Chapter 22: Slipping Out

"Ninglong, who is this pile of stuff?" Xingyuan asked through the glass, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

"It's a Hunger-Binder. Isn't it pretty?"

Secret Spirits are abstractly ugly; the word "pretty" was hard to utter. After a long pause, Xingyuan squeezed out a description: "The artistic talent is off the charts."

"Exactly. I'm a genius. Not only can I handle Secret Spirits, but I can also handle art."

Xingyuan: "..."

This was a branch office of the Star Alliance Intelligence Division, where hunters and intelligence officers constantly came and went. Once the neon lights flickered on at night, in the hazy glow, would they think their own perception was failing and kick out, only to strike the glass?

Xingyuan shook his head with a faint smile. Never mind, let’s just consider it a way to generate extra revenue for the tavern.

"Mom, this is the place. The big sister lives here," Charlie said, pulling his mother toward the pub. Seeing the white Hunger-Binder, Charlie shrieked, "Why is this monster here?"

"I piled it up. Do you have a problem with that?" Su Ninglong patted her gloves and looked at Charlie's mother, who had a gentle appearance.

Charlie’s mother had thick, curly hair like seaweed and fair, beautiful skin. Even without getting close, one could tell she was a soft, fragrant beauty.

"Is this your mom? She’s a very pretty big sister. You don’t look as good as her."

Charlie’s mother was instantly captivated by the milky-voiced compliment. "You are very cute, too. Ninglong, where is your mom?"

"She's sleeping. Do you need her for something?"

"No, we came for you. We wanted to thank you for helping Charlie." Charlie’s mother, believing that politeness costs nothing, said, "Honey, bring the gifts over."

A kind-looking man stepped out from the back seat of their car carrying a mountain of gift boxes, almost obscuring his face. "Oh, hello, I’m Charlie’s father."

The man had the same natural black curls as Charlie and a plain, ordinary face, exuding an air of simple honesty.

Su Ninglong’s eyes lit up when she saw the boxes, and she beckoned them into the pub. She asked with natural familiarity, "Hello, Auntie and Uncle. Would you like some tea? Do you live nearby?"

Charlie’s mother said softly, "No tea, thank you. We live about a ten-minute drive from here. It’s very close."

While Charlie’s mother spoke with Su Ninglong, Charlie’s father looked around the pub. The walls had a battle-worn aesthetic, the paint was uneven, and the tables and chairs were unique, lacking any unified style.

Charlie’s father offered a compliment: "Which designer came up with these tables and chairs? They have a lot of personality. I’ve never seen a pub with such distinctive decor."

"Found them at a second-hand shop," Su Ninglong said matter-of-factly.

Charlie’s father choked slightly and gave a dry laugh. "My mistake, I suppose your mother has a unique eye for things."

"She has no taste. She just bought them because they were cheap."

Charlie’s mother shot her husband a look. "It’s fine. High cost-effectiveness; your mother must be very good at managing a household."

"Yes, she is. Otherwise, she wouldn't have managed to 'shop' for an old antique like Old Ten."

Old Ten, who was in the corner charging, tilted his head and asked, "Little Master, do you have any instructions?"

"Just stay put."

"Understood."

Xingyuan was just a guide and found it inconvenient to host guests, so he served the tea and returned to reading his book. Charlie’s parents sat anxiously; aside from saying thank you, they didn't know what topics interested Su Ninglong. Fearing that continuing the conversation might lead to even more awkward questions, they sat in silence for a moment, planning to leave.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs as Zou Shuyi descended, yawning, and pressed the heating button behind the bar.

"We have guests, why didn't you notify me?"

"We dropped by suddenly; we're sorry to disturb you." Charlie’s mother explained their purpose, saying with a bright smile, "If it weren't for your Ninglong, my boy wouldn't have been able to get into the Star Alliance."

Zou Shuyi smiled without a word. The pay at the Star Alliance was indeed generous, but not every role was a good job. Many positions were simply high-paying civil service roles in name only.

"Godmother, Auntie, can I open these gifts?"

Zou Shuyi turned her head and saw the pile of gifts at Old Ten's feet. "Ninglong, that’s not polite, and we can't accept them. Helping Charlie during the test was just an unconscious act by Ninglong; it’s not worth all this."

Zou Shuyi wasn't just being polite. Pushing Charlie into the Star Alliance—who knew if it was a good thing or a bad one?

"Accept them, Ninglong, go ahead and open them. I packed them as gifts specifically to satisfy a child's joy of opening blind boxes," Charlie’s mother said, believing this was the finishing touch.

"You are not allowed to open them."

"Open them."

The two adults pushed the matter back and forth.

Su Ninglong shook her head, muttering, "That annoying brat Charlie... if I don't take the gifts, wouldn't I have been annoyed for nothing?"

