Eden Garden (19)

Nan Yue remained silent for a moment. Finally, looking at the face that was identical to Wen Xiang Yuan’s, she nodded and accepted the task.

Miss Wen took a slow walk around the flowerbeds. Zhu Xi Ning happened to be coming out carrying flower seedlings, and her eyes widened in shock when she saw her.

Fortunately, she was a scavenger with extensive mission experience and quickly composed herself. To avoid letting any flaw show in her expression, she lowered her head immediately.

"Is this the garden where the roses are grown?"

Miss Wen's tone was flat, but Nan Yue thought she detected a hint of revulsion. She wondered if it was just her imagination.

But it shouldn't be. Miss Wen must love roses dearly; otherwise, she wouldn't have placed them so extensively throughout the West Castle.

Furthermore, while in the bedroom, Nan Yue had indeed seen Miss Wen look at a rose with an expression that could almost be described as tender.

Though that expression was quickly replaced by coldness.

"Yes, Miss."

Miss Wen did not usually visit such places, so the lead gardener was terrified, fearing he might fail to respond correctly.

Miss Wen reached out and snapped off a rose. She held it up and inhaled its scent. The flower was in full, vibrant bloom, its petals as large as a bowl, yet it served as mere decoration beside Miss Wen's face.

Nan Yue noticed a stream of blood trickling down Miss Wen's hand.

"Miss, your hand..."

At Nan Yue's reminder, the others finally noticed. The gardener began shouting for the family doctor, but Miss Wen silenced him with a look of pure disgust.

"No need."

She tossed the rose onto the ground, and her wheelchair crunched over it with a harsh, grating sound.

"The color of these roses... it's a bit pale."

Leaving those words behind, Miss Wen pushed her wheelchair away. Nan Yue noticed the gardener's face turned pale instantly.

Around noon, Miss Wen went for a nap. Before sleeping, she specifically instructed Wen Shen to have Butler Zhao wait outside her door so she could give him orders when she woke up.

She was the very picture of a spoiled, willful young lady.

During lunch, Nan Yue shared the information with the others. Since it involved Wen Xiang Yuan, Nan Yue did not allow the prying Huo Fuyu to join the discussion.

The others were initially happy to hear Nan Yue's news, as it meant they had at least found Wen Xiang Yuan's whereabouts.

Then they realized that the current Miss Wen had no apparent connection to the Wenwen they knew, at least not yet.

Moreover, she had given Nan Yue an extremely dangerous mission.

"I'll clear everyone from the third floor of the West Castle this afternoon, but it won't be for long."

Jiang Siyan’s brow was clouded with worry. This matter was definitely not simple.

Gu Xiang Kai could not enter the castle during the day and couldn't do much, but they would need to intervene if a thief was discovered.

"When the time comes, if Wen... Miss Wen is willing to return the notebook, we might need you, Old Gu, to use your inspection rounds as an excuse to put it back."

Gu Xiang Kai nodded in agreement.

Zhu Xi Ning, on the other hand, was completely unable to help. Ever since Miss Wen commented on the roses, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere had hung over the flowerbeds.

"I have a feeling something will happen in the garden this afternoon."

Zhu Xi Ning hesitated for a moment before saying, "Huo Fuyu's ability would be very useful right now. Maybe we should cooperate with him."

Nan Yue had considered this suggestion. Huo Fuyu's puppetry could be used to scout for traps first.

But that involved the matter of Wen Xiang Yuan.

"Since Wenwen is currently Miss Wen, they'll find out sooner or later anyway."

Zhu Xi Ning added, "Huo Fuyu is a smart man. I think we can trust him for now."

At the very least, her danger perception had not triggered when the topic of cooperation was mentioned.

Nan Yue fell silent for a moment, then walked to the side and beckoned to Huo Fuyu.

Huo Fuyu, who had been pretending to look for work nearby, rushed over immediately.

"Yueyue! Do you need my help with something?"

Nan Yue looked at Huo Fuyu, her expression more serious than ever before. "Yes. I need a favor, but first, you have to promise me something."

After Huo Fuyu quietly listened to Nan Yue's explanation about how "the boss this time looks exactly like one of our former teammates," the submissiveness on his face vanished.

He let out a scoff. "Yueyue, I want to work with you, but don't take me for a fool."

"Wen Xiang Yuan looks exactly like the boss? You actually believe that nonsense?"

Nan Yue sighed inwardly. Things were developing exactly as she had feared.

Someone was bound to recognize Wen Xiang Yuan eventually. She could have made excuses for her survival, but who could have guessed they would stumble directly into Wen Xiang Yuan's mission world?

Huo Fuyu watched Nan Yue's micro-expressions. Although her face remained calm, he could see the worry in her eyes.

"Fine. I don't care what secrets that teammate of yours has. I just hope that as partners, we can at least be honest."

Nan Yue arched an eyebrow. "You don't care?"

Huo Fuyu flashed a smile. "Of course I care!"

"This whole situation is bizarre! I find it just as baffling as you do!"

Nan Yue hadn't expected Huo Fuyu to snap like that. She stepped back slightly, waiting for him to calm down.

"But," Huo Fuyu quickly regained his composure, showing the steadiness befitting his rank, "now isn't the time to obsess over those things."

"Never mind looking like Wen Xiang Yuan; even if the boss looked like you, we'd still have to clear the mission first."

A shadow flickered in Huo Fuyu's eyes as he finally dropped his simple, clingy facade and revealed his true self.

"Tell me. What do you need me to do?"

During the afternoon break, Butler Zhao was called to the fourth floor by Miss Wen. It happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to inform anyone else.

Even the others in the butler group had no idea where he had gone.

Meanwhile, Nan Yue and Huo Fuyu took advantage of the task Jiang Siyan had arranged—cleaning the corridors on the second floor—to successfully enter the West Castle.

"Only Butler Zhao and Master Wen's most trusted confidants are allowed into his office and bedroom, so I couldn't arrange for you to go in directly."

However, Nan Yue and Huo Fuyu had plenty of ways to get inside.

The third floor had been cleared. Huo Fuyu used his puppet threads to control a maid and sent her into the office on the third floor.

A moment later, Huo Fuyu's expression changed.

"The connection to my puppet threads is gone."

Nan Yue pursed her lips. She had seen Huo Fuyu control He Jiang before; the loss of connection meant the maid was dead.

What kind of monster was inside Master Wen's office? Someone had entered and died silently in less than a minute.

Huo Fuyu shrugged. "Nothing for it. You'll have to go in yourself."

He didn't abandon her completely. "I'll stay out here. If someone comes up, I can buy you some time."

A person controlled by puppet threads had no memory of what happened while they were being manipulated.

Huo Fuyu had little offensive capability, so it was only natural that he was unwilling to enter. Nan Yue took a deep breath, coated the doorknob with black mist, and gave it a gentle turn.

The curtains in Master Wen's office seemed to be drawn, leaving the interior in pitch darkness. Nan Yue did not hesitate any longer and slipped inside.