Operation Red Book

"By the way, I want to tell you something."

Ivy sat on the sofa, picked up the boiling teapot and poured water into the teacup.

"Are you going to the Duchess of Emerson's ball this Sunday with Mr. Moriarty?"

"Yes, at the McMillan Manor."

Joshua's eyes sparkled and his tone was filled with excitement.

"Well, I can't go with you. I just promised Mr. Zhu, and he's also invited."

Ivy lowered her head to pour tea, her black eyes secretly observing Joshua's expression.

Joshua's smile immediately fell. He looked down at his toes, and from time to time he reached out to push up his glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose.

The quarrel in the study upstairs became louder, and there was even the sound of wood hitting each other.

Ivy and Joshua looked up again, and after looking at each other, they both laughed at the same time.

"Why did you ask me to go to the dance with you? Because you have to bring a female companion?"

"Well, no..." Joshua's cheeks turned red again and he kept rubbing his hands.

"And yes..."

Ivy bent down to look at his expression and his wandering eyes, and suddenly understood a lot.

She angrily put the kettle aside and started fiddling with the tea set with a clatter.

"Ok, I see."

Ivy slammed the lid down on the cup, causing Joshua to shiver.

"Because you are shy, you don't dare to invite a dance partner on the spot. You want me to be your dance partner so that you won't be forced to invite strangers, right!"

Ivy slammed the tea needle on the tea table again, scaring Joshua so much that his voice began to tremble: "Yeah, yes...how do you know so much?"

"Mr. Zhu even paid me three times his salary to be his dance partner!" Ivy's voice became louder and louder, and she became more and more excited.

"I……"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore! Get out of here with Holmes after dinner!"

Ivy continued to rage as she filtered the brewed tea into a large teapot made of blue and white porcelain.

The quarrel upstairs died down, and in a moment Mr. Zhu and Sherlock Holmes both came down from the stairs.

Strangely, both of them had smiles on their faces and even hugged each other at the door after coming down.

"I had a very pleasant conversation with Mr. Holmes."

Mr. Zhu put his arm around Holmes' shoulder and showed his upper teeth.

"I believe Shuyang will survive under my arrangement. This is all thanks to Mr. Zhu."

Holmes put his arm around Mr. Zhu's back, a big smile on his face.

"Please follow me, Ivy, it's time to eat." Mr. Zhu invited Holmes and Joshua to the restaurant in the back.

Ivy, with a gloomy face, bumped Joshua's shoulder heavily, walked to the front desk of Muyunzhai, and asked Miss Mingcan to go to the kitchen to arrange Mr. Zhu's meal.

Ivy was flipping through the account book at the front desk distractedly, and the pages made a rustling sound as she turned them.

Her left hand supported her puffy cheek, and none of the Chinese characters in the account book entered Ivy's mind.

"Good afternoon, are you Miss Ivy Lee?"

The deep and clear baritone voice penetrated into Ivy's ears like gravel. Every word was distinct, as if it was spoken right next to her ear.

Ivy looked up suddenly, and a pair of emerald green eyes entered her sight.

Count White's handsome, deep, fair face appeared in front of Ivy, his thin lips pursed, and his downturned eyebrows revealed a smile.

This time it was Ivy's turn to blush. Her heart was pounding and her eyes kept blinking. She didn't know how to respond.

"I, I, I am."

After saying this, Ivy realized what she had answered. She rolled her eyes, looking confused and helpless.

"Then Miss Ivy Lee, may I invite you to the dance at McMillan this Sunday?"