### Chapter 23: Night Lan’s Curiosity
In the office.
Xiao Jin had just returned from a meeting and was sorting through some documents about the current state of Yun Chang City. Once he finished organizing everything, he could upload it to headquarters for review.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Ding ding ding!
“Come in.”
The office door swung open, revealing a black-haired loli—none other than Night Lan.
“Night Lan? What brings you here?”
“Uh~ I just wanted to check in on my hardworking boss. Work outside must be tough!” Night Lan shyly scratched the back of her head and pulled out a bag of snacks from behind her, handing it over.
“Uh, this is a snack made by my friend. I wanted to thank you for taking care of me during this time, so here you go!”
Xiao Jin blinked in surprise and accepted the bag from Night Lan.
“Well then, I’ll take it. Thanks for the gift! Make sure to say hi to your friend for me.”
“No need to thank me! I’ll take my leave now. Remember to rest, boss~”
With that, Night Lan waved her tiny hand and skipped out of the office.
Xiao Jin looked at the bag in his hands, feeling a warm sensation inside. The accumulated stress seemed to melt away.
“Ha, it’s a good thing I’ve been taking care of her; she knows to care for me too.”
Xiao Jin chuckled lightly, opened the bag, and popped a cookie into his mouth. Soon after, he was back to work, focused on reporting to headquarters.
Now that he had promised the Tragic Shadow Theater’s audience performers a chance, he couldn’t go back on his word as a Night Watcher.
To convince the higher-ups at headquarters, he had a lot of preparation to do.
…
Night Lan returned to Zero Meow’s room.
Neko Shinna curiously asked, “Night Lan, what were you doing with that bag of snacks?”
“Uh, just giving some appreciation to the boss who takes care of me!” Night Lan replied seriously.
But that wasn’t the whole story.
She also wanted to thank Xiao Jin for giving the theater a chance.
Night Lan knew that making such a promise must come with a lot of pressure, and there were bound to be many dissenting voices.
These could be from other higher-ups or even the big shots at headquarters.
Just thinking about it scared her—facing those people? She might just flee!
So, no matter what, she had to express her gratitude.
Even though Xiao Jin didn’t know her counterpart was an audience performer, Night Lan needed to lighten her own heart.
Though she felt a bit guilty for keeping such a big secret from her boss.
Hearing this, White Fish smiled gently.
“That’s really sweet of you, Night Lan.”
Upon hearing this, Star Yoon, who had been goofing off, paused her gaming and said, “Should I also thank the boss? After all, he provides me with a new goof-off environment and more friends to goof off with. But I don’t have anything to give him. How about letting him goof off a bit? Adults are always busy working, they forget the joy of relaxing. It’d be great to remind him of that.”
Night Lan quickly interrupted.
“Your idea is great, but let’s wait until the boss is really not busy. If we disturb him while he’s working, he might mess up something important, and that wouldn’t be good!”
Neko Shinna nodded in agreement.
“Night Lan is right! Just like if Star Yoon interrupted me while I’m seriously cooking, I definitely wouldn’t feel happy coming back to reality!”
“Umm…”
Star Yoon pondered, unable to grasp.
She usually just goofed off and played games; gaming was one of her methods of goofing off and she had always found it fun.
If there were truly people who couldn’t find happiness in goofing off, those people might just be crazy.
“Uh, so I can goof off when it’s the right time, but not when it isn’t? Is that the gist?” Star Yoon said, deep in thought.
“Exactly! You’ve got it, meow!”
Suddenly, Zero Meow, who had been lying around in a slump, sprang up, her entire aura of laziness vanishing, as if she had just been recharged.
Then she grabbed Star Yoon’s shoulders and said seriously, “From now on, let’s hit the books! No goofing off when it’s not time to goof off, meow!”
“Eh~~~” Star Yoon whined, unwilling.
It seemed Zero Meow was breaking free from her lazy goof-off state.
Could it be that her determination to goof off had wavered?
After all, it was imperative that she maintain her joyful state whether it was the right time or not for goofing off—she had no other responsibilities right now!
“I want to goof off!”
“No! Later after this!”
Zero Meow had now realized that Star Yoon’s Star was affecting her.
And she wasn’t about to stumble over the same rock twice.
No matter what, she was determined to drill some Night Watcher knowledge into Star Yoon’s little head, bit by bit.
Zero Meow confiscated Star Yoon’s game console and said, “This is mine for now. You can have it back after today’s study session.”
“Boo hoo!”
“No crying! You’re not Night Lan; only Night Lan can charm me like that. No other lolis count, meow!”
At this, Night Lan quipped, “With that line, I don’t know whether to be happy or sad…”
Neko Shinna gently patted Star Yoon’s head.
“It’s okay, I’ll stay with you and study, and then we can goof off together afterward.”
“Alright then.”
Star Yoon eventually accepted.
While Zero Meow was busy teaching Star Yoon the basics of being a Night Watcher, Night Lan and White Fish decided to go for a walk.
The two strolled leisurely through the square, chatting as they went.
“Night Lan, I heard that the theater has appeared again. Were you happy because of that?”
“Uh-huh, that’s right!”
Night Lan looked about nervously, and once she confirmed no one was nearby, she leaned closer to White Fish and whispered, “Actually, the Night Watchers might not bother the theater anymore because I’ve figured out a way to prevent the members of the theater from polluting innocent citizens. That’s how I barely got Xiao Jin to promise them a chance.”
“Really? No wonder you brought snacks for Uncle Xiao Jin! I’m so happy for you.”
“Uh-huh, thanks! I’ll introduce you to the other members when I get a chance. Don’t worry, they’re all really nice people!”
“Yeah, I believe you, Night Lan! I’m looking forward to it!”
Just then, they passed by the Night Watcher Square.
Night Lan casually spotted Xi Xia and Uni.
It was said that these two were bounty hunters among the Night Watchers. Since the theater was about to become a special focus for the Night Watchers, did that mean they had no bounty tasks anymore?
Night Lan’s understanding of “bounty hunters” was based on various online claims—they likely accepted these dangerous tasks for the money.
As long as there was a chance for a big payout, bounty hunters would surely take the risk.
So, why did Xi Xia and Uni choose to become special Night Watchers?
Surely it couldn’t just be for the love of money; there must be other reasons.
Even being a regular Night Watcher, the monthly salary should be enough for day-to-day expenses.
As long as they weren’t living extravagantly, it should be fine.
Thinking this way made Night Lan even more curious.
“What could it be? I’m so curious~”
