Cheung Qi laughed more openly this time.
"So our mighty Pact Leader can bring down half the underworld, but gets defeated by an empty stomach."
Hei Bao glared at him again.
"I can still defeat you."
"I believe you." Cheung Qi replied with both hands raised for surrender.
"Good."
Hei Bao grabbed his coat.
"Come on. We're eating. My treat."
Cheung Qi blinked.
"Really?"
"Order whatever you want." Hei Bao walked toward the door before muttering under his breath,
"As long as it isn't enough to bankrupt me."
The two left the office together. By the time they reached the underground garage, Hei Bao's hunger had clearly won.
He opened the passenger door, dropped heavily into the seat, and leaned his head against the open window.
"You drive."
He sounded genuinely exhausted.
"I'm too hungry to move."
Cheung Qi stared at him.
"You just walked all the way here."
"I used my remaining strength."
"You opened the car door." Cheung Qi pursued.
"My last bit of strength."
"You sat down by yourself."
"My absolute last bit."
Cheung Qi couldn't help shaking his head, by how, shamelessly acting his elder cousin over him right now.
"You are unbelievable."
"I've been told I'm very talented."
"That's not what I meant."
Hei Bao waved him off impatiently.
"Less talking. More driving."
Cheung Qi could only sigh, climbing into the driver's seat, started the black Mercedes-Benz, and smoothly pulled out of the garage.
For several minutes, only the quiet hum of the engine accompanied them until Hei Bao suddenly spoke.
"A-Qi."
"Hm?"
"Did I really seem that different to you back there?"
Cheung Qi glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the road.
He immediately understood what his elder cousin was referring to.
"I didn't mean what I—"
"Don't." Hei Bao interrupted him.
"Don't turn a simple question into another emotional drama."
His tone was as blunt as ever.
"Just answer honestly."
Cheung Qi sighed. After thinking for a moment, he finally spoke.
"A bit."
Hei Bao's eyes widened.
"What?"
His pride was visibly wounded.
"I've been raising you for years and you say that?"
Cheung Qi smiled faintly.
"The Elder Cousin I know would never laugh after hearing a serious question like that. He would've been serious. Then some along the way will argue, and after that..." He trailed off as if building a thrill of his next words.
"...he would've dragged me somewhere to eat."
Hei Bao blinked.
"...I'm literally taking you to eat right now."
Cheung Qi chuckled.
"Exactly. You haven't changed as much as you think."
The words lingered inside the car.
Hei Bao quietly looked out the window.
Without realizing it, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
This younger cousin of his, truly fond of worrying over nothing.
Nearly forty minutes later, the Mercedes left the city's bustling commercial district.
Towering buildings gave way to rows of trees, flowering shrubs, and wide stretches of green.
The air itself felt fresher.
The car finally stopped beside a modest wooden restaurant surrounded by bamboo, vegetable gardens, and a quiet fish pond.
Birdsong echoed through the peaceful surroundings.
Hei Bao slowly looked around before turning toward Cheung Qi.
"...What the heck?"
He blinked.
"You brought me here?"
There wasn't a single luxury car in sight. No grand entrance, and no expensive chandeliers.
Just a peaceful countryside restaurant filled with the aroma of charcoal, freshly cooked food, and earth after the morning rain.
Cheung Qi switched off the engine and smiled.
"You said I could choose anywhere."
"I did."
"So I chose somewhere that serves real food."
Hei Bao narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"...I'm starting to think this is revenge."
Cheung Qi simply smiled as he unfastened his seat belt.
"One of your employees brought me here once," he said while opening the driver's door.
"Two of her friends work here. The food is amazing, so just give it a chance."
He glanced at Hei Bao with a grin.
"Come on."
Knowing his elder cousin would either complain or come up with another excuse, Cheung Qi hurriedly climbed out of the car without waiting for an answer, taking the car keys with him.
Hei Bao watched him walk away.
"...This brat."
He let out a long, helpless sigh before opening the passenger door.
There was no point arguing now.
They had already driven all the way here.
Besides, he refused to waste the fuel it had taken to reach this place.
With another sigh, he got out and followed after his younger cousin.
The closer they came to the restaurant, the more Hei Bao noticed how peaceful the surroundings were.
No blaring horns can be heard anywhere. Only the gentle rustling of bamboo leaves, the chirping of birds, and the soft breeze carrying the scent of soil and blooming flowers.
It was strangely calming.
Then suddenly out of nowhere, a sweet fragrance drifted through the air.
Hei Bao's footsteps halted.
"..."
Strawberries.
Fresh, sweet strawberries.