Charlie crouched nearby. "Can I open them with you?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Su Ninglong first opened a medium-sized box. Inside was a large, chubby golden mouse doll wearing a Star Police cap. Its fur was fluffy and distinct, and it felt very nice to hold.

"Wow, it's a Ding-Ding Mouse!"

"What is a Ding-Ding Mouse?"

Charlie said, "He is a Star Police mouse who maintains peace and justice in the galaxy. Just yesterday, he caught a big bad guy who was trying to destroy the world..."

"Alright, that's enough. Don't say any more." It was definitely a cartoon character.

Su the Ancestor had watched a few children's cartoons and was shocked by the insane plots. She nearly burned out her brain, thinking the interstellar world was truly that absurd. Later, Zou Shuyi explained, and she finally realized that mice didn't patrol in police uniforms and people couldn't recover after being flattened into pancakes. Modern technology was miraculous, but not that miraculous.

However, Su Ninglong was quite satisfied with this adorable chubby mouse. She even found it hard to put down; back when she was an ancestor, she had never received such gifts.

Seeing Charlie helping Su Ninglong tear open the packaging, Zou Shuyi realized the situation was set and gave up the struggle.

"Ninglong just called you godmother. Did you adopt her? It must have been very hard raising her alone."

"She is the child of my best friend. I was afraid she would suffer in the orphanage, so I adopted her." Zou Shuyi didn't mention the deeper reasons.

Between women, once the conversation started, many things could be shared. This family’s behavior was improper, that family’s child had waded through a sewer ditch. They chatted about domestic matters, and when they reached certain moral topics, even Xingyuan and Charlie’s father couldn't help but lean in.

"Being a makeup artist is good; you get to meet celebrities often. My Ninglong loves to hear about them, too." Charlie’s mother was a highly skilled makeup artist, and many big stars loved to seek her out. Having been in the celebrity circle for so long, she heard plenty of gossip. She had heard a lot about hunters, too, but since Charlie couldn't see Secret Spirits, there was a high probability he wouldn't become one, so Charlie’s mother was quite relieved about him studying at the Star Alliance.

After finishing a piece of gossip, they felt a lingering desire to continue, but the room grew quiet.

"Is it a bit too quiet?" Xingyuan suddenly felt something was off. He turned his head and looked. "Where are Ninglong and Charlie?"

The gift boxes were all ripped open, the presents were tossed onto the sofa, but the children were nowhere to be seen.

"Ninglong, Ninglong..." Zou Shuyi called toward the upstairs, but there was no response.

"Old Ten, where did Ninglong go?"

Old Ten bent his arm and pointed toward the back door. "They opened that door and went inside."

"That's the back door; they must have run out. Ninglong has never left the pub without saying a word."

Charlie’s mother was extremely anxious. "Charlie loves to dive into the crowd of kids downstairs whenever he's at home. He can't sit still for a moment. He must have coaxed his little sister to go out and play."

The four of them rushed out to look. The weather outside was freezing; if they happened to run off to play near the water, it would be a disaster.

In fact, the opposite was true: it was Su Ninglong who had walked out the front door first, clutching the Ding-Ding Mouse, with Charlie merely being an accomplice.

Su Ninglong walked down the street, turning toward Star Sunflower Street. Nearby children cast envious glances; they could identify the Ding-Ding Mouse in Su Ninglong’s arms at a glance—it was the authentic version, and it was very expensive.

A bold child approached Su Ninglong. "Can I borrow your Ding-Ding Mouse to play with?"

"That’s a gift I gave to the big sister, you can't have it." Charlie stood by Su Ninglong’s side, protecting her and her mouse.

Su Ninglong looked straight ahead and walked directly to the door of 3 Star Sunflower Street.

"This place has been sealed by the police. It’s a very dangerous place." The children who had followed them warned them not to go in. They were all afraid of this place. The black-and-white police tape had a siren effect; if touched, it would trigger an alarm. Then, both the children and their guardians would be punished.

The tightly shut red door of 3 Star Sunflower Street had two layers of tape across it at that moment. The bottom strip was broken, proving that someone had indeed entered through the main door openly.

Zou Shuyi hadn't been lying; she wasn't just trying to scare her. The black-and-white tape spanning the entire yard remained motionless in the cold wind, showing that it was made of unique material, not the plastic strips typically used for crime scenes.

Su Ninglong’s gaze shifted downward. A white flower in full bloom poked its head out from the fence. Every petal had a prism-like luster like polished jade; the folds were ivory-colored, while the spread parts were as thin as cicada wings, translucent enough to see the white snow on the ground.

"What a pretty flower. Big sister, let me pick it for you."

"No need."

Charlie, who wanted to please her, was rejected but didn't feel discouraged; he reached out directly.

