Taboo Mage - Chapter 222 - Zhou Qifang Lies

In situations like this, Jue Chi finds it hardest to bear. When the cries of the mother and son began to fill the air, he had already turned his head away, unwilling to look again.

I sighed softly; this kind of scene was not suitable for me either, as it inevitably stirred up my own painful memories, wounds I wished to never touch again.

Zhou Qifang also seemed to recall some past events, standing in place without speaking, his cold gaze fixed on the Xu family’s mother and son.

After the two of them had cried enough, it suddenly struck me that there were still several of us present.

When I glanced at Xu Benzhang, a question popped into my mind: why was Xu Benzhang allowed to enter my house? Moreover, if he hated that dog, why did he come here to trouble it?

As I pondered this question, Xu Benzhang was clinging to Zhou Qifang’s leg, pleading for him to save him and his mother.

I looked at Xu Benzhang, that earlier question lingering in my mind, refusing to fade no matter how I tried to think of something else.

So, I walked over slowly, exchanged a glance with Zhou Qifang, and then asked, “Xu Benzhang, I want to ask you something. If you feel like answering, you can. If not, you and your mother can leave my house right now.”

Hearing my words, Zhou Qifang chuckled softly and turned to sit down on the sofa.

Xu Benzhang was momentarily stunned, then without any hesitation, he said, “Boss Gu, you ask! As long as I know, I will definitely tell you everything!”

I nodded, satisfied with Xu Benzhang’s response, and followed up with, “Why are you in my house?”

“This…” Xu Benzhang hesitated, as if he had something difficult to say.

I snorted coldly and pointed a finger toward the door.

Don’t want to speak? Fine, just get lost right now!

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Benzhang seemed to gather his courage, glanced at his mother, and finally said, “Actually, this isn’t where I wanted to come.”

“Then who told you to come?” I frowned, sensing that things were not as straightforward as they seemed.

Xu Benzhang sighed and said in a serious tone, “It was my mom, no, it should be that dog-it wanted to come here.”

“What does that mean? You need to explain it to me clearly!” My frown deepened. Could it be that this matter actually involved me in some way?

I instinctively glanced at Zhou Qifang. He had always insisted that I not get involved with the Xu family. Did that mean he had already suspected, or perhaps knew for certain, that this matter was related to me?

Zhou Qifang sensed my gaze. He turned his head, gave me a brief, indifferent glance, then surprisingly curled the corners of his lips before looking away.

Xu Benzhang said that originally, he had planned to visit Old Lady Xu at the sanatorium yesterday. However, as soon as he entered her room, Old Lady Xu, possessed by the dog, suddenly lunged out from the corner behind the door and bit down hard on Xu Benzhang’s arm.

Then, taking advantage of Xu Benzhang’s moment of distraction, Old Lady Xu ran outside. It was said that at that moment, she acted like a completely different person, moving on all fours but sprinting incredibly fast.

Before the caregivers at the sanatorium could intercept her, she had already dashed to the entrance, and with over a dozen security guards blocking her way, she managed to evade all obstacles.

By the time Xu Benzhang chased after her, she had vanished without a trace. Just when Xu Benzhang was feeling anxious, he suddenly received a text message on his phone.

The message suggested that if he wanted to find Old Lady Xu, he should go to my store.

As he spoke, Xu Benzhang took out his phone; he had been prudent and saved that message for reference.

I couldn’t help but quietly marvel at these people who mingle with government departments-their thoughts are meticulous. They know there might come a day when they would need my help, so they kept such precautions in mind.

I took the phone and looked at the message. Indeed, there was a message on the screen, and the content was very straightforward.

“To save your mother, go to No. 13, Baicheng Road to find someone named Gu Qingshu.”

Seeing this message made my teeth clench with frustration. Who the hell was the jerk that got me into this mess?

I found out the sender of that message. The number was unfamiliar to me, and I was certain I had never seen it before.

“Lin Huan, come here and see whose number this is!”

I tossed the phone to Lin Huan and gestured for Zhou Qifang and the others to join us for reference.

Lin Huan glanced at it once and shook his head, saying, “Never seen it before. But Boss, we receive so many calls every day; how could I remember every single one? If you want to know, why not just call the number directly? If it’s someone we know, you should recognize their voice, right?”

I was taken aback; he was right. How had I suddenly lost my mind over this?

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number. After three or four seconds, the ringtone suddenly echoed in the living room.

I widened my eyes in surprise, glancing around to confirm that the ringtone belonged to someone in our room.

Everyone present was taken aback, their eyes wide open. I followed the direction of the ringtone and, after searching for a while, finally saw Zhou Qifang take out his phone and place it on the coffee table.

The pleasant ringtone became clear, and I looked at the phone on the coffee table and then at my phone screen. I finally confirmed that the call really was coming from Zhou Qifang’s phone.

“What on earth is going on?” I squinted and shot a cold glare at Zhou Qifang.

“I don’t know,” Zhou Qifang replied, crossing his arms, his brows furrowed tightly.

I looked at Zhou Qifang coldly; the person I had once felt so familiar with now seemed as strange to me as someone I had never known.

Or rather, I realized I had never truly known the real Zhou Qifang.

Zhou Qifang didn’t say anything, just staring at me intently, as if trying to bore a hole through my skin.

Suddenly, a voice broke the awkward silence. Lin Huan weakly said, “Um… do you guys know about something called call forwarding?”

I paused for a moment, then quickly walked over and lifted the back cover of Zhou Qifang’s phone, confirming that there was only one SIM card inside. I then asked Lin Huan to use his phone to call Zhou Qifang’s number.