My Core is the Boss

Chapter 306.2: I Was Joking

When Wang Shiqiao turned around, she saw Qi Yuan walking over with a smile, carrying a finely wrapped gift box. Joy flashed in her eyes, only to turn into conflict.

Zhao Di was obviously angry with her. If Xu Tiehua had appeared instead of Qi Yuan, Wang Shiqiao could boldly let him resolve the situation. She was afraid of dragging Qi Yuan into unnecessary trouble. After all, Qi Yuan came from an ordinary background. If Zhao Di held a grudge against him, it would likely be very troublesome.

"You're back?" Wang Shiqiao twisted herself a little, but failed to break free from Zhao Di's grip. She stopped struggling. "Qi Yuan, Senior Brother Xu Tiehua earned a spot in the top ten of this tournament. They're celebrating inside. Go take a look."

"Oh, top ten? Looks like our gym really is full of hidden talents." Qi Yuan waved the exquisitely packaged box. "But today, I came here specifically to find you."

Zero-One had specially wrapped it in a feminine style. It even tied a pink ribbon into a bow, making it appear very girly and full of maidenly charm.

Qi Yuan waved the gift box, smiling. "This is my gift for you. It's worth one million!"

He had come to the martial arts hall for two reasons. First, to find Wang Shiqiao and collect one million. Second, to inform the hall master that he would be showing up less often in the future.

Wang Shiqiao froze. "One million?"

Did this guy just wake up? Why would he give her a gift? Had this happened inside the martial arts hall, she would have been suspicious at first before feeling delighted.

Qi Yuan was always honest. He probably wasn’t scheming anything. Did this mean that he had changed? Either way, it clearly wasn’t the right time.

Zhao Di also stared at Qi Yuan with interest, hostility hidden in the depths of her gaze. "Little Qiao, is this one of your admirers? Isn't he quite handsome?"

Everyone here was an adult. If someone gave a gift, it was either because they wanted a favor, or were pursuing someone.

Zhao Di naturally assumed it was the latter. "A gift worth one million? Can I take a look?”

At a glance, she could tell Qi Yuan's clothing was very ordinary. Though delicately wrapped, the gift had a distinctly cheap quality to it. She didn’t believe for a second that anything inside the box was worth one million.

Wang Shiqiao immediately interjected, "This is my gift. Whether I open it and when I open it is my freedom."

It was obvious to her that Zhao Di was trying to make things difficult for Qi Yuan. She refused to let Zhao Di mock Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan said, "Yeah, let’s just open it so you can confirm it. I'm also in a hurry to head back. I've been traveling nonstop these past few days and I'm exhausted. I need to go home and rest properly."

Afterward, he had to resume his travel and follow Yang Shan to take the Martial Arts Tournament test.

"Huh?" Wang Shiqiao froze, not understanding what Qi Yuan was up to. "You're sure you want to open it now?"

Qi Yuan said confidently, "Of course. What's there to be afraid of? There's no one else here, and no surveillance cameras either. It's fine."

They were in a corner of the martial arts gym building where almost no one ever went.

Wang Shiqiao was confused, feeling that Qi Yuan's words sounded a little strange.

Zhao Di snatched the aggressively girly gift box. "Then let me open it for you and see what kind of gift is worth one million!"

Instead of roughly tearing it off, she carefully untied the bow, full of curiosity.

In truth, Wang Shiqiao was even more curious than she was. The fact that Qi Yuan was giving her a gift was strange enough already. And it was supposedly worth one million?

As time passed second by second, Zhao Di opened the package. A faint exotic fragrance drifted out, mixed with a trace of blood and a slight salty smell. She lifted the lid. Immediately, a large bloody head appeared before her eyes.

Zhao Di let out a shrill scream, and the box fell onto the ground. "AAAH!"

She stared at Qi Yuan, terror written all over her face. Without a moment's hesitation, she turned and ran. Her broken sword fell to the ground, but she dared not pick it up.

It was a real human head! What kind of psycho carried a human head around as a gift on the street?! Running first was the wisest choice! As for whether Wang Shiqiao lived or died, why would she care?

Meanwhile, Wang Shiqiao's mind was also completely blank. She stood frozen in place, her limbs numb, unable to move. "You... you..."

Qi Yuan said considerately, "You like this gift, right? Look how excited you are, you can't even speak."

Fear gripped her heart. She hated that Zhao Di had run away, leaving her alone with a psychopathic murderer.

Qi Yuan stretched out his hand. "Alright, I've already given you the head. Shouldn't you give me one million now?"

How many tens of thousands of bowls of beef noodles could that buy? It absolutely could not be wasted.

Wang Shiqiao was completely dumbfounded. She even began to imagine that Qi Yuan was extorting her. He was basically holding a human head and demanding one million. Although it made no sense, anyone who saw that head would probably pay.

Qi Yuan said, "I've already sent you my bank account number on your phone. Remember to transfer the money."

Looking into Qi Yuan's sincere eyes, Wang Shiqiao could only nod. What else could she do? Give the head back to him?

Qi Yuan rambled on, "Why do you look so unwilling? Do you know how much effort I put in for this head? I traveled thousands of miles to Wugui, searched through all the military bases there, and finally found the guy who insulted you online for months.

"Do you know how much risk I took? My heart was in my throat going through security checks. One million is not too much, right?"

