Chapter 1597: 1596 one person keeps the appointment Chapter 1597: 1596 one person keeps the appointment When the time came for the Dawn Society meeting, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu quietly left the palace through a minor door. They departed separately, with Tan Rou leaving ten minutes ahead. Ten minutes later, Zhuang Liu left the palace. Tan Rou walked ahead while Zhuang Liu followed at a discreet distance, guided by the locator’s signal.

Arriving at the location of the Dawn Society, Tan Rou entered first. Zhuang Liu kept watch near the villa, eyeing the eerie building and voiced his doubt, “Can people really live in this place?”

Just then, a black crow flew out of the house, cawing strangely before flying off into the distance.

Zhuang Liu looked around at the surroundings–everything was shrouded in darkness except for a dim streetlight in the far distance. There were no sounds or lights around, as if everyone had fallen asleep.

He glanced at his watch; it was already ten o’clock at night. This meant that their meeting was about to start, and he hoped Tan Rou would come out soon.

Led by Bata, Tan Rou came before Gand. Observing Gand on the steps, she felt something was amiss.

“Good evening, Mr. Gand,” Tan Rou began. “Thank you for waiting here for me. I think I must give you an answer tonight, otherwise, you might not be pleased.”

Gand stood with his back to the light, rendering his expression invisible to Tan Rou. But when he spoke, she realized something was wrong.

“Good evening, Miss Zhuang Rou. I am very happy to see you here again,” Gand said with a hoarse voice. “I’ve been worried that you might have returned to your country before this moment, but it seems my fears were unfounded.”

“Eh?” Tan Rou inquired with concern, “Mr. Gand, your throat doesn’t sound very well.”

“Oh, I’ve just caught a cold recently,” Gand replied offhandedly.

Tan Rou chuckled, “To catch a cold in such hot weather, Mr. Gand, you’re quite unfortunate.”

“It’s because of the heat that I drank a lot of ice water, and too much ice water gave me the cold,” Gand added.

Tan Rou knew he was lying, but she did not call out his deception. “Oh, please take good care of yourself. After all, you are the pillar of the entire Dawn Society. Without you, the Dawn Society would be in peril.”

“The Dawn Society belongs to everyone. I’m merely managing it on behalf of everyone,” Gand said. “If I fall ill, someone else will take over my duties.”

“That’s good to hear,” Tan Rou responded with a smile.

“Miss Zhuang Rou, regarding the proposal I mentioned last time, how have you considered it?” Gand asked again.

Tan Rou deliberately avoided the question, “Mr. Gand, the meeting time is almost upon us. Let’s start the meeting first, but rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory response after the meeting.”

Gand did not say more; he gestured with his hand, “Please, follow me.”

“Mr. Gand, don’t you want to ask why my friend didn’t come?” Tan Rou asked with a smile.

Gand paused in his movements, then answered with a smile, “Miss Zhuang Rou, I think my stance has been clear enough. Your friend’s talents are not very impressive, and her absence won’t cause us any loss. But it’s different with you–if you didn’t come, we would lose a great deal.”

Tan Rou laughed, “It’s fortunate that my friend isn’t here; otherwise, she would have been very upset to hear such words. After all, it’s not me, but she who wants to join the Dawn Society. She’s fallen ill today, which is why she couldn’t come.”

Gand, seemingly realizing his earlier comment was inappropriate, quickly added, “Oh, that’s truly regrettable. I actually had hoped Miss Sally would come.”

Tan Rou didn’t buy Gand’s excuses at all; he clearly didn’t care whether Samiyi would come, as he didn’t even bother to inquire about her. If Tan Rou hadn’t mentioned Samiyi, Gand probably would have forgotten that there was a member of the Dawn Society named Sally.

Once again, Tan Rou arrived at the underground meeting place. Before taking her seat, she noticed the pastries and coffee laid out on the table. These items had previously appeared in front of them from underneath the table during the last visit; this time, they had been prepared in advance.