Chapter 52 "Happy birthday to you~"
Along the walkway connecting the villa's lobby and garden, staff members were busy setting up the birthday celebration venue.
Only a tall, thin maid holding a flower basket stood blankly by the hall door, her shoulders hunched, seemingly looking inside from behind.
Wang, who had just taken a break from the garden, was about to go to the hall to check when he spotted the lazy girl.
"Hey! You there, slacking off!"
He put his hands on his hips, puffed out his round beer belly, and swaggered toward the maid.
A rough hand, adorned with an expensive watch, reached out and patted the other person's thin shoulder heavily.
The maid was startled and turned around in a panic, lowering her head sharply and staring timidly at her toes. Beneath thick, straight bangs, a plain face bore a red birthmark.
"Holy crap!"
Manager Wang shouted exaggeratedly and pointed at the other person's face with his finger.
"Tsk tsk tsk! Who arranged for you to come here? Be careful your ugly appearance might offend the boss."
The maid's face turned completely red, and she stammered, looking quite unseemly.
Just then, the female subordinate in charge of the lobby came out.
"Manager Wang, what's wrong?"
She glanced at the maid and instantly understood. "She's in charge of delivering things. She just arrived at the base, and she has some mental issues; she said she was scared silly."
Manager Wang wanted to say a few more words of reprimand, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a distinguished person coming down the stairs in the lobby.
"Hurry up and leave, don't get in the way."
The maid looked up blankly.
Manager Wang quickly blocked her view and rudely pushed her shoulder.
"Hurry up."
The female subordinate quickly pulled the maid away.
Manager Wang put on a fawning smile and turned to wait for the person to come over.
"boss."
Missy nodded and continued walking out unhurriedly. She turned her head slightly to look at the people and scenery around her, her eyes showing a hint of scrutiny.
Manager Wang stood with half of his entourage to the side.
He didn't speak, his eyes darting between the set crew and Misike's face until he saw a hint of satisfaction on the other's face, then he said crisply, "Congratulations, boss, your plan has come to a perfect end."
Missy remained silent, stopping in front of a rainbow cloud archway made of balloons, and looked around. "Pretty cute."
Manager Wang's smile relaxed. "It's what we should do."
A young man walked past the flowerbed.
"Boss."
Missy glanced back at A-Liang.
Before the person even got close, Manager Wang stepped back.
Ah Liang stood naturally beside her: "We received news from the lab that Li Nai will be able to get out of bed and walk around the next day."
Missy played with the balloons and couldn't help but smile.
"Xiao Wang, how's the cake preparation going? Tell them to set it all out; I want to see the overall design."
"Yes, boss. I'll give them the order right away."
late at night.
Missy dismissed the last batch of employees and sat down on the sofa to rest, feeling a bit of a headache.
Her gaze casually fell on a fresh flower basket on the coffee table, the blossoms vibrant and delicate, their subtle fragrance filling the air. She squinted at it, and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
When the clock struck exactly 12 o'clock, the grandfather clock chimed softly.
Faintly, a birthday song could be heard mixed in with the ringing of the bell.
Missy suddenly opened her eyes. Without making a sound, she listened for the source of the birthday song.
Everyone knows that she doesn't like other people being in her living space.
Who stayed behind and played the birthday song they planned to sing when blowing out the candles tomorrow?
I sat up straight, my gaze swept across the second floor, then the first floor, and finally settled on the reception and banquet hall.
That's the main venue for tomorrow's birthday celebration. Li Nai will receive everyone's blessings there and eat a birthday cake made just for her.
The wooden door, which should have been tightly closed, was opened a crack, and the closer one got to it, the louder the music became.
Pushing open the door, I quickly scanned the dimly lit room, where only a soft, warm light shone. The light was integrated with the vintage speaker; once the lid was lifted, it immediately illuminated the spinning disc underneath.
Missy loosened his grip on the gun handle and walked to the speaker with light footsteps. Suddenly, he smelled the fragrance of flowers.
At the edge of the speaker's halo, where the shadows meet, are drawn the lines of half a flower basket.
He withdrew his glance and lowered the lid of the box.
The lights went out, the music stopped. A haunting silence descended.
She touched her forehead, turned and walked towards the door.
Bang!
The light from the door frame suddenly shut off, plunging her into complete darkness.
Missy can grip the gun with both hands, raising it to about an arm's length in front of his chest. This is the best position to prevent others from snatching the gun.
With alert eyes, he moved his feet according to the location he remembered, searching for the wall.
Snap!
The lights on the right suddenly turned on.
She looked over.
A five-tiered, luxurious birthday cake, comparable to a wedding cake, sits on a long dining table. Its colors are lovely and extravagant, reminiscent of the Rococo style.
With the gun pointed at the cake, Missy slowly moved her feet. She had a gut feeling that someone was sitting behind her.
Who could it be!
Stepping aside, a five-tiered, luxurious cake was revealed, and a strange woman sat in the birthday boy's chair. She wore a familiar maid's uniform, and thick bangs hung down over her lowered forehead, obscuring her face. She was engrossed in the book in her hands, showing no sign of alertness at being discovered.
"Stand up!"
Missy could shout loudly.
The unfamiliar maid didn't look up. She tucked a dried black rose between the pages of the book and then closed it.
"Is this how you treat old friends?"
A playful murmur filled the quiet banquet hall.
The maid slowly raised her face, her fox-like eyes narrowing beneath her thick bangs.
"Qi Shuihan!"
Missy could immediately determine the other party's true identity.
Qi Shuihan completely ignored the gun pointed at her. After surveying the surrounding scene, her gaze settled on the sweet cake right in front of her.
Scoop off a piece of cream with your finger.
