Chapter 17: Believers

Qin Qing scrolled through the group chat, reviewing past messages. Second Aunt’s main points were largely similar, with only the names of the gifts changing.

However, she did find a photo Second Aunt had posted of the legendary Xiao Yuan and her cousin.

The young man looked quite spirited. Not exceptionally handsome, but definitely upright and proper. The type mothers would approve of.

Her System Panel only worked on real people within 50 meters, so photos wouldn’t activate it. She had no idea what was going on with this Xiao Yuan.

Forget it, she wouldn’t bother.

Liang Jinguo hadn’t paid her for this, and he had even been suspicious of her. Why should she go out of her way to bring him extra business?

Right, this was extra money!

Even if it was an employee embezzling, it wouldn’t cause significant damage.

Let him worry about it himself.

Qin Qing washed her hands of the matter.

Just as she was about to sleep, her WeChat chimed with a new message.

[Da Guang: Master, good night. Wish you sweet dreams!]

Qin Qing: “…”

Here we go again.

Ever since Chen Daguang added her on WeChat, he would send good morning and good night messages every day, like a ritual.

Not a single day missed!

If he weren’t around her father’s age and always used the respectful “您” (you), Qin Qing would have suspected he was trying to pursue her.

In fact, he was even more attentive than any guy who had ever pursued her.

Qin Qing had told him there was no need for this, but he ignored her, insisting that it was out of respect, and that if he ever failed to check in on time, it meant he was likely in trouble and needed her help.

Oh, he even knew about checking in.

If you have problems, call the police. What good would she be?

And it was really annoying!

Did she look like the kind of kind-hearted person who meddled in others’ affairs?

She didn’t have that much free time, okay?

An exasperated Qin Qing spent three seconds (no more) thinking, and the solution was to add Chen Daguang to “VIP Customer Group No. 1,” let him check in there, and then she would mute the group.

Perfect! The world would be quiet.

In the group.

[Group owner Qin Qing invited “Da Guang” to join the group chat]

[Alpha Lu: Newcomer? ]

[Alpha Lu: Welcome, welcome~ ]

[Alpha Lu: @Da Guang, hello, I am the deputy group owner personally appointed by the Master, responsible for managing group affairs. Please read the following group rules carefully and strictly abide by them.]

[“VIP Customer Group No. 1” Management Regulations]

——

Group Purpose:

This group aims to provide a harmonious, respectful, and professional communication platform to share Numerology Knowledge, exchange experiences, and jointly explore the mysteries of life.

——

Group Rules and Discipline:

1. Principle of Respect: Please respect every group member, including the group owner and other clients. Any form of insult, discrimination, or offensive remarks is prohibited.

2. Professional Discussion: Group discussions should focus on topics such as numerology, feng shui, and divination, avoiding sensitive topics like politics and religion.

3. Information Authenticity: …

4. Privacy Protection: …

5. Advertising and Promotion: …

6. Order Maintenance: Group members should abide by the group rules and maintain order within the group. For violations of group rules, the deputy group owner has the right to issue warnings or remove members.

7. Consultation and Feedback: If you need to consult the Master on any issue, please contact the deputy group owner first to report and convey it uniformly. Do not disturb the Master’s practice privately.

8. Group Activities: Relevant lectures or activities may be held irregularly, and specific arrangements will be notified by the deputy group owner in advance.

——

Violation Handling: Warnings, temporary bans, or removal from the group chat will be issued depending on the severity of the violation. Members who are removed will be permanently denied related services by the Master. All members are advised to cherish their lives.

——

Including Qin Qing, there were only four people in the group. Was it necessary to establish a set of rules for 4 people? To be precise, for two people, Chen Daguang and Liang Jian.

Given that these rules were released only after Chen Daguang joined, they probably only applied to him…

She had casually mentioned letting Lu Yang be the deputy group owner, and she had no idea he would take it so seriously and do such a proper job.

After a careful look, rule #8, “Consultation and Feedback,” deeply pleased Qin Qing. Yes, that’s right, don’t bother her, send everyone to talkative Lu.

Then she looked again. What the hell was rule #2? Only discussing numerology, feng shui, and divination… The group owner herself didn’t even know these things, so what was there to discuss?

She didn’t want too much interaction, true, but that didn’t mean her right to speak could be restricted.

Change it, it must be changed!

She privately messaged Lu Yang and explained the situation.

Group rule #2 became: Group discussions should conform to the core socialist values of “prosperity, democracy, harmony…” and adhere to believing in science and rejecting superstition!

All descriptions of “Master” were also changed to “Teacher,” and Qin Qing’s unified title in the group would henceforth be “Teacher Qin.”

[Alpha Lu: …]

His few symbols were very expressive; Qin Qing could even sense a hint of grievance.

[Liang Jian: …]

This was probably speechless, complaining that she was flying the flag of a fortune-telling charlatan and still had the nerve to claim to believe in science.

[Da Guang: Understood! We are in a special field, we need to develop discreetly, otherwise, it’s easy to attract attention from above.]

[Qin Qing: No, you’re wrong. I don’t mean anything else, it’s simply because 99% of the people you meet who practice metaphysics are swindlers. Instead of engaging in superstition with others, it’s better to stick to science and reduce the chances of being deceived. As for metaphysical consultations, having me as one channel is enough for you.]

[Alpha Lu: Master… Teacher Qin… why does that sound so strange? Liang Jian said we’re from the same school, so why don’t I just call you senior? ]

[Alpha Lu: Senior, if you had said so earlier, I would have understood. It’s just about monopolizing, isn’t it? ]

[Alpha Lu: Don’t worry, as your rightful deputy group owner, I will help you.]

