1
I’m a streamer who specializes in exploring the paranormal in the middle of the night. After the guild approved five days of short leave, I stayed home to catch up on sleep.
A string of rapid knocks at the door jolted me awake.
When I opened it, I saw the female streamer who had just moved in next door. She looked at my sleepy face with obvious irritation and pinched her nose. “Why are you such a mess?”
I couldn’t be bothered with her. “What do you want?”
“The boss wants to compile employee records. What’s your date of birth?”
We were both streamers in the same guild, but we rarely interacted. Since she said it was for the records, I played along. A few days ago, I really had heard the boss mention something about it.
“December 14, 2000.”
“What time were you born?”
I immediately grew wary.
What guild needed to compile records down to the time of someone’s birth?
Only then did I take a closer look at her. Her name was Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt. I was startled the moment I saw her.
She had a red string tied around her wrist, which immediately reminded me of the family that had come to borrow my luck last time.
So someone else was jealous of me and wanted to borrow my luck again.
I pretended to be suspicious. “You need my time of birth for the records, too?”
Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt looked flustered, so she raised her voice to cover her guilty conscience. “Why do you care? I asked, so answer. It’s just your time of birth. Don’t waste my time—I’m going back to catch up on sleep. If you have a problem, go ask the boss yourself!”
I pretended to believe her and answered.
I was a person without a fate of my own. I didn’t even have any luck of my own, so what could she do to me? At last, someone else would take this bad luck off my hands!
2
After I told her, a flash of delight crossed Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt’s eyes, but she quickly hid it. I pretended not to notice.
Having gotten the information she needed, Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt said nothing more and turned to go home.
Watching her walk away, her steps obviously light, I suddenly found it amusing and teased her. “You asked when I was born. You’re not planning to borrow my luck, are you?”
She froze with her key in the lock, her face full of anger. “Are you crazy? Why would I need your luck?”
I shrugged, unconcerned. “Oh, no big deal. I was just asking. But if you do want to borrow my luck, I should warn you first: I’m nothing but bad luck!”
She glared at me. “You really are crazy!”
Then she opened the door and went inside.
Seeing the red string on her wrist made me happier than winning the lottery.
Ever since that old woman’s family left, I’d felt that all the bad luck on me had nowhere to go. But now, things were looking up—someone new could finally take it on!
I slept straight through until evening. I was on break, so I wasn’t livestreaming tonight.
Then I heard Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt’s voice coming from the apartment next door. “Ah! Thank you, Hào, for the Ferrari! Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt is so happy!”
“Hey, why don’t I dance for you?”
Right afterward, a painfully loud song started playing.
The noise was even more grating in the stillness of the night.
The other residents in the complex had complained about it several times, but Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt always yelled back, “If you want to be a princess, go live in your own mansion!”
“If you weren’t born a princess, don’t act like one. You people are so nosy!”
Everyone was furious and even called the property management to intervene, but nothing came of it.
If anything, Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt got worse and worse.
Unable to sleep because of the noise, I opened her livestream using an alternate account.
At that moment, Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt was wearing a tight purple dress, black stockings, and a sailor hat. Her eyes were seductive, and her dance was alluring. The comments were all saying the same thing: [So positive!]
When she was nearly done dancing and about to ask the big spender for a gift, I jumped in to curse her out:
[Streamer, it’s the middle of the night and you’re playing music that loud. How are your neighbors supposed to sleep?]
[Have you got no consideration for anyone? If you don’t want to act like a human, go howl or something!]
[Look at the apartment complex outside your window. You live in an apartment and still treat your neighbors like this?]
[Focus on livestreaming. Did you forget to wipe your head clean?]
My insults made the level-25 big spender, who’d been about to send her a Ferrari, give her only a little heart.
3
Of course, the moderators blocked my account for that tirade, but I felt so satisfied!
That night, I didn’t hear any more grating music from next door.
Since I hadn’t gone out to livestream for the past few days, bad luck hadn’t been clinging to me. So not only did I fail to pass any bad luck on to Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt, she even started to gain a little popularity.
