True Tycoon Her Empire, Her Rules

On the other end of the line, Winnie listened to Baily for a split second before promptly. activating the video function on her smartphone. 

Baily, without hesitation, accepted the video call. The man who just yesterday had been the picture of savvy in his crisp attire now appeared visibly haggard on the screen. 

Through the video, Winnie observed the dark circles under Bally’s eyes and the faint aura of gloom that seemed to surround him. She said, “You’ve definitely got some residual bad vibes. clinging to you. But they seemed just to play a prank on you and they’re gone now. 

Her tone was casual, but Baily bulged his eyes out at her words, his voice shifting In Incredulity, “A prank?! I nearly died!” 

What kind of sick joke was that?! He had thought he was a goner for sure! 

“Yep.” Winnie continued, unfazed by his shock, “When I gave you the Charm, you didn’t look like a man marked for death.” 

That meant that even though Baily had a ghostly encounter, the spirit wasn’t out to kill him. 

In the world of hauntings, as long as the intent wasn’t to send someone to an early grave, it could be considered a prank. 

Judging by the ghostly energy lingering on Baily, he had encountered a poltergeist. 

The ghost had been repelled by her Protection Charm and wouldn’t be troubling Baily for the time being, so Winnie wasn’t worried. 

Hearing this, Baily was on the verge of tears. 

So as long as he wasn’t dead, it was fine to scare him half without reservation? 

Despite Winnie’s assurance that the poltergeist had departed, Baily couldn’t shake his unease. 

He insisted on buying a few more Charms from Winnie. 

She thought it unnecessary but wasn’t one to turn down business, “A Safety Charm is three grand apiece, and a Protection Charm is six grand apiece…” 

“What’s the difference?” asked Baily. 

“The Safety Charm boosts your personal good fortune and ensures smooth sailing. The Protection Charm guards the bearer, fending off misfortune.” 

Baily cut her off before she could finish explaining, desperation in his voice, “I’ll take ten of each!” 

Winnie sighed. “…No hoarding or reselling. 

Baily chuckled bitterly. “I wouldn’t dream of it. But as you know, our production crew is in the early stages of planning. We’re bound to encounter more spooky stuff, and I need to be 

prepared for my crew.” 

He had a point, and Winnie reluctantly agreed. 

Baily wanted to double–check about his predicament, but as he glanced back at the screen, he saw what seemed to be a doll perched on Winnie’s shoulder. 

Blinking, he found that the doll was moving. 

A chill ran through Baily, his hand trembling as he held the phone. 

“Master Bryant… on your shoulder, there seems to be…” 

Winnie, noticing his voice and the video feed shaking, glanced down to find Ghost Baby curiously peering at the phone screen, unaware of how it had climbed up there. 

Baily, already low on luck and fresh from a ghostly encounter, was understandably spooked. Winnie explained, “That’s Ghost Baby, a little spirit I’m looking after temporarily. Don’t worry 

about it.” 

Baily widened his eyes again. After a long pause, he abruptly ended the video call. 

Unperturbed, Winnie soon received an address from Baily. 

She gathered up Ghost Baby and went to her desk, pulling open a wooden box filled with neatly organized Charms she’d previously crafted. Counting out twenty, she bundled them up and sent them off to Baily’s address with a flick of her wrist. 

Glancing at the now depleted stock, Winnie decided to take advantage of her solitude, with Drake out, to craft a few more. 

She arranged the birthmark for the Charms. As she focused her energy, the Spirit Gathering Array at her feet began to draw in energy from all around. 

Winnie, with a sober aura, dipped her brush. In the moment of contact, a burst of Spirit Gathering Array emanated from beneath the bristles. 

Before she could finish the draft, a golden flash leapt from a small gift box on the side, merging with the light at her brush tip. 

The Charm blazed with a newfound brilliance under her hand, yet she instinctively completed the final draft. As the Charms were completed, a flash of gold light zipped through it and then vanished. 

Staring at the finished Protection Charms, Winnie noted that the Spirit Gathering Array imbued within it was more potent than any she had made before. 

Her gaze then fell on the small gift box on the desk. Inside was a cross necklace that Drake had given her. 

Opening the clasp, she noticed a faint golden glow emanating from the tails of the cross. 

This energy undoubtedly came from a master. 

She hadn’t expected that something passed down from Drake would carry such light, and this light… 

Just as she had suspected, it could significantly enhance the power of her Charms. And it was surprisingly useful. 

Winnie felt her commitment to her path wavered slightly. 

When what typically required diligent practice to improve suddenly had a shortcut, the temptation was hard to resist. 

She looked at the cross necklace, a rare struggle showing on her face. After a long moment. she covered her heart with a hand. With some difficulty, she put away both the necklace and the enhanced Protection Charms. 

There were no shortcuts in spiritual practice. What belonged to others could never be yours. 

It she grew dependent on Drake, her skill in charm–making would stagnate. 

Of course, she decided to keep a few of the gold–infused Thunder Charms on hand for emergencies. 

To Winnie, that seemed perfectly reasonable. 

The preparation for the Ghostly Guidance show was moving faster than Winnie had anticipated. Almost as soon as Starfall Entertainment had wrapped up the contract with LimeLight, the buzz about the show’s upcoming premiere was already spreading online. 

As the guest list for the upcoming season of Ghostly Guidance was released, it instantly sparked a frenzy among netizens eagerly anticipating the start of the show. 

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The buzz was mostly about one guest in particular, the heartthrob topping the charts of fame and fandom, Kane Morgan. 

As the third master of the prestigious Morgan family in the Capital City, Kane was the epitome of a silver–spoon celebrity with a powerful family background, stunning looks, and, more importantly, genuine talent. 

He started his career as a pop idol but his acting chops had set the entertainment world on fire. His recent role in a fantasy series had turned into a cultural phenomenon. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that his face was recognized in every household. 

What made his participation in Ghostly Guidance even more special was that this would mark his debut as a regular guest on a reality TV show. 

While his fans were over the moon, their excitement turned into dismay as they got to know the other participants of the show. 

“Thrilled to see my idol’s first reality show debut, but can someone tell me what’s up with this 

lineup?” 

“Yeah, why did he sign up for this? Aren’t some of these guests just random internet celebs?” 

“OMG, what kind of circus have they put together here? I feel for my Kane!” 

“And who’s this Naylor? Didn’t they just start out earlier this year? How did this no–name end up on the same show as my idol?” 

“At least that one’s in the industry. But I saw this guy Mervin who says he’s from Breeze Monastery!” 

“Winnie, isn’t she the top one in the SAT from Emerald Bay and got into the Supernatural Department?” 

“Argh! I knew it! Internet influencers were everywhere, and now even the top scholars are joining the bandwagon!” Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Amid the mix of excitement and skepticism, it was clear that Ghostly Guidance was going to be the talk of the town for better or for worse.