The scent was delicate yet unbelievably rich.
It slipped into the air like an invisible thread, wrapping around his senses before sinking deep into his instincts.
His pupils contracted.
His heartbeat skipped, until quickened.
Leo answered, the wolf sleeping within him have awoken again.
The familiar calm inside his consciousness shattered.
An intense excitement flooded through him.
It wasn't anger. It wasn't aggression. It was anticipation, with a sense of deep longing.
An instinct older than reason itself.
Mate.
The word echoed inside his mind.
Hei Bao froze.
His breathing unconsciously became heavier.
"...Leo?"
The wolf answered with a low, eager rumble.
Every instinct in his body screamed in the same direction.
Inside.
Without realizing it, Hei Bao quickened his pace.
He walked past Cheung Qi as though the latter wasn't even there.
"A-Bao?"
Cheung Qi blinked in confusion.
His elder cousin didn't respond. Instead, this reached the entrance in a long few strides and pushed open the glass door.
Jingle.
The small brass bells hanging above it chimed pleasantly.
The moment the door opened, the strawberry scent became even stronger.
It completely surrounded him.
It was warm, comforting, and irresistible.
Every nerve in his body reacted.
Leo grew restless, pacing excitedly inside his consciousness.
The wolf had only behaved this way once before.
Centuries ago. When he finally found his mate.
Hei Bao unconsciously stepped farther inside.
His sharp golden eyes scanned the restaurant. Between wooden tables, indoor plants, and families quietly eating.
Employees moving between customers.
Nothing seemed unusual until a voice interrupted it all.
"Welcome."
A deep yet gentle voice broke through his thoughts.
Hei Bao instinctively turned toward the cashier.
Standing behind the counter was a young man wearing a simple dark apron.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties. Tall, broad-shouldered.
His lean muscles were visible beneath the rolled sleeves of his shirt, evidence of someone accustomed to physical labor rather than the gym.
His features were undeniably handsome, but there was nothing extravagant about them.
Instead, there was a quiet warmth in his smile that immediately put others at ease.
His brown eyes curved gently as he greeted the new customer.
"Table for two?"
Hei Bao stood perfectly still.
He had once heard countless stories from elder wolves. They all claimed the same thing, that when you finally meet your fated mate again.
The world will seem to stop. Among thousands of faces, you'll see only one, and they will become the most beautiful or handsome person you've ever laid eyes on.
Hei Bao had never believed those stories.
After living for centuries, beauty had become meaningless.
He had seen countless attractive men and women.
None had ever moved him.
But now, standing before this ordinary young man, Hei Bao found himself strangely confused.
The young man was certainly handsome.
But, he wasn't the breathtaking, otherworldly beauty the old stories had described.
Yet Leo had completely awakened.
His wolf wasn't mistaken.
It couldn't be.
Hei Bao stared blankly at the stranger.
His lips moved before his mind could stop them.
"Mate..."
The word escaped as nothing more than a whisper.
Soft enough that only he and the wolf within him could truly hear it.
The young man behind the counter blinked in confusion.
"I'm sorry?"
Hei Bao immediately snapped back to reality.
His expression stiffened.
"...Nothing."
But inside him, Leo remained wide awake.
Waiting.
"Pardon?" the young man asked.
He stood about the same height as Cheung Qi. His dark hair framed his face naturally, while his eyes remained fixed on Hei Bao, quietly searching for the reason behind the stranger's unusual reaction.
Although his hands continued wiping the wooden countertop with practiced ease, his attention never left the man standing before him.
"Sir?"
His brows knitted slightly.
"Are you all right?"
The question completely pulled Hei Bao back to reality.
Only then did he realize he had been staring far longer than was appropriate.
The quiet whispers from nearby tables gradually reached his ears.
A pair of college students stole curious glances at him.
An elderly couple paused their conversation.
Even one of the waitresses looked toward the entrance with obvious curiosity.
Hei Bao had unknowingly become the center of attention.
"..."
He slowly lowered his eyes.
For someone who had lived for centuries and commanded thousands of wolves, losing his composure in public was almost unheard of.
Yet it had happened, because of this stranger in front of him.
"My apologies."
Hei Bao inclined his head politely.
"I was distracted."
The young man smiled reassuringly.
"It's all right. But, I was worried for a second there you looked like you'd seen a ghost."
That earned a faint twitch at the corner of Hei Bao's lips.
"If only it were that simple," he murmured almost inaudibly.
The young man blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
Hei Bao shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Without another word, he stepped aside from the counter.
He needed distance. His mind was still in turmoil.