Chapter 45 Want to dance?
"Hey, I just heard some inside information."
What is it?
"Did you know that the boss adopted a little girl?"
"Of course. And then?"
"Don't rush."
The younger helper looked around. There was no one else in the European-style garden connecting to the main entrance of the villa's hall. He lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously to another cleaning lady.
"I heard the boss had a child before."
"No way. You can't tell she's given birth."
"Given the boss's personality, he'll probably let it come out." The young man made a knife gesture on his abdomen.
The older sister, who was in charge of personnel, immediately understood.
"It's said to be fully formed."
"Did you examine the site carefully?"
The sudden interruption of unfamiliar words startled the two of them.
When they turned around, their faces turned pale.
Two hands, one on each wrist, grabbed Li Nai's wrist in unison, pleading in a panic, "We didn't say anything. Please don't tell the boss."
"Yes, yes. You wouldn't want a misunderstanding to cause the deaths of two innocent people, would you?"
The two mouths relentlessly cried out their innocence, as if they wouldn't let her go unless she swore an oath to be struck by lightning.
Li Nai pretended to be silent for a moment, then raised his face, looked behind them, and suddenly said loudly, "Manager Wang, you've arrived!"
The two startled rabbits in front of me gripped their tools tightly, pretended to be very busy, and ran off in opposite directions, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Recalling the rather comical scene just now, I couldn't help but suppress a laugh, my shoulders shaking.
Just then, a thick hand quietly patted my shoulder.
"You called me because you need something?"
She turned her head and saw a look of shock on the man's greasy, chubby face, a shock even greater than hers.
The man blurted out, "You're really not dead!"
“You didn’t die either, did you?” she replied.
Manager Wang was taken aback.
Li Nai: "Merck said that the zombie outbreak was sudden and severe, and there was simply no time to fight it. It only took 16 minutes for it to spread throughout the entire base. I didn't expect you to survive."
"What? You actually think I'm the lobby manager?"
Manager Wang tossed his jacket hem, revealing a black gun tucked into his belt at the back of his waist. He even thought he looked cool as he smoothed his greasy bangs, which had been slicked back with hair wax.
She glanced at the man's round, protruding belly, then at his greasy, pretentious air. "I think he's the first one to run away," she thought, her face betraying no honesty, revealing not a trace of her true feelings.
"Manager Wang is a real hidden talent." A casual compliment.
Whether it was a genuine compliment or not, Manager Wang, with his hands on his thick waist, arrogantly surveyed her from head to toe.
His gaze lingered mostly on the stomach. His eyes were like those of a ravenous zombie.
"It must be unforgettable."
What did he say?
Li Nai glanced at the man suspiciously.
"Torn apart and eaten alive." The man exaggeratedly made a sinister gesture as if he were about to devour his prey.
Li Nai still looked confused.
The man pointed at her forcefully. "It was you, the one who was eaten alive by a bunch of zombies."
"How could that be? The rumors are getting more and more outrageous. I was kidnapped by the enemy. Manager Wang, did that zombie outbreak affect you?"
As soon as the last sentence left his mouth, he became alert.
This is clearly an insult, calling someone a coward.
Carefully observe the man's expression.
The other person didn't have a gloomy face; they just remained silent for a while, seemingly annoyed that they had said too much.
Suddenly, the man pointed to the large glass balcony at the end of the garden and issued a work assignment.
"You are responsible for hygiene; not a single leaf is allowed to fall on the glass."
"Can we go somewhere else?"
The man glanced at her sideways, implying, "You're trying to rebel!"
"I... I'm afraid of heights. If the ground wasn't glass, I definitely would do it. Manager, I really can't do it; my legs can't even stand up straight."
Although the glass balcony is called a balcony, it is actually a semi-circular platform extending out from the cliff, with a forest in the mountains below and a gorge flowing between them.
She only learned yesterday that Missyco's real hideout was hidden deep in the uninhabited mountains and forests. The place where she was standing now was Missyco's private living area, located halfway up the mountain.
