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"Huh… I've got a really bad feeling about this."
Walking down the street, Chen Mo suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. He rubbed his arms on instinct.
It was like killing intent was rolling in from somewhere.
"Exusiai—when you came out here, you didn't tell anyone, did you?"
"Huh? No, no. I didn't tell anyone else. Just Texas and Croissant."
Exusiai, who'd been sneaking glances at Chen Mo's long legs the whole time, jumped like she'd been caught red-handed. She waved her hands frantically, hesitated for a moment, and then blurted out:
"Um… so, Chen Mo—are you free today?"
As soon as she said it, she couldn't stop herself from peeking again.
W-Wow… those legs are so long they're basically longer than my life.
Her heart was racing. Exusiai tried her best to sound casual, like she was just making small talk.
"How about we go watch a movie together? I heard Siracusa has a new film out."
"Pass. I still have work."
That ominous feeling had killed any interest Chen Mo might've had in a boring Siracusan movie. Right now he only wanted to get back to the LGD and wait for his shift to end.
Please don't let Ch'en Hui-chieh find out about today…
Exusiai drooped the moment he brushed her off so casually.
It wasn't even about the movie—she was used to that kind of rejection by now. What really hit her was the way he still treated her like a buddy, like a sister. It was exhausting.
Sure, that "sister" status gave her a high starting point in the chase—but breaking through the "we're basically bros" barrier, going from zero to one, was ridiculously difficult.
She stole a few more glances at the tight, tailored trousers hugging those legs she couldn't stop thinking about, then forced a smile and nodded.
"Okay, then I—"
"Wait." Chen Mo's expression tightened. "I think I heard something."
Fast. Very fast. And those heavy, urgent footsteps…
Whoever it was, they sounded furious.
He didn't whip around like an amateur. Instead, he kept moving, met Exusiai's curious look, and thought rapidly.
He didn't think he'd provoked anyone lately…
No, that's not true. I've provoked a lot of people.
Half the gangs in Lungmen would love to see him drop dead on the spot—but none of them had the nerve to attack him in public.
Even when he'd walked straight into a gang's headquarters, they still had to rely on a suicidal "mutual destruction" threat just to force him to back off.
So who—
Whatever. The distance was close enough. If someone was charging him head-on, they weren't getting away.
Chen Mo set his hand on the hilt of Ashes and turned sharply.
"Aha! If you're coming for me, then don't expect to—"
He froze.
"…Huh? It's Ch'en."
A figure came tearing in from behind like a gale.
Ch'en Hui-chieh's face was blank—she didn't even acknowledge Chen Mo. She reached out and seized Exusiai by the collar with both hands.
"W-Wait—what?! What did I do?! Officer Ch'en, I've been behaving lately! I haven't broken any laws!"
Exusiai panicked and struggled, but Ch'en's grip was like a vise clamp—unyielding, cold, and absolute.
And that expression, staring her down from point-blank range…
Ugh—this feels like I stole the kid she raised with blood, sweat, and tears. Like she wants to pin me to the pavement and end me right here.
Wait—
Kid?
Exusiai swallowed hard. She glanced at Chen Mo, who was watching the whole thing like it was a show, and raised both hands with a strained, nervous smile. A bead of cold sweat slid down her cheek.
"Um… Officer Ch'en, could you maybe let me explain?"
"Explain?" Ch'en's voice was ice. "Explain how a loafer like you 'explained' your way into tricking my brother away?"
Her hands tightened again, crushing the fabric into deeper wrinkles.
Ch'en was trying—failing—to suppress the anger boiling inside her. Every attempt collapsed the moment she looked at Exusiai's flustered face.
It was exactly this type of woman—lawbreaking, mouth running wild, no respect for anyone—using sweet talk to make Chen Mo fall for her.
The more Ch'en's mind replayed those horrifying imagined scenes—the future she'd pictured for Chen Mo if he followed someone like this—the colder her eyes became.
She would not allow a woman like this to become her family.
The pressure around Exusiai's throat grew so strong it was getting hard to breathe. Terrified that Ch'en might actually strangle her, she blurted out:
"Cough—cough—Officer Ch'en! I haven't even gotten him yet! Chen Mo hasn't said yes to me!"
"…"
Ch'en turned her head slowly, staring straight at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo, surprisingly obedient for once, nodded. "She's telling the truth, Ch'en. Let her go. If you don't, tomorrow the headlines will be 'Senior Lungmen officer assaults civilian on the street.'"
He looked mildly uneasy.
That was scary. I really hope she's gentler with her words later.
"…It had better be," Ch'en said flatly.
That damned pink rat actually misled me.
Her mood was a mess. Now that she knew it was a misunderstanding, she didn't keep making it worse for Exusiai—she released her.
But that didn't mean she was letting Exusiai off the hook.
"Even so," Ch'en said, stepping forward, "you and my brother are not the same kind of people, Exusiai. I don't want you pestering him again."
Exusiai was hurriedly smoothing out her clothes, not daring to meet Ch'en's eyes, when Ch'en reached out and personally straightened her collar.
"H-Hey—! I can do that myself, Officer Ch'en!"
Ch'en ignored her. With a cold face and a measured pace, she continued speaking as she adjusted the collar with meticulous precision.
"He's not someone you can lay a hand on. You being too close to Chen Mo benefits no one."
"If you truly care about my brother, then stay away from him. Don't see him again. Don't involve yourself with him in any way."
After she finished fixing Exusiai up, Ch'en abruptly yanked the collar outward—hard—like she was drawing a line in the sand.
"Tch—don't tear it, Officer Ch'en… this outfit was—"
Exusiai stopped mid-sentence. She swallowed the rest.
She wasn't about to admit that even the clothes she'd worn to meet a man were bought with money she'd borrowed from a friend.
Ch'en knew exactly what Exusiai had almost said. But she'd said what she needed to say.
She simply lifted a hand and pointed into the distance.
"Now. Leave."
"Ah—yes! No problem!"
Exusiai nodded obediently and bolted. Once she'd put enough distance between them, she waved and shouted back at Chen Mo at the top of her lungs:
"Next time I'll find you again to hang out, Chen Mo! Call me!"
Then she turned and ran even faster.
The sudden turn of events made the vein on Ch'en's forehead twitch violently.
Of course she wouldn't be scared off that easily. I shouldn't have let that idle troublemaker off so lightly.
Chen Mo laughed, thoroughly entertained, his tail swaying. He nudged Ch'en's dragon tail with his own in a half-comforting, half-teasing gesture.
"Hah. If Exusiai got depressed for a while like in those TV dramas, that would be weird. You know what she's like, Ch'en."
"Also—who would've thought you're the kind of character who exists just to add a plot twist for the protagonist? If Nian sees this, she'll probably try to cast you in a film."
"Alright, don't be mad. Come on, I'll take you to—oh, right. I still have work. Let's go back to the LGD together."
Chen Mo walked off, cheerful as ever, acting like nothing had happened.
Ch'en frowned and instinctively wanted to call him back.
But then—
She lifted a hand and lightly touched the blue wide-brimmed cap Chen Mo had given her.
Inside, she sighed.
…Fine. Just this once.
And without another word, she followed after him.
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My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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