8: Your bad luck is on its way.

The chaos at the Gu Family Manor had temporarily settled, but for the patriarch of the Gu Family, Gu Zhan, the nightmare had only just begun.

At the heart of the Central Business District in Tianqiong City, on the top floor of the Gu Group building.

Gu Zhan sat behind an expensive black gold wood desk, his expression extremely grim.

On the holographic projection screen before him, the red candlestick charts were fluctuating violently, displaying the Gu Group's stock price trend for the day.

Just half an hour ago, a video had mysteriously leaked onto the internet.

The title was incredibly sensational: [Grand Exhibition of Bizarre Wealthy Family Behavior: Young Master Becomes Human Bomb to Blast Cake, Young Miss Returns to Ancestry and Learns to Croak Like a Frog on Site].

Although the video was only fifteen seconds long, after being remixed by creators on the parody sections of video sites and paired with catchy electronic background music, it instantly went viral across the entire web.

The comment section had turned into a massive scene of mockery.

“Is this the upper class? It’s certainly low-class. No, it's a total mudslide.”

“I suggest applying for Intangible Cultural Heritage for Young Master Gu's 'Cake Escape' technique; it was too smooth.”

“To be fair, the eldest Miss Gu's croaking had steady breath and good pitch. It's a pity she's not into rap.”

“Does Gu Pharmaceuticals' genetic serum have side effects? This looks like a precursor to genetic collapse. Stay safe, everyone!”

This one comment was like lighting a powder keg.

Stock investors are notoriously prone to following rumors, and with competitors fueling the fire, Gu Group's stock price took a nosedive as soon as the market opened.

“Bastards! A bunch of useless fools!”

Gu Zhan slammed the table, causing the purple clay teapot beside him to jump.

He was furious. Of course, this anger wasn't directed at his 'Genius' son or his 'Goddess' daughter, but at the unlucky ghost who had already died in the forbidden zone.

“Gu Fan... it must be the bad luck left behind by a jinx like you!”

Gu Zhan gritted his teeth and loosened his tie, feeling a tightness in his chest.

“When he was alive, he was worthless except for wasting food. Now that he's dead, he's still causing me trouble. If I had known back then, I should have thrown him in the trash the moment he was born to save myself from this disgust!”

In his heart, Gu Fan wasn't a son at all; he was just an extremely failed bad debt, a stain on the Gu Family's perfect image.

Just as malice rose in his heart...

Far away in the No. 0 Forbidden Zone, Gu Fan was roasting a Rank 1 Blazing Rabbit that had just delivered itself to his door.

[Ding! Detected capitalist-style disdain and deep malice from 'Gu Zhan'.]

[Malice Level: S-Rank.]

[Triggering Karma Backlash! Multiplier: 30x.]

[Random effect generating... Congratulations, you have selected: In this era of Big Data, you are the greenest stalk of leek.]

[Effect Description: The flow of wealth controlled by the target will suffer a logical collapse, commonly known as 'The God of Wealth running away overnight with his train.']

Top floor of the Gu Group building.

Gu Zhan had just finished cursing and was about to pick up the phone to have the PR department spend another fifty million to take down the trending searches.

Suddenly, the office door was burst open.

The Gu Group's chief trader, a financial elite who usually prided himself on remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, was now looking panicked.

His Face was pale, his hands were trembling, and he could barely hold onto the quantum tablet in his hands.

“CEO... CEO Gu! Something terrible has happened!”

“What's the panic! Even if the sky falls, I'm here to hold it up!” Gu Zhan glared at him dissatisfied. “What's there to fear if the stock price drops a bit? Use the reserve funds and pull the market up! If you can't even handle this small wave, what use do I have for you?”

“No... it's not a matter of it dropping a bit...”

The trader's voice shook as he handed the tablet directly to Gu Zhan. “You... see for yourself.”

Gu Zhan took the tablet suspiciously and focused his gaze.

The next second.

“Pfft—”

He was so angry he nearly spat blood.

He saw that the stock price, which had been falling but was still controllable, had just dropped vertically like a free-fall in that instant.

This wasn't a nosedive.

This was jumping off a building.

“How... how is this possible?!” Gu Zhan's eyes bulged. “Even with negative news, it couldn't possibly drop like this! This is a crash! A total collapse!”

