Xiao Lan did not like bars.
Too loud. Too many variables. Too many eyes.
She stood just inside the doorway of Wong Tian Rong's bar, posture straight, hands clasped loosely in front of her. Her gaze automatically mapped exits, blind spots, and crowd density before she even realized she was doing it.
This habit came from years of standing beside Liu Kai Ying.
Tian Rong noticed her immediately.
Not because Xiao Lan was loud—she wasn't—but because people like her never blended in. She was too controlled, too alert, too still for a place built on chaos and laughter.
Tian Rong leaned on the counter, watching.
Le Xin was in the back, half-asleep on a couch, recovering from another long day. She didn't notice when Xiao Lan quietly took a seat at the bar.
Tian Rong walked over and placed a glass of water in front of her.
"You don't drink," Tian Rong said casually.
Xiao Lan blinked. "I didn't say that."
"You don't," Tian Rong replied with certainty. "People who drink don't sit like they're on duty."
Xiao Lan hesitated. "…I am on duty."
Tian Rong smiled. "She's not here."
That landed.
Xiao Lan lowered her gaze slightly. "Senior Manager Liu didn't instruct me to relax."
Tian Rong tilted her head. "But she didn't tell you not to either, did she?"
Silence.
That silence said more than words.
Tian Rong rested her chin on her hand. "You're interesting."
Xiao Lan stiffened. "I'm efficient."
"Mm," Tian Rong hummed. "That's what people say when they don't want to be seen."
Xiao Lan frowned faintly.
"I don't understand," she said honestly.
Tian Rong chuckled. "You don't have to."
She slid a small plate of food toward her. "Eat."
Xiao Lan stared at it. "I didn't order—"
"You haven't eaten," Tian Rong interrupted gently.
"…How do you know?"
"Because you work for Liu Kai Ying."
That earned Tian Rong a look.
Sharp. Assessing.
Tian Rong met it without flinching. "Relax. I don't bite quiet people."
After a moment, Xiao Lan picked up the chopsticks.
She ate carefully. Slowly. Like someone unused to being allowed to.
From the couch, Chen Le Xin watched the entire interaction.
She didn't mean to.
She just… noticed.
Xiao Lan didn't speak much. Tian Rong didn't push. They existed in the same space with surprising ease—one filling silence, the other respecting it.
Le Xin frowned.
Kai Ying trusted Xiao Lan completely.
That wasn't something Kai Ying gave easily.
Le Xin had always assumed it was loyalty.
Now she wondered if it was recognition.
"Why do you stay?" Tian Rong asked suddenly.
Xiao Lan paused mid-bite. "Stay?"
"With her," Tian Rong clarified. "You could work anywhere."
Xiao Lan thought about it.
Really thought.
"Because," she said finally, "she doesn't waste people."
Tian Rong raised an eyebrow.
"She's harsh," Xiao Lan continued. "Demanding. Difficult."
A pause.
"But she never takes credit for work she didn't do. And she never abandons people when things go wrong."
Tian Rong smiled slowly.
"So you stay because she's fair."
Xiao Lan shook her head. "I stay because she's consistent."
That answer made Tian Rong laugh softly.
"Dangerous trait," Tian Rong said. "People like that make others depend on them."
Xiao Lan didn't deny it.
Le Xin closed her eyes.
Somewhere in her chest, something shifted.
She had spent years hating Kai Ying for silence, for distance, for coldness.
But watching Xiao Lan—quiet, loyal, observant—Le Xin realized something unsettling:
Kai Ying didn't inspire loyalty through charm.
She inspired it through reliability.
Through staying.
When Xiao Lan stood to leave, Tian Rong spoke again.
"You know," Tian Rong said lightly, "the woman sleeping on my couch?"
Xiao Lan nodded. "Chen Le Xin."
"She's important to your boss."
Xiao Lan paused.
Then, very carefully, she said,
"Yes."
Tian Rong smiled. "Good."
Xiao Lan didn't ask why.
She simply bowed her head slightly and left.
Le Xin opened her eyes as the door closed.
She stared at the empty bar stool Xiao Lan had occupied.
And for the first time, she didn't see Kai Ying as just a rival—
She saw her as someone people chose.
That realization sat heavily in her chest.
Uncomfortable.
Unavoidable.
And quietly dangerous.
---
Thank you for reading my novel