Chapter 026

“Just stop here.” Seeing the sign for the wet market, Lu Jianxing spoke to the driver.

He put on his hat and went to the familiar fish stall to buy a pound of large shrimp. The stall owner looked beside him and let out a surprised sound. “Huh? Xiao Man didn’t come with you today?”

Lu Jianxing smiled. “I just got back. He’s at home.”

The stall owner looked regretful and asked, “Do you want some of this small yellow croaker? Take it back, coat it in batter, and fry it. It’s delicious, kids always love it.”

Lu Jianxing agreed readily. “Sure, I’ll take some.”

After buying the fish and shrimp, he went to other stalls for vegetables, his hands becoming heavy with bags. Passing a bakery, he went in to buy a small cake. He had gone to an audition today and it went smoothly; he would have a new job soon, so he wanted to celebrate with the kid at home.

The market wasn’t far from the residential complex. Lu Jianxing carried the ingredients inside. On the main road, a child wearing sunglasses came driving toward him in a toy car, looking like a total little big shot. Lu Jianxing was thinking about how to cook the shrimp – poached, braised, or maybe with garlic and vermicelli – so he didn’t look closely, simply stepping aside to give way.

The kid zoomed past with a vroom vroom vroom, then made a U-turn behind him and came back. His small hands gripped the steering wheel as he performed a cool drift, stopping right in front of Lu Jianxing.

Lu Jianxing stopped too.

The child rested one hand on the car door and pushed the sunglasses up to his forehead with the other, revealing a fair, cute little face. He greeted him, “Yo-ho, Xingxing!”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

He looked closer. Wasn’t this kid his own?

“Xiao Man?”

Qiao Man patted the steering wheel, and the horn honked twice. He replied coolly, “Yep!”

Lu Jianxing’s gaze fell on the four-wheeled car. It was a child’s model, with a luxury car logo on the hood. The design mimicked a million-dollar car, just scaled down and without a roof, perfectly sized for a child.

He was confused. “Where did this car come from?”

“Pei Xiwang gave it to me.”

“Pei Xiwang?”

“Yeah, he came by today to pay for his fortune-telling. I said I wanted a car, so he bought it for me,” Qiao Man said happily.

Qiao Man had picked the car himself. Pei Xiwang had taken him to a toy car store where rows of cars were lined up for him to choose from. Qiao Man picked the black one that looked most familiar. Back when those men in black suits used to pick up his Master from the mountain, their cars had that same logo.

Although this car was much smaller than the ones he knew, the advantage was that a child could drive it. It didn’t take Xiao Man long to learn how to operate it. Before Lu Jianxing returned, he had already practiced several laps around the complex and was now quite skilled.

Lu Jianxing: “…” How did Pei Xiwang know where they lived?

Wait, while they were queuing for the audition today, Maomao seemed to have asked him if Pei Xiwang could go find Xiao Man… Maomao!

Lu Jianxing walked toward home, and Qiao Man drove the little car alongside him. They passed several children being led by their parents, and those kids looked over with eyes full of envy.

“Mom, I want one too!” one child shouted loudly.

Qiao Man gripped the steering wheel, looking triumphant, his back straightening even more.

He drove the car all the way into the house, parked it, unbuckled his seatbelt, and pushed the door open to get out. Lu Jianxing watched him out of the corner of his eye as the boy trotted off happily to find a rag, cherishing the car as he wiped it from front to back until it shone.

Not only did he wipe it down, but he also drew a yellow talisman on the spot and stuck it to the car’s body.

“What kind of talisman is that?” Lu Jianxing asked.

Qiao Man said solemnly, “Anti-theft. If anyone tries to steal my car, they’ll be cursed!”

Lu Jianxing looked away, speechless.

He took the ingredients into the kitchen and began preparing dinner.

The smell of the marinated and fried yellow croaker soon lured the child over. Qiao Man was forbidden from entering the kitchen, so he moved a small stool to the doorway and sat there, peeling garlic cloves with his small hands, swallowing hard as he smelled the aroma.

