Chapter 1

Luxury cars often picked me up at the school gate. My roommate spread rumors that I was a kept woman, even secretly taking photos of me with older men. Later, that very student’s father knelt before me:

“Grandmaster Qiao, please save my family.”

She didn’t know—I was the sole successor of the Geomancer lineage.

*******

“Grandmaster Qiao, I truly don’t know how to thank you. The payment has been transferred to your account. This is a new batch of goods I imported from Myanmar—very unique designs, nothing too valuable, but perhaps you’d like to take it as a token of appreciation?”

The chairman of Phoenix Jewelry Group, Feng Ji, respectfully handed me a red velvet box. I opened it to find a jade gourd of imperial-grade emerald, worth at least a hundred thousand.

I nodded, took the gift, and casually stuffed it into my backpack. “Drop me off at the school gate.”

I am Qiao Moyu, a freshman at Nanjiang University and the only successor of this generation’s Geomancer lineage. Geomancers, known in ancient times as feng shui masters, are not just any feng shui practitioners.

As the saying goes: “First-class Geomancers observe celestial bodies, second-class feng shui masters trace dragon veins, third-class masters wander the land.” Most practitioners today are merely ordinary feng shui masters. Those who mastered the art of reading stars and qi were once appointed to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, serving the royal family.

My great-grandfather was the last Director of the Qing Dynasty’s Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

I stepped out of the car, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and stretched. Chairman Zhu followed, eagerly grabbing my hand.

“Grandmaster Qiao, next time you’re free, please visit my winery?”

“We’ll see.”

I pulled my hand away and walked toward campus. Students whispered as they passed, but when I glanced their way, they quickly averted their eyes, their expressions odd.

At the dormitory entrance, the door was ajar, and Lou Xianxian’s exaggerated shrieks echoed inside.

“Look at this! I told you, but no one believed me. I know this old man—he’s the chairman of Phoenix Jewelry. His daughter goes to our school too. How shameless, hugging right at the school gate. Why hasn’t the school expelled someone like her?”

“Wow, Xianxian, where’d you get these photos?”

Lou Xianxian smirked smugly. “A friend just sent them from the school gate. I told you—she’s always getting picked up by cars, her family’s ordinary, but look, she’s wearing all designer clothes. I can’t stand sharing a room with such a disgusting person.”

I strode into the dorm with a dark expression and dropped my backpack. The room fell silent.

Only Lou Xianxian looked at me with mockery.

“Oh, back from your ‘part-time job’? What goodies did you get this time?”

I lived in the dorm, and my work sometimes required late-night outings. When my roommates asked, I just said my family wasn’t well-off, so I worked part-time.

That day, I’d just finished a feng shui consultation for a businesswoman. She was so grateful she handed me a brand-new bag from her dressing room, insisting I take it. Back in the dorm, I tossed it aside, only for my roommate to notice.

Ling Ling rushed over, touched the bag, and gasped dramatically.

“Oh my god, Xianxian, come look! Isn’t this the limited-edition bag you showed me yesterday? You said only ten exist nationwide, impossible to buy. How does Qiao Moyu have one?”

Lou Xianxian sneered. Her father was the CEO of a listed company—she was wealthy and loved flaunting it in the dorm. She couldn’t stand being outshone.

“Must be a fake.”

I nodded along. “Yeah, totally fake.”

I didn’t care, but Lou Xianxian wouldn’t let it go.

Once, during a shopping trip, she kept praising my bag and insisted I bring it. Near the luxury boutiques, she “accidentally” spilled half her coffee on it.

“Oops! Qiao Moyu, I didn’t mean to! This brand has great service—let’s take it in for a free clean!”

I eyed the stain, feeling a pang of regret. Such a nice bag ruined—what a waste. I agreed. Lou Xianxian and Ling Ling giggled behind their hands.

“Is she stupid? Wait till the staff kick her out—so embarrassing, hahaha!”

They dragged our friends into the store, eager to see me humiliated. But the staff took the bag, served us tea, and said it’d take a week to restore. They even asked for my address to deliver it afterward.

“No way! You’re mistaken! That bag’s fake!”

Lou Xianxian’s face twisted in rage, almost yelling at the staff, who stared at her in shock.

“Ma’am, this bag has a serial number. It’s authentic, sold by us last month. Absolutely not fake.”

Our classmates gaped.

“Qiao Moyu, what does your family do?”

“Seriously, using such expensive bags—you’re so humble, we never noticed.”

“Unlike some people flaunting bags worth a fraction of yours.”

Lou Xianxian’s face burned red. She stomped her foot and fled.

From then on, she spread rumors I was a sugar baby, claiming my gifts came from old men.

I ignored her, changed clothes, and went to eat.

Mid-meal, someone sat across from me.

I looked up to see Jiang Haoyan, the school’s heartthrob, leaning in with a charming smile.

“Grandmaster Qiao, as classmates, could you check my family’s home? I’m begging you.”

The woman who gave me the bag was Jiang Haoyan’s aunt. She’d begged me to help their family, but I had rules: one case per month, and my schedule was booked till next February.

I checked my phone. “It’s June now. Your family’s turn is next February.”

Jiang Haoyan scratched his head and grabbed my hand. “Please! It’s urgent!”

“Ahem… Jiang Haoyan, I need to talk to you.”

Lou Xianxian stood behind us, glaring at our clasped hands, her eyes red with envy. She’d always liked Jiang Haoyan, bragging daily about his family’s wealth and how they were a “perfect match.” But he’d never spared her a glance.

He frowned impatiently. “I’m busy.”

His coldness made her eyes water.

“Jiang Haoyan, must you stoop so low for someone like her? Do you know how many old men she’s involved with? This morning, Chairman Zhu of Phoenix Jewelry dropped her off!”

“What?”

Jiang Haoyan’s eyes widened.

“That old Zhu cut in line ahead of me? Where did I lose?”

Classmates nearby: “…Is Jiang Haoyan insane? Why’s he degrading himself like this?”

I pulled my hand free.

“Last month, Zhu Dian Dian had a birthday party. I just dropped by.”

Jiang Haoyan smacked his forehead.

“Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?”

He jumped onto the table and announced:

“This Saturday, I’m throwing a birthday party! All classmates are invited!”

Then he leaned down, eyes pleading.

“Grandmaster Qiao, you *have* to come!”

The crowd cheered, eyes fixed on me. Reluctantly, I nodded.

“Fine.”

The Jiang family was the wealthiest in City A. They’d bought a six-acre mansion in Huazhou Junting. For Jiang Haoyan’s party, they even sent buses to pick us up.

On the bus, everyone buzzed with excitement. But upon entering the gold-and-jade-adorned mansion, they grew timid.

“Wow, this chandelier’s six or seven meters tall! Like a palace! Xianxian, you’ve been here before, right?”

Lou Xianxian smirked smugly, chin high.

Today, she was impeccably dressed—light makeup, jewelry, an elegant dress—like a noble swan.

“Some people think just because Jiang Haoyan likes them, they’re special. Noble families aren’t so easy to enter. His mother’s from an elite capital family—she values etiquette. If she knew about your dirty secrets, she’d kick you out immediately!”

Lou Xianxian glared at me, lips curled in disdain.

“Plus, it’s a birthday party, and you’re wearing sneakers? So tacky. What spell did you cast on Jiang Haoyan?”

As she finished, the crowd stirred, staring behind me.