Ita Era

Chapter 118 Fortune Telling
Laifu was the coachman of the front yard. He was very happy to see his benefactor's son come to visit him and led Dingshi to his residence. His son was studying in another place, and he and his wife lived in a side room of the No. 5 courtyard in the front yard.

Ding Shi brought gifts consisting of expensive medicinal herbs, such as A Jiao. When it comes to gifts, usefulness doesn't matter; the key is the price. Lai Fu, the recipient, only considered how much Ding Shi spent, not whether the items were actually useful.

During their casual conversation, Ding Shi gleaned a considerable amount of information.

First: Old Master Wang has not shown his face for a year and lives in the inner ancestral hall year-round, with the steward personally delivering two meals a day. As a result, Old Master Wang's adopted son has clashed with the steward many times and even tried to force his way into the inner ancestral hall, but was stopped by the guards each time. On one occasion, he was even beaten with a board.

Ding Shi asked, "Was it the butler who beat the adopted son, or was it the old man who beat the adopted son?"

Laifu would likely answer, "It was the steward who ordered the beating, and the person who was beating me was my distant nephew."

Second: Old Master Wang's wife and adopted son live in the east courtyard. Interestingly, Madam Wang is twenty-five years old this year and is Old Master Wang's second wife. Many servants in the Wang family speculate that Madam Wang and her adopted son, who is not yet thirty, have an ambiguous relationship. They are also the most anxious about the distribution of the inheritance and the least fond of Ding Shi and his family.

Thirdly, starting a year ago, several servants and guards began to die. Master Wang decreed that from 11 PM to 5 AM the following morning, everyone must remain in their rooms, and those entering or leaving the inner courtyard must wear identification tags. The servants said the Wang family home was haunted. The guards, however, claimed that the killer was a martial arts master, hiding among the servants and guards searching for treasure, and that those who died were people who had encountered this master.

Fourthly, Laifu believed the guard's words might be true, because he knew the Wang residence did indeed have a treasure vault. His wife had overheard Madam Wang mentioning this; Madam Wang had planted many of her own people among the guards and servants, who, while the old master Wang was residing in the inner ancestral hall, took the opportunity to search for the treasure.

In summary, Grandpa Wang divided his assets into two categories: one to be distributed to players, and the other to be hidden treasure. The main reason for this division was that Grandpa Wang discovered others were eyeing his wealth and wanted to distribute it publicly. Few people knew that Grandpa Wang also had a private treasury.

Mr. Wang is seventy years old this year and in very good health.

The first force: Old Master Wang.

The second force: Madam Wang and her adopted son.

The third force: those eyeing Old Master Wang's private treasury could be bandits or notorious thieves.

Laifu said that the Wang family might really be haunted, and many people had died mysteriously.

Returning to the Bamboo Courtyard with the information, they encountered Steward Wang. Steward Wang gestured for Ding Shi to speak aside. Steward Wang told the guards to stay where they were, while he and Ding Shi went to the side and whispered, "Since the Nineteenth Young Master is Lai Fu's relative, and Lai Fu is an elder of the Wang family, the Nineteenth Young Master is naturally a trustworthy person."

Ding Shi immediately declared, "I am willing to risk my life and shed my blood for Old Master Wang."

Butler Wang almost couldn't keep his smile: "No need, no need. Please ask the Nineteenth Young Master to come to the inner ancestral hall to see the Master between 1:00 and 1:30 tomorrow morning."

Ding Shi was taken aback: "Isn't it dangerous to go out at night?"

Butler Wang said, "There is certainly danger, but it is also the best opportunity to show loyalty." Just now they were talking about risking their lives, and now they're discussing danger with me.

Ding Shi's thinking was that he could keep his head, but the danger was undeniable. The steward's intention was clear: if Ding Shi was willing to risk going to the ancestral hall to see Old Master Wang, his share of the inheritance would definitely increase. The inheritance would be distributed by the Old Master, with Ding Shi receiving 99%; anyone who objected would have to swallow their pride.

Ding Shi did not answer immediately, but asked instead, "Steward, what's the deal with this waist tag?"

Steward Wang's expression changed, and he said, "Just wear your waist tag properly, and don't ask about anything. Remember, from 1:00 to 1:30 tomorrow morning, go straight into the inner ancestral hall when you arrive."

Ding Shi: "Okay."

Butler Wang was very satisfied and instructed, "Don't eat chicken today." After saying that, he left without paying any attention to Ding Shi.

What does that mean? Don't eat chicken? Will it cause mutations or death?
Returning to the Bamboo Courtyard with these questions in mind, it was already past ten in the morning. Only Er Yi was inside; the others had gone out to gather information.

