"Hello, may I speak with the Great Heavenly Master Nick Zeller? I heard you are very good at fortune telling, and I have something I'd like to consult you about. When would you have some time?"
Mrs. Newman spoke with particular tact and grace, but she also carried the unique sense of superiority common among wives of the Wealthiest.
Although her wording was polite, her tone was somewhat subtly indisputable.
Nick Zeller wouldn't bother arguing with her over trivial matters, and he didn't notice anything special in Mrs. Newman's tone.
For him, this business, which was guaranteed to be profitable, allowed for both public and private interests to be taken care of simultaneously—it was just too rare.
However, to convey his persona as the "Great Heavenly Master," he still pretended to act important: "May I ask who you are? I'm quite busy lately, so please contact my secretary for specific scheduling. Her phone number is XXXXXXXX."
With that, he hung up the phone.
Although Mrs. Newman hadn't revealed her identity, her phone number gave everything away.
Nick Zeller looked at the phone number of the landline belonging to the Wealthiest family in River City and knocked on the desk proudly.
Less than a minute later, his other phone rang—the one he referred to as his "secretary's" phone.
The caller ID showed it was still the same landline number from Keith Newman's company, just like the previous one.
He didn't pick up immediately, waiting for the phone to ring four or five times before answering, using a high-quality voice changer to sound like a young girl, and said: "Hello, this is Nick Zeller's office, how can I help you?"
On the other end, Mrs. Newman hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking: "Um, are you the secretary of the Great Heavenly Master Nick?"
As she asked, she was secretly wondering: Nowadays, even Heavenly Masters have little secretaries???
Nick Zeller, using the voice changer, answered in a high-pitched voice: "Yes, I handle scheduling and business arrangements for the Great Heavenly Master Nick. How can I assist you?"
"Oh, here's the thing: recently, my daughter is being pursued aggressively by a man, and I'd like to see if they're destined to be together. If they aren't meant to be, there's no need for them to waste each other's time." Mrs. Newman stated tactfully.
Nick Zeller's "little secretary" quickly asked: "So you want to have their facial features read or match their birth charts?"
"...You can read facial features too?" Mrs. Newman raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't your Great Heavenly Master Nick only looking at feng shui of residences?"
Nick Zeller's "little secretary": "..."
Oops, too eager, got exposed.
He lightly coughed, trying hard to maintain dignity: "In his early years, Great Heavenly Master Nick made his name reading facial features and matching birth charts. Later, he gained fame with feng shui for residences, so he hasn't had time to read facial features or match birth charts anymore. However, if you're willing to pay, and our Great Heavenly Master has time, it can still be arranged."
"Oh? Really? Great Heavenly Master Nick built his reputation on reading facial features and matching birth charts in the early days?" Mrs. Newman was both surprised and delighted, "We didn't know that!"
Nick Zeller thought to himself, ten-odd years ago, I was pretending to be a blind fortune teller in the street of a metropolis, you think I'd tell you that?
Covering his mouth with his fist, Nick Zeller's voice, now portraying the "little secretary," sounded regretful and disheartened: "Oh no, I said too much, the Great Heavenly Master will fire me! Please, madam, keep it secret, don't let anyone know!"
"No, no, I won't tell anyone!" Mrs. Newman felt reassured partially.
She thought, no one should know who she is in matters like this, so it wouldn't do to have a face-to-face consultation, nor let the other party know whose birth charts were being matched.
So she weighed her options and asked tentatively: "...If I send you the two birth charts, can you have the Great Heavenly Master match them as soon as possible?"
"Ah, let me see if the Great Heavenly Master is free soon... You know, matching birth charts is no small task, one must purify oneself and be in the right state to achieve 'spiritual insight.' Also, I arrange the schedule for the Great Heavenly Master based on the sincerity level of the clients."
"You know the saying, sincerity brings results, hahaha..." Nick Zeller's "little secretary" laughed dutifully.
Being a shrewd person, Mrs. Newman understood the underlying meaning of the "little secretary's" words instantly.
She laughed, "Alright, I want it done as quickly as possible. Name your price."
