Chapter 20: My heart aches for the young lady...

The connection with "Little Mantou" was established quickly. She was a cute girl with teary eyes, a reddened nose, and slightly disheveled hair, looking as if she had suffered some great grievance.

"Hello, Little Feather, can you help me?"

Jiang Muyu stepped back slightly and asked, "Tell me what kind of grievance you've suffered. If it’s something I can help with, I will."

-[That "cystic nodule" looks so pitiful. Is that a school dorm in the background? Did something happen?]
-[Don't cry, miss. Our streamer is amazing; she even cursed two people yesterday!]
-[What’s going on? Can you tell us quickly? We’re waiting anxiously.]

Little Mantou wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, looking even more distressed.

"Little Feather, it’s like this: I feel like our dorm isn't exactly... clean."

"Last week, my three roommates went hiking. Ever since they came back, they’ve been acting strange. At night, they always stand at the head of my bed without saying a word, and they’re always whispering about weird topics behind my back..."

Jiang Muyu asked, "Are you implying that they brought something unclean back with them? And that they intend to harm you?"

Little Mantou nodded, "That's exactly it. Little Feather, please, you have to help me, or I’m going to go crazy!"

Jiang Muyu pondered for a moment before asking, "Because of this, have you tried talking to your roommates? Why do they stand at the head of your bed at night instead of sleeping?"

"No, I don't dare..."

Little Mantou was on the verge of tears. "I’ve tried asking indirectly, wanting to know why they aren't resting properly at night, but they just look at me with such strange eyes... They think I’m under too much pressure and having hallucinations, but I’m really not! I’m so scared..."

-[Could this be bullying or isolation? That’s truly terrifying.]
-[Look at the bright side, it might not be anything unclean. Maybe they just don't want to hang out with you...]
-[To the person above, that’s quite a hurtful thing to say.]
-[It’s actually possible. I was suddenly ostracized in middle school just because they went out and I didn't join them.]

Ignoring the comments, Jiang Muyu looked at the red string around the girl's neck.

"Little Mantou, can you let me see what you have hanging from that red string?"

The girl was startled but pulled the red string out from under her collar. "Little Feather, are you talking about this?"

Jiang Muyu nodded. "Bring it closer so I can see."

"We had exams a while ago, but I hadn't been able to study properly. I bought this 'Good Luck Koi Talisman' online. They said it guaranteed a pass, and surprisingly, it was quite effective, so I’ve kept wearing it. Is there a problem?"

Little Mantou felt that this nine-yuan-ninety-cent talisman with free shipping was quite effective, so every time she saw a shadow at the head of her bed, she would clutch it tightly, hoping it would protect her.

Jiang Muyu leaned into the camera for a clear look before returning to her original position.

"There is a problem, and a big one at that."

"What do you mean?" Confusion flickered in Little Mantou's eyes as she explained, "But this talisman is really effective! I only passed my exams because of it."

Even during those strange nights, Little Mantou felt it was the talisman protecting her; otherwise, she didn't know what might have happened.

Jiang Muyu shook her head and said, "Open the shop page where you bought this talisman and show me."

"Okay! Little Feather, I really bought this through a legitimate channel. It had over 999 positive reviews!"

Little Mantou began searching through her purchase history and quickly found the order. "Look, it’s this one..."

She stopped mid-sentence. The system indicated that the link was invalid and the shop had been taken down. That couldn't be right; it was there just yesterday when she wanted to buy a "Peace Talisman" to protect herself. Why was it gone all of a sudden?

Jiang Muyu asked, "Can't find it anymore?"

Little Mantou nodded, looking shocked. "Little Feather, how did you know? Did you buy one too?"

"Not at all. I don't believe in things like that."

Hearing this, Jiang Muqing almost couldn't maintain her composure. You say you don't believe in such things, yet you’re currently hosting a metaphysical livestream...

Jiang Muyu realized what she said and coughed. "I mean, my fate is in my own hands, not the heavens'. I only believe in myself, not things made by others."

-[Wait, there are actually people who buy this stuff? I always thought it was an IQ tax...]
-[Now we know who contributes to those 999+ sales.]
-[Good grief, the only "metaphysical" thing I've ever bought is a red string. I didn't know these kinds of talismans existed.]
-[Is it actually useful? Why do I feel like something is off?]

Little Mantou couldn't care about that now. She hurriedly asked, "Master, you said the talisman is problematic. What kind of problem?"

Jiang Muyu pondered for a moment. "Are your roommates in the dorm right now?"

Little Mantou shook her head. "No, they went to a movie and shopping this afternoon. They said they might not come back tonight."

Even though the three of them weren't there, Little Mantou still felt a chill in her heart. She had stumbled upon the news of a car accident last night, which led her to Little Feather's stream. She decided to connect, hoping that if there was a real problem, it could be solved. If not, she could at least put her mind at ease.

Jiang Muyu nodded. "You thought your roommates were the problem, but have you considered that *you* might be the problem?"

"Huh?"

Little Mantou was stunned. She was the problem? How could she be the problem? She was the victim here.

-[What is the streamer saying? I don't understand.]
-[This poor girl is already having such a hard time, how could she be the problem? Did you get it wrong?]
-[I’ll trust Little Feather until she explains further!]
-[Streamer, please explain clearly what’s going on.]
-[My heart aches for her. She finally worked up the courage to join the stream, only to be slandered...]

Seeing Little Mantou reach to put the yellow talisman back in her pocket, Jiang Muyu quickly stopped her. "Don't. Don't wear that thing anymore."

"Just as you said, it is a 'luck-transferring' talisman, but it is transferring your *own* luck away."

Hearing this, Little Mantou immediately threw the paper talisman aside. "Little Feather, please go on."

"When you first got that talisman, it absorbed your energy and returned it to you in a different way, which is why you felt your luck improved and thought it was effective."

"But the person who drew this talisman is clearly an idiot. They only know how to rob Peter to pay Paul. As your personal energy weakened, you became susceptible to seeing strange things."

Jiang Muyu took a sip of water and said helplessly, "So, those 'unclean' things you saw at night were things you attracted yourself. Your three roommates probably sensed it too, which is why they’ve been keeping their distance from you."