Er Yi sat in a rocking chair by the door of her side room, a book in her hand, reading leisurely. This nuclear bomb girl seemed to have everything under control and had a plan, judging from her composed demeanor. Ding Shi felt a growing appreciation for her.

Ding Shi sat back down on the wooden stool by the door and started playing with his hookah. Just then, a man came over, glanced at Ding Shi with a hint of wariness, and said to Er Yi who was there to greet him, "Qing..."

Er Yi hurriedly reminded, "Shh." It's a basic rule of the script; you can't say real names.

The man chuckled, "Our Er Yi is the smartest. I've gathered some information." He glanced at Ding Shi. Seeing Ding Shi looking at him with interest, he turned back.

Er Yi pushed open the door to her side room. Ten minutes later, the man left, and Er Yi took out a notebook and pondered. Five minutes later, another man came in, went into the room with Er Yi, and left after five minutes. Then a third man brought Er Yi some information.

After seeing off the third visitor, Er Yi looked at Ding Shi, who gave her a thumbs up, genuinely admiring her. "Who can teach me how to date? Not three, just one will do."

Er Yi chuckled softly, walked up to Ding Shi, looked at the notebook in her hand, and said, "Nineteen, help me analyze this. Today the restaurant offers chicken, pork, and beef. Some people told me I can't eat pork, and some people told me I can't eat beef." Saying it was an analysis was a way of revealing some information she had to Ding Shi, expressing a certain degree of goodwill.

Ding Shi asked, "What do you think?"

Er Yi stared at Ding Shi's face and said, "I can't read, but I can tell fortunes."

That's quite aggressive! Ding Shi wasn't intimidated and looked back at Er Yi: "Oh? What did you figure out?"

Er Yi asserted, "You don't have a long-term girlfriend."

Ding Shi was taken aback, and immediately retorted: "Nonsense, nonsense, that's not true. I have many girlfriends I've dated for more than five years."

Ding Shi's reaction made Twenty-One laugh uncontrollably. It took him a while to suppress his laughter before he sat down to the side and continued to stare at Ding Shi's face, saying, "You don't treat people with courtesy, nor do you discriminate against women."

Ding Shi asked doubtfully, "Really?"

Er Yi thought for a moment and asked, "What is your profession?"

Ding Shi replied, "Undercover."

Two-one system crashed for three seconds: "An undercover agent? What kind of undercover agent?"

Ding Shi replied, "I am now the second-in-command of the largest gang in City A."

Er Yi said, "You don't trust the so-called brothers around you." Ding Shi nodded, "Because I'm an undercover agent."

Er Yi said again, "I don't trust women either."

Ding Shi nodded: "Yes, otherwise I will die."

Er Yi said, "When you were dating your girlfriend, you never opened up to her. Not only did you not reveal your undercover identity, but you also refused to share your deeper thoughts. Your girlfriend couldn't even judge how kind you were, nor could she predict your attitude towards certain situations?"

Er Yidao: "To give a very simple example, does your girlfriend have no idea what you like to eat? She says she wants hot pot, and you say okay. She says she wants Sichuan cuisine, and you say okay. She says she wants to eat at home, and you say okay too. But it's not that you have no opinions; it's just that you don't express them."

Ding Shishen felt this made sense and said, "It seems so."

Twenty-one continued, "You won't let her see your phone, you won't let her go through your drawers, and you refuse to live together, all to prevent her from discovering your secrets. After you start dating, you're initially very happy, but as your girlfriend gets closer, there are more and more things you need to be wary of. For example, you could normally take a walk after dinner without anyone asking why you're taking a walk. But your girlfriend will ask you why you're not walking with her? Where did you go for two hours? You're very worried that these questions will be discovered by someone in the gang, causing what was originally a simple walk to reveal your identity."

Ding Shi asked in surprise, "Could it be that you can really tell fortunes? No, that's unlikely. How could you even predict a two-hour walk?"

Er Yi's face suddenly turned cold, and she glared at Ding Shi: "You scumbag, don't you remember me?"

Ding Shi stared at Er Yi for a long time before honestly replying, "I don't remember. You were my ex-girlfriend?" Handsome and rich, good at fighting and had his underlings, smart and ruthless—he must have one of these qualities that attracts girls.

Ding Shi suddenly remembered that the man's name was Twenty-One Qing, and he stood up abruptly: "It's you?"

I remember now, this woman's name is Ziqing, the only daughter of a wealthy man. At the time, Ziqing was a regular student at university and met a senior. The senior unintentionally learned about Ziqing's family situation and began to pursue her. Ziqing, however, was very proud and had no romantic feelings for the senior, so she rejected him many times.

