Chapter 24: It Is Miss Chi Who Likes It

Chi Mu kept her head lowered. Her long, raven-feather-like eyelashes cast a veil of shadows beneath her eyes. Just moments ago, watching her on the surveillance footage, she had appeared stunningly radiant. Now that she was standing right in front of him, her beauty was even more breathtaking.

Fu Ningli recalled her from middle school—a sweet, adorable girl who was a favorite among the teachers. Even he, back then, would occasionally steal a few glances at her.

When Chi Mu did not receive an answer, she looked up, only to be caught by the nebulous stirrings deep within his dark eyes. Startled, Fu Ningli quickly suppressed the emotion in his gaze and replied, "Yes, right there. It hurts a little."

"It’s nothing major. Just be careful from now on." Chi Mu let go of his trouser leg and carefully examined the recovery of his legs. Seeing no issues, she felt relieved. "You should take it easy for a few days; don't walk too heavily."

"Oh." Fu Ningli nodded. "I'm heading back to the countryside in a couple of days. There’s an undeveloped little mountain there; I've heard it's filled with rare and precious herbs. Would you like to come with me and take a look?"

"Since when are you interested in herbal medicine?"

"My company is involved in the pharmaceutical industry, and we’ve hit a bottleneck in our new drug development. I thought I’d take advantage of this trip to the village to see if I might find a breakthrough."

"Have you never been there before?"

"The villagers call it the 'Ghost Mountain.' They say it's man-eating. My grandmother wouldn't let me go near it when I was a child."

Hearing this, Chi Mu became very interested. "A man-eating Ghost Mountain? You dare to go?"

Fu Ningli raised his eyebrows slightly, and under Chi Mu’s curious gaze, he continued, "Later, someone dug up a thousand-year-old ginseng in that mountain and became rich overnight. Wealth is sought in danger, so I want to go and see."

"You're choosing money over your life."

"That's why I want to bring you along."

"?" Chi Mu narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I'm a walking medicine chest meant to keep you alive?"

Fu Ningli gave a noncommittal shrug. "If you're afraid, you don't have to go. It's just a pity about the herbs in the mountain; it seems they won't have the chance to fall into the hands of the Divine Doctor Chi to benefit the world in this lifetime."

Fu Ningli wore an expression of regret that made Chi Mu chuckle. "Between your reverse psychology and your flattery, it seems I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Then, may I pick you up this Saturday?"

"Alright." Chi Mu thought to herself that her clinic could indeed use some new medicinal supplies.

Uncle Zhang brought over a box of chocolates. There were various brands, origins, and flavors—everything one could imagine. Chi Mu was dazzled by the selection.

Fu Ningli returned from his study with a small gift box and handed it to her. "A token of my appreciation."

Chi Mu was surprised. She took the box and opened it.

Inside was an ocean-blue bracelet embedded with a diamond strawberry hair clip. It was somewhat kitschy, yet delicate.

"Hmm, it's pretty," Chi Mu said.

Fu Ningli smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

After Chi Mu left, Fu Ningli returned to his study and picked up a small strawberry hair clip, holding it in his palm to admire it. This clip was identical to the one on the bracelet. He had it custom-made to the exact dimensions of the original.

It was a pity. She didn't remember. She didn't remember that this was the little hair clip she had once worn.

Years ago, he had encountered her in an alleyway, scavenging for potato chips to eat. She had scrambled away from him in a panic, accidentally brushing off her strawberry hair clip. It had fallen right by his feet. He had picked it up, and for some inexplicable reason, he had kept it with him, preserving it to this day.

Uncle Zhang knocked and entered. "Sir, Geng Yu has arrived."

"Let him in."

Geng Yu walked in wearing a somber black suit, the frost of the winter air still clinging to his shoulders, bringing a chill into the room. Fu Ningli put away the hair clip and looked up at him. His deep, dark eyes lacked any of the gentleness he had shown Chi Mu. "Pass down the order: before Saturday, scour every country for rare and precious herbs. Transplant them to the Ghost Mountain in Xing Village. They must be fresh and alive."

"Yes!"

Geng Yu left the study with a head full of questions. He pulled Uncle Zhang aside, his expression grave. "Is something major about to happen?"

Uncle Zhang was busy picking up the chocolate wrappers Chi Mu had discarded from the trash can, noting down her preferences. He glanced at Geng Yu, then toward the study, and shook his head, whispering, "It's because Miss Chi likes them."

...

The Chi villa was deathly silent.

That was until Chi Yi returned. He kicked the front door of the villa open in a rage, dragging Mother Wang along—whom he had just bailed out of the police station—and began screaming at Chi Zhen'er. "I told Mother Wang to take those things out and sell them! Who gave you the right to meddle? What kind of person do you think you are, interfering in my affairs!"

Yun Sufen saw her son with a mix of three parts joy and seven parts shock. "Yi'er, why have you come back?"

"You kept me in the dark while Mother Wang was locked up for a month! The police couldn't reach me, and you didn't contact me either? I just explained everything to the police—it was me who owed gambling debts and asked Mother Wang to liquidate assets to pay them off. You owe Mother Wang compensation for her emotional distress!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll pay. We'll pay. Good son, don't be angry." Yun Sufen tried to soothe Chi Yi.

Chi Lifeng, slumped in the sofa, snorted coldly upon hearing this. "A useless son, a disgraceful daughter. The company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and all you do is bicker and fight!"

Chi Yi, filled with youthful hostility, sneered back, "I saw the livestream on my way back. It really is disgraceful. Filthy!"

The morose Chi Zhen'er suddenly jumped up. "I'm filthy? I'm your sister!"

"I don't even want to acknowledge you as a sister! The whole world knows you were in bed with your brother-in-law. I find it shameful! Disgusting!"

"I'm disgusting? When I was a child, I was kidnapped by human traffickers because I was out buying you candy! My life turned out this way because of you!"

"Don't give me that! If you're stupid, don't blame me! Besides, the moment you came back, our family went bankrupt. You're a jinx!"

"I'm a jinx? The company is going bankrupt because Dad physically abused Chi Mu!"

"Dad hitting Chi Mu was because of you!"

"What does that have to do with me!"

The two siblings argued incessantly. Chi Lifeng stood up abruptly and hurled an ashtray at them. "Shut up, both of you!"

The ashtray smashed against the glass window. The entire pane shattered into fragments, clattering to the floor, illuminating everyone's pale faces. The whole villa went quiet.

Chi Lifeng lit a cigarette, his fury still burning. After a long silence, Chi Yi mustered the courage to speak again. "Dad, I owe eighty million in gambling debts. They said if I can't pay it back, they'll chop off my hands. I came back to get the money."

"Let them chop them off. I don't have money for you."

"Dad! I am your only son! Do you want the family line to end with me?!"

"Shall I sell myself to pay for you then?!" Chi Lifeng roared, his eyes bloodshot.

Yun Sufen was terrified. "Lifeng, we can't just abandon Yi'er. If Chi Mu were still here, we could have asked her to get the money from the Ji family..."

"Don't you dare mention her name in front of me! So what if I hit her? I raised her, I can hit her whenever I want!"

While still fuming, Chi Lifeng received a call from his assistant and snapped impatiently, "Which partner wants to terminate the contract now?!"

[Mr. Chi, the partners are no longer terminating the contracts.]

"They aren't? Really?" He was overjoyed.

Assistant: [Yes, but there is one condition: the contracts must be signed with Miss Chi Mu.]