Chapter 83 The Missing Girl

“Not entirely resolved. In the future, I may have to go out for several days at a time and won’t be able to come to the shop as often… unless…” I didn’t intend to hide anything from Wen.

Now that I’d become Old Ma’s apprentice, I had no idea what lay ahead, but I was certain I couldn’t live as leisurely as before. If I couldn’t be here regularly, there was little point in holding onto the position of assistant manager.

Wen looked at me. “If you need to be away, that’s fine. You’re still the assistant manager. I’m not good at running things, and I’m not used to working with anyone else. Besides, I opened this café as a hobby—I don’t depend on it for a living.”

The latter part of his words made me want to punch him.

I said nothing more. After tidying the bookshelves with Wen, he hauled the replaced books to one side.

Just then, Wang Yue, cheeks flushed, came running toward me. He was so flustered that he slipped and fell straight into my arms.

What’s gotten into this kid? I glanced at the three beautiful female staff members, as fierce as wolves, and saw them all giggling behind their hands, their faces aglow with amusement.

“Did you three tell him some strange jokes?” I asked, challenging them.

“Oh, we were just chatting, weren’t we, little brother~?” Chi Jing waved gently at Wang Yue.

Blushing, Wang Yue ducked his head and hid behind me.

“Brother Luo! You’re finally back!” A delighted shout rang out.

I turned to see a group of familiar female high school students, regulars here. Laden with shopping bags, they hurried into the café—they must have been out shopping and came in when they spotted me.

The girls gathered around me, glanced at Wang Yue hiding behind me, cheeks red, then looked at me, their expressions turning odd. There was a hint of ambiguity in their eyes. After a silent exchange, it was as if they’d reached a unanimous conclusion.

“He’s my cousin, just here to visit for a few days,” I quickly cut off the train of thought swirling in their minds.

The strange looks faded, though their ambiguous glances remained. One of them said, “Oh, your cousin? Not bad, not bad.”

Exchanging looks, they headed to an empty table, occasionally casting meaningful glances our way, their smiles tinged with mischief.

I looked at the trio of amused, radiant female staff, then at the group of female students with their mysterious, ambiguous expressions. Girls these days are really something—who knows what’s going on in their heads.

I walked over to their table, Wang Yue staying close, wary of the fierce women.

“What would you like to order, ladies?” I asked.

“As usual, but one less. Xiao Xiao isn’t here today,” said one girl.

Xiao Xiao was the girl with the slanted ponytail who usually joined them—the top student of their group. I’d noticed her absence when they came in.

I gestured to the three female staff to prepare their order.

“Why isn’t Xiao Xiao here?” I asked. She was rarely absent.

“She’s sick,” another girl replied.

Another sighed, “She’s been on leave for days. Every time we call, she says she’s feeling no better. We’re really worried.”

“What illness does she have?” I pressed.

The girls shook their heads. One said, “We don’t know. She took leave for something, went home for a while, and then her father called to say she was ill. We don’t know what happened, and he won’t tell us when we call.”

Another added, “Oh, right. We’re planning to visit Xiao Xiao at home this afternoon. Brother Luo, why don’t you come with us? She’ll be so happy to see you.”

“Why at home? Isn’t she in the hospital?” I asked, puzzled.

They exchanged uncertain looks and shook their heads. “We’re not sure. She was hospitalized for a while, but then she was brought home.”

What sort of illness doesn’t require hospitalization?

“All right, I’ll go with you. Contact me when you’re ready to leave—just call the shop. I’ll be here.”

Usually, Xiao Xiao was the one I talked to most, and now, with her absent, the girls finished their drinks and returned to school.

An Zhen Nan remarked, “It’s been over half a month since we last saw the girl with the slanted ponytail.”

Suddenly, Chi Jing remembered something. “Oh, how could I have forgotten this!”

She hurried behind the register, rummaged underneath, and returned holding an envelope.

“She gave me this the last time she came in, asked me to pass it to you when you returned,” she said, smiling with a hint of meaning. “A love letter from a little girl, assistant manager~”

I took the envelope and opened it. The letter wasn’t long, covering about half a page. It wasn’t a love letter, but a note of thanks. She wrote that with my help in tutoring, her grades had improved significantly. The Olympiad math problems I’d taught her helped her achieve good results in the competition. She’d always wanted to thank me, but I’d been away. Her family had encountered some issues, so she had to return home and didn’t know when she’d be back, hence the letter.

She didn’t know when she’d return. That line felt like she knew something was coming. What exactly had happened to her?

At half past three that afternoon, the girls came to the shop looking for me. There were supposed to be five, but only three showed up—the other two had been called away by a teacher.

Their names were Bu Xuanxuan, Lan Xueqing, and Mei Xiaotong.

Wang Yue, still wary of the fierce female staff, insisted on accompanying me and refused to stay behind. So I had to bring him along.

Xiao Xiao’s home was far away, requiring a subway ride. Bu Xuanxuan and the others hadn’t been there before; they only knew the address. While they often visited each other’s homes, Xiao Xiao never liked bringing classmates over, so none of them had visited.

Her home was in a high-end residential complex. Her father apparently wasn’t keen on their visit, so they were going without permission. Lan Xueqing happened to have a friend living in the same building and unit as Zheng Xiao’s family.

Arriving at the complex, Lan Xueqing’s friend was waiting at the gate and led us inside, then to Building Five, where we waited for the elevator.

“Which floor does your friend live on?” her friend asked.

“The thirteenth,” Lan Xueqing replied.

“The thirteenth?!” Her friend’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

Lan Xueqing’s friend shook her head. “N-no, nothing. I live on the fifth floor, so I won’t go up with you.”

It certainly didn’t seem like nothing.

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