NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
Page Thirty-Seven
Lose Moonlit Stealth Operation (One)
Stepping out from a mobile phone shop in the underground shopping street, Orange happily spun around with her new phone, completing a full 720-degree turn.
“It seems I’ll have to find a job during the summer vacation,” I sighed, bankrupt as I was.
The whisper accidentally reached Xiao Hai Tang’s ears, who mocked me, “If not for you trying to save face, this expense would still be covered by me. Money isn’t an issue for me.”
I scratched my head awkwardly. “Thank you for your kindness, but I also want to do something for Orange.”
“Why thank me? I’m not worried about your money! I feel bad for Orange. If I were paying, she wouldn’t need to use such a cheap phone under three thousand.”
I pouted, unable to retort due to her sharp words.
She usually didn’t show off her wealth, often eating with us at Old Feng’s roadside stall and splitting the bill equally, so I often forgot she came from a wealthy family. In that case, she could be considered a young lady.
And the phone I used was one of those cheap ones she called “under three thousand.”
“Orange! Tail! Tail!” Xiaolei shouted in surprise.
Looking over… perhaps due to excitement, Orange’s cat tail unconsciously twitched and swayed. The pleated skirt behind her swung left and right. Xiaolei, who first noticed this, grabbed Orange’s arms from behind, attempting to shield her and calm her down.
Unexpectedly, when Xiaolei grabbed her, the tail, which had been moving, suddenly stiffened and struck Xiaolei between the legs.
Though the force from the tailbone muscles wasn’t strong, it was a sensitive area. Xiaolei yelped like she was electrocuted, holding her hot pants and stepping back. Realizing her embarrassment, Orange quickly retracted her tail and wrapped it around her thigh again.
“Sorry, Xiaolei, I didn’t mean to…”
Seeing Xiaolei blushing, Xiao Hai pondered with her chin in hand. “This girl has become quite womanly. Is that thanks to Chairman?”
“Hahaha, what kind of merit? Merit for what?” I laughed nervously, facing Xiao Hai’s question.
As they say, smile on the surface, rage inside—this perfectly described my current mood. I felt there was more to her words… Did she already know Xiaolei was actually Zhao Zhao?
“Don’t play dumb. For a girl who doesn’t even wear safety underwear, suddenly becoming so womanly must be because she has a boyfriend, right? Isn’t that what you think, Chairman, who sleeps with Xiaolei?”
What kind of logic is this? Couldn’t it be that this girl suddenly matured and learned some shame? At least, that’s how I saw Xiaolei.
“Come on, Xiao Hai, don’t jump to conclusions. Your brother Kǎi really slept on the floor! No matter how desperate I am, I wouldn’t dare touch a friend’s sister.”
“Relax, I haven’t said anything yet. Why so nervous?” Her beautiful phoenix eyes twinkled. “Not that I trust you, but your timid demeanor suggests you wouldn’t dare.”
Xiao Hai knew me well. I was indeed more timid than most. As kids, going to a haunted house, I was held by Xiao Hai and Zhao Zhao, crying all the way in and out. According to Old Feng, my wails were so loud that even the staff dressed as ghosts ran out to comfort me—a counterproductive effort.
Therefore, even if Xiaolei were to seduce me in bed, I wouldn’t dare.
“So, where are we going next? Should we go home now?” Having settled Orange’s phone issue, I didn’t need anything else. If we went home now, I could check on Old Feng with Xiaolei. I was quite worried about him.
Before I could finish, a girl in Bìyáng Girls’ School uniform ran down the escalator, handing Xiao Hai a white cloth package that looked like a bomb. She then quickly turned and left via the escalator.
They didn’t even look at each other, and the silent exchange reminded me of undercover operatives…
“Chairman, here, I can’t hide it anymore. I hope you can investigate a place for me.”
“Where?” Hearing her seriousness, I put aside my relaxed attitude and adopted a serious expression.
“A bar called ‘Lost Moonlight.’ According to Orange’s informant and the confirmation from the Student Council, Thunder Tiger and his gang are hiding there…”
“Wait, Orange’s informant?”
“Hmm, you don’t know, do you? I have thousands of informants. Just give them a little fish and they’ll work.”
