Taboo Mage - Chapter 179 - Li Mi Has Changed

Zhou Qifang glanced around and casually pointed at someone. Hua-Jie immediately donned a bright smile, quickly leading the others out.

Inside the private room, the lights flickered enticingly, and the KTV was blaring loudly. A girl had already leaned in close to Zhou Qifang.

I wasn’t in the mood to pay attention to Zhou Qifang; I kept my eyes downcast, occasionally glancing at Li Mi, who was sitting nearby.

In those sleepless nights, I often found myself reminiscing about the people I once knew: Xu-Jie, Li Mi, Qin Hao, Wu Qian, Fatty Ling…

These people were real presences in my life, witnessing my transformation from an ordinary person into a yin-yang life amulet master.

Even though I rarely wanted to reconnect with them later on, they still held varying degrees of significance in my life.

Like Li Mi…

At this moment, Li Mi stood beside me, her sailor outfit accentuating her graceful figure. Her snow-white thighs were exposed, enticing every man who came here to spend countless amounts of money for their desires.

“Brother Gu…” Li Mi took a deep breath, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and when she looked up, her familiar smile returned.

I sighed in helplessness and reached out to pat her shoulder, unsure of how to comfort her.

“Gu Qingshu, didn’t expect to see you here with your old flame?” Zhou Qifang suddenly raised an eyebrow and spoke up.

I shot him a glare; how could he be so oblivious?

“Brother Gu, what brings you here?” Li Mi asked with a smile, showing no signs of displeasure.

My face flushed instantly, feeling as if I had been caught cheating by my wife-embarrassment washing over me, wishing I could just disappear into the ground.

Beside me, Zhou Qifang chimed in, “Because he’s lonely and driven by desire.”

I threw a bottle of mineral water at Zhou Qifang, who dodged it and wrapped his arm around the girl sitting next to him.

I gritted my teeth, wanting to curse him, but then remembered that Li Mi was still here. Although she had already… I still couldn’t lose face.

Thanks to Wu Qian’s business card, Hua-Jie had allowed me to take Li Mi out for the night, but she had repeatedly instructed me to bring her back by morning.

I nodded and walked ahead, with Li Mi following behind, draping my coat over her shoulders.

As for Zhou Qifang, he didn’t plan on leaving, and I had no intention of bringing him along.

On the way home, Li Mi remained silent, gazing out the window lost in her thoughts.

I tried to find a moment to speak, but I realized I had no idea where to start, so I decided to stay quiet. After all, she would tell me when she was ready to talk.

Besides, a perfectly fine university student like her wouldn’t end up in such a place without some underlying reasons she was reluctant to share.

“Brother Gu, I’m sorry…”

At a red light, Li Mi suddenly called out. I responded with a slight “mm” and turned to look at her.

She rummaged through her makeup bag for a while and surprisingly pulled out a bottle of makeup remover. Pouring some into her hand, she began to messily swipe it across her face.

Watching her like that, an inexplicable pain stirred within me. Li Mi was applying it with such force that she soon looked up and smiled at me.

“I’m still the same as before, right?”

I gazed at her made-up face, the lipstick smeared around her lips like a gory mess, and her eyeliner had strayed far beyond her brow.

I smiled and nodded, “Yes, you still look as good as before.”

Li Mi beamed even brighter, exhaling deeply, leaning back in her seat, and suddenly arched an eyebrow at me, looking sultry just like Hua-Jie from last night.

“After you left last time, I got together with that guy soon after. He’s a senior at our university, comes from a wealthy family. I thought I looked decent enough, so maybe I’d have a nice life with him.”

“But I didn’t expect…”

What she didn’t expect was that the sweetness of student romance could quickly sour. If it had already taken a wrong turn from the beginning, then the ending was likely to follow that same misguided path.

Not long after, that senior fell for a gorgeous girl from the dance department, dumped Li Mi, and even extorted a hefty sum of money from her.

As if that wasn’t enough, Li Mi’s family faced a sudden crisis; her father had accrued a massive debt, and the creditors came knocking with knives. To pay off the debt, Li Mi had to become a hostess.

Listening to her story, I felt a pang of sympathy. After she finished, she suddenly turned to me and smiled even brighter, though two streams of tears slid down her cheeks.

“Brother Gu, how about you support me?”

I was taken aback, swerving the steering wheel nearly crashing into the guardrail.

Slamming on the brakes, I rested my head on the steering wheel for a while before finally managing a smile and saying, “Li Mi, we haven’t seen each other in so long, and you’re joking with me right away?”

Li Mi’s smile suddenly vanished as she looked at me with a sorrowful expression. “Brother Gu, you dislike me now, don’t you?”

“That’s not true,” I replied quickly. “I’ll take you home so you can get some good rest. You can go to work by yourself tomorrow…”

“Brother Gu! I know what you meant back then. It was my fault; I’ve realized my mistakes! Brother Gu! I’m still the same Li Mi as before! I’ve always been!”

Suddenly, Li Mi lunged at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my own. I was startled, my heart nearly racing out of my chest. I quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

At this rate, I was worried I might drown or crash before I reached any resolution.

Li Mi shook her head at me, “You really do dislike me…”

She kept repeating that phrase, and it irritated me endlessly. I had initially planned to take her home so she could rest well for the night, but now it seemed like it would be better to find a hotel for her, to avoid any potential drama at my place.

With that thought, I pulled out my phone and located the nearest hotel, quickly taking Li Mi there. She appeared to be in a daze, continuously muttering that line, yet she didn’t protest anymore and simply went into the hotel.

After ensuring she was settled and asleep, I finally drove back to my own home.

After a whole day of chaos, I hadn’t accomplished anything, and I ended up spending quite a bit on her stay, while Zhou Qifang was likely enjoying himself. Lying in bed, I felt a surge of discontent, tossing and turning without being able to sleep.

Zhou Qifang returned the next morning, looking like he’d had a great time. He walked in with a bounce in his step, his face glowing as if he were in high spirits.