“It... it was just now...” The trader wiped his cold sweat and stammered, “The core AI trading System responsible for operations suddenly... suddenly went haywire.”

“Haywire? How could the System go haywire?”

“Just now, the System automatically identified all 'buy' orders as 'market sell' orders. And it's frantically selling off our own shares at ten percent below market price...”

“What?!”

Gu Zhan felt a wave of dizziness; he quickly leaned against the desk to steady himself.

Crashing his own market?

What kind of move was this? A suicide attack?

“And...” The trader wasn't finished, and even more desperate news followed, “Because the System determined our company has 'major operational risks', it automatically triggered the default clauses in the 'betting agreements' we signed with several major banks. Now the banks have frozen our liquidity accounts...”

“Also, several partners we had already negotiated with sent letters collectively a minute ago, announcing the termination of cooperation and demanding liquidated damages. The reason is... the reason is...”

“What is the reason! Speak!” Gu Zhan roared.

“The reason is... their Feng Shui consultants just looked at the stars and said there is a cloud of lingering black mist over the Gu Group. Whoever touches it will be unlucky; it's considered a 'Metaphysical Force Majeure'.”

“Bullshit! What kind of crappy reason is that!”

Gu Zhan was so angry he slammed the tablet hard onto the floor.

*Crash.*

The expensive electronic device shattered into pieces.

However, the bad luck did not end there.

At the moment he smashed the tablet, perhaps because he used too much force, or perhaps because that mouthful of blood hadn't cleared properly.

The expensive custom executive chair beneath him suddenly let out a 'creak'.

The pneumatic rod suddenly failed for unknown reasons.

“Bang!”

The chair collapsed.

Gu Zhan fell backward completely off-guard, his head hitting the marble floor heavily.

“Thud!”

The sound was enough to make one's head ring.

“CEO Gu! CEO Gu!”

The trader was scared out of his mind and rushed over to help him up.

Gu Zhan lay on the floor, seeing stars and feeling a splitting headache.

But he could still think.

Besides anger, a trace of inexplicable fear rose in his heart.

Was this a coincidence, or... a curse?

Why did bad things happen one after another as soon as he thought of that trash Gu Fan?

...Meanwhile, in the master bedroom bathroom of the Gu Family Manor.

This place had been transformed into a small beauty salon, filled with various high-tech beauty instruments not found on the market.

Gu Fan's mother, Madam Li, was lying on a beauty chair.

Her Face was covered in deep green seaweed mud, two cucumber slices were over her eyes, and she was enjoying the red light from a high-end beauty device called 'Time Reverser'.

Although many upsetting things had happened at home today.

To Madam Li, nothing was more important than her Face.

Though she was over forty this year, thanks to expensive maintenance and genetic serums, she still looked like a young woman in her early thirties.

This was also the asset she was most proud of.

“That damned Gu Fan.”

Madam Li cursed while enjoying the massage.

She had just seen the video shared by others in her circle. Although it mainly mocked Gu Yu and Gu Qingluan, many people in the comments mentioned her as well.

They said she failed to educate her children and that the Gu Family's genes were bad.

How could Madam Li, who valued Face so much, endure this?

“That jinx, he's dead and still dragging down my reputation.”

“Truly a born bastard. Even after staying in my womb for ten months, he didn't catch a single bit of my nobility.”

“It's lucky he died early. If he were in front of me now, I'd have to tear that gloomy Face of his to let him know what family discipline means!”

The more Madam Li thought about it, the angrier she got, and malice filled her heart.

Inside the No. 0 Forbidden Zone.

Gu Fan, who was gnawing on a rabbit leg, paused again.

[Ding! Detected appearance shaming and malicious curses from 'Madam Li'.]

[Malice Level: S-Rank.]

[Triggering Karma Backlash! Multiplier: 40x.]

[Random effect generating... Congratulations, you have selected: This is Too Real (Original Camera Version).]

[Effect Description: All disguises will fail; technology and 'hard work' will show their wildest side. Since you care so much about your Face, let's change it to one with more 'artistic sense'.]

*Sizzle...*

The 'Time Reverser' beauty device running above Madam Li's head suddenly emitted a piercing electrical sound.

The originally gentle red light suddenly turned into high-frequency flashing intense light.

There was even a burnt smell.

“Hmm? What's going on?”

