Taboo Mage - Chapter 236 - A Meeting of Four

Chi Rui was already accustomed to Zhou Qifang’s attitude. Without saying a word, he stood up and walked straight over to the table where Xu Benzhang and Hu Zhipeng were seated.

My eyes widened in shock. What was this guy planning to do?

I stared at Chi Rui’s every move without blinking, worried he might stir up trouble. If we were to compare strength, the three of us combined wouldn’t stand a chance against Xu Benzhang, the Local Tyrant. But Chi Rui, the young master of the Chi Family, clearly didn’t care about such concerns. As I watched him approach Xu Benzhang, my heart leapt into my throat.

If he really caused a scene, we’d all be dragged into it.

From my angle, I saw Chi Rui pull out a chair next to Hu Zhipeng and sit down.

The expressions on Hu Zhipeng and Xu Benzhang’s faces were hard to read, but their eyes betrayed impatience as they looked at Chi Rui.

Chi Rui leaned in close to Xu Benzhang, squinting as he whispered something. At first, Xu Benzhang’s face remained neutral, but as Chi Rui stood up and walked away from the table, his expression darkened. Even Hu Zhipeng’s face turned as red as a tomato, looking like a crab freshly pulled from a boiling pot.

Chi Rui flicked the hem of his suit jacket and walked back toward us, a smug grin plastered across his face-clearly aimed at Zhou Qifang.

I glanced at Zhou Qifang, hoping to see some sign of irritation, but to my disappointment, his face remained serious as he stared intently at Xu Benzhang’s table.

“Done,” Chi Rui said as he sat down, his first words dripping with confidence.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked, “What did you do?”

Chi Rui shook his head without answering, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket. He glanced around the room before placing the cigarette on the table.

“Boss Gu, long time no see. What a coincidence to run into you here,” Xu Benzhang said, his face crinkling into a smile that resembled a blooming chrysanthemum.

I looked up and replied, “Mr. Xu, shouldn’t you be at home taking care of your mother?”

I admit, my question was intentionally provocative. It’s not unusual for someone to go out for a meal, but for some reason, seeing Xu Benzhang always made me lose control of my tongue.

Xu Benzhang’s expression shifted briefly, but as a seasoned bureaucrat, he was far better at masking his emotions than I was.

He rambled on about trivial matters, small talk that felt increasingly tedious as it dragged on. I had hoped he might reveal something significant, but the longer he spoke, the more impatient I became. Still, I couldn’t afford to lose my temper in front of everyone, so I endured it.

After a while, realizing no one was engaging with him, Xu Benzhang glanced at me before returning to his table.

As soon as he left, I grabbed Chi Rui and demanded to know what he had said.

Chi Rui gave me a sly look and replied, “Nothing much. I just told Xu Benzhang and Hu Zhipeng that you two were sitting here and happened to notice them.”

My eyes widened again, baffled by Chi Rui’s intentions.

Zhou Qifang, who had been silent all this time, shot Chi Rui a cold glance.

I couldn’t understand why Chi Rui had chosen to confront them directly. We could have stayed where we were, observing Xu Benzhang and Hu Zhipeng from a distance. Why did he feel the need to alert them?

Was this his so-called plan?

“Actually, while it might not be the smartest move, it’s not entirely foolish either,” Zhou Qifang said slowly.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

“If we can’t figure out the relationship between those two, or why Hu Zhipeng suddenly approached us, then we might as well lay our cards on the table,” Zhou Qifang explained.

I mulled over his words. While his reasoning made sense, it also risked tipping them off. I still wasn’t entirely convinced by Chi Rui’s approach.

The meal was far from enjoyable. After settling the bill, I turned to call the others to leave, only to find Xu Benzhang and Hu Zhipeng had somehow joined us at our table.

Standing there with my phone in hand, I stared at the four of them chatting amicably, momentarily stunned.

It was Xu Benzhang who broke the silence, calling out to me, “Boss Gu, don’t just stand there. Have a seat before you go.”

I forced a smile, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Hu Zhipeng was already deep in conversation with Zhou Qifang. I had arrived too late to catch the full discussion, but I could guess it was about business. Li Mi had already briefed us on the matter, and I wasn’t particularly interested.

So I turned to Xu Benzhang and struck up a conversation.

“Xu Benzhang, do you know Boss Hu?” I asked bluntly.

In situations like this, beating around the bush only raises suspicion. It’s better to be direct.

Xu Benzhang didn’t hesitate, replying, “Boss Gu, you know how it is these days. It’s rare for officials not to have friends in the business world. To be honest, Boss Hu ran into some trouble with his business, and I thought maybe you could help. It just so happens Boss Hu has other connections to you, so I figured you wouldn’t refuse. But I didn’t expect you to turn him down so decisively.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you two were acquainted,” I said, crossing my arms casually.

Not knowing was one thing; if I had known, I’d have been even less inclined to help. The Xu family had already drained too much of my time and energy.

Birds of a feather flock together. Boss Hu seemed like another troublemaker, and I had no interest in getting involved.

“That’s what I’m saying. So today, Boss Hu invited me here for a meal to see if I could persuade you. After all, it’s not just my face on the line; there’s another layer of connections here,” Xu Benzhang said, one hand resting on the table and the other on his knee.

I recognized the posture. Lin Huan always adopted this stance after pulling off something shady-a classic sign of guilt.

I shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his explanation, but I didn’t press further.

Zhou Qifang, however, let out a cold laugh and said, “So, according to Mr. Xu, Boss Hu ranked me as his second choice, huh?”