Bad women are always eyeing me covetously.

Having silently resolved not to be tempted by the other person's good looks, Xi Lan finally adjusted her mindset.

Taking a deep breath, Xi Lan finally dared to look at the person beside her and ask, "Is there anywhere else we want to visit? If not, let's go back first."

Kafka's purpose in coming to this cold planet was solely for Yulan; other matters were not particularly important to her.

So she shook her head, also feeling annoyed by the prying eyes.

After standing up again and stretching, Xi Lan, still concerned about the patient, reached out her hand to the person next to her, even under their gaze.

"Give me your hand first. Don't get me wrong, I'm just worried about the wound on your waist."

Kafka had no idea what kind of emotional journey Yuran had just gone through.

All she knew now was to hold that hand and feel the warmth of the little fox's palm once more.

The two held each other's hands, neither speaking nor choosing to continue looking at each other's expressions.

They simply strolled back to the hotel entrance.

Xi Lan, however, spotted a gray raccoon lingering at the hotel entrance, seemingly searching for someone.

Just a second before they were about to be discovered, Xilan pulled Kafka back with her fastest speed and instinctively shrank behind the trash can and cardboard box.

It was quite successful in blocking Xing's line of sight as he explored this way.

"The star is there, don't move..."

God knows what strange things will happen if Xing finds out that Kafka is with him!

The incident happened so suddenly that there was no time for Kafka to leave!

Xi Lan lowered her voice, unaware that the person behind her had pressed their body against her back, yielding to her.

There's nothing wrong with being discovered by Xing.

But it's also very exciting, isn't it?

It's just a pity that my coat is dirty... I'll have to wash it properly when I get back.

Kafka was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice that Xing had noticed the commotion they had just made.

Driven by a pioneer's instincts, Xing scratched his head. Although he didn't know why he should take the first step, he had a feeling that he would discover something interesting if he went there.

These pioneers, true heroes, bravely took their first steps.

Xi Lan could only mutter "Oh no!" to herself, silently hoping that Xing wouldn't discover this place.

Just before Xing reached the unfamiliar trash can, Toppa, who appeared out of nowhere, patted Xing on the shoulder more directly.

"Isn't this the Trail Blazers? What a coincidence, are you going to the hotel too?"

"Huh? No, I just wanted to look for Xi Lan. She doesn't seem to be at the hotel..." Xing suddenly came to her senses, looked at the smiling Toppa, and scratched her head with a puzzled expression: "That's strange, how did I end up here?"

"Xi Lan probably went to wander around somewhere else. Hmm, maybe we'll run into her again next time."

The time spent chatting was enough to give someone the leisure to sneak away.

Her gaze, however, subtly drifted toward the place where Xilan and Kafka were hiding, and she faced Xing with her usual smile.

And Xing could only leave the stage with regret.

Once Toppa was all around, she dropped her smile and walked step by step toward where Xilan was.

She lifted the cardboard box that was covering the fluffy figure, but her eyes only reflected the image of Xi Lan alone.

"How long are you going to hide, Sister Xilan?"

---------

Chapter 158 Why aren't you looking at me?

Caught red-handed, Xi Lan's usually gentle face showed an embarrassed expression. She took the hand that Toppa extended and then barely managed to stand up.

Kafka left at some point, or perhaps she quietly slipped away while Topa and Xing were chatting and stalling for time?

Lie.

Don't ask, the answer is always the all-knowing Star Core Hunter, who always has a different way to solve all kinds of situations like this.

"Although I really want to ask you why you're avoiding that pioneer, Sister Xilan... I'll respect your privacy."

Toppa just smiled, but his eyes remained fixed on Xi Lan, and he called out to her softly again, "Sister Xi Lan?"

How did Little Yelena see this place?

How did they know I was hiding here? Was even their conversation with Xing intentional?

Oh right, it seems there were some records.

Lost in thought, Xi Lan was only brought back to her senses by Topa's call, managing to barely conceal all her thoughts:

"Oh, didn't you say you had some work to do and couldn't come back for a while? Why are you back so suddenly today?"

