"Knock, knock~"
The waiter came to serve the dishes.
"...I was slow to catch on, too..."
After the private room's door closed again, Dan Zhe smiled wryly and continued their earlier conversation. "The pearl that appeared out of nowhere in the bathtub..."
"...It had to be connected to Jin Se..."
"I can't believe it took me so long to figure that out..."
Dan Zhe shook his head.
"Master Xiao."
Dan Zhe pressed his lips together.
"This pearl..."
"Does it belong to Jin Se?"
"It does."
Xiao Xiao had recognized the pearl as soon as Dan Zhe took it out.
He hadn't expected to get an answer so easily...
Dan Zhe stared, stunned.
"R-really?"
There was no need to take a closer look? Or ask him a few more questions?
He had never seen Jin Se with a pearl...
"Really."
Xiao Xiao smiled.
A pearl from a mermaid.
He held out his hand. "May I see it?"
"Ah, s-sure."
Dan Zhe handed the pearl to Master Xiao.
Xiao Xiao soon returned it to Dan Zhe.
Seeing that Dan Zhe still looked a little dazed, he curved his lips into a smile.
"Do you know how this pearl came to be?"
Dan Zhe honestly shook his head.
If he knew, would he have gone to so much trouble, even coming all the way to the flower shop to ask the shopkeeper for help and get in touch with the Master Xiao who wouldn't answer his calls?
The only thing he was sure of was...
"I never saw this pearl on Jin Se."
So why was Master Xiao so certain it belonged to Jin Se?
He couldn't think of any other explanation, either...
It was in his bathroom... If he hadn't left it there, then