I didn't realize Stein could calculate marriage compatibility - even Stella didn't know he could do that.
Stein laughed sheepishly and explained he'd learned it from my grandfather before, just for fun - he wasn't a professional by any means.
Stella wouldn't accept modesty. She said giving our birth details was fine, but if he got it wrong, he'd get two elbows to the face.
Stein paled, wiping cold sweat from his forehead as he promised to do his best.
Given Stein's small frame, he wouldn't survive if Stella actually hit him. But having made the offer, he couldn't back out now.
Both Stella and I wrote down our Four Pillars of Destiny and placed them before Stein.
After examining them, Stein suddenly fell silent, looking at Stella with visible fear.
"What's there to be afraid of?" I asked.
Stella scowled. "Who's fighting? Clearly I'm the one being wronged here."
But Stein shook his head. "Neither," he said. "According to your Four Pillars... you two are... a match made in heaven. Even the Matchmaker God couldn't arrange a better pairing."
Stella immediately flew into a rage, accusing Stein of incompetence. How could she and I possibly be destined? She was certain Stein and I had conspired to trick her, and threatened Stein with violence if he couldn't explain properly.
I finally understood Stein's fear - of course he'd get beaten for saying that. I could only let him fend for himself.
To my surprise, Stein actually knew his stuff - his explanation didn't seem like nonsense at all.
Taking our birth charts, Stein explained: "Looking at your Five Elements, he's Fire lacking Water, you're Water lacking Fire. Together you'd achieve perfect balance - water and fire complementing each other, yin and yang in harmony. After marriage, you'd be deeply in love, have two children, a happy family - everything would be perfect."
"Examining your Day Pillars - the House of Marriage - his Geng Metal and your Yi Wood perfectly neutralize each other. Your Day Pillar compatibility is celestial."
"Your life chart shows excessive Bijiao influence, while his has strong Food and Injury Stars. You're each other's destined remedy, neutralizing each other's flaws into strengths. This is textbook perfect compatibility!"
After Stein finished, we were both stunned. I'd thought he was just bullshitting, but he'd actually delivered a thorough analysis.
I couldn't tell if he was being truthful, but the calculations seemed legitimate - even Stella was left speechless.
"No way! How could I be destined to be with this guy?" Stella remained unconvinced.
I snorted. Like I'd be happy to be matched with you either - a tigress is still a tigress, no matter how pretty she looks.
But then Stein frowned again. "Does Stella have a twin sister?" he asked. "Because the Four Pillars would be exactly the same as Stella's."
In that case, Stella's hypothetical twin would also be perfectly matched with me. Three people in one marriage? That couldn't possibly be a destined match!
"See? I told you your calculations were wrong!" Stella said, visibly relieved.
Stein scratched his head, looking genuinely puzzled - maybe he really had miscalculated.
"Well, what did I say? Bad math means you get—"
Before he could finish, Stella gave Stein a sharp knock on the head. The pain immediately raised a bump, likely teaching him not to recklessly tell fortunes anymore.
Just then, a Maserati pulled up outside. A beautiful woman stepped out, followed by two tall bodyguards in black suits.
Dressed in a flowing white gown, the woman carried herself with cold arrogance. When she entered the tattoo parlor, she didn't even glance at me - her eyes went straight to Stella.
Assuming she was a customer, I greeted her warmly. "What kind of tattoo are you looking for?"
She responded with a cold snort. "Not interested. Fuck off! I'm here to see Ms. Stella."
Damn! This is my grandfather's shop - who does she think she is telling me to fuck off? If she weren't a woman, I'd have slammed the door and let Stein handle her.
Ignoring my anger completely, she walked up to Stella. "Ms. Stella, please inform Master Raul that he must come to the Dai family cemetery tonight. We have urgent matters to discuss. Many masters will be present - anyone who can break the Malevolent Array in our ancestral tomb will receive a one million dollar reward."
One million dollars! That's enough for ten Yin-inspired Tattoos! Though I didn't know the full situation, I was tempted to try. For that kind of money, I could overlook her rudeness.
"Hey beautiful," I said sincerely, "I'm an heir to the Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts tradition - quite the expert myself. Can I come?"
The woman didn't even glance my way. "Hmph! Gods and Ghosts Tattoos? Never heard of them. These days, even low-class tattoo artists pretend to be spiritual masters? A million dollars isn't so easily earned. With all the real masters attending, what could you possibly contribute?"
Who does she think she's looking down on? This bitch's attitude is even worse than Stella's. Though this ice queen's looks are about on par with Stella's, that dismissive expression and contemptuous tone make me want to hit her.
If it weren't for the money, I wouldn't give her the time of day!
"Alright, I'll let Master Raul know," Stella replied.
"Thank you. I still need to notify the other masters," the woman said before turning to leave, still without so much as glancing at me. Her face remained completely expressionless - like a thousand-year-old block of ice.
"Who the hell is that stuck-up bitch?" I asked angrily. If not for Stella's presence, I would've thrown her out immediately.
Stein explained, "Little Boss, don't you recognize her? That's the Dai family - first-class nobility in Vervecity! She's Daphne Dai, the eldest granddaughter - famously known as the Iceberg Beauty."
Iceberg Beauty? More like a frozen corpse face. What, just because she's from some elite family she gets to act so high and mighty? But while her personality stinks, that million-dollar offer has me interested. What's this about Daphne's Malevolent Array?
Stella says she doesn't know details but has heard rumors.
The Dai family was indeed once Vervecity's top elite, but over recent decades they've declined in every aspect - business and otherwise. Now they're barely second-rate, their family fortunes slowly crumbling.
Stella heard two strange stories: First, whenever the Dais open a restaurant, it fills with an unbearable stench like rotting corpses. Strangely, they can never find the source, yet the stench persists. Customers obviously can't tolerate it, forcing the closure of over a dozen Dai family restaurants - a massive financial blow.