Think atitle for After dismissing the leader for the night, Christopher remembered Rose and called Lola, "Did you take Rose to change her dressing?"

Lola's voice came from outside. "She hasn't returned yet."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Christopher asked urgently.

"I knocked for a while, but no one answered, so I used the spare key to enter, but there was no one there."

Christopher scolded her for not speaking up earlier and frantically headed over to Rose's place. After knocking and gaining access with the help of the administrator, he found that the residence was deserted. Confirming with the Japanese side that Rose had arrived that morning, he began to worry since Rose had few acquaintances in S City. Karen, a kind professor from S University who had befriended Rose, was his first choice.

Despite his efforts, Karen hadn't seen Rose either. As Christopher was leaving, he met William, who asked, "Where are you rushing off to, Christopher?"

Christopher had previously interacted with William concerning Rose and queried, "Have you seen Rose?"

William was taken aback. "Has she returned to S City and left again?"

"Yes," Christopher replied. "She took a morning flight today and hasn't returned."

William recalled hearing from Eric about Joseph's recent search for a neurologist. Could it be that he had taken Rose to see a doctor?

"I'll check with Joseph," he offered.

Christopher agreed but didn't hold out much hope. While Rose could find anyone, finding Joseph would be nearly impossible.
After a quick connection, Joseph picked up the phone as he had just completed his work. It was not unusual for the mute little girl to miss the ringing of the phone. They had encountered the same situation many times before. She had no friends or relatives, and was probably sleeping anyway.

"Probably sleeping."

"Christopher went to her room, but she's not there. The cow shelter isn't an option either. Could something have happened?"

The other end of the phone impatiently replied, "Shut up, it's probably pajamas. Wait for me there, I'll be there soon."

William was surprised by the response and felt like Joseph had a clue about Rose's whereabouts. Before he could ask, the phone disconnected.

Joseph disliked talking about Rose but always took action to help her. Christopher went to search for her while William waited in Rose's room for Joseph to arrive.

As soon as Joseph entered, he went straight to the wardrobe where he discovered Rose curled up with a pillow. William noticed that her bed was untouched and realised that she lived in the wardrobe.

He wondered how she coped in such a small and dark place. As he pondered over this, Joseph pushed Rose to wake her up. After several pushes, there was no response. Joseph checked her forehead, which was covered in sweat, but her temperature was normal.

William was worried about how long Rose had been sleeping. She was usually timid, but she still would have woken up if she was sleeping for this long. Joseph opened the wardrobe, removed the pillow and unscrewed the bedside lamp to reveal that Rose's inner arm was covered with a thick layer of gauze.

Joseph was just as surprised and asked William, "What's wrong?"

William had no idea, and both men were puzzled as they watched the little girl sleeping in front of them. Joseph decided to call Christopher and instructed him to inform him of Rose's location but not to disturb her.
William nodded and admitted, "I don't have Christopher's phone."

Joseph quickly handed over his phone and lifted Rose out of the wardrobe. Despite the sweltering heat, she was wearing jeans and a half-soaked white T-shirt while clutching a pillow. William fretted, "Someone needs to change her clothes. She'll catch a cold."

Joseph ignored him and placed Rose on the bed. As he reached for the pillow, her body shook with shock. He pulled his arm away, certain that she was reading the word "brother." He impatiently tore her hand away, covering her with Xia Liang's hand. But as he pulled his hand back, Rose grabbed onto it once again. Joseph gritted his teeth, but he had to rip his hand away once more.

On the other end of the phone, William relayed, "The dean said her wound needs to be treated with medicine today." As he looked at Rose curled up under the quilt, he asked, "Is she awake?"

Joseph glanced at Rose expressionlessly and focused on the thick layer of gauze on her arm. He curled his lip, "Causing trouble is her greatest talent. Besides that, she knows nothing. No wonder she's lost."

William gave him a helpless look, "Let's go." It was strange for two grown men to watch a child sleep, especially one who was still sleeping.

"You go back first." William looked suspiciously at Joseph and asked, "Do you have feelings for Rose?" 

Joseph knew he couldn't fall in love while at the height of his power. Rose was a potential asset, a trump card in the future. They were powerful alone, but together they could become explosive.

Ignoring the question, Joseph watched as Rose suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes closed. Walking over, he firmly held her shoulders and ordered, "Stay put and sleep." She obediently curled up again, grabbing Joseph's clothes and nuzzling into him. 

William was shocked at Rose's sudden affection for Joseph, as the two seemed to have a deep-seated hatred for each other. Seeing Joseph's familiarity with the situation, he was taken aback.

Joseph turned his head to William and asked pragmatically, "Shall we go?"

William was full of curiosity but knew he couldn't linger longer. "Alright, let's go. Just don't stay too long. If the media catches on, they might expose our fake brother-sister relationship."

Joseph sneered at the underlying meaning of his words. He and Rose absolutely didn't have any kind of relationship.
William purposefully closed the door before leaving. He had just commented that Rose's little mute was difficult to deal with, and Joseph's stern expression confirmed this.

Joseph contemplated shaking off Rose's grasp and leaving, but when he noticed her injured left arm reaching out for him, he unwillingly sat on the bed and leaned in close to her. She nuzzled her face against him, and drew nearer to his waist.

Her warm breath brushed against his skin, and her softness and innocence stirred something within him. But Joseph tried to suppress these emotions, not wanting to give in to them.

The only source of light was the orange bedside lamp. A few strands of her hair had fallen over her lips, and her long eyelashes cast a beautiful shadow over her pale face. He reached out and swept her hair behind her ear, revealing her small, pointed ears that resembled a puppy's.

He couldn't help but touch her face again, feeling the softness and smoothness of her skin. What was it that made her so alluring?

Suddenly, Rose stirred. Joseph withdrew his hand, startled, and looked down to find her asleep again. She had moved closer to him, and her lips were once again moving as if mumbling something inaudible.

He sneered, "Your brother doesn't want you anymore."

But the little mute couldn't hear, unaware of his jibe, and continued to mumble. The more he looked at her, the more vexed he became. Eventually, he covered her mouth with his hand and exclaimed, "Shut up!"

Her warm breath left an impression of moisture on his palm, and the unfulfilled longing in his heart only grew stronger. Joseph finally let go of her and noticed a faint mark on the back of her hand, one that wasn't there the last time he saw her. He wondered when she had gotten it, but doubted that she knew or cared. She lacked an appreciation for beauty.

Soon after, his phone rang. It was Adam, reminding Joseph of his need to see Lu Hong, an expert in neurology whom Adam had already arranged to meet. Doctor Lu would depart for an exchange program abroad shortly.

Joseph glanced at Rose, then responded, "I'll go tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and realized he had neglected to call Christopher. Joseph informed Christopher that he would be taking Rose to change her dressing and inquired about the wound on her arm.

Christopher hesitated before replying, "She got a scratch in Japan yesterday."

Joseph was even more perplexed. "Where's her brother?"

This was a private matter, and the dean was hesitant to elaborate. "There's a competition next week, so I had her return to take care of her injury first."

Joseph sensed that the dean was withholding the truth. He suspected that the little mute had lost badly at chess, and her brother blamed her for it. But he didn't further pursue the matter, and Christopher soon hung up after exchanging a few more polite words with Joseph.