Chapter 127 - 101: Dad’s Forces Can Grow Stronger Again!

Chapter 127: Chapter 101: Dad’s Forces Can Grow Stronger Again!

Zeng Anmin didn’t hesitate. He walked toward the exposed hole and reached inside. His fingers brushed against a stack of paper.

SWISH!

He grabbed everything inside in one fell swoop, bundling it all together and pulling it out. His gaze narrowed slightly at the sight of the stack of letters.

Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, Bai Ziqing stared straight ahead, his face utterly devoid of expression.

An incredibly effeminate figure had appeared before him. The man had a pale, smooth face caked in rouge and powder, though dense stubble was still faintly visible beneath the makeup. His hips swayed with an exaggerated sway as he walked. It was absolutely revolting.

"Chi Bufan?" Bai Ziqing said, his voice flat and his face impassive.

"My, if it isn’t Director Bai. What are you doing guarding the courtyard?" A coquettish smile spread across Chi Bufan’s face as he tilted his chin up, looking down his nose at Bai Ziqing. His tone alone was enough to make someone’s skin crawl.

"What are you doing here?" Bai Ziqing looked at him coldly.

"Why can’t I be here? The documents clearly state that we are to jointly assist in confiscating this estate. I came to see if your men were slacking off." Chi Bufan’s smile didn’t waver. His gaze darted toward the courtyard as he stepped around Bai Ziqing and continued forward.

"Get lost!" Bai Ziqing snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"Hehe, what’s with the fiery temper?" Chi Bufan raised an eyebrow, his expression growing even more flirtatious. He took several more steps into the courtyard. His approaching footsteps were now faintly audible to Zeng Anmin inside.

"I said, get lost," Bai Ziqing growled, slowly stalking toward him.

"What? Are you going to hit me? Internal strife between Directors of the Imperial City Department? Come on, hit me right here. Hurry up.

"Beat me to death. Once I’m dead, you’ll have peace for the rest of your days," Chi Bufan said, showing no sign of fear as he continued to glare disdainfully at Bai Ziqing. A hint of genuine anticipation even flashed through his alluring smile.

Bai Ziqing’s hands were clenched into tight fists, but he didn’t strike.

"Hehe." Chi Bufan chuckled softly, his gaze sliding toward the ancestral hall. "This Director has come to pay respects to the Grand Ancestor."

With that, he strutted toward the hall, his plump behind still swaying with every step. As he drew closer, he suddenly stopped.

Inside the ancestral hall before him, a figure was kneeling respectfully on a prayer mat, hands pressed together in reverence toward the memorial tablets on the altar. Zeng Anmin slowly opened his eyes and looked at Chi Bufan.

He gulped, wondering why this man looked so sickening.

"Who are you?" When Chi Bufan’s gaze landed on Zeng Anmin’s face, his rather large eyes lit up slightly. "How come I haven’t seen you before, handsome?"

"I am the Accountant hired by Director Bai." Zeng Anmin rose slowly and stepped aside to make room. "Do you wish to pay your respects to the Grand Ancestor?"

"Heh." Chi Bufan’s smile widened. A flash of bashfulness crossed his eyes as he bowed deeply to Zeng Anmin. "You are so polite, handsome. It makes me feel quite ungracious by comparison."

Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees on the prayer mat. As the man had stepped closer, an overpowering scent assaulted Zeng Anmin’s nostrils, making his stomach churn violently. It was a sickening blend of countless cheap perfumes and face powders, mixed with the sharp, pungent stench of urine. The smell was an absolute assault on the senses.

"Right, I’ll be going now," Zeng Anmin said, nodding at him before slowly retreating.

However, he cleverly softened his footsteps and paused outside the door to listen closely. Moments later, he heard a faint CLICK. The sound was almost imperceptible, but it was all too familiar.

It was the sound of a hidden compartment being opened!

Zeng Anmin’s eyes narrowed slightly. He thought, "This Chi Bufan is suspicious."

The man had clearly come specifically for that hidden compartment! So... whose side was Chi Bufan on? Harboring a myriad of doubts, Zeng Anmin kept quiet and simply walked out into the courtyard.

Bai Ziqing immediately shot him an anxious and questioning look. Meeting the Director’s gaze, Zeng Anmin slowly nodded to signal that everything was fine. Only then did Bai Ziqing let out a quiet sigh of relief, nodding back in acknowledgment.

For the rest of the morning, they were kept busy at Prince Qi’s Mansion. Bai Ziqing truly utilized him as a full-fledged Accountant.

"Here." Bai Ziqing handed Zeng Anmin an abacus.

Zeng Anmin raised an eyebrow. "What are you giving me this for?"

"To calculate the accounts," Bai Ziqing said, glancing at him. "What else?"

"Hehe." Zeng Anmin chuckled and shook his head, tossing the abacus aside. "I don’t need it. Just read the numbers out loud; I can do the math in my head."

Bai Ziqing looked at him suspiciously. "Are you an expert in mathematics, too?"

Zeng Anmin simply pushed the abacus back to him and closed his eyes. "You give me a problem, and I’ll answer. Then you can calculate it to see if I’m right."

Bai Ziqing fired off four or five complex arithmetic problems in a row, and Zeng Anmin answered all of them instantly. Having walked the path of the Confucian Dao and opened his Purple Mansion, his memory and logical reasoning had both improved drastically.

Refusing to believe it, Bai Ziqing opened his mouth to give him another problem.

"Alright, that’s enough. We have actual work to do," Zeng Anmin said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Uh..." Bai Ziqing didn’t press the issue. He quickly grabbed the ledger and began dictating the figures. The two of them got down to work.

During this time, Chi Bufan emerged from the ancestral hall and even came over to greet Zeng Anmin.

"Handsome, if you ever have some free time, you should come visit me at my office in the Imperial City Department." As he spoke, Chi Bufan winked at him and suggestively licked his lips. With a coquettish giggle, he turned and sashayed away, his hips swaying wildly once more.

A violent shudder of revulsion ran down Zeng Anmin’s spine. He shivered with absolute disgust. To be hit on by someone like that... he genuinely wanted to punch the man. However, he managed to restrain himself.

After hurrying to finish the accounting work, he bid Bai Ziqing farewell.

"I’ll be taking my leave now," Zeng Anmin said, waving at the Director with a cheerful smile.