"Go home more often"? Ugh. That sounded creepy as hell.
And also—
"No wonder you tried to stop me when Officer Ch'en was chasing me."
Chen Mo clicked his tongue and glanced at the changes on his interface.
[Name: Chen Mo]
[Race: Draco]
[EXP: 31/100]
[Equipment: Longsword — Ash]
[Identity: Son of Edward Artorius]
It actually assigned him that.
Chen Mo was certain the "golden finger" had conjured him out of thin air. He was not—absolutely not—Edward's child in any original storyline.
And sure, his parents had died early in his previous life; he'd always been alone, so he wasn't as violently averse to suddenly gaining relatives as some people might be.
But it still felt wrong.
Especially since this convenient, not-blood-related "little sister" was basically the living embodiment of a meme he'd used to spam.
His experience total had shifted too—likely ten points from the elite thugs, plus ten from that Vouivre woman. He was getting closer and closer to a hundred.
But with Ch'en's stare making his skin itch, Chen Mo stopped caring about EXP and forced the conversation elsewhere.
"So you're his…?"
"Underling. Informant. Plant. Call it what you like," Hungry Wolf said.
She'd tried to light a cigarette, but under Ch'en's cutting gaze she silently put it away.
"I suspected it," Hungry Wolf admitted. "But I didn't expect the background to be that big. I can't resist it."
"From now on, you can move freely in Lungmen, Chen Mo. That person also said he'll protect your secret."
She added quickly, "Of course, don't broadcast your identity. Don't invite unnecessary trouble."
Chen Mo was about to press for more, when Ch'en cut in sharply.
"So you do know Chen Mo's identity?"
Hungry Wolf barked a laugh.
"Me? I'm a nobody. How would I dare know a secret that gets people killed? That's a message even the Chief of Lungmen must protect. I don't have the guts."
She straightened her clothes and walked to the door, waving over her shoulder.
"Anyway. Goodbye, you two. Come by and play sometime."
The door shut. The spacious room was left with only Chen Mo and Ch'en Hui-chieh.
Chen Mo glanced at her. She'd gone quiet, as if thinking.
He inched toward the door.
Now!
"Where do you think you're going?"
That cold face appeared right in front of him, nearly scaring him into throwing a punch on instinct.
Chen Mo swallowed, awkwardly swishing his tail, then forced himself to act casual as he sidestepped her and headed out.
"It's late. Officer Ch'en—me going home to sleep is reasonable, right?"
"Call me Ch'en Hui-chieh," she said, falling into step behind him at a measured distance. "Or just Hui-chieh."
"You're a man. You shouldn't be living in District 19," she continued. "Come with me. I'll find you somewhere else to stay."
"And the gang brawl—you'll come help me handle that too."
She recognizes him as her brother and immediately goes for righteous punishment?
Is she farming kill/death stats or what?
Chen Mo waved both hands, speeding up. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow—Officer—Ch'en! It's late! Go home!"
"No," she said flatly. "Today's matters get handled today. I'm going with you to pack. Once you're done, you leave with me."
Her deadpan aura and intimidating presence drove away every hooligan who tried to approach Chen Mo on the neon-soaked entertainment street. The place reeked of noise and indulgence—she hated it on sight.
Now that she'd "recognized" him, she wasn't letting him stay here.
After a moment, she asked carefully:
"Why did you choose to… work here?"
She phrased it gently, sparing his pride.
Why would a man work as a thug?
"If I said it was for money, you wouldn't believe me," Chen Mo said, glancing back at her and feeling the pressure climb when he realized he couldn't shake her.
If it were anyone else, he'd already used violence to make the point. But it had to be Ch'en.
"Well, money and other things. Hungry Wolf helped me out early on. I repaid her kindness with kindness. I worked for her for a month—just to settle the debt."
His sprint slowed as they reached his building. Chen Mo didn't hesitate—he unlocked the door and headed inside, with Ch'en still scanning the surroundings and listening intently.
"I planned to make a clean break after today. I don't want my life to keep involving those thugs."
"And I was ready to live it up with that huge paycheck, but I didn't expect…"
He sighed, already seeing the future: no more sleeping until noon, no more staying up gaming all night.
The pressure of "family"—even if this family was extremely questionable—still stirred something in him. For a kid whose parents had died young, the feeling of being watched over was painfully familiar.
Even if he didn't really want it.
He opened his apartment door and, unlike most men, didn't seem shy at all about inviting a woman inside.
"Come in. It's a bit messy—bear with it."
Messy was putting it lightly.
Ch'en had wanted to comfort him after hearing his story, but the chaos in front of her made her swallow those words.
"With all due respect," she said slowly, "your personality and living habits are completely unlike the average man's—"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Chen Mo said. He handed her a large box. "Come on, didn't you say you'd help me pack?"
He grumbled, but his hands moved fast—almost as fast as hers.
Midway through, Ch'en accidentally caught sight of a very obvious black pair of underwear tossed on the sofa. She immediately shifted her gaze away and cleared her throat.
"Your private clothing, Chen Mo," she said stiffly. "Don't leave it lying around."
Chen Mo blinked. He followed her line of sight—and there it was, the underwear he'd washed yesterday and forgotten to hang.
"Oh. Thanks."
Normally, his indifference would have been a relief. She'd seen a man's underwear; if he didn't accuse her of being a pervert, she should count it as luck.
But Ch'en was Ch'en.
Watching him act like he didn't even realize he'd been "taken advantage of," she frowned hard.
"You're a man. How can you be this careless?" she scolded. "If it were another woman, and she saw this—what if she got… ideas?"
Chen Mo froze, then thoughtfully stroked his chin, studying Ch'en's expressionless face with genuine curiosity.
"So what, I should slap you and scream?"
"…That won't be necessary," Ch'en said flatly, bending down to continue packing.
It seemed the "training" regarding her brother's overly feminine carelessness needed to begin immediately.
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