Tang Shirou knew Chen Xiao better than most; she understood just how terrifying he could be. "Miss Tang, it was my fault… I don't know what came over me back then…" Jiang Chuxue looked guilty, clutching Tang Shirou's hand and biting her lip. "I was bewitched. I really thought Brother Chen Xiao was a great man."
Tang Shirou smiled softly and reached for Jiang Chuxue's hand again. "Ah, Miss Tang… I don't blame you anymore—" she began, and a light giggle broke the tension.
The door opened then. Chen Xiao stood in the doorway, watching the two women together, feeling a quiet relief at the peaceful scene. "Brother Chen Xiao!" "Xiao Ge, you're here."
Tang Shirou wore a deep-purple silk nightgown trimmed with lace; the cut was elegant and flattering, accentuating her curves with an understated, magnetic charm. Jiang Chuxue, by contrast, wore a simple white gauze dress—light, fluttering with her movements like a nymph descending to earth, fresh and graceful.
Chen Xiao dropped onto the bedside seat with a grin. "Ahem. Chuxue, I'm in the mood for lamb skewers tonight." Then he hurried off.
Tang Shirou didn't catch his implication, but Jiang Chuxue did. "Chuxue, do you still have the strength to summon the sheep spirit? If you're too tired, don't listen to him. I'll find that fatty and get some pork later—then send it to Xiao Ge." Tang Shirou's concern was gentle. Jiang Chuxue shook her head quickly. "Umm… I'm fine. I can summon it—no trouble at all, Miss Tang." Tang Shirou looked puzzled; to her it was just grilled lamb skewers, but Chuxue's response suggested something else entirely.
In the living room, Jiang Yunhan was bent over a map, plotting the power structure of the Jiangbei Triangle. "Doctor Jiang, how's the task I gave you?" Chen Xiao asked as he collapsed into the main seat, cracking sunflower seeds.
Jiang Yunhan, ever precise, reminded him, "Don't spit the shells everywhere. The living room is the face of our Jiangbei Triangle—there's a trash can." Chen Xiao stuffed the seeds away sheepishly. Even in the apocalypse, Doctor Jiang kept his standards.
"You asked me to find women under thirty-five with SS-rank or higher speed talent, and they should be good-looking, right?" Jiang Yunhan asked. Chen Xiao nodded. "Yes." "I haven't found anyone," Jiang Yunhan replied. Chen Xiao made a surprised sound. "We're the top power in Jiangbei—can't we even find someone who fits that?" Jiang Yunhan sighed. "It's not simple. The 'good-looking' filter alone cuts out ninety percent." Chen Xiao was speechless. "Loosen it a bit—priority is SS-rank speed."
"And handsome men?" Jiang Yunhan queried. Chen Xiao flushed and laughed awkwardly. "No—these women are mainly for the military, for Huaxia." Jiang Yunhan frowned. "For Huaxia?" Chen Xiao waved a hand. "Those who need to know will know. It's complicated. Saying more won't help—there's too much at stake. Just pretend you don't know."
Mumbling, Chen Xiao rose to leave the living room. He didn't want to linger—Doctor Jiang was family, but the subject made him restless. His physical strength and skills had already peaked for this world, but his speed still lagged. [Divine Wind] was fast, but not enough.
Lost in thought, Chen Xiao went to Ouyang Miao's room—waiting for Jiang Chuxue to bring lamb skewers would take too long. He preferred to be proactive. "Knock, knock, knock—" The door creaked open.
Ouyang Miao saw him but didn't move to invite him in. Chen Xiao had other ideas: he stepped inside and pointed toward the interior. A faint, distinctive feminine scent greeted him. He noticed Ouyang Miao had changed—she wore a tight black camisole, and for a moment the room held a charged, intimate hush.