I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Pado on the other end completely ignored the irritability and profanity in Swire's words and calmly sent over the edited message.

【Oh dear, Swire, don't be so impatient. You should try to be more calm and collected.】

"Hmm... how about you treat me and my friend to a lavish meal at the most expensive restaurant in Lungmen next time? It'll be a good opportunity to introduce you two. You can afford it, right? Surely not?"

"..."

After hearing Patto's message, Swire didn't rush to reply. Not only that, but her previously bad mood also calmed down considerably.

Of course, she was still annoyed, after all, she realized that that wretched girl, Padofelis, was just deliberately teasing her...

You're so shameless!

[If you record a video right now and delete all the photos immediately, I'll treat you to dinner!]

After receiving Swire's message, Patto quickly sent over the screen recording that she had prepared beforehand, almost without any delay. It all looked like a premeditated plan.

"..."

Looking at the message that was quickly sent from the other end, Swire felt for a moment that she had been cheated, terribly cheated. So, could she back out now?

Of course, the little tiger only thought about this. Although she really wanted to beat up that despicable Padofelis, she wasn't someone who couldn't take a joke; once she agreed, she agreed.

Although Swire was frugal, she wasn't truly unable to afford even a meal. Besides, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she had to admit that she had indeed bitten the other person.

Under these circumstances, it was perfectly reasonable and beyond reproach for Pado to ask him to treat her to a meal.

In fact, if Padofelis had actually asked for money instead of a meal, Swire would have been truly angry, since they were, in her view, two completely different concepts.

Okay, I've got it. Tell me which restaurant you want to eat at and when, and I'll decide!

[By the way, remember to apply medicine to your wound yourself. If you use that to bother me again later, Padofelis, you're really finished!]

After sending those two messages, Swire put her phone aside and stopped looking at the reply.

After all, based on her understanding of Padofelis, what followed was nothing more than flattery, and perhaps even a few words that would infuriate her.

So in order to save myself today

Feeling already down at the start of the day, the little tiger decided to avoid seeing it altogether.

However, as soon as Swire put down her phone, she met Hoshiguma's complicated expression on the other end and asked, "What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing. Oh, by the way, let me remind you, it's getting late. If you don't want to be late, Swire, I suggest you get moving." Upon hearing this, Hoshiguma paused for a moment before shrugging and reminding him.

"!"

Hoshiguma's mention of it made things better; as soon as he did, Swire glanced at the time and was startled. Forgetting everything else, she rushed upstairs to wash up.

What a joke! She doesn't want to lose her perfect attendance record in the Guard Bureau for some weird reason. She wants to get promoted, and she can't afford to be lazy!

Swire, who was already in a hurry to prepare, obviously didn't have time to find out the real reason why her friend's expression was so complicated.

"..."

Hoshiguma was sitting on the sofa, stroking her chin, deep in thought. She had witnessed Swire's rollercoaster-like expression from the moment she saw the message until she put down her phone.

She was starting to have some doubts: could her best friend be in a relationship?

After all, he was so angry when he first saw the message, but after a while he was soothed like a cat that had been stroked. In the end, he actually looked like he was gritting his teeth, but his eyes were gentle and helpless.

Hmm, so who is the other party?

Has Swire been in contact with any outsiders lately? As Hoshiguma pondered this, a name suddenly popped into her mind: Padrephilis?

------------

At the same time, on the other side——

"Great! This deal is done!"

Seeing Swire's message that she had agreed, Padre happily swayed her long tail and couldn't help but cheer softly.

Of course, after being happy, the cat didn't forget to add a few more words as usual.

Don't worry, don't worry, my recovery ability is excellent!

Thank you for your generosity, Miss Swire. As for the time, let's talk about it after the "test".

After blowing a few more notes, Pado finally put down her phone, satisfied, bringing the incident to a temporary close.

"So, Miss Phyllis, what exactly did you extort from me that makes you so happy?" After seeing that Pado had finished chatting, An Suo finally asked.

"Oh, what I extorted isn't important, you'll find out later. What makes me happy is that I made a huge profit this time!" Pado grinned from ear to ear as she said this.

The reason she was so happy was entirely because of the physical photograph that she had just added to her collection that morning, which was currently lying in her collection box.

P.S.: Ugh, another day of pushing the limits. I'm starving, going out for a bowl of noodles. Same as yesterday, remember to refresh.

Chapter 133 - Looking Forward

"Gresh, come here for a second, let's make some travel plans together." Chen called out softly to Gresh, who was holding her phone and doing something in the distance.

"Hmm, it's here..."

Upon hearing this, Greta wasted no time. She turned off her phone and walked over to Chen, then sat down next to her.

"Because we have a lot of things to buy today, and I also plan to take you to Lungmen for a good look around, it's better if we make a plan in advance." Chen smiled at Gretchen, who was sitting obediently beside him, and explained.

Of course, besides the reasons mentioned above, the reason for sitting down to make a plan at this moment is also due to Chen's usual work habits and some small thoughts.

"Hmm..." Gretchen nodded her head slightly after hearing Chen's words, showing no objection to her actions.

"Because you're not familiar with Lungmen, Gresh, you can leave the planning to me. I called you here now to ask some questions I didn't have time to ask yesterday." Chen couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Gresh's hair before continuing:

"So, do you know what Talulah likes now?"

Actually, Chen had wanted to ask this question last night, so that she could think ahead about what to buy for her sister and make a plan. However, Gretchen was quite tired and listless after getting home yesterday.

So in the end, she didn't insist on asking, but waited until now to ask the question.

"Hmm???)...Didn't Tarua tell Huijie about this in her letter?" Upon hearing this, Gretchen didn't answer Chen's question directly. Instead, after thinking for a moment, she looked up and asked in return.

