Whenever he thought about it, Qin Yunchuan felt uneasy.
That overwhelming guilt gnawed at him day and night, never letting him rest.
Gu Xu patted his shoulder in comfort: “It’s not your fault.”
Qin Yunchuan shook his head bitterly.
In the hospital room, Mianmian carefully pressed herself against the door, listening to their conversation.
Her mind went blank. She had no idea why Second Guoguo had been sent to the countryside in the first place.
And…
Why had Big Guoguo said it was all because of him?
The Qin family held many secrets. Once Qin Yunchuan left, Mianmian hurried toward the bed.
Gu Xu came in and spotted the little bundle on the bed, wobbling toward her.
“Stop pretending. I know you haven’t slept.”
Earlier, while talking to Yunchuan, he had noticed the hospital room door was slightly ajar.
Mianmian lifted the blanket and sat up, looking curiously at Gu Xu. “Gu Xu, can you tell me about Second Guoguo and Big Guoguo?”
Gu Xu pinched her chubby little face and bent down with a standard smile.
“Kids shouldn’t pry too much—it’ll turn you into a little old lady.”
Mianmian immediately covered her face.
Gu Xu laughed. How had he never realized that kids could be so amusing?
No matter the age, girls cared about their looks.
Mianmian was no exception.
Successfully distracted, she touched her little face, wishing she could practice alchemy.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Of course—she could practice alchemy! Only the lack of rare materials made collecting them extremely difficult. In this world… spiritual energy was scarce.
Forget it for now.
“Gu Xu, has that Dr. Xiong found any clues? Does he have the Nine-Segment Lingzhi?”
“Can’t confirm yet. My people are still investigating.”
“I have a way!”
?
A little kid, having a way?
Mianmian whispered into Gu Xu’s ear. He stared at her in disbelief.
“Will this really work?”
“Trust me. It’ll be fine.”
Well… maybe just this once.
Night fell.
Mianmian and Gu Xu waited in the garage for him to appear.
Mianmian didn’t know Dr. Xiong, but Gu Xu did. His phone contained Xiong’s photo and license plate.
“Little Mianmian, do you know what we look like right now?” Gu Xu munched on grilled gluten skewers.
Mianmian, in the passenger seat, chewed on a pig’s trotter happily. “Like what?”
“Paparazzi!”
“Puppy paparazzi? Gu Xu, how can you call yourself a puppy? We’re humans, not puppies!” Mianmian hugged the trotter, glaring at him.
Kids really did have their own logic. Gu Xu pinched her little face.
“You… here they come.”
Gu Xu dropped his teasing tone, pointing ahead. The car slowly started moving, and he followed at a steady pace.
“Nine-Segment Lingzhi, here we come.”
Big Guoguo could be saved!
They followed Dr. Xiong around the city, eventually seeing him enter a villa district.
This was a luxurious area. Each villa was worth hundreds of millions.
According to their investigation, Dr. Xiong came from a small mountain village and had only been a doctor for fifteen years. How could he possibly afford such a villa?
Something was fishy.
Luckily, Gu Xu had friends in the area, allowing them to get close.
Mianmian and Gu Xu hid behind the greenery, watching Dr. Xiong go inside.
[Oh? Two more people, and a kid… are they here for the Nine-Segment Lingzhi too? Too bad, it’s not here.]
The villa’s plant, the ever-green, silently commented. Mianmian perked up her ears.
Carefully, she walked closer, waving through the iron fence.
“Ever-green sister, do you know where the Nine-Segment Lingzhi is? I need it to save my Guoguo.”
[I don’t know. You’re not the first to stake out here. If you really want to know, check who gave this house—it might have clues.]
Mianmian took the advice to heart and thanked her sweetly.
She returned to the greenery. “Gu Xu, let’s go. The Lingzhi isn’t here.”
“Huh? Are you sure? We haven’t checked yet.”
“I already did.”
Mianmian walked ahead. Gu Xu was suspicious when his phone rang.
Mianmian stood lost in thought until Gu Xu caught up.
“Our friend who lives here invited us in. Want to go?”
“Yes, yes!” Mianmian nodded furiously. Anyone living here must have reliable information.
Gu Xu carried Mianmian to his friend’s home. Outside the door, a young man with a small mole at the corner of his eye waited. His smile… sly like a fox.
“Gu Ge, is this your kid?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. This is Mianmian, from the Qin family.”
Shen Buji’s playful smile froze slightly. Looking at Mianmian, his smile returned, teasing.
“So, Qin Dianzhi’s little sister? She’s prettier than him.”
Gu Xu coughed, interrupting him, and invited them in.
Mianmian found his gaze strange.
The elders had warned her: when monsters eat, they stare without blinking. She shivered.
Behind her, Shen Buji grinned.
Mianmian held Gu Xu’s hand tightly, whispering: “Gu Xu, who’s Qin Dianzhi?”
“Of course, that’s your brother, Qin Zichuan. He’s Dianzhi.”
“You mean… you’re praising my Big Guoguo’s peak?”
Mianmian’s question stunned both men. Shen Buji laughed lazily, stretching out on the sofa, his eyes fixed on her.
“Gu Ge… this Qin kid is fun. Why not let me keep her here a while?”
“Mianmian doesn’t have time.”
Gu Xu refused. He knew Shen Buji’s mind—any interesting little child would make him want to tease them.
Shen Buji shrugged. Mianmian looked around, confused. “You haven’t explained my name yet?”
“Little fatty? That’s ‘Dian,’ not ‘Dian,’ from peak. ‘Dian’ means your brother Qin Zichuan is a little crazy… and…”
“You… you… you’re bad! My Big Guoguo is not crazy! My Big Guoguo is the best! Big bad man, don’t talk about my Big Guoguo like that!”
Mianmian’s eyes were wide and furious, tiny yet bold enough to scold him.
Shen Buji squinted.
“I said it—Qin Zichuan is crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy…”
“You…”
“Crazy, crazy, crazy…”
Mianmian was so angry. How could someone be this mean?
Her eyes scanned the room. Suddenly, she ran to a pot of succulents. “Succulent sister, do you know his secret?”