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"Master," Zhong Chang looked at Chu Yuening, finally deciding to voice his confusion, "Why did the kitten save my life without any reason?"

Chu Yuening observed the wild cat nestled in Zhong Chang's embrace and calculated, "Its mother passed away when it was born, and out of its three siblings, only it survived. One winter, it got trapped in a ditch in the countryside and couldn't get out for days. None of its siblings came to bring it food, and it nearly starved to death. It was you who, undeterred by the dirtiness of the ditch, carried it out."

The wild cat lay quietly in Zhong Chang's arms, listening attentively.

"It was all alone, often rejected due to its filthiness. Your appearance illuminated its world like a beacon. It became attached to you but also feared being rejected, so it silently followed you wherever you went."

"Cats have an acute sense of smell. You mentioned it knocking over the food box; it must have detected an unusual scent."

Staring into the wild cat's eyes, Chu Yuening smiled and asked, "Am I right?"

The cat meowed in response, as if acknowledging her words.

"There is indeed such a story. So, you were that filthy kitten from the ditch." Zhong Chang's eyes welled up with tears of gratitude as he lifted the cat to look it in the eye.

He never imagined that a kind act from years ago would bear such a benevolent fruit today.

If not for the cat, he would have succumbed to the poison long ago.

Sincerely speaking, he had never coerced Ding Yanli into anything nor sought reciprocity for his assistance; even beasts knew the virtue of gratitude, yet his bedmate plotted only to rob and kill him.

Chu Yuening felt a deep sense of empathy regarding Uncle Zhong's near-fatal incident.

The three of them left the hospital.

"Nie Nie," Shi Boren called out.

Chu Yuening turned around.

Two men stood at the entrance of Kowloon Hospital, one of them grinning foolishly, while the other retrieved his car keys from the pocket of his windbreaker.

"Come, I'll take you to a typhoon shelter restaurant; after we dine, I'll see you safely home."

Shi Boren also waved. "Baitengtang has new dishes! Hurry, hurry, hurry! We won't get seats if we're late."

In response to the two's enthusiastic invitation, Chu Yuening's eyes curved gently, and she offered a slight smile. "I'm here."

—

The following day.

Temple Street was already packed with people early in the morning.

Chu Yuening hadn't set up her stall the previous day. It was no easy task for her to push her cart into the dessert stall amidst the crowd. Dozens of reporters swarmed around her like bees drawn to nectar, holding their microphones and chasing after her.

The reporters had waited all day at Temple Street the day before, and they had finally caught sight of their target today.

They jostled to be the first, eagerly pushing their microphones forward as soon as they finished speaking.

"Master Chu, I'm from Time Magazine. May I ask if you have time for an interview?"

"Master Chu." Another voice called out.

Chu Yuening turned to look. It was a male journalist who, upon catching her attention, hurriedly squeezed his way over with his microphone.

"So many people learned about you through the Miss Hong Kong finale, and quite a few locals have even come from afar to seek your fortune-telling services. Could you share any thoughts on the enthusiasm of the public towards you?"

In truth, they had already visited Temple Street the day before. Since Chu Yuening hadn't appeared, they had asked at Zhang's Restaurant and neighboring shops, but nobody was willing to disclose her residence. Thus, they had returned early this morning to stake out the area once more.

Noticing the journalists' exhaustion, Chu Yuening tilted her head thoughtfully before conceding, "Alright then."

Excited by the opportunity to interview Chu Yuening, the reporters promptly formed a queue to make the most of their time.

After parking the cart securely, Chu Yuening moved to the shade of a nearby tree, leaning against it as she fielded questions from each journalist in turn.

An hour later, the interviews concluded.

The journalists were genuinely astonished.

"I never would have guessed that Master is so amiable."

"Exactly! She's nothing like the arrogant and ill-tempered masters I've interviewed before."

"And she's so skilled at divination. If not for the urgency to return to the company and submit my report, I'd have asked for a thorough reading."

Suddenly, one journalist pointed to the ground, exclaiming, "Look down, you've stepped on dog poop!"

A few journalists looked down, only to find their shoes clean with no trace of anything stepped on. When they looked up again, they realized the deceitful journalist had already fled with their transcripts.

Frustrated, they exclaimed, "Hey, we're all in the same industry. Do you really have to be so shameless in rushing for time?"

The neighborhood burst into laughter.

As Chu Yuening leisurely approached, the onlookers applauded together, their applause enthusiastic and loud.

Each one of them eagerly shouted their praise.

"What an impressive master!"

"We all watched the Miss Hong Kong finals the other night, and Lu Qing really did win!"

"To be honest, when I saw that young lady, so thin and pale, I didn't believe she could win. But after her transformation, she's incredibly beautiful."

"The master has truly changed her life. If not for you, she'd probably have had to return to the mainland to marry."

"After doing such a great deed, doesn't she deserve our applause? What do you neighbors think?"

"Amen!" The crowd responded in unison, raising their voices.

In response to everyone's enthusiasm, Chu Yuening blinked her eyes, then a subtle smile graced her fair cheeks, "It's all part of my duty."

"Nie Nie is just being modest," Mrs. Ding commented. "It was only your kind-hearted sister who did this. Putting aside whether other fortune-tellers' predictions are accurate or not, who would willingly owe money for a fortune reading?"

They had witnessed the entire scene and were well aware of Lu Qing's situation – unable to even scrape together the fee for a reading, poor and thin. If it weren't for Chu Yuening's prediction, Lu Qing would still be struggling in poverty on the mainland, let alone being crowned Miss Hong Kong and achieving success.

In their eyes, Chu Yuening was akin to a living Bodhisattva.

After a long while, the applause gradually subsided. A neighbor called out, "Master, we received a letter from Brother De last night and learned that you wouldn't be setting up your stall. How many readings will you do today?"