By December, the temperature in Yunjin Prefecture had dropped, and a sharp winter chill filled the air.
Yet the public’s mood remained fiery.
Hualan had benefited immensely from aiding Emperor Orpheus of the Kingdom of Pymeshire in locating Queen Cecilia. The government signed several key agreements benefiting the public’s livelihood. Even after Emperor Orpheus suffered a stroke and was paralyzed following those scandalous revelations, the Regent Queen chose to put aside personal grievances and honor his promises. Out of gratitude for Hualan taking care of her over the past five years, she signed several additional cooperative pacts.
As a result, prices for essential daily expenses like oil and natural gas dropped significantly in Hualan. With household burdens lightened, people could not help but feel brighter and more hopeful about the future.
Whether out of envy or spite, a few foreign nations made sarcastic insinuations that Hualan had struck a dirty deal with Emperor Orpheus and Queen Cecilia. Some even claimed Queen Cecilia had once been a mercenary, producing a revoked wanted poster that identified the girl on it as her, alongside an alleged lover who was also a mercenary—claiming both were former international fugitives.
The public scoffed at these rumors. They viewed those sour-grape nations as shameless, pointing out that many people in the world looked alike, not to mention the ages did not match at all. An online “Tall Tale Contest” even erupted across social media to mock those foreign claims, with users competing to see who could invent the most ridiculous stories.
Though the viral trend had since quieted down, the festive, cheerful atmosphere lingered.
Walking through the streets, Qiu Fa absorbed these subtle shifts in public mood. Knowing the information broker had a hand in orchestration, a faint smirk touched the corner of his lips. Yet almost immediately, a darker thought crossed his mind, and his expression soured back into a scowl.
He returned to the Tribunal Division. The moment his assistant, An Yan, spotted the gift bag in his hand, he asked, “Is that for Miss Long Jin?”
“What? No, didn’t I already buy hers?” Qiu Fa replied, slightly baffled.
An Yan understood instantly, his brows knitting in worry. “So… this is for that lady again?”
“Yeah.”
“The last one didn’t get delivered, so after thinking it over, you felt it wasn’t suitable?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that woman your blind date or something?”
“None of your business. Are you that free?” Qiu Fa’s patience finally ran out.
“I’m just seeing how much thought you’re putting into this, Boss. I’m worried a bad woman might play you,” An Yan admitted frankly. Having worked for Qiu Fa since the day he became Director of the Tribunal Division, he had never seen his boss care so much about a woman. Despite being stood up multiple times, Qiu Fa’s anger dissipated easily with a few words, and he spent every day agonizing over what gift to buy next. An Yan could not help but think of a strange word: taming.
It felt as though the Director was like a tiger currently being tamed, with that woman testing and pushing back his boundaries time after time.
Once you put that much time and thought into someone, it’s all too easy to fall hard.
Qiu Fa snapped, “What nonsense are you talking about? This is just to build rapport—for official business.”
Who on earth picks and changes personal gifts every single day just for official business! Seeing his boss’s deadpan expression, An Yan could not tell if Qiu Fa was genuinely oblivious or just putting on an act. But with work to finish, he dropped the topic.
Still, he wondered who this mystery woman could be. He spent most of his days following Qiu Fa around and had never seen him interact with any women—well, except for Young Heir Long Jin. Thinking of her, he felt a sting of regret and went over to whisper to Mei Yanlan.
“Honestly, I used to think Director and Miss Long Jin had a lot of chemistry,” he murmured, looking like a disappointed shipper.
Mei Yanlan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“It’s just a feeling, you know? When the two of them are together, I feel a spark. And Director occasionally calls her ‘Little Dragon’—how cute is that! I know he’d never have those thoughts while she’s a minor, but I always felt once Long Jin turned eighteen, feelings would naturally develop over time. Who knew someone would barge in out of nowhere? Is this the classic unstoppable newcomer?”
Mei Yanlan studied An Yan’s indignant face, tapped her chin, and flashed a subtle, knowing smile. “If you like matching a dragon and a tiger that much, it might not be impossible.”
Though she did not know every detail, knowing certain key facts allowed her to piece together a fair amount.
“Huh?” An Yan stared at her in confusion, but Mei Yanlan offered no further explanation, swaying her slender waist as she walked away.
Inside his office, Qiu Fa sat at his desk for a moment before pulling out his phone.
After ten rings, a familiar voice modulated through an electronic filter came through the line—lazy, breezy, and thoroughly nonchalant. “Hello there, Director Qiu.”
