Book 15: Chapter 36
There is Lian and Yiren
As everyone knew, the fox was mightier than the rabbit, but that didn’t 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.
“… Feizhen, explain,” demanded Boss.
“Uh, well…”
“Don’t bully Ming Feizhen. I’m his friend. If you have a bone to pick, pick it with me.”
I wasn’t sure if I was just seeing things, but I saw Boss’ 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 isn’t she overstepping her boundaries as a guest?
“Can you not make your subordinate’s life hard so thoughtlessly? Being second in command at Liu Shan Men doesn’t excuse bullying others with your authority?”
“This is your friend?”
Me: “Uh, well…”
“Ming 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.”
“You said that?”
“Of course he did. I swear it.”
I could see flames in Boss’ eyes.
I never said that! I only said the journey to Nanjiang was rough! The superior I mentioned was Fangzhang, not you, Boss!
“Government 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, you’re in the wrong place.” When I thought Boss was about to lose it and pull out her inkstone, she responded with a graceful smile. “As for Feizhen…”
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, “This is my subordinate. I will appreciate him. Even if I don’t, behind our doors, what we do is our business. An outsider has no place commenting. Wouldn’t you agree, General Manager Bai?”
Cheeks red, Zizi covered his eyes and cried, “Yah, yah, yah…”
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 parents’ personalities, especially the calmness and rationality of her father. She wouldn’t have done what she did in the presence of anyone else. My complaint was that she didn’t 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, “Ming Feizhen, come here! Explain this to me.”
As soon as I went to move, Boss pulled me back.
“Feizhen, stay.” Boss emphasised “Feizhen” to indicate how close we were. “You don’t need to listen to outsiders.”
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. “Senior… Brother Ming!” she shouted with a completely red face. “Come here, Senior Brother Ming!”
I took three steps towards General Manager Bai without realising it and would’ve kept going had Boss not tugged me back.
“Wait!” Boss grabbed my ear, snapping me out of my daze. “What senior brother? What are you two playing…?”ｂ𝚎ｄｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎𝚕．𝚘𝚛𝚐
It’s not what you look! Don’t look at me with spite! We’re not roleplaying anything!
General Manager Bai pushed her chest out. “My shifu is connected to Mount Daluo. Ming Feizhen is my senior brother. What do you want?”
Boss gave me a frown that read, “You never told me anything about this.”
I gave a, “I only just found out today,” look back to Boss.
General Manager Bai simpered. “Ming Feizhen is my senior brother. Lord Zi calls him shifu. The only outsider in this room is you.”
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 cheater…
“You’re 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?”
“You can neglect me, but would you dare to boot Lord Zi out, too?”
Boss smiled. “I would arrange for lodging at an inn for Lord Zi, but I am sure His Majesty wouldn’t like that if I did that considering the current situation.”
General Manager Bai looked as if she just got checked on a chess board. “… So you knew?”
“You think I’d give you time of the day otherwise? Were it not for the importance of this matter, I couldn’t give a toss about you.”
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 wasn’t 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. “… Normally, I wouldn’t be able to let you stay at Liu Shan Men even if you wanted to, but it’s late. We’ll discuss how to proceed next later.” When she turned to leave, she called, “Feizhen, we’re leaving.”
General Manager Bai glared at Boss’ back as if she wanted to stick a knife in there, then made eye contact with me and cooled off. I wasn’t sure if she was recalling what she called me, but her face turned red again.
Once we reached Boss’ room, she loudly set her sword onto the table and took a seat. She stared straight at me, who didn’t dare to sit, and questioned, “You… going to explain?”