The senior student devised an enhanced version 2.0 of the "raw rice cooked" scheme. Because the project was successful, the professor invited Ziqing and several other students to dinner and karaoke. The senior student helped the professor arrange the venue, but he couldn't attend that day due to other commitments. During the karaoke session, the senior student secretly drugged Ziqing. When Ziqing felt unwell and realized she might have been drugged, she encountered the senior student, who was working part-time at the karaoke bar. The senior student led her to another private room to rest and cooked a meal in the meantime. The next day, Ziqing wanted to investigate, but it was also about holding the professor or her classmates responsible.

Regardless of whether Ziqing ultimately chooses her senior, at least he has completed his revenge, and might even get Ziqing pregnant.

The plan was passable, but Ding Shi was in the empty private room the senior had chosen. His superior urgently needed to speak with Ding Shi, telling him that an undercover agent had been exposed by a rival gang and imprisoned. Ding Shi and a few of his underlings went to karaoke, and on their way, they entered an empty private room to meet their superior.

Ding Shi couldn't wait for his senior to finish before leaving, so he punched the senior who was trying to strip Zi Qing, then poured ice-cold beer on Zi Qing's face before leaving. That night, Ding Shi led his men to attack the warehouse where the undercover agent was being held, killing the rival gang's second-in-command and gaining Wang Meng's favor.

Money talks, and Ziqing found Dingshi on the third day. Dingshi didn't even remember who she was, and sparks flew between them during their playful tussle. A month and a half later, Ziqing broke up with Dingshi, who agreed. Enraged, Ziqing threw a water bottle at Dingshi. Faced with Ziqing's actions, a mixture of love and hate, Dingshi kicked the water bottle away, making the breakup completely awkward.

The breakup was triggered by Ziqing's belief that Ding Shi didn't care about her, so she revealed that she was the only daughter of a wealthy man. Ding Shi was stunned. Ziqing didn't see surprise or joy in his eyes; instead, she saw fear and unease.

Ziqing categorized Ding Shi as mentally ill. This time, upon meeting again, this scumbag didn't even recognize her. She had planned to confront Ding Shi, but when he said he was an undercover agent, she didn't know what to do next.

Ding Shi stared blankly at Zi Qing, whose expression was unpredictable, and finally managed to say, "How awkward. Let's pretend we don't know each other."

Ziqing retorted angrily, "Dream on!"

Ding Shi: "You already have three sycophants, why add me to the mix?"

Ziqing: "They're not sycophants, they're members of my tribe, and I've already built a city." The hardest part of building a city is acquiring land, followed by the investment of several thousand dollars. As the daughter of a merchant, she knows how to make money from her very genes. After the end of the primitive era, Ziqing obtained a one-time pass to the Four Symbols City. So she bought land and raised enough money through shareholding to build the city lord's mansion and teleportation array.

Ding Shi: "You're amazing." There was no admiration in his eyes; he had no interest in the matter. While Chu Yu and Yu Yuan were chatting away, he just chuckled and made small talk.

Ziqing: "You're not an undercover agent now, so you can have emotions."

Ding Shi: "I have it."

Ziqing: "But you're not excited."

Ding Shi: "Why should I get excited?"

Ziqing: "Perhaps I can support you."

Ding Shi warned, "Get out of the way, my five square kilometers of land has already been rented out."

Ziqing was shocked: "You have five kilometers of land?"

Ding Shi grinned: "I'd rather see you get excited. I not only have five kilometers of land, but I also have the Four Symbols Teleportation Card, with unlimited uses. I also have an auction house, which will be open to all of Ita in a few days."

Ziqing sighed: "Dealing with women is simple, just say a few nice words. Why are you so naive?"

Ding Shi replied, "This shows that my original intention remains unchanged; a man is an infant until death."

At this point, Twenty and Er'er returned together, and Ding Shi said, "Don't eat the chicken either." He then waved for Zi Qing to leave.

Good heavens, after chatting for a while, I've been warned three times for not fitting the image of a gigolo.

First time: You already have a simp, why add me? Refusing to be a simp to my face doesn't fit my gigolo personality. Warning: Left leg weakness for 20 minutes.

Second time: Refused Ziqing's offer of a sugar daddy relationship and failed to respond appropriately, which is inconsistent with the typical gigolo persona. Warning: Weakness in the right leg for 20 minutes.

Third time: flaunting assets and dominating women violates the basic characteristics of a gigolo. Warning: Left hand sealed for 20 minutes.

As soon as Ziqing left, Ding Shi dragged his empty body back to his room with his right hand.

Should he tell Ziqing he's a gigolo and beg her to let him go? No, never underestimate a woman's anger. If Ziqing knew this secret, she could torment him to death. Ding Shi doesn't understand women, but he understands himself. He's always been someone who repays injustice with justice and kindness with kindness.

Ding Shi lay down on the bed, intending to endure the remaining 20 minutes.

(End of this chapter)