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

"...Officer Shi, if you have nothing to do, you can find something to do. I remember you were going out at noon, right? Have you finished your work?" Chen pressed his temples, which were throbbing with anger, and said each word with a dark face.

"...Ahem, I was just trying to help." Although she heard that annoying nickname, Swire knew she was in the wrong this time, so she didn't retort. Instead, she felt a little guilty.

In response.

"So, should we film now? It just so happens that the three of us, plus little Greta, are all here right now!"

"call……"

Chen didn't rush to answer Swire, but instead turned to Hoshiguma to see her opinion.

Hoshiguma, understanding what his friend meant, shrugged and smiled as he shared his thoughts, "Now is indeed a good time, everyone's here."

Finally, with unanimous approval, the four of them went directly to the office and began filming this special return gift.

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

At the same time, on the other side——

"Speaking of which, Miss Phyllis hasn't told me yet who's hosting lunch today? Is there anything I should do to prepare?"

An Suo sat beside Pado, watching her browse and select restaurants whose prices made her heart tremble. A few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she asked.

Miss Purple Rabbit has now realized that the person who invited her "cheap" boss must be very rich, and that her "cheap" boss also had ulterior motives, choosing the restaurant with the intention of ripping them off...

"Hmm? It's just meeting a friend, is there anything I need to prepare?" Hearing this, Pado put down her phone, touched her chin, and asked curiously, "There's absolutely no need to be reserved, that guy has a pretty good personality."

Cat was not joking about the second half of the sentence. Despite being attacked and angered by her so many times, she still had no intention of strangling her. They just bickered. Swire's temper can be considered quite good.

"Even so... but based on your approach of trying to rip someone off for a huge sum of money over this meal, no matter how nice the other person is, they'll be unhappy or angry!" Hearing this, An Suo glanced at Pado's phone and complained helplessly.

"Oh, don't worry, An Suo." At this point, Pado slowly curled the corners of her mouth, then changed the subject, "That guy will definitely be angry about this meal, so it doesn't matter."

"?"

An Suo, who had just felt relieved after hearing the first half of Pado's words, died instantly after hearing the second half.

"Pfft~" Seeing An Suo's expression, Pado couldn't help but laugh out loud. After a while, when she calmed down, she explained, "Don't make that face. Do you remember that morning when I came back with teeth marks on my face?"

"What do you think I extorted from that guy that morning? It was lunch today! Since it was extortion, how could I not make a killing!"

As she spoke, Pado put her hands on her hips and gave An Su a self-righteous look.

"..."

Pado's explanation momentarily shut down An Suo's brain. After she came to her senses and recalled what had happened, her expression became subtle, and she agreed, "Then it's alright, we really should have taken a big hit..."

"But is being a police officer in the Guard Bureau really that lucrative these days?"

Miss Rabbit, recalling the ridiculously expensive restaurants she had just visited, asked this thought-provoking question.

"No, it should just be normal salary?" Upon hearing this, Pado gently shook her head. "It's just that the person who treated us is a young lady from a wealthy family. You know about XX District and Dagu Plaza, right? They're all owned by that guy's family."

"So, there's absolutely no need to worry about eating that guy out of house and home."

"Wow? He's that rich?"

Hearing the two examples given by Pado, An Suo couldn't hide his shock, but then, as if he had thought of something, his gaze toward the person next to him became even more subtle.

It turns out the policewoman who had a one-night stand with the cheap boss that night was a rich woman! But is the rich woman's compensation just a meal...? That's strange, I'm not sure, let me take another look.

Also, is it fashionable for wealthy people to experience life these days?

Chapter 163 Mei Unlocked

Inside the Imperial Guard Office—

It took quite a while for the group to finally finish taking a set of photos, which they could use as a return gift, amidst playful banter.

After the photos were taken, the group didn't continue chatting or joking around. Just as Chen had casually mentioned earlier, they hadn't finished their work for the morning.

So I had no choice but to get back to work and couldn't slack off or play with the kids anymore.

As usual, without interfering with Hoshiguma's work, Gretchen moved a small stool and sat down next to her to "charge" (progress).

Thanks to the little girl's tireless efforts, Mei is almost ready to unlock it, with just a little progress left. She decided to press on today and solve this problem in one fell swoop.

……

It was almost noon, and just before the end of the workday, when Swire finally put down the documents in her hand and complained grumbled, "This is so annoying! Why did that guy have to choose today to ask me out for lunch? I'd rather stay at the Guard Bureau with little Gretchen than go with her!"

After saying that, the little tiger looked at the little girl who was still clinging to Hoshiguma with some frustration and said, "Sigh... Little Gresh, don't just cling to Hoshiguma, come here and let your big sister give you a hug."

Speaking of which, Swire still has one unsolved mystery: what exactly is Hoshiguma's "color"? And why did Gretchen like her so much?

Originally, the little tiger thought she would find the answer in the painting made with Hoshiguma's "colors", so she also observed it when Chen looked at it before.

But in the end, aside from once again marveling at the exquisite painting skills, she didn't see anything particularly special.

"Hmm???)..."

Gretchen, who was suddenly called, did not respond immediately. Instead, she gave Hoshiguma a big hug.

Because she was at a crucial moment, and only after a few seconds did she hear the system's voice [Ding—Raiden Mei has been unlocked.], and then she released her grip with satisfaction, jumped off the stool, and rushed towards Swire.