"...Unfortunately, no. In the first letter, Talulah only briefly mentioned that she was doing well, and the rest of the letter was almost entirely about you, little one."

"As for the letters you gave me later, they were more like records of each period of time written in the form of letters than actual letters."

At this point, Chen seemed to remember something, and couldn't help but purse his lips and lower his eyes, saying, "Heh, and I can guarantee that the 'important' parts of this pile of letters have all been removed and modified by Talulah."

"So from all those letters, all I learned was that she's doing well now, plus some details about her daily life during the years she was gone..."

“???)……

After hearing Chen's slightly resentful words,

Greta froze for a moment.

To be honest, she knew about Talulah's alteration of the letters, and sometimes she was even present at the scene. Overall, she understood.

But to the little girl's surprise, those letters were changed into what Chen is saying now. It really was a lot of revisions, just to avoid worrying his little sister and only report the good news.

"Hmm... Tarua probably just didn't want you, Huijie, to worry too much. As for what she likes, she didn't tell me either."

At this point, Gretchen paused slightly, then mimicked Talulah's tone and said, "Little Gretchen, you've already helped me so much. Now that the Reunion Movement has plenty of supplies, there's absolutely no need to buy any more gifts... Besides, you already brought me a gift when we went out last time."

"That's very much in that guy's style. What gift did you give Gretchen last time?" Chen couldn't help but complain before asking.

“It’s a fountain pen and ink that my sister Muirsey helped me choose.” Faced with Chen’s question, Gretchen did not hide anything and answered after thinking for a moment.

"Although Tarua didn't tell me her preferences... my sister Alina told me privately that I could buy something practical as a gift..."

"Something practical... I understand." After hearing Gretchen's words, Chen nodded gently, remembering who Alina was.

Since her older sister's current friends have all said so, she's decided to follow that line of thinking when buying a gift, and let her think of something practical yet tasteful that would make a suitable present...

Of course, while he was thinking about it, he still needed to make travel plans, so Chen looked at the person next to him and asked again, "Oh right, I almost forgot, what does Gretsch plan to buy for Talulah this time?"

"Hmm... I'm planning to have some clothes custom-made for Tarua and Alina this time. After all, a leader should dress with a certain presence?" Gretsch said softly, stroking her chin, when suddenly asked this question.

"Leaders... Speaking of which, I've always been curious about what kind of organization the Reunion Movement is." Upon hearing this, Chen first sighed softly, and then asked his question.

Chen Zhen didn't know much about the Reunion Movement; her only source of information came from her older sister's letters. The letters contained a considerable amount of text showing her sister's ideals and how the organization was built, but that was about it.

"Well... it's probably a group of people who have suffered hardships banded together, and then they were moved by Sister Talulah and attracted by her personal charm, so they came together?" Faced with Chen's increasingly difficult-to-explain questions, Gretchen answered somewhat uncertainly in her childish voice.

"Attracted by Talulah?"

"Well, Sister Huijie hasn't seen her before, so she doesn't know..."

Meeting the questioning gaze of the person beside her, Gretchen gave her a sweet, gentle smile and said:

"Sister Talulah is a warm, protective, and idealistic leader. Many people in the Reunion Movement have come together because they support her."

"Did you know? When she's saving others, when she's giving a speech in front of a crowd... Tarua radiates a warm, golden glow!"

"I see. It seems you have a high opinion of Talulah, Gresh." Hearing Gresh's description, Chen couldn't help but show a hint of longing in his eyes, which he quickly concealed, murmuring, "What a pity..."

"Hmm... I saw it. There's nothing to regret. There will be a day when Sister Huijie and Tarua will meet again. Not only you, she's looking forward to it too..." Gretsch noticed Chen's expression and then gently comforted him.

"Speaking of which, Tarua has been wanting to introduce you to your older sister Alina, so you can look forward to it!"

"...Yes, I will. Just like you said, Gretsch, there will be a day when we meet again. I look forward to seeing the radiant Talulah you spoke of."

"Alright, alright, let's put this topic aside for now. Is there anywhere Gretsch would like to go?"

"Ugh, let me think..."

P.S.: Goodness, now comes the ultimate challenge! How am I supposed to finish writing and posting this in one hour? Ugh! I'll correct any typos after 6 PM, I'm so sorry!

Chapter 134: The Sparring at Lunchtime

"Hey, you old fogey, you really don't need to stick to me like that!" Xiao Shi complained as she walked down the street, looking at Hua who was always by her side.

"Sigh... Xiao Shi, you know there's no room for discussion on this. I'll be watching you today, and even if you still want to do it, you'll have to take me with you." Hearing the words of the person beside him, Hua couldn't help but sigh helplessly, and then said in a rare, somewhat forceful tone.

"It's just a friendly spar, I'm not really going to kill that guy, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Shi puffed out his cheeks and said, slightly agitated.

“While it is true, as you said, that Chen may not suffer any physical harm, I am afraid she may suffer psychological trauma…” As soon as he finished speaking, Hua raised his eyebrows slightly and stared intently at the person beside him.

"Uh... cough, it's nowhere near as old as you exaggerate!" Hua...

A glance at him made Xiao Shi's eyes flash with guilt, and then he coughed lightly and explained.

Seeing Xiao Shi's expression, Hua's eyes flashed with helplessness, and then he explained in a calm tone.

"I'm not afraid that you, Xiao Shi, are deliberately doing things with the intention of harming disabled people. The reason I care so much about this is simply because the people here are too mentally fragile..."

"...Fine, fine, old antique, you can come along if you want, but you're not allowed to get in my way! I'm going to teach that guy a lesson!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Shi, who had his arms crossed, remained silent for a moment before finally backing down and compromising.