"Come on, move a bit closer. I'm taking the picture now."
With a click, Rian captured Bailu, Ellen, and Corin standing in front of the large shark sculpture.
"Let me see how it turned out!"
After the photo was taken, Bailu hopped over to Rian's side to take a look, with Ellen and Corin following behind. The three crowded around the camera, chatting and laughing.
"Here—if you zoomed in just a little, it'd look better," Ellen suggested.
"Oh? Ellen, you're surprisingly experienced with this," Rian said with a teasing smile.
Ellen's cheeks flushed slightly. "Not really... I just take pictures with friends sometimes."
Bailu scrolled through the photos, puffing her cheeks. "Hmm... it still feels like something's missing. Oh! I know—I want to take another one! This time, I'll sit on the shark's tail!"
"On the shark's tail?" Rian blinked. "Uh... is that safe?"
"Eh?" Bailu looked toward Ellen's tail instead and grinned mischievously. "Then I'll ride that tail instead!"
"...My tail?" Ellen froze, eyes widening slightly.
Rian looked at her awkwardly, unsure what to say. Ellen wanted to refuse—but when she met Bailu's wide, pleading eyes, her resolve quickly crumbled.
"Alright... but only for a bit," Ellen said with a sigh.
"Yay!" Bailu cheered, hopping back into position. Ellen followed her, head slightly lowered in embarrassment, while Corin hurried over to steady Bailu as she perched on Ellen's soft tail.
A short distance away, Lycaon watched them with a faint smile. Today's Victoria Housekeeping assignment was simply to keep Bailu company—a rare, peaceful task. Watching the group laugh and play, he couldn't help but feel this was a pleasant change of pace.
"Lycaon?"
The sudden voice of a young girl broke his thoughts. It sounded oddly familiar. Turning around, Lycaon saw a small black-haired girl with twin tails staring up at him.
"Miss Niya?" he said, startled. He crouched to meet her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Niya—Helen's younger sister. The same one who used to collect posters and pictures to decorate Helen's room. For safety's sake, when Jiang Ge had once mentioned "the sisters," Lycaon had merged their identities when explaining things to others.
"I'm here to find the jerk who made my sister cry!" Niya declared, puffing her cheeks in anger. "Big Sister said she saw him here yesterday. So I came to teach him a lesson!"
Lycaon blinked. Jerk? Could she possibly mean Jiang Ge? That didn't make sense—Helen had only become happier since meeting him.
"That can't be right, Miss Niya," Lycaon said gently. "I recall Miss Helen being quite cheerful after meeting the person you're talking about."
"That's exactly why!" Niya huffed, crossing her arms. "He's the one who made her sad back then! Now he's back, trying to win her over again. I bet he's broke and just wants her money!"
For someone so young, she certainly spoke with remarkable conviction. Lycaon could only sigh inwardly. Explaining the truth to Niya now would be pointless—it was better to keep her close to avoid any more trouble.
After all, Niya had a knack for getting into danger. Just last month, she had agreed to meet a stranger online because he claimed to know Dan Heng, all to cheer up her sister. If Lycaon hadn't intervened, the outcome could have been disastrous.
At that moment, Rian approached, camera in hand. "Mr. Lycaon, Miss Bailu is calling for you," she reported politely, giving a small bow to Niya.
"Understood," Lycaon replied. He glanced toward Bailu, who was waving at him from the nearby intersection. Then he turned to Niya. "That young lady is Miss Bailu—she's an important guest under Victoria Housekeeping's care. If you'd like, you can join us."
"Huh?" Niya looked over and her eyes instantly sparkled. "She's so cute! I've never seen her at any of the family gatherings! Quick, take me to meet her!"
"Of course," Lycaon said, standing up and motioning for her to follow.
But before they could take two steps, everything changed.
From the far end of the street, a motorcycle roared toward them. Two men—one tall, one short—sped past, and in a flash, the tall one snatched Bailu into his arms.
"Ah—!"
Bailu's startled cry echoed as the motorcycle raced away.
"They're kidnapping Miss Bailu!" Lycaon shouted, his eyes narrowing. He leapt forward with lightning speed, his body blurring as he chased after them. Rian, Ellen, and Corin immediately followed, sprinting at full force.
On the motorcycle, the tall man holding Bailu laughed. "Big Bro, can you believe this? We actually caught her! That brat was bragging earlier about having a card that could buy a whole street!"
"Then don't let her wriggle free!" the driver barked, grinning cruelly. "Rich kid like that's worth a fortune! Guess those fancy bodyguards aren't so tough after a—wait, what the hell?!"
He glanced back—and his face turned pale. A wolf-man was sprinting after them, closing the distance at an impossible speed.
"Faster! Go faster!" the tall man yelled.
But it was too late. Lycaon's arm swung forward—his steel baton struck the driver square in the face.
"Argh—!"
The motorcycle veered violently, crashing and tumbling across the pavement. The two men were thrown off, rolling across the ground. Bailu, flung from the tall man's grip, was sent hurtling through the air—
—but before she could hit the ground, a black-and-red blur caught her mid-fall.
Landing gracefully, the woman held Bailu tightly in her arms.
"Miss, are you alright?" she asked.
"Huh? Am... am I safe now? Who are you?" Bailu blinked up at her, dazed.
The woman smiled faintly, showing her law enforcement badge. "I'm Zhu Yuan, a law enforcement officer. Don't worry—you're safe now."
"Oh... uh, thank you?"
"You're welcome. Actually..." Zhu Yuan's eyes sharpened slightly. "I've been observing you for quite some time."
"Huh?"
Bailu tilted her head, confused. Observing her? What did she mean by that?
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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