Every now and then, he’d ask, “Xingxing, can we eat yet?”

Lu Jianxing didn’t look back. “Wait a bit longer.”

After peeling the garlic, he had to shell the edamame. Smelling the fragrant fried fish, Qiao Man was full of energy, working away with all his might to shell a whole basket of beans. Fresh edamame stir-fried with pickled greens and minced pork – that alone was enough to eat a large bowl of rice with.

Dinner was so hearty that Qiao Man accidentally overate. He lay on the sofa with his round little belly sticking out, feeling like he couldn’t take another bite.

A commercial played on the TV, and Lu Jianxing’s face flashed across the screen. Qiao Man let out a surprised sound and rolled over to watch. The ten-second ad finished quickly and then repeated once more. It wasn’t until the drama started that Qiao Man looked away, still wanting more.

“Xingxing, I saw you on TV!”

“Saw what?”

Qiao Man loudly announced the name of a snack brand. In his snack box, this brand’s snacks appeared most often; they were products sent by the brand partner, as Lu Jianxing was their new spokesperson.

It was worth mentioning that the original spokesperson for this snack brand was Xie Yunqian.

After Xie Yunqian’s downfall, his endorsements had vanished, carved up by others. Lu Jianxing had also picked up a few of the leftovers. Recently, he had filmed several commercials that would be released to the market one after another.

He walked out carrying the small cake and added, “In a while, you’ll also be able to see me in a TV drama.”

Qiao Man was also very happy. “Did you pass your audition?”

“Yes. In a bit, I’ll be joining the film crew.”

“Then I can watch you act!”

However, he couldn’t exactly take a child with him to the set. How to look after Qiao Man was still a problem. Lu Jianxing was considering candidates in his mind but hadn’t decided yet, so he didn’t say anything out loud.

He set down the cake and used the remote to switch to the cartoon channel. “Eat up.”

There was only one fork on the cake plate. Qiao Man looked up at him and asked, “Xingxing, aren’t you eating?”

“I’m joining a film crew soon,” Lu Jianxing replied. “I have to watch my weight.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t look good on camera.

Entertainers couldn’t afford to eat such high-fat, high-sugar foods. Even the crispy fried yellow croakers from dinner had all ended up in the child’s stomach.

Qiao Man looked down at the cake, then at his own round little belly. He sucked it in with all his might, but the little tummy didn’t flatten at all.

But the cream cake from down the mountain was just so delicious!

Qiao Man happily grabbed the fork and started digging in with gusto.

…

After taking the stuffed child for a post-meal walk to aid digestion, they returned home and watched two episodes of cartoons together. Lu Jianxing then hauled him into the bathroom to scrub him clean, blow-dry his hair, and change him into soft pajamas before tucking him into the plush bed.

It was already bedtime. Qiao Man’s head was nodding off, and the moment he hit the mattress, he sank right in. His eyes wouldn’t stay open, yet he was still mumbling, “Xingxing, hurry up…”

“Alright,” Lu Jianxing answered. He headed into the bathroom himself for a quick shower.

Drying his hair as he stepped out, he noticed a few colorful candies scattered on the coffee table. The room temperature had caused the candy surfaces to melt, making them stick to the glass. Lu Jianxing wiped the table clean, put the stray snacks back into the child’s snack box, and tidied up the living room while he was at it.

He picked up a glass jar, intending to put it back where it belonged, when he suddenly froze.

A massive black centipede, as long as an adult’s forearm, was curled inside the jar. Its long, segmented body writhed weakly, its carapace pitch-black and oily. At the sudden exposure to light, the giant centipede became more active, its dense rows of hooked legs clicking against the glass as it scrambled for an exit.

Despite the layer of glass between them, the visual impact made it feel as if it were crawling right across his palm. He could almost imagine the spine-chilling sensation of the multi-legged creature slithering over his skin.

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Lu Jianxing: “…………”

Lu Jianxing took a sharp, sudden breath, feeling as though his half-departed soul had finally struggled back into his body.

