"Haaah… Exusiai, you're up early today. That's a first."
Croissant, dressed far too lightly for morning, yawned as she pulled a drink from the fridge and downed it in one go. She glanced at Exusiai, who was pacing the living room in full formal wear.
"Don't tell me Chen Mo's coming over?"
"Huh? Is it that obvious?" Exusiai asked.
Croissant shrugged. "If you're this hyped, who else could it be? So what's he here for?"
Unable to suppress her excitement, Exusiai grinned and scratched her cheek. She shot a smug look toward Texas, who had just wandered out of her room, still half-asleep.
"Heh. Obviously my tireless care and concern moved him so much that he finally decided to ask me out in person!"
"Oh," Croissant said flatly. "So you don't actually know why he's coming."
With zero mercy, she punctured Exusiai's fantasy and sighed, turning toward her own room.
"Forget it. I should put some clothes on, before someone thinks I'm committing a crime."
Bang—
Exusiai looked a little awkward, but she shook it off immediately, trotting over to Texas with a bright smile.
"Texas, tell me—do you think I should—"
"Lungmen hasn't been peaceful lately."
Texas cut her off mid-sentence. Her calm eyes reflected the rolling news broadcast on the TV.
"There's a good chance he's here because of what's been happening recently. Don't forget what his job is, Exusiai."
"Ugh, don't kill the mood like that…"
A bucket of cold water dumped straight onto her heart—Exusiai's arms drooped, and her earlier excitement cooled down fast.
Yesterday, Chen Mo had only said he'd come see her this morning. Nothing else.
And no matter how much she pressed him, he didn't reply—like one of those Columbian spy thrillers.
As if someone were watching him.
Knock, knock—
"Ah!"
The sudden knocking startled Exusiai so badly she shivered. Texas gave her a strange look.
"You're not opening it? Your 'dream guy' is standing right outside."
"Right! Coming!"
Exusiai immediately tossed the ominous thought out of her head and happily rushed to the door. After washing up several times on purpose, she put on the brightest smile she could manage and swung the door open.
"Welcome to the Penguin Logistics dorm, Chen Mo! I—what? Oh. It's the boss…"
"Seeing me doesn't exactly fill you with joy, huh?" came a voice.
The pint-sized Emperor swaggered in, swaying side to side, strolling straight past Exusiai's crestfallen face. He waved a wing behind him.
"Come on in. If you want to make a deal with Penguin Logistics, you talk to me."
Exusiai blinked, confused—then lifted her head and saw Chen Mo behind him, smiling as he greeted her.
"Morning, Exusiai. Why do you look like someone stood you up? I'm not late, am I?"
"Of course not! Come in, come in!"
Seeing him after all, Exusiai lit up and waved repeatedly. She pulled Chen Mo inside—so enthusiastically that she practically squeezed Texas aside in the process.
"Sit, Chen Mo! Want something to drink? I'll get it!"
"Thanks, but no. I'm on a tight schedule."
Chen Mo declined. He didn't even sit—just stood there and looked at Emperor, who had already hopped up onto the sofa.
"Emperor, about what I mentioned on the way over—"
"Overall, I don't have a problem with it," Emperor said, wings folded across his chest. "But does that old man know about this?"
Under Exusiai's curious gaze, Emperor continued without turning around.
"If he finds out I sold you a vehicle so you can go to Chernobog… do you think he'll tear my face off? Tell me, Draco brat—what reason do I have to risk getting run out of Lungmen, just to sell a Penguin Logistics car to you?"
"Uh…"
Chen Mo rubbed his chin, thinking.
He'd thought it was lucky to run into Emperor on the street, but this penguin clearly wasn't as easy to handle as Exusiai.
Still—Emperor didn't look remotely intimidated.
Chen Mo hesitated, then tested the waters.
"Because… you're Emperor?"
"…"
For a moment, the room fell dead silent.
Then came a sharp, awful penguin cackle.
"HAHAHAHA! Correct! I'm Emperor—Columbia's legendary old-school rap star, the hottest celebrity in all of Lungmen! Why would I be afraid of that old fossil?"
Acting on impulse, chasing pleasure, living fast—those were practically Penguin Logistics' core values.