Nick Zeller's "little secretary" suddenly spoke in a more reserved tone: "...Well, how quickly do you need it? And to show your sincerity, you should name the price. How could I name the price? We're not doing business here. The ancestors will be offended if we ask for money."
Mrs. Newman, cornered, thought to herself, aren't you doing business? I know the exorbitant fees you charge for feng shui assessments of properties.
But she felt the statement was reasonable.
After all, matching birth charts is inherently "believing makes it real, not believing makes it untrue."
Since she came to Nick Zeller, it was better to "believe to make it real."
Hesitation and skepticism were not advisable in such matters.
After pondering, she tentatively asked, "...Ten thousand?"
Nick Zeller's "little secretary" grinned almost to the back of his head, suppressing his excitement, he clattered the keyboard, pretending to type.
After a moment, he said: "Whatever you say, that's the amount. We're not doing business, sincerity makes it work—how about this, after the Chinese New Year, on the 16th of the first month, the Great Heavenly Master will be available."
"Ah?! Have to wait that long?!" Mrs. Newman was, of course, unwilling, "Can it be earlier? How about today?"
"Today? The Great Heavenly Master's schedule is packed today, even in the evening, he has to go out and do feng shui assessments for properties. With sincerity like yours... it's hard for me to make an exception for you..."
Mrs. Newman, unsettled, pondered for a moment and said: "...Then how about tomorrow? Twenty thousand, can the birth charts be matched by tomorrow?"
Nick Zeller's "little secretary" didn't speak for a while.
Growing impatient to get the results, Mrs. Newman gritted her teeth: "Fifty thousand! I want the results by six o'clock this evening!"
River City's Wealthiest family wasn't short of money.
Her daughter would be watching a movie with Kenneth Osborne at six this evening.
If she could know the results before then, maybe that movie wouldn't be necessary.
She didn't want her daughter to build an emotional attachment in an unsuitable relationship, leading to irrational romantic decisions, causing disputes at home.
Their family only had this one daughter, and such a large family fortune would be passed on to her.
How could they not find her a suitable husband?
It would have to be someone who marries into the family.
So, extreme caution was necessary.
Otherwise, when they pass away, this huge fortune wouldn't carry the Newman name!
Nick Zeller's "little secretary" beamed, nodding repeatedly: "You are truly sincere! Alright, the Great Heavenly Master will have half an hour free at around four o'clock to match the birth charts."
"Is half an hour enough?" Mrs. Newman, though feeling a pinch financially, questioned again.
Was she being a sucker, paying fifty thousand for half an hour's work?
At this point, Nick Zeller's "little secretary" restrained his laughter and said flatly: "Well, then never mind. Our Great Heavenly Master could use the free time to rest instead, matching birth charts is tedious and boring, no wonder the Great Heavenly Master doesn't do it anymore."
"No, no, just now I misspoke! Fifty thousand, firm price, by six o'clock today I'll know the results!"
Mrs. Newman was willing to pay such a high price, hoping to establish a relationship with Nick Zeller, paving the way for potential future cooperation.
Both parties understood this was a test run.
Soon, Mrs. Newman transferred fifty thousand to Nick Zeller's "little secretary's" WeChat.
Upon receiving the money, Nick Zeller then looked at the two birth charts Mrs. Newman sent, using a four-pillar charting method.
The two birth charts Mrs. Newman mentioned, the younger one is the girl, and the one three years older is the boy.
If he wasn't mistaken, the boy's birth chart was Kenneth Osborne's.
Nick Zeller knew Kenneth Osborne's birthday, but had never known his birth chart.
Because the information required for a birth chart is more detailed than just a birthday.
Using the four-pillar charting method to calculate the birth chart is very easy for those who know how.
What's not easy is explaining the meaning to people.
Professional terminology often leaves laypeople in awe without comprehension.
As a competent Great Heavenly Master, Nick Zeller never said things that ordinary people couldn't understand.
However, after the birth charts of the two were matched, Nick Zeller's expression turned a bit strange.
"...Is this really Kenneth's birth chart? Tsk tsk... Interesting, very interesting, hahaha..."