"It's okay, courage can be built up. I believe in you."
The man gives a thumbs-up.
Li Nai lamented: When can I be Missy's personal maid again? I don't want to do chores, I just want to complete my tasks.
Three days after she woke up, Missy seemed to have forgotten about her and spent every day playing with Mimi.
A thought flashed through her mind: "I remember now, Missy asked me to go to the study today. I won't bother you any longer, goodbye."
Fearing the other party would discover her lie, she ran away in a flash, leaving the man alone.
The man didn't stop her, silently watching Li Nai disappear from sight. He turned around, his expression icy. He took out his phone and held it to his ear.
"Two people will be sent to the lab today. — Because they're not pure of heart."
...
Li Nai blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. This wasn't her first time entering the house, yet she was still captivated by the refreshing platinum palace-style decor.
Recalling the location of the study, I walked through the partition door of the corridor, into a gleaming marble corridor with wood grain patterns, where classical music faintly drifted.
Near the heavy wooden door to the study, which was not fully closed, clear and melodious music drifted out through the crack.
Instead of knocking, he pushed the door open, gradually widening the gap so that he could peek inside.
The luxurious desk on the right was empty. Turning my gaze, I saw a large, trumpet-shaped record player atop a three-drawer floor cabinet, its black dial spinning elegantly. Opposite it, Mishiko and Mimi sat in a serene, peaceful atmosphere.
The "mother and daughter" were seated facing the floor-to-ceiling window. The elegant round table used for afternoon tea had been moved aside, and one of the three chairs was placed under Misike. A beautiful, round, thick rug was laid out in the empty space, where Mimi sat playing with building blocks.
The bright sunlight streaming through the window casts a soft, golden glow into the study, creating a scene reminiscent of a warm, classical oil painting depicting a mother and daughter enjoying each other's company.
Missy leaned back on the armrest of her seat, lowered her head slightly to turn a page of a yellowed book, and her fluffy curly hair shone with golden light.
"Mother."
The little girl presented a small house made of building blocks to Missy.
Missy stopped turning the page and looked up.
"That's great."
The girl, pleased with the praise, continued to play with the building blocks in front of her, a smile playing on her lips.
Li Nai, who was spying on everything, stared intently at Misi Ke's gentle profile. Recalling the gossip she had overheard outside, her gaze shifted downwards and settled on the other woman's abdomen, which was hidden by her arm.
Bring up the system control panel, and the character profile pops up—Misiko's past, with many unsolved gray areas.
frown.
His eyes moved across the files that others couldn't see, trying to find a clue.
A line of text slid across the file, revealing an empty column. Through the gap, she noticed Mimi stepping over the blocks, stumbling a couple of steps, and grabbing the woman's slender legs, her chubby little face affectionately pressed against her knee.
The little girl raised her innocent and pure eyes, curiously looking left and right at the cover of the thick book, her fingers playfully tapping on the cover.
"Mommy. Mommy? Mommy?"
The little girl kept calling out, trying every possible way to attract the woman's attention.
Missy moved the book aside, lifted the little girl onto her lap with one hand, then turned the child around, lowered the book, and the two read together. Missy patiently taught her how to pronounce words correctly.
Li Nai closed the system panel, listened to the girl's funny imitation for a while, and guessed that they were reading a foreign poetry book.
I never realized before how patient Missy was with children. She seemed like an outsider standing outside the door.
Her gaze wandered, and unexpectedly met Missy's eyes. She had been discovered.
He turned around. He wanted to run away.
Why don't you come in?
He stood frozen at the doorway.
She could feel someone walking closer behind her.
Embarrassed, she rubbed her face and slowly turned around, her mind racing to find a reason to explain her voyeuristic behavior.
At this point, the record player automatically changes the disc.
A waltz begins to play.
She kept her head down, not daring to look up. She just stared at the hand extended in front of her, inviting her gaze.