Swire, who had noticed Gretchen's earlier subtle actions, gently pinched her soft cheek as soon as she came to her side and said, "Hmm? You little rascal, are you really that reluctant to leave Hoshiguma? Your older sister called you over, and you actually gave her a hug first!"

"Woo..."

Upon hearing this, Greta blinked her beautiful eyes gently, revealing an innocent little expression, "I... also like Sister Huaiya..."

“But, little Greta, you’re biased.” As she spoke, Swire couldn’t help but pinch the soft cheek in her hand again.

"???)That……"

Upon hearing this, Greta, not wanting to have her cheeks pinched again, had no choice but to reach out and give Swire a hug just like Hoshiguma's.

The moment Gretchen lifted her up, Swire released her grip. "That's more like it..."

"By the way, speaking of which, does little Gretsch know that girl Padofelis?"

"...Yes, I know him."

As if she hadn't expected Swire to suddenly ask such a question, Gretchen paused for a moment before muttering in her arms.

"So how's your relationship? Do you dislike that guy?"

Although that's what she asked, Swire recalled the tone of Padrephilis's tone when she mentioned Gretchen in front of her, and guessed that their relationship probably wasn't too bad.

Because that guy looked like the kind of person who would spend time with kids and get along well with them...

“Sister Padre is very kind to me, and she plays with me... I like her very much.” Upon hearing this, Gretchen carefully considered her words, which confirmed Swire’s guess.

Before Swire could say anything more, Chen, who was working nearby, couldn't help but speak up first: "Hey, Swire, you don't want to take Gretsch to that 'party' you're having at noon, do you?"

"Is there a problem? It's just a meal... especially since I'm treating everyone to lunch today." Swire replied "justifiably" after hearing Chen's words.

Although she also felt that letting Gretsch meet that guy Padofelis might lead the child astray, it wouldn't be a big deal if it was just having a meal together.

Especially after listening to what that little girl just said, those two must have met quite a few times in private.

"So, little Gretchen, do you want to go out for lunch with me?"

"Hmm... Is Sister Pado here too? Should I ask her...?"

Gretchen asked this question, but Pado, who was in another city, already knew about it and was internally complaining about it.

The gist of the complaint was that Swire had no idea about her connection with Gretchen, and that she had now made a killing.

Hearing Gretchen's words, Swire puffed out her cheeks and said in a slightly forceful tone, "Absolutely not! I'm the one who's treating... Why ask her? Besides, she brought a friend too."

“???)...Alright then.” This time, Gretchen said nothing more, only nodded slightly.

After all, the person who invited her had said so, and the person who was invited was probably thinking the same thing to her right now, eager for her to go. So what else was there to say?

“Okay, then get ready, we’ll be leaving in a bit.” At this point, Swire seemed to remember something, paused strangely, and a hint of reluctance appeared on her face, “We also need to go back to my house first to pick up a cat.”

To be honest, without being petulant, Little Tiger really didn't want to return the canned food. After all, she probably only had one fluffy, well-behaved cat that didn't destroy the house and was also quite capable, so she really liked it.

However, she's not the type to monopolize someone else's "partner," so it's a pity...

"???) Furry...canned food."

"It seems you know Little Gretchen. Yes, she's the cat that follows Patofilis. You'll see her in a little while."

"..."

Sitting not far away, Chen looked at the fait accompli and shook his head helplessly. Then he said, "Since Gretchen has agreed, I won't say anything more. As for Swire, you know what to do."

"Please come back early after dinner, as I have a meeting this afternoon."

To be honest, it wasn't just Swire; Chen's feelings towards Padrephilis were also quite complicated. Calling her a bad person was too absolute, but calling her a good person wasn't entirely good either... Especially with that guy's current "whitewashed" state, it made her even more speechless.

"Oh, I know, I'll be back on time. Do I look like the kind of person who would be late?" Swire retorted helplessly, gently wagging her tail as she packed her things.

"Normally not, but it might be around noon today."

"?"

Chapter 164 Acquaintance and Guilt

In the end, although Swire was stubborn in front of Gretchen, she still sent a message to Patto before setting off, telling him that she was going to bring people with her.

After informing them, the little tiger wasted no more time and set off with his people.

After all, she had a meeting this afternoon, and she really didn't want to be late and get mocked by that guy Chen.

While picking up the cat and rushing to the destination, Greta, sitting in the car, didn't sit idle and kept chatting with Paddo.

Wow, Gretchen, you unlocked Mei-nee so timely! We're in for a treat at the upcoming dinner party!

'Hmm... Is Mei-neechan, whom we transformed into, also a good cook?' Hearing Pado's sigh in her heart, Gretchen seemed to notice something and asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Pado across from her fell into an eerie silence for a moment before replying with a slightly uncertain tone, "Hmm... that is indeed a problem, but 'we' weren't bad cooks to begin with. With Mei-nee's memories intact, there shouldn't be any issues!"

"Is that so...? Then, for the subsequent dinner, will Pado invite 'everyone'?"

"Of course, we'll call those who can come. If they're busy, then forget it... Little sister Gretchen, you can't expect me to call Snake Sister, you'll definitely get a fright!" Paddo said in a slightly frightened voice.

"Oh... what about Sister Huaiya and the others?"

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