Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! The action starts picking up in this chapter and Princess is all for it. Enjoy :)

Beta & Co-author: jeangirlmy

- Chapter Start -

Over the next few days, Wu Xie succeeds in bringing down Director Ding in exchange for clues on his missing uncle. Before he leaves Warehouse 11, he promises to treat a despondent Bai HaoTian to a BBQ dinner as thanks for all her help.

Meanwhile, PiaoPiao invites Pang Zi to dinner at her hair salon. Xiao Mei is delighted to see him and Princess. She takes her off Pang Zi's hands, tells him to enjoy the food her mum cooked and goes up to her room where her own dinner is waiting.

Around midnight, Pang Zi receives a call from the BBQ eatery, asking him to take his drunken friends home. He kisses a sleeping PiaoPiao goodbye and leaves Princess snoozing in a bowl on Xiao Mei's bedside table.

- o -

PiaoPiao wakes up with a big smile on her face until she remembers she's still working for Xue Wu.

On the one hand, she's angry that he didn't correct her mistaken assumption when she thanked him - and so profusely too! - for finding a matching bone marrow donor for Xiao Mei. In fact, he used the opportunity to coerce her to spy on Wu Xie and Pang Zi in return. On the other hand, this would be the perfect opportunity to spy on him since Pang Zi is the one who painstakingly tracked down all the possible leads and found that one matching donor.

Besides, a job is a job and she desperately needs money for Xiao Mei's operation.

When she arrives at Xue Wu's shop, she sees his office is empty and slips inside. Something moves inside her handbag and a pink shellfish hops onto the desk, making her yelp in shock.

"Princess! Why're you - wait, you followed me here?" She eyes the creature, her nervous gaze darting to the open door and back. "I-I'll just be a moment. Don't touch anything."

Princess makes a beeline for the exquisitely carved mug full of expensive pens and starts taking them out one at a time.

"Stop that," PiaoPiao whispers and hurries around the desk. In a drawer, she finds a suspicious folder containing Wu Xie, Pang Zi and Wu Er Bai's photos. Just then, she hears Xue Wu's voice outside. Her rapidly beating heart lurches in shock and she quickly hides the folder behind her as he walks in.

Princess is nowhere to be seen.

"What're you doing here?" Xue Wu demands.

"Ah, Xue-laoban! I-I'm just... just tidying up." PiaoPiao grabs the strewn pens - some feel oddly damp - and jams them back in the container. Her hand's shaking. So is the rest of her. "I-I'm off to do my work now."

Rounding the desk, she sees Princess dangling from the edge by her fingertips and grabs her. As she edges around Xue Wu, she stuffs both shellfish and folder inside her handbag. Thank goodness it's her large one!

She can feel Xue Wu's suspicious gaze on her back as she walks out of his office on shaky legs, willing herself not to break into a run. Her heartbeat is pounding in her ears as she hurries through the courtyard, weaving her way past stacks of antiques.

A lorry draws to a stop just outside the gates, but she doesn't pay it any mind. She doesn't see Princess peeping at the driver who's dressed in a dark blue uniform and cap.

"Where is she?!" Xue Wu shouts, evidently noticing that his folder is missing.

PiaoPiao breaks into a run as she gropes inside her handbag for her phone, not even pausing when her fingers touch something cool and damp. Glancing over her shoulder, she sees two men coming out from the gate and looking around. They spot her at once.

"You there!"

"Stop!"

PiaoPiao flees. She calls Pang Zi, but he doesn't pick up the call. Something runs up to her shoulder and she turns to see a pink flash leaping to the ground.

"Princess! Come back!"

The shellfish scuttles back to Xue Wu's shop. PiaoPiao spins on her heel, but the sight of those two men makes her change her mind.

"Please be careful," she prays as she runs for the alley that's up ahead. It leads to a busy road and onto a park where she'll hopefully be able to escape Xue Wu's men... if her flagging stamina doesn't give out first.

- o -

"There's some commotion," Jia KeZi says as he and Li JiaLe open the back doors of their lorry. Their assignment today is to collect goods from Xue Wu's antique shop.

Li JiaLe did hear someone shouting, but his mind is on today's delivery. If they make it back to Warehouse 11 in an hour, he'll be in time to sign up for this afternoon's delivery job which has an added allowance. He sticks his head out from behind the lorry, but doesn't see anyone.

Jia KeZi is still listening, head cocked to one side.

"Two men are shouting and chasing after someone. That person's heartbeat is off the charts."

Li JiaLe just grunts. He prefers to mind his own business. Then he catches sight of something small and pink approaching him at high speed.

"What-" It climbs right up his trouser leg, arm and then shoulder. When he turns his head, he gets an eyeful of wriggling fingers, two bulbous eyes and an open red mouth.

The sound that emits from his throat is one he'll forever deny making. Jia KeZi winces at the high pitched screech and then his jaw drops.

"What's that?!"

