TGA Chapter 25

Chu Qianli held Yahui’s star chart information in her hands, yet she refused to reveal it, instead chatting idly on her livestream.

In the livestream room, the most agitated participants were Yahui and the fortune-tellers who disliked her. The rest of the audience were just bystanders enjoying the drama, waiting to see what would happen next.

The whole situation was amusing. It all started because Yahui’s fans essentially asked for it. They insisted on pushing Chu Qianli to showcase her skills, which somehow led to Yahui’s birth chart being calculated. Chu Qianli originally knew nothing about Yahui, and it was entirely the result of enthusiastic netizens stirring up trouble.

Meanwhile, Tan Muxing and Qiu Qingkong worked on their homework while listening to Chu Qianli’s continued “white lotus” remarks.

“We study these things as a form of self-cultivation. At its core, it’s meant to inspire positivity and growth. What’s the point of fighting until you’re bruised and battered? If outsiders see this, wouldn’t it be a joke? Alright, alright, stop arguing!”

“……”

“You see, if I reveal her star chart today, then next time I might just dig into someone else’s birth chart. In the end, won’t everyone be on edge, fearing that anyone they don’t like might get exposed?”

“……”

Tan Muxing realized that while the logic behind this statement was sound, there was something off about hearing it come from Chu Qianli’s mouth.

Yahui, fearing that Chu Qianli might actually reveal it, quickly chimed in:
“That’s right! This is how an astrologer should behave. You can’t just eliminate rivals like this!”

“Stop talking nonsense! Haven’t you been excluding others? Today, I’ll make sure to drag you into the gutter!”

“It’s not about picking on everyone you don’t like. Just go for her! Get her!”

The two sides began bickering angrily again, with some people even resorting to provocation, claiming that if Chu Qianli didn’t reveal the birth chart, she’d be just like Yahui. But Chu Qianli paid no mind to these words.

She’d clashed with her peers so many times before, including face-to-face spats, that she wasn’t bothered by online comments. Her mental fortitude was strong.

Chu Qianli cheerfully said, “I heard people are into eating crystal powder these days?”

“I’m not good at chemistry. Can crystals be eaten?” Chu Qianli asked seriously. “It’s so hard to come across people who know about this stuff. Is this the latest breakthrough research? Can someone explain it to me?”

“She’s tricking people into buying that stuff, it’s so unethical. Why protect someone like this?!”

“I warned them not to buy it, but they chased me down and tore me apart. I don’t even know which group of elementary school kids is online.”

“Elementary school kids: I don’t eat that stuff, stop mentioning it.”

Yahui immediately understood Chu Qianli’s meaning, but she gritted her teeth and typed a reply:
“The name is crystal powder. It’s definitely not made from crystals. You can have it tested; it absolutely won’t harm your health!”

Yahui made money by selling products, but she was still smart enough to know that if buyers encountered issues, she’d be in big trouble. So, she used edible powders to pass it off.

“WTF, you literally said it was made from crystals in your video!”

“I already knew it wasn’t crystal. That stuff is indigestible. Her fans will end up dead after eating it.”

Chu Qianli innocently asked, “What’s the use of eating it? I’ve never studied this before, I basically only know astrology. Is this alchemy? Can you explain it to me?”

Yahui, faced with Chu Qianli’s innocent inquiry, found herself unable to respond, feeling a headache coming on.

The livestream chat exploded with laughter as the viewers were all entertained by Chu Qianli.

“Wow, you’re letting the scammer explain her scam to us!”

“What kind of alchemy is that? More like money-making magic.”

“I can answer this one. After eating it, it does help—farts smell worse!”

Yahui hesitated for a long time, realizing that she had to keep her star chart intact. She finally admitted the truth:
“It’s useless.”

Yahui’s fans, who had been fiercely defending her, now felt utterly disappointed. They were left speechless, suddenly unsure of what to do.

“But I felt more energetic after eating it?”

“LOL, your master just said it’s useless. You can still feel energetic after drinking milk tea!”

“This is her old trick to maintain her fans. She makes them believe only in her and not anyone else. Now, even her words aren’t trusted. Hahaha.”

Chu Qianli pretended to be regretful: “Ah, it’s actually useless? I was thinking of buying some.”

Yahui immediately typed back, trying to salvage the situation:
“I’m not selling it anymore. I just took it off the shelves.”

Her fans, who had just defended her, now felt scammed and quickly turned on her, launching a barrage of accusations. They felt like fools and were infuriated, cursing her out.

“So what about those of us who’ve already bought it? Shouldn’t you explain this?”