Would you like to dance?
What's going on?!
Four words popped into my head. But my hand went up on its own.
Before she could react, she was suddenly pulled onto the stage. Her hand was raised and pulled inward, and her body, bewildered, followed the gesture and spun around.
The distance between the two instantly closed.
One hand rested naturally below her shoulder blade. Her right hand was held by the other person and stretched outwards.
"You can put your left hand on my shoulder."
The woman in front of me lowered her head to remind me, her fragrant scent wafting towards me.
As soon as she was placed on it, Missy started spinning her around.
"Wait, wait, I don't know the dance steps."
She looked down at their feet; one pair was composed and elegant, the other flustered and anxious.
Following the rhythm, they slid forward, backward, left, and right, occasionally spinning around.
Surprisingly, she never stepped on the other person's foot even once.
Is it because Missy's dance moves are superb, or because she learns quickly?
However, the next quick waltz hit her hard.
I can't keep up, I simply can't keep up!
She was on the verge of tears, completely resigned to her fate and dependent on the one in control. She felt like a three-dimensional piece of silk hanging on Misik's arm, helplessly swaying back and forth with the other's dance steps.
"Mommy, Mommy."
I glanced at Mimi, who was sitting in the high-backed chair. Her big eyes sparkled as she followed their movements, and she clapped her hands and laughed as if she were cheering.
Little brat. Hmph, cute.
As the dance music drew to a close, she suddenly fell back into a graceful pose, frozen in place, as a hand steadily supported her from behind. The woman above leaned closer, soft, golden curls of hair falling down and tickling her chin.
She looked up, stunned. Golden light pierced through her hair, illuminating a pair of deep eyes. Those eyes gazed at her silently.
The heartbeat, immersed in the joyful dance steps, slowly recedes until it disappears.
My chest is empty.
It's empty!
Where is her heartbeat? Where is her heartbeat?
She pulled her hand away from the other person's shoulder and suddenly clutched her chest.
Their flustered movements almost tripped them both.
Missy quickly switched to holding her waist with both hands and helped her up.
"Um, I, I'll go do some work, you know, cleaning."
Like a headless fly, she fled towards the French windows, only to bump into the glass and realize she had gone the wrong way. Clutching her aching forehead, she turned back, adding a comment as she passed Missyco.
"Manager Wang, if you can't find me, you'll definitely punish me. I won't bother you any longer, goodbye."
The study door was right in front of him, and he quickly slipped out as if granted a pardon.
Missy remained silent, her hand hanging at her side unconsciously touching the soft fabric of her skirt.
Pinch it between your fingertips, gently feel it with your fingertips. A similar softness lingers in your heart, just now, at the end of the waltz.
In just two or three seconds, her fingertips flicked off the skirt.
On her way out, Li Nai grabbed a broom and turned it into a relentless sweeping machine, aimlessly sweeping around. Wherever she went, even the cleanest spots were swept up in a layer of dust. If Manager Wang saw her working so hard, he would surely be moved and give her a thumbs up, then assign her even more work.
"Ugh! I really don't want to clean up after that psychopathic killer."
"In chaotic times, it's good enough if you can work for your boss and survive."
From deep within the passage, the conversation between two women could be heard.
Li Nai stopped sweeping, picked up the broom, and tiptoed over to eavesdrop.
"I really don't understand why the boss would listen to that crazy request and give her the best food and lodging. She's just an experimental subject, why is she so concerned about her quality of life?"
"You know, I'll say something you won't like to hear: they are just more valuable than us."
"But I really don't want to go. Every time I'm working, I always see that woman's foxy eyes smiling at me, it's so creepy."
"You can't refuse unless you can get through to Manager Wang."
"Oh! This is making things difficult for me."
"Then what will you do?"
The two best friends, both wearing the same cleaning uniform, are about to walk out of the hallway—
"I'll go in your place."
Li Nai suddenly appeared, her eyes shining.
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