"Mm—so spicy… Sis, don't just sit there spacing out. If you're not careful, I'm going to eat everything."
"O-Oh… okay."
Talulah forced a smile at the sight of Chen Mo happily fishing food out of the hotpot, his face full of bliss. Her chopsticks, hovering in midair, continued to pick at nothing but air.
Girls… pursuing Xiao Mo.
Talulah's brow tightened. Ever since she'd heard that, she hadn't been able to settle down.
They hadn't spent long together, but she already understood one thing clearly: her little brother was nothing like an ordinary man.
Forget his unrestrained behavior—behavior that didn't resemble how men were "supposed" to act in the slightest. Even his worldview alone was enough to give Talulah a headache.
Her brother didn't care about the distinction between men and women.
The moment that thought took root, Talulah's heart began to pound uneasily. She might not have learned much about these matters after being taken away by Koschei as a child, but even she knew Chen Mo's "carefree" attitude was a serious problem.
If some woman set her sights on him, and that foolish child got taken advantage of without even realizing it—what then?
And the only one who could keep Chen Mo in check was her… but she couldn't stay in Lungmen forever, hovering over him. Hui-chieh didn't seem able to control her "brother" either.
Besides, Hui-chieh was clearly busy. She was throwing herself into harassing a company called Penguin Logistics—so she didn't have any spare time to look after Chen Mo.
And worse…
The moment Talulah imagined her adorable, cherished little brother—eyes blank, still not understanding—being pinned down by some woman with greed written all over her face, losing himself without even comprehending what was happening…
Whoosh—
Flames erupted from Talulah without warning. A terrifying heat flooded the private room, warping the air itself.
The sudden spectacle startled Chen Mo so badly he nearly jumped.
"Whoa—Sis, what are you doing?!"
He stared at the chopsticks that were beginning to soften and melt, completely baffled. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Why are you suddenly mad? You don't like the food here or something?"
"No. I just… I'm a little worried about the road ahead."
Talulah tugged her lips into a smile. It was a poor lie—she wasn't good at this.
If Hui-chieh had been here, she would have already started interrogating Talulah about exactly what nonsense she'd been thinking.
But Chen Mo didn't see through her at all. He simply swapped to a new pair of chopsticks and fell into serious contemplation.
"I don't really understand that kind of thing," he said after a moment, "but if you ever run into trouble in the future, just call me."
"Even if it's the Sarkaz regent, Theresis—if we fight together, he won't be a match for us."
"Hmph. From now on, on this land, who could possibly be the enemy of the Draco siblings? Who could withstand us? No one can stop us!"
He lifted his chin with exaggerated pride, tail swishing side to side. The sight was so absurdly earnest that Talulah couldn't help laughing.
A soft, breathy sound escaped her.
"Confidence is a good thing," she said, still smiling, "but you can't be that arrogant, Xiao Mo."
She reached out and gently wiped a trace of oil from the corner of his mouth. Her hand lingered on his pale cheek, her expression unusually tender.
"There are countless powerful people on this land. We shouldn't become conceited just because our race is strong."
"We're the last red dragons, Xiao Mo. If I can, I hope you'll never need to fight anyone again for the rest of your life."
That warm, soft face made her reluctant to let go. But she still forced herself to withdraw her hand, resisting the urge to coddle him.
"Besides, Patriot and the others are still in Reunion. Don't worry, little brother—I'm not alone."
Chen Mo nodded. He shoved a mouthful of vegetables in, chewing as he spoke around the food.
"If it's not that kind of reason, then why did you get so angry just now?"
Talulah's expression stiffened. She turned her head away, uncomfortable.
"I was just… emotional, that's all. Don't mind it."
Even trying to chat about ordinary things with Xiao Mo, she still couldn't put the matter of that girl pursuing him out of her head.
What should she do… ask him directly?
But what if he didn't want to say? Boys probably didn't want their family prying into personal feelings, right?
While Talulah hesitated, Chen Mo's phone—resting on the table—suddenly rang.
He picked it up, glanced at the screen a few times, then set it down again. He stood and stretched lazily.
"Sis, I'm going to the bathroom. You eat first."
"Mm. Go ahead."
Bang.
The moment the door shut behind him, Talulah waited a short while—then quietly reached for his phone.
"No passcode…?"
Talulah hadn't touched a smartphone in a long time. Her movements were clumsy as she fumbled through the interface. When she finally opened the contacts list, she found what she was looking for.
Don't misunderstand—she wasn't some depraved, privacy-invading, brother-obsessed freak of a sister.
She simply didn't want Chen Mo to be led astray by some "bad girl."
Her fingertip tapped an avatar composed of various dessert images.
She opened the chat.
Message after message—blunt, unfiltered, shamelessly affectionate—filled the screen.
Talulah's temperature spiked again, heat bleeding into the air, and in that rising blaze of irritation, a plan began to form.
"Exusiai…"
Meanwhile, outside the restroom, Chen Mo—having finished—was chatting with an old friend he hadn't seen in a while.
"So, Nian… you've been staying in Lungmen lately?"
"Yeah," Nian replied casually. "Lungmen has a lot of new stuff. Good for collecting material, you know—finding inspiration."
Silver hair, red horns, and clothes light enough to make most people look away on instinct—Nian looked Chen Mo up and down, her smile full of mischief.
"How come you didn't bring that Sankta woman this time? I was hoping to see her get all jumpy and mad, worrying I'd steal her man."
"Don't," Chen Mo said with a laugh. "If you push her too far, she'll spray you full of bullets. And if that happens, I'll just stand on the side cheering for Exusiai."
Remembering the way Exusiai had glared at Nian before, Chen Mo pointed toward the private room behind him.
"Want to eat with us? My sister's here too—I can introduce you."
"Your sister?"
Nian froze. She followed the direction of his finger.
And at that exact moment, she caught sight of a figure pushing the door open and hurrying away—someone whose silhouette and features looked strikingly similar to Chen Mo's.
So she really is his blood relative… unbelievable.
To think she'd actually get to see another Draco of Victoria's red dragon bloodline.
Wei Yenwu's nerves were either made of steel or he'd lost his mind—hiding two Dracos inside Lungmen like this.
But that wasn't her problem.
Nian watched the figure until she was nearly out of sight, then turned back to Chen Mo.
"Your sister's in a hurry. What's she rushing off to do?"
Chen Mo frowned, confused. He looked in the direction Nian had indicated.
"My sister's in the private room—what are you—"
His words stopped.
The private room door stood open.
Inside, the room was empty.
Chen Mo tilted his head, tail flicking once in puzzlement.
"What's she going to do?"
....
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