"Uh… Sister Yuxia, is there something you want to say to me?"
Ren couldn't help but turn and ask the woman when he noticed she'd been staring at him without blinking ever since she brought him some food.
It might've been normal if she just felt sympathetic or wanted to ask something about his identity. But the system message that popped up made Ren genuinely suspicious:
[Lin Yuxia (Codename: Lin) — Affection towards you has reached its peak. Emotion Points +2,500]
'What did I even do to please her that much?'
Though Ren was happy to receive so many points, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about the sudden spike in her affection.
"Apologies… I was just wondering if you have a plan for dealing with the Oni group," Yuxia said with her usual calm demeanor, her lips still curled into that gentle, friendly smile.
Their goal today was to approach the Oni gang and persuade them to leave this district at Yuxia's request. The Oni had caused significant trouble in the market area, and Yuxia didn't want to escalate things by demanding damages. She only wanted them gone and to avoid further conflict. If Ren and his team could help negotiate that, she'd be happy to provide support in return.
Ren, eager to resolve things quickly, volunteered to handle it. What he didn't expect was that Yuxia would tag along and walk so closely beside him — almost like a close friend.
"If Officer Zhongli doesn't mind, would you be willing to share your rough plan with me? If there are any flaws, I might be able to offer some advice."
Ren felt relieved upon hearing that. So that was her real intention — offering him advice and building rapport. It wasn't unusual for powerful figures like her to operate that way. Wei Yanwu had tried to sway him similarly.
Compared to that old man, Ren definitely had a more favorable impression of Yuxia, so he replied with a smile.
"No need to be so formal, Sister Yuxia. Just call me normally."
[Lin Yuxia (Codename: Lin) — Affection towards you has reached its peak. Emotion Points +2,500]
'Miss… is there something wrong with your brain?'
Seeing the same message pop up again, Ren was genuinely starting to worry that something wasn't quite right with this woman.
"Then… may I call you 'Ren' from now on? I heard that's your real name," Yuxia asked with a now visibly brighter smile.
"Uh… if that's what Sister Yuxia wants, then sure, just call me Ren."
Ren felt a bit awkward about how increasingly friendly she was getting, but maybe it was just a calculated move to secure future cooperation. Perhaps she simply liked polite people like him — a rare breed in a cruel place like this.
'Yeah… that must be it,' Ren tried to think positively.
"As for the plan, I'm really sorry to disappoint, but I haven't figured it out yet. I'm not really a smart guy… I just want to help my teammates as soon as possible. Ideally, I'd prefer to negotiate, but if that doesn't work… I might have to take other measures," Ren said with a slight blush of embarrassment. Sora's safety was his top priority, and he didn't want to waste time negotiating if it came to nothing. Though he wasn't keen on using force, he would if he had no other choice.
Yuxia, however, didn't seem disappointed. Instead, she nodded in approval.
"Smart people who admit their shortcomings are far more admirable than smart people who pretend they're always right. In my eyes, that honesty already puts you above the rest."
"Th-thank you."
Flustered by her praise, Ren averted his gaze in embarrassment.
Unknowingly, Ren's feelings toward Yuxia grew a little warmer. Perhaps it was because someone as cynical as him appreciated genuine compliments — a major weakness of his, especially when paired with a sincere smile.
Just then, a voice from behind brought him back to his senses.
"Hey, are you two gonna keep talking forever? And you, crybaby — how much farther is this office you mentioned? We've been walking for almost twenty minutes now," said Chen coldly as she walked up behind them.
She had followed them with her subordinates to prevent any unexpected conflict during the negotiations with the Oni. Yuxia's own men also trailed behind — at a distance, as per her orders, to allow her to speak closely with Ren.
"As I told you, Ren, people who refuse to admit their faults tend to be short-tempered. I don't value those types. They just make my subordinates dumber by association. So it's best to stay away from them," Yuxia commented casually.
"Are you insulting me!?"
Chen snapped and began to approach, but stopped when Yuxia spoke again.
"We're here."