Qiu Fa adopted a strict, businesslike tone. “Time and place for the meeting.”
“Hmm? Why the formal attitude?”
Qiu Fa instantly grew alert, his pupils narrowing. “Are you flaking on me again?”
“Hey~ don’t say it like that.” Jing Pei rubbed her nose sheepishly on the other end. “Why would I play you? I’ve been looking forward to our date with Director Qiu. It’s just that unexpected things keep getting in the way.”
Lately, Qiu Fa had been asking her out under the pretext that Madam President still wanted to talk with her and had asked him to act as a mediator. But at the time, Isaac had already reverted to Caspian and returned to the Kingdom of Pymeshire. She could hardly call him back right after he reunited with his lover, so Jing Pei declined.
When Qiu Fa invited her a second time, Jing Pei thought of how embarrassed he might feel after being rejected again and could not bring herself to say no. But another urgent matter popped up, forcing her to stand him up… and then it happened a few more times after that. It really was just bad timing.
Dropping his official tone, Qiu Fa tightened his grip on the gift box. “Who said anything about a date?”
“It’s not a date? Fine then, goodbye.”
“What do you want?” Qiu Fa’s voice dropped low.
“Say something nice.”
“I don’t know how to say sweet words.”
“Then answer a question for me.”
“What question?”
“What do you think of my looks?”
“…”
“Hmm?” Her light tone carried a subtle hint of threat.
“To sink fish and drop geese, to eclipse the moon and shame flowers. Satisfied?” His deep, magnetic voice sounded laced with bashful irritation.
“Mmm, not bad.” Jing Pei finally let him off the hook with a grin. “As for the time and place for our date… well, I’ll tell you later.”
“You’d better actually call.”
“Sure, sure.”
Qiu Fa breathed a quiet sigh of relief, only to realize he had accidentally crushed a corner of the gift box in his hand. Frowning, he carefully pressed the cardboard back into shape, though the wrapping paper remained creased. His eyes drifted toward the iron hanging inside his office wardrobe…
After hanging up, Jing Pei remained in high spirits, a bright smile curling her lips. “Sink fish and drop geese, eclipse the moon and shame flowers… haha.“
“Caspian is already on his way to Hualan by water. He should arrive in a few hours,” Chu Xusheng said from beside her, a look of worry on his face. “His long-range ability only lasts four hours. Can you guarantee finishing everything within four hours this time?”
“Can’t guarantee it.” Jing Pei shook her head. This was not like Bubble 109 where time could be estimated. After all, her main opponent this time would be Qiu Fa, Hualan’s guardian God of War.
Chu Xusheng froze and grew tense. “Huh? Wouldn’t that be dangerous? If Qiu Fa catches you…”
“That’s why I’m planning to play nice first, so Director Qiu might go easy on me when the time comes,” Jing Pei said with a light chuckle. It was impossible to tell whether she was joking or serious—she had always been someone whose true thoughts were hard to fathom.
Chu Xusheng could not read her, but he had learned not to overthink Jing Pei’s intentions and simply follow his own feelings. After a long pause, he muttered, “Can’t you hand this task over to us? You should just direct from behind the scenes. Why would the mastermind put themselves in danger?”
Jing Pei laughed at his phrasing. “You make me sound like a villain, though I really am going to kill a friend this time.”
“What? How could you be a villain, Young Heir? You’re clearly…” Realizing he was about to say something too sweet, Chu Xusheng flushed red, his rainbow-glass eyes darting away from hers.
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty for you all to do. You won’t be able to handle this particular part.” Jing Pei stepped out of the vehicle, stretching her waist. Her dark eyes closed and opened, bright and sharp. “Besides, staying behind the scenes for too long makes me rusty. It’s time to stretch my muscles.”
As she stepped out of the car, the lively noise from the Long family manor reached her ears.
The household was bustling with preparations. Young Heir Long Jin’s eighteenth birthday was fast approaching. Reaching adulthood at eighteen was a major milestone for an atavist family, and the celebration was bound to be grand. Moreover, as the sole atavist in the Long family, her status would officially transition from Young Heir to Family Head on her coming-of-age day.
Noticing her standing outside for a while without entering, a maid came out and said, “Young Heir, Second Master is drafting the guest list. He requests your presence inside.”
“Got it. I’ll be right over,” Jing Pei replied.
The maid bowed and headed back in.
“The family really is going out of their way,” Jing Pei remarked with a smile. “I just hope Second Uncle can handle what’s coming. Maybe I should prepare a bottle of fast-acting heart pills for him in advance.”
After all, this birthday banquet was destined to become a massive, crimson stage.
