"A detective?" Surprise flashed across Bai Ci's face, though she was secretly amused. Talk about perfect timing, even if this guy wasn't exactly easy to hire right now. "No wonder you were tailing the postmaster. So you're investigating something."
"I'm tailing the postmaster because I suspect he's connected to the plague in town, and there's a secret connection between him and the owner of Winston's Grocery Store," Evan said with a nod, his tone serious.
"Connected to the plague?" The surprise on Bai Ci's face shifted to confusion as her inner suspicions were confirmed. "Are you saying the plague didn't happen naturally, but is man-made? And the postmaster and the grocery store owner are the masterminds behind it?"
"I can't say for sure yet; it's just a theory of mine," Evan shook his head, his tone solemn. "If you can do me a favor and get the distribution of all mail deliveries from the post office recently—meaning the delivery address of every single letter—I can tell you more."
"For instance, the background of how I took on this commission, as well as some of the evidence I've already gathered."
Bai Ci's heart stirred. The mail delivery distribution? Who could get this information faster and more diligently than the post office's mail carriers—meaning players like Lin Wan and Chen Mo?
"I can help you get the delivery distribution," Bai Ci nodded. "But I'll need some time. Wait for my word."
Evan nodded. "Alright, I'll give you time. Just be careful. I'll be waiting for your news at Winston's Grocery Store. If you run into any danger, you can also find me there."
With that, he put his hat back on, turned into the alleyway, and quickly vanished from sight.
Bai Ci glanced up toward the clock tower. Without lingering any longer, she returned to Hugo's house. After passing some time, she picked up the lunchbox wrapped in thick cotton cloth and headed toward the post office.
When she arrived at the post office, Hugo was indeed already waiting for her at the door. "Lora, you're here."
"Yes, here's today's lunch," Bai Ci said, handing the lunchbox to Hugo.
Today, Hugo pulled her straight into the utility room and began eating immediately, skipping any pre-meal pleasantries with his colleagues.
Once Hugo finished his meal, Bai Ci told him she wouldn't wait for him to start his shift today to avoid distracting him. This allowed her to slip away from Hugo, giving her a chance to approach the players—or let them approach her—alone.
Bai Ci scanned the lobby, pondering how she could naturally cross paths with either Lin Wan or Chen Mo.
Of course, Zhao Yu and Zhou Kai were completely out of the question. She couldn't wrap her head around Zhao Yu's thought process at all, making it impossible to predict what he might do using normal logic. She disliked that kind of uncertainty, and Zhou Kai was clearly in cahoots with Zhao Yu.
At the moment, there were no other employees in the lobby. Mrs. Ella was behind the counter organizing writing paper. Bai Ci felt a slight pang of frustration. Was she going to return empty-handed today?
Regretfully, Bai Ci walked out of the post office, thinking about how she might approach the situation through Hugo instead. To her surprise, things took an unexpected turn as she bumped right into Lin Wan, who was walking back from outside.
Lin Wan's eyes lit up when she saw Bai Ci. She stepped forward to greet her warmly, hoping to fish for some information. "Are you heading back, Miss Lora?"
"Yes, I'm getting ready to head back," Bai Ci played along, her tone carrying a hint of a smile. "Hugo has to work, and I'm not of much help here anyway, so I plan to go back and tidy up the house."
"You are so considerate, Miss Lora. You and Mr. Hugo really make a wonderful couple," Lin Wan agreed, taking the opportunity to bring up work. "Speaking of which, we newcomers just arrived at the post office and aren't familiar with anything. It's all thanks to Mr. Hugo taking care of us."
"Whether it's the delivery routes or the post office rules, he patiently explained everything to us. He's been a huge help. Especially for Chen Mo and me—we almost messed up several times, and it was only because Mr. Hugo warned us in time that we avoided being punished by the postmaster."
Stepping half a pace closer, she spoke with growing intimacy. "Miss Lora, since you've just arrived in Aether Town, there must be a lot of things you're not familiar with yet. If you ever need any help in the future, just let me know."
"Whether it's about the shops in town or the trivial matters of the post office, I'll tell you whatever I know. Consider it my way of repaying Mr. Hugo for his help."
Looking at Lin Wan's sincere expression, Bai Ci deliberately put on a hesitant look. She fell silent for a moment, looking as if she had something to say but was too embarrassed to speak.
Seeing this, Lin Wan immediately sensed that something was on her mind. She quickly pressed further, her tone becoming even gentler and more caring. "Miss Lora, are you facing some difficulties? Or is there something you'd like us to help with? Please, just say the word. As long as it's within our power, we'll definitely do our best to help. Don't be shy."
Prodded by Lin Wan, Bai Ci seemed to finally gather her courage, speaking hesitantly, "Actually, it's nothing major. It's just... Miss Lin Wan, do you happen to know the distribution of the mail delivery locations recently?"
Hearing this, Lin Wan smiled and replied, "I do know about that. The post office registers the delivery addresses of the letters every day. Every letter sent out has its recipient's address recorded to make future verifications easier."
Then, she asked, feigning casual curiosity, "But Miss Lora, why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"I'm just... a little worried about Hugo's work. I wanted to see if those places are far or isolated, in case it's unsafe for him on the road. I also wanted to see if I could help him out with some small tasks in the future. I didn't mean anything else by it."
Put on the spot by Lin Wan, Bai Ci's cheeks flushed slightly. Her eyes darted away for a second before fixing back onto Lin Wan, looking very much like someone trying to force a calm front after having her true thoughts exposed.
Bai Ci's reaction made Lin Wan even more certain that the excuse of "worrying about Hugo" was too flimsy. The logic simply didn't hold up; if she were truly concerned, asking Hugo himself would be far more direct than asking a colleague.
Bai Ci was definitely not just concerned about Hugo's work. There had to be another reason behind this, perhaps the very instance clue they had been searching for.
She really is a sheltered young lady. She doesn't even know how to lie; her excuse is full of holes.
But Lin Wan didn't expose her. Instead, she pretended not to notice her embarrassment and the gaps in her excuse, proactively patching up the logical loophole for her. "I understand, I understand. Miss Lora, you just don't want Mr. Hugo to think you're nagging him or put pressure on him, so you came to me for help, right?"
Seeing Bai Ci nod hastily, Lin Wan continued with a smile, "Don't worry, it's no trouble at all. I'll go compile the delivery addresses from the last few days later. They're all in the existing registry anyway, so it won't take much effort. Once I've organized them, I'll send them over to you so you can put your mind at ease."
"Thank you so much, Miss Lin Wan," Bai Ci quickly thanked her, a look of gratitude appearing on her face.
"You're very welcome," Lin Wan smiled, chatting with Bai Ci for a few more moments before taking her leave.
After leaving, Lin Wan immediately went to find Chen Mo and told him about her encounter with Bai Ci.
"There's something off about Miss Lora. Her specifically asking about the mail delivery addresses is definitely suspicious. She might hold a clue we need. I'll organize the delivery distribution first, and we can discuss tonight how to pry the information out of her."
Rate on N.U.