Ah, she meant cats! This city had many stray cats, and the more people, the more cats. No wonder they found Thunder Tiger easier than Police Officer Lei La.
“Orange is amazing! Pet her head!” While Orange proudly stood with her hands on her hips, I reached up and ruffled her hair until Xiao Hai coughed twice.
“Although it’s dangerous, it’s not impossible… but why me? Can’t you go in yourself?”
Knowing that Thunder Tiger’s gang recognized me, going alone seemed risky.
“Hmph, I wish I could.” Xiao Hai sneered. “That bar is suspicious. It checks guests’ IDs, ostensibly to prevent minors from entering, but there must be other reasons.”
“Shouldn’t you report this to the police? There should be plainclothes officers patrolling nearby, right?”
“I’ve heard that this bar is where second-generation rich kids party. Regular police can’t just barge in. Reporting it would only complicate things. Once I catch Thunder Tiger, I’ll report it myself, but for now, I don’t want the police involved.”
“What do you mean by ‘second-generation rich kids’? That sounds odd.”
“Well, it’s similar to what you might think… but they also serve regular guests. Don’t worry about seeing anything inappropriate.”
Xiao Hai, who couldn’t even enter, was describing the bar’s secrets so vividly. Was she doing this out of spite?
“If you can’t get in because you’re underage, there’s no point in asking me? I’m seventeen and can’t get in either.”
“You’re silly. Who said you should use your own ID?” Xiao Hai opened the package to reveal a set of clothes and an ID card. “Use this ID, change clothes in the bathroom… don’t worry, I know you don’t want to dress up. This is high-end men’s clothing. Your cheap outfit looks worse than a server’s. Since our faces were remembered by them yesterday, we can’t use this plan. I’m counting on you.”
I took the clothes and ID: Chang Lingmeng, female, 18 years old. The photo was taken without glasses and without makeup.
“Eww! Female? When did you take this photo?”
“At the May Rome hot pot restaurant, you took off your glasses once because they fogged up. I took the photo then and rushed it to the Student Council to make this ID. Don’t worry, this ID is flawless. It’s real, with all citizen information faked.”
Are the Bìyáng Girls’ School Student Council members monsters? How did they make a real ID? Isn’t this illegal? Using illegal means to investigate a lawful bar…
“I originally planned to have Zhao Zhao go with you, but he’s gone missing… so I’ll have to ask you, Chairman, to brave this tiger den alone.”
Hearing this, Xiaolei scratched her cheek awkwardly. “I can go instead of my brother. Make another ID for me?”
Xiao Hai’s face lit up with a radiant smile, as if expecting this response. She tapped the empty cloth and magically produced another ID, making Orange exclaim in admiration.
“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.”
Xiaolei took a look: Zhao Lei, female, 18 years old. This ID photo was likely taken without her knowledge.
“I’ll protect Chairman!”
Though Xiaolei spoke confidently, she wasn’t as strong as Zhao Zhao. Physically, she wasn’t much better than me. I thought going alone would be better, but having someone with me would provide some courage.
“Even if we contact Thunder Tiger, how can we catch him? Ultimately, we aren’t his match.”
“I don’t expect you to catch him. Don’t worry about him attacking you. In that bar, it’s not about who’s stronger, but who’s more prestigious. You can treat it as a showcase for second-generation rich kids.”
Xiao Hai spoke with disdain, clearly looking down on those who acted pretentiously in such places. Thunder Tiger was one of them.
“So, what should I do?” Although Xiao Hai said this, I still didn’t know how to provoke Thunder Tiger.
“You have two choices. One is to find an opportunity to act pretentiously and embarrass him. The other is to act like a beggar and let him hit you.”
“What, let him hit me?”
“In fact, if he hits you, we win. Security will kick you out, and I can ensure your safety.”
It sounded like a plausible plan, but there was a critical problem.
“Unfortunately, I’ve always been poor. I don’t know how to act pretentiously. I can’t compare to those born with silver spoons.”
“Of course, I don’t expect you to act pretentiously… Wear these invisible earphones. I’ll guide you remotely.”
Looking at the two bean-sized earphones in Xiao Hai’s palm, my mouth dropped open.
What kind of spy equipment is this?