Night fell.
The main estate of the Tao family, an atavist clan, was situated on Mount Tao. The mountain boasted the largest peach blossom forest in Yunjin Prefecture. During the bloom season, the slopes transformed into a pink wonderland, drawing crowds of tourists for spring outings at ten yuan a ticket.
The admission fees naturally went to the Tao family, who owned the entire mountain as one of their income streams.
The mountain was quiet out of season. After school, Liu Yin and Tao Ying rode together in a car up the mountain road. Streetlights lit up the path. Looking out the window, Liu Yin noticed clusters of hardy flowers blooming in the cold.
He stared at them for a while before a head nudged closer from the side. A slow voice asked, “Flowers?”
“Mhm.” Liu Yin withdrew his gaze, letting it rest on her face.
“Want them? I’ll pick them for you,” Tao Ying offered, about to tell the driver to pull over.
Liu Yin stopped her. “I don’t want those flowers.”
Tao Ying pondered his words, her mind slow, then asked, “Then which kind do you want?”
“I want peach blossoms.”
“Peach blossoms don’t bloom until March. It’s not time yet.”
“Yeah, so we’ll wait a bit longer,” he said, looking into her eyes with an expression she could not quite grasp.
While the mountain remained quiet, the Tao family mansion was lively. A large dining hall held numerous family members, bustling with noise. Children bounced around while servants chased them with food, mixed with occasional shrieks and adults chatting or arguing.
The quietest among them watched the commotion with mild annoyance, eating silently in endurance. Who could have guessed that these few quiet individuals were the actual atavists of the Tao family?
Such a scene was extraordinary rare among prominent atavist clans. Non-atavist family members who relied on atavists for survival rarely possessed the nerve to bother them. But the Tao family was unique: their plant-type atavist traits made them naturally sluggish and laid-back, preferring nothing more than a peaceful life sunbathing and sleeping.
Because they were too lazy to manage affairs, too lazy to argue, and too lazy to raise their voices, they endured everything as long as it did not cross their bottom line.
This passivity had led to the current state of affairs.
Yet the chaos was not permanent. The moment the butler announced that Liu Yin and Tao Ying had returned, the noisy dining hall instantly fell dead silent. When Liu Yin and Tao Ying walked in to eat, everyone sat obediently in their seats, and even the noisy children quieted down.
“Oh dear, didn’t you say you weren’t coming back for dinner? So we started…” Tao Ying‘s aunt stood up, looking tense, her eyes fixed on Liu Yin.
“We already ate outside. Go ahead,” Liu Yin said calmly, his gaze sweeping over several children. “They seem a bit lacking in manners.”
The parents of those children turned pale and quickly replied, “Our oversight. We’ll discipline them strictly from now on.”
“Mhm. Come to the office after dinner to report on work.”
With that, Liu Yin took Tao Ying’s hand and walked out.
Silence hung over the dining hall. After the Family Head and a few other atavists finished eating and departed, the remaining members exchanged uneasy glances, quickly putting down their utensils.
“I can’t take this anymore! I agree to the proposal!” one man said, his tone grim.
“I agree too. His lifespan is limited to this single lifetime anyway, so he isn’t of much use to our Tao family anymore. This maximizes our interests.”
A timid member’s lips trembled as he asked in a low, shaking voice, “Is… is this really necessary? What about the agreement?”
“Screw the agreement! That was between our ancestors and him. What does it have to do with us? If the sky falls, the other atavist families will hold it up together. Nothing will happen to our Tao family!”
Not long ago, certain members of major atavist families had held a secret meeting to discuss how to reclaim what they had lost to the government at the 8.20 Conference. The plan was thorough, and the execution site had already been selected, waiting only for the Tao family’s cooperation.
Qiu Fa left the Tribunal Division with a dark expression. His amber eyes, already showing a predatory wildness, looked fierce. Staff on night duty shivered at the sight, convinced that Director Qiu was not heading off work, but going to arrest a high-profile criminal.
They prayed the criminal wouldn’t die a gruesome death—or at least, that there would be a body left.
“That damn information broker!” Qiu Fa gritted his teeth. That bastard promised to call him with the time and place for their meeting, yet he had finished work and received nothing. “This is the last time. Don’t let me catch you!”
She had better not think a few sweet words would earn his forgiveness this time!
In a foul mood, Qiu Fa opted against returning to his dorms and headed to the private apartment where he usually recovered from injuries.
