Zhang Chu was quite surprised. Honestly, this fortune-telling shop had been open for a long time, but today was the first time foreigners had come in for a reading.
These two foreigners were holding phones, seemingly doing a live stream.
Taking a closer look, the man appeared chubby and friendly, probably in his thirties or forties.
The woman, on the other hand, was stunning, no older than twenty-five or twenty-six.
As soon as they entered, the man raised his phone, panning it across the entire shop for a full view.
At the same time, he spoke in a cheerful tone, “Haha, viewers, guess what kind of shop I’ve stumbled into?”
Surprisingly, he was streaming in Chinese.
He continued, “That’s right, a fortune-telling shop!”
“Just now, while I was on the street, I spotted a really vintage sign that said ‘Iron Mouth Straight Judgment.’”
“I asked some passersby, and they explained it means fortune-telling.”
“Christine and I are both super into this stuff, but we’re not sure if this little shop’s readings are accurate. So, I’m here to find out for you all.”
With that, he turned to Zhang Chu inside the shop.
“Excuse me, are you the fortune-teller here?”
Zhang Chu nodded, “That’s right!”
The man beamed, “Hello, hello! I’m Andrew.”
Zhang Chu nodded back, “I’m Zhang Chu.”
“Zhang Chu, nice to meet you! Why does your name sound familiar?” Andrew said.
He glanced at his live stream, and Zhang Chu followed his gaze, noticing a decent number of viewers on a domestic platform.
Zhang Chu muttered to himself, “These foreigners have really figured out our live-streaming game.”
The chat was buzzing—clearly, some viewers recognized Zhang Chu.
Andrew caught on after seeing the comments and got excited, “Oh? You’re the Talisman God of China, Zhang Chu!”
He suddenly shouted to his stream, “It’s really the Talisman God! My goodness, my luck is unreal. I just wanted to check out a Chinese talisman shop, but I never imagined I’d run into the Talisman God here!”
Zhang Chu’s expression turned odd. Since when did I get a title like “Talisman God”?
After his outburst, Andrew curiously asked, “Talisman God, can you really tell fortunes?”
“Of course!” Zhang Chu smiled.
Nearby, Ye Lei and Song Minjun were intrigued by the foreigners.
Song Minjun whispered, “I wonder if our Chinese divination can read foreign fates.”
Ye Lei murmured back, “It should work, right? When it comes to fortune-telling, China’s the OG.”
Song Minjun nodded, “True.”
Zhang Chu sized up Andrew and said, “Sit down first. Tell me, what do you want to know?”
Andrew sat, while the girl, Christine, stood beside him, holding the streaming gear.
The camera focused on Zhang Chu and Andrew.
A quick glance showed the live chat buzzing with interest in Zhang Chu’s fortune-telling skills.
“The Talisman God doing fortunes? Feels totally natural.”
“If Andrew had walked into some random shop, he might’ve met a hack. But the Talisman God’s place? Guaranteed spot-on!”
“He’s a master at talismans—say he can’t divine, and I won’t buy it.”
“Let these foreigners see what Chinese culture’s made of!”
Andrew, ignoring the chat now, sat seriously before Zhang Chu and said, “Mr. Zhang, before you read for me, can I test you first?”
“Test me? On what? Poetry or something?” Zhang Chu asked.
Andrew quickly clarified, “No, no, not that kind of test. I mean, can you tell me something to prove you’re legit?”
Zhang Chu got it—this guy wanted to check his skills.
“Sure,” Zhang Chu said.
Then he rattled off a tongue-twister, “I’ll pinch my fingers and calculate: your dad’s a man, your mom’s a woman, your dad’s mom is your grandma, your mom’s dad is your grandpa, your son’s mom is your wife…”
Andrew froze, counting on his fingers, totally thrown.
The chat exploded with cheers:
“Brilliant! I can’t even argue!”
“This guy’s a pro—master-level vibes!”
“Talisman God’s a beast, figuring all that out.”
Inside the shop, Zhang Chu watched Andrew struggle with his fingers and wondered if he’d been a bit harsh. That kind of wordplay might be tough for a foreigner.
After a few minutes, Andrew slapped his head, “Oh, Mr. Zhang, that wasn’t fortune-telling!”
Zhang Chu laughed, “Haha, just messing with you. Let’s get serious.”
“Go ahead.”
Zhang Chu glanced at Andrew and said, “You once had an aunt, but when you were eight, she died.”
“She died for you.”
Andrew shot up, his face a mask of shock, eyes wide with disbelief, “How… how did you know?”
Zhang Chu pointed at Andrew’s hand, “That crescent-shaped mole on your hand—it’s called an ‘Aunt-Harming Mole.’ Kids with this mark bring misfortune to their aunts.”
“And your mole’s damaged, meaning after your aunt died, its purpose was fulfilled, and it changed slightly.”
Andrew stood there, dumbfounded, frozen.
His assistant rushed into frame, telling viewers, “This isn’t a still image.”
After a long pause, Andrew turned to Christine, “Did you know Mr. Zhang before this?”
Christine gave a wry smile, “Even if I did, how would I know about your aunt from when you were eight?”
“Right, right!” Andrew smacked his head again, his gaze on Zhang Chu shifting.
The chat went wild:
“Holy crap, that’s insane!”
“Talisman God’s the real deal—my idol!”
“Is Andrew a plant or something?”
“Please, the Talisman God’s already made it big. He doesn’t need a small-time streamer as a shill.”
“Fair point.”
Andrew, now full of admiration, said, “Mr. Zhang, you’re incredible! You’re right—I did have an aunt.”
“When I was eight, I found a wasp nest and burned it. Tons of wasps came after me. My aunt hugged me tight to protect me.”
“She got stung to death, while I got a few stings on my arm and neck. The birthmark on my arm changed shape back then too.”
