Chapter 5 — Reading Fortune Telling Under the Bridge, I Was Arrested by My Ex-Boyfriend and Taken to the Police Station

He looked straight into my eyes, every word clear:

“Giang Tri, we are a perfect match.”

“So why didn't you say it sooner!” I was so angry that I wanted to punch him.

“Because I thought you really found me boring.” He looked sorry for himself, "Moreover, I want to be stronger, strong enough to protect you, not let you leave me to protect me."

In the past three years, he joined the Special Department, risked his life to learn mystical knowledge, went through life and death, and made countless achievements to get to the position he is in today. All of those things, he did for me. My eyes immediately turned red.

“Luc Thoi Xuyen, you idiot!”

“Yes, you're an idiot.” He reached out and hugged me tightly, "So... you idiot's girlfriend, can you come back?"

I buried my face in his broad chest, feeling the strong heartbeat and warmth emanating from the guardian mantra. I nodded vigorously.

“Yes.”

8. I officially joined the Special Department and became Luc Thoi Xuyen's partner and girlfriend. Old Tan saw me and laughed until he couldn't close his mouth. He also said that the two of us were the "trump card combination" of the Special Department, and from now on we no longer had to be afraid of any strange cases. On my first day of work, I received a rather difficult case. The city's largest shopping center - "Global Center" - has recently been experiencing strange phenomena. The mannequins in the center automatically move at night, creating all sorts of strange positions, scaring the night security guards. Even more bizarre is that, in the children's play area on the top floor of the center, the rotating wooden horse always plays music and moves at midnight. Luc Thoi Xuyen and I arrived at the shopping center when it was already dark. A large space was deserted, with only pale white lights shining down on long rows of mannequins wearing gorgeous clothes, making the atmosphere even more creepy.

“How is it, do you feel anything?” Luc Thoi Xuyen asked me.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling.

"There is a very heavy resentment, but dispersed. Not like a ghost, but like... a group of lingering children."

“Children?”

We went to the amusement park on the top floor. The wooden horse merry-go-round stands still in the center, the colored lights have not yet been turned on, and the paint on the horse has peeled off in many places. I walked closer, reached out and gently stroked a small white horse. A cold sadness immediately spread from my fingertips to my whole body. I see it. I saw a group of children wearing beautiful clothes, happily laughing and playing here. The merry-go-round rotates round after round, carrying with it the innocent smiles of childhood. Then suddenly, a fire engulfed the entire amusement park. The laughter turned into mournful crying, and then, everything fell silent. I pulled my hand back, my face pale.

“This place... had a big fire, several children were burned to death.”

Luc Thoi Xuyen's face darkened, he took out his phone to look it up. Sure enough, ten years ago, the predecessor of this shopping center - an amusement park called "Dream Island" - had a serious fire due to an electrical short circuit, killing seven children.

“Their souls… are still here.” I looked around the empty amusement park and spoke softly. “They just want to keep playing, they don't want to leave.”

The bell rang at twelve o'clock at night. Surprise, roundabout The wooden horse starts playing music and the colored light bulbs light up one by one. The roundabout slowly moved, and small, blurry figures appeared on it. The children smiled brightly and waved to us. A few night guards heard the noise and quickly ran up. As soon as they saw the scene in front of them, they were so scared that their legs softened.

“Ghost… ghost!”

“Don't be afraid.” I walked in front of them, "They have no malicious intent."

I turned around, looked at those young souls, and gently said:

“Children, the game is over, it's time to go home.”

A little girl flew in front of me, still wearing her scorched princess dress, her innocent face looked up and asked:

“Sister, can you play with us?”

I looked at the girl, my heart overflowing with an indescribable sadness. Luc Thoi Xuyen walked over and held my hand. He looked at the children, his voice was warm:

"This place... is no longer your home. I'll take you to a happier place, okay?"

He pulled out a small compass from his pocket, the needle on it emitted pale yellow light, pointing in one direction.

“That is the path to reincarnation.” He looked at me and spoke softly.

“But… I need you to lead the way.”

9. I nodded slightly. I walked to the front of the merry-go-round, cleared my throat a bit, and then began to sing an ancient lullaby. That's the song the old Taoist taught me since I was a child. He once said that my singing voice has a special comforting effect on the soul. My singing echoed in the empty amusement park, bringing with it a bit of pity and warmth. The children's souls gradually stopped laughing and joking, they quietly looked at me, their originally hazy eyes suddenly becoming clear. The merry-go-round slowly stopped. One by one they got off the wooden horse, floated in line, and walked in front of me.

“Sister, can we... still see our parents again?” The little girl wearing a princess dress asked.

"We'll see each other soon." I patted her head, even though I could only touch her dim shadow. "When you come to the new world, there will be new parents to welcome you. They will love you very, very much."

The girl nodded vaguely, then smiled sweetly.

“Thank you.”

In my singing, the souls turned into sparkling points of light, gathering into a river of light, flowing toward the direction Luc Thoi Xuyen's compass pointed. The children's play area is quiet again. The resentment in the shopping center also disappeared. The security guards stood there stunned, looking at that scene, unable to speak for a long time.

“It's done.” Luc Thoi Xuyen put away the compass, hugged my shoulder, "Let's go home."

On the way home, I leaned on his shoulder, a bit tired.

“Tell me, am I like the shamans?”

“No.” He gently kissed my forehead, "You're more like an angel."

I smiled. Being able to use my special ability to help innocent souls, so they can rest in peace — that feeling, is more satisfying than any money earned from fortune-telling. The next day, we went to the police station to close the case and coincidentally met police officer Tran Vu. He saw the two of us holding hands, his eyes widened as if he wanted to fall out.

"Team... Team Luc, you and Giang Tri... you two..."

“She is now my partner, also my family member.” Luc Thoi Xuyen's expression did not change and he firmly declared.

Tran Vu gasped, then choked out a sentence after a while:

"Team Luc, your appetite... is really heavy."

Me: “…” Luc Thoi Xuyen glanced like a knife:

“So you're not going to need this month's bonus anymore?”

Tran Vu immediately fell silent. After resolving the shopping center case, I officially entered the work cycle at Special Department.