The moment he stepped out of the elevator, he sensed something off. Pausing slightly, he walked toward his front door, his amber eyes sharp as blades. Keying in his passcode, he opened the door to see who possessed such audacity—he had not met anyone this bold in years.
The person inside heard the door open but made no move to flee. She sat on the sofa, arms stretched across the backrest, head tilted back. Her long, elegant swan neck curved into an inviting line, framed by dark curls that highlighted her fair skin.
Qiu Fa froze in his tracks, staring intently at the uninvited guest in his home.
Jing Pei wore the same black outfit as before. When she lifted her head, the small mole on her chin caught his eye. Her dark eyes locked onto his. Her face looked like a carved gem, a faint smile curving her red lips. She raised her hand and pointed a finger-gun at him.
Her red lips parted softly. “Bang.”
In an instant, Qiu Fa felt as if something had genuinely struck his heart. The world lost all sound, leaving him speechless.
“I came in person to tell you the time and place of our date. Is that sincere enough?” Jing Pei lowered her hand with a sweet smile.
“…Breaking and entering is illegal,” Qiu Fa growled, his eyes narrowing like a beast locking onto its prey. “I’m arresting you.”
“Aww~ please don’t,” Jing Pei purred, making a sound that even she felt a bit embarrassed by upon second thought.
Qiu Fa’s body went rigid as an electric jolt seemed to shoot from his soles to his brain. But relying on sheer willpower, he quickly suppressed the surge of emotion, adopting the stern demeanor of a law enforcer. “Speak properly. Don’t play these tricks with me—I don’t fall for that.”
Jing Pei had initially felt a blush rising on her cheeks, but seeing Qiu Fa act so righteous, her embarrassment evaporated, replaced by a competitive urge.
Oh, you don’t fall for that? Then what would it take for Director Qiu to bend the law and let me off this once?” Jing Pei unbuttoned the top button of her collar, a playful smile on her lips. “How about this?
Before she could finish, a shadow flashed. A broad, muscular chest pressed close in an instant, bringing a wave of masculine warmth. Jing Pei’s breath hitched. A second later—click. She tilted her head back to look; her left hand, which had been resting on the sofa backrest, was raised and handcuffed to the window sill.
“Director Qiu, you…”
“I told you not to play tricks…”
Their voices overlapped. One looking down, one looking up, their eyes met at a very close distance, leaving both stunned.
Only then did Qiu Fa realize how intimate their posture was. To handcuff the information broker on a small sofa with even tighter space between the bed and couch, he had been forced to bend one knee against her side, while his other leg pressed against her other side—a single centimeter closer and his thigh would be flush against hers.
Already imposing in stature, added to the Tribunal Division uniform coat draped over his shoulders, Jing Pei seemed entirely enclosed in his space.
With the man’s hot chest mere inches away, Jing Pei could hear his intense, rapid heartbeat. Perhaps caught off guard by the sensation of being cornered by a predator, her own heart skipped a beat.
“…You invited me to meet so I could mediate for Madam President. I came out of good intentions, and this is how you treat me?” Jing Pei stared at him, speaking a beat late, feeling lightheaded.
“That’s a separate matter from breaking into my home,” Qiu Fa replied, his gaze fixed on her. At this proximity, he could see the fine peach fuzz on her face, count her long, curled eyelashes, and notice the delicate lines on her lips. The small mole on her chin felt like a master stroke added by a deity—like a butterfly resting on a flower.
Qiu Fa’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Fine, my bad luck. I broke in without stealing a thing and got caught by the officer. So, Officer Qiu, what will it take for you to show mercy?” Jing Pei teased. Her long lashes fluttered as her gaze drifted toward his lips—soft and rosy pink.
Qiu Fa’s eyelashes were long too, though not as curled as hers. They trembled slightly as his gaze remained glued to her lips, his heart beating faster and faster.
He thought to himself: I won’t fall for this. I hate lawbreakers the most.
Then he saw Jing Pei extend a slender finger, pressing it against his chest and tracing light circles. She looked up at him with seductive, captivating eyes.
“Stop… it,” Qiu Fa grunted, his chest heaving as his voice turned raspy. He grabbed her hand with an air of unyielding justice. “Can’t you be serious?”
In that exact instant, Jing Pei felt a sudden tightness around her waist. Startled, she looked down to see a black-and-striped tiger tail wrapped tightly around her waist. That fluffy tail, which used to be soft and playful, had suddenly turned domineering. The moment it coiled around her, it yanked her body down sharply.
Their posture was already close, and with the tail’s sudden pull, a muffled thud sounded as she was pressed flush against Qiu Fa.
Both of them froze instantly.