“You really put your heart into her. But—” He put a sip of cream in his mouth. “It’s nothing compared to how many times she’d die for you.”
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Misike's forehead. His eyes were fixed on Qi Shuihan's movements, while his mind was calculating the chances of escape.
If she had recognized the other person as Qi Shuihan earlier, she would have fired immediately, even if it meant running out of bullets, to seize the opportunity to escape.
His fingers gripped the gun rim tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Now all she has is this gun.
The only deadly miniature bomb that could deter the enemy had already lost its effect when Qi Shuihan escaped.
Seeing that Qi Shuihan didn't make a move for a long time, she just kept scooping up pieces of cake and eating them.
Misike remained calm, glancing at a floor-to-ceiling window out of the corner of her eye, and said as she moved her feet: "You finally escaped, why are you coming back? It's to steal Li Nai and complete the mission the group gave you."
“No.” Qi Shuihan licked the cream off her fingertips until they were clean. She lifted her eyelids, her dark eyes locking onto Misiko, and uttered three words lightly.
"To kill you."
Bang bang bang!
Bullets flew toward Qi Shuihan's face.
The instant the gun fired, Missy dashed towards the French windows. Outside lay a garden. The night patrol was on a certain path. If only she could leave the enclosed room—
Thump! He collapsed onto the floor. The gun slid across the floor, hitting the glass before coming to a stop. Missy stared wide-eyed at the floor-to-ceiling window so close to his face. His arm stretched out, his fingers twitching slightly.
Behind me, a person walked towards me with light and unhurried steps.
"Do the flowers in the basket smell good?"
Missy's eyes flashed quickly to the flower baskets on the coffee table and next to the speakers.
A soft chuckle.
Qi Shuihan bent down, scooped up Misiko's hair with her slender hand, and wrapped it around her hand.
"Don't rush off, we haven't had a proper chance to catch up yet."
He pulled his arm back.
Misi could hiss from below.
She seemed not to hear, clutching her long hair as she turned around, dragging the limp Misiko with one hand, like a fox casually flicking its tail, and walked step by step with her head held high toward the light. Under the light was a long dining table set with a luxurious five-tiered cake.
Drag stopped.
Qi Shuihan tossed her hair aside. She raised her hand and blew away a few strands of hair clinging to her fingers.
Leaning against the table, she tilted her head, her pupils shifting downwards as she glanced disdainfully at Misico.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you. I can't kill you."
Missy squinted at her, a look that made her smile.
Want to know why?
Missy can't speak.
"Because of Li Nai. She saved me from your control. She's not only my savior, but also my partner. Although I'm a former assassin, I still have my moral bottom line. How could I touch my savior's... target? That would cost her her life."
The fox-eyed man smiled maliciously.
"Oh my, you're shocked and confused, aren't you? Don't worry, the night is long, I'll explain it to you slowly."
Qi Shuihan grabbed a handful of cake, squatted down, rested her chin on her hand, and used her index finger to draw on Misike's face with cream.
“The clever mistress of the base, do you think Li Nai is willing to do anything for you, or for herself?”
...
It was pitch black.
Tap, tap, tap...
Li Nai suddenly opened her eyes. The slanting moonlight on the wall coldly reflected the clock.
——02:44.
Just as I was wondering, a sudden, burning pain shot through my head.
A rapid buzzing sound impacts the cochlea.
[Warning! Warning! Character #2's health is below 50% of minimum]
[Warning! Warning! Character #2's health is below 50% of minimum]
What number 2!
Number 2? ...
Clutching his screaming head with both hands, he rolled off the bed in pain, suddenly remembering that the second person was—
"Misik".
Perhaps the warning was timely. My frantic mind gradually calmed down.
She sat up, her face still showing confusion. When the warning came again, she swayed as she stood up, as if possessed, and began to search for the second person's route on her own. In the still of the night, she was like a ghost.
The nights in the deep forest are cooler than the days.
Li Nai was awakened by a mountain breeze.
I looked around at the familiar gardens. The streetlights illuminated something different, as if some kind of celebration was about to take place.
Looking at the rainbow cloud arch made of balloons, the words "happy birthday" float lightly above the arch.
His tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed!
...
Happy birthday to you~
"ha~ppy bir~thday to——you~"
A woman's singing voice could be heard from the dimly lit banquet hall.
Qi Shuihan stood with her feet straddling Misi Ke's head, and as she sang, she slowly tore off a small piece of paper from the novel.
With blood-stained silver fingertips, she pinched a small piece of paper and brought it close to Missy's two lips, which were covered in cream.
"Don't worry. You won't die. Enjoy this rare near-death experience."
A piece of paper was inserted diagonally between the lips.
After finishing, Qi Shuihan turned around without any hesitation.
He had just taken a step when his fox-like eyes glanced at the five-tiered cake on the table. With a flick of his arm, a shimmering crescent moon streaked through the air.
Splat!
The five-layer cake slid to two layers, and the rest slid to the ground and smashed into a pile of rubble.
She continued humming the birthday song—
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
happy birthday my dear linai……
The singing gradually faded away in the dimly lit banquet hall.
Missy struggled, and in her dazed state, her gaze drifted to her bloodied arm, where a horrifying vertical cut was visible. The slowly flowing blood had already spread to the floor-to-ceiling window, and a black pistol lay silently in the pool of blood.
Bang!
The wooden door was pushed open forcefully.
The slender light beam instantly shone on her head.
"Misik!!"
Thump, thump, thump! Someone ran up to her, afraid of hitting her face.
"Don't die! Wake up! Wake up!"
Misiko's eyes, which were about to close, suddenly opened, like a cursed puppet hidden in the darkness, and stared at Li Nai one last time.
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