A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

"What's the lawyer's name?"

"Where are you now?"

Upon hearing Chen Bufan's words, Xu Yao felt as if she had finally grasped a rope from her collapse.

She gripped her phone tightly, her voice trembling violently.

"mom."

"Who is that lawyer?"

Where is he now?

On the other end of the phone, Xu's mother was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Yaoyao, don't get agitated."

"The Song family said they don't want to harm you."

"It's just... just going through the motions."

Xu Yao froze.

"Just going through the motions?"

She seemed unable to believe what she had just heard.

"Mom, do you know what's in front of our house right now?"

"There are people banging gongs and drums outside the door."

"The marriage certificate has been slipped in."

"The wedding dress in my room stood up by itself."

"You're telling me this is just a formality?"

Xu's mother's voice sounded even more panicked.

"But the lawyer said no one will actually die."

He said it was a custom of the older generation.

"Arrange a ghost marriage to give the dead a proper status."

He said the online uproar was too great and the Song family was worried about the negative impact.

"They said they were willing to give five million."

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

[A dowry of 500 million?]

【? ? ? 】

[You think you can buy a daughter for five million?]

Has her mother gone mad?

【No way, trusting a lawyer at a time like this?】

What's scary isn't ghosts, it's people.

[Xu Yao is still alive! They've already started negotiating the price?]

"And they just said that if you agree, and our family agrees too, we can give an extra five million..."

The color drained from Xu Yao's face little by little.

It's even whiter than when I saw the wedding dress and reached out my hand.

The ghost wanted to grab her, and she was afraid.

But she can still hide.

They can still call for help.

We can wait for the police.

But now, it's her own mother on the other end of the phone.

The mother is crying.

I'm scared.

It is also wavering.

five million.

For the Song family, it may just be a number.

But for the Xu family, it was money they never dared to dream of in their entire lives.

Xu Yao's mother has suffered from uremia for many years and undergoes dialysis every week.

My father was injured on a construction site in his early years and has a bad back, so he can only do odd jobs.

The family owes a lot of money to relatives.

My younger brother has been admitted to a private university, and that's exactly when we need money.

Xu Yao has worked as a wedding makeup artist for many years. During peak season, she works three or four weddings a day, and during off-season, she works part-time at a photo studio. Most of the money she earns goes into her family's finances.

She wasn't unaware that her family was short of money.

But she never imagined that one day her life would be compared to five million.

Xu Yao's voice trembled:

"mom."

"Don't you also think... selling me for five million is a good deal?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

This second is more ruthless than any answer.

Xu Yao's tears fell instantly.

"mom?"

Xu's mother cried and said:

"Yaoyao, that's not what Mom meant."

"Mom is just scared."

"We can't afford to offend the Song family."

"The lawyer said that if we don't accept the money and don't sign a settlement, they won't take any further action if something goes wrong later."

He said the Song family had already shown great sincerity.

He said you were just chosen to go through a ceremony.

No one will actually die.

Xu Yao's lips trembled.

"What if I die?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Xu Yao chuckled.

His smile looked worse than his tears.

"If I die, this money will be used for your medical treatment?"

"Just in time to pay off Dad's debts?"

"Perfect timing for my younger brother to buy a house?"

Xu's mother's voice suddenly broke down.

"Yao Yao!"

How could you say that about Mom?

"Mom feels sorry for you!"

"If Mom hadn't been a burden to you all these years, you would have been living a good life long ago!"

"Now people say no one will die, it's just a ghost marriage, and once you get the money, it's over."

"Mom had no choice!"

"With this money, your brother's life will be secure..."

The live stream chat exploded.

[Selling your daughter because you have no other choice?]

That's suffocating.

Her mother might not be a bad person, but she's truly been corrupted by money.

Five million—the lives of poor people are truly being put on a price tag.

The Song family's lawyers are too insidious.

What do you mean by "no one will die"? Didn't the two girls in front of us both die?

Chen Bufan remained silent.

When Xu's mother said, "It's just a ghost marriage," he really didn't want to hear any more.

He looked at the camera, his voice low, yet it drowned out the barrage of comments on the screen.

"Xu Yao".

"Turn on speakerphone."

Xu Yao wiped away her tears and put the call on speakerphone.

Chen Bufan spoke:

"Aunt."

Xu's mother on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback.

"You...who are you?"

Chen Bufan said:

"My name is Chen Bufan. You don't need to know who I am right now. I only have one question for you."

"Did the Song family's lawyer tell you that two girls had already died?"

Xu's mother's voice trailed off.

"He...he said it was an accident."

He said it's all just rumors circulating online.

He said the police haven't reached a conclusion yet.

Chen Bufan sneered.

"What else did he say?"

Xu's mother cried and said:

He said the Song family was no ordinary family.

"If our family is willing to cooperate, the two sums of five million will be deposited into our account immediately."

"I can get a kidney transplant."

"My husband can perform the surgery."

"Xu Yao will also receive some compensation later."

He said this wouldn't hurt Yao Yao.

"It's just a nominal arrangement for a ghost marriage."

"Only in name?"

"right."

As if she had grasped something, Xu's mother quickly said:

He said he just wanted to put a name on the marriage certificate.

"Let Yao Yao wear her wedding dress."

"Stay home tonight and don't wander around."

"Everything will be fine by tomorrow morning."

Xu Yao was trembling all over.

"mom."

"Did he tell you not to rescue me tonight?"

Xu's mother cried and said:

That's not what he meant.

He said that now that the police and the people in your live stream are getting involved, things are more likely to get messy.

"He asked us to persuade you to turn off the live stream."

"Don't call the police."

"Don't make a big deal out of it."

Xu Yao completely broke down.

There's something knocking on my door!

"The wedding dress stood up by itself!"