A yellow talisman was stuck to the glass jar. He didn’t even have to guess whose handiwork it was.

Lu Jianxing roared, “Xiao! Man!!!”

Qiao Man, who had been dozing off on the bed, jolted wide awake.

He sat up clutching his quilt, his dark, round eyes blinking blankly at his surroundings, unsure of what was happening.

From the living room, Lu Jianxing shouted again, “Xiao Man, get out here!”

Detecting the tremor in his voice, Qiao Man was startled. He hurriedly scrambled off the bed and ran out, his little feet pattering on the floor. “What’s wrong? I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Lu Jianxing thrust the glass jar containing the giant centipede toward him. The lid was screwed on tight, trapping the insect inside, but seeing the centipede writhing so close to his hand made Lu Jianxing squeeze his eyes shut. “Where did this come from?”

Seeing the candy jar, Qiao Man finally remembered what he’d forgotten. He happily took credit for it. “I caught that! Xingxing, I’m going to make medicinal wine for you.”

“Where did you catch it?”

A centipede of this size was rare in the city. They lived in the urban center with no mountains nearby; the only place with significant greenery was a park where he had taken Qiao Man for walks before. Lu Jianxing guessed, “Did you go to the park?”

Qiao Man said obediently, “No. You said I can’t leave the complex. I found it here at home. And I didn’t use my hands to catch it, either. I was very good.”

“At home?!”

Qiao Man ran over to the sofa and pointed. “I caught it right here.”

Looking at the sofa he sat on every day, then back at the giant centipede in his hand, Lu Jianxing’s grip on the jar began to tremble.

He cleaned every single day, yet such a dangerous insect had been hiding in his home?!

Lu Jianxing’s skin crawled.

The thought that his home might be harboring an unknown number of venomous insects, crawling through every corner, perhaps even slithering past him while he slept, multiplying in places he couldn’t see… it made him feel physically ill.

Forget sleeping. He immediately broke out the cleaning supplies and began an overnight deep-clean, spraying insecticide into every nook and cranny. Fearing that modern technology wasn’t enough, he even commandeered the Insect Repellent Talismans Qiao Man had drawn for Zhan Yue but hadn’t delivered yet, plastering them everywhere.

As for the centipede? It was disposed of, naturally!

Qiao Man held his candy jar, looking at the giant centipede with a touch of reluctance. It wasn’t easy to raise a centipede like this. His master had said that people who specialized in insects had to raise them for a long time to get one this size. Master had caught even bigger ones before, but since Qiao Man came down the mountain, he’d hardly seen any centipedes at all.

Qiao Man didn’t want to let it go. He tilted his head back and asked pleadingly, “Xingxing, can I keep it as a pet?”

Lu Jianxing: “ABSOLUTELY! NOT!!!”

Qiao Man sighed.

Sigh, fine.

After all, he was the dad.

…

Whether it was the result of the deep-clean or the Insect Repellent Talismans, Lu Jianxing didn’t see another single bug in the house aside from that giant centipede. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the child’s interest in toy cars was greater than his interest in bugs. Every day, come rain or shine, he went out on schedule, driving his little four-wheeled car around with a series of beeps and honks. Since Lu Jianxing wouldn’t let him leave the complex gates, he stayed obediently within the grounds.

Lu Jianxing’s audition had gone very well, and he soon signed a contract with the production. Although it wasn’t quite like his peak popularity days, everything was progressing smoothly. Before he officially joined the crew, Sister Yun arranged several advertisements and magazine shoots for him.

One day, just after finishing a shoot for a magazine spread, Lu Jianxing was in the dressing room changing out of the provided clothes. While he was removing his makeup, Maomao walked in carrying a bag.

“Brother Lu, here’s what you asked for.”

Lu Jianxing took it and checked the contents. “Thanks.”

Maomao hesitated for a moment before asking softly, “Brother Lu, you’re about to join the film crew. What’s going to happen with Xiao Man?”

