Chapter 38: The Mysterious Female Influencer

　　The heavy perfume in the air made Lu Fei sneeze a few times.

　　Tiger, ever attentive, poured water for the two female customers and stood beside Lu Fei, taking on the appearance of a diligent shop assistant.

　　"Sorry, bit of a nasal allergy," Lu Fei apologized, rubbing his nose as he looked at the two young women bundled up tightly. He put on his usual friendly smile reserved for customers.

　　"Ladies, are you here to pawn something?"

　　The two women exchanged a glance.

　　One of them removed her sunglasses and mask, then asked, "Shopkeeper Lu, don't you recognize me?"

　　Lu Fei squinted at her and, surprised, exclaimed, "Miss Bingbing?!"

　　"That's right, it's me." The woman smiled.

　　It was the young influencer who had bought the human bone necklace last time.

　　The difference between the online and real-life versions of her was undeniable. In reality, she was more of a delicate beauty; online filters and beauty effects had transformed her into a glamorous stunner.

　　The last time he saw her, she had looked somewhat downcast, but now she was radiating with energy—it seemed happiness suited her well.

　　"Miss Bingbing, you look fantastic. I take it the necklace didn't disappoint you," Lu Fei said with a smile.

　　"It was an incredible surprise," Bingbing replied, pulling out the necklace from under her collar, her eyes filled with amazement. "I kept doing my usual live streams, but for some reason, the day I started wearing it, my streams went viral."

　　"It was like a rocket launch! My followers skyrocketed by hundreds of thousands in just a few days." Her tone was filled with excitement, her eyes glimmering. "It feels like a dream!"

　　Since Lu Fei had told her the necklace's effects would last about six months, she could hardly imagine what level of fame she might achieve by then.

　　"As long as Miss Bingbing is satisfied. But I must remind you, the necklace's power isn't endless," Lu Fei cautioned. "While gaining followers quickly is exciting, it's important to watch your actions carefully. Too much attention can backfire if there's even a hint of scandal."

　　The higher you climb, the harder the fall.

　　"Who cares about that? I'll stay famous as long as I can. Being an influencer is a short-lived job anyway; I might even achieve financial freedom in six months," Bingbing replied, clearly lost in her fantasies.

　　The woman beside her lowered her head slightly. Though her mask and sunglasses hid her face, they couldn't conceal the envy in her eyes.

　　The woman tugged lightly on Bingbing's arm, pulling her out of her daydream. "I'm here today to ask if there's a similar necklace for my friend," Bingbing said.

　　Lu Fei glanced at the woman and replied, "I'm afraid the Chain of Attention is one of a kind."

　　"Only one?" The two women exchanged a disappointed look.

　　"Do you have anything else that could help boost followers?" the other woman asked, unwilling to give up.

　　"There are some good luck items, but nothing as eye-catching as the human bone necklace," Lu Fei answered honestly. He looked at her and asked, "Is it for you, Miss?"

　　"Yes, I'm also an influencer, like Bingbing." The woman still refused to remove her mask and sunglasses, as if unwilling to be recognized.

　　"Bingbing gave her a little squeeze. "Lulu here is way more successful than me. We started at the same time, signed with the same company, but she became famous long before I did. If it hadn't been for this necklace, I don't know how long it would've taken me to make it. But recently, Lulu's been having a run of bad luck; she's losing followers. Shopkeeper Lu, do you have anything that could help her gain followers?"

　　Lu Fei wasn't familiar with the influencer scene and had no idea who this "Lulu" might be.

　　With names like "Bingbing" and "Lulu," he guessed these were just their stage names.

　　The snake shed's charm would actually suit them, but since he hadn't fully figured out its effects, he didn't want to risk any unintended side effects.

　　Narrowing his eyes, Lu Fei looked at Lulu for a moment before saying, "I don't think Miss Lulu needs a luck charm."

　　"Huh? Why not?" Bingbing was surprised.

　　Lulu seemed taken aback as well.

　　"Miss Lulu already has something on her," Lu Fei stated.

　　"Something on her? What do you mean?" Bingbing asked, puzzled.

　　Lulu remained silent, her mask and sunglasses hiding her expression.

　　"Some things are best left alone. Besides, the item Lulu has doesn't have a clean origin. It definitely won't allow her to use any other charms." Lu Fei continued.

　　Bingbing stared at her friend with a puzzled look.

　　"Lulu, what's he talking about?"

　　"It's nothing. Since he doesn't have what I want, let's go." Lulu stood up, pulling Bingbing along.

　　"Take care, ladies. If Miss Lulu ever wants to pawn something, feel free to visit Evil Pawnshop," Lu Fei said with a smile as he watched them leave.

　　Lulu seemed particularly averse to sunlight. Despite her hat and mask, she opened an umbrella as soon as she stepped outside.

　　"Boss, what did you mean by all that? What's up with that Lulu?" Tiger, who had been dying of curiosity, immediately bombarded Lu Fei with questions after they left.

　　"She's got a dark aura around her, meaning she's connected to something unclean." Lu Fei waved his hand in front of his nose, trying to dispel the lingering, overpowering perfume scent in the shop.

　　"How could you see that through all her layers? Her face was totally covered," Tiger asked, baffled.

　　"The aura isn't about looks. I could see a dark mist swirling around Lulu, a clear sign she's carrying something unclean. Also, the intense perfume scent—it's unusual for a regular person to use that much. She must be masking some other smell."

　　"What smell?" Tiger's eyes widened in suspense.

　　"The perfume was so strong, I couldn't be sure," Lu Fei squinted thoughtfully. "But I think it was… a decaying odor."

　　Tiger's jaw dropped. "Rotten? You think she's sick or something?"

　　"How would I know? That's just what I picked up on," Lu Fei replied, dismissing the question with a wave.

　　"But how did you know she's got something cursed? What if the dark aura's just from something she picked up somewhere, like a cemetery, crematorium, or a hospital morgue?"

　　"Because the dark aura was emanating from inside her collar, meaning she's wearing something unclean," Lu Fei replied, sitting down to brew some tea to pass the time.

　　"Inside her collar… You really looked closely, huh?" Tiger teased with a grin.

　　"What are you thinking? You know I'm not like that!" Lu Fei rolled his eyes. "Why are you still here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be job hunting?"

　　"Ah! Look at all this dust—this place really needs someone around to clean up."

　　Tiger quickly grabbed a cloth and pretended to clean.

　　Lu Fei sighed in exasperation.

　　He'd thought Tiger was a straightforward guy, but now that they'd gotten closer, he'd realized just how shameless he could be.

　　It seemed this six-foot-tall man was determined to stick around.

　　Not that it was all bad.

　　At least Lu Fei didn't have to worry about cleaning anymore.

　　A few days later, Tiger, as if discovering a treasure, suddenly dragged Lu Fei over to show him a gossip article.

　　"Boss, look, doesn't this story sound like it's about that influencer, Lulu?"