THE REAL PROTEGE

"You're already working?" he mumbled, voice thick with sleep and something softer.

"I thought last night earned me at least a morning of indulgence."

Ling Li didn't look up. She tapped the notes against his chest with a smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Indulgence is over. You're flying to Shanghai in three days. I've listed everything you need to do before then."

He groaned, dragging a hand over his face like the notes had personally offended him. But he didn't reach for it. Not yet.

"Let me guess. Business meetings, spiritual grid inspections, and at least one awkward lunch with a bureaucrat who thinks I'm your bodyguard?"

"Two lunches," she corrected, sipping her tea.

"And you'll need to visit the main office. Your name is on the building now, Chu Yan. You can't keep concealing behind me forever."

He rolled onto his side, propping himself up with one arm, the sheet slipping down to reveal the long scar across his shoulder —the one Ling Li had traced with her fingers the night before. He stared at her, not the notes.

"But hiding behind you is so comfortable," he said, voice low, acting cute.

"And occasionally romantic."

Ling Li raised an eyebrow, a small, hesitant smile tugging at her lips. She was tempted to move closer, but she knew better than to risk it —otherwise, she might end up staying in bed for the next three hours.

"Chu Yan. You're supposed to be establishing yourself as a Chinese businessman. Not my overly affectionate shadow." Ling Li said with a sigh.

Four Eyes reached out, fingers brushing her wrist before tugging her gently toward him. She let herself lean in, just enough for him to press a kiss to her cheek —slow, lingering, like he was trying to memorize the shape of her skin.

"I can be both," he murmured.

"A powerful mogul and your shadow. I multitask."

Ling Li laughed, but it was quieter this time. She pulled away before he could draw her fully into the bed again. Her hand disappeared beneath the pillow and emerged with a second note —this one shorter, messier, and slightly singed at the edges.

"This one's for the twins," she said, handing it to him like a live grenade.

"They tried to decode it with fire magic. Again."

Four Eyes stared at the note like it might explode.

Ling Li "...."

"No promises," Four Eyes muttered.

Then, quieter:

"I truly don't want to go."

Ling Li paused, her gaze softening. She reached out, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. Her fingers lingered longer than usual.

"I know."

Outside, a gust of wind rattled the windowpane. The tea in her cup had gone cold.

"Come back fast," Four Eyes finally said.

"Or I'll start hiding behind Otako."

Ling Li smiled in amusement, but her eyes held the same quiet ache. She didn't promise anything.

"You'll be fine. Just don't let the twins burn down Shanghai."

Four Eyes finally took the notes, but held them like they weighed more than they should.

Twin Trouble at Breakfast

Downstairs, the breakfast table was a portrait of serenity: warm congee steamed gently in porcelain bowls, sliced dragonfruit glistened beside pickled plum, and a pot of Ling Li's favorite chrysanthemum tea sat nestled in a carved jade warmer. The air smelled faintly of ginger and sandalwood.

Four Eyes had just taken his first sip, savoring the quiet, when the door slammed open with the force of a small typhoon.

Kim Kim and Chin Chin stormed in, breathless and wild-eyed. Their hair was tousled in opposite directions, their boots mismatched —one red, one green —and their nightgowns were streaked with moss and something that sparkled ominously.

"Mom!" Kim Kim shouted, skidding to a halt.

"We need emergency clearance for the spiritual vault under the greenhouse!"

"It's glowing again!" Chin Chin added, clutching a half-eaten rice ball.

"And it's humming in Morse code!"

Four Eyes blinked, mid-sip.

"You two weren't even supposed to be near the greenhouse."

"We weren't!" Kim Kim said.

"We were meditating!" Chin Chin added.

"With snacks!"

Ling Li set down her tea with surgical precision, already rising to her feet. Her robe swirled around her ankles like storm clouds gathering.

"What did you touch?" she asked, voice calm but edged.

"Nothing!"

"Just the moss!"

"And the stone with the weird face!"

'They said they didn't touch anything, but they touched everything.' Four Eyes groaned, rubbing his temples as if trying to massage away a prophecy.

"This is why I need a third note. One just for managing you two."

Kim Kim grinned, unrepentant.

"We're a full-time job."

Chin Chin nodded solemnly.

"But we come with benefits. Like chaos. And charm."

Four Eyes didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry.

Ling Li didn't respond. She was already halfway to the door, her braid swinging like a pendulum of judgment.

"Chu Yan, you're taking them to Shanghai," she said without turning.

"Consider this your warm-up."

Four Eyes groaned theatrically, slumping back into his chair.

"I knew I should've stayed in bed."

Kim Kim winked, grabbing a dumpling from the table.

"Too late. You're ours now."

Chin Chin tossed a lotus petal into his tea.

"We travel light. But we bring drama."

"...."

Four Eyes stared into the petal-laced tea like it might offer him a way out. It didn't.

Flashback: The Greenhouse Incident

It had started innocently enough.

Kim Kim and Chin Chin had crept into the greenhouse just after dawn, their silk night dresses flapping, arms full of snacks and ritual tools that probably weren't meant to be used together. The air inside was thick with humidity and the scent of jasmine and damp stone. Vines curled around the rafters like sleeping serpents. The spiritual vault beneath the floor pulsed faintly, a heartbeat buried in soil.

"We're just going to observe," Kim Kim whispered, unwrapping a sesame bun.

"No touching," Chin Chin agreed, already poking the moss with a jade tuning fork.

They sat cross-legged on the stone tiles, surrounded by incense sticks, dried lotus petals, and a half-eaten bag of shrimp chips. For a moment, it was peaceful. The vault hummed quietly beneath them, like a dragon dreaming.

Then Chin Chin noticed the stone.

It was half-buried in the moss, carved with a face that looked suspiciously like their grumpy cousin. Its eyes were closed, mouth twisted in a smirk.

"It's watching us," Chin Chin said.

"It's judging us," Kim Kim replied.

"Let's poke it."

They did.

Stone face "...."