Wang Shiqiao froze. The one who had cursed at her online for months? Could it be?

She forced herself to look directly at the bloody head. When she saw that familiar face, her eyes widened. "He is... he is..."

It was indeed the Guiran officer who had been arguing with her online! His head was actually inside Qi Yuan's gift box... The absurdity of it all was beyond comprehension.

Suddenly, she remembered that a few days ago, Qi Yuan said that he was in Wugui. Then, she recalled a joke she had made a few months ago. She had said that if Qi Yuan could bring her the Guiran officer's head, she would give him one million. Everything connected.

Wang Shiqiao felt like crying, trembling inwardly. I was just joking, but you actually went and did it?!

She suddenly felt very grateful that her joke had been relatively conservative. If she had made a bigger joke by accident, who knew what Qi Yuan would have done.

At the same time, countless questions filled her mind. How had Qi Yuan done this? From the videos he had posted, the man was clearly no ordinary officer, he even had noble status. How had someone who used the military as a stepping stone to prestige ended up like this?

Seeing that she was silent, Qi Yuan quickly said, "Although what I said was a little exaggerated, it's basically about the same. I expect one million, nothing less."

This was the Qi-style inequality.

Wang Shiqiao swallowed hard. "I'll transfer the one million to you right away."

One million was not exactly a small amount, but it was something she could squeeze out. After all, he had literally brought the head to her. How could she possibly dare refuse? What if Qi Yuan cut off her head and put it into this gift box instead?

She decided that from now on, she had to be much more careful when speaking to Qi Yuan. No more casual remarks. Actually, it would be better to stay as far away from him as possible!

Qi Yuan reminded her seriously once again, "You'd better keep the head safe. No seven-day no-reason returns, and no refund policy."

She could only nervously close the box and hold the gift with a lifeless expression. "Okay."

"Oh? There's a broken sword here. Whose is it? Who dropped it? Is there no owner?" He bent down to pick up the broken sword. "If it has no owner, then it's mine."

Qi Yuan was in an excellent mood. He felt that fortune was smiling upon him today. Not only had he earned one million, but he had also gotten a broken sword. Though insignificant to an immortal cultivator, this sword held some importance to a martial artist.

Seeing how nonchalant he was the whole time, Wang Shiqiao did not dare object in the slightest. "That's right. An ownerless item is yours now."

He calmly put away the broken sword. "Come on, let's go back into the martial arts gym together."

Holding the gift box, Wang Shiqiao nodded numbly. How could she possibly refuse anything Qi Yuan said right now? Even if he told her to strip and run naked through the streets, she felt that she could only grit her teeth and agree.

Following behind Qi Yuan, her thoughts were in utter chaos. Soon after, the two entered the martial arts gym.

Xing Yu looked over, somewhat surprised. Skipping over Qi Yuan, she smiled at her best friend. "Oh? Is that a gift from that person? Judging from your face, you don't seem to like it. If you don't like it, just throw it away!"

Wang Shiqiao panicked, "I like it. I like it very much!"

"I gave it to her," Qi Yuan said calmly from the side.

Surprise flashed through Xing Yu's eyes. She reached out, wanting to tug at the gift box. "You blockhead, you finally came to your senses and got Little Qiao a gift? Little Qiao, hurry and let me see what it is!"

Wang Shiqiao hurriedly stepped back. "Don't!"

Xing Yu tactfully stopped trying and instead laughed. "Don't tell me it's one of those gifts that makes the girlfriend cry tears of joy!"

Wang Shiqiao inwardly agreed. She was on the verge of tears, too frightened to even move!

After saying goodbye to Wang Shiqiao and the others, Qi Yuan went to see the second senior brother to inform that he would be coming much less often in the future.

"Oh, alright. You're the student and you paid the money. Whatever you say goes." Second Senior Brother smiled lightly. "Also, it's such a pity you missed this Martial Arts Tournament. Xu Tiehua performed very well and got ninth place!"

Everyone had been flattering Xu Tiehua by saying "top ten," without mentioning the exact ranking. That was because Xu Tiehua had placed ninth.

Qi Yuan casually praised, "Not bad. Talents keep emerging."

Second Senior Brother said somewhat regretfully, "It's a pity you didn't come. If you had participated, our martial arts hall would have had four people. We could have earned a spot in our team event."

Qi Yuan merely shrugged. "My friend ran into trouble, so I had no choice but to go abroad. When you see Xu Tiehua later, help me pass along my apologies."

Even though he had a psychiatric certificate, he still had to play the role of a mentally ill person with emotional intelligence. Since he had stood Xu Tiehua up, he had to apologize. Unfortunately, he likely would not be returning to the gym, so this was the best course of action.

"Mhm. It’s nothing serious. Looks like you'll only get the chance to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament next year and broaden your horizons," Second Senior Brother continued, "but by next year, you'll probably already be a martial artist. Maybe you'll even get a good ranking."

Qi Yuan shook his head. "Why wait until next year? I still have to participate in the national championship..."

Second Senior Brother laughed. "Haha! And win the championship, right?"

Qi Yuan's declaration that he would win the national championship had spread throughout the martial arts hall. No one took him seriously.

Seeing the amusement in second senior brother's eyes, Qi Yuan could not be bothered to explain, nor would he.