"You're telling me to turn off the live stream?"

Outside.

The suona sound suddenly became even shriller.

It looks like he's laughing.

The marriage certificate on the ground also moved slightly.

Xu Yao was so frightened that she immediately backed away.

Chen Bufan looked at the marriage certificate, his voice barely concealing a hint of disdain.

"Aunt."

Do you know why the Song family was willing to give five million?

Xu's mother choked up.

"They said... it's compensation."

"It's not compensation."

Chen Bufan said, word by word:

"It's money to buy your life."

There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Bufan continued:

"Song Wenjie, the only son of the Song family, has been dead for three years."

"They are unwilling to let their lineage die out."

"So I'm looking for someone to arrange a ghost marriage."

"The first bride, Meng Yao, is dead."

"The second bride, Su Man, also died."

"Xu Yao is the third."

"Once you sign the settlement agreement, once you tacitly agree to the marriage, once you accept the money from the Song family..."

"She will be taken away in a ghost marriage tonight."

Xu's mother's voice trembled:

"No...no, that won't happen."

"The lawyer said no one will actually die."

Chen Bufan said:

"It's not that people won't die."

"It's because you don't treat her like a human being."

After those words were spoken, there was complete silence on the other end of the phone.

The live stream room fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yao stared blankly at the screen, tears streaming down her face.

Chen Bufan continued:

"The Song family spent five million to buy it, but it's not a formal title."

"It's your daughter's destiny."

"It is her living soul."

"She could have lived for decades more."

"In the eyes of the Song family, it was nothing more than a commodity, something that could be bought with money and then thrown away after use."

"But how do you see it?"

"Isn't she human too?"

On the other end of the phone, Xu's mother finally burst into tears.

"I don't."

"I didn't intend to sell my daughter..."

"I'm just scared."

"Our family can't compete with the Song family."

"They said if we didn't sign, we would have to bear the consequences ourselves."

"I'm afraid something will happen to Yao Yao, and I'm also afraid something will happen to our whole family."

"Master Chen, please save her."

"Please, please save her."

Chen Bufan offered no words of comfort.

He simply said:

"Give Officer Lin the lawyer's phone number."

Lin Wanqing's voice immediately came through the live stream.

"Auntie, I am Lin Wanqing from the Criminal Investigation Detachment of Haicheng Public Security Bureau."

"Please immediately send the police your lawyer's contact information, call recordings, bank transfer screenshots, and chat logs."

"Do not sign any agreements."

"Don't charge any money."

"Stop having any private contact with the Song family."

Xu's mother hurriedly agreed, crying.

"Okay, okay, I'll send them all."

Lin Wanqing continued:

Where are you and Xu Yao's father now?

"at home."

Is anyone nearby?

Xu's mother's voice trembled.

"have."

There was a black car downstairs just now.

"They haven't left."

Lin Wanqing made a decisive decision.

"Lock the door."

"Don't go downstairs."

"I instructed the local police station to go there as well."

"well."

The phone hangs up.

Xu Yao sat on the ground, feeling completely drained.

She looked at Chen Bufan.

"Master Chen."

"My mom almost agreed."

Chen Bufan looked at her.

"So you need to live on even more."

Xu Yao was stunned.

Chen Bufan said:

"Only when you're alive will they realize that five million can't buy your life."

The live stream chat exploded with comments.

[Hang in there, Xu Yao!]

【You're not the bride, you're Xu Yao!】

Five million can't buy your life!

The Song family must be investigated!

This is disgusting, absolutely disgusting.

[Master Chen, please just name names!]

Chen Bufan looked up at the camera.

"The Song family."

"Song Qiyuan".

"There are also people who arrange marriages between the Song family and ghosts."

"I know you're watching."

"I will investigate the first two lives for them."

"A third life."

"You can't take it away."

The barrage of comments exploded instantly.

[Roll call!]

[The Song family, come out!]

[The first two lives also need to be investigated!]

[Master confronts the Song family head-on!]

That's more like it!

Just then, a request to connect with the live stream popped up in the chat room.

The account profile picture is completely black.

The nickname consists of only one character:

Song Dynasty.

Platform authentication information:

Chairman of Qiyuan Real Estate.

Song Huai-ren.

The comments section paused for a second.

The Song family has arrived?

[Holy crap, the patriarch himself is getting involved?]

Isn't Song Huai-ren Song Qi-yuan's father?

[Song Wenjie's grandfather?]

Is this the old man arriving?

Lin Wanqing's face darkened.

Don't answer.

Chen Bufan, however, had already looked at the live chat request.

"If he dares to come, I dare to accept him."

Lin Wanqing whispered:

"Chen Bufan, this is a live broadcast."

"Every word he says affects the case."

Chen Bufan turned the copper coin on the table:

"Then let everyone hear it."

He clicked "accept".

The screen split into four again.

On the right side of the screen, an elderly man with gray hair appears.

The old man, dressed in a dark Tang suit, sat in an antique-style study.

Behind me is a whole wall of bookshelves.

A celadon teacup sits on the table.

His face was very thin.

His eyes, however, were deep and somber.

He looks like someone who's always giving orders.

He looked at the camera, not at Xu Yao.

He didn't even look at Lin Wanqing.

Focus only on Chen Bufan.

"Mr. Chen."

"I've heard so much about you."

Chen Bufan looked at him.

"Song Huai-ren?"

The old man nodded slightly.

"it's me."

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

[It really is the head of the Song family!]

[He still dares to connect via live stream?]

This old man exudes a very intimidating aura.

Ask him why he bought a ghost marriage!

Song Huai-ren picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

The movements were neither hurried nor slow.

It was as if they weren't watching a live murder investigation, but rather discussing business.

"young people."

He put down his teacup, his tone calm.

"Do you know the consequences of offending the Song family?"