Chen Yue · Chat

Outer Ring of Hong Kong Island, Late Night The copper coins clinked three times inside the tortoise shell. Uncle Zhang stared at the divination result, his brow furrowed deeply. "Ah Yue, this year your fortune is cursed by 'Tan Lang Hua Ji.' The Red Phoenix star is moving, but it’s accompanied by the Seven Kills star..." The old man dipped his finger in tea and drew the character for "Baleful" on the table. "It’s a fatal romance." Chen Yue smirked, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Nonsense. I’ve been playing this game for years. Who could possibly be my downfall?" "Tian Yao enters the Marriage Palace, haunted by Yin spirits..." Uncle Zhang suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Remember, when you wake up tomorrow morning..." "Enough," Chen Yue said, tossing down a stack of bills. "Keep this for your own coffin fund." Before Dawn the Next Day The morning mist at Wong Tai Sin Temple hadn't yet dissipated when the three incense sticks between Chen Yue's fingers suddenly snapped at the base simultaneously. The moment the ash hit the ground, faint footsteps echoed from behind. A figure stood by a pillar, the morning light casting a blurry halo around them, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female. The scar on Chen Yue's right brow pulsed. He reached for the Browning in his coat but touched the copper coin the fortune teller had given him instead. During last night’s divination, this coin had inexplicably developed a crack. The person’s fingers were pale and slender as they reached down to pick up prayer beads, revealing a glimpse of a pale wrist. Chen Yue suddenly reached out and gripped the wrist. The person's pulse was strange—erratic, fluttering like someone on the verge of death. "The fortune teller said I'd die by a fatal romance this year," he said, the cigarette glowing and fading in his mouth. "Tell me... if I snap your wrist right now, will that count as breaking the curse?"