Sneak Out to Make a Cake

The afternoon sun was just right, warm but not scorching.

Lin Mo had just come out of the teahouse, thinking about taking a casual stroll through the massive city, when his phone vibrated again.

The name Chu Miaomiao flashed on the screen, and Lin Mo slightly raised an eyebrow.

This girl was actually making a phone call, an unprecedented event.

Her usual method of communication was leaving a text message and then quietly waiting for a reply, like a little kitten afraid of disturbing someone.

Calling could only mean one thing—it was extremely urgent.

Lin Mo swiped to answer.

"Lin Mo, Lin Mo!"

On the other end of the line, the girl's voice was quick and urgent, carrying a trace of suppressed caution and panic.

"I'm here. Slow down, what's wrong?"

While comforting her, Lin Mo checked the location of Chu Miaomiao's divine sense mark.

Her aura was steady, she was still at home, and there was no danger.

He felt relieved and listened to what she had to say next.

"Um, I... I want to make a birthday cake for my mom, but I don't want her to know..." Chu Miaomiao's voice was hesitant, sounding incredibly conflicted.

Lin Mo could almost imagine her lying on the table over there, biting her fingers.

He chuckled softly and simply finished the sentence for her.

"So, you don't dare to go out alone, but you want to give Sister Chu a surprise. Therefore, you thought of me and want me to take you, right?"

"Mhm, mhm, mhm!"

The girl's joyful confirmation came through the phone, accompanied by the faint sound of fabric rubbing. She was probably holding the phone and nodding vigorously.

"Alright, I'll come pick you up now."

"Okay!"

Lin Mo took a taxi over to Baixing Park.

Although he often passed by here, Lin Mo had actually never gone inside even once.

Arriving at Chu Miaomiao's door, Lin Mo swept the inside of the house with his divine sense and then rang the doorbell.

Chu Miaomiao's home now had a visual doorbell installed, allowing them to clearly see who was standing at the door.

A moment later, Chu Miaomiao opened the door. She had already changed her clothes, still wearing black to conceal her figure.

Lin Mo looked around the spotless but slightly desolate house and asked with some amusement.

"Sister Chu isn't home, so wouldn't it be fine to just make it at home? Why do you need to go out?"

Chu Miaomiao shook her head. "There are no ingredients at home. I didn't want my mom to know I was making a cake, so I didn't order the ingredients to be delivered."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.

This girl's logic was like a ball of yarn tied in a dead knot.

He looked at her calmly and slowly threw out a fatal question.

"If you don't have ingredients, you could have let us buy them for you."

"Huh?" Chu Miaomiao didn't react for a moment.

"I, or Yu Ling and the others, could go to the supermarket and buy all the ingredients you want." Lin Mo enunciated every word, speaking exceptionally clearly, as if teaching a primary school student how to solve a word problem.

"Then, you, could, make, the cake, at home."

Chu Miaomiao's eyes widened bit by bit, and her mouth opened slightly.

She blinked blankly, and blinked again.

Her expression of sudden realization was as if a gear that had been stuck in her brain for a long time finally clicked into place.

She spat out two words as quietly as a mosquito, her cheeks instantly turning completely red, wishing she could dig a hole in the smooth floor and bury herself right then and there.

"Oh, right."

Seeing her embarrassed appearance, the smile in Lin Mo's heart grew stronger.

This girl's thought process was strangely adorable.

For the sake of a surprise, she had managed to plan a simple matter into a secret stealth mission requiring multiple people to cooperate.

He took a step forward and, before she could react, raised his hand and gently rubbed her head.

"Alright, why think so much."

His voice was gentle, carrying a comforting power.

"Today, I'll take you out for a stroll."

Chu Miaomiao's lowered head moved slightly, her tense shoulder line silently relaxing. In her dimmed eyes, specks of light gathered once again, shining brightly.

A hint of slyness flashed quickly across her eyes, so fast that Lin Mo couldn't catch it at all.

"Thank you, brother!"

This "brother" was called out so sweetly and softly, the trailing note carrying a little hook, extremely lethal.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, secretly thinking that this girl was way too foul.

He immediately turned around and, without a word, grabbed Chu Miaomiao's wrist and walked towards the elevator, moving as fast as if fleeing a crime scene.

Taking the opportunity to change the subject.

"By the way, isn't it Sister Chu's birthday today? Where did she run off to?"

"She said she had a contract to sign at the last minute."

Lin Mo understood.

No wonder Chu Miaomiao insisted on going out to make the cake. If Chu Lintian were to suddenly come back halfway and catch her red-handed, the surprise would be completely ruined.

Walking on the tree-lined path of the residential area, Lin Mo casually asked, "So, have you chosen where to go make the cake?"

Just as he finished speaking, he felt the grip on his wrist stiffen.

Lin Mo's footsteps slowed down, and he slowly turned his head.

He saw the young girl behind him standing stiffly in place, the expression on her face as if a pause button had been pressed.

"Don't tell me..." Lin Mo's eyelid twitched. "You haven't thought about this question at all?"

Chu Miaomiao blinked, her blank and innocent eyes silently answering everything.

Lin Mo understood.

This little girl had simply come out based on the initial plan in her head, completely clueless about what the follow-up plan was.

He sighed helplessly.

"Forget it, come with me. Money makes the world go round, I don't believe we can't rent a kitchen."

Lin Mo directly took out his phone to search for the nearest private cake shop, preferably a high-end looking one with its own kitchen.

In 2013, Dazhong Dianping already had quite a solid foundation.

It even ranked second in the group-buying war. Although it was later merged with Choutuan, it was currently the most powerful and popular review app.

And in a big city like Yangcheng, finding a good cake shop wasn't too difficult.

Lin Mo immediately hailed a cab.

The car stopped steadily at an exquisitely decorated cake shop.

Sitting in the car, Lin Mo scanned it with his divine sense. This shop actually didn't have a back kitchen; it was a typical central kitchen delivery model. Damn it!

"Driver, keep going, to Zhongshan Avenue."

"Ah? Are we not going in?" Chu Miaomiao was stunned.

"No need, it's not necessary. You can tell at a glance this shop doesn't have an independent kitchen," Lin Mo said concisely.

Zhongshan Avenue, Cabras Pastry Shop.

Before the car even stopped steadily, Lin Mo's divine sense had already swept over like spilled quicksilver.

Passing through the exquisite glass doors and over the dazzling display counters, it finally locked onto a spacious and bright professional kitchen at the back of the shop.

Found it.

Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. The rest would be easy.

Paying and getting out of the car, he pushed open the shop door, and a crisp wind chime sounded.

"Welcome, the pastries in our shop are all handmade by the boss. The boss returned after completing his studies at the Le Cordon Bleu academy in France."