Chapter 98: Chapter 98: You Will Lose Your Job

A few children then pulled out a burlap sack. They untied it, and a little boy crawled out from inside.

The boy’s skin was stitched together, thread by thread. A grotesque smile was plastered on his face as he endlessly played with a cat’s cradle string.

Slowly, the corners of his mouth stretched to his ears. His head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, and his eyes locked onto her.

The other children hopped around the boy on one leg, singing as they spun, “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! happy birthday to you…”

The sound of the music was both eerie and innocent, carrying a sadness that belied their age.

Without realizing it, Nanbowan found herself mesmerized.

And also without realizing it, her eyes met the boy’s…

“Ah… This boy… he’s… he’s actually so handsome! He…” The moment the words left her mouth, she realized what she had said.

Staring at the bizarre scene, Nanbowan was so frightened her hand trembled, and her phone clattered to the floor.

The boy’s eyes were pitch-black as he looked at her. Fresh red blood seeped from the stitches at the corners of his mouth, which showed no sign of closing.

The corners of his mouth stretched further and further toward his ears. Blood dripped onto the ground. Combined with the unnerving rendition of the birthday song, it made her tremble all over.

Nanbowan crouched on the floor, clutching her phone. She gasped for air, terrified. “Host… I… I’m done for… I made eye contact with him… Am I going to die? Is he going to come for me? I’m so scared right now!”

Her voice involuntarily rose to a shriek. “Host… Host… Save me! The corners of his mouth have reached his ears, and they’re still stretching! I… I’m so, so scared!”

Shen Zhiyao replied calmly, “He can’t get to you for now, don’t worry. He was beaten to death by his mother in the square, and for the time being, his soul is trapped there. He can’t reach you.”

“But… but Host, this is so scary! I’m terrified!”

Nanbowan’s voice grew louder and louder, startling the viewers in the live stream, who were getting annoyed:

[Stop screaming! I feel like all your yelling is actually dangerous. What if you summon him here?!]

[Yeah, seriously! If you’re so scared, why don’t you just hurry and dive under your covers? Just cover your head, don’t look, and don’t listen!]

[Why is the person above so nasty? Did you eat crap for breakfast or something? Don’t be scared, Wanwan. If you’re afraid, you can come hide under my covers. I’ll protect you!]

[That’s right, don’t be scared, Wanwan! We’re here with you!]

Nanbowan sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Snot and tears covered her, but she couldn’t care less about her appearance. “Host… you said not to make eye contact with him, but I did… Is he going to come for me tonight?”

“He will,” Shen Zhiyao said plainly. “Now, whether you look at him or not, he will come for you tonight. I can’t get to you tonight; you’re too far away. I can go over tomorrow. When you sleep tonight, hold a piece of candy in your hand. It will keep you safe.”

Nanbowan nodded vigorously in agreement. “Okay… I’ll disconnect then. I need to hurry and go buy some candy!”

Nanbowan wiped the tears from her face, scrambled up from the floor, and disconnected from the live stream.

Jin Huai Zhong saw that the second divination was over and the last one was about to begin. If he missed this one, the entire evening would have been for nothing!

In his desperation, he made more than a dozen phone calls, asking if the lucky bag could be locked onto him.

A top talent from the tech department, who had only just graduated from university this year, quickly found a loophole. He successfully managed to get the security guard, Old Zhang, to snatch the final divination slot of the night.

Old Zhang was a little nervous. ’This host has real skills. Will she see right through us? Will she know we’re working together?’

Shen Zhiyao’s expression didn’t change at all. She asked as usual, “Old Zhang, what would you like me to divine?”

Old Zhang’s eyes instinctively darted to the left, where his boss was scribbling on a whiteboard.

Old Zhang read the words written on it: “This is my first time in your stream, so I don’t know if your divination skills are the real deal. How about you tell me about my family situation? If you get it right, I’ll tell you what I want to have divined.”

Shen Zhiyao nodded. “Your life has been full of hardship. When you were ten, your father passed away, leaving you and your mother to fend for yourselves. After you turned eighteen, you went south to find work. You got married and started working in a factory, but a few years later, your wife died in a car accident, leaving you with your six-year-old son and utterly heartbroken.”

“After that, you found it impossible to work while raising your son, so you took a job as a security guard at a large company.”

“You are very satisfied with your current job. Even though you’re just a humble security guard, the salary is double that of similar positions, so you cherish this job. You’re the first to arrive and the last to leave every day.”

“You had planned to take your mother to see Beijing Tian’anmen, but she died suddenly of a heart attack. Now, it’s just you and your high school-aged son, relying on each other.”

In just a few short sentences, she had laid bare the guard’s tragic life.

Tears streamed down Old Zhang’s face. “You’re completely right. I believe you!”

[SOB SOB SOB… This reminds me of my poor mother. My father didn’t love her. Her whole life was dedicated to giving him a son. After my mom gave birth to four daughters in a row, my dad never came back! I hate my dad! SOB SOB SOB…]

[Damn, your story is tragic, too! There are so many unfortunate people in the world. I hope they can find the will to live again!]

[My dad raised me, too. My mom left when I was very young…]

[Sigh. A rope always breaks at its thinnest point. I hope the rest of Old Zhang’s life is brighter.]

All Old Zhang wanted to ask was whether his son could get into university, but his boss wouldn’t allow him to ask that question.

Precisely because that would take too long to verify, Mr. Jin wanted to ask about something that could be proven true or false right away.

Jin Huai Zhong had already written the next question on the whiteboard. The moment Old Zhang saw it, he had a terrible premonition.

Old Zhang said hesitantly, “I… I’d like to ask… will I lose my job today…?”

Jin Huai Zhong’s question was truly malicious.

If Shen Zhiyao said he wouldn’t lose his job, Jin Huai Zhong would immediately call HR and have him fired.

If Shen Zhiyao said he would be fired, then his boss wouldn’t fire him.

In short, no matter what Shen Zhiyao answered, the boss would do the opposite, making her prediction the opposite of reality.

Old Zhang wasn’t stupid; he naturally understood what his boss was doing.

Because of this, Old Zhang became incredibly tense.

He was already in his forties. Through years of hard, honest work, he had become the longest-serving security guard at the Jin Group.

The Jin Group was wealthy and paid well. With this high-paying job, he had managed to raise his son.

His son’s college entrance exams were just a few months away. University tuition would be expensive. If he lost this well-paying job, it would be very difficult to find another one like it.

Shen Zhiyao’s gaze fell upon Old Zhang through the camera, making him feel as if she could see right through him.

The office air conditioning was cold, but a large patch of Old Zhang’s back was already soaked with nervous sweat.

Shen Zhiyao asked Old Zhang, “You seem so nervous. Do you need this job that badly?”

Old Zhang nodded frantically, terrified that Shen Zhiyao would say, “You won’t be fired.”

“Alright,” Shen Zhiyao said with a slight smile. “My conclusion is that you will lose your job tonight.”

Her smile made her seem exceptionally radiant, and Old Zhang even thought he saw a trace of mercy in her expression.

“Thank you!” Tears of relief burst from Old Zhang’s eyes. “Thank you so much! Thank you, Host!”

The viewers in the live stream were completely baffled by this scene…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep