8:42 p.m., Night
LGD Dormitory
Warm, amber lighting filled the living room. The TV murmured softly in the background, making the whole place feel comfortably lived-in.
"Hahaha—Ch'en, look at that Sankta on TV. This is hilarious. She was the first one introduced, and in the end she didn't even get a kiss before she got written out."
Silky silver hair brushed against Ch'en Hui-chieh's cheek. A faint shampoo scent lingered at her nose.
She'd gotten used to being close to her brother—more or less—but that didn't mean she could act like it didn't affect her at all.
She turned her head slightly, caught a flash of pale skin where Chen Mo had leaned his head against her shoulder, and her heart gave an uninvited jump. She immediately looked away.
"Brother, watch your image."
"We're family. What image is there to watch?" Chen Mo's lips curved. "Or are you shy?"
If she was that flustered, she should just give his salary back already. Otherwise, him sticking to this stubborn little sister forever wasn't exactly sustainable.
Chen Mo shifted his hips, and his thick, scaled tail slid over, coiling around Ch'en's long, slender black tail in an intimate tangle.
"Don't tell me you're getting… thoughts about your big brother."
"…When are you going to stop running your mouth?"
This time, Ch'en didn't indulge him. Her tail slipped free from his coil, then snapped lightly—yet sharply—against the smooth scales of his tail.
Smack.
"And even for siblings, your tail-wrapping is far too frequent," she said coolly. "I'd prefer you not be a shameless man."
Chen Mo's tail withdrew, a little sulky. When he realized that angle wasn't going to work, he flopped back against a cushion, then muttered in a soft, deliberately wounded tone:
"If you're going to be like that, you might as well ignore me completely. This just makes me look like I'm throwing a tantrum."
"Mm. Good."
Ch'en's expression didn't change, but the faintest smile lifted the corner of her mouth.
"That's more like a man. Seems you're not the kind of 'pretty-boy' I thought you were."
That sounded… weird. And she really was utterly unmoved.
Completely out of material, Chen Mo gave up. He sprawled sideways on the couch and—out of spite—draped both long legs right across Ch'en's lap.
"I don't care. If you don't restore my pay, I'm going to freeload off you forever."
"Fine," Ch'en said flatly. "As long as you don't mind your reputation, I don't mind."
If anything, it was exactly what she wanted.
As long as her brother stayed here, Exusiai and the rest of those "delinquents" would never get within arm's reach of him.
Hah. A bunch of idle troublemakers, and they think they can marry my brother? Where does that foolish Sankta get that kind of confidence?
Ch'en's mood only grew brighter the more she looked at Chen Mo beside her.
"It's getting late. Brother, you—"
Knock knock.
The sudden rapping at the door made Ch'en's brows knit. Even Chen Mo lifted his head, curious.
"This late? Someone looking for you urgently?"
"…Possibly."
Ch'en gently slid the tempting legs off her lap, rose, and went to the entryway. She opened the door.
"Yo… yo! Evening, Officer Ch'en."
Standing there, drenched in nervous sweat and trying far too hard to look casual, was Croissant.
Croissant? Why was she here?
Ch'en didn't know her well. The only thing she remembered clearly was that Croissant was one of the few "normal" female friends Chen Mo had.
"What do you want?"
"Uh… I came… I came…"
That damned Exusiai didn't tell me how I'm supposed to draw Officer Ch'en away!
Croissant's sweat practically poured. A gray-zone courier showing up at a senior inspector's home at night was suspicious by default.
Under Ch'en's sharp, distrustful gaze, Croissant was half a second away from bolting—until her eyes flicked past Ch'en and caught Chen Mo inside, cheerfully waving at her.
Right. Perfect. I've got a ready-made way to pull Ch'en out.
Croissant steadied her racing heart, cleared her throat, and forced herself into a swaggering posture. Right in Ch'en's face, she even whistled—loud and obnoxious.
"Old hag, I'm here to borrow your brother for the night. Call him out. He's coming with me to have a little fun."
The air went dead silent.
Croissant swallowed, fear prickling up her spine. But seeing that Ch'en's face stayed blank, she tried to double down.
"Didn't you hear me? I said you—"
BOOM.
A thunderous impact shattered the quiet. Motion-sensor lights up and down the building flickered on and off in rapid succession.
Croissant stared, stunned, at the concrete railing beside her—now blasted through with a clean, fist-sized crater.
She turned her head mechanically, lips twitching into a strained, ugly smile.
"What, you're mad already? Your brother's not something I can—? If you've got the guts—"
Before she could finish, another fist came screaming in on a gale-force punch.
Croissant shrieked and ran.
"Wah! Murder! Help!"
"Don't you run!"
Ch'en shot after her like a black storm and disappeared down the corridor in pursuit.
Inside, Chen Mo just sat there, completely dumbfounded.
"…Did Croissant lose her mind? How does she dare provoke Ch'en?"
Even he could see the whole thing was fishy. But the furious Ch'en clearly had no interest in analyzing motives. She only wanted to catch Croissant and vent.
No way she came here just to get beaten up for fun.
"Chen Mo… Chen Mo!"
"Hm?"
A halo peeked around the doorframe, glowing brightly in the dark hallway.
Chen Mo got an involuntary chill.
"What's wrong with you? Showing up this late—what do you want?"
Exusiai slipped in, grinning, and dropped onto the couch beside him like she lived there.
"I'm here to take you out."
"Now?" Chen Mo glanced at the pitch-black outside. "Are you sure you mean 'take me out,' and not 'take me down'?"
That blunt line made Exusiai flush instantly. She waved both hands in frantic denial.
"No, no, no! I swear, Chen Mo—really! I just want to go out and have fun!"
As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, she hurriedly fished two tickets from her pocket and waved them in front of his face.
"These are the last two movie tickets for tonight. I fought so hard to get them!"
Chen Mo took the tickets and examined them carefully.
A late-night showing—9 p.m. to midnight.
That timing is… suspiciously precise. Is this airhead actually planning something?
But looking at how she could barely even work up the nerve to touch his hand, Chen Mo just laughed, stood, and stretched.
"Alright. Let's go—before Ch'en comes back."
"Wait—really? You're coming?!"
Chen Mo nodded and patted his pocket, shrugging.
"Of course. I'm broke lately. Tonight's expenses are on you."
If it had been Texas or Shiho showing up at midnight to call him out, he wouldn't have agreed this easily.
But Exusiai…
Seeing her excitement—her cheeks red, her eyes sparkling—Chen Mo chose not to say anything else.
He'd let her keep her dignity.
....
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