Fortunately, Webster still knew. After a moment's thought, he said, "Well, it seems the last name was changed to Su."
Only after Webster said this did I realize—what was the point of Jennings changing his last name to Su? There must be countless people in this city with the surname Su. How could I possibly find him?
"How about this question doesn't count? I'll just ask about my parents instead?" I quickly backtracked.
"That won't do. You've already asked," Webster insisted, refusing to let me off the hook.
I argued that even though I asked, he hadn't answered properly, so how could it count?
Webster nodded and said of course it counted—it wasn't that he didn't know or didn't answer. Besides, he'd even told me about Jennings changing his last name. How could that not count?
I still wanted to protest, but Webster hastily packed up his stall and left, ignoring me. As he walked away, he tossed back a final remark: "Contact me if you need something. Don't come looking for me if you don't."
What the hell? I was furious. This was a terrible deal. I should have asked about my parents instead—at least Jennings was somewhat familiar to me.
This guy was utterly shameless, pulling such a dirty trick. Not only did he move, but he even changed his last name.
Jennings Su? That wouldn't be easy to find. There were probably multiple people with that name.
Whatever. I'd deal with it later. After Webster left, I hurried out of the alley.
Back at the tattoo parlor, Stein and Antonio were both awake. I told them to spread the word immediately—anyone who knew Jennings Su would get a hefty reward!
I refused to believe it. I'd dig him out even if I had to tear the ground apart. You think you can hide from me? No way! I'm marrying your twin daughters, and you're still playing games with me? I wasn't having it!
"Little Boss, wasn't his name just Jennings? Why did you change it to Su?" Stein asked, confused.
I repeated Webster's words. Stein also thought it wasn't worth it for me. As the saying goes, you win some, you lose some—but Jennings clearly couldn't handle losing if he went as far as changing his last name.
Stein had a wide network, so he immediately blasted this missing person notice across every group chat and contact, vowing to help me track down this Jennings—no, Jennings Su.
Just then, Stella actually showed up. When I thought about it—wasn't her last name Su? And she was a twin, too. What the hell? It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? Damn it, was fate really this twisted?
Stella seemed to be in a hurry. She was already sweating when she came in, but before she could say anything, I jumped the gun and asked, "Hey Stella, is your dad's name Jennings Su?"
"What the hell? My dad's Su Dongpo or something? Why are you asking?" Stella shot back after swallowing her initial words.
Since Stella said that, it probably wasn't him. Damn it, got my hopes up for nothing. But thinking about her and her sister—if things worked out, that'd be great. I remembered Luna's gentle elegance, her sweet smile, and those long legs. So beautiful.
"Hey, are you dumb? Say something!" Stella snapped, seeing I was lost in thought.
"Nothing, just looking for someone. So, what's your dad's name?" I asked again.
"Zhi Su. What's up? Need something from him?" Stella blinked her big eyes.
I quickly shook my head. Who had time for her dad? I told her I was looking for a guy named Jennings Su—if she knew him, she should let me know.
"What Jennings? Never heard of him. I've got urgent business with you—Harper's missing." Stella finally remembered why she'd come.
Harper's missing? That couldn't be right. Did the last Ghosts Performing Opera tattoo not work, sending her back into grief?
Harper had dreamed of being a singer since she was a kid, but she had throat problems. After surgery, she was left with lasting damage—her voice was hard to listen to, shattering her singing dreams.
"Take it easy. Sit down and explain slowly." I poured Stella a glass of water.
She downed it in one gulp—must've run here. After drinking, she sat and said, "Harper hasn't been to school for five days. Nobody can find her—not at school, not at home, not even her usual hangouts. Her parents already reported it to the police, but so far, nothing."
No wonder Stella was panicked. Harper had been devastated and might've done something reckless. But I remembered her expression and her words when we last parted. She hadn't given up on fixing her voice. If she still had things to do, she wouldn't just kill herself. Besides, no body had been found.
I laid out my reasoning to Stella. She relaxed a little but still worried. Just because someone doesn't plan to die doesn't mean accidents don't happen. What if she was kidnapped? A normal person doesn't vanish for five days—no calls, phone turned off. Where was Harper?
I sighed. Even if Stella was desperate, coming to me was pointless. If so many people couldn't find Harper, how could we, who barely knew her?
Then Stella said something almost laughable: "Roger… do you have, like… any of those finder tattoos?"
I got it. This girl must think I'm some kind of god, running to me for Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts every time something happens.
I said of course not, Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts aren't omnipotent, so you might as well give up!
But the girl sprang to her feet and once again showed her unreasonable side.
"I don't care, it's all because of your crappy Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts that Harper had a relapse, and you're solely responsible for that," Stella said, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.
Holy shit, how is this my fault? I told you Ghosts Performing Opera wasn't right for Harper, and you're the one who forced me to do it anyway.
"Big brother, what's this got to do with me? It's not all-"
Before I could finish, Stella raised her little fist in front of my face and shook it threateningly, scaring me so much I swallowed the rest of my words.
This tigress isn't to be messed with. I still remember how she beat me up last time, and just seeing her fists now makes my heart race.
"Ahem, well... Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts are out of the question, but the three of us can help you look for her. Though as you can see, we're all injured..."
At this point Stella glanced at Antonio and was surprised to see his numerous bruises. Then she looked at Stein and noticed the two crusted bloody holes in his neck.
"What happened to you guys?" Stella asked.
I said it's complicated - we used some Yin-related magic. It's not like we do this stuff for fun. When you mess with demons and monsters, surviving is already an achievement.
"Alright, alright. Help me find Harper and I'll introduce you to a spell dealer who can hook you up with some defensive magic," Stella offered.
"It's not about the spells. The main issue is our injuries. We-"
Before I could finish, Stella grabbed me by the ear and dragged me toward the door.
"Stop making excuses! Go find her! Don't come back tonight if you can't find her. And don't think I didn't notice - those two are hurt but you're fine. Get out!" she bellowed, kicking me in the ass so hard I nearly went flying.
Miserable!
This tigress... someday I'll tame her and make her serve me foot-washing water from morning till night.