Another day, another round of nothing to do.
Thanks to a certain Inspector Ch'en and that old dragon, Penguin Logistics was idle again.
"Ahhh! I'm so bored! I want to go play with Chen Mo!"
"No," Sora said firmly, holding up three fingers with a solemn face.
"First: you are not allowed to send Chen Mo those long essays anymore and turn yourself into a green-text warrior."
"Second: you need to learn to keep your distance, show respect, and stop acting so cringe like before. If Chen Mo were any other man, he would've run a long time ago—there wouldn't even be a 'still in contact' to talk about."
"And lastly—most important of all…"
Sora took a deep breath, then mercilessly roasted the angel rolling around on the sofa without a shred of dignity.
"You need to pay attention to your image, Exusiai. With the way you look right now, what man would ever be interested in you?"
"Hey… Sora, that's really hurtful."
Exusiai stopped thrashing, her hair a complete mess, and pouted as if she'd been wronged. Was she really as hopeless as Sora made her sound?
"I think Sora's right," Croissant said, nodding. Because of the situation, she wasn't out stocking goods either.
She pointed at Texas, who sat some distance away—watching TV with a Pocky stick between her lips, quiet and detached.
"Why can't you learn from Texas? That icy aura, that cool, expressionless face… If you were even half as 'Texas' as Texas, you wouldn't be worried about not landing Chen Mo."
"…Don't drag me into this," Texas said flatly.
Crunch.
She bit off the Pocky and swallowed, flicking her gaze toward the noisy trio before returning to the TV.
But Croissant clearly wasn't going to let her off that easily. She scooted up behind Texas and patted her shoulder.
"Look at Exusiai! This is what men dream of—cool, aloof, and dangerous. If you copy Texas's vibe, go up to Chen Mo and do a wall-pin—bam. He'll blush, he'll fall for you, it's over."
"…Are you sure he won't just laugh at her?" Texas replied. "Or worse—get a Draco's fire to the face?"
Exusiai flopped limply against the sofa, her face squashed sideways by a cushion.
"I want to learn too, but I can't. If I try to copy it and Chen Mo mocks me, I'll die. I'd rather just chase him honestly."
Then she lifted her head and squinted at Texas.
"Also… Texas, why have you been keeping your hand in your pocket lately? It looks cool, though."
For the briefest moment, Texas's indifferent face stiffened.
She recovered quickly, loosening her grip on the scale and pulling her hand out of her waistband pocket.
"Are you planning to stay in the dorm all day, Exusiai?"
It was a painfully obvious topic change—but Exusiai didn't think much of it and immediately sighed long and deep.
"What else can I do… The Boss said we should reduce going out as much as possible lately."
"Same!" Croissant chimed in. "Inspector Ch'en's got me so locked down I can't even go out to restock!"
"Me too…" Sora added. "My shows are all canceled. No idea when the Boss will finally get things sorted."
The three of them quickly moved on, chattering over one another as if the earlier topic never happened.
Texas picked up another Pocky and put it between her lips.
Only this time, she couldn't pretend she was relaxed.
The cold scale pressed against her inner thigh through the fabric—an unignorable reminder of its presence.
Even the snack she used to break old habits tasted bland now.
Terra Calendar 1096, March 6
10:46 a.m.
Lungmen Governor's Office
"Come in."
Ch'en Hui-chieh shoved open the heavy doors and fixed her eyes on Wei Yenwu, who sat in the center of an opulently decorated reception room.
"I came today to talk about Chen Mo."
"Mhm. Sit."
Wei Yenwu looked amused—far too amused. Talking about this topic with his niece clearly pleased him.
For once, he actually looked like what he was: an older man enjoying a bit of gossip.
Ch'en cursed him internally, but her body still obeyed. She sat down across from him and adopted a serious posture.
"Do you know that Exusiai from Penguin Logistics has been pursuing Chen Mo for a long time?"
"Of course I know."
Wei Yenwu took a pull from his pipe. Wisps of smoke drifted up, half-veiling his smiling face.
"Exusiai. Real name: Lemuel. In Laterano, she has two particularly close connections—one is Lemuen, the other is Mostima."
"Her purpose for coming to Lungmen is still unclear. But according to our investigation, she's a bona fide optimist—ah, yes, also the sort of unruly street punk you like to complain about."
"That kind of child isn't bad at heart. You don't need to be so harsh with her, Ch'en."
Ch'en's brows snapped together at once, and her voice sharpened.
"Are you actually okay with Exusiai becoming Chen Mo's partner?"
Exusiai roaring in on a motorcycle, sparks flying, "marrying" Chen Mo in public—just imagining it made Ch'en's blood boil. She refused to picture it any further.
"No." Wei Yenwu shook his head, tapping ash into the ashtray. "If I had my way, I'd also prefer Chen Mo to have a more outstanding woman to look after him."
"But if Chen Mo truly likes Exusiai, and the girl herself isn't rotten, then as his uncle I won't swing a club to break up a pair."
"And fortunately…" Wei Yenwu smiled faintly, "Chen Mo still sees her as a friend. He hasn't taken it in a romantic direction."
Ch'en's tightly drawn brows eased a fraction. She thought for a moment, then voiced her proposal.
"Then why don't you search the Yan interior for a talented, well-raised young woman, bring her to Lungmen, and let my brother meet her?"
"No," Wei Yenwu refused immediately.
"Chen Mo's status is special. Do that, and you'll invite trouble."
He raised his pipe and pointed it casually at his own horns.
"A pureblood Draco of Victoria. Think about it, Ch'en—if the major clans learn that the man their daughter 'marries' carries that identity, what do you think happens next?"
"…Then what are we supposed to do?" Ch'en's expression tightened again.
"Just let Chen Mo keep drifting closer to Exusiai?"
If she couldn't introduce him to better women, then a brother who didn't care about boundaries might actually end up in Exusiai's hands.
Was there truly no woman who could ignore his racial status entirely—yet also be exceptional, well-mannered, and come from an impeccable background…?
Wei Yenwu watched her struggle and let out a soft chuckle.
"When you're in the middle of it, you can't see the obvious. When you're outside it, it's clear as day."
"Ch'en," he said, amused, "isn't there already a woman like that right by your side?"
Ch'en froze.
A figure—someone so familiar she could picture her without trying—rose in her mind.
"…You mean…"
Wei Yenwu set his pipe aside, cutting off her mutter before she could finish. He raised his voice toward the reception room doors.
"Come in, Inspector Swire. You've listened at the door long enough."
....
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