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"I'll take a look for you." Chu Yuening began her calculations, "As usual, let's start with your basic situation. You come from an ordinary family and are the only daughter. However, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that you're an only child – judging by your kinship, there's someone closely related to you."

"You had a major crisis in your destiny when you were twelve. You almost got kidnapped by traffickers, but this relative saved you, strengthening your bond even more."

Li Huiwen recalled the incident and nodded, "My parents have only me as a daughter, but I have a cousin whose parents passed away when he was young. They took him in out of compassion. The kidnapping attempt did happen, and my cousin noticed something was off, preventing me from being abducted."

"After that, my relationship with my cousin has always been close."

Speaking up to this point, Li Huiwen smiled, "Since we were young, my cousin has always protected me. Although he's not my biological brother, I've always treated him as such."

Chu Yuening continued her calculations, examining Li Huiwen's face carefully before asking, "The magazine is a partnership, right?"

Li Huiwen nodded, "Yes, I asked my cousin to join me. Running a magazine is different from other businesses – one person isn't enough, so I called on my cousin for help. I usually handle news coverage, while he deals with financial matters."

"It's all within the family, and my cousin is diligent and responsible. There have been no issues, so I'm at ease."

Speaking of this, Li Huiwen rubbed her temples, exhausted from days of field reporting. Recalling the one million plus deficit, her expression clouded once more.

Initially, she had invested a total of one million five hundred thousand yuan.

Apart from the principal, she had also borrowed five hundred thousand.

If things continued to decline...

Not only would her dream of being a journalist be shattered, but even her livelihood would become a challenge.

"Nie Ning," Li Huiwen said, no longer holding back, and sighed as she asked, "Tell me, is there any way for me to turn my losses into profits?"

Chu Yuening spoke with profound meaning, "Your BaZi has seven killing seated on your day branch, with strong competing shoulders, and you're currently in the Geng Shen cycle. Your career and fortune are on the rise. Your beneficial deity, the wealth star, is also thriving, indicating that it's advantageous for you to seek wealth and career advancement. This is the optimal time for you to start your own business."

"For someone with such a BaZi, their career should naturally soar. Not only have you not suffered losses, logically speaking, you should have even made a considerable profit."

Li Huiwen was stunned. A million dollars had indeed vanished from her account, and her cousin had calculated that there were no gains from all the expenses.

How... could she have gained instead of losing?

"Well... where did the money go then?"

Chu Yuening set down her hand and slowly poured a steaming cup of tea. "For this matter, you'll have to ask your cousin."

"Ask my cousin?" Li Huiwen was startled, the color draining from her face instantly.

She knew that Master Chu's predictions were always accurate. Since he mentioned her cousin, the issue must somehow be related to him.

It was evident that she had been betrayed by someone close to her.

Li Huiwen found it hard to accept this truth. After taking several deep breaths to compose herself, she finally asked, "Master, what exactly is going on?"

Chu Yuening calculated the days, "Has your cousin been coming home late recently? And with injuries on his face?"

Li Huiwen had been preoccupied with chasing news stories and hadn't paid much attention.

However, there was one evening when she returned and immediately saw her cousin applying an egg to his face in the office. She had asked what had happened.

Her cousin, Yan Gu, dismissed it, claiming he had accidentally stumbled.

Li Huiwen was in a hurry to write her news article back then and didn't press for more details. Now, as she recalled the incident, she realized something seemed off.

She nodded in agreement. "Seems like that's the case."

Chu Yuening, on the other hand, revealed, "Actually, your cousin has been gambling every night recently. He's lost a great deal and is constantly being beaten up because of his debts. Your money is all with him."

Li Huiwen was furious. "He's gambling? Has he lost his mind? Cousin once told me he would never touch gambling in this lifetime."

Contemplating the funds she had used to keep the newspaper running being squandered away in gambling, Li Huiwen grew angrier by the second.

The neighbors chimed in with their criticism.

"What a mess! Using his sister's money for gambling, how heartless!"

"Miss Li, such a cousin is useless. You might as well cut ties with him altogether."

"Indeed, cut ties!"

"Let's not rush into things," Chu Yuening said, counting on her fingers. "The money is still in your cousin's account. There's still time to retrieve it."

Li Huiwen was utterly disappointed in her cousin. "Many thanks, Master. I'll retrieve the money later and terminate our partnership. If he dares to embezzle my funds now, who knows what else he might do in the future."

"There won't be a future for him." Chu Yuening shook her head. "He'll be beaten to death tomorrow night."

Li Huiwen felt a twinge of guilt. "Is it because he couldn't repay his debts after I took back the money?"

"No," Chu Yuening replied, counting on her fingers before sighing. "Actually, if he hadn't partnered with you, he wouldn't have dabbled in gambling."

"Because of me?" Li Huiwen was even more confused.

"Didn't you mention borrowing money when the newspaper needed some?" Chu Yuening asked.

"Yes," Li Huiwen calmed down and recalled, "Later, my cousin gave me two hundred thousand."

"That two hundred thousand was actually the result of your cousin's first gambling venture," Chu Yuening calculated. "Your cousin wanted to help you and prevent you from owing too much debt. Initially, he planned to borrow from his friends. However, that friend was a swindler who preyed on wealthy gamblers. After some persuasion, your cousin decided to take a chance."

"He won two hundred thousand in his first try."

"He believed he had good luck at gambling, but he didn't know that his friend and others had set up the entire situation just to drain your cousin's finances."