Over the past two days, her attention-seeking antics had attracted another wave of fans and kept two level-30 “big spenders” spending money in her livestream.
Still, she wasn’t playing music loud enough to be unbearable anymore, so I let it go.
The next afternoon, I got ready early to attend my best friend Tiết Nhạc Nhạc’s birthday party.
Tiết Nhạc Nhạc was my former neighbor, and we’d known each other for almost half a year.
She was both a good friend and my number-one loyal fan.
When I arrived at the KTV, most people hadn’t shown up yet.
Tiết Nhạc Nhạc and I went out to buy some snacks.
When we returned to the room, I saw Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt sitting on the sofa.
“Do you know her?”
I lifted my chin to gesture toward Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt for Tiết Nhạc Nhạc.
She frowned without thinking. “She’s my cousin, but I don’t like her. When we were kids, she used to come over and rummage through everything. Anything tasty or fun, she had to take with her.”
“She saw Mom’s post on social media and found out it was my birthday today, then insisted on coming.”
I nodded and said nothing more.
As long as she didn’t provoke me, I’d act as if she weren’t there.
Before long, everyone had arrived, and the room came alive.
Everyone gathered around Tiết Nhạc Nhạc, giving her presents and wishing her a happy birthday.
I looked at Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt. “Where’s your present?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m her cousin. Why would I need a present?”
With that, she swayed over to a guy in the room.
He was Tiết Nhạc Nhạc’s boyfriend.
“Hey, why don’t you come watch my livestream tonight? I’m Nhạc Nhạc’s cousin. Could you show me a little support?”
But he didn’t pay her any attention. Ignoring her flirtatious glances, he turned back to join everyone in singing the birthday songto wish Tiết Nhạc Nhạc a happy birthday.
Watching that, I nearly burst out laughing.
4
Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt gritted her teeth, staring resentfully at the guy, but quickly changed her expression and stepped forward. “Nhạc Nhạc, happy birthday! Go on, make a wish and blow out the candles!”
Seeing the smile on her face, I had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, just as Tiết Nhạc Nhạc finished making her wish and leaned down to blow out the candles, Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt swiftly shoved her face into the cake!
“Ha ha, that’s so funny! Happy birthday, Nhạc Nhạc! Ha ha!”
She clutched her stomach, laughing hysterically as she looked at Tiết Nhạc Nhạc’s face covered in frosting and her smeared makeup.
“I’m dying! You look so ridiculous!”
The atmosphere in the room turned strange.
Only Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt’s wild laughter rang out.
After a long moment, Tiết Nhạc Nhạc, who had been silent until then, shouted angrily, “You think that’s funny?! Don’t you know how awful that was?!”
Scolded, Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt immediately looked annoyed. “Do you have to make such a big deal out of it? I was just joking around.”
“A joke is only a joke if everyone else finds it funny, too!” I cut in coldly.
At that, Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt glared at me. “Why is everyone looking at me like that? Isn’t a birthday supposed to be all fun and games? Why can everyone else do it, but she can’t?”
I gave a scornful laugh. “Some people jump off buildings while they’re still alive. Why don’t you try that?”
“If you like copying people so much, why not go all the way?”
“It’s Nhạc Nhạc’s birthday. She spent all day getting dressed up, put on a pretty dress, and was just waiting to take pictures and post them on social media. And you ruined everything. What’s she supposed to post now? A picture of your twisted goblin face?”
My words drained the color from Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt’s face.
Not a single person in the room took her side. Everyone was annoyed with her.
“Nhạc Nhạc, are you dead or something? That bitch is insulting your cousin, and you’re just sitting there?!”
“You think I won’t go tell your mom?”
Tiết Nhạc Nhạc couldn’t take it anymore. “I don’t care what you think! My friend was right to scold you! What are you up to? If you like copying people so much, go jump off a building!”
“You love tattling, don’t you? Stealing things when we were kids, tattling when we grew up—isn’t that right? You should be grateful I didn’t smear the rest of the cake all over your fat face. I’m still showing you some manners!”
Lương Nguyệt Nguyệt stormed out, but not before putting on a wounded expression.
Who cared? That crazy bitch!