Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this next chapter :)

Beta & Co-author: jeangirlmy

- Chapter Start -

Some time earlier...

"Pang Zi. Pang Zi, get up!" Wu Xie continues poking at the pile of blankets on the other bed until his best friend emerges, tousle haired and bleary eyed.

After they take turns washing up, Pang Zi advises Wu Xie not to leave their room for anything. It's too risky since the sniper from Mute Village recognised him last night despite his disguise. Huo DaoFu drops by and agrees, repeating that their room has the optimum temperature and humidity for Wu Xie's failing lungs.

With a promise to bring back a good breakfast for Wu Xie and Princess, Pang Zi leaves with Huo DaoFu.

Wu Xie sees that the bowl on the bedside table is now empty and grins. No doubt Princess is hiding somewhere about Pang Zi's person. Hopefully, she won't cause too much of an uproar in the dining room.

- o -

Half an hour later, Pang Zi and co return with a bowl of soup noodles for Wu Xie and a lotus paste mantou for Princess. Only then do they realise she's missing.

After a round of Wu Xie and Pang Zi going "I thought she was with you!", Huo DaoFu adding fuel to the fire with "You two are not qualified to take care of anyone! Or anything!", Jia KeZi wincing and retreating to the furthest corner of the room, Li JiaLe double checking all corners for shellfish-sized hidey holes, and Bai HaoTian saying "We should go look for her now!" they all decide to do just that.

Well, everyone except Wu Xie who Huo DaoFu orders to stay put and eat his breakfast. When Wu Xie protests, Pang Zi shakes his head at him.

"I hate to say it but our bossy doctor is right. Text us at once if Princess returns."

- o -

Once outside the room, everyone splits up to look for the missing shellfish. Li JiaLe searches the first floor corridor, Huo DaoFu the second, Pang Zi the third, and Jia KeZi the grounds since his hearing is better. Bai HaoTian searches the lobby, whispering "Princess! Princess!" while ignoring the curious receptionist staring at her.

When no shellfish turns up, Bai HaoTian goes onto the dining room. The breakfast crowd has left so the room is quite empty. Two men sit at a table in a corner, sharing a bottle of wine. On said table is-

"Princess!" Bai HaoTian almost rushes over, but decides to hide behind a pillar to observe them first.

Princess is happily accepting pieces of mantou from one of the men. She's also drinking from a bottle cap. When the other man with a bowl haircut offers her a piece of his mantou with a "Look here" and a whistle - does he think she's a dog?! - she turns her back on him, making him frown.

It's the first time Bai HaoTian sees Princess rejecting anyone. She swallows a giggle and approaches them. They look up at once.

"Princess," Bai HaoTian says as sternly as she can. "Here we are looking for you while you're taking advantage of these two gentlemen."

Princess leaps to her shoulder at once and pats her cheek with a sticky fingertip. Bai HaoTian catches a whiff of alcohol and wrinkles her nose.

"Ah. Is it yours?" The taller man asks while the shorter man exclaims, "Princess?!"

"She belongs to a friend of mine," Bai HaoTian says with a polite smile. "Thank you for taking care of her. My apologies if she caused any trouble."

"No trouble at all," the taller man assures her.

"No trouble?" The other man repeats. "Jiang ZiSuan here saved her from from being skewered by one of Jia- our boss's men. They're a rowdy bunch. You and your friend should keep an eye on her."

Bai HaoTian's jaw drops in shock. She snatches Princess off her shoulder and holds her at eye level with both hands. Princess stares back, looking a little cross eyed.

"Is this true?" Bai HaoTian demands. "You were almost killed?!"

Princess flops over like a wet cloth and gives a forlorn little belch. With a sigh, Bai HaoTian places her back on her shoulder.

"In that case, thank you so much," she tells the two men. "Let me get your bill."

"Great!" The shorter man says at once. "I'm the famed Red Capped Devil, but you can call me HongHong."

"No need. We're fine," Jiang ZiSuan says and ignores HongHong's scowl.

"Well, I'm very grateful for your help," Bai HaoTian says, taking a step back. "I should return Princess so uh, see you around."

To her surprise, Princess leaps to Jiang ZiSuan's arm at once, scuttling up to his shoulder and patting his cheek. She misses and ends up patting his lips instead. He pushes her fingers away.

"Alright, off you go."

Princess starts patting his chin next.

"I said, off you go." Jiang ZiSuan tries to grab her, but she evades and slides down his arm. He shakes his arm to dislodge her, but she clings on tightly.

Bai HaoTian hears a soft rattling that sounds like... beads?

Frowning, Jiang ZiSuan shakes his arm again, harder. Princess slips off and dangles from it, fingertips digging in his sleeve, and looking even more cross eyed.

"She can be very tenacious," Bai HaoTian says, stifling a giggle.

Jiang ZiSuan just grunts and pulls Princess off, handing her to Bai HaoTian who clutches her in both hands.

"Be good, now," he tells the drooping shellfish. When she wriggles two fingers at him, he waves back with a little smile. Then he sees HongHong staring at him and coughs.

Bai HaoTian utters a final word of thanks and goes off. Keeping a firm hold on Princess, she fishes out her phone from her pocket and sends a quick text message to the others.

By the time she arrives at Wu Xie and Pang Zi's room, everyone is already there, waiting for her. Wu Xie holds out a hand with a relieved, "Princess." but he's too slow.

"There you are, you little rascal!" Huo DaoFu snatches Princess from Bai HaoTian's shoulder and starts examining her closely, even turning her this way and that.

Princess reaches out two fingers to tap his nose, misses, and almost sticks them up his nostrils instead. Huo DaoFu jerks his head back with a 'Tsk' and nods at the washcloth Wu Xie used earlier.

"Someone bring that. We have one sticky and slightly inebriated shellfish here."

"She's drunk?" Pang Zi exclaims.

Princess gives a tiny 'hic' and taps Huo DaoFu's nose again, causing a round of snickers. A smiling Li JiaLe passes the washcloth to Huo DaoFu who proceeds to wipe every inch of Princess clean despite her many attempts to squirm away.

"Gotten to you, has she?" Wu Xie asks in wry amusement and is judiciously ignored.

"Director Bai, where did you find Princess?" Jia KeZi asks after wringing out the washcloth and handing it back to Huo DaoFu.

"In the dining room," Bai HaoTian replies. "There were two men feeding her. Well, one of them at least. She didn't seem to like the other. He said he's the Red Capped Devil, whatever that means."

"HongHong!" Pang Zi exclaims.

"Yes! He said I could call him that."

"And who's the other? Did you get his name?" Wu Xie asks.

"HongHong called him Jiang ZiSuan."

Pang Zi chokes and Wu Xie pats his arm.

"What are the odds, huh?" He says with a sigh.

"Do you know them?" Bai HaoTian asks. She looks at Jia KeZi and Li JiaLe who shake their heads.

Meanwhile, Huo DaoFu is using his stethoscope on Princess. Or trying to, since she keeps tapping on the chest-piece whenever he tries to listen.

"I was going to recruit HongHong for this trip, but Mr. Jiao got to him first. As for Jiang ZiSuan..." Pang Zi trails off and raises his eyebrows at Wu Xie.

"It's a long story," Wu Xie begins and smiles.

"Forget it," Bai HaoTian says with a sniff. "I know you're not going to tell me the truth."

"We always tell you the truth," Pang Zi protests.

"No, you don't!"

Wu Xie wisely keeps silent.

- Chapter End -

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