Chapter 4

"From what you said, I don't seem so useless after all," Lunxiao Merrill sniffed and gave a faint smile. "But I won't admit that you just said I was rude to the staff."

Carl Jace raised an eyebrow and said with a feigned expression of grievance, "Why won't you admit it? Last time I burned a piece of bread, you almost made me cry and even threatened to deduct my salary—that's nothing short of vicious."

Lensoe Merrill blushed at his words and gently patted him, saying, "Wasn't that just because you were careless? The bread burned—how are we supposed to sell it?"

As the two argued, all their previous grievances and negative emotions vanished instantly.

Carl Jass suddenly stood up and took Len Xiao Merrill's hand, saying, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere to build your courage. Next time someone bullies you, you won't be so afraid."

Lensoe Merrill quickly broke free from his grasp, his face filled with alarm: "Where are you going? Are you closing the business? I won't go—what if you sell me?"

"Don't worry—I wouldn't sell you. You're so incompetent; no one would want you anyway," Karl Jess said with a smile, reaching out to hold her hand. "Believe me, you won't regret it—and it's free. An opportunity like this is rare. "

Lun Xiao Merrill couldn't resist his pressure and had to be dragged along on foot outside the city. After more than half an hour, his legs were completely sore, and he couldn't help complaining, "Carl Jess, can't you just take a taxi? I'm utterly exhausted after walking this far."

"Walking is a great way to exercise," Karl Jess said with a smile, "especially since you rarely engage in physical activity regularly—more walking will definitely benefit you." His steps, however, gradually slowed down in sync with her pace.

After walking for another ten minutes or so, Carl Jess suddenly stopped and exclaimed excitedly, "There we go! This is it!"

Len Xiao Merrill looked up and was instantly terrified—before her stood the most terrifying haunted house in City A, a gloomy structure with an old black cloth hanging at its entrance bearing the words "No Entry to Strangers." A strange atmosphere could be sensed from afar. She had long heard from classmates that this place was particularly frightening; most who had entered were so frightened they vanished into terror and never dared approach it again.

"You... you actually brought me here?" LenXiao Merrill's voice trembled as he instinctively took a step back. "I'm not going; I need to return. There's still much work to be done at the Bread Tree."

Carl Jace grabbed her tightly and stopped her from leaving: "Since you're already here, how can you go back? I come here often; the staff all know me. It's free, and I'll be with you—I won't scare you."

Lensoe Merrill was still terrified, clutching Karl Jess's clothes tightly with bloodshot eyes: "I really can't do this—I've heard this place is terrifying; I'd die of fear."

"Don't be afraid—I'm here with you," Karl Jess said softly, patting her back gently. "Think of it as a way to build your courage, okay? Next time someone bullies you, you won't be so timid."

Ren Xiao Merrill looked into his serious eyes, then at the eerie haunted house. After a long moment of hesitation, she finally nodded. She didn't want to remain so timid forever; she wanted to become braver, avoid being bullied again, and stop causing concern for Karl Jess.

As he entered the haunted house, a chill swept over him. Len Xiao·Merrill shivered instantly, clutching Karl Jass's sleeve tightly and refusing to look up.

"Don't worry; this is the air conditioning. The staff are afraid of the heat, so they've turned it on," Karl Jess said softly, comforting her and pulling her closer. "Follow me; don't run around."

Lensoe Merrill nodded, keeping her head bowed and closely following Karl Jess without daring to look around. After walking for a while, she noticed a box ahead; driven by curiosity, she couldn't resist reaching out to open it.

There was nothing terrifying inside the box; only a thin stream of white smoke slowly emerged. LenXiao·Merrill breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest, and said, "I thought it might be something frightening—turns out it was just white smoke—it really startled me."

As soon as the words were spoken, the white smoke thickened rapidly, obscuring visibility. Immediately afterward, a strange melody erupted, and several grotesquely dressed figures with blood-stained faces emerged from the smoke, lunging at them with bared teeth and clawed hands.

Lensoe Merrill screamed in terror, instinctively rushing into Karl Jass's arms, closing her eyes tightly and clutching his waist with both hands while repeatedly shouting "Help!" as his body trembled violently from fear.

Carl Jace gently patted her back and comforted her softly, "Don't worry—it's all fake. I'll make them stop."

As he spoke, he shouted at those "ghosts": "Don't scare her—take off your clothes!"

Those "monsters" immediately stopped moving, removed their masks and clothes, revealing their true identities—all boys about the same age as Karl Jass.

When Lensoe Merrill heard the sound, he slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing what lay before him, gradually calmed down. Though tears still marked his face, he couldn't help but complain, "You... you scared me to death; I thought it was really a ghost."

One of the boys said with a smile, "Sorry, miss—we were just following orders. Carl Jess wanted to build your courage, so he asked us to scare you."

Lensoe Merrill abruptly turned to Karl Jess, his eyes filled with anger: "Karl Jess! You actually conspired with them to scare me? I'm firing you!"

Carl Jess smiled and pleaded, "Don't do it—I'm doing this for your own good. Look, even though you were scared just now, you didn't keep avoiding me; you've made significant progress."

Seeing his overly accommodating expression, Lenso Merrill's anger subsided almost completely, yet he still feigned irritation: "That won't do either. If you dare scare me again, I'll fire you."

"Alright, alright, I won't dare do that again," Karl Jess nodded promptly and brought over another table. "Now let's sit down and talk—they're all my friends who work here regularly."

The group sat down, chatting and laughing, and LenXiao·Merrill gradually relaxed, enjoying the conversation immensely. Unbeknownst to her, while she was distracted, Karl Jess exchanged a glance with one of the boys; the boy quietly handed him a note. Upon reading it, a hint of seriousness flashed in Karl Jess's eyes as he swiftly crumpled the note and tucked it into his pocket.

The note contained only one sentence: "There's been some activity on Elena Merrill's side; complete the task as soon as possible."

As Karl Jess watched Len Xiao Merrill smile joyfully beside him, a turmoil arose within him. He grew increasingly fond of this simple and lovely girl and felt an overwhelming desire not to hurt her, yet his mission demanded no compromise. He wondered whether LenXiao Merrill would forgive him when the truth came to light—and what path their relationship would take from that point onward.