"According to Corin, around midnight, Mr. Jiang Ge suddenly disappeared, leaving only Miss Bailu behind. He instructed that Victoria Housekeeping should take care of her."
"Mr. Jiang Ge is currently unreachable. His phone is turned off, and all messages remain unanswered. His whereabouts are unknown."
"Based on the current investigation, there's still no information about his location."
On the bustling streets of Lumina Square, Rian and Lycaon stood outside a dessert shop, quietly discussing the situation while watching Bailu, Ellen, and Corin through the window. Inside, the three were already chatting animatedly over the dessert menu.
"I see," Lycaon said after listening to Rian's report. "If Mr. Jiang Ge disappeared so suddenly, it must have been deliberate. And if even we can't trace him, that means he's hiding his tracks intentionally."
"So, Mr. Lycaon, what should we do?"
"There's no need to worry about Mr. Jiang Ge. He must have important business. Victoria Housekeeping should simply follow his instructions and take good care of Miss Bailu."
"No problem, Mr. Lycaon."
"Alright, let's go in. Standing out here too long will draw attention."
Indeed, with a handsome butler and an elegant maid lingering outside, the shop had already attracted stares from passersby. Some people even whispered that this dessert shop's marketing strategy was a little too extravagant.
Inside, Bailu was already pointing enthusiastically at the menu.
"Corin, Ellen—what if we buy this one, and that one, and maybe all of these too?"
"C-Corin thinks that might not be a good idea, Miss Bailu," Corin said nervously. "That's a lot of desserts... could you really finish them all?"
This new arrangement—serving a different master overnight—still had Corin uneasy.
Last night, under Jiang Ge's instructions, she had gone to rest early. But sometime after midnight, she was startled awake by faint running footsteps outside her door.
At first, she thought she'd imagined it and turned over to sleep again—until the sound came a second time. It didn't sound like an adult's heavy footsteps. No, these were light, quick... like a child's.
But there shouldn't be any children here!
Now fully awake, Corin tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it. The moment she did, a sudden knock made her stumble back in fright.
"Corin, are you asleep? Corin..."
The voice was high and childish—definitely not anyone she recognized. Her heart pounded.
Could it be... something supernatural?
Trying to calm herself, Corin grabbed her phone and dialed Jiang Ge's number—only to hear his ringtone echo faintly from outside the door.
"Huh? Oh dear, he can't answer your call anymore."
What did that mean—he couldn't answer?
Could it be that... Jiang Ge... had been—?
Panicking, Corin dropped her phone and instinctively reached for the chainsaw in the corner. But before she could touch it, another knock came, harder this time.
"Corin, I know you're not asleep. I'm bored—come play with me."
P-play with her!? That was straight out of a horror movie!
"If you don't open the door, I'm coming in~"
"No, no, no—!"
Corin froze. She hadn't even locked the door! But fear rooted her in place. She could only stare, trembling, as the door slowly creaked open.
Then everything went black.
When she woke up, it was dawn. She found herself lying neatly in bed instead of on the floor, and beside her was a small creature sleeping soundly, murmuring in its dreams.
That creature was Bailu.
After waking, Bailu explained cheerfully that Jiang Ge had gone out on business and left her in Victoria Housekeeping's care. She also scolded Corin for sleeping on the floor, saying it could lead to catching a cold.
And that was how things had come to this—Bailu, Ellen, and Corin sitting together at a dessert shop, choosing sweets.
Bailu's order was enormous, enough to surprise even Ellen.
"Hey, you sure it's okay to order that much?" Ellen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course! Eating too much sugar isn't great, but it's rare that we get to go out and have fun. So we should enjoy it properly!" Bailu patted her belly with pride. "Besides, don't let my small size fool you—when it comes to eating, I'm pretty famous! And anyway, Lycaon and Rian will help me finish, right?"
She looked over toward the two, who had just entered. Lycaon's sharp hearing meant he had already caught every word.
"Whatever Miss Bailu requests, Victoria Housekeeping will naturally not refuse," Lycaon said politely.
"But won't this cost a fortune?" Ellen asked, calculating the prices with a grimace. "Just to confirm—this is your treat, right?"
"Don't worry!" Bailu said proudly, pulling out a sleek black card and waving it. "Jiang Ge gave me this. He said there's enough on it to buy an entire street in Lumina Square. So food and fun are all on me today!"
Her cheerful declaration made several customers and staff turn to stare. Until now, they'd thought Bailu was just an adorable child. But now, seeing the maids and butler with her—and that card—it was clear she was someone extraordinary.
"Well, if it's Jiang Ge's money," Ellen said with a grin, "then I won't hold back!"
Lycaon sighed quietly and stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Miss Bailu, please don't display such valuable items in public. It might attract unwanted attention."
"Oh—right! Sorry, I just got too excited." Bailu obediently tucked the card away, then suddenly looked up. "By the way, Lycaon, hasn't the person I'm supposed to treat arrived yet?"
"Miss Helen is busy with work. She said she can only spare time tomorrow evening, and she asked me to convey her apologies to you."
"Really? Is work more important than healing her legs?"
"That's just how Miss Helen is," Lycaon said with a faint smile. "Please try to understand."
In truth, Helen had long since given up on recovery. When Lycaon told her the person Jiang Ge had found to treat her was a young girl, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But since it was Jiang Ge's arrangement, she chose to trust him. Still, she admitted she'd rather hear Jiang Ge's voice again than be cured.
Lycaon could only tell her honestly that even Victoria Housekeeping had lost contact with him.
He could only hope that nothing bad had happened.
Just then, Lycaon's sharp gaze caught a glint of movement outside the window—someone raising a camera. Frowning, he immediately stepped between Bailu and the glass.
"No photography, please. My apologies."
He motioned firmly, and the startled onlooker quickly lowered their camera and walked off.
"Wow, Lycaon's so reliable!" Bailu exclaimed.
Moments later, the server arrived with their order. The table was soon covered in an extravagant spread of cakes, parfaits, and puddings.
"Alright, everyone—let's dig in together!" Bailu said happily.
"As you wish, Miss Bailu," Lycaon replied.
"In that case, I'll gladly join in, Miss Bailu," Rian added with a small smile.
As the group began enjoying the desserts, laughter filled the cozy shop.
But none of them noticed—across the street, hidden in the crowd—two pairs of eyes were fixed intently on them.
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A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon.
patreon.com/deadlygoober