Volume One, Chapter 25: The Five Ghosts in the Office Building

Qin Yu carefully arranged the snacks that Qi Huairou had given her yesterday on the table, prepared her fruit tea, and only then lazily opened her livestream.

Brother Lei entered the livestream.
Sister Juan entered the livestream.
Yi Gu Qingyuan entered the livestream.
…
In an instant, a flood of people poured in.

“Whew, darling, it’s so good to see you safe.”
“Who was the heartless one yesterday spreading rumors that the master was controlled by a statue? There were photos and everything—I almost believed it.”
“Streamer, what’s today’s show?”
“I’ve already set up my little stool, waiting for the script to begin.”
“Hey~ am I the only one who noticed the streamer changed locations?”
“Guess she made some money, so she moved to a bigger place.”
“Oh, the tone upstairs is so sour.”
“Streamer, what are you spacing out for? I’m waiting for a fortune telling! Where’s the lucky bag? Hurry up!”

Qin Yu took a sip of her fruit tea. “Good afternoon, friends in the livestream. Three readings today—once they’re done, I’ll log off!”

With that, she tossed out the first lucky bag.

Little Sun Extraordinary snatched it.
Little Sun Extraordinary sent out a True Love Eternal.

“Let’s welcome today’s first script brother to the stage!”
“Isn’t anyone else curious about Li Yue’er’s ending? What happened after her stolen lifespan? Did she ever get it back?”

Seeing this comment, Qin Yu paused as she was about to invite Little Sun Extraordinary, but her face betrayed nothing.

“Streamer, I’d like your help with exorcising ghosts!” As soon as he joined the mic, the young man on screen—handsome but troubled—spoke urgently.

“Tell me more.”

“It’s like this. My friend and I started a business back in college, and after graduating, we wanted to set up our own studio. But we never had enough funds to rent the office building we wanted. Then, just before the New Year, an agent introduced us to a place with a perfect location and an unbelievably low price. I thought it seemed too good to be true, but the agent kept saying if we didn’t rent immediately, we’d lose the opportunity. In a rush, we paid a year’s rent up front.”

“Classic agent tactic: manufactured scarcity!”
“College students starting a business! Brother, you’re impressive!”
“So am I the only college student who’s just a useless eater?”

“Blind guess: someone died in that hot property!”
“Upstairs, stop wasting words. If no one died, why call the streamer to exorcise ghosts?”

“But soon after we moved in, strange things kept happening. First, the office door would lock itself for no reason; then, even though the faucet was off, we kept hearing water dripping; then the elevator started malfunctioning frequently, and even after repairs, nothing changed… Until last week, my friend suddenly tried to stick his hand into the shredder as if possessed—thank goodness we caught him in time, or who knows what could’ve happened!”

“Shredder! Childhood nightmare fantasy!”
“I used to fantasize about the school fan falling and killing someone!”

“Science corner: locked doors might be someone’s prank; water dripping—check the drainage pipes; elevator issues—check the electrical system; as for your friend, he’s probably under too much stress, give him a break.”

“Science guy, will you answer if I call you?”

“I’ve checked all those things: drainage, elevator system, security footage—no sign of pranks. And that day, my friend’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the shredder and tried to shove his hand in. He couldn’t hear me at all. In the end, it took five of us to hold him down and stop him from hurting himself.”

“Science guy, did you hear?”
“Wow, now I’m actually a little scared.”
“Five people to restrain him? If you say it’s not possession, I won’t believe you.”
“I’ll just smile and say nothing. Are you really this gullible about old superstitions?”

“Upstairs, you should watch the master’s previous livestreams—you’ll regret what you just said!”

Qin Yu listened patiently, her eyelids drooping as her fingers moved rapidly in calculation.

“Feels like this is a big problem—I’ve never seen the master take so long to divine.”
“I’ve always thought the streamer was so pretty! Even when she does nothing and closes her eyes, she looks amazing! I now declare myself a fan of her beauty!”
“Just don’t fight me for wife fan status. She’s mine alone!”

With her eyes closed and calculating, Qin Yu’s resemblance to Little Sun Extraordinary struck him as almost sacred, making his attitude toward her even more reverent.

After a good while, Qin Yu finally opened her eyes and raised two fingers. “Two hundred thousand.”

“??? All that calculation just for a price?”
“As expected from the streamer, amazing.”
“Hahaha, I just watched the brother’s devout expression turn into utter shock.”
“Am I following a comedy streamer by accident?”

Little Sun Extraordinary scratched his head awkwardly. “But all our funds went into renting the office and starting the company. Honestly, we’re running at a loss right now.”

Qin Yu’s two fingers remained firm. “Five ghosts. I’m giving you a fair price.”

“What?!! Five?”

Stunned by the number, Little Sun Extraordinary deeply regretted his greed for a bargain.

But…

He glanced at Qin Yu, his gaze oddly conflicted.

He’d saved exactly two hundred thousand by choosing the cheap office, and now her exorcism fee was two hundred thousand. Was it just a coincidence?

“Wow, five ghosts? What happened in that building?”
“Is it a whole family of ghosts?”
“See, you get what you pay for. Never chase a bargain.”
“Streamer, streamer, can you livestream the exorcism tonight? I want to watch.”
“Want to watch +1”
“Want to watch +10086”

Qin Yu looked at the man on screen, not pushing him, simply waiting for his reply.

At last, he gritted his teeth and agreed. “I’ll send you the address privately!”

Qin Yu thought for a moment and stopped him as he was about to log off. “I’ll give you my account—transfer the two hundred thousand for the exorcism directly to my bank card.”

The Douya livestream platform would take half the fee, and backstage transfers incur a 10% handling charge. Exorcising ghosts isn’t easy, and she had no intention of letting Douya pocket the difference.

After Little Sun Extraordinary left the mic, the comments kept flooding in, all wanting to see Qin Yu catch ghosts, with some even voluntarily spamming the spinning windmill icon.

Qin Yu had no choice but to agree. “I can livestream, but the faint-hearted should stay away.”

Qin Yu wasn’t exaggerating—this time, the ghosts were vengeful spirits.

“I was thinking of paying the streamer a visit, but now I’m actually scared.”
“Don’t go, I advise you. Two people went before, and they never came back.”
“Don’t scare me, I’m a coward.”
“It’s absolutely true!”
“Isn’t the streamer supposed to be powerful? Can’t she protect her fans? So much for a mystical streamer, she’s just a charlatan.”

After finishing the peace talisman, Qin Yu saw the comment section in chaos. Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the screen. “I never interfere in others’ business. They didn’t ask me for protection, and besides, I warned them beforehand.”

If you don’t court disaster, you won’t die.

Their deaths, in a sense, were caused by themselves.

“But aren’t you a practitioner? Shouldn’t you have saved them? Don’t you know they have parents and loved ones? You clearly could’ve saved them, but you didn’t! Are you worthy of your identity?”