It was already past mealtime—how could they not be hungry?
Su Xing had originally wanted to call for food, but was afraid Nick would come to ask questions.
So the four of them hurried out to a restaurant, each ordering a bowl of noodles, eating heartily.
All four of them had large bowls. Su Xing belonged to the type who could eat a lot, but could also endure hunger well.
This was a habit formed in the past, but now that she had money, she naturally wouldn’t wrong herself anymore.
Ivanser was the first to finish eating and said to everyone, “Let’s go again this afternoon. Let’s try to get the painting back before tomorrow, otherwise it will be useless.”
Su Xing finished the last sip of noodle soup, her bowl already clean and spotless in front of her.
“Alright, let’s discuss our strategy.”
“The main thing we need to figure out is the mayor’s attitude.”
Su Xing clasped her hands under her chin.
“First, let’s rule out the possibility that he’s colluding with his daughter. We came here to deliver the painting, and he has no intention of framing us for anything, so there’s no point in doing something as pointless as robbing them outright—like taking off your pants to fart.”
“Pfft!”
Kaka almost spat out a mouthful of noodles.
Ivanser rolled his eyes speechlessly.
“Nonsense.”
Su Xing chuckled.
“Isn’t it just because you guys looked too serious? Alright, the key question is whether the mayor knows about his daughter, Miss Xi Xi. My current plan is to use the mayor to threaten them and get them to return the painting.”
“Although I don’t know what they intend to do with the painting, our real goal is just to hand it over to the mayor. As for whether they want to steal or snatch it afterward, that’s none of our business.”
Ivanser immediately understood her meaning and frowned, “You mean, we first deliver the painting, then join forces with them to steal it back?”
Su Xing nodded.
“That’s right.”
However, this obviously villainous approach did not win the approval of the other three.
The three of them all had expressions of, “How can you do that?”
Kaka couldn’t help but say, “Wouldn’t that mean we did this mission for nothing? How can we help them steal the painting?”
Su Xing replied with righteous confidence, “Isn’t the mission just to deliver the painting to the mayor? As long as I complete the mission, what happens afterward isn’t against the rules.”
But for once, the usually scatterbrained Kaka was unusually sharp: “But stealing the painting itself is wrong!”
Quinn nodded.
“No… that’s right.”
Ivanser, rarely on the same side as them, sarcastically added, “You can’t just cut corners to complete the mission, Su Xing. Can’t you use your cleverness for something better?”
Seeing the three of them like this, Su Xing pursed her lips and compromised, “Then how about this—when the time comes, I’ll help steal the painting, and you three don’t have to get involved. How about that?”
Kaka was stunned by her words, then angrily retorted, “That’s not what we mean! It’s not about letting you do bad things alone, it’s that none of us should do bad things!”
For the first time, Su Xing felt a bit confused.
She had already taken a step back—she could understand Kaka not wanting to steal, but since she herself didn’t have such scruples, why did they insist on stopping her?
But years of life experience made Su Xing instinctively avoid the issue.
She smiled and brushed it off, “What are we arguing about? We don’t even know the full situation yet. Nick should come by this afternoon to deliver something—then we can take the chance to get more information.”
Kaka frowned, still wanting to say something.
But just then, there was a knock at the door.
Su Xing immediately breathed a sigh of relief and volunteered, “I’ll get the door!”
Quinn grabbed her arm, and as Su Xing turned, he said seriously, “Avoiding it won’t help. We’ll have to deal with this sooner or later.”
Su Xing nodded absentmindedly and hurried to open the door.
Speak of the devil—standing outside was Nick. Behind Nick were several burly men carrying large and small packages.
Su Xing stepped aside to let them in, thanking him, “Sorry to trouble you, Secretary Nick. You’re really considerate—no wonder you’re the secretary to the mayor of the City of Art.”
Su Xing complimented him right where he cared, and after a round of flattery, Nick was visibly pleased, his attitude improving a lot.
Seeing Nick in a good mood, Su Xing seized the chance to ask, “By the way, has the mayor’s daughter been found yet? She should still be in the City of Art, right? How could she not be found?”
“Sigh, it’s just that things have been so busy with the art exhibition lately that the mayor simply can’t spare anyone to look for Miss Xi Xi! Otherwise, with the mayor’s influence, never mind inside the City of Art—even if she ran outside, she’d be found soon enough.”
As soon as this topic came up, Nick complained at length, “Miss Xi Xi made some unsavory friends before, and then started to rebel. You tell me, she knows perfectly well that as soon as the exhibition ends, she’ll be found right away, but she still insists on running away at this time. Isn’t that just making trouble for the mayor?”
After hearing Nick’s words, Su Xing’s eyes turned thoughtfully, and she suddenly asked, “When did Miss Xi Xi start rebelling?”
