With a heavy click, the thick double doors swung open. The low, muffled groan of wood and metal sounded especially loud in the suddenly quiet, spacious reception room.
A beat later, a blond, curly head peeked out from behind the door. Swire forced an awkward grin and greeted the woman whose face had already gone stormy.
"Good morning, you damn— I mean… Hui-chieh."
Ch'en Hui-chieh gave her a cold look, didn't bother replying, and turned instead to ask in an even colder voice:
"You're sure she's a suitable match for my brother? That 'char siu cat'?"
"The 'char siu cat' you're insulting," Wei Yenwu replied, amused, "isn't she exactly the best candidate in your own mind?"
He waved Swire over with an easy gesture, indicating the seat beside them.
"Don't just stand there, Inspector Swire. Come sit. Let's talk."
"Oh… oh!"
The little tiger jogged over and dropped into the seat next to Ch'en, scratching her cheek with visible embarrassment.
"Um. I wasn't deliberately eavesdropping."
Wei Yenwu laughed, unbothered.
"No harm done. In fact, it saves me the trouble of explaining."
He leaned back, pipe in hand, and looked at her with the relaxed confidence of a man who'd already decided the outcome.
"Tell me, Inspector Swire. What do you think?"
What did she think?
Swire's mind betrayed her immediately—back to that dim corridor, the warm breath brushing past her ear, that low laugh that made her heartbeat stutter.
Then to the moment inside a single man's apartment: the silver-haired Draco standing there as if he had no concept of "modesty," handing out far-too-generous "benefits" simply by existing—clean, fragrant, and shamelessly dazzling.
Swire swallowed.
Part of her wanted to accept on the spot, bright-eyed and eager.
But another part of her hesitated, because she remembered exactly what kind of man Chen Mo was.
That maddening little demon—could she really hold him down?
"You're hesitating?" Ch'en's voice cut in, flat and faintly incredulous.
She folded her arms and let out a chilly, mocking laugh.
"I have no objection to you. So what is it—you have objections to my brother?"
"No!" Swire blurted. "Chen Mo is great! I just… I'm worried—"
She opened her mouth, then swallowed the rest.
How was she supposed to say it?
Was she going to admit, in front of Ch'en Hui-chieh of all people, that she was afraid she couldn't handle Chen Mo?
If she said that, she'd never be able to lift her head during arguments again. She'd be permanently losing on points.
Wei Yenwu chuckled and stepped in before Ch'en could press harder.
"Don't be so impatient, Ch'en. Inspector Swire hasn't spent much time with Chen Mo. Hesitation is perfectly normal."
He took a calm draw from his pipe and continued, genial and unhurried.
"Relax, Inspector Swire. This isn't a forced arranged marriage. Treat it as a matchmaking introduction."
"Spend some time with Chen Mo first. Then decide."
Spend some time…
Whatever Swire imagined, it colored her cheeks. Ch'en noticed—and immediately looked even more displeased.
"Tch. Are you not even going to ask what Chen Mo thinks?"
"Chen Mo?" Wei Yenwu sounded almost amused by the suggestion. "Do you think that child would refuse out of embarrassment because I arranged an introduction?"
Ch'en Hui-chieh didn't answer, because she already knew the truth.
Chen Mo would probably nod indifferently, then go right back to whatever he was doing.
Or worse—he'd treat Swire like a new toy, because he genuinely enjoyed watching women lose their composure around him.
After spending months with him, Ch'en understood her brother's temperament all too well. There wasn't much left to argue.
She stood up and headed for the door.
"Since you've reached an agreement, I'm leaving."
The door slammed shut behind her with enough force to rattle the air.
The sharp sound snapped Swire out of her daydream. She stared at the now-empty seat beside her and flicked her tail in confusion.
"Why does Ch'en look… kind of pissed?"
"Female relatives are like that," Wei Yenwu said lightly. "Your brother and she have only just started spending time together again, and now he's already at the 'marriage discussion' stage. She can't help feeling reluctant."
He didn't mind Ch'en's rudeness at all—in fact, he looked rather pleased by it.
"Alright. Go back to work, Inspector Swire. I hope you win Chen Mo's heart soon."
"Huh? Oh—yes, sir."
Still half lost in her own thoughts, Swire sprang up, snapped a salute, then hurried after Ch'en.
Only after Swire disappeared did Wei Yenwu rise and walk to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out over Lungmen's brilliant, bustling skyline.
"I wonder if Chen Mo will actually behave and marry into the Swire family," he mused. "I'd quite like to hold one of his children."
Then he remembered Chen Mo charging into Chernobog alone, and he laughed softly.
"Forget it. Children have their own fortunes. Let the younger generation make their noise."
3:27 p.m. — Lungmen Upper District, Busy Secondhand Market Street
"Come take a look, come take a look! High-end Victoria best-selling red wine—only 8,888 Lungmen dollars a bottle… sigh, nobody's buying."
Croissant sat cross-legged behind her stall, shoulders slumped, and sighed again at the river of pedestrians flowing past.
"I even brought out the leftover party wine from the other day. Should've just drunk it all."
But really—who bought alcohol in a secondhand market?
Even if it was Emperor's private stash, to a passerby it looked like unbranded, uncertified contraband.
Maybe this was the wrong place to sell it…
Croissant glanced toward the wall a short distance away, where Texas leaned with an "I'm only here to keep you company" excuse—looking, as always, cool and distant.
"Texas… can I ask you a favor?"
"…Leave it to me."
After working together this long, Texas could read Croissant's grin like a billboard.
She walked over, picked up a crate of red wine, and headed toward a nearby bar district.
Croissant shouted after her loudly:
"That's all I've got! And Texas—no fighting, okay?!"
Croissant scratched her head, watching Texas's back recede.
"Something's been weird with her lately. She looks like she's got something on her mind."
Then she snorted at her own thought.
"Like a middle-school girl with a crush."
Impossible. Texas was cold, decisive, and famously uninterested in romance.
Croissant let it go and put on her "business smile" again, calling out to customers.
Meanwhile — Inside an Upscale Bar
Texas really was distracted.
Every time she remembered the way Exusiai smiled whenever Chen Mo came up—bright, giddy, full of shameless anticipation—Texas felt an inexplicable irritation claw at her chest.
Like something that belonged to her was about to be taken.
And then there were the whispers around her—women talking softly, laughing under their breath.
Texas sat at the bar with a drink, trying to cool her head. The murmurs finally grated enough that she shot them a sharp, warning look.
"Look—look over there."
"Wow… that man is gorgeous. Should we go talk to him?"
"Don't. Someone already got to him first."
Just ordinary flirting, then…
Texas was about to ignore it and focus on selling the wine—until she turned her head and saw a familiar white figure.
She froze for a heartbeat.
…Why is he here?
....
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