[Liang Jian: …]

[Da Guang: Um, Great… Teacher Qin, if you monopolize, can I still worship the God of Wealth?] He asked cautiously.

[Alpha Lu: Of course not! We must be the senior’s only fans!]

[Liang Jian: …]

[Da Guang: [crying.jpg]]

[Qin Qing: @Alpha Lu Don’t go off script.]

[Qin Qing: @Da Guang You can worship the God of Wealth, you can chant Amitabha, but you cannot trust monks, Taoists, or the “masters” and “immortals” who set up stalls on the roadside!]

[Da Guang: Understood, you can freeload off deities, but all the money goes to you [laughing.jpg]]

[Alpha Lu: Understood, you can ride multiple fences, but there can only be one true master!]

[Liang Jian: …]

Qin Qing rubbed her forehead. That wasn’t what she meant at all. And what kind of bizarre statements were these?

Never mind, as long as it achieved the goal. The original intention was to stop them from blindly believing in superstition. Qin Qing was afraid that because she was accurate, they would think there were many metaphysical masters in the world and go wild. She operated under the guise of metaphysics, but her core competitiveness was black technology. Others didn’t have a System Panel like hers.

Successfully solving Chen Daguang’s morning and evening greetings problem, it was another day of admiring herself.

Before putting down her phone, she glanced at the “Loving Family” group chat. The last message was still from Second Aunt.

She was impressed; Second Aunt could really chat.

Qin Qing herself didn’t mind being compared. She lived her own life behind closed doors, and she wouldn’t lose a piece of flesh just because she was compared. However, she still felt some guilt, though not much, that her parents were being squeezed out and felt wronged because of her.

She remembered that when Chen Daguang paid her, Chen Shuhan had given her a box. She had opened it later and found a Green Bracelet, which looked like jade. It was quite beautiful, but it would look old-fashioned on her. She wasn’t interested, so after looking at it, she casually tossed it into a pile of miscellaneous items.

Now, she dug it out and carried it to knock on the master bedroom door.

She climbed onto her parents’ big bed, squeezing herself in between them. She presented the box to Wang Xiangyu as if offering a treasure.

“What?”

“A gift! I was going to give it to you for your birthday next month, but I thought I’d give it to you now.” Qin Qing could say nice things, it just depended on whether she wanted to. “You don’t have a rich son-in-law, but you have a daughter’s filial piety.”

So there was no need to envy Second Aunt.

“Joke, me envy her? Envy her muddled mind, envy her daughter whose education isn’t as high as my Qingqing’s?” Ms. Wang immediately retorted, then scolded Qin Qing, “You’re like a child who can’t keep food overnight in their doghouse. You give it to me now, so won’t I have no birthday gift when my birthday comes?”

Qin Qing chuckled: “Well, there’s still my dad.”

The box opened, and Wang Xiangyu exclaimed, “It’s quite pretty.”

Qin Qing complimented: “Jewelry suits a beauty, that’s why I gave it to you because it’s beautiful.”

She was very satisfied. The bracelet fit Ms. Wang’s wrist perfectly. She didn’t know much about jade herself, but she figured Chen Daguang wouldn’t fool her with a cheap roadside stall item. This was a gift in return for saving his life, after all.

Since her mother liked it, its quality should not be embarrassing when worn among her old friends.

Wang Xiangyu was also very satisfied. She thought her daughter had just found a job, and hadn’t had much pocket money before, yet she still remembered to buy her jewelry. What a thoughtful little cotton jacket! However, she also knew it could only be a craft piece for fun.

What was commendable was that it was rare for a craft piece to be so exquisite. It seemed her daughter had chosen it carefully, and just thinking about it made her content. She, Wang Xiangyu, was also starting to enjoy her daughter’s blessings.

In this room, the only one who was not so satisfied was Old Comrade Qin, who was squeezed to the edge of the bed and almost falling off.

“It’s just a bracelet, look at you, acting like you’ve never seen anything before.”

Old Comrade Qin said impatiently to his wife in a tone that implied, “I’m not envious at all, I don’t care at all.” Yet his eyes darted towards the bracelet on Wang Xiangyu’s wrist, once, then again.

“Yes, it’s just a bracelet.” Wang Xiangyu deliberately raised her wrist and dangled it in front of Old Qin, “But, this is a birthday gift my daughter bought for me. Ah… let me think, someone’s birthday this year seemed to have nothing…”

“At that time, our daughter was still studying and hadn’t received a salary yet. You just got lucky that your birthday happened to coincide with our daughter graduating and finding a job.”

Wang Xiangyu: “It’s good that you think that way, after all, it’ll be another half a year until your next birthday…” Her tone was full of regret, but her expression was anything but.

The couple bickered, back and forth.

Qin Qing belatedly realized that giving a gift only to her mother in front of Old Qin, even under the guise of a birthday gift, was not a good idea.

She felt a kick on her calf.

Old Comrade Qin, lying on his side, said, “Aren’t you going back to your room to sleep? Are you going to be the bed-guarding deity for your mom and me?”

Qin Qing scurried away.

So Old Comrade Qin could get jealous, and a jealous Old Comrade Qin was quite formidable! She felt like she had discovered a new continent.

Mainly, she had never given anything to the couple before, so this problem had never arisen.

She seemed to have somewhat gotten the feeling Liang Jinguo described about having twins at home…