“Calm down, don’t argue. It’s not your turn yet. We’re still dealing with this side!”

“You think not selling the crystal powder solves the problem? What about those who’ve been tricked?”

Chu Qianli now felt like a kindergarten teacher, surrounded by people complaining, urging her to watch Yahui’s past videos.

Yahui had always made sarcastic remarks about others in her videos, and her fans had clashed with other astrologers. There were many grudges against her by now.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush. I’ll watch one of the videos slowly…” Chu Qianli opened a video and casually said, “Thanks to ‘Little Gui Healer’ for the donation!”

Next, the livestream became a public execution of Yahui, as Chu Qianli opened a video filled with sarcastic content. Yahui had to apologize to the person in the video, and if they weren’t satisfied, she had to apologize multiple times.

Yahui had offended many astrologers before, sometimes unjustly, but sometimes with valid points. It was like when she’d subtly criticized Chu Qianli; in the case of other astrologers, she shouldn’t have judged them based on their volume, but Chu Qianli’s situation was unique.

Yahui wasn’t a good person, but some of her criticisms were valid. If she didn’t have some skill, she wouldn’t have so many followers. It was all a mix of truth and lies.

Now, many astrologers in the livestream were watching Yahui’s apology and correcting some misconceptions, which sparked new discussions.

“Do we still need to apologize about the card spirits? It’s just that there are no card spirits. I really don’t like Yahui, but this is unnecessary.”

“How could there be no card spirits? My card spirits even chat with me. You just don’t have any spiritual connection!”

“No card spirits, just none. Since the founding of the republic, no one’s allowed to become a spirit. Haha.”

Astrologers started arguing about whether tarot cards had card spirits. Everyone practiced tarot, but their beliefs differed.

Qiu Qingkong stared at the livestream comments in a daze and casually wrote a note, which she secretly passed to Chu Qianli: So, do the cards have spirits?

Chu Qianli replied on the note: I’ve never seen them. My old deck cost five bucks. I always felt that five-dollar spirits were too shabby.

Qiu Qingkong: “?”

Chu Qianli continued to pressure Yahui to apologize, but she still didn’t reveal the birth chart. She simply said there were things she needed to prepare before signing off.

Yahui sighed in relief. Although she had offended many long-time fans, at least things didn’t get worse. She might not make money anymore, but at least her life was still intact.

Some astrologers with bad tempers felt that the apology wasn’t enough and insisted that Chu Qianli reveal Yahui’s birth chart. They wanted to push her into an even darker corner.

Chu Qianli pitifully said, “Oh, oh, I’m not trying to mess with everyone. There’s just some business to attend to. Today, the livestream’s gift donations hit the tax threshold. I need to discuss the tax matters with my team…”

“It’s not that I’ve been charging too little. It’s just that I’ve never hit the tax threshold. How do professional astrologers usually pay their taxes?”

The livestream room suddenly fell silent.

The outraged fortune-tellers collectively shut their mouths, with only a few well-known astrologers on the platform offering some guidance.

Pricing in the fortune-telling industry was highly irregular; most people didn’t even bother with taxes.

The big-name astrologers, however, often had personal brands to manage. Occasionally, they took on commercial promotions, following more standardized procedures rather than being haphazard amateurs.

With one sentence, Chu Qianli silenced the radicals. She had touched on a topic that scared everyone into keeping their heads down.

The prominent astrologers cared about their reputations and disliked the public sharing of birth chart methods. If this continued, it was the well-known creators on the platform who would suffer the most. Today, Yahui was exposed for her mistakes, but what if, on another day, another creator became the target of trolls and faced the same situation?

Chu Qianli’s comment shut up the radical fortune-tellers, but it didn’t silence Yahui’s furious fans.

[“What about us!? I spent so much money on her readings!”]

[“Victims of scams just have to suffer in silence!?”]

These fans, who were just defending Yahui moments ago, now turned to Chu Qianli, demanding answers.

Yahui’s previous fortune-telling might not have been wrong, but people often have a tendency to discredit everything once they start doubting someone. The fans who used to feel that her readings were worth the money now labeled her as a fraud, overturning all her past work.

“Ah, but I can’t handle after-sales issues. I suggest you report the online store,” Chu Qianli said sweetly. “Or you could ask her to host a livestream and explain. This is my livestream, so goodbye, everyone!”

With that, Chu Qianli logged off, leaving the chaos behind.

The mess between Yahui and her fans wasn’t her problem. If she got too involved, could she still call herself a “white lotus”?

A true white lotus would never let themselves get tainted!