Madam Li felt her Face getting hot; the temperature seemed much higher than usual.

She irritably reached out and pulled off the cucumber slices. “Why is this broken machine so loud today?”

The moment she opened her eyes.

The core chip of the beauty device suddenly lost control, forcibly switching the 'Skin Rejuvenation Mode' to 'High-Energy Microwave Roast Mode'.

Full power.

“Boom!”

A muffled sound.

The probe of the beauty device didn't explode, but instead sprayed a column of extremely high-temperature steam mixed with coolant and essential oils.

This steam sprayed right onto Madam Li's Face, which was covered in seaweed mud.

“AHHHHHH!!!”

A shrill scream echoed through the entire villa.

The sensation was like having boiling water poured directly onto her Face.

And because of the seaweed mud covering, the heat dissipated very slowly; it wasn't just a burn, it was a 'stew'.

Madam Li jumped frantically from the chair, clutching her Face and rolling on the floor.

“My Face! My Face! Help! Help me!”

She felt her skin shrinking and blistering; the searing pain made her nearly faint.

At that moment, the giant floor-to-ceiling mirror in front of her, unable to withstand the sudden temperature rise and high-frequency vibrations...

*Crack!*

The mirror shattered.

Countless tiny shards scattered down.

One of the sharpest triangular fragments traced an arc as it fell.

*Slash!*

It sliced right across Madam Li's Face, which was distorted by pain.

From the corner of her left eye all the way to the right corner of her mouth.

A bloodstain instantly appeared, blood mixing with the green seaweed mud and dripping down her chin.

She looked terrifying.

Well, there it was.

Not just burns, but physical disfigurement as well.

Originally wanting to 'reverse time', she had now become 'unrecognizable'.

Standing outside the door, the second daughter Gu Wanqing, who had been about to bring in some fruit, witnessed the entire process through the cracked door.

Her hand loosened, and the fruit plate fell to the ground.

Exquisite imported grapes rolled everywhere.

Gu Wanqing's Face was pale, and her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

She wasn't someone who hadn't seen the world, but the things that had happened over the last two days were simply too eerie.

Gu Yu cursed Gu Fan and broke his leg.

The eldest sister cursed Gu Fan and turned into a frog.

Dad cursed Gu Fan, the company crashed, and he gave himself a concussion (she just heard it from the servants).

Now Mom had just finished cursing Gu Fan, and her Face was ruined.

If this could still be called a coincidence, then probability theory might as well commit suicide.

“It's him... it must be him...”

Gu Wanqing leaned against the wall and slid weakly to the floor, her hands tightly clutching her shoulders.

“He's back... that demon is back...”

“Whoever curses him gets unlucky...”

Gu Wanqing thought of Gu Fan's Face, which was usually submissive and looked harmless.

Thinking about it now, where was that cowardice?

That was clearly a dangerous disguise.

She instantly felt a wave of terror.

She suddenly remembered that she had joined Gu Yu in bullying Gu Fan many times before.

Although she hadn't directly laid a hand on him, cold mockery and sarcasm were her daily routine.

“Will I be next?”

Gu Wanqing touched her throat, then her Face.

She didn't want to turn into a frog, let alone be disfigured.

She abruptly pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she opened her photo album.

Inside were several candid photos of Gu Fan looking foolish, materials she used to entertain her friends in their group chat.

Delete!

Delete them all!

Empty the recycle bin!

After doing all this, she still didn't feel safe.

She looked left and right, making sure no one was watching, and then made a move that would be incomprehensible to others.

She turned toward the direction of the No. 0 Forbidden Zone and fell to her knees with a thud.

“Brother... no, Brother Fan... Lord Fan!”

Gu Wanqing muttered in a low, trembling voice.

“I was wrong, I was really wrong before. I was blind and foolish. I beg you, don't mess with me. Every debt has its debtor; you know who's the worst in our family...”

“I'll definitely be a vegetarian and pray for you every day from now on. Oh right, I've also secretly kept a lot of dirt on Gu Yu. I'll save it all for you, as long as you let me go...”

In the hallway of this luxury mansion filled with technology and Spiritual Qi.

A Young Miss in a high-end designer dress was frantically kowtowing and repenting to thin air.

The scene was bizarre, absurd, yet filled with a strong desire for survival.