"What would you like to try? Dream interpretation or character prediction?"
Under the bridge peddling fortune-telling services was Hannah Williams wearing sunglasses, her gaze falling on Richard Smith in front of her, who seemed lost in thought.
"Predict, predict character," his eyes were vacant.
Hannah nodded, took out a printed QR code for payment, and handed it to Richard, "Nine dollars ninety-nine cents, no deception to young or old."
"Okay." Richard did as instructed.
Hannah took a glance at the character he had written - "Forget".
She took a couple of light coughs to clear her throat and spoke slowly: "Forget. To lose heart…..But how can one forget if their heart is not dead?"
"However, your strokes are weak; although you wrote 'forget', it gave off a desolate flavour like the twilight of a setting sun. My presumptive guess is that you want to know about your love life, and let me be frank. It seems like your romantic relationship is irretrievable."
It is usually quoted that a man should not easily shed tears unless he is heartbroken. Upon hearing her words, Richard couldn't hold back any longer and started sobbing loudly.
His cries were so loud that it attracted many people's attention. Even the two indifferent faces under the bridge couldn't help but look toward the bridge.
Richard failed to notice the intense attention from others, focusing instead on taking a little bit more from the woman in front of him.
"If you want to resolve this, ten dollars for another character prediction. I guarantee your love life will take a turn for the better and you will see light at the end of the tunnel!"
Upon hearing that only ten dollars was needed to turn his luck around, his crying volume lessened, and he promptly reached for his phone to make the payment.
Ethan Alexander, who had just walked onto the bridge and heard the "fortune teller" couldn't help but crack a smile. He raised his eyebrows and walked toward Richard's stall.
"Do you believe her words? If the matters of love can be controlled by divination, why would there be so many broken-hearted people under the heavens?"
With that, Ethan disdainfully glanced at Hannah, shaking his head at the man whose fortune was being told as if looking at a fool.
Suddenly the surrounding area echoed with agreement, and those who had stopped to watch the commotion started to point fingers at Hannah.
They said she looked only about seventeen or eighteen, at the bloom of youth with rosy lips, white teeth, and good-looking skin and bones. They didn't know how she had chosen the path of deception.
Hannah didn't refute, just pursed her lips, thinking. "Well, I'm a true master who has a divination worth a fortune. Now, because of market competition, I’m divining fortunes for you guys at a low price; you don’t appreciate it..."
Thinking this, she raised her head and glanced Ethan who had sabotaged her stand once again.
His facial features were chiselled and distinct, with voluminous black hair making his face appear extremely exquisite.
The provocative textured suit and distinctive wristwatch he wore all displayed his sense of style. Unfortunately, he was not a gentleman at all, narrow-mindedly tearing down her platform.
However, looking at his deep, ink-like eyes, and indifferent, expressionless, cool complexion, he didn't seem like a good guy.
So, she packed up her payment code and smiled at him. "Sir, with all due respect, I am a well-known semi-fairy in the world. I don’t deceive, I don’t do evil. I simply answer people's life questions and also make a bit of money."
"Oh? Which world?" Ethan sarcastically asked a question without waiting for the answer, preparing to leave.
Hannah didn't want her reputation to be ruined so easily, so she called out to his retreating. "Sir, allow me to do a reading for you free of charge; you can judge its accuracy."
He didn't turn back, but his assistant, Lucas Brooks, curiously glanced over. After all, hearing about his boss' destiny was probably similar to hearing his gossip.
So, he tugged at Ethan, "Boss, aren't we in search of someone anyway? Let’s try our luck with this fortune teller. It won’t delay our journey too much."
After saying that, he quickly went to the stall, encouraging Hannah to do a reading for his boss.
She adjusted her sunglasses and took a swift glance at the man standing indifferently a step away from her, finding it odd that she couldn't discern his life's fate at all.
She had never encountered such a situation before.
"How about it?" Lucas looked expectantly at her.
"Uh, my eyesight isn't too good..." She responded calmly, shifting her focus towards Lucas. "You're standing closer — I'll read your fortune."
With that, she began to analyze Lucas's features, from his broken right eyebrow to the pimple protruding from his lower jaw, meticulously warning him of his recent streak of bad luck that could lead to financial loss. She even went on to say he wouldn't be seeing any significant wealth or status in the next few years.
Lucas clicked his tongue, while Ethan, standing not far away, unusually lifted his head to look at the girl who suddenly began speaking bluntly.
She wore a simple white shirt and jeans and appeared naive and innocent, yet while reading fortunes, she seemed astute and experienced. Her manner of pointing out Lucas's "flaws" was rather eccentric, carrying a certain rebelliousness and pride. It was obvious she was skilled.
Sure enough, once her long-winded analysis ended, she produced a red pouch and passed it to Lucas, claiming it could change his luck.
"How much is it?"
"The original price is eight hundred, but now it’s five hundred dollars."
Lucas Brooks, who initially believed her made some sense, exploded when he heard the price of the luck-changing pouch, "Why don’t you just rob me!”
Next to him, Ethan found it amusing, and, squinting, stepped forward and said, “I’ve reported to the police for you; no need to thank me.”
As those words fell, the "fortune teller" sneered, yet remained unfazed. Casually, she put the pouch back in her pocket while packing up her folding table, grumbling, “If you don’t want to buy, then don’t, I didn’t force it on you.”
Meeting such a humourless pair today was her bad luck.
She swiftly stowed the items in a large cloth bag, carrying it in her other hand, and headed towards the stairs leading to the overpass.
Her pace quickened, the braid swinging left and right under the sun, and was soon swallowed by the sea of people.
As soon as she disappeared, Lucas couldn't help but whisper, "Such a young age, and not learning anything good."
Ethan, who was used to such happenings, remained expressionless, and merely stated quietly, “Instead of bothering about fraudsters, better to find our person quickly.”