And as the boss of Penguin Logistics, on top of being a beast-lord, Emperor would be a joke if he truly feared political pressure.
"Good answer. I like it," Emperor said. "But I'll ask you one last thing."
This time he finally turned around. He didn't care that Exusiai already looked tense, like she'd pieced together part of what was going on.
"You're sure you want to stand against your own blood? You look like you understand it too—she's not the family you're 'born from' anymore."
"I understand perfectly," Chen Mo said, thumping his chest with confidence. "That's exactly why I'm going over there to farm that old bastard's gold."
He looked so smug and self-assured it was almost annoyingly likable.
But inwardly, Chen Mo had no confidence at all.
Talulah's "account" had been hijacked by that thousand-year-old booster—a full-time pilot playing on her behalf. Even his basic skillshots could miss; back in the day he'd relied on busted stats and brainless auto-attacks to win. A washed Bronze-tier player like him wasn't guaranteed to beat her.
But he didn't have a choice.
If he didn't step in, his little sister would.
Emperor laughed and tossed him a set of car keys.
"You live in Lungmen, yet you know the dirty secrets hidden under Ursus—half a continent away. If that old dragon weren't sheltering you, I'd honestly want to snatch you up and make you my employee."
"Go. The checkpoint at Lungmen's gate is chaos right now. If you move fast, you might actually slip out."
Chen Mo caught the keys and tossed his bank card back in return.
"Thanks. I'll treat you all to a meal later."
He turned to leave—
—and suddenly a hand clamped down hard on his wrist, refusing to let go.
Even without looking back, he knew exactly who it was. The grip was strong, desperate—like she was using every ounce of strength she had to keep him there.
"I'm in a hurry," Chen Mo said. "Can you let go, Exusiai?"
"No." Exusiai pouted, staring him dead in the eye without flinching. "If you insist on going, then you're taking me with you. I'm not letting a man go alone to somewhere that dangerous."
If this were earlier, she would've been blushing and unable to hold his gaze.
Not now.
And Emperor and Texas didn't move to intervene at all—in fact, they were blatantly recording with their phones like they were watching a show.
Chen Mo paused, then yanked his hand free and—almost like a consolation—laid his thick, smooth tail over her grip.
"How about this. I'll agree to one condition. You stop blocking me, alright?"
To Chen Mo's surprise, Exusiai shook her head firmly—despite the perfect chance to demand something that would "seal the deal" between them.
"I don't want your condition. If you know Ursus is dangerous, then why are you insisting on going there?"
The truth was, whatever was happening in Ursus had nothing to do with him.
So why risk his life?
"It's simple," Chen Mo said, smiling at her. "The reason I have to go is the same reason you're trying so hard to stop me."
As he spoke, he quietly slid his tail out of her hands.
Better not let people touch his tail too much—it was sensitive.
He'd almost started to feel something.
Exusiai stood there, stunned, as Chen Mo walked to the door and waved at them.
"I'm heading out. If Ch'en comes looking, try not to tell her, okay?"
Bang—
The door shut.
Downstairs, the familiar roar of an engine started up.
Exusiai stared into space for a while, then unconsciously clenched her hands—as if still holding something.
"Boss… can Chen Mo come back safe?"
"Hah!" Emperor snapped.
He and Texas hurriedly put their phones away, coughing a few times like nothing had happened.
"If he already knows that old black snake's information, what's there to worry about?"
He continued, voice turning blunt.
"And don't even think about sneaking after him. He's a Draco—if he can't win, he can run. You can't. You'd just be dead weight."
"…Yeah. I understand. Thanks, boss."
Hearing Emperor's reassurance, Exusiai finally relaxed. She lowered her head, staring at her hands as her thoughts drifted in a very unhelpful direction.
Smooth. Warm.
Chen Mo's tail—something he always protected so carefully…
It actually felt pretty nice.
Smack!
"Ow! Boss, why'd you hit me?!"
"Stop daydreaming!" Emperor barked. He'd just cracked Exusiai on the head hard enough to snap her out of her fantasies. Then, under the puzzled looks of Croissant and the others—who had just emerged from their rooms—he cleared his throat.
"Since business has been slow lately, I've decided…"
"Penguin Logistics, all hands—vacation in Siesta! Unlimited duration!"
"WOOO!!"
------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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