Welcome Back

Niko looked at Shen Shu as if he'd seen a ghost. He took her in with wide eyes as if he could not believe his sight, as if she was some hallucination or a sick joke.

"Cat?" He called her.

Shen Shu sketched a mocking bow before she repositioned herself. "In the flesh," She replied.

He looked at her unbelievably.

He sees it. Shen Shu shows anger and betrayal on her face. She was nearly shaking with rage, but she took a deep breath to calm herself.

She heard someone from the audience shout, "That's Shen Chi and Shen Shu!" He takes out his cellular device and begins recording live. "Brother and Sister are fighting! Could this be sibling rivalry? A fight over the company? To prove who's the strongest? Stay tuned for more," he says.

Shen Shu rolled her eyes at how ridiculous the "influencer" sounded, but then more people filled the audience, and she realized now they were watching intently.

Shit.

Not only will her father find out about Niko's return, but he will also hear about this fight and scold her for bringing this type of attention to them. It isn't good for publicity. Many believed that she and Niko were on good terms, that we were as close as ever. Models for a wealthy family. The perfect brother and sister duo.

But what they don't know is that she barely considered Niko—Shen Chi—her loving brother.

She looked into his grey eyes and saw a storm in them.

"I don't want to hurt you," he says in Russian, only for her to hear.

"You left us," she replied in the same language. "So, stand your ground and fight me! Don't be a coward."

He stands his ground. Shen Shu could tell he did not want to fight her, but she knew he would not back away. He knows she needed this. He knew she had to release her anger. He knows that he will insult her if he withdraws.

The presenter then shouts for them to begin, and then they move.

…

Shen Shu ran up to Niko, and she jumped, throwing a downward punch. He gracefully leans to his side, dodging her attack. She threw a right hook, then a left, then right again. He avoids each of her moves gracefully and grabs her wrist. "I know you're angry," he said.

She twisted her arm out of his grip with clenched teeth. "You. Did. Not. Say. A. Word. Of. Your. Return," she bit out with each swing at him. She landed a punch on his face. "Not even to our mother and father."

His expression falls, and guilt swarms through her. He stares at Shen Shu, but then she swings her knee to kick the side of his torso. Niko makes a complete turn, avoiding her attack. "I can explain," he says.

Shen Shu gritted her teeth. "Explain after I finish kicking your ass!"

She kicked him on the chest, and he staggered backward. She kicked him, and she kicked again. She tried to aggravate him more to fight her back, but he did not. He takes it. That infuriates Shen Shu because she hates how he does not want to hurt her even when she hurts him.

"Fight me!" Shen Shu shouted.

She watched as Niko gritted his teeth. He then locks his grip around her leg and throws her body. She slid across the platform, recovering quickly by flipping to her feet. She smiled at him.

Her blood pumped with thrill. She had not fought this hard in a long time, and she felt the adrenaline burning through.

She then charged toward him and wrapped her arms around his middle, trying to push him to the ground. He does not budge, keeping his feet grounded. He then lifts her and throws her over his shoulder, but she lands on her feet.

She dropped to her knees, swinging her leg beneath him. He jumped before Shen Shu could trip him. She charged at him again, and she pushed him to the ground, but he took her with him. Shen Shu straddled his waist and threw a punch at him. He moves his head left and right before she can hit his face. Niko then flipped her beneath him as she looked up at him breathless. He held her wrists in place, as she struggled to move beneath him.

"Cat. I need you to stop."

"Shut up," she said.

She twisted underneath him, throwing her leg around his middle, flipping him over. She rose to her feet. He quickly stood before her.

"You shouldn't have come here, Cat. It's dangerous."

Shen Shu sighed and nodded. "You're right," she said, defeated. Niko dropped his arms and lowered his guard as he saw her come to reason. But then Shen Shu swung her leg high and kicked him across the face.

He falls hard to his front and she wins.

Half the crowd watched in shock while the other half applauded for her. Shen Shu does not feel victorious, though. There was a high probability that Niko would have won if he had not held back.

She walked out of the stage, and Ting ran up to her. "Shen Shu!" She hugs her around her middle. "You were so cool out there! I didn't know you could fight!"

Shen Shu laughed against Ting's shoulder as she hugged her again.

Ting then glances at Niko, who rose from the ground. "Hey…I didn't know you and your brother were on bad terms."

"We're not on bad terms," Shen Shu corrected her with a tight smile. "I just wanted to give him a warm welcome back."

Ting stared at her with a broad smile on her face. "Badass!"

"I was mad at him, and I wanted him to know that," she explained.

Ting then nods. "Oh yeah, kinda like how me and my brother fight whenever he eats my leftovers!"

Even though she and Niko are not like normal "siblings" like Ting were with hers, she smiled.

She looked back at Niko again, and he's recovered. His gaze finds her, and they lock eyes. She then tells Ting, "Sorry, but I have to see Shen Chi."

Ting waves her way as her gaze falls back to her wad of cash with sparkles in her eyes.

Shen Shu approached Niko.