Everyone stopped and looked where Yuxia pointed. Ahead stood a small office building, and a large group of people gathered outside — mostly Oni. Their racial mark was the black horn on their foreheads. These individuals were massive, all over two meters tall, resembling wrestlers or perhaps even larger.
"What are you going to do next?" Chen asked, looking at Ren as he studied the group.
"I'll go talk to them myself."
"What?— Hey!"
Before she could finish, Ren was already walking straight toward the building.
"That idiot!"
Chen started to follow but was stopped by Yuxia.
"Think carefully… You're planning to walk in there looking like that?" Yuxia said, eyeing Chen's official uniform.
The people in the slums didn't trust officers. Even Yuxia herself wasn't spared from their disdain. Her ability to keep the peace here was due only to the old man's direct orders and their past friendship.
"Ugh… Then hurry up and follow that guy," Chen grumbled, though she begrudgingly listened to Yuxia this time — a fact that raised Yuxia's curiosity.
"May I ask… What do you think of Officer Zhongli?"
"That's none of your business," Chen snapped irritably. It was obvious she didn't exactly like him, but she didn't hate him either. Most of it stemmed from guilt over their first impression.
Yuxia, having known Chen for a while, could see right through her.
"I see… At first, I thought you might feel the same way I do. Guess not," Yuxia said with a relieved smile.
Chen, sensing something off, was about to ask what she meant, but Yuxia had already walked away.
"What is with that woman? She's been acting weird since earlier…"
Chen muttered, prompting Officer Han nearby to chime in with a knowing look:
"Chief, isn't it obvious Miss Yuxia is falling for Officer Zhongli?"
"…Are you delusional?"
Chen looked at him like he was a fool, but Han replied confidently:
"Chief, didn't you notice? The way she looks at him isn't normal — it's the gaze of a woman in love!"
"Did you overdose on those trashy romance novels from that cat-girl author or something? They've barely known each other for an hour!"
"That's called love at first sight, Chief! I know it well — I felt it myself back in college! Miss Yuxia is acting just like I did!"
"She avoids eye contact because she's shy, asks questions to get to know him, and gives encouragement to show support — those are all clear signs of someone falling in love!"
"If you still don't believe me, her question just now proves it! It was the reaction of a woman relieved to hear another woman isn't interested in the same guy!"
"And how would you know that?"
"Because I've been through it myself!"
Han's voice almost broke with emotion, and Chen could tell who got rejected in his story.
'That crybaby… in love? Tch, saying aliens will invade Earth is still more believable…'
Chen thought with a snort — but suddenly, she remembered the strange expression Yuxia made when she first heard Zhongli's name.
It matched the look she had when she heard his name before, just days ago…
'Don't tell me… that girl knows about the future from that app too?'
Chen's eyes narrowed as the pieces fell into place. Aside from her, both the old man and Nine's leader had received that mysterious app too. It wouldn't be strange if Yuxia had it as well.
'So that's it… Everything makes sense now…'
Chen immediately understood. Yuxia was trying to win Ren's favor — not just from liking him, but because she knew his potential. She wanted to recruit or build a bond with him before anyone else did.
'Hmph… You think I'll let you succeed that easily?'
"Han. Once you get my signal, order everyone to charge."
With that, Chen marched off after them, ignoring Han's shocked gasp.
She didn't care what Yuxia was up to. But Chen wasn't foolish enough to let someone else steal all the advantage.
That man's power was far too dangerous — but also potentially very useful if handled right.
And she knew that right now, he was desperate to save his teammate. That meant the quickest way to resolve this problem…
…was force.
She knew that Yuxia must have some kind of plan to persuade the Oni gang to withdraw from the city in order to win them over. And Chen thought that by offering her help first, she could upstage that young girl quite effectively.
On the other hand, she also had some suspicions about that Oni gang—particularly about the identity of their leader, a person named Hoshiguma.
In the future, that woman was marked to eventually join her unit in the L.G.D… and that was something Chen was deeply curious about: why? And maybe, just maybe, today's events might hold the answer she was looking for