There is Lian and Yiren
As everyone knew, the fox was mightier than the rabbit, but that didnât necessarily hold true if it was a huge rabbit. I saw a huge white rabbit facing off against a seductive white fox. The rabbit munched away at a carrot swiftly; the white fox aerated its cheeks. They looked ready to compete until the cuter one was decisively decided.
â⊠Feizhen, explain,â demanded Boss.
âUh, wellâŠâ
âDonât bully Ming Feizhen. Iâm his friend. If you have a bone to pick, pick it with me.â
I wasnât sure if I was just seeing things, but I saw Bossâ pupils dilate as though she was about to fly off the handle.
Wait. Boss is usually the one protecting. With General Manager Bai protecting me all of a sudden, not only am I not moved, but isnât she overstepping her boundaries as a guest?
âCan you not make your subordinateâs life hard so thoughtlessly? Being second in command at Liu Shan Men doesnât excuse bullying others with your authority?â
âThis is your friend?â
Me: âUh, wellâŠâ
âMing Feizhen told me how hard life had been in recent months, and how unreasonable his superior is. I see that he told no lies. Vice-captain Shen, His Majesty reallocated you as punishment for your attitude, yet it seems you are making the same mistake again.â
âYou said that?â
âOf course he did. I swear it.â
I could see flames in Bossâ eyes.
I never said that! I only said the journey to Nanjiang was rough! The superior I mentioned was Fangzhang, not you, Boss!
âGovernment offices are not a place for personal catch ups. If you think having a quick chat with a friend here on my turf is against the rules, youâre in the wrong place.â When I thought Boss was about to lose it and pull out her inkstone, she responded with a graceful smile. âAs for FeizhenâŠâ
Boss, still smiling, placed a hand on my neck and pulled me down to her height. She caressed my head with affection I had never seen before and said, âThis is my subordinate. I will appreciate him. Even if I donât, behind our doors, what we do is our business. An outsider has no place commenting. Wouldnât you agree, General Manager Bai?â
Cheeks red, Zizi covered his eyes and cried, âYah, yah, yahâŠâ
General Manager Bai was ready to explode. I was pretty sure Boss said what she said and did what she did because she was able to explode, too. I supposed that was the result of inheriting the combinations of her parentsâ personalities, especially the calmness and rationality of her father. She wouldnât have done what she did in the presence of anyone else. My complaint was that she didnât account for my blood pressure. Not only could I smell her, but I was close to making contact with her mountains.
My nose! My nose!
General Manager Bai clamped her teeth together, then exclaimed, âMing Feizhen, come here! Explain this to me.â
As soon as I went to move, Boss pulled me back.
âFeizhen, stay.â Boss emphasised âFeizhenâ to indicate how close we were. âYou donât need to listen to outsiders.â
General Manager Bai was close to losing her mind after being addressed as an outsider constantly. Hence, she made a decision she was bound to regret. âSenior⊠Brother Ming!â she shouted with a completely red face. âCome here, Senior Brother Ming!â
I took three steps towards General Manager Bai without realising it and wouldâve kept going had Boss not tugged me back.
âWait!â Boss grabbed my ear, snapping me out of my daze. âWhat senior brother? What are you two playingâŠ?â
Itâs not what you look! Donât look at me with spite! Weâre not roleplaying anything!
General Manager Bai pushed her chest out. âMy shifu is connected to Mount Daluo. Ming Feizhen is my senior brother. What do you want?â
Boss gave me a frown that read, âYou never told me anything about this.âđđđ đŁđđđđ.đđđ
I gave a, âI only just found out today,â look back to Boss.
General Manager Bai simpered. âMing Feizhen is my senior brother. Lord Zi calls him shifu. The only outsider in this room is you.â
Seemingly having yet to come to terms with our relationship, Boss glanced back and forth between us. I felt as if I was being called a cheaterâŠ
âYouâre at Liu Shan Men, so I have the right to call the shots. What will you do if I refuse to let you stay here?â
âYou can neglect me, but would you dare to boot Lord Zi out, too?â
Boss smiled. âI would arrange for lodging at an inn for Lord Zi, but I am sure His Majesty wouldnât like that if I did that considering the current situation.â
General Manager Bai looked as if she just got checked on a chess board. â⊠So you knew?â
âYou think Iâd give you time of the day otherwise? Were it not for the importance of this matter, I couldnât give a toss about you.â
General Manager Bai emphasised the reason she had no money and had to stay outside the imperial palace with Zizi was a secret of the imperial palace, so it wasnât strange for Boss to know about it. However, I was curious what the secret was. They say you have to use money if you have money and leverage your status if you have status, after all.
Boss peered out the window, then looked at the tired kid. â⊠Normally, I wouldnât be able to let you stay at Liu Shan Men even if you wanted to, but itâs late. Weâll discuss how to proceed next later.â When she turned to leave, she called, âFeizhen, weâre leaving.â
General Manager Bai glared at Bossâ back as if she wanted to stick a knife in there, then made eye contact with me and cooled off. I wasnât sure if she was recalling what she called me, but her face turned red again.
Once we reached Bossâ room, she loudly set her sword onto the table and took a seat. She stared straight at me, who didnât dare to sit, and questioned, âYou⊠going to explain?â