She expressed her doubts, picked up Zhangzhang again, quickened her pace slightly, and walked side by side with Topa.

Although asking these questions still seemed a bit like hesitant.

"Yes, the basic investigation is complete, and I've already covered the situation in the lower districts. As for that letter, I'm sure the High Guardian, Miss Bronya, has already seen it."

"This is a rare moment of free time, just time to come back and sort out the current situation a little."

Toppa, who had barely rested in the past two days, stretched his body a little and walked into the hotel with Xilan.

But now, the thing she's most curious about is:

Who is that woman with deep purple hair, wearing the same clothes as Xi Lan, and behaving so intimately?

Topa certainly witnessed the incident, but it was as if the guy knew beforehand that she was observing the surroundings; she couldn't see the person's face at all.

She originally wanted to work with the pioneer to find the two people, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed like a bad deal.

So I casually made up a few topics and sent them away.

"How's your shopping trip going, Sister Xilan?"

It's definitely not a misperception.

Xi Lan clearly heard Toppa emphasize a certain word, and it even sounded a bit resentful.

...A rather unpleasant thought slowly surfaced in my mind.

Could she have seen him and Kafka hiding behind the cardboard box together?

The creature in Xi Lan's arms, Zhang Zhang, seemed to understand what Xi Lan was thinking. It raised its head and gave a confident hum.

Yet it was as if it had answered the question on behalf of its master.

With such trepidation in her heart, Xi Lan resigned herself to following behind Topa, pondering how to explain the situation later.

When they arrived at the room door, Topa gestured for Xilan to go in first.

She had some doubts, but Xi Lan was preoccupied with explaining what had just happened, so she didn't pay much attention.

Until Toppa closed the door completely, looking at Xilan with her back to him, the fatigue from the past few days of busy work and running around still surged up.

Coupled with everything she had witnessed before, she couldn't help but reach out and hug Xi Lan tightly.

However, because this happened so suddenly, Xi Lan was caught off guard and even startled.

Topa, whose face was expressionless, lowered his head and buried his face in Xilan's shoulder, behaving like a working person who has temporarily lost motivation and is now going home to cuddle their cat.

"Little Yelena? Are you tired from work? Why don't you take a break for a while? I'll come and help you with your work when you're rested." Xi Lan slowly let Zhang Zhang in her arms fall to the ground, and she touched the hand that was wrapped around her waist in a comforting manner.

Was she this gentle with that person as well?

This tenderness isn't something I can receive alone...

Toppa tightened his grip on her again, making Xi Lan feel a little short of breath.

"Can't I satisfy Sister Xilan?" Because of their current position, Xilan couldn't see the expression on the person behind her.

Why look for someone else?

really...

When the other party brought this up, Xi Lan finally felt relieved.

Rather, if Yelena hadn't brought this up, she would have been troubled by it for a long time, and might even have had trouble sleeping.

On the bright side, however, little Yelena didn't get to see Kavka's face.

Isn't that a good thing?

Xi Lan's silence, however, allowed the distorted emotions in Topa's heart to grow uncontrollably, gradually taking over her meager rationality.

Miss Fox, feeling guilty, sighed subtly, but didn't know how to begin.

"No, little Yelena, that person and I don't have that kind of relationship. It's not what you think."

But perhaps the situation between himself and Kafka is actually more complicated than Toppa thinks.

She just sighed to herself, pondering how to appease the children these days.

Do you still treat me like a child?

Topa pursed her lips tightly, and as if she were angry, she pushed Xi Lan onto the bed. Before the other person could fully react, she straddled her waist without any politeness.

At this moment, Xi Lan finally saw the little Yelena whom she had once taken care of for a while, and her expression was now extremely complicated.

The emotion in her eyes that was completely different from the feelings of her juniors was something that could not be ignored.

She tried to break free, but Toppa's outstretched hand pressed against her shoulder, and they stared at each other.

Their eyes reflected each other's features, capturing every expression and gesture.

"...So, the relationship between Sister Xilan and Lady Fei Cui is also different...right...?"