Taboo Mage - Chapter 232 - A Bizarre Demand

I gritted my teeth, wishing nothing more than to kick this person out of my house.

Zhou Qifang opened his mouth, about to say something, but Li Mi had already finished her phone call outside and pushed the door open to enter.

As she glanced up and saw me sitting on the couch, her expression slightly changed, but she said nothing and walked straight towards Zhou Qifang.

“Mr. Zhou, I’ve discussed this with Boss Hu,” she said. “Boss Hu mentioned that as long as you can help, he’s willing to offer you thirty percent of the company shares.”

I couldn’t help but marvel internally at Boss Hu’s generosity-offering up thirty percent of the company shares in one go. It made me wonder just how substantial his company was.

If it was sizable, those shares could translate into a significant sum of money.

The temptation was undoubtedly great.

Sure enough, a hint of a smile finally appeared on Zhou Qifang’s face, “Mr. Hu’s sincerity is impressive, but unfortunately, I’m not interested in shares.”

“What exactly do you want then?” Li Mi squinted her eyes, her face growing impatient.

Zhou Qifang extended his hand and waved it in front of Li Mi, saying, “A palm! I want-your right hand!”

“You…” Li Mi suddenly stood up from her chair.

I looked at Zhou Qifang in surprise and confusion, completely unable to understand why he would want a woman’s right hand. What could he possibly do with it? Fry it up for dinner?

Zhou Qifang confirmed again, “You heard me right. If I help you with this matter, then I want your right hand. In other words, I will arrange for a doctor at the hospital to perform a complete amputation of your right hand.”

“Freak!” Li Mi’s face turned furious, and she screamed before grabbing her bag and storming out.

The door slammed shut so hard that it nearly shook the ceiling. I shook my head at Zhou Qifang, “Why bother? If you really wanted to help her, you could have sincerely offered help and negotiated the terms. If you weren’t willing, you shouldn’t have made such a demand. Now, why torture a woman like this?”

“What, feeling pity for her?” Zhou Qifang gave me a cold look and didn’t say another word, just stood up and walked upstairs.

I was somewhat baffled by his anger towards me-I hadn’t provoked him, nor had I done anything to offend him.

“Monk, do you know what Zhou Qifang really wants to do?” I asked Jue Chi.

Jue Chi shook his head and stood up from the couch, heading towards his room. As he reached the stairs, he suddenly turned back and looked at me, saying, “His heart is more complex than you imagine, yet also simpler than you think, so there’s no need for you to speculate wildly.”

What was he talking about? Both complex and simple?

The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. I slapped my forehead and turned to go back to my room to catch up on some sleep.

The next morning, Jue Chi was set to return to Chan Guang Monastery with the little fox, as they had been away for several days, and it was indeed time for him to check back.

Moreover, with the little fox’s situation still potentially causing a stir, it was best for it to stay safely in the mountains and not wander around.

Lin Huan drove to take Jue Chi back, and I sat on the couch, utterly bored, my eyes aimlessly scanning the room. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn’t seen Zhou Qifang holding our ancestral tablet recently.

That little rascal, perhaps seeing that I hadn’t been able to attend to his matters recently, was deliberately slacking off?

Thinking this, I went upstairs to knock on Zhou Qifang’s door, but when I approached, I noticed that the door was ajar.

I pushed the door open and, as expected, no one was inside.

I looked around puzzled. I had gotten up quite early today, so how had I missed seeing Zhou Qifang? Could it be that he had gone out early in the morning?

Although he had been living here for two or three months, Zhou Qifang was quite reclusive and rarely interacted with people outside of our small group.

So, what could he possibly be doing going out so early?

With nothing else to do, I sat on the couch, staring at the door, wondering when Zhou Qifang would come back.

But after a long wait, instead of Zhou Qifang, it was Li Mi who arrived.

Li Mi looked around the room, completely ignoring the very much alive person sitting on the couch.

“Don’t bother looking, Zhou Qifang isn’t here,” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

This person was really pragmatic-calling me ‘bro’ affectionately when she needed me, and not even sparing me a glance when she didn’t.

How was I supposed to know that Zhou Qifang had such charm that, without knowing his circumstances, she would be so eager to seek him out based on a few words alone?

“Brother Gu, where has Mr. Zhou gone? I have something important to discuss with him,” Li Mi said, looking anxious, her grip tightening on her handbag as she continued to search the room for any sign of Zhou Qifang.

I waved my hand to indicate that I didn’t know, and Li Mi’s expression turned even uglier. After pacing around the living room a few times, she finally sat down on the couch, but she remained visibly restless.

I watched her, initially not wanting to engage, but seeing Li Mi in such a state, I couldn’t help but feel compelled to warn her.

“Are you really sure about this? Trading one hand for that man’s future?”

“Huh?” Li Mi seemed to be lost in her thoughts and only snapped back to reality when she heard me speak. She looked at me and said, “Brother Gu, I really do like Boss Hu quite a bit. I’m truly willing…”

“I guess you went back yesterday to negotiate the terms with Boss Hu,” I said with a scoff, suddenly finding the whole situation absurd. How could Li Mi think that her few insincere words could deceive me?

“Brother Gu…” Li Mi’s face flushed red, and she bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

“I’m guessing Boss Hu told you that as long as you can find a master to help him, he would be completely free from his current wife. After that, grateful for your efforts and sacrifice, he would divorce and marry you, right?” I crossed my legs and folded my arms.

Li Mi didn’t respond, just clenched the handbag tighter, the veins on her hands standing out.

“Or perhaps, Boss Hu promised you that even if he can’t marry you, he would take care of your luxury and riches for the rest of your life. Whichever it is, it’s what you ultimately want. Moreover, asking for someone’s hand is illegal. I guess you and Boss Hu even planned to expose Zhou Qifang after everything is settled. By then, he’ll be a fugitive, and he won’t have the time to demand your hand.”

I think my words had guessed all of Li Mi’s thoughts, so when I looked at her face turning from green to purple, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.