"Princess." Despite the cool morning, Li JiaLe feels a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek as he keeps very still.

"Princess?"

Li JiaLe gulps and turns back to the shellfish, trying not to go cross eyed at how close she is to his face. He's also trying to suppress the shivers rippling up and down his spine. Princess moves back a bit and points a finger at the road.

"There are four men chasing after that same person," Jia KeZi reports, head turned in that same direction.

Li JiaLe looks at him only to have two spindly fingers grab his jaw and turn his head back.

"Is it Wu Xie?" He demands. He can't ignore this if Wu Xie's in danger.

Jia KeZi shakes his head, looking worried.

"Maybe it's Pang Zi," Li JiaLe mumbles to himself, paying no mind to the impatient fingernail tapping his cheek. "I'll go take a look."

He shoves the clipboard at Jia KeZi.

"Make sure the number of boxes tallies. I'll be right back."

Taking a few steps back, he looks around. As a Warehouse 11 driver, he knows this area pretty well. There's a shortcut leading to the place Princess is pointing at. As soon as he turns towards the shortcut, the finger tapping his cheek pokes it instead. He swats that finger away.

"Stop that! I know a shortcut."

The good news is, Princess releases his jaw. The not so good news is, she starts examining his ear. Then she slips under his collar and nestles against his neck.

Ignoring the goose bumps rippling over his body, Li JiaLe reaches the alley and peeks out. Ah, it's a woman in a dark blue coat, long hair flying behind her as she runs. He ducks back, waits until she's almost upon him and then he reaches out to grab her arm, spinning her around with one hand firmly over her mouth. She starts struggling at once, even trying to stomp on his feet.

"Stop moving," he says in a low voice. "I'm trying to help you. I'm Wu Xie's friend."

She goes rigid, breathing hard and fast through her nose. Li JiaLe tugs her into the shadows under the staircase, thankful that they're both wearing dark colours.

"Stop running!"

"Hey, where did she go?"

The footsteps get closer and four men hurry past.

"She's disappeared!"

"Maybe she's reached the main road"

"Let's go! Hey, watch out for that lorry!"

Li JiaLe waits until their voices fade in the distance.

"I'll let go of you. Please be quiet," he says and releases her. At once, she spins around to look at him with wide eyes, still breathing quickly.

"Who are you?" She bursts out.

"I'm-" Li JiaLe breaks off when Princess slips out from his collar. "Princess."

"Princess!" PiaoPiao exclaims at the same time.

"Wait, you know her?" They ask, again in unison.

Li JiaLe raises his arm when Princess runs down it and stops in his palm, making him shiver again. She's looking at PiaoPiao.

"You saved my life, Princess." The woman gives a shaky smile and holds out a trembling hand. "I'm glad you're alright. Come here."

The shellfish leaps onto her hand and scuttles up to her shoulder.

"You know her?" Li JiaLe asks again.

She looks at him, startled.

"Yes. You know her too? You're Wu Xie's friend?"

"Yes. I work at Warehouse 11."

"I'm Ye PiaoPiao. I'm Pang-ge's... friend."

"I've met him." Li JiaLe decides not to mention the boiling medicines episode. He's also curious as to why Xue Wu's men are chasing PiaoPiao, but that's none of his business. "Well, I need to collect goods so..."

"Oh, of course," PiaoPiao says and glances around. "Thank you so much for your help."

"Why were those men chasing you?" Li JiaLe doesn't know why he asked her that. He should be minding his own business.

PiaoPiao just shakes her head and smiles, paying no mind to the shellfish now playing with her earring.

"It's alright. I can take care of myself."

Li JiaLe isn't so sure. He escorts her to the main road, hails a taxi and waits until she gets in. Princess, who's been stuffed inside her handbag again peeps out.

"Thank you again," PiaoPiao tells Li JiaLe while Princess wriggles her fingers at him.

To Li JiaLe's embarrassment, he finds himself mirroring the gesture. Pulling his hand down, he waits until the taxi's out of sight before retracing his footsteps.

- o -

Jia KeZi is still standing outside the gate with a stoic face and clipboard in hand. Inside the courtyard, an irate Xue Wu is berating four men for failing to catch a woman. Li JiaLe gives a tiny shake of his head at Jia KeZi's questioning look.

When Xue Wu finally approaches them, face like thunder, Li JiaLe and Jia KeZi greet him politely and conduct their work as efficiently as possible. It's only when they're on their way back to Warehouse 11 that Li JiaLe relates what happened.

"So that's Wu Xie's pet? Where did he get her from?" Jia KeZi asks.

"No idea. Are you surprised?" Li JiaLe glances over at him and gets a headshake.

"Not really. Wu Xie always does the unexpected," Jia KeZi says with a smile.

Li JiaLe smiles back and continues driving. He won't be in time to sign up for the afternoon delivery, but at least he helped someone with Princess's aid.

He's not sure if he wants to see her again though.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter :)