Chapter 47: Soul Possession

　　The moment Lulu finished speaking, Lu Fei and Tiger exchanged a shocked glance.

　　"Bing Bing isn't your best friend?"

　　"Maybe she was jealous of how popular I was, so she found someone to make a cursed charm to harm me," Lulu muttered, looking down.

　　Lu Fei thought about it, then shook his head. "Unlikely. If Bing Bing really knew people like that, she wouldn't have needed to come to the Evil Pawnshop for the Chain of Gaze. She could have bought a powerful cursed charm herself."

　　"Besides, she even brought you here to buy something for good luck. If she was jealous of you, she wouldn't have done that."

　　"How should I know what she's thinking?" Lulu said, her voice breaking. "I treated her as my best friend. Even when she wasn't popular, I never looked down on her. I shared everything with her. If it's not her, then I don't know who else it could be."

　　Tiger asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say that two people knew your birthday? What about the other one?"

　　"That person… no, it's impossible," Lulu said, shaking her head firmly.

　　"Why not?"

　　"She's dead."

　　"What?"

　　This answer took both Lu Fei and Tiger by complete surprise.

　　"Bing Bing, her, and I—we all came from a small town to work here in Jiangcheng. We joined the same MCN company, which created different personas for us," Lulu explained with a heavy sigh.

　　"I was the sweet one."

　　"Bing Bing was the cool one."

　　"And because Xiao Qin looked the plainest, they gave her the inspirational persona."

　　"I was the first to make it."

　　"Bing Bing, though she didn't get as big, managed to get by."

　　"But Xiao Qin… she was the unluckiest. It's a world where looks matter, and even though she worked the hardest among us, she still couldn't make it."

　　"Maybe because the gap between us grew, she gradually distanced herself. Eventually, I heard she tried plastic surgery, but it went wrong, and then… we got the news that she had jumped."

　　"So that's why I said it couldn't be her. She's been dead for half a year now."

　　"It has to be Bing Bing."

　　A bitter smile crossed Lulu's scarred face.

　　"After all these years as friends, I know just how much she wants to be famous!"

　　"In this company, only one of us can be on top. Now that she's on the rise, as long as I'm out of the picture, she'll have that spot, won't she?"

　　Lu Fei and Tiger didn't know what to say about this so-called friendship.

　　But regardless, the possession was happening.

　　Figuring out the motive was pointless now; the priority was saving Lulu's life.

　　"If it's possession, we can't handle it forcefully. We have to separate the spirit from your soul first. Otherwise, you'll end up losing your soul completely," Lu Fei said, his face serious.

　　"How do we separate it?" Lulu's voice trembled with pain, but she steeled herself, determined to survive.

　　"There's only one way I know, but it's risky, and it'll be painful."

　　"I don't care! I'll take the risk if it means I get to live!" Lulu gritted her teeth, knowing she had already lost everything but her life.

　　"Alright, get some rest. I'll go prepare," Lu Fei said, feeling a twinge of pity. Once a beautiful young woman, Lulu had been reduced to this reeking, scarred figure.

　　This was the fate of those who dealt with cursed objects.

　　"I don't want to be alone," Lulu quickly added.

　　"Tiger will stay with you," Lu Fei assured her, looking at Tiger, who promised to keep close watch and make sure nothing happened.

　　Finally, Lulu relaxed.

　　Pushing through his exhaustion, Lu Fei set out to gather the necessary supplies.

　　After an entire morning of preparations, he returned with the items to perform the separation ritual, along with medicine and bandages for Lulu's wounds.

　　Watching him carefully tend to her wounds, Lulu's eyes filled with tears again.

　　The friend she thought closest to her wanted her dead, yet Lu Fei, whom she'd only just met, was genuinely helping her.

　　"Thank you, Master Lu."

　　"Don't mention it. You're my client. Taking care of my clients is just part of my job," Lu Fei replied calmly.

　　"With how amazing you are, you must have lots of girls who like you," Lulu said, touching the scars on her face, painfully aware of how hideous she had become.

　　"Looking like this, I doubt anyone would ever like me again."

　　"It's not all about looks. The cosmetic industry is so advanced now that they can definitely fix your scars. Besides, isn't inner beauty what counts?"

　　"Is that so…" Lulu fell silent.

　　Perhaps because of the effects of the willow whip, the sister spirit didn't stir that day, allowing all three of them to rest a bit.

　　At dusk, Lu Fei began his preparations.

　　He dipped a brush in Lulu's fingertip blood and wrote her birth details on a piece of yellow paper, then stuffed it into a straw doll.

　　Next, he had Lulu blow on the doll.

　　With her breath and birth details, the straw doll became her substitute.

　　When night fell and the sister spirit awoke, Lu Fei would try to lure it into the straw doll.

　　Since he couldn't use the ghost-dispelling character tonight, Lu Fei reluctantly handed Tiger a protective talisman.

　　Tiger was delighted, carefully placing the talisman inside his shirt, patting it from time to time.

　　Finally, Lu Fei had both of them smear some mud on their faces.

　　"Boss, what's this for?"

　　"This mud comes from a damp place where sunlight can't reach. It'll mask our living aura. That sister spirit is clever—if it senses us, it might not show."

　　"Boss, you think of everything!" Tiger said, impressed.

　　Once prepared, they hid again.

　　Lulu sat nervously on the sofa by herself, feeling uneasy despite knowing Lu Fei and Tiger were nearby.

　　She hadn't dared to look in a mirror for days, fearing her own reflection would destroy any will to live.

　　She had no idea what her fate would be and could only put all her hope in Lu Fei.

　　Night deepened.

　　The whole apartment building quieted down.

　　Yet the sister spirit showed no signs of appearing, and Lulu started to doze off. After days of torment, she was completely drained.

　　Soon enough, she slumped over, fast asleep on the sofa.

　　Tiger grew anxious, wanting to ask Lu Fei if the sister spirit had given up, but Lu Fei signaled him to be patient.

　　Hours passed into the dead of night.

　　With exhaustion pressing in, Tiger yawned and felt his eyelids grow heavy.

　　Even Lu Fei was beginning to struggle to stay awake.

　　Suddenly.

　　A chilling sensation jolted Lu Fei awake.

　　He looked up—and found himself staring into a pair of eyes filled with venomous hatred.

　　Unbeknownst to him, Lulu had woken up. She was gazing intently in his direction, her jet-black eyes glinting with icy malice.