“…”

This was exactly what had been giving Lu Jianxing a headache lately. Inside the bag was a smartwatch phone he’d bought for Qiao Man to make it easier to stay in touch once he was on set. However, as the start date drew closer, he still hadn’t found anyone to look after the child. Maomao was his assistant and would definitely be coming with him to the set. Most importantly, Qiao Man certainly wouldn’t be willing to live with anyone else.

Lu Jianxing shook his head and said, “The work here is finished. You should head back first.”

“Brother Lu, shall I drive you home?”

“I’ll be fine on my own.”

Maomao didn’t insist and left early.

Lu Jianxing packed his things, said his goodbyes to the staff, and finally made his exit.

As he walked out, he heard someone calling his name.

“Lu Jianxing!”

Lu Jianxing looked over to see someone lurking suspiciously around a corner. The person pulled down their mask, revealing half of their face.

It was Xie Yunqian, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Lu Jianxing’s expression turned cold.

Afraid of being spotted, Xie Yunqian mouthed something and pointed behind him, signaling that he had something to say. Then, he quickly pulled his mask back up and turned to walk away.

Xie Yunqian had been having a truly miserable time lately.

His career was in ruins, his money was gone, and both his lover and business partners had betrayed him. His friends wouldn’t pick up his calls, and a mountain of debt weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Master Zhu refused to see him anymore. After the failure of their last operation, the Gu Master had lost a painstakingly raised Gu insect and had taken his rage out on Xie Yunqian, hating him with a passion. But what did that have to do with him? It was the Gu Master’s own lack of skill that led to the failure, and in the process, the last of Xie Yunqian’s hard-earned assets had vanished. Even so, Xie Yunqian didn’t dare utter a single word of complaint, terrified that the Gu Master might set a venomous insect on him.

He had nothing left now, but his fear hadn’t subsided. The predecessor he had borrowed luck from had lost his health after losing everything else. Xie Yunqian’s run of bad luck showed no signs of stopping. He had borrowed so much luck that he had no idea when the consequences would finally end.

After much thought, he focused on Qiao Man, the one who had brought him to this point.

More accurately, he thought of the expert backing that child.

Although he knew the expert might not necessarily help him, he was truly at the end of his rope and had no choice but to try his luck. What if? What if that expert was willing to show some mercy? Then he could put an end to this miserable spiral.

That expert was so powerful that even Master Zhu and the Gu Master had been defeated. Perhaps they could stop his streak of misfortune!

So, after much effort, he had found out that Lu Jianxing was shooting for a magazine today and managed to sneak inside.

Seeing Lu Jianxing willing to follow him, Xie Yunqian breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, a great surge of hope rose in his heart.

He quickly explained his purpose. Fearing that Lu Jianxing would refuse, he hurriedly added, “You know I’ve been in this industry for many years and have quite a few connections. If you’re willing to help me, I can help you climb even higher and go even further in this circle!”

Lu Jianxing asked coldly, “Help you?”

Xie Yunqian said urgently, “Just take me to see that Master. I know what I did to you before was out of line, but I didn’t borrow your luck on purpose. I was just momentarily blinded by ambition. Who doesn’t want to be famous in this industry? It was all Master Zhu… yes, Master Zhu lied to me. He said he was only borrowing a little bit of luck and that it wouldn’t affect you. If I had known it would hurt you, I never would have dared to do it.”

Lu Jianxing nodded and said softly, “So, you knew everything all along.”

Xie Yunqian felt a pang of guilt under that icy gaze. In the entertainment industry, even the smallest thing could become a trending topic. How could he not have known?

But he also knew that he could never admit it now. He could only continue to beg submissively, “I truly regret it now. As long as you’re willing to give me a chance to make amends, I’ll do anything you ask…”

Lu Jianxing scanned the surroundings. The spot Xie Yunqian had chosen was a blind spot for the security cameras. Once he was certain, he set his bag aside and rolled up his sleeves.

“Lu Jianxing, think about it. I’ve been in this industry for so many years, I know more people than you do. I can…”

Before he could finish, Lu Jianxing’s fist slammed into him.

