Talking With Shen

The door swung open before Suyin could say anything else, Mou Gu had walked out while carrying a tray. "One pitcher of lemonade, a serving of pasta and jianbing—I'll be finishing the hot pot soon." With a quick flurry of movements, their meal and drinks were placed on the table before Mou Gu walked back into the kitchen.

"Huh, that was quick." Ning Bi picked up the pitcher and poured the lemonade into two available glasses. She didn't bother replying to Suyin's last remark; the girl wouldn't understand.

Suyin took a sip of her drink, a relaxed expression forming on her face. "Ning Bi, that man from earlier, you happened to know him?" She had changed the subject.

But Suyin had no clue how connected all of these were.

Ning Bi picked up one of the jianbing and scarfed it down, chewing while she stared at the wall behind Suyin's shoulder. What could she say? Oh, that's the man—he's not even human for that matter. Her thoughts flew back to the day she encountered them.

She had been jogging with Bo Ling when a movement caught her eye in the distance. It would have been too fast for anybody else to notice but she saw them. Bo Ling was still blabbering away.

"The other guys placed whipped cream on my hands and Hua Zhao was nowhere to be seen. That traitor! He's probably laughing while skipping out this session to escape my wrath." Bo Ling told her as she half-listened to it.

Hua Zhao carried someone in their arms, the person's back turned away from her. Instead she could only see beautiful white hair from a maiden. Who was that vixen?! So it wasn't Chan Lee who she was supposed to worry about? Hua Zhao let them down gently on the ground."Oi, Ning Bi?" Bo Ling called for her. 

"Ning Bi???" His voice now feminine.

She coughed and took a sip of the lemonade, pushing the memory away as she glanced at Suyin. "That person is someone you wouldn't want to interact with."

Her former co-worker blinked before making a face, "Are you saying that so I won't hit on him? Or is it because he's dating Chan Lee or some sort? Although he seems to be a bit of a cowardly person."

Ning Bi shrugged in response, "I don't really know if they're together." That would be the most absurd thing she heard. "But I think he's fond of her." He had said it himself on the rooftop that day along with his other insane declaration. "In the same way a dog will wag its tail and happily bark at its owner-kind of fondness."

"Are you saying Chan Lee is a dom?"

"What?" She stared at her friend who had an unscrupulous face. "What did you just say, Suyin?"

"I'm just asking. I don't know Chan Lee that well." Suyin shrugged. "People can surprise you, you know?"

Ning Bi eyed her, "They do."

"Pfft…you're too innocent Ning Bi." Suyin cracked a grin. "But I do hope that whatever is the situation with Hua Zhao—er, your friend's friend, it gets resolved. Your friend out to talk with him again maybe?"

She would try, she really would. "Alright, thanks for the advice. I'll go tell her that, in the meanwhile—let's dig in when the hot pot comes around."

"Thanks Ning Bi~"

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"Hey, boss! I have some news for you." He waited for the sounds of affirmation before he continued, watching the two females walk away from his shop. Suyin looked back and waved at him.

He smiled and waved back. They were a kind person, it was a good thing that she seemed to be unaware of the happenings. He turned back to look at the table where the two had left their utensils neatly. If one paid attention to one pair of the chopsticks, one was a little bent. Unlike other restaurants, he used metal chopsticks. Mou Gu tried not to shudder. It didn't seem like the young woman was aware of him but her stare was enough to unnerve him.  

The person on the other line cleared their throat.

Mou Gu shook his head, "It seems like our dear friend Hua Zhao managed to get himself in some sort of trouble? It's silly that he managed to get in this sort while he conveniently took a short leave from work, don't you think?"

. . .

"Let a man keep their secrets." Liu Guiren answered her query with a smile.

It was one sure way to irk her. The young woman picked up her ceramic mug and took a dainty sip. "So be it. I have no need for any trivialities. We've yet to make contact with our little fox friend."

Liu Guiren chuckled lightly at the news. "A crafty creature, perchance, I would like to befriend them if the opportunity comes. To evade you and your people, it's not really much a surprise."

"This is no time to be making light of the conversation. Do you have any ideas of what it's been doing?" The woman's voice was sharp, the handle of the mug would surely crack if she kept her temper up.

"Let's see, is it consuming human hearts and livers?" He sighed and propped his face underneath a hand. What kind of incompetence were the people he was dealing with? A simple fox still uncaptured?

Shen An Na glared at him. "It's doing our roles. But—"

"The question is why." He gave her a bemused smile.

She assented with a grunt. "Exactly. It has made no move to make any contact with anybody else, we don't know what it wants."

"If it's cleaning up the city, then I see no worries about that." At least on the surface, Liu Guiren had no problems with the fox disposing trash in the city. If they were easy to defeat, that was what they were. Trash.

"We're under the assumption that it's perhaps at least a thousand years old."

He raised a brow. "I see?"

"We're dealing with a multiple-tail fox. Do something about it."

"Why not have your little boy toy soldiers do the work? I'm not one to be bothered."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you to ask help from your father."

Liu Guiren would have choked on water if he had been drinking a glass. "Now that's truly one way to jest, An Na."

"Liu Guiren, this fox came to our city during the meteor showers!"

"Celestial storm." He corrected her. At least that was one way to call that celestial event.

"That's supposed to mean something, right?"