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Chu Yuening inquired, "Then what do you want to have calculated?"

Du Miao shook her head. "I'm not sure either, but Yuying recommended this place to many of our classmates, so I got curious and decided to come take a look."

"It's best if there's nothing significant. If there's any potential harm, it would be great to know beforehand so we can avoid it."

Chu Yuening began to interpret Du Miao's destiny, taking her birthdate and using her fingers to calculate. "You're not your current father's biological daughter, right?"

Du Miao acknowledged softly, "Yes, my father is my adoptive father. But he treats me better than any father in the world."

In a daughter's heart, a father was the most important and trusted person in the world.

Recalling her upbringing with her adoptive father, Du Miao's lips curled into a joyful smile.

"Since I was little, he has always fulfilled all my requests unconditionally."

"When I was very young, he didn't even hire a nanny to take care of me. No matter how busy he was at work, he always took care of me personally."

Du Miao continued with numerous stories, ultimately concluding, "In short, even though he's not my biological father, he treats me better than any birth father could."

"He even ordered an eight-layer cake to celebrate my birthday tonight."

Five minutes passed.

Just as Chu Yuening finished listening to Du Miao, she noticed a subtle change in her friend's aura.

Raising an eyebrow, Chu Yuening recalculated Du Miao's destiny chart and gave a cold smile.

"Are you absolutely sure your foster father truly cares for you?"

"No matter what, you must not eat the cake he serves you tonight."

Chapter 18

As soon as she finished speaking, whispers and hushed discussions began to circulate.

"Why can't we eat the cake?"

"Indeed, he seems to treat you better than your biological father does."

"I might not even remember to buy a cake for my own daughter."

"And always compliant? If my own child were to make unreasonable demands, I wouldn't simply give in."

"Speaking of which, the adoptive father isn't all that bad."

Liu Jiayun, Du Miao's best friend, also felt puzzled by Miao Miao's unease. "Uncle Du personally ordered the cake and had a pastry designer customize it a month in advance. Why can't we eat it?"

"Could it be that he predicted Miao Miao would get food poisoning?" Liu Jiayun's imagination ran wild.

Shanpo walked over and pulled Chu Yuening aside, her gaze fixed on the equally bewildered Du Miao. "Ning Ning, could there really be something wrong with the cake?"

Chu Yuening shared the outcome of her calculations. "There is indeed something wrong with the cake, but the bigger issue is Du Miao's adoptive father. He put something in it."

"Put something in it?" Shanpo was startled. "What did he intend to do by putting something in the cake?"

Shanpo, being an elderly woman with decades of life experience, had encountered the underworld forcing innocent people into prostitution – what kind of trick hadn't she seen?

What could be hidden inside a cake to deceive someone into eating it?

"What else could he possibly do?" Chu Yuening thought about the calculations and felt a wave of nausea. "He's just a pervert, enjoying the thrill, and his desire for excitement only grows stronger, leading him to decide on grooming."

The more Shanpo pondered, the more alarmed she became. She turned to persuade Du Miao again. "You know how accurate Ning Ning's fortune-telling is. Remember, don't touch that cake when you get home tonight."

On one side was a renowned master in divination, and on the other, a father who had raised her with love.

Du Miao's face paled from fear, but she immediately shook her head in denial. "It's impossible! Daddy would never do such a thing!"

"Master, did you perhaps make a mistake?" Liu Jiayun also came to Du Miao's defense. "Uncle Du isn't the kind of person you're describing. He's truly a good man. Not only did he adopt Miao Miao as his own, but he also takes care of stray cats and dogs. A person so full of compassion could never harm Miao Miao."

Chu Yuening studied Du Miao's face.

When Du Miao turned 18, her fortunes shifted.

Her original face of a long and prosperous life vanished, replaced by one indicating an early demise.

"In other words, after tonight, Du Miao will commit suicide."

Enumerating the details, Chu Yuening emphasized the cake as she looked at Du Miao, "Since you mentioned a ten-layer cake, who else did you invite to the birthday party?"

"Ten layers of cake means you must have invited many classmates and friends," Liu Jiayun speculated confidently, turning to Du Miao. "Am I right?"

Caught off guard, Du Miao awkwardly held Shi Jiawei's hand, "I'm sorry, Jiajia. Daddy didn't let me invite anyone home. He said since my coming-of-age ceremony only happens once, he wants to spend it with me alone."

"Not even me?" Liu Jiayun was surprised.

Du Miao shook her head.

Liu Jiayun clearly felt upset for a moment, but considering Du Miao's background, she still stepped in to defend her.

"It's alright. An 18th birthday is indeed special. It doesn't mean anything that it was only Uncle Du and you celebrating together."

Du Miao also recalled these thoughts. Eventually, she stood up and reached into her small shoulder bag, withdrawing a hundred yuan. With both hands, she presented the money to Chu Yuening, her fair face adorned with an elegant smile. "Thank you, Master Chu Da. Daddy has raised me all these years. Without him, I'd surely still be suffering in the orphanage."

Du Miao's mind also wandered back to her days in the orphanage.

At the orphanage, meals were distributed, but due to her young age and gender, her portion would often be snatched away by older boys when it reached her turn.

She never had a full meal at the orphanage.

It was only after her foster father took her in that she began to experience a better life.

"That's why I can't bear to suspect him or cause him any pain."

Du Miao trusted her foster father wholeheartedly.

Chu Yuening didn't rush to take the money, instead reflecting on Du Miao's tender-heartedness. But since nothing had happened yet, there was little else she could say.

Li Huiwen, standing outside the crowd, gradually fell into deep thought as she listened. When Du Miao expressed her unwillingness to doubt her foster father, Li Huiwen couldn't stay still anymore. She snapped a photo of the people at the sugarcane juice stall before pushing her way through the crowd, visibly upset.