Su Ninglong grabbed his collar. "Don't pick it. I don't like it."

"Oh!"

Charlie didn't pick it, but the other children didn't have such scruples. Destroying flowers was a specialty of naughty kids. They crouched down and boldly went to pull at it. "Why can't I pull it out?"

The children tried folding, snapping, and twisting, but none succeeded. The flower was like a stubborn donkey, standing its ground, its stem fiber incredibly tough and unyielding.

Charlie looked confused. "Why can't he pick it?"

"I can pick it." The child didn't believe it and simply laid down, intending to crawl under the tape.

Su Ninglong stepped on his back. "You just said yourself that you can't go in."

"I'm just going in for a second. I'll come out once I pick the flower."

"No."

"Ninglong, what are you doing here?" Wu Mo, who had just finished a mission, happened to pass by. Seeing so many children gathered at 3 Star Sunflower Street, he ran over, intending to drive them away. He didn't expect to see Ninglong there. "Did he bully you?"

Su Ninglong: "???"

He bullied her? Then what was she stepping on?

"Big Head, why did you run to number 3? Do you have a death wish?" A sturdy middle-aged woman ran over, holding a broom, the soles of her shoes seemingly sparking against the pavement. She looked ferocious. "Are you acting out again?" Her peripheral vision caught Su Ninglong. "Did you bully that little girl?"

Su Ninglong touched her face. Did she have a face that was easy to bully?

"I didn't bully her!" Big Head crawled up, feeling deeply wronged.

"She’s so cute; you couldn't have resisted pulling her pigtails."

The child looked up. Earlier, he had only noticed the Ding-Ding Mouse and hadn't looked at Su Ninglong. Su Ninglong was wearing an exquisite bun today, tied with a red ribbon, and a clean red winter outfit, looking like a little princess out of a fairy tale. His cheeks burned; the girl was indeed very cute.

"I didn't bully her! It was this little brother who said the flower was pretty and wanted to pick it for her, so I went to pick it."

Charlie: "You're lying! Big sister said she didn't like it."

Clearly, the honest-looking Charlie was more trusted by the adults. Big Head was given a sound thrashing by the middle-aged woman, and he sobbed, saying he would settle the score with Charlie later.

Su Ninglong and Charlie were led back to the pub by Wu Mo. On the way, they met the yellow-haired youth who had accused Zou Shuyi the day before; he was skulking in an alley. There was another person in the alley, but he stood behind a lamp post, and one could only see his hands, with their enlarged knuckles, handing a particle file to the yellow-haired man.

The yellow-haired youth hurriedly tucked it into his jacket. "Thanks." He turned around with a relaxed expression, but when he saw Wu Mo, his steps faltered and his smile froze. "Uncle... Wu."

Wu Mo nodded, puzzled. "What are you..."

"Su Ninglong!" With the "Zou-family Tyrannosaurus Rex" arriving at the front, the yellow-haired man seized the chance to walk in the opposite direction; he didn't want to run into Zou Shuyi.

Zou Shuyi’s eyes blazed with fire as she put her hands on her hips. "Where did you go? Tell me the truth!"

Old Ten, who had followed them to look for Su Ninglong, asked, "Ms. Zou, what do you need me to confess?"

The three hundred curses about to explode from Zou Shuyi’s throat were choked back. She glared fiercely at Old Ten. "I'm changing your name the moment we get back."

"Oh, madam, I can change it now. The program can identify it automatically," Old Ten said respectfully.

Xingyuan bowed his head and chuckled. The Zou family might have a built-in comedic gene; apparently, their robot wasn't spared either.

He picked up Su Ninglong and said patiently, "Ms. Zou was very worried about your safety. In the future, when you go out to play, could you tell us first?"

"Okay. Are we still going to visit the historical site tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait two weeks. There are many students visiting the historical sites recently, and I couldn't grab a ticket for this week."

"The assignment deadline is more than a week, right?"

"Yes."

"Big sister, which historical site are you going to? I want to go too! I’ll bring you the nut cookies my mom makes; they’re delicious."

Charlie’s mother, who had intended to participate in the "discipline the child" operation, felt her heart sink. She was about to refuse, but Su Ninglong nodded. She couldn't resist the immense temptation of nut cookies, so she reluctantly agreed.

Charlie’s mother was heartbroken. *My treacherous son...*

By Sunday night, the wind and snow had stopped, and Su Ninglong had to return to school. Zou Shuyi packed a suitcase full of things for her. She crouched down to adjust Su Ninglong’s hat, ensuring the brim covered both of the child's ears to keep them from the cold.

Su Ninglong couldn't help but be curious about the suitcase. "What’s inside?"

"Good things," Zou Shuyi said. "Open it when you get back to school. It's a surprise. See you next week."