, physiognomy, and the execution of various specialized undertakings.”

Liu Hanzhi’s vibrant zombie cosplay, brimming with youthful energy, created a striking dichotomy against her inherently sophisticated, mature aura.

[Can you do a reading for me?]

[Does a reading require a video call? Then I want one too!]

[Where’s the other streamer? I still prefer her untamed demeanor.]

[Who would’ve thought? This tiny, eerie livestream room actually hides both a ‘girl-next-door’ and a charming, mature woman—truly two ‘Sleeping Dragons and Young Phoenixes’.]

“Of course you can! The price list is displayed below,”

Liu Hanzhi gestured towards the prices displayed on the screen. Whereas Bai Wanwan typically charged a fifty-yuan gift for a single reading, Liu Hanzhi was evidently far bolder in her demands. A two-hundred-yuan gift for a single reading. In Liu Hanzhi’s estimation, as long as a willing patron emerged, even after the platform’s commission, she would still pocket a tidy hundred yuan for the day.

[I’ll get a reading first.]

Bolstered by Liu Hanzhi’s spirited presence, an eager spectator, clearly one who relished a good show, swiftly gifted two hundred yuan and requested a video connection with Bai Wanwan.

“Alright, then. As I am not well-versed in the intricacies of fortune-telling, I shall have to request Miss Bai’s expertise,”

With a graceful gesture, Liu Hanzhi relinquished her position before the camera to Bai Wanwan. Moments later, the livestream screen bifurcated, revealing Bai Wanwan’s view of a somewhat inebriated uncle, his smile radiating a disarming, guileless warmth. Yet, to her astonishment, perched astride the uncle’s neck was a child, seemingly no older than seven or eight years old!

This peculiar sight even caused Liu Hanzhi to momentarily falter, for as a spirit herself, she too possessed the ability to perceive what remained hidden from mortal eyes.

[This uncle’s complexion looks rather poor, doesn’t it?]

[He must have had too much to drink, right? The uncle also seems a bit overweight; he ought to take care of himself.]

Even the viewers in the livestream chat, despite their distance, sensed that something was amiss with the uncle.

“Little sister, I assure you, I have no ulterior motives. My daughter’s birthday is approaching, and I merely wish for you to help me select a bracelet or similar charm that might safeguard her well-being.”

“Lately, my family has been plagued by a string of misfortunes, leading to constant quarrels with my wife and child. I hoped to use my daughter’s birthday as an occasion to mend these familial rifts.”

As the uncle’s words drifted across the connection, Bai Wanwan instinctively furrowed her brow. Her gaze remained intently fixed upon the child perched on the uncle’s neck. Slowly, the child’s hollow eyes lifted, meeting Bai Wanwan’s stare with an unnerving directness. It was as if the child was astonished that Bai Wanwan could perceive them.

[Does anyone else feel a chill running down their spine?]

[Streamer, please say something! I have a terrible premonition.]

“Uncle, have you, by any chance, recently provoked someone you ought not to have, or perhaps committed an act that was ill-advised?”

Upon hearing Bai Wanwan’s question, delivered after a contemplative silence, the uncle appeared utterly bewildered.

“I don’t believe so? It’s simply that my business ventures have been declining steadily… with less money earned, those around me are naturally impacted.”

“Uncle, has it never occurred to you to ponder why your earnings have dwindled so significantly?”

Bai Wanwan drew a deep breath, then, with a focused intensity, began her intricate calculations.

“Liu Guochang, a native of Guangshi, fifty-one years of age, engaged in the real estate sector.”

Upon hearing Bai Wanwan recite these precise personal details, the uncle, Liu Guochang, was visibly taken aback.

“Precisely! Precisely! Utterly correct, yet I have divulged none of this information myself…”

[Holy crap! Doxxing!]

[Can the streamer teach me fortune-telling?]

[That fellow above probably wants to learn how to doxx, right? But this streamer truly possesses some skill; it couldn’t be a script, could it?]

“These matters are quite straightforward; a mere calculation reveals all. Furthermore, I am aware that you recently made the acquaintance of a business partner from Vietnam, who gifted you a specially crafted jade stone from Southeast Asia. You cherish this item dearly and wear it constantly.”

Bai Wanwan’s words left Liu Guochang utterly dumbfounded.

“Indeed, young lady, you are entirely correct.”

“That jade is far from ordinary; it is, in fact, priceless. I myself have a profound fondness for such artifacts, and fine jade requires diligent nurturing, which is why I keep it constantly upon my person.”

“I strongly advise you to discard it immediately.”

Bai Wanwan stated, her voice devoid of warmth.