Happy times always pass far too quickly.
After their lunchtime chatter and an afternoon of competing head-to-head at the arcade, Exusiai felt like her relationship with Chen Mo had grown noticeably closer.
At the very least, she'd discovered that Chen Mo didn't care in the slightest about hand-holding or that level of physical contact—so she'd been living her best life all day, getting her fill of skin-to-skin contact.
The only thing that had spiked her sense of crisis was what happened at noon in the hotpot restaurant: some white-haired dragon woman had appeared out of nowhere and chatted with Chen Mo like they were old friends.
And then she'd even said something like, "If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Tch. It felt like that woman didn't even register Exusiai as competition.
Just thinking about how Chen Mo's eyes had lit up while he openly examined that dragon woman's horns and tail made Exusiai feel awful—like biting into an apple pie and finding bitter melon inside.
As she replayed that humiliation, Exusiai suddenly remembered there was something she still hadn't asked.
Walking beside Chen Mo—who was practically glowing under the sunset—she hesitated, braced herself, then blurted it out.
"Um… Chen Mo. What's your relationship with Officer Ch'en, exactly?"
"I thought you were going to use this romantic mood to confess to me," Chen Mo said. "So it's that, huh."
Huh?
Regret flooded Exusiai instantly. She forced a smile and clasped his hand.
"Can I take it back?"
Chen Mo nodded. He didn't care that she was quietly rubbing his fingers and taking advantage of him. Smiling, he said, "Sure. Doesn't matter. I won't agree anyway."
Being friends was fine, but anything beyond that? No thanks. Exusiai just didn't… do it for him.
To be brutally honest, when Chen Mo was showering, staring at his own face and body was more interesting than staring at Exusiai.
And besides, this level of contact still fell within "friend" territory. If she wanted to play with his hand, let her. It wasn't like he'd lose a piece of flesh.
"Ch'en is my little sister," he said. "That's why she got so mad that day when she saw me drinking with you at the bar."
"Oh, right—if you run into her later, try to avoid her. She's very unhappy with Penguin Logistics right now."
Exusiai's face went rigid.
No way. That iron-faced Officer Ch'en—who pressured her just by standing there—was Chen Mo's sister?
The image of Ch'en Hui-chieh staring her down with killing intent in the future made Exusiai swallow hard in fear.
"Officer Ch'en… she won't beat me up just because I'm chasing you, right?"
"Hard to say," Chen Mo replied. "But as long as you don't act overly intimate with me, she'll still be the senior LGD officer she's supposed to be. She won't just start hitting people."
He raised the hand Exusiai was holding. "Like this. If she sees this, she might draw Chi Xiao and start swinging."
"That sounds terrifying!"
Exusiai wanted to let go immediately—but she couldn't bring herself to. She glanced at the increasingly dark street where the lamps had already come on, then leaned in and whispered beside him.
"Then… how does Officer Ch'en—uh, Hui-chieh—see me?"
Fast adjustment, Chen Mo thought.
He deliberately pried his hand free. It was sticky and uncomfortable—apparently the mention of Hui-chieh had scared Exusiai so badly her palms were sweating.
Facing Exusiai's slightly disappointed look, Chen Mo thought for a moment, then repeated—word for word—the things Hui-chieh had scolded him with last night.
"Always grinning. Disrespectful toward the law. Doesn't follow rules. No sense of responsibility. And… no savings."
With every sentence, Exusiai's back bent a little further. By the last one, she looked like she was about to drop to her knees on the spot.
"…I mean, I do have some strengths," she mumbled. "Like… like my shooting's pretty accurate."
The moment she finished, she couldn't hold it together—she turned her face away, not daring to see Chen Mo's expression.
Oh no. Why does it feel like I really don't have much to brag about…
"I think you're pretty great, actually," Chen Mo said.
Huh?
Exusiai stared blankly as Chen Mo folded his arms and nodded seriously.
"You're optimistic and romantic. You've got friends you can live and die with. No matter how hard life gets, you still manage to be happy every day."
"Sadness and worry don't seem to stick to you. Other people's confusion and despair have nothing to do with you."
Thinking of all the tragedies he'd seen during his time in the gangs, Chen Mo gave her shoulder a firm pat and smiled.
"You just like happy things—and you became this kind of person."
"So don't beat yourself up. In my book, being able to do that already makes you exceptional. You're doing great."
As he spoke, Chen Mo pulled out his phone, checked the time, and instantly lost his earlier ease, turning faintly troubled.
"Damn. That's a lot of missed calls from Ch'en. Looks like we stayed out too late today."
He didn't bother with Exusiai still standing there in a daze. He waved with a smile.
"Let's hang out another time, Exusiai. I'm heading back. Bye."
"…Bye."
Exusiai mechanically lifted her arm and waved, watching Chen Mo disappear into the distance—until the figure she couldn't get out of her mind was completely gone. Only then did she snap back to reality.
She glanced at the puddles along the road and, as if possessed, walked over and looked down at her blurry reflection.
Using two fingers, she pulled up the corners of her mouth—making the reflection smile brightly too.
"Mm! Keep going, Exusiai. Don't give up—you can do it!"
Humming a Lateran tune, Exusiai walked off with light, cheerful steps—like a Perro who'd just been praised—drawing curious stares from passersby.
Unlike Exusiai's bubbly mood, the Chen Mo rushing home wore a thoroughly sour expression.
"Ch'en, I only went out with a friend. Do you really need to be this angry?"
"I'm not angry," Ch'en Hui-chieh said flatly.
Liar. You were one sentence away from saying, "I'm taking your mom away," and you still claim you're not mad.
"Oh—right. You've been working hard lately. Let me massage your shoulders."
Seeing the situation, Chen Mo immediately moved in to appease her, kneading her shoulders with exaggerated diligence. It made Ch'en's face flush; she shifted awkwardly away, and only then did Chen Mo finally breathe easier.
Good. Looks like he wouldn't be forced to stay up all night listening to another lecture.
Ch'en Hui-chieh, however, looked helpless. Standing in the middle of the living room, she let out a long sigh.
"It's exactly because you're like this that I get angry, Brother. When will you ever develop the modesty and restraint a man is supposed to have?"
"Next time. Definitely."
Seeing that Ch'en no longer looked like she was about to erupt, Chen Mo fully relaxed. He flopped onto the couch and started giving his tail an at-home spa treatment.
"If I go out with other women next time, I'll report it to you first. Don't worry, Ch'en."
"…Forget it."
Ch'en had originally come to lecture him again, but she'd lost the will. Still, as she was leaving, she made one last point.
"Lungmen's been a bit unstable lately. Don't come back as late as you did today."
"Okay, no problem!"
Watching Chen Mo sprawled on the couch with zero shame—so much skin exposed—Ch'en Hui-chieh frowned as she slowly walked out the door.
She couldn't shake the feeling that with her brother acting like this… sooner or later, he was going to suffer for it.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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