Ding-!
The golden bell rang of the Calestial Palace through the skies.
"Yang Zi! Don't do this..."
Crunch
It's already late.
The little girl was standing barefoot on the banquet table. Her cheeks were full of shiny peaches. Gold dust was sparkling around her mouth, and the immortal servants were looking at her with shock.
Dozens of guests stopped eating and looking at her.
"Yang Zi..." the Celestial King's voice echoed in the hall, and he was looking at her with narrowed eyes.
"You didn't."
Yang Zi blinked and was still chewing her food. "Didn't what?"
"You ate the Calestial Peaches of Immortality!"
"Oh," Yang Zi replied and wiped her mouth.
"You mean that shiny fruit which tastes like sunshine? Yep. They're all finished."
Everyone was shocked in the hall. The musicians stopped the music, and the clouds outside seemed to pause.
The king banged his golden staff on the ground.
BOOM
"Do you realize what you have done? These peaches take three thousand years to grow."
Yang Zi tilted her head, and golden light was playing in her hair.
"Three thousand? That really long time to wait for a snack." She replied.
Young immortals laughed, but when the king looked at them, they stopped laughing.
"Enough! This is your third mistake this month! You turned the Heavenly Pool into honey, you dyed Cloud Carp pink, and now this!"
Yang Zi gave a shy smile.
"I was just trying to make the banquet look nice."
"She is the Golden child, born with luck and troubled chaos."
The king groaned, pinching his nose.
"Yang Zi, you bring good fortune to others, but you have never understood what true fortune is. From now ...
Yang Zi's eyes got big.
"Wait! You're not going to send me back to the Reflection Chamber, right? It smells so weird there!"
"No," the King said coldly.
"This time, you'll learn with humans.
A circle of glowing light appeared under her feet.
"Wait...humans? Those who can't fly?"
"You will live with them," the King said, "until you realize that true fortune is not just gold, but kindness.
The air started to shine....
"But I don't even know how to cook!"
WHOOSH....!
A golden flash erupted and in a second... Yang Zi was gone.
-----------------------
In Shanghai, Mortal Realm...
Rumble...!
Thunder rolled through the city
The streets were wet. Inside a cozy little restaurant named "Silver Spoon,"the lights were flickering.
"Just great," Su Yao said while rubbing her forehead.
"Another blackout."
She stood alone at the counter, with her sleeves pushed up and her neat bun starting to fall apart.
There was a smell of noodles and bad luck.
The rain outside hit the window.
Her phone rang. She checked it...another message from her landlord.
[Rent overdue. Again.]
Su Yao took a deep breath.
"Add that to the list."
She looked toward the door. No customers, just her own reflection staring back.
Drip... Drip....
A leak from the ceiling dripped onto her shoulder.
"Perfect. Just what I needed."
Her assistant looked out from the kitchen.
"Boss, half the kitchen lost power again."
"Of course it has," Su Yao replied, annoyed. "Why would it be any different?"
She pulled out her notebook and began writing costs again, but her pen slipped, inky droplets landing on the last clean page.
She stared at it for a second, then laughed softly.
"Maybe I should call this place 'Unlucky Spoon."
CRASH...!
The front window broke.
Su Yao hid behind the counter as wind and rain blasted into the room.
When she looked up, her jaw opened.
In the middle of the floor was a small girl. Barefoot, wet, holding a half-glowing peach.
Su Yao blinked twice. "...What the hell?"
The girl coughed lightly and smiled at her.
"Hi! Do you have more peaches?"
"What...where did you come from?!"
"The sky," the girl said happily.
"I fell a bit too fast." Su Yao made a face.
"Are you lost? What's your name?"
"Yang Zi!"she said proudly. "I'm from Heaven!"
Su Yao blinked blankly. "Right. And I'm the Queen of England."
"No, really!" Yang Zi waved her hands, sending tiny sparks flying. "See?"
The broken glass on the floor sparkled and turned into thin sheets of gold.
Su Yao froze. "…You didn't just do that."
"I kinda did," Yang Zi said with embarrassment."Oops."
Su Yao stood up slowly. "Stay right there and don't touch anything."
"Why?"
"Because everything you touch turns..."
Ting!
The metal spoon on the counter shone and turned to gold.
Su Yao stared at it. Then at the girl.
Yang Zi smiled nervously. "Gold's my thing."
Su Yao put her hands on her face. "I must be imagining things. Too much stress. I am not getting enough sleep."
Yang Zi tilted her head. "Do mortals faint when they're happy?"
"I'm not happy!" Su Yao snapped.
"Oh."The girl looked let down. "You seem like you need luck."
Su Yao took a deep breath. "What I really need is peace."
Grrr…
The thunder growled again outside. The rain came down heavily. The wind came through the broken glass.
Yang Zi wrapped her arms around herself. "It's cold."
Su Yao took a breath. Why did she look like a lost kitten?
"Fine. You can stay until the storm passes. But don't touch anything else."
Yang Zi's face lit up. "Really? Thanks! You're very shiny for a mortal!"
"I'm what...?"
Ting!
The floor tile under Yang Zi's feet changed into gold.
Su Yao's eye twitched. "...I take that back." Yang Zi giggled. "Oops."
Su Yao gave up on cleaning. She grabbed a towel and handed it to her. "Dry yourself. And...how did you end up here from Heaven?"
Yang Zi kicked her feet cheerfully. "It's complicated. I ate some peaches I wasn't supposed to. Now I'm here to learn about real fortune."
Su Yao crossed her arms. "Real fortune? You turned my floor into gold. You could pay my rent in no time."
Yang Zi looked confused. "I can't make gold for greed. That's cheating."
Su Yao blinked. "You can turn anything to gold, but you can't use it?"
Yang Zi nodded proudly. "Exactly!"
Su Yao sat in a chair, feeling defeated. "Of course. As if my life wasn't already weird enough."
The restaurant was quiet except for the rain. Yang Zi hummed softly while drying her hair with the towel.
Su Yao looked at her again...the glowing skin, the soft light that warmed the air.
"Yang Zi," she asked carefully, "you're not part of some scam show, right?"
Yang Zi grinned. "Nope. Heaven doesn't do TV."
Su Yao took a deep breath again. "I'm losing my mind."
Ting!
Suddenly, the broken cash register shine brightly. Su Yao looked up ... the lights on the machine flickered back on. The restaurant sign outside lit up again.
She blinked. "What the..."
Yang Zi smiled gently. "See?
I told you. I bring fortune." Before Su Yao could respond, her phone rang...she checked it and saw a new message:
[Congratulations! Your restaurant has been chosen for the City Food Tour next week.]
Su Yao was shocked and staring at the phone. "That's… impossible."
Yang Zi leaned on the counter, her eyes sparkling. "I told you I'm lucky."
Lightning struck outside... but this time, it was golden.
Su Yao turned to her, half shocked and half amused.
"Alright, Gold Girl. You're staying just one night. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the police."
Yang Zi tilted her head in confusion. "What's a police station?"
Crack!
The golden light in her hands flickered...then shot up, hitting the ceiling.
Su Yao jumped back. "Wait...what did you just do..."
BOOM!
The ceiling erupted in a shower of golden sparks.
They both screamed.
The restaurant lights went out entirely.
When the dust settled, a faint, glowing mark glimmered on Yang Zi's wrist... a celestial stamp, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Su Yao's voice wavered. "What are you?"
Yang Zi looked at her, eyes wide. "I think… they found me."