Chapter 153: 153. Chapter 153: Do you want to hear the truth?

153. Chapter 153: Do you want to hear the truth?

Yang Lan elegantly extended her hand toward Shen Huai.

Her slender fingers, painted with flesh-colored nail polish, shimmered with a crystalline luster under the lights.

"Director Shen, could you help me take a look?"

Yang Lan repeated the words in a soft voice, yet they carried an unquestionable air of authority.

Shen Huai felt his temples throbbing.

Was this woman determined to flirt with him?

Just as he was about to open his mouth to decline, claiming his palm-reading skills were inferior to his brother's, a delicate, jade-like hand suddenly reached out from the side, interrupting him.

"Director Shen, please take a look for me first. I'm the type of person who believes in this the most."

Lin Yeman laughed until she trembled, deliberately calling him "Director Shen" with extra intimacy.

Shen Huai gave Lin Yeman a grateful look.

This woman, Lin Yeman, was quite reliable at critical moments.

He took Lin Yeman's hand and began to observe it with a feigned air of profundity.

Lin Yeman's hand was fair and delicate, with fingertips tinged a faint pink; at a glance, she was clearly a wealthy young lady who had never done a day of manual labor.

Shen Huai cleared his throat and began to spout nonsense: "Team Leader Lin, your love line is slightly troubled. It seems your destined romantic partner hasn't appeared yet, but you don't need to worry. Your career line is extremely robust; your future prospects are limitless, and as for love, you will eventually have a good outcome."

Upon hearing Shen Huai say her love line was troubled, Lin Yeman's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly returned to normal.

"Is that so? Then I must really look forward to my true love." Lin Yeman giggled, pulled her hand back, and deliberately bumped her shoulder against Shen Huai's arm.

Shen Huai stumbled from the bump and nearly lost his composure.

The smile on Yang Lan's face froze, but her gaze was terrifyingly cold.

Reading palms had originally just been an excuse she found on a whim.

After all, in this kind of public setting, everyone belonged to the same community of interests.

Under these circumstances, Shen Huai couldn't—and wouldn't dare—undermine her; he could only say pleasant things.

In this way, she could also take the opportunity to establish her authority in front of this group of women.

As it turned out, things did not develop according to her plan!

This Shen Huai actually knew how to read palms!

"Director Shen, you are truly amazing. Please take a look for me too." Liu Shishi looked at Shen Huai with an expression of worship and impatiently extended her own hand.

"Me too, me too!"

"Director Shen, please take a look for me as well!"

In an instant, the other female colleagues at the table also began extending their right hands toward Shen Huai, clamoring for him to help them read their palms.

Shen Huai felt a sudden headache; these women were usually sharp and capable.

How did they become like curious babies the moment they encountered something like this? He braced himself and read them one by one.

Of course, he only said things that were ambiguous and vague.

Although he didn't know how to read palms, he understood human nature well enough.

So-called palm reading isn't just about the hand; it's about a person's current state and their eyes.

Applying a few templates of ambiguous rhetoric was enough to dominate at a dinner table.

Explaining it from the perspective of their professional jargon, this is called the Barnum effect.

Simply put, it is using a generalized, common personality description to reveal traits with high accuracy.

It is a very typical cognitive bias.

As a marketing major graduate, anyone who could skillfully master and utilize this effect could achieve impressive marketing results.

He never expected that one day, the things he learned in his professional courses would actually be used while reading palms for people.

Seeing the expressions of amazement from everyone, Shen Huai couldn't help but feel a bit self-deprecating.

After all, he didn't want to actually become some kind of charlatan.

The round was finished.

Everyone had heard the answers they wanted.

Finally, Shen Huai's gaze landed on Su Meng. This woman had been silent from beginning to end, just watching him quietly, her eyes carrying a trace of complex emotion.

"Su Meng, what about you? Do you want me to take a look for you too?" Shen Huai asked proactively.

He had already bluffed his way through the whole circle anyway.

It didn't matter if he read one more.

Su Meng hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended her right hand.

Shen Huai took her hand and felt that it was abnormally cold, as if it lacked even a trace of warmth.

He carefully observed Su Meng's palm, and his brow gradually furrowed.

Although he wasn't a doctor, Su Meng's palm looked somewhat sickly at a glance.

"Your palm reading..." Shen Huai paused, his tone becoming somewhat grave, "Is there some regret in your heart that has been tormenting you?"

Su Meng's expression changed abruptly, and she looked at Shen Huai in disbelief, as if he had seen into the most hidden corner of her heart.

"You... how did you know?"

Su Meng's voice trembled slightly, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

Shen Huai did not answer her question, but continued: "The regret in your heart has already manifested as an illness within your body. If it is not resolved in time, it will affect your fortune, and even..."

Shen Huai did not continue, but Su Meng already understood what he meant.

The next second.

Shen Huai's hand was empty.

Su Meng abruptly pulled her hand back, pretending to be indifferent as she dodged the topic: "I have no regrets, I don't believe in these things, and you shouldn't talk about them anymore either."

"..." His gaze drifted faintly toward Su Meng.

Everyone present was no fool.

Su Meng's acting skills were not particularly clever either.

"Su Meng, are you feeling unwell lately?" Liu Shishi leaned over and asked in a low voice.

"... No, can you please stop asking me." Su Meng turned her head away with some impatience, not wanting to engage with Liu Shishi.

Having been rebuffed, Liu Shishi shrugged helplessly and shut her mouth.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Seeing this.

Yang Lan, who had been silently watching the show from the side, finally spoke up.

"Some things, once they are in the past, let them stay there; don't let them affect your future." She walked over and gently patted the back of Su Meng's hand, comforting her in a gentle tone.

"... Thank you, General Manager Yang, I will work hard." Su Meng gritted her teeth.

"You must believe that time will heal everything,"

Yang Lan lowered her head to whisper in Su Meng's ear, then swept her gaze around the room and added meaningfully, "Time can also change everything."

After speaking, Yang Lan walked back to her seat in silence and, under the gaze of everyone, extended her right hand toward Shen Huai.

"Director Shen, it should be my turn now, right?"

Shen Huai knew he could not avoid it, so he had no choice but to take Yang Lan's hand and pretend to examine it.

Just as he was about to start bluffing, Yang Lan took a step ahead and added: "If Director Shen intends to say those ambiguous things you just told them, there is no need; your brother has already said them."

"I only want to know one thing clearly now, and that is specifically where my other half is."

After speaking, Yang Lan imperceptibly raised an eyebrow and curled her lips at Shen Huai.

Upon hearing this, the corners of Shen Huai's mouth could not help but turn downward.

So it's a set-topic essay, is it?

Having grown up struggling and crawling through piles of women, wouldn't he be a laughingstock if he kept falling into the same pit? Yang Lan had set him up so many times.

If he didn't take this opportunity to get back at her this time, it would be hard for him to vent this frustration.

Suddenly, a plan formed in Shen Huai's mind.

He tightened his grip on Yang Lan's hand, curled his lips into a faint arc, and smiled: "General Manager Yang, do you want to hear the truth?" (End of chapter)