Chapter 268
Chapter 268
On the plate before him, a human head stared with eyes that refused to close in death.
Beside it lay a human hand, still steaming.
In one corner, a string of pale eyeballs all gazed at him.
The old monk now seriously wondered whether this owner had misunderstood the concept of food.
Or perhaps the concept of monks?
“Try some?”
Hearing Zhang Bei’s voice, the old monk gave him a conflicted look.
The teachings he studied and revered were those of Shakyamuni.
According to those teachings, whatever one received as alms had to be eaten without leaving a scrap.
But this stuff before him – forget faith for a moment. Even a normal person would have a fucking hard time swallowing it, wouldn’t they?
Chef Li saw the look in his boss’s eyes as he enjoyed the show and finally sighed.
“It’s all ordinary food. It just looks that way.”
With that explanation, the old monk finally breathed a sigh of relief.
For the first time in more than forty years of seeking the Buddha, he had begun to doubt human nature.
Could a person really go this far?
Without Chef Li’s explanation, he would probably be facing a crisis of faith right now.
With a trembling hand, the old monk picked up a spoon and brought a spoonful of brains to his mouth.
The fragrance of beans instantly filled his mouth.
At last, his anxious heart settled.
Looking at the old monk, Zhang Bei suddenly realized something.
It was winter now. Temperatures by the sea were still fairly warm, but a holiday was approaching.
The day when everyone abroad ate turkey. As believers, they were sure to have a large gathering at church.
Zhang Bei still remembered that group coming to cause trouble last time!
That entry in his book of grudges had been sitting there for a long time. It was time to settle the account.
“Venerable sir, would you have time a week from now?”
Jitian nodded. “This humble monk has wandered for ten years. Time is what I have in greatest abundance.”
“Then could I ask you to accompany me somewhere in a week?”
“You may.”
Jitian did not ask where. They lived in a society governed by law, after all.
Besides, he was an old man in his fifties without a penny to his name.
Surely nobody would be interested in his body?
At that thought, the old monk gave Zhang Bei a meaningful look.
A normal person certainly wouldn’t. But with this man, one really couldn’t be sure.
Still, he had already agreed. He couldn’t go back on his word now, could he?
With a touch of misery, the old monk applied himself to the dishes before him.
When the sumptuous meal was over, he pressed his palms together.
“Thank you for your hospitality, benefactor. I will be visiting the nearby temples over the next few days. I shall return punctually in a week.”
“Safe travels, venerable sir!”
“Please, see me no farther.”
After seeing the old monk off, Zhang Bei leaned back in his chair and stretched.
Meanwhile, Gu Yue looked worriedly at Qingqing lying in the Morgue.
As an accomplice in the kidnapping incident, she might have escaped the full Amusement Park package today.
But the coming Island trip certainly wouldn’t be much better.
Boss Zhang could always be impeccably fair in the most unexpected ways.
“Mmph!”
Qingqing opened her eyes in a daze and looked at the teammate who had stabbed her in the back.
Seeing the ringleader awake, Gu Yue hurriedly helped her sit up. “How do you feel?”
Qingqing opened her mouth, but not a sound emerged.
After all, anyone who had sung for three hours in overwhelming terror would be lucky to speak afterward.
Qingqing pointed at her throat to indicate that she couldn’t make a sound.
Gu Yue sighed and passed over her water cup.
“Next time you come up with some unreliable plan like this, could you discuss it with me first?”
“Mm!”
Seeing the ringleader agree, Gu Yue said no more.
For this woman who challenged Boss Zhang as part of her daily routine, life amounted to: I know I was wrong, and I’ll dare do it again next time!
The amusement park’s commotion had nothing to do with Meng Chuan and his frantic schedule of meetings.
He was aboard a plane produced on the Island, heading for the next country.
Of course, as Zhang Bei’s personally appointed beast of burden, he had to work even during the flight.
More than a dozen documents awaited his review, and he also needed to plan a direct flight route from the amusement park to the Island.
Boss Zhang wanted that route finalized as soon as possible.
He wanted to take visitors to experience Zootopia on the Island soon.
Thinking of how busy work had been lately, Meng Chuan sighed silently.
He would finish planning the route tonight and submit it tomorrow. Approval would come within twenty-four hours.
What could he say? As the Island’s representative, he had that much confidence!
Meng Chuan rubbed his chin. He had a nagging feeling he had forgotten some fairly unimportant task.
“Arthur, tell me my upcoming schedule.”
A mechanically synthesized voice sounded from the computer.
“Mr. Meng, from eight to ten tonight, you will attend a high-level meeting in that country. At five tomorrow morning, you will fly to the Island to handle the satellite base’s follow-up handover…”
The itinerary continued for more than ten minutes, yet Meng Chuan still didn’t hear the information he wanted.
What was it?
After thinking for a long time, Meng Chuan suddenly opened his email.
The list of messages he had sent his boss brought instant understanding.
Fuck. That was it!
After watching that Werewolf video, Meng Chuan had thought of using Boss Zhang’s technology to make a film and enter the entertainment industry.
But his email had sunk without a trace, and he had grown busier and busier, leaving the idea shelved.
If Arthur hadn’t been helping plan his schedule now, who knew how long it would have taken him to remember?
And so Boss Zhang, enjoying the setting sun, received a call from his secretary.
“What is it?”
“Boss, look at the third email I sent you last Wednesday.”
Hearing Meng Chuan’s voice, Zhang Bei sighed.
Did I really have nothing better to do? Why did I answer his call?
Faced with his secretary’s authority, Boss Zhang scrolled through his tablet in search of the email.
Soon, a message titled “Adapting the Werewolf Scenario into a Film” came into view.
After reading Meng Chuan’s ideas carefully, even Zhang Bei had to admire his secretary’s mind.
He really did work hard enough to make money for him.
“Good idea. Let’s discuss it properly the next time we go to the Island.”
Business concluded, Meng Chuan’s tone immediately turned resentful.
“Boss, couldn’t you hire another secretary?”
“No. You’re doing very well.”
“I’m sleeping six hours a day. Most of my time is spent in meetings…”
Perhaps he had been attending too many meetings lately. The once-shy young man went on for a full five minutes.
Even through the phone, Zhang Bei could feel the resentment coming from the other end.
“If you’re tired, you can come to the Amusement Park and relax for a day. I’ll take you around all the rides.”
The resentful complaints stopped abruptly.
“No need. I’m fine. Thank you, Boss!”
The call ended instantly, and Zhang Bei happily began humming a tune.