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"Double Joker." As a pair of joker cards was placed on the table, Alice let out a wail.

"No, that doesn't count! Why do you guys have so many bombs in your hands?"

"Heheheh... Daring to grab the landlord role without a good hand, you really are just a mere Alice." Tang Keke hid her face behind her cards, letting out a villainous chuckle.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuyou, who had just dealt the finishing blow to Alice, took out a strip of paper from the side and stuck it onto Alice's little face.

The card-playing rankings had already begun to update. Even though Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were terrible at cards, they could both easily handle little Alice.

Using Alice's combat power as a unit of measurement, both Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke could reach a 1.5 Alice index.

"Again!"

"Oh, alright."

At night in Ye Shuang's house, the girls were gathered in the living room playing cards. Yi Wan was lying on Bai Yuyou's lap, yawning. Faint sounds of a chopping board could be heard from the kitchen, clearly indicating that Ye Shuang was preparing tonight's dinner.

"Thank you, Bobo," Ye Shuang said, his gaze falling on Bobo beside him.

"You are welcome, Mr. Ye Shuang."

Ye Shuang was currently chopping vegetables. Finally able to have a proper chat with Bobo, he paused for a moment before deciding to ask a probing question.

"Bobo, I heard that you used to work as a bodyguard overseas?"

Perhaps because the identity of a mercenary was rather sensitive, Ye Shuang asked vaguely. However, upon hearing this question, Bobo paused, his large, scarred hand freezing for a moment.

"No, Mr. Ye Shuang. I did many things abroad."

"Truck driver, diving instructor, boxer, mercenary, gambler."

"Is that so?" Ye Shuang continued to ask, "Where are you from, Bobo?"

"I..." Bobo paused once again, as if considering how to answer the question. Finally, he said,

"Mexico."

"When did you come to the Harbor District?"

Bobo looked at Ye Shuang with profound meaning. His dark brown face was unreadable, and he simply said, "Mr. Ye Shuang, you seem very interested in my past."

Realizing he was prying too deeply, Ye Shuang just smiled and said, "Just making casual conversation, sorry about that."

"It is fine."

Ye Shuang continued, "You are an excellent bodyguard. I didn't expect Uncle Zhou to be able to bring you to the Zhou family."

"It wasn't Mr. Zhou. Many years ago, I followed..." Bobo started to say, then looked at the knife in Ye Shuang's hand. "Mr. Ye Shuang, you are mincing the meat too finely."

"Oh, right."

The meat that was supposed to be sliced had now turned into thin strips. Ye Shuang scooped them all into a bowl. He could sense that Bobo was hiding something from him, but it was understandable. Bobo used to be a mercenary, so it wasn't surprising that he had many secrets.

But at the very least, based on the current information, Bobo wasn't brought back by Uncle Zhou. That meant... he might be able to find some useful information through this clue.

Bobo continued to pick the vegetables, and the kitchen fell quite silent for a while.

"Hahaha, I won!"

Alice's voice came from the living room; it seemed she had finally won a round. "You two, bring your faces over here!"

"It seems very lively out there," Ye Shuang said.

"Miss Alice is rarely this happy," Bobo remarked. Because of her special status, Alice actually hadn't had many friends growing up. Moreover, being mixed-race, her days at school weren't very pleasant either.

Although she was as cute as a porcelain doll, she was largely treated as an outcast in elementary school. It wasn't until Alice was sent to an international academy that she barely started to study properly. The experience of being ostracized by her peers had turned the little girl into a defensive little hedgehog.

Mixed-race...

As if thinking of something, Ye Shuang casually asked, "Does Alice's mother also live in the Harbor District?"

"..."

"What's wrong?" Seeing Bobo suddenly go quiet, Ye Shuang looked at him.

"Sorry, I zoned out."

"It's fine. Does Alice's biological mother live in the Harbor District?" Ye Shuang asked with a smile. "Alice is so cute, her mother must be a very beautiful person."

"Yes." Uncharacteristically, Bobo didn't elaborate.

However, he did add, "After giving birth to Alice, her mother settled abroad long-term and does not get involved in any of our affairs."

Despite Bobo saying this, Ye Shuang keenly sensed that something was off. Bobo's repeated silence regarding Alice's biological mother, even after stating she lived abroad long-term, couldn't help but make Ye Shuang more vigilant.

Could it be that Bobo was brought over by Alice's biological mother? Or did her mother also know about the kidnapping of Bai Yuyou?

Despite having these suspicions, Ye Shuang had no solid evidence to deduce any of it. Assuming the person who kidnapped Bai Yuyou was Bobo, and the mastermind behind it all was Alice's biological mother, was the goal to get Alice into the Zhou family?

Setting aside what benefits Alice could gain by entering the Zhou family, would Aunt Xian, having just lost her own daughter, definitely have been able to accept Alice at that time?

But at this moment, Bobo said something that completely baffled Ye Shuang. "Mr. Ye Shuang, please... do not have any ideas about Miss Alice."

Ye Shuang: "..."

Huh?

What did that mean?

Ye Shuang was stunned for a moment. Why would he have any ideas about Alice? Just as Ye Shuang was looking at Bobo with a bizarre expression, Bobo added another sentence,

"You cannot have any weird ideas about me either. I am a normal man."

"I am a normal man too."

"I see."

"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me?!"

Shortly after, Bobo left to check on Alice. Ye Shuang pondered over Alice's situation for a while, then shook his head and set the thoughts aside for now.

Better finish cooking first.

At dinnertime, Ye Shuang noticed Alice's face covered in paper strips, as well as Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke, who also had some. Compared to the exaggerated amount on Alice's face, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke only had a sparse few.

"Take them off while we eat," Ye Shuang said with a smile.

"Hmph, no need. It's not like I'm a sore loser. We agreed on two hours, so it will be two hours." Alice plopped down onto her chair. The paper strips on her face could only be removed when the time was up.

But in the next second, as if she had thought of something, Alice got down from her chair and sat directly on Ye Shuang's lap.

"Hehe, fulfill your duty as a chair. Ye Shuang, you feed me."

Saying that, Alice even wiggled her bottom backward a bit, finally casting a triumphant look toward Bai Yuyou.