Nick answered without much caution, “A few months ago. She only hung out with those friends for a month or two before she changed. If you ask me, the mayor should really control who Miss Xi Xi befriends. She’s so naive—it’s easy for her to be led astray!”
After a few more words, Nick seemed to realize he shouldn’t be gossiping about his employer and hurriedly changed the subject, taking his leave.
Su Xing sat down in her chair, looking amused.
Quinn noticed immediately and asked, “What did you think of?”
Su Xing came back to her senses, her expression subtle.
“Why did she have to run away at this particular time? She started rebelling long ago, didn’t she?”
Quinn asked in confusion, “Isn’t it because she wouldn’t get caught if she left now, and she wanted to cause trouble for the mayor?”
“No need.”
Su Xing shook her head.
“There are plenty of ways to make trouble for your dad—no need to go as far as running away. And if I were the force behind Miss Xi Xi, I wouldn’t let her run away at all.”
“Why not?”
Quinn asked.
Su Xing smiled and explained, “Think about it—running away from home is different from other little acts of rebellion. If the mayor was willing to indulge his daughter’s antics before, once the exhibition ends and he gets her back, do you think he’d still let her keep associating with those people?”
“Impossible.”
Su Xing nodded.
“It’s obvious. As long as those people aren’t idiots, they wouldn’t risk breaking off this hard-won connection with the mayor’s daughter just for a pointless act of rebellion—unless their plan is to kill the mayor’s daughter during this incident.”
At this point, Kaka, who had been sulking and silent, immediately jumped up.
“Doesn’t that mean Miss Xi Xi is in real danger?”
Su Xing pressed him down with a laugh.
“Don’t panic. If they really planned to harm Miss Xi Xi, they wouldn’t have let her come out to spy on us.”
Ivanser had already worked things out during this interlude.
“So you mean, it’s related to the art exhibition?”
Quinn understood too.
“That’s right. If that’s the case, it makes sense. But why did she steal the painting? Is there something at the exhibition that needs this new painting?”
“Wait, wait, wait—”
Kaka was confused.
“I don’t get it. How is Miss Xi Xi running away from home related to the exhibition?”
Su Xing sighed and patted the little fool affectionately.
“Miss Xi Xi chose this time to leave home because she’s not afraid of being locked up afterward. That means there’s something she has to do during this period—something she must succeed at or else.”
And the only big event during this time is the exhibition.
Plus, she stole a painting that was supposed to be displayed at the exhibition, so it must be related to the art exhibition.”
Kaka suddenly understood.
“I see! So those people with Miss Xi Xi are using her!”
Su Xing shook her head.
“Not necessarily. Miss Xi Xi might not be unaware of their intentions.”
Kaka said indignantly, “But she’s just a young girl! Isn’t it normal for her to be tricked?”
“She’s only a year younger than us!”
Ivanser said coldly.
Kaka was at a loss for words.
“…But we’re Phantom Spirit Masters, aren’t we? Phantom Spirit Masters are stronger than ordinary people, so shouldn’t we protect ordinary people?”
Su Xing frowned.
“Everything is relative. I only want to protect people I acknowledge. This is something we have to make clear among ourselves.”
Quinn was more rational about it.
“Kaka, you have to understand—Phantom Spirit Masters just have more abilities, more strength than ordinary people. But that doesn’t mean we’re smarter than them.”
Ivanser was the harshest, mercilessly mocking, “Even if I were just an ordinary person, I could kill you, a Phantom Spirit Master, at the first opportunity. What are you so proud of?”
Seeing Kaka so dejected, Su Xing knew he needed to figure things out on his own.
So she called the others out, “The three of us should go outside and discuss our next move.”
Kaka sat alone on the bed and didn’t stop them.
Once the three of them were outside, Su Xing continued, “The mayor probably doesn’t know where Miss Xi Xi is, so we can carry out the original plan. Once we’re there, Ivan, you grab someone as soon as possible and give me a chance to negotiate.”
Ivanser nodded to show he understood.
Su Xing turned to Quinn.
“You hide in the shadows. If anything goes wrong, run out and ask the mayor for help.”
Quinn nodded seriously.
At that moment, the door opened from inside.
Kaka came out with his chest puffed out.
“I’ve thought it over. I still think we should protect ordinary people, but you guys are right—ordinary people aren’t as weak as I thought. My thinking was the problem. I won’t make the same mistake next time.”
Su Xing nodded in relief and exaggeratedly said, “Kaka, you’ve grown up!”
Kaka blinked at her.
“So, Su Xing, do you really think it’s right to do whatever it takes to complete the mission?”
“Maybe it’s wrong?”
Su Xing tilted her head.
“But if you guys insist, I’ll try to learn what is right.”
There was a hint of a smile in Ivanser’s eyes. Maybe that’s why, even though they all had different personalities and worldviews, they could still become a team.