Now, Chu Qianli had both fame and money. She had proven her strength without breaking the rules by revealing the birth chart, maintaining a spotless and upright image. She hadn’t done anything wrong—the birth time rectification was instigated by the netizens, and it had nothing to do with her!

With the “Magic Card Girl Squad” livestream over, the three of them sat indoors, eating fruit.

Qiu Qingkong picked up a cherry and sighed. “Today, my rose-tinted glasses shattered. I used to like some of these creators’ videos, but I didn’t expect them to lose their temper and curse people out like that in the livestream.”

“But some creators are okay; they were pretty polite when interacting with you.”

Qiu Qingkong enjoyed watching fortune-telling videos on the platform and had a good impression of several astrologers. But upon closer inspection, they didn’t seem as great as she thought.

In their videos, they seemed wise and elegant, speaking warm, healing words. But when enraged, they were just as eager to destroy those they disliked.

Tan Muxing, who was never into mysticism, quietly summed it up: “In their videos, they act like gods. In their livestreams, they act like witch doctors.”

Chu Qianli, cheeks puffed with fruit, mumbled indistinctly, “It’s normal. Even people who dabble in mysticism are just human at the end of the day.”

“Humans have flaws and weaknesses. Astrologers guiding people positively is part of their professional training, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a dark side. Even I have a ton of small flaws,” Chu Qianli said with a downward glance. “It’s no different from villagers fighting over a couple of fruits. They’re not any more noble than that.”

Villagers could fight over farmland; astrologers were no different. Every industry has its conflicts—only the forms of those conflicts differ.

Tan Muxing remarked, “But I think you handled things pretty well earlier.”

“That’s because they made their desires so obvious, which makes them easy to control. Anyone with some skill wouldn’t let themselves be led by the nose.”

“What do you mean?” Qiu Qingkong asked, confused.

“For example, I might say I want money, but in my heart, I might not really care about it. That puts me a level above others…”

Tan Muxing asked, “So what do you want?”

Chu Qianli paused, then thoughtfully touched her chin and replied cheerfully, “Hmm… After thinking about it carefully, if I say I want money, it turns out I still want money!”

“Teacher, you’re just…” Qiu Qingkong, who had been listening seriously, sighed helplessly at Chu Qianli’s unserious answer. “I think I’ll just focus on researching taxes instead.”

Chu Qianli beamed, “That’s the best!”

Tan Muxing said nothing, quietly watching Chu Qianli as she focused on eating her fruit.

It was a lie.

What she wanted wasn’t money.

He recalled how Chu Qianli once said that astrologers and fraudsters shared the same astrological house, meaning the world’s greatest astrologer might also be the world’s greatest fraudster.

Her astrology skills were unmatched, so maybe her ability to deceive was equally remarkable. If she voiced her true desires, she would be controlled, which is why she kept them hidden—making her a step above everyone else.

Later in the evening, Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong headed home, agreeing to visit a natural scenic area with Tan Muxing next time. Today, they had been too busy with the livestream to go out.

During dinner, Chu Qianli excitedly recounted her visit to Tan’s estate at the table. “His house even has a massive courtyard, and it’s right next to a natural scenic area. It’s so much bigger than ours…”

Yu Shen and He Zhenghe chuckled, listening with amusement, showing no signs of annoyance. They simply saw their daughter sharing her happiness.

He Shichen, however, was displeased that Chu Qianli was talking about how her classmate’s family was wealthier. He thought it would upset their parents, and his brows furrowed. “We’ve never lacked food or clothing for you. Talk about something else.”

Chu Qianli urged, “Brother, hurry up and make money! When can I live in a courtyard like that?”

He Shichen snapped angrily, “That’s a result of historical circumstances. You won’t find any new developments selling homes like that anymore!”

He Shichen felt it was absurd. The Tan family’s original land and the nearby Qian Mountain had long been confiscated. The remaining estate couldn’t be easily traded; it was now the kind of property money couldn’t buy.

If the Tan family hadn’t been consistently wealthy and resilient through the ups and downs of history, the estate wouldn’t have survived. For most families, it would’ve been demolished long ago. While there are many rich people, staying wealthy for generations is much harder.

Chu Qianli pouted, “Boo-hoo, I don’t care. Figure something out for me…”

He Shichen, exasperated, snapped, “Stop acting like a kid throwing a tantrum because they can’t buy candy!”

Their parents watched the two bicker again, finding the scene quite entertaining.

Yu Shen echoed, “Yes, yes, Shi Chen, work hard and think of a solution!”

He Zhenghe asked, “Is there hope for Dad to move in after he retires?”

Faced with the heavy burden of life, He Shichen suddenly felt unable to breathe: “…”