Chapter 28: Choices
Nianyao looked up at the person sitting opposite her and quirked an eyebrow, not speaking first.
"Little girl, are your fortune-telling skills accurate?"
Sitting there was a young woman in her thirties, confusion etching her face as she seemed lost in thought, slightly absent-minded.
"Since you've sat down, you must have some doubts," Nianyao observed the woman opposite her and directly asked, "Do you want your fortune told? I only read fortunes for those fated to, three per day, and you are the first today. I can help you for free!"
Liu Xiping didn't know why she had sat down, perhaps because her mind was full of confusion and she desperately needed someone to point her in the right direction.
"I—"
She started to speak but then chuckled bitterly. She was truly grasping at straws—how could someone as young as the girl across from her know anything about fortune-telling!
Thinking this, she stood up, intending to leave. But just as she rose, the other spoke.
"If you're confused, why not try having your fortune told? It won't take much of your time," Nianyao said with a light smile. "Besides, aren't you looking for someone to point you in the right direction now?"
Hearing Nianyao's words, Liu Xiping's eyes widened, her pupils constricting, "You know?"
From the beginning, she had only spoken once without revealing any other information about herself. Yet this young girl opposite her had pinpointed exactly what was troubling her heart. Was this a coincidence, or did this young girl truly have some skills?
Sitting down once again, Liu Xiping looked at Nianyao, "Do you know what I need to have read?"
"You're currently facing a choice, and whichever one you choose will significantly change your life," Nianyao glanced at Liu Xiping's face and continued smiling. "But if you believe me, take my advice. No matter when, you can only truly rely on yourself."
"Are you saying I should choose to leave?" Liu Xiping murmured to herself, her voice low, unsure if she was talking to herself or to the person across from her.
These past days, she had been very confused. At this life crossroads, she faced important choices. The company wanted to send her to expand the business elsewhere. After three years, she could return to become a manager and enter the leadership team. Meanwhile, her boyfriend had just proposed to her. Getting married would mean she couldn't leave for three years.
Now she faced a choice between love and career, truly unsure of what to do. That was why she had sat down at this booth.
"It's your own life, your own choice," Nianyao shook her head and continued, "But, deep down, you've already made a decision, haven't you?"
She had discerned from the woman's facial features that the woman's current relationship wasn't true love. If she chose to stay, the marriage would end in divorce due to her partner's infidelity a year later. However, choosing her career would lead her to the peak of her professional life and, in another city, meet her true love and live happily ever after.
"I—" Liu Xiping still hesitated, not knowing what to do.
"Follow the voice at the bottom of your heart. Nothing is more important than yourself. No matter where or when, only when you are strong is it most important."
After hearing Nianyao's words, Liu Xiping's previously wavering heart steadied; she knew her decision.
"Okay, young lady, I understand," she looked at Nianyao sitting there, then asked, "How much for a reading? I'd like to pay."
She had decided—she would choose her career. It was a rare opportunity she wouldn't give up.
Whether the other was truly skilled didn't matter; she had helped her make up her mind. Thus, she felt she should pay the fortune-telling fee.
"No need," Nianyao shook her head, "Since I've said it's free, then there's no need for payment. If you really want to pay, please consider donating the money!"
Hearing Nianyao's words, Liu Xiping put away her money, "Okay, I'll go donate it tomorrow! Anyway, young lady, I really appreciate your help."
With that, Liu Xiping stood up and left.
Unlike her heavy arrival, she now walked with a light step.
Soon after Liu Xiping left, a plain-looking, overweight man with a malicious expression on his face appeared in front of Nianyao's booth. His demeanor didn't seem like he was there for a reading; it looked more like trouble.
"Want your fortune told?"