Taboo Mage - Chapter 11 - The Little Beauty Li Mi
For some reason, just seeing the words Xu-Jie sends a shiver down my spine. Instantly, the seductive figure and enchanting face pop into my mind.
Even the tactile sensation in my hands feels vividly real.
I shook my head, dispelling the chaotic thoughts, and reached out to answer the phone.
“Hello? Xiao Gu, are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner.”
Xu-Jie’s voice was so irresistibly alluring that it nearly made my bones melt. I cleared my throat and indicated that I might be busy tonight.
A woman like Xu-Jie is not someone I have the courage to get too close to, especially with all the mysteries surrounding her. The more beautiful a woman is, the more you should keep your distance, like the nation-ruining Su Daji or the tragically short-lived Yang Guifei1.
After hearing my response, Xu-Jie playfully scolded me over the phone, then promptly gave me an address before hanging up.
When evening rolled around, I stared at the text message reminder from Xu-Jie on my phone screen, hesitated for a while, but eventually changed my clothes and set off for the dinner.
I told myself, Xu-Jie is my first customer. Providing good after-sales service is what we service people are supposed to do. For this reason, I specifically changed into a new T-shirt and, additionally… a new pair of underwear.
Xu-Jie had booked a five-star hotel in the city. Walking in dressed in my T-shirt and jeans, I felt somewhat out of place.
Following the directions in the text message, I found the private room easily. Xu-Jie had been waiting inside for a while. As soon as she saw me enter, she hurriedly stood up, swaying her slender waist as she walked over to me, casting me a coy glance.
“Oh, I thought you weren’t coming!”
The overpowering scent of Xu-Jie’s perfume hit me straight in the nose, making me quickly sidestep. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl who looked like a student sitting obediently on one of the chairs.
She raised her face and looked at me with a shy expression.
I cleared my throat, gently pushing away Xu-Jie who was almost plastered against me, and asked with a smile, “How could I not come when Xu-Jie invites? And this is…”
Xu-Jie smiled triumphantly and pulled the girl up to stand. “This is Li Mi. She’s about to take her college entrance exam this year. I called you today to help her.”
So it turns out that Xu-Jie brought a client for me today.
Li Mi attends a second-tier high school in the city. Her academic performance is also subpar. With the college entrance exam approaching rapidly, her family is pressuring her. If she doesn’t get into university, they will arrange for her to get married instead.
In this day and age, what young girl would be willing to become a housewife at such a young age? That’s why Xu-Jie came to me, hoping I could make a life amulet for Li Mi to help her pass her exams.
Holding my chopsticks, I was at a loss for how to respond, realizing that this dinner was a setup. I originally thought Xu-Jie wanted to seduce me, but she actually brought me a big problem.
Making a life amulet isn’t a big deal, but the trouble is, I had just promised Mother that I wouldn’t make any more life amulets.
Since Father passed away, Mother and I have depended on each other. I’m not particularly filial, but when I make a promise to Mother, I always keep it.
Seeing the hesitation on my face, Xu-Jie frowned and leaned closer. “What’s the problem? Is it difficult?”
“It is a bit difficult. To be honest, I’ve sworn not to make any more life amulets.” I set down my chopsticks, speaking seriously as I looked at the woman in front of me.
Before Xu-Jie could say anything, Li Mi, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly burst into tears.
Although I’ve never been in a relationship, I also have no resistance to a woman’s tears.
Li Mi sobbed as she recounted her tragic circumstances, all while looking at me with a sorrowful expression. I swallowed nervously and hurriedly pulled some napkins from the table, offering them to her.
But as soon as my hand reached mid-air, Li Mi suddenly clung to my arm, nestling herself into my embrace. She cried so much that her tears and snot soaked my new T-shirt.
Ignoring the heartache for my new clothes, I awkwardly held my hands in mid-air, trying to console her with kind words.
Xu-Jie observed us discreetly, chuckling quietly before getting up and leaving the room.
Left alone with Li Mi in the private room, I waited until she had cried her heart out before gently using the napkin to wipe away her tears.
“Brother Gu, can’t you help me, please?”
Li Mi’s voice was filled with genuine sorrow, and her calling me “Brother Gu” made my heart soften. Looking down at her pretty, tear-streaked face, I saw just how beautifully pitiful she appeared.
Clenching my teeth, I said in a deep voice, “Alright, I’ll do it. But this is the last time.”
“I promise! It will be the last time! I’ll never trouble you again, Brother Gu!”
“Alright, alright. Let’s eat now. You must be tired from all that crying.”
I pursed my lips, feeling like smacking myself for letting my resolve waver just because of a few tears from a woman.
However, Xu-Jie is, after all, my first customer, and for Li Mi, this matter concerns her entire lifetime of happiness.
Although I’m no saint, I can’t stand by and watch Li Mi jump into a pit of fire. Otherwise, I’d be aiding in perpetuating those feudalistic values.
With that realization, I silently apologized to my mother in my mind, picked up my chopsticks, and started eating.
Just as if she had calculated the perfect timing, Xu-Jie pushed the door open and walked in while I was putting a piece of fish-flavored pork into my mouth. She entered with water droplets on her hands and gave us an ambiguous look.
Finishing the meal, Xu-Jie drove me back home. We set a date for making the life amulet, and then she left with Li Mi.
That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. The more I thought about it, the more something felt off.
During dinner, Xu-Jie said she would pay for the life amulet for Li Mi, but when I asked about her relationship with Li Mi, she only mentioned that Li Mi was a neighbor’s kid from her hometown.
I suspected Xu-Jie was lying to me, but I couldn’t fathom why.
Falling into a troubled sleep, I once again saw my deceased father in my dreams.
Father looked the same as always, spirited but continuously sighing as he gazed at me.
The next morning, I got up and started preparing Li Mi’s life amulet.
This time, I needed to prepare an official rank amulet.
In the past, passing the imperial examination meant wealth and officialdom, and even today, it’s no different.
In our modern society, when you submit a resume after graduating, the first question they ask is whether you graduated from a top-tier university. A single educational threshold filters out a vast number of people.
Footnote:
Yang Guifei(杨贵妃): Yang Guifei, whose birth name was Yang Yuhuan, was a famous beauty and imperial consort during China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Her beauty and the favor she received from the emperor led to significant political issues and court intrigues, especially during the An Lushan Rebellion. Many people blamed her and her family for the political turmoil and instability of the time.
