The CEO's Divine Retribution

In the early hours of the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the biting wind sliced across my face like knives. I wrapped my old cotton jacket tighter around me, standing in line outside the mountain gate of X Temple; it had already been six full hours. As the last heir of the Shaw Family, known as the King of Divination, I used the alias Natalie Scott, disguising myself as an impoverished student working part-time at Bruce Green's company. No one knew my true identity, and even fewer knew that I had come to seize this New Year's first blessing—a powerful token granting protection—to shield Bruce Green from a lurking calamity. When the faint light of dawn appeared on the horizon, the great doors of X Temple finally slowly opened. I moved forward with the crowd, my heart pounding uncontrollably. There was only one year's first blessing, bearing the fortune of the entire year; to me, it was even more vital—it was the key to protecting Bruce Green. "Make way, make way!" A few hurried footsteps approached from behind, carrying an imperious tone that brooked no refusal. Before I could react, my wrist was yanked fiercely, and the fortune stick tube I had just grabbed was snatched away instantly. I turned around and collided with Bruce Green's familiar gaze. He wore an expensive cashmere coat, standing tall and proud, but beside him stood another woman—Stacy Lynn, the first love he held closest to his heart. "Bruce, is this the year's first blessing?" Stacy Lynn's voice was so softly sweet it bordered on cloying, her gaze fixed on the fortune stick tube, full of anticipation. Bruce Green handed the fortune stick tube to her, his tone gentler than I had ever heard: "Of course, I specially grabbed it for you." I clenched my fingers, numb from the cold, my voice trembling: "Bruce Green, that is my fortune stick." He seemed to notice me only then, furrowed his brows, and said with impatience, "It's just a stick, Natalie Scott. If you want it, I'll have my assistant buy you ten or eight more. Don't cause a scene here." "This is not an ordinary fortune stick!" I stepped forward, locking eyes with him. "This is the year's first blessing—the most coveted one. Snatching it will bring divine punishment! Give it back to me!" "Divine punishment?" Bruce Green scoffed, draping his arm over Stacy Lynn's shoulder. "Natalie, have you lost your mind from poverty? Spouting nonsense now? It's just feudal superstition. Don't scare Stacy." Stacy Lynn nestled closer into Bruce's embrace, her gaze filled with contempt as she looked at me. "Ms. Scott, it's just one fortune stick. Why make such a fuss? Bruce meant well, so don't make things difficult for him." "I'm not making things difficult for him, I'm warning you." My voice turned cold, and the aura around me instinctively spread out. "This token chooses its owner. Forcibly snatching it will lead to backlash. You'd better return it now—there's still a chance to lessen the harm." Bruce's expression darkened completely. "Natalie, enough!" He grabbed Stacy Lynn and turned away without even looking back at me. I stood there, watching their backs vanish inside the pavilion, the cold wind carrying my warning away into the air. Before long, I saw Stacy Lynn running out with the fortune slip in hand, her smile radiant like a blooming flower. "Bruce Green! It's the year's first blessing—the very best one! The Taoist said I will have all my wishes come true this year, and that a noble benefactor will come to my aid!" Bruce Green smiled and ruffled her hair. "See? I told you there's nothing to worry about. Don't listen to her nonsense." I watched their figures walk away hand in hand and sighed softly. The year's first blessing? That's because the fortune slip hasn't sensed the presence of the snatcher yet. The backlash is already on its way.