Chapter 460 - 404: It’s Really a Robbery
Chapter 460: Chapter 404: It’s Really a Robbery
Philinos asked seriously, his cold, intense eyes fixed on Gu Ning.
His tone and gaze weren’t so much an inquiry as a demand for an explanation.
Gu Ning’s scalp tingled, and her heart leaped into her throat.
At this point, she wasn’t sure what the bigger problem was: whether she liked that "male escort" or that the "male escort" had robbed her.
She didn’t want to answer or delve into either question, because they weren’t important.
She also didn’t want Philinos to dwell on these unimportant issues. She wanted to use this opportunity to take Cook for a good look around the Inner District. They would be leaving the 12th District in a few days, and she had no idea when they might be back.
"What did that male escort from last night look like?" Lanuo tried to recall. "He was... pretty average, I think."
’Not the type Ningning would like.’
Lanuo glanced at the bird. It was obvious he liked her.
"I don’t like him," Gu Ning answered, unable to withstand Philinos’s intense stare.
"You don’t like him?" Philinos said. "If you don’t like him, why did you tip him ten Crystal Stones?"
The moment he said it, Philinos regretted it. He paused, trying to diffuse the tension, and asked, "Was it ten? If I didn’t miscalculate the weight."
The bag of Crystal Stones in his hand had a standard weight per gram. He knew exactly how many were added or removed.
Gu Ning sighed softly. "Yes."
Philinos said, "You don’t have many to spare."
Gu Ning picked up a meat bun. Philinos continued, "That’s a bit much for a male escort."
She placed the meat bun in Philinos’s bowl.
Philinos glanced at the bun, but still pressed, "Do you really like him?"
Lanuo was stunned. "You tipped that male escort ten Crystal Stones?"
Gu Ning sighed in resignation. ’Now I have to explain whether I want to or not.’ "It was a robbery! I was robbed!" she said, exasperated.
"A robbery?" Lanuo chuckled. "It was just ten Crystal Stones plus my two-hundred-something-dollar tip. I wouldn’t call that a robbery."
Hearing his interpretation, Gu Ning felt a sense of helpless frustration. Of course, if he wanted to see it that way, it would save her some trouble.
’Getting on the same wavelength as a Beastman isn’t so easy.’
"Seems that male escort has some skills," Lanuo said to Gu Ning, glancing at the bird’s expression. "He wasn’t much to look at, and all he did was blow-dry your little dog’s fur, yet you willingly spent ten Crystal Stones on him. Does he have some special trick up his sleeve?"
Lanuo asked with genuine sincerity. He wanted to understand Ningning’s preferences—and not just when it came to mating. This was very important.
Philinos ate the bun Gu Ning had given him, also waiting for her answer.
’She didn’t mate with that escort. Scent aside, I know her personality. At most, she would look and maybe touch. And she’s always careful and frugal with her belongings. Maybe it’s like this dog said—the escort has a special skill.’
Gu Ning looked at the two men sitting on either side of her, both waiting for her reply with earnest, expectant faces. They clearly didn’t believe her about the robbery and were twisting it into something else entirely. She decided to just make something up to brush them off.
Just then, Lanuo said, "Don’t worry, I won’t tell Alex. Oh, or that fox."
The words Gu Ning had just fabricated died on her lips.
It would have been better if Lanuo hadn’t said anything. Now that he had, she had a gut feeling that with his big mouth, Alex and the others would definitely find out.
She couldn’t bear to imagine one of them gently questioning her while the other interrogated her aggressively.
Just the thought made her scalp tighten again.
Gu Ning shot Lanuo a resentful look, put down her spoon, and sat up straight. "It was real. It was a robbery."
Lanuo chuckled. "How could he have robbed you..."
Seeing Gu Ning’s serious, solemn expression, Lanuo’s smile vanished. Vague fragments of memory surfaced in his mind, and the back of his head began to throb with pain.
"Who was it?" Philinos finally realized that what Gu Ning was saying was completely different from what they’d been imagining. The sense of wrongness that had been nagging him since last night finally found its anchor. "What’s that male escort’s name? Do you remember what he looked like?"
Cook let out a slightly displeased bark at Philinos.
Gu Ning petted Cook and said, "It was..."
She glanced at the Little Fairy Bird’s expression and sighed. "It was the one who attacked us yesterday."
Philinos and Lanuo shot to their feet.
Seeing their expressions as if they were facing a great enemy, Gu Ning quickly said, "He didn’t... he didn’t hurt us. He just wanted some money."
Lanuo demanded, "Why didn’t you tell us?"
Gu Ning said sullenly, "You kept calling him a male escort."
Lanuo put one hand on his hip and the other to his forehead, pacing back and forth with a headache. "How did that guy sneak in?"
Then, he slapped his forehead. "It was him, that brown-haired guy from the Bear Clan, right?"
Gu Ning nodded.
"Did he hurt you?" Lanuo leaned over, gripped Gu Ning’s shoulders, and looked her up and down, his eyes filled with worry.
Gu Ning flinched and pushed his hands away. "No. He just took some money."
"WOOF!" Cook squeezed past Lanuo, pressing close to Gu Ning and not letting him get near again.
Lanuo’s hands hovered in mid-air for a moment before he pulled them back and opened his terminal. "We have to call the police."
Gu Ning stood up and grabbed Lanuo’s hand. "I’ll give you the money."
As she spoke, Gu Ning looked over at Philinos. He was standing there silently, his expression absolutely frigid.
Lanuo said, "This isn’t about the money. That guy might be one of Alex’s rivals, or he could have been targeting you."
Philinos’s lips tightened. He glanced at Gu Ning, then grabbed the long blade resting on a nearby table and strode outside.
"Philinos!" Gu Ning chased after him and grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"
’This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to tell the Little Fairy Bird.’
Philinos: "To find him."
Gu Ning: "Don’t go."
"Why are you stopping me?" Philinos looked down at her. "Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you want to call the police? Don’t you know what a bad habit this is?"
His usual cold, sharp tone was laced with a hint of urgency, but to Gu Ning’s ears, it sounded like an accusation.
It struck a deep wound in her heart.
Gu Ning slowly let go of him, her eyes downcast. "I don’t want... you to get hurt."
Compared to the little bit of money that was taken, Philinos’s safety was more important.
She didn’t want anyone who was good to her, anyone she cared about, to get hurt.
"Ning." Philinos realized his words had been too harsh. His heart skipped a beat as he grabbed her hand. "What I meant was..."
"WOOF!" Cook lunged forward, knocking his hand away, and stood between them, baring his teeth and growling at Philinos.
"Cook." Gu Ning tugged at her protective little dog, then said to Philinos, "You’re right. This habit of mine... is a very bad one."
Panic flashed in Philinos’s eyes. He sensed that his words had not only been too harsh but had also hurt Ning. He raised a hand, wanting to touch her, but Cook stood firm between them, refusing to let him get any closer.
"Don’t fight, don’t fight," Lanuo said, walking over. "It’s not a huge deal. I’ve already called the police."
Then he said to Gu Ning, "Ningning, we already mentioned this to the police yesterday. They’re just coming over to take a statement. You just have to tell them the truth."
Seeing that Gu Ning was in low spirits, his gaze shifted between her and the bird. "I’ll do the talking later," he offered.
Gu Ning nodded and went into the inner room to change and get ready.
Philinos started to follow, but Lanuo put out a hand to stop him. "She’s mad at you right now. Won’t you just be making things worse by crowding her?"