Lu Jianxing put every ounce of strength into the blow. Ever since he had learned about the Luck Borrowing, his anger had been bottled up with nowhere to go. The grievance of a sudden disaster, the frustration of being framed without being able to explain, and the fury at the perpetrator’s self-righteous attitude all culminated in this single punch, thrown with all his might.

With a dull thud, Xie Yunqian was knocked straight to the ground.

Stars danced before his eyes and his head rang. He couldn’t get up for a long time.

Xie Yunqian tasted blood on the tip of his tongue, but the intense pain made it impossible to form a coherent sentence. The spot where he’d been hit immediately began to swell, turning a bruised purple-black.

“Cough, cough… you…”

Lu Jianxing bent down to pick up his bag and walked away without looking back.

“Lu… Lu Jianxing… cough!”

The man was already gone.

Xie Yunqian struggled to lift his head, but he only saw the retreating footsteps.

He lay on the ground for a while before finally managing to prop himself up. He struck the ground in frustration and then clutched his head in despair.

What should he do? What could he do? Who else could he beg?

He had already lost everything. What else was there to lose? Would he lose his legs like that predecessor and spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair?

The crisp sound of footsteps rang out again, the sound of high heels on the floor. It was likely a staff member from the magazine passing by. Afraid of being discovered, Xie Yunqian didn’t dare linger. He quickly pulled up his mask and slipped out the way he came.

He had collaborated with this magazine several times before. Entering through the main door required a security check, so to avoid exposing his identity, he had entered through a side door. He left through the same side door now.

He didn’t dare go near the road, sticking to the sidewalk and carefully watching the passing cars, terrified that one might lose control and plow into him.

“Xie Yunqian!”

Hearing his name, Xie Yunqian instinctively looked toward the source of the voice. Before he could see anything clearly, a person wrapped tightly in clothes threw something at him with great force. Caught completely off guard, he couldn’t dodge in time and was hit directly. In the next instant, a sharp, searing pain and a burning sensation erupted wherever the liquid touched his face and body.

“Aaaagh!”

He let out a shrill, agonizing scream, rolling on the ground in pain. When he reached out, his hand met only a face covered in blood and pus.

…

Lu Jianxing took a taxi home. As he passed the supermarket, he went inside to buy two containers of ice cream in the kid’s favorite flavors.

On the way home, he kept thinking about how to tell the boy that he was about to join a production.

Qiao Man was incredibly clingy and didn’t dare sleep alone. He had even insisted on coming along during the last variety show recording. Lu Jianxing had tentatively mentioned joining a film crew before, and the boy had been happy, seemingly not realizing it meant they would be apart. But a film set was different from a variety show; he would be there for several months. He wasn’t comfortable leaving Qiao Man home alone, yet he hadn’t found anyone he could trust to look after him.

Even as Lu Jianxing passed through the gates of the residential complex, he still hadn’t come up with a good solution.

There was a small garden in his complex. In the evenings, many residents would sit there to chat and enjoy the breeze. Today was no different. A large crowd had gathered in the garden, the air buzzing with voices as people crowded around to see whatever was happening.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Lu Jianxing tried to walk past without looking, only to hear a soft, childish voice drift from the crowd: “This reading doesn’t look very good.”

Another voice followed up anxiously, “How is it bad? Master, please, tell me more!”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

He doubled back and peered over the heads of the crowd. Sure enough, right in the center, he spotted his own kid.

Qiao Man was sitting cross-legged under the shade of a tree. In front of him lay a piece of corrugated cardboard torn from who-knew-where, with two lines of large characters written on it: Ten yuan per reading. No charge if inaccurate.

At the moment, his chubby little face was set in a serious expression, his brows tightly furrowed. He was surrounded by a circle of gray-haired seniors, every one of them watching him with fervent eyes.

The old man standing in front of Qiao Man was the one getting his fortune told. He asked anxiously, “Master, nothing’s going to happen to my son, right? Is it serious? Is there any way to help him?”

Looking at the ten-yuan bill lying next to the cardboard sign, Lu Jianxing’s eyelid gave an involuntary twitch.