Chapter 57

Inside the Jiangnan Waterfront Villa.

After watching another episode of "Boonie Bears" on the sofa, Qiqi started to feel a bit bored. She hugged her little dog, Xiaoshuai, and pouted, saying, "Xiaoshuai, why hasn't Baba come back yet? Qiqi misses Baba."

Children, with their playful nature, find it hard to stay quietly engaged in one activity for a long time.

"Woof."

Xiaoshuai turned to look at Qiqi and gave a light bark.

Hearing Xiaoshuai's response, Qiqi pouted again and said, "Xiaoshuai, you miss Baba too, right? Why don't we go find Baba? What do you think?"

"Woof woof."

Xiaoshuai barked twice.

Qiqi's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat up straight, excitedly saying, "Xiaoshuai, Xiaoshuai, do you think what I said makes sense? Let's go find Baba."

Saying this, Qiqi used her hands to support herself on the sofa and moved her little bottom to the edge of the sofa.

"Whoosh!"

Xiaoshuai quickly jumped down from beside Qiqi, ran ahead to the floor, and lay down under Qiqi's feet. Qiqi landed on Xiaoshuai's back, using it as a cushion to land smoothly.

"Xiaoshuai, let's go."

After landing and standing steady, Qiqi's face turned rosy, and she waved to Xiaoshuai, ready to go out.

"Woof."

Xiaoshuai barked again, opened his mouth, and bit Qiqi's pants, pulling her to stop her from going out.

The master had instructed Xiaoshuai to protect the little master before leaving. Xiaoshuai couldn't let his guard down; the outside world was too dangerous, and it was safer to stay inside.

"Hmm?" Qiqi, feeling Xiaoshuai pulling her, turned back with a puzzled look, blinking her clear big eyes, and said, "Xiaoshuai, what are you doing? Qiqi wants to find Baba. Come with me."

"Ugh—Ugh—"

Xiaoshuai tightly bit Qiqi's pants, baring his teeth and shaking his head from side to side, making a low growling sound but not letting go.

Qiqi, feeling helpless, turned around and squatted on the ground, petting Xiaoshuai's head and said, "Xiaoshuai, why don't you want Qiqi to find Baba? Qiqi misses Baba. Can you come with me? We are the best partners, you should support me."

Hearing Qiqi's words, Xiaoshuai's face showed a complex expression—part longing, part hesitation, and part worry. If a normal person saw this, they would surely think they were seeing things, as it was impossible to see such human-like expressions on a dog, especially a Husky known for being silly.

Without saying much, just the richness of Xiaoshuai's facial expressions at this moment could easily outshine those so-called actors and actresses who have won countless awards, have packed schedules, and have an enormous fan base.

Seeing Xiaoshuai's hesitation, Qiqi propped her chin and continued, "Qiqi doesn't like staying alone in the big house. It's so boring. Xiaoshuai, let's go find Baba..."

"Woof!"

Xiaoshuai suddenly let go of Qiqi's pants and barked, but this bark was different from the previous ones. If one had to compare, the previous barks were like normal human speech, while this one sounded like a cry of urgency, higher in pitch and more urgent.

Qiqi smiled and said, "Qiqi knew it, Xiaoshuai is on my side. Let's go."

Saying this, Qiqi stood up, but Xiaoshuai didn't move. Instead, he looked around alertly, ears perked, and listened carefully to the surroundings.

...

Three minutes ago.

On the side of Lin Fan's villa, three burly men sneaked to the corner. Tao Ge looked up, licked his slightly cracked lips, and nodded to Xiao Man and Pan Zi, saying, "Xiao Man, you go first."

"Sure thing."

Xiao Man nodded, spat on his palms, walked to the wall, and grabbed the drainpipe. With a strong effort, he jumped, his feet pressed against the wall, and he stuck to it. Then, using his hands and feet like a gecko, he quickly climbed to the second floor.

After reaching the second floor, Xiao Man stepped on the window ledge, held the drainpipe with his left hand, and took out a glass cutter from his pocket. He began to slowly cut the glass while lying on the window.

Tao Ge and Pan Zi stood on either side of the villa, keeping watch.

"Shh—"

Suddenly, Pan Zi turned and whistled.

"Whoosh!"

Tao Ge instantly turned to look at him. Pan Zi gave him a nod and mouthed, "Someone's coming."

Tao Ge narrowed his eyes, looked around, and confirmed that no one was there. He then quickly ran to Pan Zi's side, peeked out, and saw two security guards chatting as they walked from the other side.

"Left to you, right to me."

Tao Ge whispered to Pan Zi, who nodded expressionlessly.

A few seconds later, the two security guards walked to the side where Pan Zi was hiding. Their conversation was clearly audible; they were discussing whether to eat at a Sha County snack shop or buy two Jianbing for dinner, completely unaware of the danger approaching.

As the two security guards passed the corner of the villa, Tao Ge and Pan Zi struck simultaneously, swift as lightning. The entire process produced only two slight "thuds." The two unfortunate security guards saw a black shadow flash before their eyes, felt a pain at the back of their necks, and lost consciousness without making a sound.

After knocking out the security guards, Tao Ge and Pan Zi quickly dragged their bodies to the side of the villa and threw them into the bushes. With the bushes as cover, even if someone passed by, they wouldn't easily notice that two people were lying in the bushes.

After dealing with the two passing security guards, Tao Ge and Pan Zi looked up and saw Xiao Man giving them an OK sign and then quickly entering the second-floor room of the villa.

"Let's go."

Tao Ge whispered, tied the sack around his waist, threw the rope over his shoulder, and grabbed the drainpipe, quickly climbing up. Pan Zi followed closely behind, and in less than ten seconds, both of them had entered the room.

Pan Zi was the last to enter. After coming in, he saw Xiao Man pressing his ear to the door, listening to the outside, while Tao Ge sat on the bed, untying the sack and rope from his body.

"Tao Ge, there seems to be a dog barking downstairs."

Xiao Man turned back and whispered.

Hearing this, Tao Ge lifted his head, frowned slightly, and began assigning tasks: "It's no problem, just a dog. Pan Zi, when you act, take care of this stupid dog first. Don't let it bark and ruin my plans. Xiao Man, tie up that child in twenty seconds. We need to leave quickly and avoid running into that person."

"Okay."

Xiao Man and Pan Zi nodded.

"Xiao Man, open the door, let's get to work."

Tao Ge lifted his chin and said.

"Creak."

Xiao Man turned the handle, gently opened the door, and peeked out. Seeing no one in the second-floor corridor, he darted out first, followed by Tao Ge and Pan Zi, who also left the room.