My Core is the Boss

Chapter 283.1: Are You Masters Illegitimate Son?

Qi Yuan glanced at Xiaomei.She froze slightly, a complicated look flashing across her beautiful eyes. "Are you pretending to be sick?"

There was a hint of surprise in her gaze. She had seen Qi Yuan's medical report and had even spoken with the female doctor. The diagnosis had sounded perfectly normal.

He replied seriously, "How did you know? Having a mental illness certificate makes everything easier to handle."

Qi Yuan committed to the role of a mentally ill person so thoroughly that his certificate was never far from him.

Xiaomei appeared curious, clearly thinking about something. "Really?"

He said matter-of-factly, "It is as real as it gets. Do I look like someone with mental illness?"

Soon, their meal arrived. The two began eating while chatting.

Qi Yuan gobbled a chicken drumstick. "Where's Cui Fan? I need to find him. I have something urgent that I need him for."

Naturally, he wanted to find the crew-cut man to borrow from loan sharks. Maybe he could even get a few million.

The woman showed a bewitching smile. "He's been arrested. He is in prison now."

"Huh?" He froze. "What happened?"

That was just terrible luck! He had been chatting with Cui Fan just two days ago, and now the guy was in jail?

"He's suspected of illegal loan shark operations and violent debt collection, so he got arrested. Also, Tianyue City has been cracking down recently, and most loan sharks have been arrested," the woman said with a smile.

Qi Yuan was speechless.

She asked casually, "Are you in need of money?"

He answered honestly, "Yes. I was planning to borrow some from loan sharks."

Judging from what Xiaomei said, that option was no longer viable.

Xiaomei said softly, "Loan sharks aren't easy to deal with. They're either tied to organized crime or worse... If you need money, it's better not to go that route."

In Tianyue City, the loan shark network ran deep, and those arrested were nothing more than expendable pawns.

"But... I need money," Qi Yuan said helplessly. "These police are way too efficient. Couldn't they wait until after I borrowed the money? That way, I wouldn't even have to repay it."

"What do you need so much money for? How much do you need?"

He became serious. "I want to train in martial arts and learn boxing!"

It had become his main objective.

"Martial arts..." The woman paused, something flickering in her eyes. "There's no future in it. Even if you become number one in Qin Yuan Kingdom, at most you'll just become an internet celebrity."

Qi Yuan said in surprise, "I'm mentally ill. Wouldn't being an internet celebrity be quite profitable? Are you saying martial arts is worse than working in a factory tightening screws?"

The woman fell silent. Perhaps she stood at too high a level. For Qi Yuan, martial arts really was a path forward.

Finally, she offered. "If you need money, I can lend you some. How about 100,000?"

He felt disappointed. If he borrowed money, he wanted the kind he wouldn't have to repay. If he borrowed from Xiaomei, that clearly wasn't the case.

Qi Yuan urgently needed funds. "Well, I guess I do need it. But can I borrow more?"

Besides martial arts training, cultivation also required materials. He required as much money as possible. Since she seemed capable, he might as well ask big.

He gazed at her expectantly. "Do you have ninety million?"

Xiaomei was speechless. After a moment, she said, "At most, 300,000."

She had calculated carefully. That amount was enough for Qi Yuan to dabble in martial arts.

Qi Yuan was easily satisfied. "Alright, 300,000 it is."

He immediately gave her his bank account number.

Xiaomei narrowed her eyes. "We've just met, and this is a blind date. I'm willing to lend you 300,000. Aren't you worried that there's some kind of scheme?"

Indeed, under normal circumstances, such a thing would never happen.

He replied matter-of-factly, "I have a mental illness certificate. I'm not afraid of schemes."

"Now I'm starting to think you really are mentally ill."

"I already told you, I'm pretending."

The woman acted decisively, standing up. "Alright, check your account. I've transferred the money. Bye."

Her black outfit clung tightly to her long legs, accentuating their curves.

Qi Yuan called out, "Wait! Don't go! You haven't paid for the meal yet!"

She froze. "I'm paying?"

"Have you ever seen a mentally ill person paying for their own meal?"

Her expression stiffened as she gritted her teeth. "Fine, I'll pay!"

Qi Yuan lowered his head and continued eating.

***

After paying, the woman left and entered a black sedan parked outside. Inside the car sat two people, a male driver and a burly woman. Both of them were seated in front, while “Xiaomei” sat in the back.

"Captain, is it done?" the burly woman asked in a deep voice.

"Mhm..." The woman in black's gaze turned thoughtful. "I've seen my master's son... He seems fine. Looks like the previous information was wrong."

A few days ago, she had received news that her master's son was gravely ill, prompting her to rush back to meet Qi Yuan. Although he appeared somewhat weak, he could eat normally. Besides, her military-grade scanner detected no major issues. The burden in her heart finally eased.

"That's good." The burly woman smiled. "It's a blessing he's grown up safely."

The woman in black twirled a small knife between her fingers. "He wants to practice martial arts."

"Martial arts?" The burly woman's pupils shrank. "Could it be, he knows about Master's death and wants revenge? But martial arts wouldn't be enough..."

The woman in black smiled faintly. "You're overthinking it. I think he just wants to improve his health. As for Master's matter, we'll handle it ourselves."

"You're right." The burly woman nodded. "Haa... Lately, there have been more and more missions. It feels like something strange is happening."

The woman in black frowned. "Mhm. There's been an increase in missions involving ancient tombs and ruins."

Such missions used to be rare, but recently they had been appearing like mushrooms after rain.

"I feel like something big is about to happen," the burly woman murmured.

The driver laughed. "Even if something big happens, would it fall on people like us?"